Designing Evaluations. 2012 Revision. Applied Research and Methods. GAO-12-208G

Science.gov (United States)

US Government Accountability Office, 2012

2012-01-01

GAO assists congressional decision makers in their deliberations by furnishing them with analytical information on issues and options. Many diverse methodologies are needed to develop sound and timely answers to the questions the Congress asks. To provide GAO evaluators with basic information about the more commonly used methodologies, GAO's…

Dai Omega, a large solid angle axial focusing superconducting surface muon channel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyadera, H.; Nagamine, K.; Shimomura, K.; Nishiyama, K.; Tanaka, H.; Fukuchi, K.; Makimura, S.; Ishida, K.

2003-01-01

An axial focusing surface muon channel, Dai Omega, was installed at KEK-MSL in the summer of 2001. Large aperture superconducting coils are utilized instead of quadrupole magnets. Dai Omega adopts an axial focusing beam path using symmetric magnetic fields from four coils. Computer simulations were performed on constructing Dai Omega, and the calculated solid angle acceptance of Dai Omega was larger than 1 sr at the optimum momentum. The momentum acceptance of Dai Omega was 6% FWHM. Dai Omega improved the solid angle acceptance by almost 20 times, in comparison with conventional muon channels. Beam tuning tests of Dai Omega have been carried out, and a beam intensity of 10 6 μ + /s was achieved at KEK-NML (500 MeV, 5 μA), which was almost comparable with that of RAL (800 MeV, 200 μA)

[Professor GAO Yuchun's experience of acupuncture for headache].

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Linhua; Xing, Xiao; Xue, Weihua; Wang, Yanjun; Xu, Cejun; Xuc, Jun; Gao, Yuchun; Kang, Suobin

2015-12-01

As one of the important founders of GAO's acupuncture academic school in YanZhao area, Professor GAO Yuchun 's experience of acupuncture for headache is summarized in this paper. In the opinion of Professor GAO, the treatment of headache should focus on eliminating evil and relieving pain, and the syndrome differentiation should be based on meridian differentiation, especially on three yang meridians of foot as well as liver meridian and kidney meridian. In the acupoint prescription, attention should be placed on strengthening the spleen and stomach. The midnight-midday ebb flow acupuncture is advocated. The combination between acupuncture order and movement of qi is emphasized. In the manipulation, the role of pressing hand, the stimulation during reinforcing and reducing methods, and needle-retention time are important. The breathing reinforcing and reducing method of acupuncture are also advocated.

Pašnāvības ziņu rāmējums latviešu, krievu un britu ziņu portālos: salīdzinošā analīze

OpenAIRE

Kozlovska, Alīna

2014-01-01

Bakalaura darba „Pašnāvības ziņu rāmējums latviešu, krievu un britu ziņu portālos: salīdzinošā analīze” pētāmā problēma ir pašnāvības ziņu mediācija atbilstoši ētikas principiem. Darba mērķis ir izpētīt portālu publikāciju rāmējumus un vēstījumos paustās attieksmes pret dzīves brīvprātīgu pārtraukšanu, salīdzinot dažādās mediju vidēs konstatētos rezultātus. Darba teorētiskajā daļā apskatītas interneta un jaunāko tehnoloģiju īpatnības, sensibilo tematu komunikācijas īpatnības un nāves medi...

Fukushima - calculation of the reactor core inventory and storage pools Dai-ichi 1 to Dai-ichi 4, an estimation of a source term

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krpelanova, M.; Carny, P.

2011-01-01

Inventory of the reactor core and spent fuel storage pool of the reactors at Dai-ichi 1 to Dai-ichi 4 was determined to need a realistic estimate of the source (released into the atmosphere environment) and modelling of radiological impact of the events in Fukushima NPP. Calculations of inventories were carried out by the methodology that is used in systems to support emergency response and crisis management anymore. Calculations were made based on a model that respects knowledge of real fuels and fuel cycles for individual reactors Dai-ichi. Necessary input data for training the model and calculate inventories are obtained from the IAEA PRIS database.

Genetic structure of Mount Huang honey bee (Apis cerana) populations: evidence from microsatellite polymorphism.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Fang; Shi, Tengfei; Huang, Sisi; Yu, Linsheng; Bi, Shoudong

2016-01-01

The Mount Huang eastern honey bees ( Apis cerana ) are an endemic population, which is well adapted to the local agricultural and ecological environment. In this study, the genetic structure of seven eastern honey bees ( A. cerana ) populations from Mount Huang in China were analyzed by SSR (simple sequence repeat) markers. The results revealed that 16 pairs of primers used amplified a total of 143 alleles. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 6 to 13, with a mean value of 8.94 alleles per locus. Observed and expected heterozygosities showed mean values of 0.446 and 0.831 respectively. UPGMA cluster analysis grouped seven eastern honey bees in three groups. The results obtained show a high genetic diversity in the honey bee populations studied in Mount Huang, and high differentiation among all the populations, suggesting that scarce exchange of honey bee species happened in Mount Huang. Our study demonstrated that the Mount Huang honey bee populations still have a natural genome worth being protected for conservation.

Recent studies of point defects by Huang scattering of x rays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maeta, Hiroshi

1977-01-01

Huang scattering allows the measurements of the symmetry and strength of point defects produced by irradiations and constitutes a very sensitive method for observing the clustering that occurs during irradiations or annealings. In the present review, the principles and characteristics of the Huang scattering and recent investigations using this technique are described. [J.Cryst.Soc.Japan 19,231(1977)] (auth.)

[Effective acupoints for bulbar paralysis by professor GAO Weibin].

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Lianru; Zheng, Shuang

2016-04-01

Professor GAO Weibin academically advocates, based on basic theory of TCM and theories of different schools, modern science technology should be used for the methods and principles of acupuncture and Chinese medicine for neuropathy, so as to explore and summarize the rules, characteristics and advantages of TCM for nervous system disease, especially bulbar paralysis. During the treatment of bulbar paralysis, professor GAO creatively proposes the effective acupuncture points such as Gongxue, Tunyan-1, Tunyan-2, Fayin, Tiyan and Zhifanliu from the aspects of neuroanatomy, and analyzes their anatomical structure and action mechanism.

Impact of Mézières Rehabilitative Method in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teresa Paolucci

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of Mézières method in improving trunk flexibility of the back muscles and balance in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD. Materials and Methods. Thirty-six patients were randomized into 2 groups: the Mézières treatment group and the control group (home exercise group. The primary outcome was the improvement in balance per the Berg Balance Scale (BBS and the trunk flexibility of the back for the anterior flexion trunk test. Also, we evaluated pain, gait balance for the Functional Gait Assessment (FGA, disease-related disability for the Modified Parkinson’s Activity Scale and the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS, the quality of life, and the functional exercise capacity. All the measures were evaluated at baseline (T0, at the end of the rehabilitative program (T1, and at the 12-week follow-up (T2. Results. In the Mézières group, the BBS (p<.001 and trunk flexion test (p<.001 improved significantly at T1 and remained the same at T2. Between groups, significant changes were reported in FGA (p=.027 and UPDRS Total (p=.007 at T1 and in FGA (p=.03 at T2. Conclusion. The Mézières approach is efficacious in improving the flexibility of the trunk and balance in PD patients.

[Academic heritage of Jiu huang ben cao (Materia Medica for Relief of Famines) in Japan].

Science.gov (United States)

He, Huiling; Xiao, Yongzhi

2014-11-01

Jiu huang ben cao (Materia Medica for Relief of Famines) was the first monograph on famines herbal in the history of China, which creates a new research field of edible plants. Around the middle and late 17th century, Jiu huang ben cao was spread to Japan and aroused great attention of famous Japanese herbalists. Thus, all versions of different edition systems were circulated in Japan. Later, some famous Japanese scholar ssuccessively quoted texts of Jiu huang ben cao from the Nong zheng quan shu (Whole book on Agricultural Administration) spread in Japan, and block-printed it as an independent work. As a result, Jiu huang ben cao virtually circulated widely in Japan.

Status of GAO Recommendations to the Department of Defense (Fiscal Years 2001-2007)

Science.gov (United States)

2008-12-11

Name-Brand, Fast - Food Restaurants 5 GAO-01-943 Defense Manufacturing Technology Program: More Joint Projects and Tracking of Results Could...Oversight of Contractors under Foreign Influence Is Sufficient 6 2 GAO-05-456 Interagency Contracting: Franchise Funds Provide Convenience, but Value to

[Professor GAO Yuchun's experience on "sequential acupuncture leads to smooth movement of qi"].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yanjun; Xing, Xiao; Cui, Linhua

2016-01-01

Professor GAO Yuchun is considered as the key successor of GAO's academic school of acupuncture and moxibustion in Yanzhao region. Professor GAO's clinical experience of, "sequential acupuncture" is introduced in details in this article. In Professor GAO's opinions, appropriate acupuncture sequence is the key to satisfactory clinical effects during treatment. Based on different acupoints, sequential acupuncture can achieve the aim of qi following needles and needles leading qi; based on different symptoms, sequential acupuncture can regulate qi movement; based on different body positions, sequential acupuncture can harmonize qi-blood and reinforcing deficiency and reducing excess. In all, according to the differences of disease condition and constitution, based on the accurate acupoint selection and appropriate manipulation, it is essential to capture the nature of diseases and make the order of acupuncture, which can achieve the aim of regulating qi movement and reinforcing deficiency and reducing excess.

Numerical evidence for quadrupolar-octopolar order in RETM{sub 2}(Al,Zi){sub 20}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Attig, Jan [Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Cologne (Germany); Tse, Darrell; Lee, Eric Kin-Ho; Paramekanti, Arun; Kim, Yong Baek [Department of Physics, University of Toronto, ON (Canada)

2016-07-01

Motivated by recent experiments on materials of the type RETM{sub 2}(Al,Zi){sub 20} (where RE is a rare earth and TM a transition metal element) we investigate a minimal model for the pseudo-spin degrees of freedom of the rare earth ions. The model is described by J1-J2 pseudo-spin interactions in three-dimensions where the XY part models quadrupolar order and the Ising part models octopolar order. We use various computational methods such as simulating annealing to find the zero temperature phase digram and investigate further by using single-spin flip Monte Carlo simulations for finite temperature. One notable finding is the existence of non-coplanar spiral ordering of pseudo-spins, which may explain some of the experimental data on the electronic ordering in RETM{sub 2}(Al,Zi){sub 20}.

Highlights of GAO’s Corporate Governance, Transparency and Accountability Forum

Science.gov (United States)

2002-03-01

the current accounting and reporting model does not adequately address (e.g., special purpose entities, uncovered arbitrage positions)? • Is there...TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY FORUM a GAO-02-494SP Report Documentation Page Report Date 00MAR2002 Report Type N/A Dates Covered (from...its oversight in connection with these matters. In particular, the Congress and GAO are interested in changes that could serve to reduce the

Comment on the analysis of Bethe-Salpeter scattering states by Hormozdiari and Huang

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tryon, E.P.

1978-01-01

The analysis of Bethe-Salpeter scattering states by Hormozdiari and Huang appears to contain invalid mathematical arguments. When these arguments are rectified, one arrives at substantially different conclusions. In particular, the prescription of Hormozdiari and Huang for constructing such states does not seem applicable to any process occurring in nature

Mediji un populisms: ASV mediju dienaskārtība un ziņu atspoguļojums kā veicinošs faktors Donalda Trampa priekšvēlēšanu kampaņas atbalstam. 2011. un 2015. gada ziņu raidījumu salīdzinošā analīze

OpenAIRE

Aleksejeva, Santa

2017-01-01

Maģistra darba tēmas ir “Mediji un populisms: ASV mediju dienaskārtība un ziņu atspoguļojums kā veicinošs faktors Donalda Trampa priekšvēlēšanu kampaņas atbalstam. 2011. un 2015. gada ziņu raidījumu salīdzinošā analīze”. Pētījuma mērķis ir izpētīt mediju un populisma saikni un apstiprināt hipotēzi, ka mediju veidotā dienaskārtība un ziņu atspoguļojums par brīvo tirdzniecību, Pieejmās Aprūpes likumu un imigrāciju ASV televīzijas kanālos CNN, MSNBC un FOX News 2015. gadā ir veicinājis sabiedrīb...

Resolving Nonstationary Spectral Information in Wind Speed Time Series Using the Hilbert-Huang Transform

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vincent, Claire Louise; Giebel, Gregor; Pinson, Pierre

2010-01-01

a 4-yr time series of 10-min wind speed observations. An adaptive spectral analysis method called the Hilbert–Huang transform is chosen for the analysis, because the nonstationarity of time series of wind speed observations means that they are not well described by a global spectral analysis method...... such as the Fourier transform. The Hilbert–Huang transform is a local method based on a nonparametric and empirical decomposition of the data followed by calculation of instantaneous amplitudes and frequencies using the Hilbert transform. The Hilbert–Huang transformed 4-yr time series is averaged and summarized...

Application of Hilbert-Huang Transform in Generating Spectrum-Compatible Earthquake Time Histories

OpenAIRE

Ni, Shun-Hao; Xie, Wei-Chau; Pandey, Mahesh

2011-01-01

Spectrum-compatible earthquake time histories have been widely used for seismic analysis and design. In this paper, a data processing method, Hilbert-Huang transform, is applied to generate earthquake time histories compatible with the target seismic design spectra based on multiple actual earthquake records. Each actual earthquake record is decomposed into several components of time-dependent amplitude and frequency by Hilbert-Huang transform. The spectrum-compatible earthquake time history ...

Above-ground biomass assessment of Mediterranean forests using airborne imaging spectrometry: the DAIS Peyne experiment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jong, de S.M.; Pebesma, E.; Lacaze, B.

2003-01-01

In July of 1997, various experimental flights were carried out with the Digital Airborne Imaging Spectrometer (DAIS7915). DAIS7915, or DAIS for short, is a European airborne imaging spectrometer and is maintained and operated by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) at Oberpfaffenhofen. One of the 1997

Modulation of human melanoma cell proliferation and apoptosis by hydatid cyst fluid of Echinococcus granulosus [Corrigendum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gao XY

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Gao XY, Zhang GH, Huang L. Onco Targets Ther. 2018;11: 1447–1456.   On page 1447, the correspondence authors details were incorrectly listed. The correct details are:   Correspondence: Li Huang Department of General Surgery, Shanghai General Hospital, No 100, Haining Road, Shanghai 200080, China Tel/fax +86 21 6324 0090 3136 Email anorlee@163.com Read the original article 

Qing Dai attenuates nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in gastrointestinal epithelial cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Saito, Rie; Tamura, Masato; Matsui, Hirofumi; Nagano, Yumiko; Suzuki, Hideo; Kaneko, Tsuyoshi; Mizokami, Yuji; Hyodo, Ichinosuke

2015-01-01

Treatments with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have increased the number of patients with gastrointestinal complications. Qing Dai has been traditionally used in Chinese herbal medicine for various inflammatory diseases such as ulcerative colitis. We previously reported that Qing Dai suppressed inflammations by scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) in ulcerative colitis patients. Thus, Qing Dai can attenuate the production of ROS, which play an important role in NSAID-induced gastrointestinal injuries. In this study, we aimed to elucidate whether Qing Dai decreased mitochondrial ROS production in NSAID-treated gastrointestinal cells by examining cellular injury, mitochondrial membrane potentials, and ROS production with specific fluorescent indicators. We also performed electron paramagnetic resonance measurement in isolated mitochondria with a spin-trapping reagent (CYPMPO or DMPO). Treatments with indomethacin and aspirin induced cellular injury and mitochondrial impairment in the gastrointestinal cells. Under these conditions, mitochondrial alterations were observed on electron microscopy. Qing Dai prevented these complications by suppressing ROS production in gastrointestinal cells. These results indicate that Qing Dai attenuated the ROS production from the NSAID-induced mitochondrial alteration in the gastrointestinal epithelial cells. Qing Dai treatment may be considered effective for the prevention NSAID-induced gastrointestinal injury.

Journal of Genetics | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Journal of Genetics. ZI-JING ZHANG. Articles written in Journal of Genetics. Volume 96 Issue 4 September 2017 pp 535-544 RESEARCH ARTICLE. Effects of genetic variants of the bovine WNT8A gene on nine important growth traits in beef cattle · YONG-ZHEN HUANG YONG ZOU QING LIN HUA HE LI ...

QING LIN

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

QING LIN. Articles written in Journal of Genetics. Volume 96 Issue 4 September 2017 pp 535-544 RESEARCH ARTICLE. Effects of genetic variants of the bovine WNT8A gene on nine important growth traits in beef cattle · YONG-ZHEN HUANG YONG ZOU QING LIN HUA HE LI ZHENG ZI-JING ZHANG YONG-LONG DANG ...

Tan's distributions and Fermi-Huang pseudopotential in momentum space

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Valiente, Manuel

2012-01-01

form of the Fourier-transformed pseudopotential remains very simple. Operator forms for the so-called Tan's selectors, which, together with Fermi-Huang pseudopotential, largely simplify the derivation of Tan's universal relations for the Fermi gas, are here derived and are also very simple. A momentum...

The Fukushima Dai-ichi catastrophe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fluke, R.

2011-01-01

This article explains the accident at Fukushima Dai-ichi in terms of the fundamental safety principles and how these principles are achieved by design. Design differences between the reactors at Fukushima and a typical CANDU reactor are explained to illustrate how the safety principles can be achieved by different reactor designs. How these principles fared at Fukushima is explained. A detailed chronology of events is given in a separate table. (author)

MAGNETOSTRATIGRAPHY AND BIOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE LATE TRIASSIC GURI ZI SECTION, ALBANIA: CONSTRAINT ON THE AGE OF THE CARNIAN-NORIAN BOUNDARY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

GIOVANNI MUTTONI

2005-07-01

Full Text Available We present the magnetostratigraphy and conodont biostratigraphy across the Carnian-Norian boundary from a 70 m-thick limestone section located at Guri Zi in northern Albania. A total of 14 magnetozones were observed. The Carnian-Norian boundary is placed in a thin stratigraphic interval between the last occurrence of Paragondolella nodosa and the first occurrence of Epigondolella abneptis. Data from Guri Zi are in substantial agreement with already published data from Silicka Brezova in Slovakia and Pizzo Mondello in Sicily, which complessively indicate that the conodont Carnian-Norian boundary, when magnetostratigraphically traced onto the Newark astrochronological polarity time scale (APTS, has an age of ~228-227 Ma.

The political Thought of José Gaos. The Criticism of Totalitarianism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antolín Sánchez Cuervo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Jose Gaos's diverse writings are reviewed, many of them scantily known and still unpublished, related to the area of the politics in the wide sense of the term. It was the case of some reflections motivated by the global protagonism of the war, the totalitarianism and the technocracy in the current manners of life, including those that are typical of the democratic western companies. In line with this protagonism, Gaos raised a genealogical review of the secularizing process of modern rationality, which will connect with some of his big worries, such as the possibility of the philosophy itself and the possibility of the Hispanic philosophy especially.

Chinese Middle Classes: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and China. Edited by Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brødsgaard, Kjeld Erik

2018-01-01

Book review of: Chinese Middle Classes:Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and China. Edited by Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao. Abingdon: Routledge, 2014. Pp. 268. ISBN 10: 1138120847; ISBN 13: 978-1138120846......Book review of: Chinese Middle Classes:Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and China. Edited by Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao. Abingdon: Routledge, 2014. Pp. 268. ISBN 10: 1138120847; ISBN 13: 978-1138120846...

African Journal of Biotechnology - Vol 8, No 6 (2009)

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping and its application on mapping and marker-assisted plant breeding ... HH Musa, Y Xu, B Dai, X Kang, C Zhu, G Zhu ... YJ Wang, ZQ Han, B Shui, GD Liu, TX Gao, SA Nwafili, S Watanabe, YP Zhang ...

Professional Niche Differentiation: Understanding Dai (Traditional Midwife Survival in Rural Rajasthan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sharmeen Azher

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Prescribing medicine, providing contraception, delivering babies – although we may turn to physicians, rural Rajasthani women turn to Barefoot Doctors out of necessity. Such care is available courtesy of the Barefoot College, a pioneering NGO that transforms the skills of the illiterate poor into local infrastructure. Barefoot Doctors are innovative because of their origins as dais (traditional midwives; once abundant across South Asia, dais are mostly extinct due to government/NGO interventions emphasizing “modernity”, like the Accredited Social Health Activist program. Why, then, have dais survived as Barefoot Doctors when they are extinct elsewhere? Ecological niche differentiation refers to when competing species successfully coexist; one species adapts to fulfill another role. Using over fifty interviews with stakeholders, I explain the persistence of Barefoot Doctors as health resources using “professional niche differentiation”. Barefoot Doctors exemplify how health infrastructure can be sustainable in resource-poor settings when created according to local needs and ideologies.

Femtosecond Laser Microstructuring and Chalcogen Inclusion in Silicon

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-12

photodetectors. The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Hao Chen, Ariane E. Beck , Dr. Shuling Wang, and Dr. Gauri V. Karve for helpful discussions. This...2002. 3Z. Huang, J. Oh, and J. C. Campbell, Appl. Phys. Lett. 85, 2386 2004. 4Z. Huang, N. Kong, X. Guo, N. Duan, M. Liu, A. L. Beck , S. K...surfaces microstructured in air," Appl. Phys. Lett. 81, 1999-2001 (2002) [doi:10.1063/1.1504868]. [49] S. Tong, X. N. Liu, T. Gao, X. M. Baa , Y

Contesting modernity: Tobacco use and romanticism among older Dai farmers in Xishuangbanna, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xiang; Davey, Gareth

2015-11-01

The majority of research about tobacco use in China focuses on Han Chinese, the main ethnic group comprising over 90 per cent of the population, and a paucity of research exists on ethnic minorities. The present study elucidates tobacco use among the Dai people, an ethnic group in Yunnan Province, Southwest China. The study design consisted of interviews and grounded theory methodology in a symbolic interactionist theoretical framework. The categories of the grounded theory revealed tobacco consumption was weaved in a complex web of meanings: social practices, perceptions of health, and work lives as agriculturalists, situated in Dai cultural and social milieu. An important finding was the stage-managing of tobacco as a symbol of 'tradition' versus 'modernity': Through a process of contested modernity, the older men championed long-standing tobacco customs as representative of Dai heritage and thus their own tobacco use as upholding traditions amid encroaching cultural and societal change in China. These findings are important because little is known about Dai people's tobacco use and how they are responding to social change. There are also implications for the development of culturally-appropriate tobacco control strategies. © 2015 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.

Solution of Contact Problems for Nonlinear Gao Beam and Obstacle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Machalová

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Contact problem for a large deformed beam with an elastic obstacle is formulated, analyzed, and numerically solved. The beam model is governed by a nonlinear fourth-order differential equation developed by Gao, while the obstacle is considered as the elastic foundation of Winkler’s type in some distance under the beam. The problem is static without a friction and modeled either using Signorini conditions or by means of normal compliance contact conditions. The problems are then reformulated as optimal control problems which is useful both for theoretical aspects and for solution methods. Discretization is based on using the mixed finite element method with independent discretization and interpolations for foundation and beam elements. Numerical examples demonstrate usefulness of the presented solution method. Results for the nonlinear Gao beam are compared with results for the classical Euler-Bernoulli beam model.

Compendium of GAO’s Views on the Cost Saving Proposals of the Grace Commission. Volume 2. Individual Issue Analyses

Science.gov (United States)

1985-02-19

fashion , linking it to other management processes such as budgeting and operational planning. III. GAO ASSESSMENT OF IMPLEMENTATION AUTHORITY...research which private industy is able to conduct on its own. Past GAO work has illustrated the costs of duplica- tion. A 1982 GAO report on UMTA...could be increased approximately $4.9 million, over 3 years, if the average concessioner franchise fee were increased from 2 to 4 percent of gross

Cutting force response in milling of Inconel: analysis by wavelet and Hilbert-Huang Transforms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grzegorz Litak

Full Text Available We study the milling process of Inconel. By continuously increasing the cutting depth we follow the system response and appearance of oscillations of larger amplitude. The cutting force amplitude and frequency analysis has been done by means of wavelets and Hilbert-Huang transform. We report that in our system the force oscillations are closely related to the rotational motion of the tool and advocate for a regenerative mechanism of chatter vibrations. To identify vibrations amplitudes occurrence in time scale we apply wavelet and Hilbert-Huang transforms.

Bulletin of Materials Science | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Haiyang Dai1 Changyong Zhan2 Hui Jiang2 Ningkang Huang2. Department of Technology and Physics, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou 450002, P. R. China; Key Laboratory of Radiation and Technology of Education Ministry of China, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Sichuan University, ...

Intraduodenal and intrajejunal administration of the herbal medicine, dai-kenchu-tou, stimulates small intestinal motility via cholinergic receptors in conscious dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, X L; Shibata, C; Naito, H; Ueno, T; Funayama, Y; Fukushima, K; Matsuno, S; Sasaki, I

2001-06-01

The aim of the present study was to study the effect and mechanism of action of intraduodenal and intrajejunal dai-kenchu-to, an herbal medicine clinically effective for uncomplicated postoperative adhesive intestinal obstruction, on upper gastrointestinal motility. Five mongrel dogs were equipped with four strain-gauge force transducers on the antrum, duodenum, and proximal and distal jejunum to measure contractile activity. Dai-kenchu-to (0.5, 1.5, and 3.0 g) was administered into the duodenal or proximal jejunal lumen. The effect of atropine, hexamethonium, phentolamine, propranolol, and ondansetron on intraduodenal and intrajejunal dai-kenchu-to-induced contractions was studied. Plasma motilin was measured by specific radioimmunoassay. Intraduodenal and intrajejunal dai-kenchu-to induced phasic contractions in the duodenum and proximal jejunum, respectively, and those contractions migrated distally. Phasic contractions induced by intraduodenal and intrajejunal dai-kenchu-to were inhibited by atropine and hexamethonium at all sites. Plasma motilin was not affected by dai-kenchu-to. Intraduodenal and intrajejunal dai-kenchu-to stimulates upper gastrointestinal motility at and distal to the administration sites through cholinergic receptors.

GAOS: Spatial optimisation of crop and nature within agricultural fields

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bruin, de S.; Janssen, H.; Klompe, A.; Lerink, P.; Vanmeulebrouk, B.

2010-01-01

This paper proposes and demonstrates a spatial optimiser that allocates areas of inefficient machine manoeuvring to field margins thus improving the use of available space and supporting map-based Controlled Traffic Farming. A prototype web service (GAOS) allows farmers to optimise tracks within

Nuclear Energy: Compendium of relevant GAO products on regulation, health, and safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-01-01

This report presents findings, conclusions, and recommendations in the areas of (1) protecting worker health and safety, (2) planning for nuclear emergencies and coordinating response mechanisms in the event of a serious nuclear accident, (3) ensuring the safe design of facilities, and (4) monitoring the environment. GAO points out that impaired organizational independence of the oversight function, a lack of headquarters authority, and the decentralized nature of the oversight activities may constitute serious problems over the long term. More recent GAO work indicates that organizational independence of the oversight function may still be a problem area and is likely to receive increased scrutiny in the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident in the Soviet Union

Effect of Scopoletin on Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest in Human ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

treatment with increasing doses compared to control cells, scopoletin treatment resulted in cell ... Conclusion: These results reveal that scopoletin may be used as a natural chemotherapeutic agent .... apoptosis, and necrosis in LNCaP cells .... Pan R, Dai Y, Gao XH, Lu D, Xia YF. Inhibition of vascular endothelial growth.

[Characteristics of precipitation pH and conductivity at Mt. Huang].

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Chun-e; Deng, Xue-liang; Wu, Bi-wen; Hong, Jie; Zhang, Su; Yang, Yuan-jian

2013-05-01

To understand the general characteristics of pH distribution and pollution in precipitation at Mt. Huang, statistical analyses were conducted for the routine measurements of pH and conductivity (K) at Mt. Huang during 2006-2011. The results showed that: (1) Over the period of study, the annual volume weighted mean (VWM) precipitation pH varied from 4.81 to 5.57, with precipitation acidity strengthening before 2009 and weakening thereafter. The precipitation acidity showed evident seasonal variations, with the VWM pH lowest in winter (4.78), and highest in summer (5.33). The occurrence frequency of acid rain was 46% , accounting for 45% of total rainfalls and with the most frequent pH falling into weak acid to neutral rain. (2) The annual VWM K varied from 16.91 to 27.84 microS x cm(-1), with no evident trend. As for ions pollution, the precipitation was relatively clean at Mt. Huang, with the most frequent K range being below 15 microS x cm(-1), followed by 15-25 microS x cm(-1). From February 2010 to December 2011, precipitation samples were collected on daily basis for ions analysis, as well as pH and K measurement in lab. Detailed comparisons were conducted between the two sets of pH and K, one set from field measurement and the other from lab measurement. The results indicated: (1) The lab measured pH (K) was highly correlated with the field pH (K); however, the lab pH tended to move towards neutral comparing with the corresponding field pH, and the shift range was closely correlated with the field pH and rainfall. The shift range of K from field to lab was highly correlated with the total ion concentration of precipitation. The field K showed evident negative correlation with the field pH with a correlation coefficient of -0.51. (2) When sampling with nylon-polyethylene bags, the statistics showed smaller bias between two sets of pH, with higher correlation coefficient between two sets of K. Furthermore, the lab K also showed evident negative correlation with

Methods for detection and characterization of signals in noisy data with the Hilbert-Huang transform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stroeer, Alexander; Cannizzo, John K.; Camp, Jordan B.; Gagarin, Nicolas

2009-01-01

The Hilbert-Huang transform is a novel, adaptive approach to time series analysis that does not make assumptions about the data form. Its adaptive, local character allows the decomposition of nonstationary signals with high time-frequency resolution but also renders it susceptible to degradation from noise. We show that complementing the Hilbert-Huang transform with techniques such as zero-phase filtering, kernel density estimation and Fourier analysis allows it to be used effectively to detect and characterize signals with low signal-to-noise ratios.

Frequency hopping signal detection based on wavelet decomposition and Hilbert-Huang transform

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Yang; Chen, Xihao; Zhu, Rui

2017-07-01

Frequency hopping (FH) signal is widely adopted by military communications as a kind of low probability interception signal. Therefore, it is very important to research the FH signal detection algorithm. The existing detection algorithm of FH signals based on the time-frequency analysis cannot satisfy the time and frequency resolution requirement at the same time due to the influence of window function. In order to solve this problem, an algorithm based on wavelet decomposition and Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) was proposed. The proposed algorithm removes the noise of the received signals by wavelet decomposition and detects the FH signals by Hilbert-Huang transform. Simulation results show the proposed algorithm takes into account both the time resolution and the frequency resolution. Correspondingly, the accuracy of FH signals detection can be improved.

Metagenomics and in situ analyses reveal Propionivibrio spp. to be abundant GAO in biological wastewater treatment systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McIlroy, Simon Jon; Albertsen, Mads; Stokholm-Bjerregaard, Mikkel

Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) is widely applied for phosphorus removal from wastewater. The process relies on polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) that are able to take up phosphorus in excess of what is needed for growth. However, glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs) may...... reduce the EBPR efficiency as they compete for substrates with PAOs, but do not store excess polyphosphate. “Candidatus Accumulibacter” is widely considered to be the important PAO. In this study a laboratory scale sequencing batch reactor was operated for EBPR for the enrichment of “Ca. Accumulibacter......”. Applying the PAOmix probe set, routinely applied to target the “Ca. Accumulibacter”, suggested a PAO enrichment of 70% of the biovolume by FISH. Known GAOs were detected in low abundance with FISH (PAO and GAO...

Expression of DAI by an oncolytic vaccinia virus boosts the immunogenicity of the virus and enhances antitumor immunity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mari Hirvinen

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In oncolytic virotherapy, the ability of the virus to activate the immune system is a key attribute with regard to long-term antitumor effects. Vaccinia viruses bear one of the strongest oncolytic activities among all oncolytic viruses. However, its capacity for stimulation of antitumor immunity is not optimal, mainly due to its immunosuppressive nature. To overcome this problem, we developed an oncolytic VV that expresses intracellular pattern recognition receptor DNA-dependent activator of IFN-regulatory factors (DAI to boost the innate immune system and to activate adaptive immune cells in the tumor. We showed that infection with DAI-expressing VV increases expression of several genes related to important immunological pathways. Treatment with DAI-armed VV resulted in significant reduction in the size of syngeneic melanoma tumors in mice. When the mice were rechallenged with the same tumor, DAI-VV-treated mice completely rejected growth of the new tumor, which indicates immunity established against the tumor. We also showed enhanced control of growth of human melanoma tumors and elevated levels of human T-cells in DAI-VV-treated mice humanized with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We conclude that expression of DAI by an oncolytic VV is a promising way to amplify the vaccine potency of an oncolytic vaccinia virus to trigger the innate—and eventually the long-lasting adaptive immunity against cancer.

Journal of Chemical Sciences | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Journal of Chemical Sciences; Volume 122; Issue 6. Synthesis and aggregation study of optically active tetra--[()-2-octanyloxy]-substituted copper and nickel phthalocyanines. Fang-Di Cong Gui Gao Jian-Xin Li Guo-Qing Huang Zhen Wei Feng-Yang Yu Xi-Guang Du Ke-Zhi Xing. Full Papers Volume ...

The extended (G/G)-expansion method and travelling wave ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Pramana – Journal of Physics; Volume 82; Issue 6. The extended (′/)-expansion method and travelling wave solutions for the perturbed nonlinear Schrödinger's equation with Kerr law nonlinearity. Zaiyun Zhang Jianhua Huang Juan Zhong Sha-Sha Dou Jiao Liu Dan Peng Ting Gao. Research Articles ...

Proteomic identification of CIB1 as a potential diagnostic factor in ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Proteomic identification of CIB1 as a potential diagnostic factor in hepatocellular carcinoma. Tong Junrong Zhou Huancheng H E Feng Gao Yi Yang Xiaoqin Luo Zhengmao Zhang Hong Zeng Jianying Wang Yin Huang Yuanhang Zhang Jianlin Sun Longhua He Guolin. Articles Volume 36 Issue 4 September 2011 pp 659- ...

Reply to Ridoutt and Huang: From water footprint assessment to policy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoekstra, Arjen Y.; Mekonnen, Mesfin

2012-01-01

According to Ridoutt and Huang (1), “environmental relevance must be taken into consideration if water footprints are to inform wise decision making and policy development.” Indeed, reduction targets regarding water footprints (WFs) within catchments should be formulated on the basis of relative

Nd3-xBixFe4GaO12 (x = 2, 2.5 films on glass substrates prepared by MOD method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoshida T.

2014-07-01

Full Text Available We studied Nd3-XBiXFe4GaO12 films to obtain perpendicular magnetic anisotropy as well as large Faraday effect. NdBi2Fe4GaO12 (Bi2:NIGG and Nd0.5Bi2.5Fe4GaO12 (Bi2.5:NIGG films were obtained on Nd2BiFe4GaO12 (Bi1:NIGG layer prepared on glass substrates by metal-organic decomposition (MOD method. Bi2:NIGG and Bi2.5:NIGG films showed large Faraday rotation angles of 7.5 and 10.5 degree/µm, at a wavelength of 520 nm, respectively. Those films have perpendicular magnetic anisotropy with a coercivity of 350 Oe and a saturation magnetic field of 730 Oe.

Cultivating a "Jian Zi": Exploring an Art Teacher's Responsive Pedagogy for the Development of Art Talent in Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Wei-Ren

2017-01-01

This qualitative case study explored the operational curricula of an art teacher's responsive pedagogy that focused on the differentiation aspects for artistically talented students in an elementary school in Taiwan. Findings indicate that cultivating a "Jian Zi" is the heart of the value system embedded in the art teacher's responsive…

Reference: 759 [Arabidopsis Phenome Database[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available 759 http://metadb.riken.jp/db/SciNetS_ria224i/cria224u4ria224u18434608i Guan Yue-Feng...s. 2 852-63 18434608 2008 Jun Plant physiology Gao Ju-Fang|Guan Yue-Feng|Huang Xue-Yong|Yang Zhong-Nan|Zhang Hong-Xia|Zhu Jun

HLA alleles and haplotypes distribution in Dai population in Yunnan province, Southwest China.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, L; Yao, Y F; Shi, L; Matsushita, M; Yu, L; Lin, Q K; Tao, Y F; Oka, T; Chu, J Y; Tokunaga, K

2010-02-01

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) analysis would be a useful tool to trace the origin of modern humans. In this study, we provided the first four digital HLA-A, -B, -C and -DRB1 allele and haplotype data in the Dai ethnic population, which is a unique and representative Kam-Tai-speaking ethnic minority living in the Yunnan province of Southwestern China. Our results showed that the Dai population has unique HLA characteristic that are most closely related to the Southeastern Asia group and similar to the Kam-Tai speaking populations in China and Thailand.

Percutaneous kyphoplasty combined with zoledronic acid infusion in the treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar fractures in the elderly

OpenAIRE

Shi,Chen; Zhang,Mi; Cheng,An-Yuan; Huang,Zi-Feng

2018-01-01

Chen Shi,1,* Mi Zhang,2,* An-Yuan Cheng,1 Zi-Feng Huang1 1Department of Trauma Surgery, Wuhan No 1 Hospital, Wuhan, China; 2Department of Orthopedics, Wuhan No 5 Hospital, Wuhan, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Objective: We studied the efficacy of zoledronic acid (ZOL) infusion on radiographic and clinical outcomes after percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) for elderly patients with osteoporotic thoracolumbar fractures (osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures...

Percutaneous kyphoplasty combined with zoledronic acid infusion in the treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar fractures in the elderly

OpenAIRE

Shi C; Zhang M; Cheng AY; Huang ZF

2018-01-01

Chen Shi,1,* Mi Zhang,2,* An-Yuan Cheng,1 Zi-Feng Huang1 1Department of Trauma Surgery, Wuhan No 1 Hospital, Wuhan, China; 2Department of Orthopedics, Wuhan No 5 Hospital, Wuhan, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Objective: We studied the efficacy of zoledronic acid (ZOL) infusion on radiographic and clinical outcomes after percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) for elderly patients with osteoporotic thoracolumbar fractures (osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures [OV...

Analysis of the Cofrentes instability with the Hilbert-Huang transform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blazquez, J.; Galindo, A.

2010-01-01

The most obvious application of the Hilbert-Huang transform is the denoising (signal isolation). In this article, the dynamic system is the power of a BWR reactor that undergoes instability. The signal and the dynamic systems are described, which in this case corresponds to a current incident in a commercial BWR reactor (Cofrentes). Finally, empirical modes are calculated and the results are analyzed.

Lessons of the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident for PSA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, M.; Klug, J.; Alzbutas, R.; Burgazzi, L.; Farcasiu, M.; Nitoi, M.; Ivanov, I.; Bogdanov, D.; Hashimoto, K.; Hirata, K.; La Rovere, S.; Sevbo, O.; Vitazkova, J.; Hustak, S.; Wielenberg, A.; Raimond, E.

2016-01-01

The objective of this document is to identify some lessons learned from the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident for PSA. Based on the public information on the causes that have led to major radioactive release during the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident (initiating events, material and human response), the authors, ASAMPSA-E WP30 members have performed a review to examine the gaps/insufficiencies/incompleteness in the existing Level 1 and Level 2 PSAs. This is the aim of this report which is one of WP30 deliverables i.e. D30.2. The consideration of external initiating events for the different levels of defense-in-depth is one of the focal points in this review. Recommendations in the way of developing the different elements of PSAs have been proposed by the authors and were completed later during the ASAMPSA-E project. Moreover, first recommendations on the use of PSA information in decision making have been included as well. (authors)

Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Oral Qing-Dai in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis: A Single-Center Open-Label Prospective Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sugimoto, Shinya; Naganuma, Makoto; Kiyohara, Hiroki; Arai, Mari; Ono, Keiko; Mori, Kiyoto; Saigusa, Keiichiro; Nanki, Kosaku; Takeshita, Kozue; Takeshita, Tatsuya; Mutaguchi, Makoto; Mizuno, Shinta; Bessho, Rieko; Nakazato, Yoshihiro; Hisamatsu, Tadakazu; Inoue, Nagamu; Ogata, Haruhiko; Iwao, Yasushi; Kanai, Takanori

2016-01-01

Chinese herbal medicine Qing-Dai (also known as indigo naturalis) has been used to treat various inflammatory conditions. However, not much has been studied about the use of oral Qing-Dai in the treatment for ulcerative colitis (UC) patients. Studies exploring alternative treatments for UC are of considerable interest. In this study, we aimed at prospectively evaluating the safety and efficacy of Qing-Dai for UC patients. The open-label, prospective pilot study was conducted at Keio University Hospital. A total of 20 patients with moderate UC activity were enrolled. Oral Qing-Dai in capsule form was taken twice a day (daily dose, 2 g) for 8 weeks. At week 8, the rates of clinical response, clinical remission, and mucosal healing were 72, 33, and 61%, respectively. The clinical and endoscopic scores, CRP levels, and fecal occult blood results were also significantly improved. We observed 2 patients with mild liver dysfunction; 1 patient discontinued due to infectious colitis and 1 patient discontinued due to mild nausea. This is the first prospective study indicating that oral Qing-Dai is effective for inducing remission in patients with moderate UC activity and can be tolerated. Thus, Qing-Dai may be considered an alternative treatment for patients, although further investigation is warranted. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Pramana – Journal of Physics | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Pramana – Journal of Physics; Volume 85; Issue 6. Issue front cover thumbnail. Volume 85, Issue 6. December 2015, pages 1063-1259u. pp 1063-1072. Rogue wave solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger eqution with variable coefficients · Changfu Liu Yan Yan Li Meiping Gao Zeping Wang Zhengde Dai ...

Lessons learned from the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident and responses in NRA regulatory requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuketa, Toyoshi

2014-01-01

The author would like to present significant lessons learned from the TEPCO’s Fukushima Dai-ichi accident and responses in regulatory requirements developed by the Nuclear Regulation Authority for power-producing light water reactors. The presentation will cover prevention of structures, systems and components failures, measures to prevent common cause failures, prevention of core damage, mitigation of severe accidents, emergency preparedness, continuous improvement of safety, use of probabilistic risk assessment, and post-accident regulation on the Fukushima Dai-ichi. (author)

Principles of diet therapy in ancient Chinese medicine: 'Huang Di Nei Jing'.

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Z C

1993-06-01

Huang Di Nei Jing, the first systematic Chinese medical book, was compiled from the observations of imperial herbal doctors in the Qin and Han periods (221 BC - 220 AD). From this classic traditional source may be derived the concept of a balanced and complete diet and probably the world's first dietary guidelines. Basic to the tradition are han, re, wen and bu foods, respectively 'cold', 'hot', 'neutral', 'strengthening'. Basic to Chinese cuisine are jan and tsai- 'cereal' (the rice staple and main meal) and 'dishes' to accompany the rice. Chinese traditional medicine, as in Huang Di Nei Jing, considers the nourishment of body and mind. It also emphasises that herbal medicine and food have the same origin. Diet was essential to the prevention of disease which a glossary of Chinese terms is given at the end of the paper in the Chinese tradition, was superior to treatment.

Protection of nucleated bone marrow cells of mice against effect of radiation-induced micronucleus formation by using polysaccharides extracted from 'Zi Zhi' (a ganoderma)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu Fang; Luo Houliang; Luo Gui; Chen Shunle; Liu Zhifang

1988-01-01

This paper describes the influence of polysaccharides extracted from 'Zi Zhi' (Ganoderma Sinese Zhao, Xu et Zhang) on the frequency of micronucleated cells induced by 60 Co gamma irradiation at different doses in bone marrow of mice. These polysaccharides of 'Zi Zhi' were shown to be of ability to protect nucleated bone marrow cells from micronucleus formation in irradiated mice. For Swiss mice, a dose reduction factor (DRF) was found to be 1.72 in the range of 0 to 4.728 Gy and for LACA mice, to be 1.73 in the range of 0 to 3.152 Gy. Such findings indicate that these polysaccharides are comparable to L-cysteine in their effeciency of protection

Defense Agencies Initiative Increment 2 (DAI Inc 2)

Science.gov (United States)

2016-03-01

module. In an ADM dated September 23, 2013, the MDA established Increment 2 as a MAIS program to include budget formulation; grants financial...2016 Major Automated Information System Annual Report Defense Agencies Initiative Increment 2 (DAI Inc 2) Defense Acquisition Management...President’s Budget RDT&E - Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation SAE - Service Acquisition Executive TBD - To Be Determined TY - Then

Concentration dependence of the Huang scattering intensity of TaHsub(x) alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Behr, H.; Metzger, H.; Peisl, J.

1983-01-01

The analysis of the concentration dependence of the Huang diffuse scattering intensity from ThHsub(x) single crystals has been re-evaluated using two quantities recently determined from independent measurements of the Bragg diffraction intensities. Good agreement between experiment and theory has been achieved. (author)

Temporal Courses in EEG Theta and Alpha Activity in the Dynamic Health Qigong Techniques Wu Qin Xi and Liu Zi Jue

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diana Henz

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Health Qigong is a common technique of Traditional Chinese Medicine applied to strengthen mental and physical health. Several studies report increases in EEG theta and alpha activity after meditative Qigong techniques indicating a relaxed state of mind. To date, little is known on the effects of dynamic Health Qigong techniques that comprise bodily movements on brain activity. In the current study, we compared effects of two dynamic Health Qigong techniques on EEG brain activity. Subjects performed the techniques Wu Qin Xi (five animals play and Liu Zi Jue (six healing sounds in a within-subjects design. Eyes-open and eyes-closed resting EEG was recorded before and immediately after each 15-min practice block. Additionally, the Profile of Mood States (POMS questionnaire was administered at pretest, and after each 15-min practice block. Results show a decrease in alpha activity after 15 min, followed by an increase after 30 min in the Health Qigong technique Liu Zi Jue. Theta activity was decreased after 15 min, followed by an increase after 30 min in the technique Wu Qin Xi. Results of the POMS indicated an increased vigor-activity level with decreased fatigue and tension-anxiety levels in both techniques after 30 min of practice. Our results demonstrate different temporal dynamics in EEG theta and alpha activity for the Health Qigong techniques Wu Qin Xi and Liu Zi Jue. We hypothesize that the found brain activation patterns result from different attentional focusing styles and breathing techniques performed during the investigated Health Qigong techniques.

Efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine Zengru Gao to promote breastfeeding: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shuaishuai; Zhang, Chi; Li, Cuishan; Li, Daocheng; He, Ping; Su, Zhaojuan; Li, Yanling; Ding, Yiling; Lu, Aiping

2018-02-06

Breastfeeding is recommended worldwide but not fully practiced. The first week after childbirth is regarded as a critical period for increasing breast milk production. The aim of the study was to investigate whether Chinese herbal medicine Zengru Gao would result in more women breastfeeding in the first week after childbirth. A multicenter randomized controlled trial was conducted of 588 mothers considering breastfeeding in China. Among the mothers of the intervention group, the intervention included Chinese herbal medicine Zengru Gao; among those of the control group, it did not. Primary outcomes were the percentages of fully and partially breastfeeding mothers. Secondary outcome was baby's daily formula intake. At 3 d and 7 d after delivery, significant differences were found in favour of Zengru Gao group on the percentage of full/ partial breastfeeding (Z = - 3.0037, p = 0.0027). At day 7, the percentage of full/ partial breastfeeding of the active group increased to 71.48%/20.70% versus 58.67%/30.26% in the control group, the differences remained significant (Z = - 3.0037, p = 0.0027). No statistically significant differences were detected on primary measures at 1 d. While intake of formula differed between groups at 1 d and 3 d, this difference did not achieve statistical significance, but this difference was apparent by 7 d (55.45 ± 115.39 ml/day vs 90.66 ± 153.89 ml/day). In conclusion, Chinese Herbal medicine Zengru Gao enhanced breastfeeding success during one week postpartum. The approach is acceptable to participants and merits further evaluation. ChiCTR-IPR-15007376 , December 11, 2015.

The herbal medicine Dai-Kenchu-To directly stimulates colonic motility.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawahara, Hidejiro; Yanaga, Katsuhiko

2009-01-01

Dai-kenchu-to (DKT) has attracted attention as a drug that improves the symptoms of postoperative ileus. However, the detailed mechanism of its action still remains unknown. The effect of DKT on colonic motility was herein evaluated using an original method. Eight healthy male volunteers who understood the purpose of this study were enrolled. Dai-kenchu-to (5 g) was dissolved in saline and administered into the cecum using a colonoscope until the ascending colon became distended. Colonic motility was observed by extrasomatic ultrasonography for 30 min. Colonic contractions were observed 129.4 (range 110-145) s after DKT administration into the ascending colon. Every segment in the right colon divided by the crescentic folds contracted independently. On the other hand, no colonic contractions were observed in the right colon after saline solution alone was administered to the ascending colon. In conclusion, DKT stimulates colonic motility immediately after administration, in the same manner as it does for the upper alimentary tract.

Linked spaces of vulnerability: HIV risk amongst migrant Dai women and their left-behind husbands in Southwest China.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Rui; Lyttleton, Chris

2013-01-01

In one county of Southwest China bordering Myanmar, large numbers of minority Dai women leave to work in southern Thailand. Many are married and they leave behind husbands and children, sending remittances and returning home intermittently. These women commonly establish relations with Chinese/Malaysian men in their worksites--massage parlours in the tourist sites near the Malaysian border. These men become second husbands just as the Dai women become second wives. This paper examines the complicated set of HIV risks and assumptions that emerge from the circular Dai exodus to Thailand and the manner in which transnational employment networks impact on domestic and sexual relationships for women and their non-migrant husbands back home.

Technological Lessons from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Accident

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-01

a devastating earth - quake and tsunami. One of the many secondary effects of these disas- ters was a loss of control of the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear...plant needed to be continually cooled, vast quantities of contaminated water was (and is) created, particularly at the plant. Certain radioisotopes ...terminated, although it could be revived at some future date . The political difficulties of developing a similar storage site in densely populated

Effect of the Japanese Herbal Kampo Medicine Dai-Kenchu-To on Postoperative Adhesive Small Bowel Obstruction Requiring Long-Tube Decompression: A Propensity Score Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hideo Yasunaga

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO is an adverse consequence of abdominal surgery. Although the Kampo medicine Dai-kenchu-to is widely used in Japan for treatment of postoperative ASBO, rigorous clinical studies for its use have not been performed. In the present retrospective observational study using the Japanese diagnosis procedure combination inpatient database, we selected 288 propensity-score-matched patients with early postoperative ASBO following colorectal cancer surgery, who received long-tube decompression (LTD with or without Dai-kenchu-to administration. The success rates of LTD were not significantly different between Dai-kenchu-to users and nonusers (84.7% versus 78.5%; P=.224, while Dai-kenchu-to users showed a shorter duration of LTD (8 versus 10 days; P=.012, shorter duration between long-tube insertion and discharge (23 versus 25 days; P=.018, and lower hospital charges ($23,086 versus $26,950; P=.018 compared with Dai-kenchu-to nonusers. In conclusion, the present study suggests that Dai-kenchu-to is effective for reducing the duration of LTD and saving costs.

Kladná elektroda na bázi MnOx pro PEMFC

OpenAIRE

Šmídek, Miroslav

2011-01-01

Předkládaná bakalářská práce uvádí do problematiky vodíkových palivových článků a zaměřuje se na nízkoteplotní palivové články s polymerním elektrolytem (PEMFC). Základním zaměřením práce je studium vlastností katalyzátorů na bázi MnOx na reálném palivovém článku typu PEMFC. Výstupem jsou pak změřené charakteristiky takto vytvořeného palivového článku. Construed bachelor work features into problems hydrogen fuel articles and survey on low-temperature fuell elements with polymeric electroly...

International Roughness Index (IRI) measurement using Hilbert-Huang transform

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Wenjin; Wang, Ming L.

2018-03-01

International Roughness Index (IRI) is an important metric to measure condition of roadways. This index is usually used to justify the maintenance priority and scheduling for roadways. Various inspection methods and algorithms are used to assess this index through the use of road profiles. This study proposes to calculate IRI values using Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) algorithm. In particular, road profile data is provided using surface radar attached to a vehicle driving at highway speed. Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) is used in this study because of its superior properties for nonstationary and nonlinear data. Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) processes the raw data into a set of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs), representing various dominating frequencies. These various frequencies represent noises from the body of the vehicle, sensor location, and the excitation induced by nature frequency of the vehicle, etc. IRI calculation can be achieved by eliminating noises that are not associated with the road profile including vehicle inertia effect. The resulting IRI values are compared favorably to the field IRI values, where the filtered IMFs captures the most characteristics of road profile while eliminating noises from the vehicle and the vehicle inertia effect. Therefore, HHT is an effect method for road profile analysis and for IRI measurement. Furthermore, the application of HHT method has the potential to eliminate the use of accelerometers attached to the vehicle as part of the displacement measurement used to offset the inertia effect.

Employing the Hilbert-Huang Transform to analyze observed natural complex signals: Calm wind meandering cases

Science.gov (United States)

Martins, Luis Gustavo Nogueira; Stefanello, Michel Baptistella; Degrazia, Gervásio Annes; Acevedo, Otávio Costa; Puhales, Franciano Scremin; Demarco, Giuliano; Mortarini, Luca; Anfossi, Domenico; Roberti, Débora Regina; Costa, Felipe Denardin; Maldaner, Silvana

2016-11-01

In this study we analyze natural complex signals employing the Hilbert-Huang spectral analysis. Specifically, low wind meandering meteorological data are decomposed into turbulent and non turbulent components. These non turbulent movements, responsible for the absence of a preferential direction of the horizontal wind, provoke negative lobes in the meandering autocorrelation functions. The meandering characteristic time scales (meandering periods) are determined from the spectral peak provided by the Hilbert-Huang marginal spectrum. The magnitudes of the temperature and horizontal wind meandering period obtained agree with the results found from the best fit of the heuristic meandering autocorrelation functions. Therefore, the new method represents a new procedure to evaluate meandering periods that does not employ mathematical expressions to represent observed meandering autocorrelation functions.

Comments on the Huang and Taylor model of ion-implanted silicon-gate depletion-mode IGFET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marciniak, W.; Madura, H.

1985-01-01

Recently the Huang and Taylor model (HT model) of built-in channel MOS transistors has been widely used in the analysis of electronic circuits because of its relative simplicity. Huang and Taylor assumed that the effects of the finite channel thickness may be represented by an average semiconductor capacitance in series with the gate oxide capacitance. The derivation of the current-voltage characteristics is based on a linear equation of surface depleted charge density Qsub(s), which is calculated as the sheet charge of constant capacitance C-bar. This is done instead of using the exact solution of the Poisson equation, which has a rather complex form of nonlinear relationship between the charge Qsub(s) and the gate voltage. The basic equation is given. (author)

Population-based assessment of visual impairment among ethnic Dai adults in a rural community in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Wen-Yan; Li, Jun; Zhao, Chun-Hua; Qian, Deng-Juan; Niu, Zhiqiang; Shen, Wei; Yuan, Yuansheng; Zhong, Hua; Pan, Chen-Wei

2016-03-02

Dai ethnicity is one of the major Chinese ethnic minorities with a population of about 1.2 million. We aimed to determine the prevalence and potential causes of visual impairment (VI) among ethnic Dai adults aged 50 years or older in a rural community in China. A population-based survey including 2163 ethnic Dai people (80.5%) was undertaken using a random cluster sampling strategy. The detailed eye examination was performed after pupil dilation by trained study ophthalmologists and optometrists. Presenting visual acuity (PVA) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was measured using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study logMAR chart and VI was defined as a VA of less than 20/63 in the better-seeing eye. The overall prevalence of presenting blindness and low vision was 3.0% (95% CI, 2.3-3.7) and 13.3% (95% CI, 11.9-14.8), respectively. The prevalence estimates were reduced to 2.1% (95% CI, 1.5-2.8) and 6.7% (95% CI, 5.7-7.8) when BCVA was considered. Men were more likely to be affected by low vision but less likely to be blind compared with women. Cataract accounted for 62.7% of presenting low vision and 68.8% of presenting blindness, respectively. In conclusion, VI was a significant health concern in Dai Chinese in China.

Froehlih coupling with LO-phonons in quantum dots. Huang-Rhys phenomena

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banyai, L.

1991-01-01

The quantum coupling between photoexcited carriers and longitudinal optical (LO) phonons in zero-dimensional structures (quantum dots) is considered. A classical model of the electron-phonon interaction is presented. The polarization field is then quantized and the Huang-Rhys phenomenon is observed. Effects induced by the quantization of the electron system are also considered. Finally, the modifications of the theory due to specific aspects of quantum dots are discussed. (Author)

Time-frequency analysis of non-stationary fusion plasma signals using an improved Hilbert-Huang transform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Yangqing; Tan, Yi; Xie, Huiqiao; Wang, Wenhao; Gao, Zhe

2014-01-01

An improved Hilbert-Huang transform method is developed to the time-frequency analysis of non-stationary signals in tokamak plasmas. Maximal overlap discrete wavelet packet transform rather than wavelet packet transform is proposed as a preprocessor to decompose a signal into various narrow-band components. Then, a correlation coefficient based selection method is utilized to eliminate the irrelevant intrinsic mode functions obtained from empirical mode decomposition of those narrow-band components. Subsequently, a time varying vector autoregressive moving average model instead of Hilbert spectral analysis is performed to compute the Hilbert spectrum, i.e., a three-dimensional time-frequency distribution of the signal. The feasibility and effectiveness of the improved Hilbert-Huang transform method is demonstrated by analyzing a non-stationary simulated signal and actual experimental signals in fusion plasmas

Evaluation of re-criticality potential in Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors following core damage accidents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-08-15

The re-criticality potential of the debris-bed, formed of the degraded core materials, cannot be ruled out during the cooling-down procedure of the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPPs. In this study the re-criticality potential has systematically investigated based on the core disruption phase analysis using a IMPACT-SAMPSON code prepared by The Institute of Applied Energy (IAE). The results obtained for the re-criticality potential, characterized by the eigen-values k-eff dependent on the debris composition formed at the core, RPV bottom, and PCV pedestal, are reflected to the arguments on the re-criticality prevention measures, such as timing and concentration of boron-compounds, during the cooling-down process of the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPPs. (author)

Huang scattering from self-interstitials in electron-irradiated Fe-40 at % Al ordered alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guillot, J.P.; Riviere, J.P.; Beaufort-Richard, M.F.

1983-01-01

A single crystal of Fe-40 at % Al ordered alloy has been irradiated with 2.5 MeV electrons at liquid hydrogen temperature, and diffuse X-ray scattering (MoKα 1 ) near Bragg reflections has been studied after annealing the sample up to 300 K. The characteristic diffuse scattering from point defects with weak displacement fields (Huang diffusion) has been observed near the (200) Bragg reflection in the directions [011] and [100] and near the (110) reflection in the directions [110] and [110]. This Huang scattering has been attributed to self interstitials since under the same irradiations conditions, electrical resistivity measurements indicate that the long range migration of self interstitials by annihilation at vacancies would occur only for temperatures higher than 300 K. The comparison of the experimental results with the different simple intertitial configurations proposed for b.c.c. crystals suggest that the most probable configuration should be the [110] split interstitial with orthorhombic symmetry [fr

Writers and Their Maps: The Construction of a GAO Report on Sexual Harassment.

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, Kelli Cargile

2000-01-01

Examines a 1994 General Accounting Office (GAO) report on sexual harassment at U.S. service academies to determine how power structures affected the report writers' rhetorical choices. Identifies what is valued and devalued in the report's contents. Describes Congress's reaction to the report and speculates on the report's impact on public…

Analysis of prescription database extracted from standard textbooks of traditional Dai medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Chuang; Chongsuvivatwong, Virasakdi; Keawpradub, Niwat; Lin, Yanfang

2012-08-29

Traditional Dai Medicine (TDM) is one of the four major ethnomedicine of China. In 2007 a group of experts produced a set of seven Dai medical textbooks on this subject. The first two were selected as the main data source to analyse well recognized prescriptions. To quantify patterns of prescriptions, common ingredients, indications and usages of TDM. A relational database linking the prescriptions, ingredients, herb names, indications, and usages was set up. Frequency of pattern of combination and common ingredients were tabulated. A total of 200 prescriptions and 402 herbs were compiled. Prescriptions based on "wind" disorders, a detoxification theory that most commonly deals with symptoms of digestive system diseases, accounted for over one third of all prescriptions. The major methods of preparations mostly used roots and whole herbs. The information extracted from the relational database may be useful for understanding symptomatic treatments. Antidote and detoxification theory deserves further research.

Yin Zhi Huang and other plant-derived preparations: where herbal and molecular medicine meet

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Elferink, Ronald Oude

2004-01-01

Yin Zhi Huang, a decoction of Yin Chin (Artemisia capillaris) and three other herbs, is widely used in Asia to prevent and treat neonatal jaundice. We recently identified the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR, NR113) as a key regulator of bilirubin clearance in the liver. Here we show that

Calculation of the Huang-Rhys parameter in spherical quantum dots: the optical deformation potential effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamma, M; Miranda, R P; Vasilevskiy, M I; Zorkani, I

2007-01-01

An accurate calculation of the exciton-phonon interaction matrix elements and Huang-Rhys parameter for nearly spherical nanocrystals (NCs) of polar semiconductor materials is presented. The theoretical approach is based on a continuum lattice dynamics model and the effective mass approximation for electronic states in the NCs. A strong confinement regime is considered for both excitons and optical phonons, taking into account both the Froehlich-type and optical deformation potential (ODP) mechanisms of the exciton-phonon interaction. The effects of exchange electron-hole interaction and possible hexagonal crystal structure of the underlying material are also taken into account. The theory is applied to CdSe and InP quantum dots. It is shown that the ODP mechanism, almost unimportant for CdSe, dominates the exciton-phonon coupling in small InP dots. The effect of the non-diagonal interaction, not included in the Huang-Rhys parameter, is briefly discussed

Analysis of prescription database extracted from standard textbooks of traditional Dai medicine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Chuang

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Traditional Dai Medicine (TDM is one of the four major ethnomedicine of China. In 2007 a group of experts produced a set of seven Dai medical textbooks on this subject. The first two were selected as the main data source to analyse well recognized prescriptions. Objective To quantify patterns of prescriptions, common ingredients, indications and usages of TDM. Methods A relational database linking the prescriptions, ingredients, herb names, indications, and usages was set up. Frequency of pattern of combination and common ingredients were tabulated. Results A total of 200 prescriptions and 402 herbs were compiled. Prescriptions based on "wind" disorders, a detoxification theory that most commonly deals with symptoms of digestive system diseases, accounted for over one third of all prescriptions. The major methods of preparations mostly used roots and whole herbs. Conclusion The information extracted from the relational database may be useful for understanding symptomatic treatments. Antidote and detoxification theory deserves further research.

Colitis with wall thickening and edematous changes during oral administration of the powdered form of Qing-dai in patients with ulcerative colitis: a report of two cases.

Science.gov (United States)

Kondo, Satoru; Araki, Toshimitsu; Okita, Yoshiki; Yamamoto, Akira; Hamada, Yasuhiko; Katsurahara, Masaki; Horiki, Noriyuki; Nakamura, Misaki; Shimoyama, Takahiro; Yamamoto, Takayuki; Takei, Yoshiyuki; Kusunoki, Masato

2018-03-16

Orally administered Qing-dai, called indigo naturalis in Latin, is reportedly useful for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. We herein describe two patients with ulcerative colitis who developed colitis with wall thickening and edematous changes during oral administration of the powdered form of Qing-dai. In Case 1, a 35-year-old man developed colitis similar to ischemic colitis with bloody stool that recurred each time he ingested Qing-dai. He had no signs of recurrence upon withdrawal of Qing-dai. In Case 2, a 43-year-old woman underwent ileocecal resection for treatment of an intussusception 2 months after beginning oral administration of Qing-dai. Edema and congestion but no ulceration were present in the mucosa of the resected specimen. Both patients exhibited abdominal pain with bloody diarrhea, and abdominal computed tomography showed marked wall edema affecting an extensive portion of the large bowel.

Using the Hilbert–Huang transform to measure the electroencephalographic effect of propofol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shalbaf, R; Behnam, H; Sleigh, J W; Voss, L J

2012-01-01

Monitoring the effect of anesthetic drugs on the central nervous system is a major ongoing challenge in anesthesia research. A number of electroencephalogram (EEG)-based monitors of the anesthetic drug effect such as the bispectral (BIS) index have been proposed to analyze the EEG signal during anesthesia. However, the BIS index has received some criticism. This paper offers a method based on the Hilbert–Huang transformation to calculate an index, called the Hilbert–Huang weighted regional frequency (HHWRF), to quantify the effect of propofol on brain activity. The HHWRF and BIS indices are applied to EEG signals collected from nine patients during a controlled propofol induction and emergence scheme. The results show that both the HHWRF and BIS track the gross changes in the EEG with increasing and decreasing anesthetic drug effect (the prediction probability P k of 0.85 and 0.83 for HHWRF and BIS, respectively). Our new index can reflect the transition from unconsciousness to consciousness faster than the BIS, as indicated from the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeled parameters and also from the analysis around the point of reawakening. This method could be used to design a new EEG monitoring system to estimate the propofol anesthetic drug effect. (paper)

Searching the beginning of BWR power instability events with the Hilbert Huang transform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blázquez, Juan; Montalvo, Cristina; García-Berrocal, Agustín; Balbás, Miguel

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► The report of the instability is enriched by including its beginning and its end. ► The Hilbert Huang transform (HHT) is used for indentifying both. ► The first Intrinsic Mode Function (IMF) detects both. ► The methodology is applied to neutron detector signals from two plants. ► The Decay Ratio of IMF 1 is calculated. - Abstract: When a BWR instability takes place, the Regulator usually demands a report which must include many aspects such as the initial time of the instability and also the measurements adopted by the operator at that time. This initial time normally is difficult to know from the available data. In this work, a methodology is proposed to determine accurately when the instability began based on the Hilbert–Huang transform. The Empirical Mode Decomposition is applied to neutron detector signals coming from two plants which have recorded them during real instability events. The first intrinsic mode function shows sharply the beginning and the end of the incident. Besides, through the instantaneous amplitude and frequency of the first mode a kind of Decay Ratio can be assigned allowing us to obtain a sharper description of the instability

Using Dedications to Charles VI to Convey Political Messages: Honorat Bovet, Philippe de Mézières, Christine de Pizan, and Pierre Salmon

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bourassa, Kristin

2018-01-01

The dedication of four French-language advice books to King Charles VI of France (r. 1380-1422), two just after the king’s declaration of personal rule (Philippe de Mézières’ Songe du viel pelerin and Honorat Bovet’s Arbre des batailles, both 1389) and two during the period dominated by Charles’s...

Metabolomic Assessment of Acute Cholestatic Injuries Induced by Thioacetamide and by Bile Duct Ligation, and the Protective Effects of Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Decoction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dan-Dan Wei

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Decoction, a traditional Chinese formula, has been reported to protect liver from various injuries. Two cholestasis models of rats induced by thioacetamide and by bile duct ligation were established and treated with Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Decoction. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance-based urinary metabolic profiles were analyzed by orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis and univariate analysis to excavate differential metabolites associated with the injuries of the two models and the treatment effects of Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Decoction. The two cholestatic models shared common metabolic features of excessive fatty acid oxidation, insufficient glutathione regeneration and disturbed gut flora, with specific characteristics of inhibited urea cycle and DNA damage in thioacetamide-intoxicated model, and perturbed Kreb's cycle and inhibited branched chain amino acid oxidation in bile duct ligation model. With good treatment effects, Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Decoction could regain the balance of the disturbed metabolic status common in the two cholestasis injuries, e.g., unbalanced redox system and disturbed gut flora; and perturbed urea cycle in thioacetamide-intoxicated model and energy crisis (disturbed Kreb's cycle and oxidation of branched chain amino acid in bile duct ligation model, respectively.

Effects of Huang Bai (Phellodendri Cortex and Three Other Herbs on GnRH and GH Levels in GT1–7 and GH3 Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sun Haeng Lee

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The present study was to evaluate the effects of Huang Bai, Zhi Mu, Mai Ya, and Xia Ku Cao on hormone using the GT1–7 and GH3 cells. The GT1–7 and GH3 cell lines were incubated with DW; DMSO; and 30, 100, or 300 μg/mL of one of the four extract solutions in serum-free media for 24 hours. The MTT assay was performed to determine the cytotoxicity of the four herbs. The GT1–7 and GH3 cells were incubated in DW, estradiol (GT1–7 only, or noncytotoxic herb solutions in serum-free medium for 24 hours. A quantitative RT-PCR and western blot were performed to measure the GnRH expression in GT1–7 cells and GH expression in GH3 cells. Huang Bai, Zhi Mu, Xia Ku Cao, and Mai Ya inhibited the GnRH mRNA expression in GT1–7 cells, whereas Huang Bai enhanced GH mRNA expression in GH3 cells. Additionally, Xia Ku Cao inhibited GnRH protein expression in GT1–7 cells and Huang Bai promoted GH protein expression in GH3 cells. The findings suggest that Huang Bai can delay puberty by inhibiting GnRH synthesis in the hypothalamus while also accelerating growth by promoting GH synthesis and secretion in the pituitary.

Metal and Stone, Brush and Ink: Word as Source in the Art of Huang Binhong

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claire M. Roberts

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Like many of his contemporaries, scholar-artist Huang Binhong (1865-1955 received a classical education with deep foundations in text-based historical learning that engendered creative expression in the form of painting, calligraphy and seal carving. While based on cultural traditions of the past, these scholarly arts were directed at experiencing the present and imagining the future. Calligraphy and painting may be understood as the living embodiment of the artist who is vitally connected to the historical past, whereas the printed impression of words or images carved into stone conveys ideas associated with authenticity, longevity and artistic completion. When combined in a brush-and-ink painting there is an interesting tension between the spiritual and temporal; the historical and contemporary. During his lifetime, Huang Binhong was highly regarded as a scholar, art historian, art editor, collector and connoisseur, as well as an artist. His multiple identities formed an integral part of his creative practice. This paper will discuss aspects of Huang Binhong’s life as a scholar, connoisseur-collector and artist, referring to his writings on seals, first published in the Journal of the National Essence (Guocui xuebao and his involvement with the Shanghai-based art magazine National Glories of Cathay (Shenzhou guoguang ji. It will also analyse some of Huang’s paintings in which, through colophons, he makes a direct connection between the study of ancient inscriptions in bronze and stone and contemporary creativity. Through this example it is possible to reflect on ways that contemporary Chinese artists have drawn on the mutual interdependence of word and image to create compelling works of experimental art.

Huang's three-step maneuver shortens the learning curve of laparoscopic spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Chang-Ming; Huang, Ze-Ning; Zheng, Chao-Hui; Li, Ping; Xie, Jian-Wei; Wang, Jia-Bin; Lin, Jian-Xian; Jun, Lu; Chen, Qi-Yue; Cao, Long-Long; Lin, Mi; Tu, Ru-Hong

2017-12-01

The goal of this study was to investigate the difference between the learning curves of different maneuvers in laparoscopic spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy for advanced upper gastric cancer. From January 2010 to April 2014, 53 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy via the traditional-step maneuver (group A) and 53 consecutive patients via Huang's three-step maneuver (group B) were retrospectively analyzed. No significant difference in patient characteristics were found between the two groups. The learning curves of groups A and B were divided into phase 1 (1-43 cases and 1-30 cases, respectively) and phase 2 (44-53 cases and 31-53 cases, respectively). Compared with group A, the dissection time, bleeding loss and vascular injury were significantly decreased in group B. No significant differences in short-term outcomes were found between the two maneuvers. The multivariate analysis indicated that the body mass index, short gastric vessels, splenic artery type and maneuver were significantly associated with the dissection time in group B. No significant difference in the survival curve was found between the maneuvers. The learning curve of Huang's three-step maneuver was shorter than that of the traditional-step maneuver, and the former represents an ideal maneuver for laparoscopic spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy.To shorten the learning curve at the beginning of laparoscopic spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy, beginners should beneficially use Huang's three-step maneuver and select patients with advanced upper gastric cancer with a body mass index of less than 25 kg/m 2 and the concentrated type of splenic artery. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Enterprise Resource Planning Systems Schedule Delays and Reengineering Weaknesses Increase Risks to DoD’s Auditability Goals

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-13

completed through SAP -standard templates that are then used for gap analysis as compared to the commercial-off-the-shelf “To-Be” process. The Navy ERP ...13F25-04 4800 Mark Center Drive Alexandria, VA 22350-1500 Acronyms and Abbreviations BPR CMO DAI DCMO DEAMS DLA EBS EC ERP FIAR GAO...overall objective was to evaluate six Enterprise Resource Planning ( ERP ) systems that we identified as necessary for DoD to produce auditable

Prediction of unknown deep foundation lengths using the Hilbert Huang Transform (HHT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmed T.M. Farid

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Prediction of unknown deep foundation embedment depth is a great deal nowadays, especially in case of upgrading or rehabilitation of old structures. Many old bridges and marine or pier structures in the United States are established using deep foundations system of timber piles and their foundation records do not exist. Non-Destructive Testing (NDT or Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE method for a great variety of materials and structures has become an integral part of many tests. However, the process of testing long piles, deeply embedded in the ground, is more complex than (NDT of the other structural materials. This paper summarizes some of the most common non-destructive test methods for deep foundations and presents a new method called the Hilbert Huang Transform (HHT. This Hilbert Huang Transform (HHT method is used now by a wide range in a different health monitoring of many systems. In this paper, some field tests on the timber Piles of one bridge at North Carolina was performed to verify the using the (HHT method for predicting the embedded depth of the unknown piles. Percentage of the accuracy achieved using HHT method for pile length compared to the actual pile length data was performed. Finally, a recommendation is presented for the limitation of using this new method as a new non-destructive method for deep foundations.

Fallow land mapping for better crop monitoring in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain using HJ-1 CCD data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Miao; Wu, Bingfang; Meng, Jihua; Dong, Taifeng; You, Xingzhi

2014-01-01

The prediction of grain production is essential for socio-economic development planning, guidance and control of macro cropping structure adjustment. Fallow areas should be identified each growing season which is critical for grain production prediction. This paper focuses on fallow arable land monitoring during summer grain season in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain using China Environment Satellite HJ-1 CCD data. With the two satellites HJ-1A and HJ-1B, high temporal Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) can be obtained. HJ-1 CCD data were acquired from early March to early June in 2010 over the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain. Multi-temporal HJ-1 CCD data were pre-processed and time series of NDVI were derived. An algorithm for separating cropped and fallow areas was developed based on three key periods of NDVI in early-March, mid-April and mid-May, 2010. The influence of fallow arable lands to yield estimation and crop condition monitoring over the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain were also investigated and analyzed. Preliminary results in this paper showed that HJ-1 CCD data are capable for fallow land monitoring. Information of fallow arable lands is an essential part of crop monitoring and it should be incorporated into crop monitoring systems. In the future, the fallow lands over autumn grain season should also be identified and information of fallow arable lands should be generated yearly in order to get more reliable production prediction

ADDRESSING THE DEFICIT: Updating the Budgetary Implications of Selected GAO Work

Science.gov (United States)

1996-06-01

DGPS DI DLA DOD DOE DOT DUR EDWAA EM EPA FAIR FAA FAS FDIC FHWA FY GAO GSA HACCP HCFA HHS HMO HUD IDB IFAD INS IRS JCT...Marti, the broadcasts are constantly and effectively jammed , USIA’S research data shows that, mainly as a result of the jamming , the number of Cubans...hours (from 3:30 am to 8:00 am), but Cuban jamming also expanded. In an attempt to overcome jamming , TV Marti has plans to convert from VHF to UHF

Incipient Stator Insulation Fault Detection of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Wind Generators Based on Hilbert–Huang Transformation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Chao; Liu, Xiao; Chen, Zhe

2014-01-01

of insulation degradation of one turn in the winding of a PMSWG. Cosimulation method by combining finite element model and external circuits is used. Hilbert–Huang transformation is applied to detect the very early stage fault in interturn insulation by analyzing the stator current. Detection results show...

Influenza Pandemic: Gaps in Pandemic Planning and Preparedness Need to Be Addressed. Testimony before the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives. GAO-09-909T

Science.gov (United States)

Steinhardt, Bernice

2009-01-01

As the current H1N1 outbreak underscores, an influenza pandemic remains a real threat to our nation. Over the past 3 years, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted a body of work, consisting of 12 reports and 4 testimonies, to help the nation better prepare for a possible pandemic. In February 2009, GAO synthesized the results of…

Phosphoproteomic Assessment of Therapeutic Kinases for Personalized Therapy in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

Science.gov (United States)

2016-10-01

including bladder cancer and squamous cell carcinoma (22–24). Constitutive activation of the Notch receptors through gene rearrangements or mutations leads to...Babic I, Wei X, Huang J, Witte ON (2011) Invasive prostate carcinoma driven by c-Src and androgen receptor synergy. Cancer Res 71(3):862–872. 20. Dai B...prostate cancer cells. Cancer Res 70(13):5587–5596. 21. Guo Z, et al. (2006) Regulation of androgen receptor activity by tyrosine phosphor- ylation. Cancer

Dai-Kou type conjugate gradient methods with a line search only using gradient.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yuanyuan; Liu, Changhe

2017-01-01

In this paper, the Dai-Kou type conjugate gradient methods are developed to solve the optimality condition of an unconstrained optimization, they only utilize gradient information and have broader application scope. Under suitable conditions, the developed methods are globally convergent. Numerical tests and comparisons with the PRP+ conjugate gradient method only using gradient show that the methods are efficient.

Report by the 'Fukushima Dai-Ichi major accident' nuclear subgroup

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brezin, Edouard; Balibar, Sebastien; Candel, Sebastien; Cesarsky, Catherine; Dautray, Robert; Gratias, Denis; Guillaumont, Robert; Laval, Guy; Quere, Yves; Tissot, Bernard; Zaoui, Andre; Brechet, Yves; Carpentier, Alain; Duplessy, Jean-Claude; Jerome, Denis; Bamberger, Yves; Barre, Bertrand; Comets, Marie-Pierre; Jamet, Philippe; Schwarz, Michel; Baumont, David; Guilhem, Gilbert; Repussard, Jacques; Billot, Philippe; Boullis, Bernard; Gauche, Francois; Zaetta, Alan; Pouget-Abadie, Xavier

2011-06-01

This report comprises a description of the succession of events in the Fukushima-Dai-Ichi power plant, a discussion of the situation of the nuclear industry and energy in France after this accident (French nuclear stock, security organisation), and a discussion on the fuel cycle and on future opportunities (comparison with EPR - Gen II safety measures, perspectives beyond the EPR). Numerous appendices are proposed, made of documents from different bodies involved in nuclear industry, energy and safety. They deal with the Fukushima accident, with light water and pressurized water reactors, with severe accidents in PWRs, and so on

論戴震 (1723–1777 之考證哲學及其反思/On Dai Zhen’s (1723–1777 Philosophy of Evidential Research and Its Reflection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jer-shiarn LEE

2012-09-01

Dai Zhen was known as a leading proponent of the evidential research (kaozheng school during the Qian Jia Era. However, he regarded kaozheng as primarily a means of revealing the truth. Moreover, he was regarded as a philosopher rather than as merely a kaozheng, or textual, scholar. In this respect, his philosophical writings reflect an attempt to substitute his own philosophy for the Song Philosophy of Principle (lixue. Dai Zhen’s philosophical writings indicate the impact philology had on philosophical issues. The methodology Dai Zhen adopted was essentially linguistic, that is, xungu (etymology, lit., “glossing”. The merit of this methodology was that it would trace back the original meanings of key terms in the Classics, and this in turn, would benefit the understanding of the Confucian tradition. The aim of this paper is to explore Dai Zhen’s attempt to reconstruct the Confucian tradition, and to assess his philosophy of evidential research in order to manifest its value and limitation.

Taking Care, Bringing Life: A Post-structuralist Feminist Analysis of Maternal Discourses of Mothers and Dais in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Agarwal, Vinita

2018-04-01

My post-structuralist feminist reading of the antenatal and birthing practices of women (N = 25) living in a basti in India makes visible how the meanings of maternal experiences constituted as our ways open discursive spaces for the mothers and dais as procreators to: challenge (i.e., question the authority of), co-opt (i.e., conditionally adopt), and judge (i.e., employ sanctioned criteria to regulate) competing knowledge production forms. In critiquing maternal knowledge as feminist discourse, the women's strategies contribute theoretically to an integrative construction of care by reclaiming displaced knowledge discourses and diversity in meaning production. Pragmatically, consciousness-raising collectives comprising the mothers and dais can cocreate narratives of our ways of maternal experiences articulated in public discourse to sustain equitability of knowledge traditions in migrant urban Third World contexts.

Taylor-plasticity-based analysis of length scale effects in void growth

KAUST Repository

Liu, Junxian

2014-09-25

We have studied the void growth problem by employing the Taylor-based strain gradient plasticity theories, from which we have chosen the following three, namely, the mechanism-based strain gradient (MSG) plasticity (Gao et al 1999 J. Mech. Phys. Solids 47 1239, Huang et al 2000 J. Mech. Phys. Solids 48 99-128), the Taylor-based nonlocal theory (TNT; 2001 Gao and Huang 2001 Int. J. Solids Struct. 38 2615) and the conventional theory of MSG (CMSG; Huang et al 2004 Int. J. Plast. 20 753). We have addressed the following three issues which occur when plastic deformation at the void surface is unconstrained. (1) Effects of elastic deformation. Elasticity is essential for cavitation instability. It is therefore important to guarantee that the gradient term entering the Taylor model is the effective plastic strain gradient instead of the total strain gradient. We propose a simple elastic-plastic decomposition method. When the void size approaches the minimum allowable initial void size related to the maximum allowable geometrically necessary dislocation density, overestimation of the flow stress due to the negligence of the elastic strain gradient is on the order of lεY/R0 near the void surface, where l, εY and R0 are, respectively, the intrinsic material length scale, the yield strain and the initial void radius. (2) MSG intrinsic inconsistency, which was initially mentioned in Gao et al (1999 J. Mech. Phys. Solids 47 1239) but has not been the topic of follow-up studies. We realize that MSG higher-order stress arises due to the linear-strain-field approximation within the mesoscale cell with a nonzero size, lε. Simple analysis shows that within an MSG mesoscale cell near the void surface, the difference between microscale and mesoscale strains is on the order of (lε/R0)2, indicating that when lε/R0 ∼ 1.0, the higher-order stress effect can make the MSG result considerably different from the TNT or CMSG results. (3) Critical condition for cavitation instability

Higher Education: Actions Needed to Improve Access to Federal Financial Assistance for Homeless and Foster Youth. Report to the Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. GAO-16-343

Science.gov (United States)

US Government Accountability Office, 2016

2016-01-01

Homeless youth and youth in foster care are often unprepared for the transition to adulthood. Given the economic benefits of college, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to examine the college experiences of these vulnerable youth. GAO examined: (1) college enrollment and completion for foster and homeless youth; (2) the extent to…

Suan Zao Ren Tang in Combination with Zhi Zi Chi Tang as a Treatment Protocol for Insomniacs with Anxiety: A Randomized Parallel-Controlled Trial

OpenAIRE

Hu, Lin-lin; Zhang, Xin; Liu, Wen-juan; Li, Mei; Zhang, Yong-hua

2015-01-01

Insomnia is a serious worldwide health problem that is often comorbid with anxiety. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of a Chinese formula containing Suan Zao Ren Tang (SZRT) and Zhi Zi Chi Tang (ZZCT; SZR-ZZC) for improving sleep quality and anxiety states with four indices of Polysomnography (PSG), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Self Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). Methods. A randomized, parallel-controlled trial...

FUKUSHIMA DAI-ICHI ACCIDENT: LESSONS LEARNED AND FUTURE ACTIONS FROM THE RISK PERSPECTIVES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JOON-EON YANG

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The Fukushima Dai-Ichi accident in 2011 has affected various aspects of the nuclear society worldwide. The accident revealed some problems in the conventional approaches used to ensure the safety of nuclear installations. To prevent such disastrous accidents in the future, we have to learn from them and improve the conventional approaches in a more systematic manner. In this paper, we will cover three issues. The first is to identify the key issues that affected the progress of the Fukushima Dai-Ichi accident greatly. We examine the accident from a defense-in-depth point of view to identify such issues. The second is to develop a more systematic approach to enhance the safety of nuclear installations. We reexamine nuclear safety from a risk point of view. We use the concepts of residual and unknown risks in classifying the risk space. All possible accident scenarios types are reviewed to clarify the characteristics of the identified issues. An approach is proposed to improve our conventional approaches used to ensure nuclear safety including the design of safety features and the safety assessments from a risk point of view. Finally, we address some issues to be improved in the conventional risk assessment and management framework and/or practices to enhance nuclear safety.

Fukushima Dai-Ichi accident: Lessons Learned and Future Actions from the Risk Perspectives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Jooneon [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-02-15

The Fukushima Dai-Ichi accident in 2011 has affected various aspects of the nuclear society worldwide. The accident revealed some problems in the conventional approaches used to ensure the safety of nuclear installations. To prevent such disastrous accidents in the future, we have to learn from them and improve the conventional approaches in a more systematic manner. In this paper, we will cover three issues. The first is to identify the key issues that affected the progress of the Fukushima Dai-Ichi accident greatly. We examine the accident from a defense-in-depth point of view to identify such issues. The second is to develop a more systematic approach to enhance the safety of nuclear installations. We reexamine nuclear safety from a risk point of view. We use the concepts of residual and unknown risks in classifying the risk space. All possible accident scenarios types are reviewed to clarify the characteristics of the identified issues. An approach is proposed to improve our conventional approaches used to ensure nuclear safety including the design of safety features and the safety assessments from a risk point of view. Finally, we address some issues to be improved in the conventional risk assessment and management framework and/or practices to enhance nuclear safety.

SFR Safety Consideration in Light of Fukushima Dai-ichi Accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi, Akira

2013-01-01

SFR Considerations: Fukushima Dai-ichi Accident: • Combined LORL and LOHS type initiated from SBO; • High pressure water-steam cooling system: – Depressurization - Not needed; – Ultimate heat sink - Robust (NC to atmosphere); – Continuous injection - Not needed (large sensible heat capacity). • Severe accident management: – RPV failure resulted in depressurization - Elevated temperature; – Heat sink to atmosphere - Freeing risk, sodium fire risk; – Mobile power supply - External resource may not be needed; – Seawater injection with fire engines - Sodium injection not needed; • Containment performance and accessibility: – Containment - Large containment volume and low pressure system; – Explosives - Sodium fire and hydrogen explosion

Liu Jun Zi Tang—A Potential, Multi-Herbal Complementary Therapy for Chemotherapy-Induced Neurotoxicity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chun-Tang Chiou

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Liu Jun Zi Tang (LJZT has been used to treat functional dyspepsia and depression, suggesting its effects on gastrointestinal and neurological functions. LJZT is currently used as a complementary therapy to attenuate cisplatin-induced side effects, such as dyspepsia. However, its effect on chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain or neurotoxicity has rarely been studied. Thus, we explored potential mechanisms underlying LJZT protection against cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity. We observed that LJZT attenuated cisplatin-induced thermal hyperalgesia in mice and apoptosis in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Furthermore, it also attenuated cisplatin-induced cytosolic and mitochondrial free radical formation, reversed the cisplatin-induced decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, and increased the release of mitochondrial pro-apoptotic factors. LJZT not only activated the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α promoter region, but also attenuated the cisplatin-induced reduction of PGC-1α expression. Silencing of the PGC-1α gene counteracted the protection of LJZT. Taken together, LJZT mediated, through anti-oxidative effect and mitochondrial function regulation, to prevent cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity.

Effect of Zi Gui decoction on immune function in {sup 60}Co {gamma}-ray irradiated mice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qiujun, Lu; Shafei, Huang; Xipeng, Zhou; Jiayun, Song; Zhongxiong, Tang [Dept. of Pharmacology, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing (China)

1995-02-01

Zi Gui decoction (ZG), a complex preparation of traditional Chinese herbal medicine, mainly consists of Radix Angelicae and Radix Astragali. The effects of ZG on mitogen induced proliferation IL-1 and -2 production, natural killer (NK) cell activity in {sup 60}Co {gamma}-ray irradiated mice is investigated. After 5 Gy whole body irradiation. mice were treated i.g. with ZG (1.2, 1.8 g/kg/day) for 20 days. An enhancement in Con A- and LPS-induced proliferations of splenocytes from the two dosage groups were observed. There were marked increases in IL-1 activity in peritoneal macrophage culturesa and IL-2 activity in splenocyte cultures from irradiated mice treated with ZG. The two dosage groups also showed significant potentiation of NK cell activity against YAC-1 target cells. The above results indicated that ZG could promote the recovery of immune functions in {gamma}-ray irradiated mice.

Evaluation of seismic design by students made after Fukushima Dai-ichi accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugiyama, Ken-ichiro

2012-01-01

The sense of anxiety for safety of nuclear power plants among people in Japan has not disappeared after Fukushima Dai-ichi accident because of a typical country with frequent earthquakes. The provision of information for seismic design in nuclear power plants prepared for easier comprehension is always required in any kind of study meetings for the social acceptance of nuclear power plants. In the present paper, the effect of the provision of information made an attempt for students in Hokkaido University is reported. (author)

Dzimtes diskurss sporta žurnālistikā: Eiropas čempionātu basketbolā reprezentāciju Latvijas interneta ziņu portālos "Delfi" un "Tvnet" analīze (2008–2013) 

OpenAIRE

Ērmiņa, Evisa

2014-01-01

Maģistra darbā „Dzimtes diskurss sporta žurnālistikā: Eiropas čempionātu basketbolā reprezentāciju Latvijas interneta ziņu portālos "Delfi" un "Tvnet" analīze (2008-2013)” ir apskatītas Latvijas vīriešu un sieviešu basketbola izlases reprezentācijas Eiropas čempionātu laikā no 2008. līdz 2013. gadam (no maija līdz oktobrim) interneta ziņu portālos „Delfi” un „Tvnet”. Darba teorētiskā daļa satur atziņas par reprezentāciju, sociālās realitātes konstruēšanu, mediju ietekmi uz realitāti un ide...

[Genetic improvement of cotton varieties in Huang-Huai region in China since 1950's. III. Improvement on agronomy properties, disease resistance and stability].

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, B G; Kong, F L; Zhang, Q Y; Yang, F X; Jiang, R Q

2000-01-01

Data from a set of 5-location and 2-year experiments on 10 representative historical cotton varieties and the data of Huang-Huai Regional Cotton Trials from 1973 to 1996 were analyzed to estimate the effects of genetic improvement in agronomy properties, disease resistance and stability of cotton in Huang-Huai Region in China. The results indicated that a great genetic progress of earliness and disease resistance had been achieved by breeding programs since 1950's. The maturity was shortened 3-5 days; The rate of preforst yield was increased about 7 percentages. The problem of resistance to Fususium wilt has been solved and the resistance to Verticillum wilt was improving. Some progress in stability of cotton varieties also has been achieved by breeding programs since 1950.

An enhanced Hilbert–Huang transform technique for bearing condition monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osman, Shazali; Wang, Wilson

2013-01-01

A new technique, enhanced Hilbert–Huang transform (eHHT), is proposed in this work for fault detection in rolling element bearings. It includes two processes: firstly, the collected vibration signal is denoised to highlight defect-related impulses; and secondly the denoised signal is further processed by the use of the proposed eHHT technique to identify the defect features for bearing fault detection. Signal denoising is carried out by the use of the minimum entropy deconvolution filter to reduce impedance effect of the transmission path of the measured signal. In the proposed eHHT, a novel strategy is proposed to enhance feature extraction based on the analysis of correlation and mutual information. The effectiveness of the proposed eHHT technique in feature extraction and analysis is verified by a series of experimental tests corresponding to different bearing conditions. Its robustness is examined by using data sets from a different resource. (paper)

Monitoring Cs-134 and 137 released by Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in ground, soil, and stream waters

Science.gov (United States)

Tsujimura, Maki; Onda, Yuichi; Hada, Manami; Ishwar, Pun; Abe, Yutaka

2013-04-01

Due to Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear power plant accident occurred in March 2011, large amount of radionuclides was released into the atmosphere and was fallen onto ground by rainfall. Few researches have monitored radioactive cesium dynamics in whole hydrological cycle system such as groundwater, soil water, spring water and stream water. Thus, the purpose of this study is to monitor concentration of radioactive cesium in those waters in time series in the headwaters. We have performed an intensive monitoring at three small mountainous catchments in Yamakiya district, Kawamata town, Fukushima prefecture, locating 35 km northwest from Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant since June 2011, also we consider the movement of radioactive cesium and its relation with the hydrological cycle.

Fukushima-Dai-Ichi accident. Information bulletin no. 8 from December 12, 2011; Accident de Fukushima-Dai-Ichi - Bulletin d'information no. 8 du 12 decembre 2011

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-12-12

This news bulletin has been prepared by the French institute of radiation protection and nuclear safety (IRSN) for the information of French residents in Japan. It presents, first, the situation at the date of the bulletin of the food chain contamination in the provinces close to the Fukushima Dai-ichi damaged site, the particular case of rice contamination monitoring and the controls performed at retailer shops. Then, it gives some general recommendations to residents concerning good food consumption and hygiene practices and recommends to avoid any unnecessary travel to the most impacted areas close to the prohibited access area. (J.S.)

Dai-Kenchu-To, a Herbal Medicine, Attenuates Colorectal Distention-induced Visceromotor Responses in Rats

OpenAIRE

Nakaya, Kumi; Nagura, Yohko; Hasegawa, Ryoko; Ito, Hitomi; Fukudo, Shin

2016-01-01

Background/Aims Dai-kenchu-to (DKT), a traditional Japanese herbal medicine, is known to increase gastrointestinal motility and improve ileal function. We tested our hypotheses that (1) pretreatment with DKT would block the colorectal distention-induced visceromotor response in rats, and (2) pretreatment with DKT would attenuate colorectal distention-induced adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) release and anxiety-related behavior. Methods Rats were pretreated with vehicle or DKT (300 mg/kg/5 m...

Situation of Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant in Japan - June 1, 2011 status

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

This situation note is established according to the information gained on June 1, 2011 by the crisis centre of the French institute of radiation protection and nuclear safety (IRSN). The situation of the cores of reactors 1, 2 and 3 of the Fukushima I site (Dai-ichi) and of the different spent fuel pools is briefly presented as well as the actions in progress for the control of environmental radioactive releases and for the progressive recovery of the facilities control. (J.S.)

Situation of Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant in Japan - May 25, 2011 status

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

This situation note is established according to the information gained on May 25, 2011 by the crisis centre of the French institute of radiation protection and nuclear safety (IRSN). The situation of the cores of reactors 1, 2 and 3 of the Fukushima I site (Dai-ichi) and of the different spent fuel pools is briefly presented as well as the actions in progress for the control of environmental radioactive releases and for the progressive recovery of the facilities control. (J.S.)

Situation of Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant in Japan - May 25, 2011 status; Situation de la centrale nucleaire de Fukushima Dai-ichi au Japon - Point de situation du 25 mai 2011

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

This situation note is established according to the information gained on May 25, 2011 by the crisis centre of the French institute of radiation protection and nuclear safety (IRSN). The situation of the cores of reactors 1, 2 and 3 of the Fukushima I site (Dai-ichi) and of the different spent fuel pools is briefly presented as well as the actions in progress for the control of environmental radioactive releases and for the progressive recovery of the facilities control. (J.S.)

Plant landscape design and its social service function of Shanghai Qibao GaoXian Roof Garden Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dai Wenbin

2017-02-01

Full Text Available With the rapid development of urban social economy,the original green area of the cities has been decreasing continually. In order to meet the humanistic,natural and economic demands of the urban green space,this paper takes the Shanghai Qibao GaoXian Roof Garden Market as an example further studing the social service functions of the market such as leisure meeting,garden life,flower market,education on nature,festival exhibition and so on.

Aviation Safety and Security: Challenges to Implementing the Recommendations of the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security -- GAO/T-RCED-97-90

Science.gov (United States)

1997-03-05

This statement before Congress by Gerald L. Dillingham, Associate Director, : Transportation Issues, Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division, : General Accounting Office (GAO) assesses the recommendations contained in the : recently r...

Fukushima-Dai-Ichi accident. Information bulletin no. 6 from June 8, 2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

This news bulletin has been prepared by the French institute of radiation protection and nuclear safety (IRSN) for the information of French residents in Japan. It presents, first, the situation at the date of the bulletin of the radioactive contamination in the provinces close to the Fukushima Dai-ichi damaged site, the follow-up of the commercialisation restrictions of some food products (vegetables, mushrooms, milk). Then, it gives some general recommendations to residents concerning good food consumption practices and supplies a list of particularly impacted areas where it is to be highly avoided to travel to. (J.S.)

Fukushima-Dai-Ichi accident. Information bulletin no. 8 from December 12, 2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

This news bulletin has been prepared by the French institute of radiation protection and nuclear safety (IRSN) for the information of French residents in Japan. It presents, first, the situation at the date of the bulletin of the food chain contamination in the provinces close to the Fukushima Dai-ichi damaged site, the particular case of rice contamination monitoring and the controls performed at retailer shops. Then, it gives some general recommendations to residents concerning good food consumption and hygiene practices and recommends to avoid any unnecessary travel to the most impacted areas close to the prohibited access area. (J.S.)

Situation of Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant in Japan - June 1, 2011 status; Situation de la centrale nucleaire de Fukushima Dai-ichi au Japon - Point de situation du 1er juin 2011

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

This situation note is established according to the information gained on June 1, 2011 by the crisis centre of the French institute of radiation protection and nuclear safety (IRSN). The situation of the cores of reactors 1, 2 and 3 of the Fukushima I site (Dai-ichi) and of the different spent fuel pools is briefly presented as well as the actions in progress for the control of environmental radioactive releases and for the progressive recovery of the facilities control. (J.S.)

Review of GAO report on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978. Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, Ninety-Seventh Congress, First Session, May 21, 1981

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1981-01-01

Three witnesses from the General Accounting Office (GAO) testified at a May 21, 1981 hearing on the results of a three-year review of the impact and implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act (NNPA) of 1978. A total of 115 countries have ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NNPT), and some have urged a nuclear-weapons-free zone in Latin America. The GAO proposed recommendations for improving NNPA administration and developing a more coherent long-term policy. The GAO questions the need for additional enrichment capacity, and suggests a closer look at the need to complete the centrifuge facility. It notes only limited progress in multinational fuel-supply assurances and the establishment of international spent-fuel repositories. It urges the US to take a more-active role in these areas and in the international control system. A listing of US exports of highly enriched uranium from 1954 to 1981 follows the testimony

Metaforu lietojums ziņu rakstos par 2016. gada ASV prezidenta vēlēšanām

OpenAIRE

Safronovs, Imants

2017-01-01

Bakalaura darbs ir veltīts metaforu lietojuma izmeklēšanai divu ASV laikrakstu (The Wall Street Journal un The New York Times) interneta vietnēs. Pētījums analizē konceptuālās metaforas lietojumu ziņu rakstos par 2016. ASV prezidenta vēlēšanām. Pētījuma mērķis ir izmeklēt konceptuālo metaforu nozīmi ASV prezidenta vēlēšanu konceptualizācijā. Pielietotā metode ir konceptuālo metaforu analīze. Apkopotie dati ļauj secināt, ka analizētajos rakstos koncetuālajām metaforām ir būtiska nozīme vēstīju...

Federal Student Loan Programs: Opportunities Exist to Improve Audit Requirements and Oversight Procedures. Report to Congressional Committees. GAO-10-668

Science.gov (United States)

Daly, Kay L.

2010-01-01

The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, Pub. L. No. 110-315, mandated GAO (Government Accountability Office) to study the financial and compliance audits and reviews required or conducted for the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program and the Federal Direct Student Loan (DL) program. The Department of Education's (Education) Office of…

Cooperation in the Implementation of Safeguards at Fukushima Dai-ichi Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumekawa, H.; Usui, A.; Sano, K.; Ishii, T.; Ninagawa, J.; Namekawa, M.; Iso, S.; Nakamura, N.; Hirato, Y.; Murajiri, M.; Hori, K.; Oyama, K.; Takagi, A.; Hirabayashi, N.

2015-01-01

The accident at Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 had a major impact on the safeguards situation at the site. JSGO, NMCC, TEPCO and JAEA are tackling the challenges posed by the accident jointly with the IAEA and in cooperation with the US Department of Energy (DOE). From the day of the earthquake, JSGO and the IAEA have shared information on decommissioning activities and discussed how to deal with this difficult issue. In May 2012, the Fukushima Task Force was established. Its objective is to develop a holistic approach to safeguards implementation measures for the site, to monitor the re-establishment of safeguards, to facilitate discussion of relevant issues, and to consider possible approaches to longer-term safeguards challenges. All the fuels in spent fuel ponds in Units 5 and 6 and Common Spent Fuel Storage have been successfully re-verified. Re-verification of fuels kept in spent fuel pond in Unit 4 is underway. A special arrangement called SNOS (Short Notice Operational Support Activities) has been introduced to confirm non-diversion of declared material at Fukushima Dai-ichi site. Based on extensive information exchange, proactive discussions on safeguards approaches are being held for near-term issues. The damaged core material in Units 1-3 will pose extreme difficulties in longer-term. A special sub-group has been established under the task force to address the issues. Although lessons learned from past nuclear accidents resulting in damage of core material have some relevance, none of them can be directly applicable for Fukushima. Thus a foresighted and creative approach is needed. Close coordination with the IAEA and support from technically competent institutions in Japan and from abroad, such as DOE, are also essential to tackle the issues. (author)

Accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Stations of TEPCO —Outline & lessons learned—

OpenAIRE

TANAKA, Shun-ichi

2012-01-01

The severe accident that broke out at Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power stations on March 11, 2011, caused seemingly infinite damage to the daily life of residents. Serious and wide-spread contamination of the environment occurred due to radioactive materials discharged from nuclear power stations (NPSs). At the same time, many issues were highlighted concerning countermeasures to severe nuclear accidents. The accident is outlined, and lessons learned are extracted with respect to the safety o...

消定膏治疗踝关节扭伤的临床观察%Clinical Observation on Treating Ankle Sprain with XiaoDingGao

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

王胡伟; 赵道洲; 张磊

2011-01-01

目的:观察消定膏外敷治疗踝关节扭伤的疗效.方法:将78名患者随机分为治疗组和对照组,治疗组用消定膏外敷,对照组用七叶皂苷钠凝胶外敷.结果:治疗组有效率为97.4%,对照组有效率为87.2%,2组相比差异有显著性意义(P＜0.01).结论:消定膏外敷治疗踝关节扭伤疗效显著,无明显副作用.%Objective:To observe the efficacy of treaing ankle sprains with XiaoDingGao. Method:78 patients were randomly divided into two groups,the treatment group were treated with XiaoDingGao and the control group were treated with escin sodium gel.Result:The effective rate of the treatment group was 97.4％, more superior than the control group (effective rate was 87.2％), the differences between the two groups was significant (P＜0.01).Conclusion:Treating ankle sprains with XiaoDingGao has significant effect and no significant side effects, it is worthy of further research and application.

Functional Representation for the Born-Oppenheimer Diagonal Correction and Born-Huang Adiabatic Potential Energy Surfaces for Isotopomers of H3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mielke, Steven L.; Schwenke, David; Schatz, George C.; Garrett, Bruce C.; Peterson, Kirk A.

2009-01-01

Multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) calculations of the Born-Oppenheimer diagonal correction (BODC) for H3 were performed at 1397 symmetry-unique configurations using the Born-Huang approach; isotopic substitution leads to 4041 symmetry-unique configurations for the DH2 mass combination. These results were then fit to a functional form that permits calculation of the BODC for any combination of isotopes. Mean unsigned fitting errors on a test grid of configurations not included in the fitting process were 0.14, 0.12, and 0.65 cm-1 for the H3, DH2, and MuH2 isotopomers, respectively. This representation can be combined with any Born-Oppenheimer potential energy surface (PES) to yield Born-Huang (BH) PESs; herein we choose the CCI potential energy surface, the uncertainties of which (∼0.01 kcal/mol) are much smaller than the magnitude of the BODC. FORTRAN routines to evaluate these BH surfaces are provided. Variational transition state theory calculations are presented comparing thermal rate constants for reactions on the BO and BH surfaces to provide an initial estimate of the significance of the diagonal correction for the dynamics.

Comment on "Critique and correction of the currently accepted solution of the infinite spherical well in quantum mechanics" by Huang Young-Sea and Thomann Hans-Rudolph

OpenAIRE

Prados, A.; Plata, C. A.

2016-01-01

We comment on the paper "Critique and correction of the currently accepted solution of the infinite spherical well in quantum mechanics" by Huang Young-Sea and Thomann Hans-Rudolph, EPL 115, 60001 (2016) .

Efficiency of herbal medicine Dai-kenchu-to on portal blood flow in rat models

OpenAIRE

Muraoka, Izumi; Takatsuki, Mitsuhisa; Soyama, Akihiko; Yamaguchi, Izumi; Tanaka, Shiro; Tanaka, Takayuki; Kinoshita, Ayaka; Hara, Takanobu; Kuroki, Tamotsu; Eguchi, Susumu

2015-01-01

Introduction: To clarify the influence of Dai-Kenchu-To (DKT) on portal blood flow (PBF), PBF was continuously measured with Doppler ultrasound. Methods: Normal liver rats were divided into a DKT 90 mg/kg, DKT 270 mg/kg administered group, and control, while cirrhotic liver rats were divided into a DKT-LC 90 mg/kg administered group and Control-LC. The PBF was measured after the administration of either DKT or water for 60 min by laser Doppler flowmetry system. Results: The PBF in the D...

Eesti ja hiina keel pärinevad ühest allikast : hiina keeleteadlane Gao Jingyi jätkab uurimistööd Eestis / Raimu Hanson

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Hanson, Raimu, 1957-

2009-01-01

Hiina keeleteadlane Gao Jingyi on avaldanud raamatu, milles ta näitab, et hiina keel ning eesti keel ja teised läänemeresoome keeled mingil määral koos teiste uurali keeltega pärinevad ühisest allikast

Effects of Gui Zhi Ma Huang Ge Ban Tang on the TLR7 Pathway in Influenza Virus Infected Mouse Lungs in a Cold Environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Hong-Qiong; Shi, Shan-Shan; Fu, Ying-Jie; Yan, Yu-Qi; Wu, Sha; Tang, Xiao-Long; Chen, Xiao-Yin; Hou, Guang-Hui; Jiang, Zhen-You

2018-01-01

We wished to investigate the effects of the traditional Chinese medicine Gui Zhi Ma Huang Ge Ban Tang on controlling influenza A virus (IAV) infection and improving inflammation in mouse lungs. Mice were maintained in normal and cold environments and infected with IAV by intranasal application, respectively. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to measure mRNA expression of TLR7, myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88), and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF- κ B)p65 in the TLR7 signaling pathway and virus replication in lungs. Western blotting was used to measure expression levels of TLR7, MyD88, and NF- κ B p65 proteins. Flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of T-helper (Th)1/Th2 and Th17/T-regulatory (Treg) cells. Application of Gui Zhi Ma Huang Ge Ban Tang in influenza-infected mice in a cold environment showed (i) downregulation of TLR7, MyD88, and NF- κ Bp65; (ii) inhibition of transcriptional activities of promoters coding for TLR7, MyD88, and NF- κ Bp65; (iii) reduction in the proportion of Th1/Th2 and Th17/Treg cells. Gui Zhi Ma Huang Ge Ban Tang had a good therapeutic effect on mice infected with IAV, especially in the cold environment. It could reduce lung inflammation in mice significantly and elicit an anti-influenza effect by downregulating expression of the key factors in TLR7 signaling pathway.

Multi-Phased, Post-Accident Support of the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant - 12246

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gay, Arnaud; Gillet, Philippe; Ytournel, Bertrand; Varet, Thierry; David, Laurent; Prevost, Thierry; Redonnet, Carol; Piot, Gregoire; Jouaville, Stephane; Pagis, Georges [AREVA NC (France)

2012-07-01

In the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and the subsequent flooding of several of the Fukushima Dai-Ichi reactors, Japan and the Japanese utility TEPCO faced a crisis situation with incredible challenges: substantial amounts of radioactive mixed seawater and freshwater accumulated in the basements of four reactor and other buildings on the site. This water held varying levels of contamination due to the fact that it had been in contact with damaged fuel elements in the cores and with other contaminated components. The overall water inventory was estimated at around 110,000 tons of water with contamination levels up to the order of 1 Ci/l. Time was of the essence to avoid overflow of this accumulated water into the ocean. AREVA proposed, designed and implemented a water treatment solution using a proven chemical coprecipitation process with ppFeNi reagent, which is currently in use for effluent treatment on several nuclear sites including AREVA sites. In addition to the extremely short schedule the other challenge was to adapt the chemical treatment process to the expected composition of the Fukushima water and, in particular, to evaluate the impact of salinity on process performance. It was also necessary to define operating conditions for the VEOLIA equipment that had been selected for implementation of the process in the future facility. The operation phase began on June 17, and by the end of July more than 30,000 tons of highly radioactive saltwater had been decontaminated - the Decontamination Factor (DF) for Cesium was ∼10{sup 4}. It allowed recycling the contaminated water to cool the reactors while protecting workers and the environment. This paper focuses on the Actiflo{sup TM}-Rad water treatment unit project that was part of the TEPCO general water treatment scheme. It presents a detailed look at the principles of the Actiflo{sup TM}-Rad, related on-the-fly R and D, an explanation of system implementation challenges, and a brief summary of

Milliste plaanidega lähed vastu uuele õppeaastale? / Triinu Lepp, Gleb Tšurbanov, Erik Paemurru, Steven Huang...[jt.

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

2008-01-01

Küsimusele vastavad hariduskolleegiumi algkooli 3. klassi õpilane Egert, prantsuse lütseumi 12. klassi õpilane Triinu Lepp, Sillamäe kutsekooli 3. kursuse õpilane Gleb Tšurbanov, Tallinna reaalkooli 11. klassi õpilane Erik Paemurru, Toronto Crescenti keskkooli õpilane Steven Huang, kunstiakadeemia muinsuskaitse- ja restaureerimisosakonna õppejõud Jaan Tamm, Tartu Miina Härma gümnaasiumi 2. a klassi õpilane Erki Külaots, Tallinna 21. kooli 11. klassi õpilane Sander Kaur ja Tapa gümnaasiumi 7. klassi õpilane Evelin Orgse

Hilbert-Huang transform analysis of long-term solar magnetic activity

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Linhua

2018-04-01

Astronomical time series analysis is one of the hottest and most important problems, and becomes the suitable way to deal with the underlying dynamical behavior of the considered nonlinear systems. The quasi-periodic analysis of solar magnetic activity has been carried out by various authors during the past fifty years. In this work, the novel Hilbert-Huang transform approach is applied to investigate the yearly numbers of polar faculae in the time interval from 1705 to 1999. The detected periodicities can be allocated to three components: the first one is the short-term variations with periods smaller than 11 years, the second one is the mid- term variations with classical periods from 11 years to 50 years, and the last one is the long-term variations with periods larger than 50 years. The analysis results improve our knowledge on the quasi-periodic variations of solar magnetic activity and could be provided valuable constraints for solar dynamo theory. Furthermore, our analysis results could be useful for understanding the long-term variations of solar magnetic activity, providing crucial information to describe and forecast solar magnetic activity indicators.

Lagrangian single-particle turbulent statistics through the Hilbert-Huang transform.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yongxiang; Biferale, Luca; Calzavarini, Enrico; Sun, Chao; Toschi, Federico

2013-04-01

The Hilbert-Huang transform is applied to analyze single-particle Lagrangian velocity data from numerical simulations of hydrodynamic turbulence. The velocity trajectory is described in terms of a set of intrinsic mode functions C(i)(t) and of their instantaneous frequency ω(i)(t). On the basis of this decomposition we define the ω-conditioned statistical moments of the C(i) modes, named q-order Hilbert spectra (HS). We show that such quantities have enhanced scaling properties as compared to traditional Fourier transform- or correlation-based (structure functions) statistical indicators, thus providing better insights into the turbulent energy transfer process. We present clear empirical evidence that the energylike quantity, i.e., the second-order HS, displays a linear scaling in time in the inertial range, as expected from a dimensional analysis. We also measure high-order moment scaling exponents in a direct way, without resorting to the extended self-similarity procedure. This leads to an estimate of the Lagrangian structure function exponents which are consistent with the multifractal prediction in the Lagrangian frame as proposed by Biferale et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 064502 (2004)].

Datu bāzes struktūras un datu tranformācija no relāciju datu bāzes uz NoSQL datu bāzi

OpenAIRE

Jērāne, Austra

2013-01-01

Bakalaura darbā „Datu bāzes struktūras un datu tranformācija no relāciju datu bāzes uz NoSQL datu bāzi” ir apkopota informācija par relāciju datu bāzu un NoSQL datu bāzu īpašībām un uz šī pētījuma pamata ir veikta dokumentu vadības sistēmas datu bāzes daļas tranformācija uz NoSQL datu bāzi.

Estimation of marine source-term following Fukushima Dai-ichi accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bailly du Bois, P.; Laguionie, P.; Boust, D.; Korsakissok, I.; Didier, D.; Fiévet, B.

2012-01-01

Contamination of the marine environment following the accident in the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant represented the most important artificial radioactive release flux into the sea ever known. The radioactive marine pollution came from atmospheric fallout onto the ocean, direct release of contaminated water from the plant and transport of radioactive pollution from leaching through contaminated soil. In the immediate vicinity of the plant (less than 500 m), the seawater concentrations reached 68 000 Bq.L −1 for 134 Cs and 137 Cs, and exceeded 100 000 Bq.L −1 for 131 I in early April. Due to the accidental context of the releases, it is difficult to estimate the total amount of radionuclides introduced into seawater from data obtained in the plant. An evaluation is proposed here, based on measurements performed in seawater for monitoring purposes. Quantities of 137 Cs in seawater in a 50-km area around the plant were calculated from interpolation of seawater measurements. The environmental halftime of seawater in this area is deduced from the time-evolution of these quantities. This halftime appeared constant at about 7 days for 137 Cs. These data allowed estimation of the amount of principal marine inputs and their evolution in time: a total of 27 PBq (12 PBq–41 PBq) of 137 Cs was estimated up to July 18. Even though this main release may be followed by residual inputs from the plant, river runoff and leakage from deposited sediments, it represents the principal source-term that must be accounted for future studies of the consequences of the accident on marine systems. The 137 Cs from Fukushima will remain detectable for several years throughout the North Pacific, and 137 Cs/ 134 Cs ratio will be a tracer for future studies. Highlights: ► Fukushima Dai-ichi accident is the most important artificial radioactive release flux into the sea. ► Quantities of 137 Cs in seawater are deduced from individual measurements. ► Local concentrations in

Preface: Ecosystem services, ecosystem health and human communities

Science.gov (United States)

Plag, Hans-Peter

2018-04-01

This special issue contains a collection of manuscripts that were originally intended to be included in the special issue on "Physics and Economics of Ecosystem Services Flows" (Volume 101, guest editors H. Su, J. Dong and S. Nagarajan) and "Biogeochemical Processes in the Changing Wetland Environment" (Volume 103, guest editors J. Bai, L. Huang and H. Gao). All of them are addressing issues related to ecosystem services in different settings. Ecosystem services are of high value for both the ecosystems and human communities, and understanding the impacts of environmental processes and human activities on ecosystems is of fundamental importance for the preservation of these services.

Extraction of microseismic waveforms characteristics prior to rock burst using Hilbert-Huang transform

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xuelong; Li, Zhonghui; Wang, Enyuan; Feng, Junjun; Chen, Liang; Li, Nan; Kong, Xiangguo

2016-09-01

This study provides a new research idea concerning rock burst prediction. The characteristics of microseismic (MS) waveforms prior to and during the rock burst were studied through the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT). In order to demonstrate the advantage of the MS features extraction based on HHT, the conventional analysis method (Fourier transform) was also used to make a comparison. The results show that HHT is simple and reliable, and could extract in-depth information about the characteristics of MS waveforms. About 10 days prior to the rock burst, the main frequency of MS waveforms transforms from the high-frequency to low-frequency. What's more, the waveforms energy also presents accumulation characteristic. Based on our study results, it can be concluded that the MS signals analysis through HHT could provide valuable information about the coal or rock deformation and fracture.

[Realization of Heart Sound Envelope Extraction Implemented on LabVIEW Based on Hilbert-Huang Transform].

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Zhixiang; Zhang, Yi; Zeng, Deping; Wang, Hua

2015-04-01

We proposed a research of a heart sound envelope extraction system in this paper. The system was implemented on LabVIEW based on the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT). We firstly used the sound card to collect the heart sound, and then implemented the complete system program of signal acquisition, pretreatment and envelope extraction on LabVIEW based on the theory of HHT. Finally, we used a case to prove that the system could collect heart sound, preprocess and extract the envelope easily. The system was better to retain and show the characteristics of heart sound envelope, and its program and methods were important to other researches, such as those on the vibration and voice, etc.

A digest of the Nuclear Safety Division report on the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident seminar (4). Issues identified by the accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moriyama, Kumiaki; Abe, Kiyoharu

2013-01-01

AESJ Nuclear Safety Division published 'Report on the Fukushima Dai-ichi Accident Seminar - what was wrong and what should been down in future-' which would be published as five special articles of the AESJ journal. The Fukushima Dai-ichi accident identified issues of several activities directly related with nuclear safety in the areas of safety design, severe accident management and safety regulations. PRA, operational experiences and safety research could not always contribute safety assurance of nuclear power plant so much. This article (4) summarized technical issues based on related facts of the accident as much as possible and discussed' what was wrong and what should be down in future'. Important issues were identified from defense-in-depth philosophy and lessons learned on safety design were obtained from accident progression analysis. Activities against external events and continuous improvements of safety standards based on latest knowledge were most indispensable. Strong cooperation among experts in different areas was also needed. (T. Tanaka)

Information systems and computing technology

CERN Document Server

Zhang, Lei

2013-01-01

Invited papersIncorporating the multi-cross-sectional temporal effect in Geographically Weighted Logit Regression K. Wu, B. Liu, B. Huang & Z. LeiOne shot learning human actions recognition using key posesW.H. Zou, S.G. Li, Z. Lei & N. DaiBand grouping pansharpening for WorldView-2 satellite images X. LiResearch on GIS based haze trajectory data analysis system Y. Wang, J. Chen, J. Shu & X. WangRegular papersA warning model of systemic financial risks W. Xu & Q. WangResearch on smart mobile phone user experience with grounded theory J.P. Wan & Y.H. ZhuThe software reliability analysis based on

Influenza Pandemic: Continued Focus on the Nation's Planning and Preparedness Efforts Remains Essential. Testimony before the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on State, Local, and Private Sector Preparedness and Integration, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. GAO-09-760T

Science.gov (United States)

Steinhardt, Bernice

2009-01-01

As the recent outbreak of the H1N1 (swine flu) virus underscores, an influenza pandemic remains a real threat to our nation and to the world. Over the past 3 years, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has conducted a body of work to help the nation better prepare for a possible pandemic. In a February 2009 report, GAO synthesized the…

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education: Strategic Planning Needed to Better Manage Overlapping Programs across Multiple Agencies. Report to Congressional Requesters. GAO-12-108

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, George A.

2012-01-01

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education programs help to enhance the nation's global competitiveness. Many federal agencies have been involved in administering these programs. Concerns have been raised about the overall effectiveness and efficiency of STEM education programs. GAO examined (1) the number of federal…

II. Comment on “Critique and correction of the currently accepted solution of the infinite spherical well in quantum mechanics” by Huang Young-Sea and Thomann Hans-Rudolph

Science.gov (United States)

Prados, Antonio; Plata, Carlos A.

2016-12-01

We comment on the paper "Critique and correction of the currently accepted solution of the infinite spherical well in quantum mechanics" by Huang Young-Sea and Thomann Hans-Rudolph, EPL 115, 60001 (2016) .

Raman-scattering results from Y1-xCaxSr2Cu2GaO7

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salamon, D.; Liu, R.; Klein, M.V.; Groenke, D.A.; Poeppelmeier, K.R.; Dabrowski, B.; Han, P.D.; Payne, D.A.

1993-01-01

We present a Raman-scattering study of Y 1-x Ca x Sr 2 Cu 2 GaO 7 for both the x=0 parent compound and doped compositions with x=0.25 and x=0.40. Extrapolation from YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-d and other cuprates allows us to assign many of the Raman-active phonon modes in the x=0 material, as well as identify a two-magnon scattering peak, a second-order phonon scattering peak, and a Raman continuum out to 4000 cm -1 . Despite compositional inhomogeneities, the doped superconducting samples show some of the same low-energy phonon features as the x=0 material. There is, however, a doping-dependent shift in the positions of features in the 500--700 cm -1 range, possibly due to Ca locating on Sr sites instead of Y sites. The relative intensities of the phonon peaks in the doped material are also changed from the insulator (x=0), suggesting that a resonant Raman phenomenon is occurring. The temperature-dependent spectra show what appears to be a superconducting dip in the background intensity, but the low superconducting fractions in these samples make this difficult to verify. The doped material also has a Raman continuum out to 4000 cm -1 just as in the x=0 samples, but with the two-magnon and second-order phonon scattering peaks significantly reduced in intensity. This may be a result of changes in the long-range ordering, or another manifestation of the same resonance phenomena occurring at lower energies. Single-crystal samples of the doped material Y 1-x Ca x Sr 2 Cu 2 GaO 7 are necessary for a more conclusive Raman study

Barium isotope composition of altered oceanic crust from the IODP Site 1256 at the East Pacific Rise

Science.gov (United States)

Nan, X.; Yu, H.; Gao, Y.

2017-12-01

To understand the behavior of Ba isotopes in the oceanic crust during seawater alteration, we analyzed Ba isotopes for altered oceanic crust (AOC) from the IODP Site 1256 at the East Pacific Rise (EPR). The samples include 33 basalts, 5 gabbros, and 1 gabbronorite. This drill profile has four sections from top to bottom, including the volcanic section, transition zone, sheeted dyke complex, and plutonic complex. They display various degrees of alteration with obviously variable temperatures and water/rock ratios (Gao et al., 2012). The volcanic section is slightly to moderately altered by seawater at 100 to 250°; the transition zone is a mixing zone between upwelling hydrothermal fluids and downwelling seawater; and the sheeted dyke complex and plutonic complex are highly altered by hydrothermal fluids (˜250°). Ba isotopes were analyzed on a Neptune Plus MC-ICP-MS at the University of Science and Technology of China. The long-term precision of δ137/134Ba is better than 0.04‰ (2SD). The δ137/134Ba of the volcanic section and the top of the transition zone range between -0.01 and 0.30‰, higher than the δ137/134Ba of fresh MORB and upper mantle (0.020 ± 0.021‰, 2SE, Huang et al., 2015). Similarly, the δ137/134Ba of the sheeted dyke complex ranges from 0.05 to 0.28‰. The plutonic section has δ137/134Ba from -0.17 to -0.05‰, which is lower than the upper mantle, with one exception that has δ137/134Ba of 0.19‰. No correlation exists between Ba contents and δ137/134Ba. The weighted average δ137/134Ba of the AOC samples is 0.13±0.04‰ (2SE), significantly higher than that of the upper mantle. In all, our AOC data reveal obvious Ba isotopic fractionation, reflecting alteration of the AOC by hydrothermal fluids and seawater. The obvious difference of Ba isotope composition between the AOC and the upper mantle further indicates that recycling of the AOC could result in Ba isotope heterogeneity of the mantle. References: Gao Y, Vils F, Cooper K M, et

The accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station - occurrence of the accident, current situation and Future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirose, K.

2013-01-01

In this presentation author analyse course of accident on Fukushima Dai-chi NPPs as well as consequences of this disaster. The following parts are presented: (1) Occurrence of the accident; (2) Evacuation of the residential people; (3) Deterioration and protraction of the accident; (4) Impact on society; (5) Situation of decontamination; (6) Long-term steps towards decommissioning; (7) Situation of other nuclear power stations; (8) Conclusions and lessons learned.

Research of the improvement of the process, organization, etc. related to the emergency correspondence of JNES based on the cause analysis about emergency correspondence of JNES in case of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-08-15

At the time of the occurrence of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident, JNES implemented various emergency correspondences. On the other hand, various organizations published the report about the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident. In them, the problems about the regulatory body's regulatory process, regulatory organization, etc. are also pointed out. JNES is a designated public institution. JNES is required to improve process, organization, etc. related to emergency correspondence continuously based on the lessons learned obtained from the emergency corresponding experience about the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident. Specifically, the following activities will be implemented in the 2014 and 2015 fiscal year. 1. Collect systematically and comprehensively the information about emergency correspondence of JNES in case of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident, and create the timeline of the event. 2. Specify problems and analyze human factors and organizational factors. 3. Specify the requirements for establishing a designated public institution's emergency correspondence based on the viewpoint of a human and an organization. 4. Publish the report which indicates collected information, the contents of analysis, proposals of improvement, etc. (author)

Treatment of electrochemical noise data by the Hilbert-Huang transform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahier, A.

2009-01-01

Most of the classical approaches for treating electro-chemical noise (ECN) data suffer from the non-linear and non steady-state character of the delivered signal. Very often, the link between time and the local corrosion events supposedly responsible for ECN data signatures is lost during treatment, as is obvious when using the classical Fourier Transform (FT), followed by an analysis of the response in the frequency domain. In this particular case, the information directly related to the corrosion events is distributed into the full spectra, thereby preventing the operator to derive clear and precise conclusions. In 2005, we suggested an alternative data treatment based on the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT). The latter keeps track of the time variable and copes with non-linear and non steady-state behaviours of the system under examination. In 2006, we demonstrated the applicability of the newly proposed data treatment in the case of ECN data collected under BWR (Boiling Water Reactor) conditions. In 2007, we collected additional ECN data and started a preliminary investigation of two mathematical restrictions that are susceptible to impair the interpretation of the results. We discovered a possible modification of the Hilbert transform allowing generating controlled phase shifts that are different from pi/2 as is always the case for the Hilbert transform

GAO report and EDF cost revisions reignite debate on Hinkley Point C

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dalton, David [NucNet, The Independent Global Nuclear News Agency, Brussels (Belgium)

2017-10-15

The announcement by French state-controlled utility EDF that it has added pound 1.5 bn (Euro 1.7 bn, $ 1.9 bn) to its estimated costs for two new reactors at Hinkley Point C, has led to questions about whether the government should rethink the project, with some politicians calling for it to be abandoned. EDF's announcement came less than two weeks after a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said the government's deal for the two EPR units, now estimated to be costing pound 19.6 bn (Euro 22.3 bn, $ 25.5 bn), has locked consumers into a risky and expensive project with uncertain strategic and economic benefits. The UK's Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), in a report prepared before the EDF announcement, had already said the requirement to improve the predictability and affordability of new nuclear power plants has never been stronger.

GAO report and EDF cost revisions reignite debate on Hinkley Point C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalton, David

2017-01-01

The announcement by French state-controlled utility EDF that it has added pound 1.5 bn (Euro 1.7 bn, $ 1.9 bn) to its estimated costs for two new reactors at Hinkley Point C, has led to questions about whether the government should rethink the project, with some politicians calling for it to be abandoned. EDF's announcement came less than two weeks after a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said the government's deal for the two EPR units, now estimated to be costing pound 19.6 bn (Euro 22.3 bn, $ 25.5 bn), has locked consumers into a risky and expensive project with uncertain strategic and economic benefits. The UK's Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), in a report prepared before the EDF announcement, had already said the requirement to improve the predictability and affordability of new nuclear power plants has never been stronger.

Reply to Comment by Cole-dai Et Al. on "Climatic Impact of the Long-lasting Laki Eruption: Inapplicability of Mass-independent Sulfur Isotope Composition Measurements"

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Anja; Thordarson, Thorvaldur; Oman, Luke D.; Robock, Alan; Self, Stephen

2014-01-01

Here we respond to the comments by Cole-Dai et al. [2014] on our article Schmidt et al. [2012]. Specifically, in response to section 2 of their reply, we argued in Schmidt et al. [2012] that based on previously published estimates of the volatile release height during the 1783-1784 C.E. Laki eruption, the lack of a sulfur massindependent fractionation (MIF) anomaly is expected. In other words, no previous study on Laki ever argued that this eruption emitted SO2 into altitudes >13-15 km. In section 2.3, Cole-Dai et al. [2014] argue that the nonzero ?33S value of their Laki sample 1 may be explained by a short-lived explosive phase at Laki during which volatiles reached the stratosphere. In Schmidt et al. [2012] in section 2, we argued in agreement with Cole-Dai et al. [2014] (section 3.1) that for a MIF anomaly to be preserved, the Laki volatiles would have had to be emitted in >20 km altitude. Our main point is that eruption column heights >20 km are unlikely based on the historical accounts and plume-rise modeling for the Laki eruption [Stothers et al., 1986; Woods, 1993; Thordarson and Self, 2003]. In Schmidt et al. [2012], we argued that to deduce a short-lived climatic impact of the Laki eruption based on the lack of a MIF anomaly and the length of the sulfate deposition in Greenland ice cores may be misleading because the climatic impact will outlast the radiative forcing of the Laki aerosol cloud. Cole-Dai et al. [2014] acknowledge the latter in their reply in section 4.2. We agreewith Cole-Dai et al. [2014] in that themagnitude and length of the climatic impact during the winter of 1783-1784 depends on the altitude of the volatile release during the eruption (sections 2.3 and 4.2). However, even if we assumed that during Laki all sulfur dioxide (SO2) would have been released in the troposphere, then the aerosol cloud would still be present in the upper troposphere during March 1784, as is evident from independent model simulations of this "tropospheric

Higher Education: Improved Tax Information Could Help Families Pay for College. Report to the Committee on Finance, U.S. Senate. GAO-12-560

Science.gov (United States)

White, James R.; Scott, George A.

2012-01-01

The federal government provides billions of dollars in assistance each year to students and families through federal student aid programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and through tax expenditures, such as credits and deductions. GAO was asked to (1) describe the size and distribution of Title IV student aid and tax…

District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarship Program: Additional Policies and Procedures Would Improve Internal Controls and Program Operations. Report to Congressional Requesters. GAO-08-9

Science.gov (United States)

Ashby, Cornelia M.; Franzel, Jeanette M.

2007-01-01

The D.C. School Choice Incentive Act created the first private kindergarten-through-grade-12 school-choice program supported by federal funds. The program was named the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP). The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to assess the (1) accountability mechanisms governing the use of…

Bearing fault detection utilizing group delay and the Hilbert-Huang transform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin, Shuai; Lee, Sang-Kwon

2017-01-01

Vibration signals measured from a mechanical system are useful to detect system faults. Signal processing has been used to extract fault information in bearing systems. However, a wide vibration signal frequency band often affects the ability to obtain the effective fault features. In addition, a few oscillation components are not useful at the entire frequency band in a vibration signal. By contrast, useful fatigue information can be embedded in the noise oscillation components. Thus, a method to estimate which frequency band contains fault information utilizing group delay was proposed in this paper. Group delay as a measure of phase distortion can indicate the phase structure relationship in the frequency domain between original (with noise) and denoising signals. We used the empirical mode decomposition of a Hilbert-Huang transform to sift the useful intrinsic mode functions based on the results of group delay after determining the valuable frequency band. Finally, envelope analysis and the energy distribution after the Hilbert transform were used to complete the fault diagnosis. The practical bearing fault data, which were divided into inner and outer race faults, were used to verify the efficiency and quality of the proposed method

Bearing fault detection utilizing group delay and the Hilbert-Huang transform

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jin, Shuai; Lee, Sang-Kwon [Inha University, Incheon (Korea, Republic of)

2017-03-15

Vibration signals measured from a mechanical system are useful to detect system faults. Signal processing has been used to extract fault information in bearing systems. However, a wide vibration signal frequency band often affects the ability to obtain the effective fault features. In addition, a few oscillation components are not useful at the entire frequency band in a vibration signal. By contrast, useful fatigue information can be embedded in the noise oscillation components. Thus, a method to estimate which frequency band contains fault information utilizing group delay was proposed in this paper. Group delay as a measure of phase distortion can indicate the phase structure relationship in the frequency domain between original (with noise) and denoising signals. We used the empirical mode decomposition of a Hilbert-Huang transform to sift the useful intrinsic mode functions based on the results of group delay after determining the valuable frequency band. Finally, envelope analysis and the energy distribution after the Hilbert transform were used to complete the fault diagnosis. The practical bearing fault data, which were divided into inner and outer race faults, were used to verify the efficiency and quality of the proposed method.

Dispersion and fate of {sup 90}Sr in the Northwestern Pacific and adjacent seas: Global fallout and the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maderich, V., E-mail: vladmad@gmail.com [Institute of Mathematical Machine and System Problems, Glushkov av., 42, Kiev 03187 (Ukraine); Jung, K.T., E-mail: ktjung@kiost.ac [Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, 787, Haean-ro, Ansan 426-744 (Korea, Republic of); Bezhenar, R., E-mail: romanbezhenar@gmail.com [Ukrainian Center of Water and Environmental Projects, Glushkov av., 42, Kiev 03187 (Ukraine); With, G. de, E-mail: g.dewith@nrg.eu [NRG, Utrechtseweg 310, 6800 ES Arnhem (Netherlands); Qiao, F., E-mail: qiaofl@fio.org.cn [First Institute of Oceanography, 6 Xianxialing Road, Qingdao 266061 (China); Casacuberta, N., E-mail: ncasacuberta@phys.ethz.ch [Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH-Zurich, Schafmattstrasse 20, 8093 Zurich (Switzerland); Masque, P., E-mail: pere.masque@uab.cat [Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals and Departament de Física, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Spain); Kim, Y.H., E-mail: yhkimstar@gmail.com [Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, 787, Haean-ro, Ansan 426-744 (Korea, Republic of)

2014-10-01

The 3D compartment model POSEIDON-R was applied to the Northwestern Pacific and adjacent seas to simulate the transport and fate of {sup 90}Sr in the period 1945–2010 and to perform a radiological assessment on the releases of {sup 90}Sr due to the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident for the period 2011–2040. The contamination due to runoff of {sup 90}Sr from terrestrial surfaces was taken into account using a generic predictive model. A dynamical food-chain model describes the transfer of {sup 90}Sr to phytoplankton, zooplankton, molluscs, crustaceans, piscivorous and non-piscivorous fishes. Results of the simulations were compared with observation data on {sup 90}Sr for the period 1955–2010 and the budget of {sup 90}Sr activity was estimated. It was found that in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea the riverine influx was 1.5% of the ocean influx and it was important only locally. Calculated concentrations of {sup 90}Sr in water, bottom sediment and marine organisms before and after the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident are in good agreement with available experimental measurements. The concentration of {sup 90}Sr in seawater would return to the background levels within one year after leakages were stopped. The model predicts that the concentration of {sup 90}Sr in fish after the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident shall return to the background concentrations only 2 years later due to the delay of the transfer throughout the food web and specific accumulation of {sup 90}Sr. The contribution of {sup 90}Sr to the maximal dose rate due to the FDNPP accident was three orders of magnitude less than that due to {sup 137}Cs, and thus well below the maximum effective dose limits for the public. - Highlights: • A box model with a dynamical food-chain model for the NW Pacific was applied. • The transport and fate of {sup 90}Sr in sea were simulated for the period 1945–2040. • Marine exposure pathways for {sup 90}Sr were assessed for the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident. �

Resolving the ambiguity in the relation between Stokes shift and Huang-Rhys parameter.

Science.gov (United States)

de Jong, Mathijs; Seijo, Luis; Meijerink, Andries; Rabouw, Freddy T

2015-07-14

Electronic transitions in luminescent molecules or centers in crystals couple to vibrations. This results in broadening of absorption and emission bands, as well as in the occurence of a Stokes shift EStokes. In principle, one can derive from EStokes the Huang-Rhys parameter S, which describes the microscopic details of the vibrational coupling and can be related to the equilibrium position offset ΔQe between the ground state and excited state. The commonly used textbook relations EStokes = (2S - 1)ℏω and EStokes = 2Sℏω are only approximately valid. In this paper we investigate how EStokes is related to S, taking into account the effects of a finite temperature. We show that in different ranges of temperature, different approximate relations between EStokes and S are appropriate. Moreover, we demonstrate that the difference between the barycenters of absorption and emission bands can be used to determine S in an unambiguous way. The position of the barycenter is, contrary to the Stokes shift, unaffected by temperature.

How did Fukushima-Dai-ichi core meltdown change the probability of nuclear accidents?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Escobar Rangel, Lina; Leveque, Francois

2012-10-01

How to predict the probability of a nuclear accident using past observations? What increase in probability the Fukushima Dai-ichi event does entail? Many models and approaches can be used to answer these questions. Poisson regression as well as Bayesian updating are good candidates. However, they fail to address these issues properly because the independence assumption in which they are based on is violated. We propose a Poisson Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (PEWMA) based in a state-space time series approach to overcome this critical drawback. We find an increase in the risk of a core meltdown accident for the next year in the world by a factor of ten owing to the new major accident that took place in Japan in 2011. (authors)

滋水清肝饮联合针刺法治疗儿童抽动障碍的临床研究%Clinical research on Zi Shui Qing Gan Decoction combined with acupuncture treatment for tic disorder in children

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

殷二航

2016-01-01

Objective:To explore the clinical effect of Zi Shui Qing Gan Decoction combined with acupuncture treatment for tic disorder in children.Methods:64 children with tic disorder were selected.They were randomly divided into the control group and the observation group with 32 cases in each.The patients in the control group were treated with acupuncture,while the patients in the observation group were treated with Zi Shui Qing Gan Decoction combined with acupuncture treatment.We compared the clinical efficacy of the two groups.Results:The effective rate of observation group of 93.8%was significantly higher than 78.1%in the control group(P < 0.05).Conclusion:The clinical effect of Zi Shui Qing Gan Decoction combined with acupuncture treatment for tic disorder in children was significant.%目的：探讨滋水清肝饮联合针刺法治疗儿童抽动障碍的临床疗效。方法：收治儿童抽动障碍患儿64例，随机分为对照组和观察组各32例，对照组采用针刺法治疗，观察组采用滋水清肝饮联合针刺法治疗，比较两组临床疗效。结果：观察组治疗有效率93.8%，明显高于对照组的78.1%(P＜0.05)。治疗后，与对照组相比，观察组的YGTSS评分显著降低(P＜0.05)。结论：滋水清肝饮联合针刺法治疗儿童抽动障碍的临床疗效显著。

NARAC Modeling During the Response to the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Emergency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sugiyama, G; Nasstrom, J S; Probanz, B; Foster, K T; Simpson, M; Vogt, P; Aluzzi, F; Dillon, M; Homann, S

2012-02-14

This paper summarizes the activities of the National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center (NARAC) during the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant crisis. NARAC provided a wide range of products and analyses as part of its support including: (1) Daily Japanese weather forecasts and hypothetical release (generic source term) dispersion predictions to provide situational awareness and inform planning for U.S. measurement data collection and field operations; (2) Estimates of potential dose in Japan for hypothetical scenarios developed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to inform federal government considerations of possible actions that might be needed to protect U.S. citizens in Japan; (3) Estimates of possible plume arrival times and dose for U.S. locations; and (4) Plume model refinement and source estimation based on meteorological analyses and available field data. The Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) deployed personnel to Japan and stood up 'home team' assets across the DOE complex to aid in assessing the consequences of the releases from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. The DOE Nuclear Incident Team (NIT) coordinated response activities, while DOE personnel provided predictive modeling, air and ground monitoring, sample collection, laboratory analysis, and data assessment and interpretation. DOE deployed the Aerial Measuring System (AMS), Radiological Assistance Program (RAP) personnel, and the Consequence Management Response Team (CMRT) to Japan. DOE/NNSA home team assets included the Consequence Management Home Team (CMHT); National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center (NARAC); Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS); and Radiological Triage. NARAC was activated by the DOE/NNSA on March 11, shortly after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami occurred. The center remained on active operations through late May when DOE ended its deployment to Japan. Over 32 NARAC staff

NARAC Modeling During the Response to the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Emergency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugiyama, G.; Nasstrom, J.S.; Probanz, B.; Foster, K.T.; Simpson, M.; Vogt, P.; Aluzzi, F.; Dillon, M.; Homann, S.

2012-01-01

This paper summarizes the activities of the National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center (NARAC) during the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant crisis. NARAC provided a wide range of products and analyses as part of its support including: (1) Daily Japanese weather forecasts and hypothetical release (generic source term) dispersion predictions to provide situational awareness and inform planning for U.S. measurement data collection and field operations; (2) Estimates of potential dose in Japan for hypothetical scenarios developed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to inform federal government considerations of possible actions that might be needed to protect U.S. citizens in Japan; (3) Estimates of possible plume arrival times and dose for U.S. locations; and (4) Plume model refinement and source estimation based on meteorological analyses and available field data. The Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) deployed personnel to Japan and stood up 'home team' assets across the DOE complex to aid in assessing the consequences of the releases from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. The DOE Nuclear Incident Team (NIT) coordinated response activities, while DOE personnel provided predictive modeling, air and ground monitoring, sample collection, laboratory analysis, and data assessment and interpretation. DOE deployed the Aerial Measuring System (AMS), Radiological Assistance Program (RAP) personnel, and the Consequence Management Response Team (CMRT) to Japan. DOE/NNSA home team assets included the Consequence Management Home Team (CMHT); National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center (NARAC); Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS); and Radiological Triage. NARAC was activated by the DOE/NNSA on March 11, shortly after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami occurred. The center remained on active operations through late May when DOE ended its deployment to Japan. Over 32 NARAC staff members

Estimation of average burnup of damaged fuels loaded in Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors by using the 134Cs/137Cs ratio method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Endo, T.; Sato, S.; Yamamoto, A.

2012-01-01

Average burnup of damaged fuels loaded in Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors is estimated, using the 134 Cs/ 137 Cs ratio method for measured radioactivities of 134 Cs and 137 Cs in contaminated soils within the range of 100 km from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plants. As a result, the measured 134 Cs/ 137 Cs ratio from the contaminated soil is 0.996±0.07 as of March 11, 2011. Based on the 134 Cs/ 137 Cs ratio method, the estimated burnup of damaged fuels is approximately 17.2±1.5 [GWd/tHM]. It is noted that the numerical results of various calculation codes (SRAC2006/PIJ, SCALE6.0/TRITON, and MVP-BURN) are almost the same evaluation values of 134 Cs/ 137 Cs ratio with same evaluated nuclear data library (ENDF-B/VII.0). The void fraction effect in depletion calculation has a major impact on 134 Cs/ 137 Cs ratio compared with the differences between JENDL-4.0 and ENDF-B/VII.0. (authors)

Effect of Dai-kenchu-to on gastrointestinal motility and gastric emptying.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawasaki, Naruo; Nakada, Koji; Suzuki, Yutaka; Furukawa, Yoshiyuki; Hanyu, Nobuyoshi; Kashiwagi, Hideyuki

2009-06-01

The gastrointestinal symptoms accompanying dysfunction of the remnant stomach were seen after pylorus-preserving operation. Against such complications, Dai-kenchu-to (DKT) is used, but scientific evidences for efficacy are poor. The effect of DKT on gastrointestinal motility and gastric emptying after pylorus-preserving operation was investigated. Using beagle dogs, the experimental models mimicking the state after pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy were prepared. We sutured strain gauge transducers to the stomach, duodenum and jejunum and inserted indwelling tubes into the stomach. About 4 weeks after operation, DKT 0.1g/kg was administered during the fasting or fed state. At the same time, the gastric emptying was evaluated by the acetoaminophene method. In the fasting state, administration of DKT enhanced the gastrointestinal motility and accelerated gastric emptying. In the postprandial state, no apparent effect on motility was seen. DKT enhances the gastrointestinal motility after pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy in the fasting state. The effect of DKT may not be related to the continuity of the intramural nerve.

Limited awareness of animal influenza prevention and control among Dai Lue smallholder farmers in Southwest China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xiang; Davey, Gareth

2017-10-01

Awareness of animal influenza and its prevention and control is important for ensuring livestock health, production and welfare. In China, a country stereotyped as a major source of emerging zoonotic infectious diseases, research on the public understanding of animal influenza is limited to the Han, the main ethnic group. The present qualitative study in Southwest China investigated awareness of animal influenza among the Dai, an ethnic minority. The participants (15 men and 10 women, ages 18-83) were smallholder farmers of pigs and poultry in rural areas of Jinghong, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province. A mixture of interviews and group discussions took place in homes and villages. The participants were asked about their knowledge of avian influenza (H7N9), swine influenza (H1N1), precautions taken to protect against influenza, procedures when animals were sick and perceived risk of animal influenza. The data were analysed following coding and thematic analysis. The findings demonstrated a limited understanding of animal health and welfare among participants. Specifically, they were largely unaware of animal influenza (H7N9, H1N1) including its causes, symptoms, prevention and treatment. The farmers were also uninformed of the risks they faced and unknowingly engaged in behaviours which increased direct or indirect exposure to infected animals, a risk factor for human infection. They also reported poor usage of veterinary services. In order to guarantee the health, welfare and production of their livestock, immediate action is needed to enable Dai smallholder farmers to prevent and respond to animal influenza effectively and timely.

Lipidomics study of plasma phospholipid metabolism in early type 2 diabetes rats with ancient prescription Huang-Qi-San intervention by UPLC/Q-TOF-MS and correlation coefficient.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xia; Zhu, Jian-Cheng; Zhang, Yu; Li, Wei-Min; Rong, Xiang-Lu; Feng, Yi-Fan

2016-08-25

Potential impact of lipid research has been increasingly realized both in disease treatment and prevention. An effective metabolomics approach based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS) along with multivariate statistic analysis has been applied for investigating the dynamic change of plasma phospholipids compositions in early type 2 diabetic rats after the treatment of an ancient prescription of Chinese Medicine Huang-Qi-San. The exported UPLC/Q-TOF-MS data of plasma samples were subjected to SIMCA-P and processed by bioMark, mixOmics, Rcomdr packages with R software. A clear score plots of plasma sample groups, including normal control group (NC), model group (MC), positive medicine control group (Flu) and Huang-Qi-San group (HQS), were achieved by principal-components analysis (PCA), partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). Biomarkers were screened out using student T test, principal component regression (PCR), partial least-squares regression (PLS) and important variable method (variable influence on projection, VIP). Structures of metabolites were identified and metabolic pathways were deduced by correlation coefficient. The relationship between compounds was explained by the correlation coefficient diagram, and the metabolic differences between similar compounds were illustrated. Based on KEGG database, the biological significances of identified biomarkers were described. The correlation coefficient was firstly applied to identify the structure and deduce the metabolic pathways of phospholipids metabolites, and the study provided a new methodological cue for further understanding the molecular mechanisms of metabolites in the process of regulating Huang-Qi-San for treating early type 2 diabetes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation on the Pharmacological Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine SiJunZiTang on Stress-Induced Peptic Ulcers.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chiu-Mei; Lee, Chien-Ying; Lin, Po-Jung; Hsieh, Chin-Lang; Shih, Hung-Che

2013-01-01

Purpose. To explore the effects of SiJunZiTang (SJZT) on central neurotransmitters and the inhibition of HCl hypersecretion, along with the role of the vagus nerve. From this, the effects of SJZT and its constituent ingredients on inhibiting stress-induced peptic ulcers will be determined. Methods. Methods used to determine SJZT's effectiveness included (1) measuring the antipeptic ulcer effects of varying combinations of the constituents of SJZT; (2) evaluations of monoamine (MA) level in the brain; and (3) measuring the effects of longer-term SJZT treatment. Results. Comparing the control and experimental groups where the rats' vagus nerves were not cut after taking SJZT orally (500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg), the volume of enterogastric juice, free HCl and total acidity all reduce dose-dependently. The group administered SJZT at 1000 mg/kg showed significant reductions (P cure rate of 34.53%. Conclusion. The results display a correlation between the therapeutic effects of SJZT on stress-induced peptic ulcers and central neurotransmitter levels. Further to this, SJZT can inhibit the hypersecretion of HCl in the stomach, thus inhibiting stress-induced peptic ulcers.

[Gao Jingyi. Han yu yu bei Ou yu yan : Han yu yu Wula'er yu yan ji Yin Ou yu yan tong yuan tan jiu] / Ago Künnap

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Künnap, Ago, 1941-

2010-01-01

Arvustus: Gao Jingyi. Han yu yu bei Ou yu yan : Han yu yu Wula'er yu yan ji Yin Ou yu yan tong yuan tan jiu = Chinese language and languages of northern Europe. Beijing : Zhongguo she hui ke xue chu ban she, 2008

New Standards in Liquid Waste Treatment at Fukushima Dai-ichi - 13134

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sylvester, Paul; Milner, Tim; Ruffing, Jennifer; Poole, Scott [EnergySolutions, 100 Center Point Circle, Suite 100, Center Point II, Columbia, SC 29210 (United States); Townson, Paul; Jensen, Jesse [EnergySolutions, 2345 Stevens Drive, Suite 240, Richland, WA 99354 (United States)

2013-07-01

The earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 severely damaged the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant leading to the most severe nuclear incident since Chernobyl. Ongoing operations to cool the damaged reactors at the site have led to the generation of highly radioactive coolant water. This is currently mainly treated to remove Cs-137 and Cs-134 and passed through a reverse osmosis (RO) unit to reduce the salinity before being cycled back to the reactors. Because only the Cs isotopes are removed, the RO reject water still contains many radioactive isotopes and this has led to the accumulation of over 200,000 cubic meters (52 million gallons) of extremely contaminated water which is currently stored on site in tanks. EnergySolutions, in partnership with Toshiba, were contracted to develop a system to reduce 62 isotopes in this waste down to allowable levels. This was a significant technical challenge given the high background salt content of the wastewater, the variation in aqueous chemistry of the radioactive isotopes and the presence of non-active competing ions (e.g. Ca and Mg) which inhibit the removal of isotopes such as Sr-89 and Sr-90. Extensive testing was performed to design a suitable system that could meet the required decontamination goals. These tests were performed over a 6 month period at facilities available in the nearby Fukushima Dai-ni laboratory using actual waste samples. This data was then utilized to design a Multi Radioactive Nuclides Removal System (MRRS) for Fukushima which is a modified version of EnergySolutions' proprietary Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS)'. The stored tank waste is fed into a preliminary precipitation system where iron flocculation is performed to remove a number of isotopes, including Sb-125, Ru-106, Mn-54 and Co-60. The supernatant is then fed into a second precipitation tank where the pH is adjusted and the bulk of the Mg, Ca and Sr precipitated out as carbonates and hydroxides. After passing through a

Enhancement of organizational resilience in light of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident (4). Consideration of nurturing attitude to achieve the safety-II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oba, Kyoko; Yoshizawa, Atsufumi; Kitamura, Masaharu

2015-01-01

The Fukushima nuclear plant accident has been examined aiming at clarifying the factors influencing responding which is one of the four cornerstones of resilience engineering. Among the causal factors of responding, such as attitude, skill, health and environment, particular attention has been paid on the role of attitude. In addition, the case of Tokai Dai-ni nuclear plant, which was the success case despite tsunami attack, and the case of Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant have been examined focusing on preparatory actions taken prior to the tsunami attack. Through the comparative examinations, attitudes of several kinds have been identified as key factors contributing to enhance organizational resilience. Moreover, the importance of safety-II concept proposed in conjunction with the methodology of resilience engineering has been clearly exemplified. As a whole, it can be concluded that the methodology of resilience engineering and the concept of safety-II are quite effective when utilized with the structured model. (author)

Accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Stations of TEPCO —Outline & lessons learned—

Science.gov (United States)

TANAKA, Shun-ichi

2012-01-01

The severe accident that broke out at Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power stations on March 11, 2011, caused seemingly infinite damage to the daily life of residents. Serious and wide-spread contamination of the environment occurred due to radioactive materials discharged from nuclear power stations (NPSs). At the same time, many issues were highlighted concerning countermeasures to severe nuclear accidents. The accident is outlined, and lessons learned are extracted with respect to the safety of NPSs, as well as radiation protection of residents under the emergency involving the accident. The materials of the current paper are those released by governmental agencies, academic societies, interim reports of committees under the government, and others. PMID:23138450

Accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power stations of TEPCO. Outline and lessons learned

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Shun-ichi

2012-01-01

The severe accident that broke out at Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power stations on March 11, 2011, caused seemingly infinite damage to the daily life of residents. Serious and wide-spread contamination of the environment occurred due to radioactive materials discharged from nuclear power stations (NPSs). At the same time, many issues were highlighted concerning countermeasures to severe nuclear accidents. The accident is outlined, and lessons learned are extracted with respect to the safety of NPSs, as well as radiation protection of residents under the emergency involving the accident. The materials of the current paper are those released by governmental agencies, academic societies, interim reports of committees under the government, and others. (author)

Dai-kenchu-to attenuates rat sinusoidal obstruction syndrome by inhibiting the accumulation of neutrophils in the liver.

Science.gov (United States)

Narita, Masato; Hatano, Etsuro; Tamaki, Nobuyuki; Yamanaka, Kenya; Yanagida, Atsuko; Nagata, Hiromitsu; Asechi, Hiroyuki; Takada, Yasutsugu; Ikai, Iwao; Uemoto, Shinji

2009-06-01

Sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) is drug-induced liver injury that occurs in patients who receive hematopoietic cell transplantation and oxaliplatin-contained chemotherapy. The aim of study was to investigate the pharmacological treatment of SOS using a traditional Japanese medicine, Dai-kenchu-to (DKT). Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with monocrotaline (MCT) to induce SOS. The rats were divided into three groups: control, MCT and MCT+DKT groups. In the MCT+DKT group, DKT was gavaged at 12 h after MCT treatment and given every 12 h until the end of the protocol. The rats of MCT group were treated with water instead of DKT. At 48 h after MCT treatment, blood and liver samples were collected. In the MCT+DKT group, the macroscopic and histological findings revealed liver congestion, sinusoidal alteration and the destruction of sinusoidal lining, which were comparable with those of the MCT group. However, the area of hepatic necrosis and serum AST levels significantly decreased in the MCT+DKT group compared with those of the MCT group. Treatment with DKT resulted in the reduction of neutrophil accumulation, myeloperoxidase activity and the expression of cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC) and intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) mRNA in the liver compared with those of the MCT group. Treatment with processed ginger, one of the ingredients in DKT, resulted in similar effects to those shown by DKT. Dai-kenchu-to attenuates MCT-induced liver injury by preventing neutrophil-induced liver injury through blockage of upregulation of CINC and ICAM-1 mRNA level.

Effect of Kampo medicine “Dai-kenchu-to” on microbiome in the intestine of the rats with fast stress

OpenAIRE

Yoshikawa, Kozo; Shimada, Mitsuo; Kuwahara, Tomomi; Hirakawa, Hideki; Kurita, Nobuhiro; Sato, Hirohiko; Utsunomiya, Tohru; Iwata, Takashi; Miyatani, Tomohiko; Higashijima, Jun; Kashihara, Hideya; Takasu, Chie; Matsumoto, Noriko; Nakayama-Imaohji, Haruyuki

2013-01-01

[Purpose] Diversity of gut microbiome has been recently reported to be lost in inflammatory bowel disease. We have previously reported that the Dai-kenchu-to (DKT) prevented the bacterial translocation through suppression of cytokine and apoptosis in rat’s fast stress model. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of DKT on maintenance of microbial diversity in rat’s intestine with inflammation. [Method] Wister rats were received the fast stress for 5 days. In DKT group, rats were ad...

Regional long-term model of radioactivity dispersion and fate in the Northwestern Pacific and adjacent seas: application to the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maderich, V.; Bezhenar, R.; Heling, R.; With, G. de; Jung, K.T.; Myoung, J.G.; Cho, Y.-K.; Qiao, F.; Robertson, L.

2014-01-01

The compartment model POSEIDON-R was modified and applied to the Northwestern Pacific and adjacent seas to simulate the transport and fate of radioactivity in the period 1945–2010, and to perform a radiological assessment on the releases of radioactivity due to the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident for the period 2011–2040. The model predicts the dispersion of radioactivity in the water column and in sediments, the transfer of radionuclides throughout the marine food web, and subsequent doses to humans due to the consumption of marine products. A generic predictive dynamic food-chain model is used instead of the biological concentration factor (BCF) approach. The radionuclide uptake model for fish has as a central feature the accumulation of radionuclides in the target tissue. The three layer structure of the water column makes it possible to describe the vertical structure of radioactivity in deep waters. In total 175 compartments cover the Northwestern Pacific, the East China and Yellow Seas and the East/Japan Sea. The model was validated from 137 Cs data for the period 1945–2010. Calculated concentrations of 137 Cs in water, bottom sediments and marine organisms in the coastal compartment, before and after the accident, are in close agreement with measurements from the Japanese agencies. The agreement for water is achieved when an additional continuous flux of 3.6 TBq y −1 is used for underground leakage of contaminated water from the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP, during the three years following the accident. The dynamic food web model predicts that due to the delay of the transfer throughout the food web, the concentration of 137 Cs for piscivorous fishes returns to background level only in 2016. For the year 2011, the calculated individual dose rate for Fukushima Prefecture due to consumption of fishery products is 3.6 μSv y −1 . Following the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident the collective dose due to ingestion of marine products for Japan increased in 2011 by a

New maintenance strategy of Tokyo Electric Power Company and Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant for effective ageing management and safe long-term operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inagaki, Takeyuki; Yamashita, Norimichi

2009-01-01

Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant is the oldest among three nuclear power plants owned and operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company, which consists of six boiling water reactor units. The commercial operation of Unit 1 was commenced in 1971 (37 years old) and Unit 6 in 1978 (29 years old). Currently ageing degradations of systems, structures and components are managed through maintenance programs, component replacement/refurbishment programs and long-term maintenance plans. The long-term maintenance plans are established through ageing management component replacement/refurbishment programs reviews performed before the 30th year of operation and they are for safe and reliable operation after 30 years (long-term operation). However the past maintenance actions and past component replacement/refurbishment programs were not always proactive and past operational experience and maintenance practices suggest that effective/proactive ageing management programs be introduced in earlier stage of the plant operation. In this circumstance, Tokyo Electric Power Company and Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant are setting up a new maintenance strategy that includes 1) improving the normal maintenance programs by using ageing degradation data, 2) effective use of information on internal/external operational experience and maintenance practices related to ageing, and 3) proactive component/equipment refurbishment programs during a refreshment outage for safe and reliable long-term operation. To accomplish the goal of this strategy, strengthening engineering capability of plant staff members is a crucial required for the plant. The objective of this paper is to briefly explain main results ageing management reviews, past and current significant ageing issues and management programs against them, and the new maintenance strategy established by Tokyo Electric Power Company and Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. (author)

Three-dimensional information extraction from GaoFen-1 satellite images for landslide monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shixin; Yang, Baolin; Zhou, Yi; Wang, Futao; Zhang, Rui; Zhao, Qing

2018-05-01

To more efficiently use GaoFen-1 (GF-1) satellite images for landslide emergency monitoring, a Digital Surface Model (DSM) can be generated from GF-1 across-track stereo image pairs to build a terrain dataset. This study proposes a landslide 3D information extraction method based on the terrain changes of slope objects. The slope objects are mergences of segmented image objects which have similar aspects; and the terrain changes are calculated from the post-disaster Digital Elevation Model (DEM) from GF-1 and the pre-disaster DEM from GDEM V2. A high mountain landslide that occurred in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province is used to conduct a 3D information extraction test. The extracted total area of the landslide is 22.58 ha; the displaced earth volume is 652,100 m3; and the average sliding direction is 263.83°. The accuracies of them are 0.89, 0.87 and 0.95, respectively. Thus, the proposed method expands the application of GF-1 satellite images to the field of landslide emergency monitoring.

Two-shot fringe pattern phase-amplitude demodulation using Gram-Schmidt orthonormalization with Hilbert-Huang pre-filtering.

Science.gov (United States)

Trusiak, Maciej; Patorski, Krzysztof

2015-02-23

Gram-Schmidt orthonormalization is a very fast and efficient method for the fringe pattern phase demodulation. It requires only two arbitrarily phase-shifted frames. Images are treated as vectors and upon orthogonal projection of one fringe vector onto another the quadrature fringe pattern pair is obtained. Orthonormalization process is very susceptible, however, to noise, uneven background and amplitude modulation fluctuations. The Hilbert-Huang transform based preprocessing is proposed to enhance fringe pattern phase demodulation by filtering out the spurious noise and background illumination and performing fringe normalization. The Gram-Schmidt orthonormalization process error analysis is provided and its filtering-expanded capabilities are corroborated analyzing DSPI fringes and performing amplitude demodulation of Bessel fringes. Synthetic and experimental fringe pattern analyses presented to validate the proposed technique show that it compares favorably with other pre-filtering schemes, i.e., Gaussian filtering and continuous wavelet transform.

The Fukushima Dai-ichi Accident and its implications for the safety of nuclear power

Science.gov (United States)

Barletta, William

2016-05-01

Five years ago the dramatic events in Fukushima that followed the massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, 2011 sharpened the focus of scientists, engineers and general public on the broad range of technical, environmental and societal issues involved in assuring the safety of the world's nuclear power complex. They also called into question the potential of nuclear power to provide a growing, sustainable resource of CO2-free energy. The issues raised by Fukushima Dai-ichi have provoked urgent concern, not only because of the potential harm that could result from severe accidents or from intentional damage to nuclear reactors or to facilities involved in the nuclear fuel cycle, but also because of the extensive economic impact of those accidents and of the measures taken to avoid them.

Inhibitory Effects of Daiokanzoto (Da-Huang-Gan-Cao-Tang on P-Glycoprotein

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuka Watanabe

2012-01-01

Full Text Available We have studied the effects of various Kampo medicines on P-glycoprotein (P-gp, a drug transporter, in vitro. The present study focused on Daiokanzoto (Da-Huang-Gan-Cao-Tang, which shows the most potent inhibitory effects on P-gp among the 50 Kampo medicines studied, and investigated the P-gp inhibitory effects of Daiokanzoto herbal ingredients (rhubarb and licorice root and their components by an ATPase assay using human P-gp membrane. Both rhubarb and licorice root significantly inhibited ATPase activity, and the effects of rhubarb were more potent than those of licorice root. The content of rhubarb in Daiokanzoto is double that in licorice root, and the inhibition patterns of Daiokanzoto and rhubarb involve both competitive and noncompetitive inhibition, suggesting that the inhibitory effects of Daiokanzoto are mainly due to rhubarb. Concerning the components of rhubarb, concentration-dependent inhibitory effects were observed for (−-catechin gallate, (−-epicatechin gallate, and (−-epigallocatechin gallate. In conclusion, rhubarb may cause changes in the drug dispositions of P-gp substrates through the inhibition of P-gp. It appears that attention should be given to the interactions between these drugs and Kampo medicines containing rhubarb as an herbal ingredient.

Mental health problems after the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niwa, Shin-ichi

2012-01-01

The name of Fukushima has now become well-known worldwide after Hiroshima and Nagasaki as the third place exposed to radiation in Japan. This radiation pollution has severely damaged the chief industries of Fukushima Prefecture, namely agriculture, fishery, and tourist industry. It has also stimulated strong anxious feelings among parents with young children. The accident has caused a critical situation in the psychiatric and mental health services in Fukushima as well. Five hospitals with psychiatric beds within 30 km from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant were ordered to transfer their inpatients to other hospitals outside the designated 30 km-areas and to close down the hospitals immediately after the nuclear plant accident. In total, more than 800 psychiatric beds disappeared in an instant, and 1,228 persons including psychiatric inpatients and residents of elderly people nursing homes were transferred to other facilities far away. Rational explanation that low-level radiation in Fukushima will not do harm to people did not necessarily relieve existing anxiety among people. The terms 'safety' and 'relief' are usually used in combination; however, 'relief' was separated from 'safety' this time in Fukushima. People gradually began to feel 'relieved', when they themselves got involved in the cleaning work of radiation although its effect remained ambiguous. Now we have the following mental health problems after the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident; recovery and maintenance of treatment systems for psychiatric patients in the affected areas, efforts for early detection and intervention of depression, severe stress disorder, adaptation disorder, and alcohol abuse which are expected to occur due to the earthquake and radiation pollution, prevention of suicides, relief from anxiety resulting from radiation pollution, adequate treatment of mental problems among children with long-term evacuation, prevention of fall in physical and mental

United States Merchant Marine Academy: Internal Control Weaknesses Resulted in Improper Sources and Uses of Funds; Some Corrective Actions Are Under Way. Report to Congressional Committees. GAO-09-635

Science.gov (United States)

Franzel, Jeanette M.

2009-01-01

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Academy), a component of the Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD), is one of five U.S. service academies. The Academy is affiliated with 14 nonappropriated fund instrumentalities (NAFI) and two foundations. The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to determine whether…

Seizure classification in EEG signals utilizing Hilbert-Huang transform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdulhay Enas W

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Classification method capable of recognizing abnormal activities of the brain functionality are either brain imaging or brain signal analysis. The abnormal activity of interest in this study is characterized by a disturbance caused by changes in neuronal electrochemical activity that results in abnormal synchronous discharges. The method aims at helping physicians discriminate between healthy and seizure electroencephalographic (EEG signals. Method Discrimination in this work is achieved by analyzing EEG signals obtained from freely accessible databases. MATLAB has been used to implement and test the proposed classification algorithm. The analysis in question presents a classification of normal and ictal activities using a feature relied on Hilbert-Huang Transform. Through this method, information related to the intrinsic functions contained in the EEG signal has been extracted to track the local amplitude and the frequency of the signal. Based on this local information, weighted frequencies are calculated and a comparison between ictal and seizure-free determinant intrinsic functions is then performed. Methods of comparison used are the t-test and the Euclidean clustering. Results The t-test results in a P-value Conclusion An original tool for EEG signal processing giving physicians the possibility to diagnose brain functionality abnormalities is presented in this paper. The proposed system bears the potential of providing several credible benefits such as fast diagnosis, high accuracy, good sensitivity and specificity, time saving and user friendly. Furthermore, the classification of mode mixing can be achieved using the extracted instantaneous information of every IMF, but it would be most likely a hard task if only the average value is used. Extra benefits of this proposed system include low cost, and ease of interface. All of that indicate the usefulness of the tool and its use as an efficient diagnostic tool.

Seizure classification in EEG signals utilizing Hilbert-Huang transform.

Science.gov (United States)

Oweis, Rami J; Abdulhay, Enas W

2011-05-24

Classification method capable of recognizing abnormal activities of the brain functionality are either brain imaging or brain signal analysis. The abnormal activity of interest in this study is characterized by a disturbance caused by changes in neuronal electrochemical activity that results in abnormal synchronous discharges. The method aims at helping physicians discriminate between healthy and seizure electroencephalographic (EEG) signals. Discrimination in this work is achieved by analyzing EEG signals obtained from freely accessible databases. MATLAB has been used to implement and test the proposed classification algorithm. The analysis in question presents a classification of normal and ictal activities using a feature relied on Hilbert-Huang Transform. Through this method, information related to the intrinsic functions contained in the EEG signal has been extracted to track the local amplitude and the frequency of the signal. Based on this local information, weighted frequencies are calculated and a comparison between ictal and seizure-free determinant intrinsic functions is then performed. Methods of comparison used are the t-test and the Euclidean clustering. The t-test results in a P-value with respect to its fast response and ease to use. An original tool for EEG signal processing giving physicians the possibility to diagnose brain functionality abnormalities is presented in this paper. The proposed system bears the potential of providing several credible benefits such as fast diagnosis, high accuracy, good sensitivity and specificity, time saving and user friendly. Furthermore, the classification of mode mixing can be achieved using the extracted instantaneous information of every IMF, but it would be most likely a hard task if only the average value is used. Extra benefits of this proposed system include low cost, and ease of interface. All of that indicate the usefulness of the tool and its use as an efficient diagnostic tool.

Prescriptions of Chinese herbal medicine for constipation under the national health insurance in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Jong, Maw-Shiou; Hwang, Shinn-Jang; Chen, Yu-Chun; Chen, Tzeng-Ji; Chen, Fun-Jou; Chen, Fang-Pey

2010-07-01

Constipation is a common gastrointestinal problem worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of use and prescriptive patterns of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in treating constipation by analyzing the claims data of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) from the National Health Insurance (NHI) in Taiwan. The computerized claims dataset of the TCM office visits and the corresponding prescription files in 2004 compiled by the NHI Research Institute in Taiwan were linked and processed. Visit files with the single diagnostic coding of constipation (ICD-9-CM code 564.0) were extracted to analyze the frequency and pattern of corresponding CHM prescriptions. The association rule was applied to analyze the co-prescription of CHM in treating constipation. There were 152,564 subjects who visited TCM clinics only for constipation in Taiwan during 2004 and received a total of 387,268 CHM prescriptions. Subjects between 20 and 29 years of age comprised the largest number of those treated (25.5%). Female subjects used CHM for constipation more frequently than male subjects (female:male = 3.31:1). There was an average of 4.6 items of single Chinese herbs or formula in a single prescription for constipation. Ma-zi-renwan was the most commonly prescribed herbal formula, while Da-huang (Rheum palmatum) was the most commonly used single Chinese herb. According to the association rule, the most common prescribed pattern of 2-drug combination of CHM for treating constipation was Ban-xia-xie-xin-tang plus Ma-zi-ren-wan, while the 3-drug combination of CHM was Fang-feng-tong-sheng-san, Rheum palmatum and Ma-zi-ren-wan. This study showed the pattern of single Chinese herbs or herbal formulae used in treating constipation in Taiwan. Further clinical trials are needed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of these CHMs in treating constipation. 2010 Elsevier. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Examination of a measuring method for judging the influence of fallout released by the accident of the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Onishi, Yuko; Yoshii, Taiki; Kawasaki, Satoru [Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization, Nulcear Fuel Cycle and Radioactive Waste Management Safety Dept., Tokyo (Japan)

2012-07-15

Radioactive nuclides were released in the atmosphere by the accident of TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station in March, 2011, and they are detected on the materials that had no artificial radioactive nuclides before the accident. Confronted with this situation, NISA issued a guideline titled 'A guideline regarding treatment of materials in nuclear facilities considering the influence of fallout released from the accident of TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station' on March 30, 2012. The guideline shows that after judging whether there is the influence of fallout or not, the conventional clearance and NR systems can be used when there is no influence of fallout. On the other hand, the special treatment is required when it is judged that there is the influence. This report describes that a specific example of measuring method of the surface contamination of the materials for the judgment of the influence of fallout. 'The precautionary measurement' defined in NR system is useful for the judgment of the influence of fallout. The criterion of the judgment is the theoretical detection limit. Sampling points for the measurement should be selected depending on expected contamination status of the survey target, considering the site area, the states of facilities or equipments and airflow from outside of the facilities. Sampling number for the fallout should be greater than equal to 10. (author)

Examination of a measuring method for judging the influence of fallout released by the accident of the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onishi, Yuko; Yoshii, Taiki; Kawasaki, Satoru

2012-07-01

Radioactive nuclides were released in the atmosphere by the accident of TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station in March, 2011, and they are detected on the materials that had no artificial radioactive nuclides before the accident. Confronted with this situation, NISA issued a guideline titled 'A guideline regarding treatment of materials in nuclear facilities considering the influence of fallout released from the accident of TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station' on March 30, 2012. The guideline shows that after judging whether there is the influence of fallout or not, the conventional clearance and NR systems can be used when there is no influence of fallout. On the other hand, the special treatment is required when it is judged that there is the influence. This report describes that a specific example of measuring method of the surface contamination of the materials for the judgment of the influence of fallout. 'The precautionary measurement' defined in NR system is useful for the judgment of the influence of fallout. The criterion of the judgment is the theoretical detection limit. Sampling points for the measurement should be selected depending on expected contamination status of the survey target, considering the site area, the states of facilities or equipments and airflow from outside of the facilities. Sampling number for the fallout should be greater than equal to 10. (author)

Nuclear accidents at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant. History, events and consequences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berniolles, Jean Marc

2011-01-01

Written few weeks after the accident, this article first recalls the circumstances (earthquake and tsunami), and then describes the accidental process within the primary vessels of the Fukushima Dai-ichi number 1, 2 and 3 reactors. The author then describes the interventions which aimed at cooling these three reactors, the problem faced for the storage of used fuels, and then the sequence of accidents: loss of cooling means leading to an explosion, problems faced in the different storage pools. He describes the various steps of recovery (primary cooling, electricity supply), discusses the consequences in terms of radioactivity releases in the plant environment with a comparison with Chernobyl, and also in terms of nature and quantity of radioactive elements. He comments radioactivity controls and measurements, evacuation measures, measurements performed by the IAEA, measurements of sea radioactivity, and the establishment of maps of ground radioactivity around the plant. He discusses the perspectives associated with these measurements for the surroundings of the Fukushima site

Evaluation on the Pharmacological Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine SiJunZiTang on Stress-Induced Peptic Ulcers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chiu-Mei Chen

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose. To explore the effects of SiJunZiTang (SJZT on central neurotransmitters and the inhibition of HCl hypersecretion, along with the role of the vagus nerve. From this, the effects of SJZT and its constituent ingredients on inhibiting stress-induced peptic ulcers will be determined. Methods. Methods used to determine SJZT's effectiveness included (1 measuring the antipeptic ulcer effects of varying combinations of the constituents of SJZT; (2 evaluations of monoamine (MA level in the brain; and (3 measuring the effects of longer-term SJZT treatment. Results. Comparing the control and experimental groups where the rats’ vagus nerves were not cut after taking SJZT orally (500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg, the volume of enterogastric juice, free HCl and total acidity all reduce dose-dependently. The group administered SJZT at 1000 mg/kg showed significant reductions (P<0.05. For the experimental groups where the vagus nerves were cut, a comparison with the control group suggests that the group receiving SJZT (500 mg/kg orally for 21 days demonstrated a cure rate of 34.53%. Conclusion. The results display a correlation between the therapeutic effects of SJZT on stress-induced peptic ulcers and central neurotransmitter levels. Further to this, SJZT can inhibit the hypersecretion of HCl in the stomach, thus inhibiting stress-induced peptic ulcers.

L'evoluzione della fisica sviluppo delle idee dai concetti iniziali alla relatività e ai quanti

CERN Document Server

Einstein, Albert

1965-01-01

Pubblicato in inglese alla vigilia della Seconda guerra mondiale e subito proposto in traduzione, L’evoluzione della fisica dovette aspettare la fine del conflitto per vedere la sua pubblicazione in Italia. Da allora (1948) questo testo non ha più smesso di rappresentare un punto di riferimento obbligato per il concetto stesso di divulgazione scientifica e per la fisica in particolare. Scritto dai protagonisti assoluti della rivoluzione della fisica relativistica e quantistica, ma destinato a un pubblico di non specialisti, il libro che avete tra le mani è il testo fondativo della moderna divulgazione delle idee, la pietra di paragone di ogni altro libro di fisica, che permette di intuire la straordinaria importanza e il valore rivoluzionario della svolta della fisica del Novecento.

Hilbert-Huang Spectrum as a new field for the identification of EEG event related de-/synchronization for BCI applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Panoulas, Konstantinos I; Hadjileontiadis, Leontios J; Panas, Stavros M

2008-01-01

Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) usually utilize the suppression of mu-rhythm during actual or imagined motor activity. In order to create a BCI system, a signal processing method is required to extract features upon which the discrimination is based. In this article, the Empirical Mode Decomposition along with the Hilbert-Huang Spectrum (HHS) is found to contain the necessary information to be considered as an input to a discriminator. Also, since the HHS defines amplitude and instantaneous frequency for each sample, it can be used for an online BCI system. Experimental results when the HHS applied to EEG signals from an on-line database (BCI Competition III) show the potentiality of the proposed analysis to capture the imagined motor activity, contributing to a more enhanced BCI performance.

An update on radioactive release and exposures after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear disaster.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

McLaughlin, P D

2012-09-01

On 11 March 2011, the Richter scale 0.9-magnitude Tokohu earthquake and tsunami struck the northeast coast of Japan, resulting in widespread injury and loss of life. Compounding this tragic loss of life, a series of equipment and structural failures at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant (FDNP) resulted in the release of many volatile radioisotopes into the atmosphere. In this update, we detail currently available evidence about the nature of immediate radioactive exposure to FDNP workers and the general population. We contrast the nature of the radioactive exposure at FDNP with that which occurred at the Chernobyl power plant 25 years previously. Prediction of the exact health effects related to the FDNP release is difficult at present and this disaster provides the scientific community with a challenge to help those involved and to continue research that will improve our understanding of the potential complications of radionuclide fallout.

NINJA data analysis with a detection pipeline based on the Hilbert-Huang transform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stroeer, Alexander; Camp, Jordan

2009-01-01

The NINJA data analysis challenge allowed the study of the sensitivity of data analysis pipelines to binary black hole numerical relativity waveforms in simulated Gaussian noise at the design level of the LIGO observatory and the VIRGO observatory. We analyzed NINJA data with a pipeline based on the Hilbert-Huang transform, utilizing a detection stage and a characterization stage: detection is performed by triggering on excess instantaneous power, characterization is performed by displaying the kernel density enhanced (KD) time-frequency trace of the signal. Using the simulated data based on the two LIGO detectors, we were able to detect 77 signals out of 126 above signal-to-noise ratio, SNR 5 in coincidence, with 43 missed events characterized by SNR < 10. Characterization of the detected signals revealed the merger part of the waveform in high time and frequency resolution, free from time-frequency uncertainty. We estimated the timelag of the signals between the detectors based on the optimal overlap of the individual KD time-frequency maps, yielding estimates accurate within a fraction of a millisecond for half of the events. A coherent addition of the data sets according to the estimated timelag eventually was used in a final characterization of the event.

[Differences in root developmenly of winter wheat cultivars in Huang-Huai Plain, China].

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, Xin-Qiang; Gao, Yang; Li, Xin-Qiang; Huang, Ling; Duan, Ai-Wang

2012-07-01

Selecting one presently popularized winter wheat cultivar (Zhengmai 9023) and two cultivars (Abo and Fengchan 3) introduced in the 1950s and 1960s in Huang-Huai Plain as test materials, and by using minirhizotron technique, this paper studied the live root length, root diameter distribution, and net root growth rate of the cultivars. Fine roots with a diameter from 0.05 mm to 0.25 mm occupied the majority of the whole root system, and the fine roots with a diameter less than 0.5 mm accounted for 98% of the live root length. The average root diameter varied with plant growth, the variation range being 0.15 - 0.22 mm, and no significant difference was observe among the cultivars. The live root length was significantly positively correlated root number, suggesting that root number was the main factor for the increase of live root length. The most vigorous growth period of the roots was from reviving to jointing stage, and Abo and Fengchan 3 had a longer period increased root vitality, as compared with Zhengmai 9023. For Zhengmai 9023, its fine roots with a diameter more than 0.1 mm had an increasing proportion after jointing stage, which was helpful for improving plant resistance, root activity, and grain-filling at late growth stages.

Seclusions and Restraints: Selected Cases of Death and Abuse at Public and Private Schools and Treatment Centers. Testimony Before the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives. GAO-09-719T

Science.gov (United States)

Kutz, Gregory D.

2009-01-01

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently testified before the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, regarding allegations of death and abuse at residential programs for troubled teens. The document presents the statement of Gregory D. Kutz, Managing Director, Forensic Audits and Special Investigations. Recent…

Local variance of atmospheric 14C concentrations around Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant from 2010 to 2012

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Biying; Xu, Sheng; Cook, Gordon T.

2017-01-01

Radiocarbon (14C) has been measured in single tree ring samples collected from the southwest of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. Our data indicate south-westwards dispersion of radiocarbon and the highest 14C activity observed so far in the local environment during the 2011 accident....... The abnormally high 14C activity in the late wood of 2011 ring may imply an unknown source of radiocarbon nearby after the accident. The influence of 14C shrank from 30 km during normal reactor operation to 14 km for the accident in the northwest of FDNPP, but remains unclear in the southwest....

Transient detection of eccentricity-related components in induction motors through the Hilbert-Huang Transform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antonino-Daviu, J.; Rodriguez, P. Jover; Riera-Guasp, M.; Arkkio, A.; Roger-Folch, J.; Perez, R.B.

2009-01-01

The identification and extraction of characteristic patterns are proposed in this work for the diagnosis and evaluation of mixed eccentricities in induction electrical machines with parallel stator branches. Whereas the classical diagnosis approaches, deeply spread in the industrial environment, are based on the Fourier analysis of the steady-state current, the basis of the proposed methodology consist of analysing the current demanded by the machine during the connection process (startup transient); the objective is to extract the characteristic evolution during the transient of some harmonic components created by the fault; this evolution is caused by the dependence of these components on the slip (s), a quantity varying during the startup transient from 1 to almost 0. For this feature extraction, the Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) is proposed. An analysis of the behaviour of this transform in comparison with another time-frequency approach used in other works, the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT), is also presented in the paper. The results show the usefulness of the methodology for the reliable diagnosis of the mixed eccentricity fault and for the correct discrimination against other types of failures.

Rapid analysis of U isotopes in vegetables using ICP-MS. Application to the emergency U monitoring after the nuclear accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi power station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jian Zheng; Keiko Tagami; Shigeo Uchida

2012-01-01

After the nuclear accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi power station in March, hydrogen explosions and reactor building explosion resulted in releases of radionuclides in the environment. Severe radioactive cesium and iodine contaminations have been observed in fallout deposition samples and soils in the East Japan. Radioactive cesium, iodine, uranium, and transuranic radionuclides were set as the monitoring targets in food safety tests. However, so far, only radioactive cesium and iodine were daily measured and reported by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare. The tedious and time consuming conventional alpha spectrometric method hampered the emergency monitoring U contamination in foods. In this work, we propose a simple and rapid analytical method for 238 U and 235 U/ 238 U isotope ratio analysis in fresh vegetables. This method was applied to the emergency monitoring of radioactive contamination after the nuclear accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi power station. The results showed no U contamination in fresh vegetables collected in Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures in April and May, 2011. (author)

Aerial radiation monitoring around the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant using an unmanned helicopter.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanada, Yukihisa; Torii, Tatsuo

2015-01-01

The Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011 generated a series of large tsunami that seriously damaged the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), which resulted in the release of radioactive materials into the environment. To provide further details regarding the distribution of air dose rate and the distribution of radioactive cesium ((134)Cs and (137)Cs) deposition on the ground within a radius of approximately 5 km from the nuclear power plant, we carried out measurements using an unmanned helicopter equipped with a radiation detection system. The distribution of the air dose rate at a height of 1 m above the ground and the radioactive cesium deposition on the ground was calculated. Accordingly, the footprint of radioactive plumes that extended from the FDNPP was illustrated. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Non-cell autonomous impairment of oligodendrocyte differentiation precedes CNS degeneration in the Zitter rat: Implications of macrophage/microglial activation in the pathogenesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ookawara Shigeo

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The zitter (zi/zi rat, a loss-of-function mutant of the glycosylated transmembrane protein attractin (atrn, exhibits widespread age-dependent spongiform degeneration, hypomyelination, and abnormal metabolism of reactive oxygen species (ROS in the brain. To date, the mechanisms underlying these phenotypes have remained unclear. Results Here, we show differentiation defects in zi/zi oligodendrocytes, accompanied by aberrant extension of cell-processes and hypomyelination. Axonal bundles were relatively preserved during postnatal development. With increasing in age, the injured oligodendrocytes in zi/zi rats become pathological, as evidenced by the accumulation of iron in their cell bodies. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that atrn expression was absent from an oligodendrocyte lineage, including A2B5-positive progenitors and CNPase-positive differentiated cells. The number and distribution of Olig2-positive oligodendrocyte progenitors was unchanged in the zi/zi brain. Furthermore, an in vitro differentiation assay of cultured oligodendrocyte progenitors prepared from zi/zi brains revealed their normal competence for proliferation and differentiation into mature oligodendrocytes. Interestingly, we demonstrated the accelerated recruitment of ED1-positive macrophages/microglia to the developing zi/zi brain parenchyma prior to the onset of hypomyelination. Semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed a significant up-regulation of CD26 and IL1-β in the zi/zi brain during this early postnatal stage. Conclusion We demonstrated that the onset of the impairment of oligodendrocyte differentiation occurs in a non-cell autonomous manner in zi/zi rats. Hypomyelination of oligodendrocytes was not due to a failure of the intrinsic program of oligodendrocytes, but rather, was caused by extrinsic factors that interrupt oligodendrocyte development. It is likely that macrophage/microglial activation in the zi/zi CNS leads to disturbances in

‘Deconstructing Gao Minglu: critical reflections on contemporaneity and associated exceptionalist readings of contemporary Chinese art’

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul Gladston

2014-06-01

Full Text Available In this article, I shall seek to offer an ethically/politically focused critique of exceptionalist accounts of the development of contemporary Chinese art. I shall begin by giving a brief overview of thinking associated with the concept of contemporaneity. I shall then go on to analyze critically an essay by the historian and curator Gao Minglu, which asserts that contemporary Chinese art is open to localized Chinese interpretative perspectives separate from those of internationally dominant postmodernist discourses. In analyzing Gao’s essay, I shall not only argue that its exceptionalist account of the significance of contemporary Chinese art relies on highly selective readings of historical ‘fact’, but also that it is theoretically contradictory/inconsistent and therefore unsustainable as a categorical truth claim. I shall then conclude by examining the ethical/political implications of Gao’s exceptionalist account of the significance of contemporary Chinese art as well as advancing some first thoughts towards a general critique of contemporaneity.

Regional long-term model of radioactivity dispersion and fate in the Northwestern Pacific and adjacent seas: application to the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident.

Science.gov (United States)

Maderich, V; Bezhenar, R; Heling, R; de With, G; Jung, K T; Myoung, J G; Cho, Y-K; Qiao, F; Robertson, L

2014-05-01

The compartment model POSEIDON-R was modified and applied to the Northwestern Pacific and adjacent seas to simulate the transport and fate of radioactivity in the period 1945-2010, and to perform a radiological assessment on the releases of radioactivity due to the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident for the period 2011-2040. The model predicts the dispersion of radioactivity in the water column and in sediments, the transfer of radionuclides throughout the marine food web, and subsequent doses to humans due to the consumption of marine products. A generic predictive dynamic food-chain model is used instead of the biological concentration factor (BCF) approach. The radionuclide uptake model for fish has as a central feature the accumulation of radionuclides in the target tissue. The three layer structure of the water column makes it possible to describe the vertical structure of radioactivity in deep waters. In total 175 compartments cover the Northwestern Pacific, the East China and Yellow Seas and the East/Japan Sea. The model was validated from (137)Cs data for the period 1945-2010. Calculated concentrations of (137)Cs in water, bottom sediments and marine organisms in the coastal compartment, before and after the accident, are in close agreement with measurements from the Japanese agencies. The agreement for water is achieved when an additional continuous flux of 3.6 TBq y(-1) is used for underground leakage of contaminated water from the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP, during the three years following the accident. The dynamic food web model predicts that due to the delay of the transfer throughout the food web, the concentration of (137)Cs for piscivorous fishes returns to background level only in 2016. For the year 2011, the calculated individual dose rate for Fukushima Prefecture due to consumption of fishery products is 3.6 μSv y(-1). Following the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident the collective dose due to ingestion of marine products for Japan increased in 2011 by a

Kampo medicine "Dai-kenchu-to" prevents CPT-11-induced small-intestinal injury in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Chikakiyo, Motoya; Shimada, Mitsuo; Nakao, Toshihiro; Higashijima, Jun; Yoshikawa, Kozo; Nishioka, Masanori; Iwata, Takashi; Kurita, Nobuhiro

2012-01-01

The key anticancer agent, CPT-11 (irinotecan hydrochloride), induces severe diarrhea clinically. We investigated the effect of a Kampo medicine, Dai-kenchu-to (DKT), on CPT-11-induced intestinal injuries in rats. Twenty-four male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: a control group; a CPT-11 group, given CPT-11 150 mg/kg intraperitoneally for 2 days; and a DKT group, given DKT 300 mg/kg orally for 5 days with CPT-11 150 mg/kg intraperitoneally on days 4 and 5. The rats were killed on day 6. Interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-12, interferon (IFN)-γ, and tumor necrosis factor-α expression in the small intestine of the CPT-11 group was significantly higher than that of the control group. Interleukin-1β and IFN-γ expression was improved significantly by DKT (P DKT (P DKT suppressed CPT-11 induced inflammatory cytokines and apoptosis in the intestinal mucosa and maintained the mucosal integrity.

Bioaccessibility and excretion of arsenic in Niu Huang Jie Du Pian pills

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koch, Iris; Sylvester, Steven; Lai, Vivian W.-M.; Owen, Andrew; Reimer, Kenneth J.; Cullen, William R.

2007-01-01

Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) often contain significant levels of potentially toxic elements, including arsenic. Niu Huang Jie Du Pian pills were analyzed to determine the concentration, bioaccessibility (arsenic fraction soluble in the human gastrointestinal system) and chemical form (speciation) of arsenic. Arsenic excretion in urine (including speciation) and facial hair were studied after a one-time ingestion. The pills contained arsenic in the form of realgar, and although the total arsenic that was present in a single pill was high (28 mg), the low bioaccessibility of this form of arsenic predicted that only 4% of it was available for absorption into the bloodstream (1 mg of arsenic per pill). The species of arsenic that were solubilized were inorganic arsenate (As(V)) and arsenite (As(III)) but DMAA and MMAA were detected in urine. Two urinary arsenic excretion peaks were observed: an initial peak several (4-8) hours after ingestion corresponding to the excretion of predominantly As(III), and a larger peak at 14 h corresponding predominantly to DMAA and MMAA. No methylated As(III) species were observed. Facial hair analysis revealed that arsenic concentrations did not increase significantly as a result of the ingestion. Arsenic is incompletely soluble under human gastrointestinal conditions, and is metabolized from the inorganic to organic forms found in urine. Bioaccessible arsenic is comparable to the quantity excreted. Facial hair as a bio-indicator should be further tested

The inhibitory effect of herbal medicine -Dai Kenchu To (DKT)- on the colonic motility in rats in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Tulimat, M A; Ishiguchi, T; Kurosawa, S; Nakamura, T; Takahashi, T

2001-01-01

Dai-Kenchu-To (DKT) is a herbal medicine and is currently used as the treatment of paralytic ileus in Japan. We investigated the mechanism of beneficial effects of DKT in vitro. DKT-extract powder (DKT-EP; 30-300 microg/ml) caused a significant inhibition on carbachol (CCH: 10(-6))-induced contraction in a concentration dependent manner of the rat distal colon. DKT-EP (100 microg/ml) consists of 20 microg/ml of Zanthoxylum Fruit, 30 microg/ml of Ginseng Root and 50 microg/ml of Ginger Rhizome. Although each of them had no effect on CCH-induced muscle contraction, the combination of three ingredients caused a significant inhibition on CCH-induced contraction.

NIRS external dose estimation system for Fukushima residents after the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP accident

Science.gov (United States)

Akahane, Keiichi; Yonai, Shunsuke; Fukuda, Shigekazu; Miyahara, Nobuyuki; Yasuda, Hiroshi; Iwaoka, Kazuki; Matsumoto, Masaki; Fukumura, Akifumi; Akashi, Makoto

2013-04-01

The great east Japan earthquake and subsequent tsunamis caused Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) accident. National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) developed the external dose estimation system for Fukushima residents. The system is being used in the Fukushima health management survey. The doses can be obtained by superimposing the behavior data of the residents on the dose rate maps. For grasping the doses, 18 evacuation patterns of the residents were assumed by considering the actual evacuation information before using the survey data. The doses of the residents from the deliberate evacuation area were relatively higher than those from the area within 20 km radius. The estimated doses varied from around 1 to 6 mSv for the residents evacuated from the representative places in the deliberate evacuation area. The maximum dose in 18 evacuation patterns was estimated to be 19 mSv.

The Hilbert-Huang Transform-Based Denoising Method for the TEM Response of a PRBS Source Signal

Science.gov (United States)

Hai, Li; Guo-qiang, Xue; Pan, Zhao; Hua-sen, Zhong; Khan, Muhammad Younis

2016-08-01

The denoising process is critical in processing transient electromagnetic (TEM) sounding data. For the full waveform pseudo-random binary sequences (PRBS) response, an inadequate noise estimation may result in an erroneous interpretation. We consider the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) and its application to suppress the noise in the PRBS response. The focus is on the thresholding scheme to suppress the noise and the analysis of the signal based on its Hilbert time-frequency representation. The method first decomposes the signal into the intrinsic mode function, and then, inspired by the thresholding scheme in wavelet analysis; an adaptive and interval thresholding is conducted to set to zero all the components in intrinsic mode function which are lower than a threshold related to the noise level. The algorithm is based on the characteristic of the PRBS response. The HHT-based denoising scheme is tested on the synthetic and field data with the different noise levels. The result shows that the proposed method has a good capability in denoising and detail preservation.

Examination of a measuring method for fallout radioactivity released by the accident of the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPS. Surface contamination measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshii, Taiki; Kawasaki, Satoru

2013-08-01

Radioactive nuclides were released in the atmosphere by the accident of TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station in March, 2011, and they are detected on the materials that had no artificial radioactive nuclides before the accident. Confronted with this situation, NISA issued a guideline titled 'A guideline regarding treatment of materials in nuclear facilities considering the influence of fallout released from the accident of TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station' on March 30, 2012. Nuclear Regulatory Authority refers to applying the existing bylaw until the time to make decision of the updated bylaw. The guideline shows that after judging whether there is the influence of fallout or not, the conventional clearance and NR systems can be used when there is no influence of fallout. On the other hand, the special treatment is required when it is judged that there is the influence. This report describes a specific example of measuring method to evaluate the influence of fallout, in case of surface contamination. This report focused surface contamination of flat object as target. Preliminary investigation shows that the distribution of surface contamination due to fallout is near to lognormal distribution. Therefore, the sampling measurement can be adopted. The average surface contamination of target is decided from sampling data by using 90% upper confidence limit of Chebyshev inequality. Also, the minimum sampling number is decided. The evaluation of the influence of fallout is judged from the result of surface contamination measurement, weight of target and surface area of target. (author)

On-site ocean horizontal aerosol extinction coefficient inversion under different weather conditions on the Bo-hai and Huang-hai Seas

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Xianjiang; Xia, Min; Ge, Yinghui; Guo, Wenping; Yang, Kecheng

2018-03-01

In this paper, we explore the horizontal extinction characteristics under different weather conditions on the ocean surface with on-site experiments on the Bo-hai and Huang-hai Seas in the summer of 2016. An experimental lidar system is designed to collect the on-site experimental data. By aiming at the inhomogeneity and uncertainty of the horizontal aerosol in practice, a joint retrieval method is proposed to retrieve the aerosol extinction coefficients (AEC) from the raw data along the optical path. The retrieval results of both the simulated and the real signals demonstrate that the joint retrieval method is practical. Finally, the sequence observation results of the on-site experiments under different weather conditions are reported and analyzed. These results can provide the attenuation information to analyze the atmospheric aerosol characteristics on the ocean surface.

A review of cinnabar (HgS) and/or realgar (As4S4)-containing traditional medicines.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jie; Wei, Li-Xin; Wang, Qi; Lu, Yuan-Fu; Zhang, Feng; Shi, Jing-Zhen; Li, Cen; Cherian, M George

2018-01-10

Herbo-metallic preparations have a long history in the treatment of diseases, and are still used today for refractory diseases, as adjuncts to standard therapy, or for economic reasons in developing countries. This review uses cinnabar (HgS) and realgar (As 4 S 4 ) as mineral examples to discuss their occurrence, therapeutic use, pharmacology, toxicity in traditional medicine mixtures, and research perspectives. A literature search on cinnabar and realgar from PubMed, Chinese pharmacopeia, Google and other sources was carried out. Traditional medicines containing both cinnabar and realgar (An-Gong-Niu-Huang Wan, Hua-Feng-Dan); mainly cinnabar (Zhu-Sha-An-Shen Wan; Zuotai and Dangzuo), and mainly realgar (Huang-Dai Pian; Liu-Shen Wan; Niu-Huang-Jie-Du) are discussed. Both cinnabar and realgar used in traditional medicines are subjected to special preparation procedures to remove impurities. Metals in these traditional medicines are in the sulfide forms which are different from environmental mercurials (HgCl 2 , MeHg) or arsenicals (NaAsO 2 , NaH 2 AsO 4 ). Cinnabar and/or realgar are seldom used alone, but rather as mixtures with herbs and/or animal products in traditional medicines. Advanced technologies are now used to characterize these preparations. The bioaccessibility, absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination of these herbo-metallic preparations are different from environmental metals. The rationale of including metals in traditional remedies and their interactions with drugs need to be justified. At higher therapeutic doses, balance of the benefits and risks is critical. Surveillance of patients using these herbo-metallic preparations is desired. Chemical forms of mercury and arsenic are a major determinant of their disposition, efficacy and toxicity, and the use of total Hg and As alone for risk assessment of metals in traditional medicines is insufficient. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of Dai-kenchu-to (DKT) on human portal blood flow.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogasawara, Takashi; Morine, Yuji; Ikemoto, Tetsuya; Imura, Satoru; Fujii, Masahiko; Soejima, Yuji; Shimada, Mitsuo

2008-01-01

Dai-kenchu-to (DKT) is known as an herbal medicine used for postoperative ileus. However, no report exists about the effect of DKT on portal blood flow. The aim of this study is to clarify the influence of DKT on portal blood flow. To healthy volunteers (Healthy; n = 6), cirrhotic patients (Cirrhosis; n = 7) and liver-transplant patients (LTx; n = 3), DKT (2.5g) with 100mL of warm water was orally administrated in the DKT group, and only warm water was administrated in the control group. The portal blood flow rate (M-VEL: cm/sec.) and portal blood flow (Flow volume: mL/min.) was measured each time after administration using an ultrasonic Doppler method. Furthermore, the arterial blood pressure and heart rate was measured at the same time points. In the DKT group, a significant increase of M-VEL (120%) and flow volume (150%) 30 minutes after administration was observed in both Healthy and Cirrhosis in comparison with the control group. In LTx, there was also a significant increase of flow volume (128%) 30 minutes after administration. However, there was no change in average blood pressure and heart rate in all groups. DKT increases portal blood flow in early phase after oral administration without any significant changes in the blood pressure and heart rate.

ZiBuPiYin recipe protects db/db mice from diabetes-associated cognitive decline through improving multiple pathological changes.

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Jing Chen

Full Text Available Multiple organ systems, including the brain, which undergoes changes that may increase the risk of cognitive decline, are adversely affected by diabetes mellitus (DM. Here, we demonstrate that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM db/db mice exhibited hippocampus-dependent memory impairment, which might associate with a reduction in dendritic spine density in the pyramidal neurons of brain, Aβ1-42 deposition in the prefrontal cortex (PFC and hippocampus, and a decreased expression of neurostructural proteins including microtubule-associated protein (MAP2, a marker of dendrites, and postsynaptic density 95 (PSD95, a marker of excitatory synapses. To investigate the effects of the ZiBuPiYin recipe (ZBPYR, a traditional Chinese medicine recipe, on diabetes-related cognitive decline (DACD, db/db mice received daily administration of ZBPYR over an experimental period of 6 weeks. We then confirmed that ZBPYR rescued learning and memory performance impairments, reversed dendritic spine loss, reduced Aβ1-42 deposition and restored the expression levels of MAP2 and PSD95. The present study also revealed that ZBPYR strengthened brain leptin and insulin signaling and inhibited GSK3β overactivity, which may be the potential mechanism or underlying targets of ZBPYR. These findings conclude that ZBPYR prevents DACD, most likely by improving dendritic spine density and attenuating brain leptin and insulin signaling pathway injury. Our findings provide further evidence for the effects of ZBPYR on DACD.

Tracking of Airborne Radionuclides from the Damaged Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Reactors by European Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Masson, O.; Baeza, A.; Bieringer, J.

2011-01-01

Radioactive emissions into the atmosphere from the damaged reactors of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant (NPP) started on March 12th, 2011. Among the various radionuclides released, iodine-131 (131I) and cesium isotopes (137Cs and 134Cs) were transported across the Pacific toward the North...... period and spatial variations across more than 150 sampling locations in Europe made it possible to characterize the contaminated air masses. After the Chernobyl accident, only a few measurements of the gaseous 131I fraction were conducted compared to the number of measurements for the particulate...... reactors have provided a significant amount of new data on the ratio of the gaseous 131I fraction to total 131I, both on a spatial scale and its temporal variation. It can be pointed out that during the Fukushima event, the 134Cs to 137Cs ratio proved to be different from that observed after the Chernobyl...

Military Training: Continued Actions Needed to Guide DOD's Efforts to Improve Language Skills and Regional Proficiency. Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives. GAO-10-879T

Science.gov (United States)

Pickup, Sharon L.

2010-01-01

Today, and in the foreseeable future, military operations require U.S. personnel to work alongside multinational partners and among local populations. The Department of Defense (DOD) has placed a greater emphasis on transforming language and regional proficiency capabilities, which includes cultural awareness. GAO's prior work has found that…

A comparison of cross-country mountain destination importance performance as perceived by international and domestic tourists: a cast study of Mt. Huang (China and Mt. Seorak (South Korea

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Renuka Newpaney

2012-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, we examine visitor’s importance and destination performance with respect to tourist attractions such as the environment, adventure, social culture, accessibility and relaxation of participants at Mt. Huang and Mt. Seorak respectively. This study identified the demographic characteristics of visitors to both mountain destinations. The researchers used the Importance Performed Analysis (IPA method to identify the importance and satisfaction levels of various attributes of both Mt. Huang and Mt. Seorak. They identified that the most important attributes sought after related to the natural environment, mountaineering, knowledge and information sharing, value of money and escape from a mundane daily job routine, while the least important would relate to mountain sports and the localities' inviting ambience for both mountain destinations. Using a simple questionnaire sample procedure, 247 visitors were considered in order to determine what the visitor’s deemed to be important, and what was satisfying from a destination performance perspective. SPSS 17 was used to analyze the data in different stages and pilot testing was conducted. The finding of this study can be helpful for tourist decision-makers in the public and private sectors. It is also useful to improve tourism services and to develop strategies for greater tourism promotion to the two destinations. Furthermore, this study can be a powerful source of input for destination promotion and positioning activities.

Atmospheric radionuclides from Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident detected in Lanzhou, China

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

邬家龙王赟; 孙卫; 罗伟立; 王延俊; 张飙

2015-01-01

After the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident on March 11, 2011, the radioactivity released from the accident was transported around the globe by atmospheric processes. The radioactivity monitoring program on atmospheric particulate in Lanzhou, China was activated by GSCDC to detect the input radionu-clides through atmospheric transport. Several artificial radionuclides were detected and measured in aerosol samples from March 26 to May 2, 2011. The peaked activity concentrations (in mBq/m3) were: 1.194 (131I), 0.231 (137Cs), 0.173 (134Cs) and 0.008 (136Cs), detected on April 6, 2011. The average activity ratio of 131I/137Cs and 134Cs/137Cs in air were 13.5 and 0.78. The significant increase of 137Cs activity concentration, one order of magnitude higher than pre-Fukushima accident levels, in ground level aerosol was observed in 2013, as its re-suspension from soil. The back-trajectory analysis simulated by NOAA-ARL HYSPLIT shows a direct transfer of the air masses released from Fukushima to Lanzhou across the Pacific Ocean, North America and Europe at the height close to 9000 m AGL. The value of effective dose for inhalation is close to one millionth of the annual limit for the general public.

Guided Image Filtering-Based Pan-Sharpening Method: A Case Study of GaoFen-2 Imagery

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Yalan Zheng

2017-12-01

Full Text Available GaoFen-2 (GF-2 is a civilian optical satellite self-developed by China equipped with both multispectral and panchromatic sensors, and is the first satellite in China with a resolution below 1 m. Because the pan-sharpening methods on GF-2 imagery have not been a focus of previous works, we propose a novel pan-sharpening method based on guided image filtering and compare the performance to state-of-the-art methods on GF-2 images. Guided image filtering was introduced to decompose and transfer the details and structures from the original panchromatic and multispectral bands. Thereafter, an adaptive model that considers the local spectral relationship was designed to properly inject spatial information back into the original spectral bands. Four pairs of GF-2 images acquired from urban, water body, cropland, and forest areas were selected for the experiments. Both quantitative and visual inspections were used for the assessment. The experimental results demonstrated that for GF-2 imagery acquired over different scenes, the proposed approach consistently achieves high spectral fidelity and enhances spatial details, thereby benefitting the potential classification procedures.

Multiple Harmonics Fitting Algorithms Applied to Periodic Signals Based on Hilbert-Huang Transform

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Hui Wang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A new generation of multipurpose measurement equipment is transforming the role of computers in instrumentation. The new features involve mixed devices, such as kinds of sensors, analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters, and digital signal processing techniques, that are able to substitute typical discrete instruments like multimeters and analyzers. Signal-processing applications frequently use least-squares (LS sine-fitting algorithms. Periodic signals may be interpreted as a sum of sine waves with multiple frequencies: the Fourier series. This paper describes a new sine fitting algorithm that is able to fit a multiharmonic acquired periodic signal. By means of a “sinusoidal wave” whose amplitude and phase are both transient, the “triangular wave” can be reconstructed on the basis of Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT. This method can be used to test effective number of bits (ENOBs of analog-to-digital converter (ADC, avoiding the trouble of selecting initial value of the parameters and working out the nonlinear equations. The simulation results show that the algorithm is precise and efficient. In the case of enough sampling points, even under the circumstances of low-resolution signal with the harmonic distortion existing, the root mean square (RMS error between the sampling data of original “triangular wave” and the corresponding points of fitting “sinusoidal wave” is marvelously small. That maybe means, under the circumstances of any periodic signal, that ENOBs of high-resolution ADC can be tested accurately.

3.-6. II saab neljal järjestikusel õhtul kella 18-21 imetleda valguskuplit Tallinna vanalinna kohal

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

2005-01-01

Valguskupli idee pärineb hollandi arhitektilt Winy Maasilt. Installatsioon on ZiZi & YoYo, MVRDV ja Arup grupi koostööprojekt. Kupli on teostanud ZiZi & YoYo koos Rogier van de Heide, Teemu Nurmelini jt. koostööpartneritega

The effects of magnesium sulfate therapy after severe diffuse axonal injury

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhao L

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Ling Zhao,1 Wei Wang,1 Jiwen Zhong,1 YaYun Li,1 YanZi Cheng,1 Zhenjiao Su,1 Wei Zheng,1 Xiang-Dong Guan2 1Department of Critical Care Medicine, Zhuhai People’s Hospital, Zhuhai, Guangdong, 2Department of Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China Purpose: To evaluate the clinical effects of magnesium sulfate in the treatment of diffuse axonal injury (DAI.Patients and methods: This study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou and Zhuhai People’s Hospital, Zhuhai, two trauma center hospitals. A total of 128 patients suffered from DAI, with initial Glasgow coma scale (GCS scores of 3–8. They were randomly divided into two groups: magnesium sulfate treatment (MST group (n=64 and control group (n=64. The MST group received 250 µmol/kg magnesium sulfate intravenously 20 minutes after admission, followed by 750 µmol/kg magnesium sulfate intravenously daily for 5 days. The control group received standard management without MST. GCS scores and serum neuron-specific enolase values were measured and recorded at admission, and on days 3 and 7 after injury. Outcomes were determined by Glasgow outcome scale scores at discharge and at 3 months’ follow-up, respectively.Results: After the 7-day treatment, patients in the MST group, compared with those in the control group, had a lower serum neuron-specific enolase level (25.40±6.66 vs 29.58±7.32, respectively, P=0.001 and higher GCS score (8.23±2.72 vs 7.05±2.64, respectively, P=0.016. Although the length of stay and mortality did not differ between the groups in the intensive care unit, Glasgow outcome scale score was significantly lower in the MST group at discharge (3.30±1.35 vs 3.90±1.10, P=0.004 and 3 months after discharge (2.95±1.48 vs 3.66±1.44, P=0.009.Conclusion: Early treatment with magnesium sulfate

Time series changes in radiocaesium distribution in tea plants (Camellia sinensis (L.)) after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirono, Yuhei; Nonaka, Kunihiko

2016-02-01

Radiocaesium ((134)Cs and (137)Cs) release following the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant, belonging to the Tokyo Electric Power Company caused severe contamination of new tea plant (Camellia sinensis (L.)) shoots by radiocaesium in many prefectures in eastern Japan. Because tea plants are perennial crops, there is the fear that the contamination might last for a long time. The objectives of this study were to reveal time series changes in the distribution of radiocaesium in tea plants after radioactive fallout and to evaluate the effect of pruning on reduction of radiocaesium concentrations in new shoots growing next year. The experimental tea field was located in Shizuoka, Japan, approximately 400 km away from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant in a southwest direction. Time series changes in radiocaesium concentrations in unrefined tea, a tea product primarily produced for making Japanese green tea, from May 2011 to June 2013 and distribution of radiocaesium in tea plants from May 2011 to May 2012 were monitored. The radiocaesium concentrations in unrefined tea exponentially decreased; the effective half-lives for (134)Cs and (137)Cs were 0.30 and 0.36 y during the first 2 y after the accident, respectively. With time, the highest concentrations of (137)Cs moved from the upper to the lower parts of plants. Medium pruning 2-3 months after the accident reduced the concentration of (137)Cs in new shoots harvested in the first crop season of the following year by 56% compared with unpruned tea plants; thus, pruning is an effective measure for reducing radiocaesium concentration in tea. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Introduction of new terms and lessons for radiological protection after Fukushima Dai-Ichi accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Vishwanath P.; Managanvi, S.S.; Bhat, H.R.

2012-01-01

The nuclear accidents in the world are very few among various types of operating facilities. However when an accident happened, we have learnt a lot to improve the philosophy, term, definitions, document preparation, equipment's requirement, supporting systems, awareness program and restriction etc. After Fukushima Dai-ichi we have learnt a lot, in this view this paper has been prepared to discuss for radiological protection aspects. Discussion: The probability of nuclear accidents is negligible but when happens, it opens new doors of lessons for radiological protection practices for occupational workers, emergency workers for damage control to prevent catastrophic situation/rescue to life saving actions and the member of the public. The Chernobyl and Three Mile Island accidents have provided a lot experiences for management of emergency situations, documentation, radiation emergency preparedness, emergency equipment's, concept of defense-in-depth, emergency planning zone (EPZ), accidental dose limits, estimation of source term and public dose, intervention levels, decision supporting system, remedial actions in public domain; decontamination of person, houses/building and land and etc. Recent Fukushima Dai-ichi accident in Japan was managed in appreciable manner but still new definitions and lessons for radiological protection have been emerged out. The present paper discusses difficulties w. r. t. the radiological aspects observed/faced by Japanese during nuclear crises. The accident introduced new terms as Natural Dose Rate Unit (NDRU), voluntary evacuation, deliberate evacuation area, restricted area and difference between evacuation zone and EPZ. The Fukushima accident has enforced worldwide regulators and operators to review the individual dose limit and amendment for raise in the dose limit during accident, availability of efficient/adequate quantities of personal dosimeter in public domain, collection arrangement of bulk amount of radioactive wastes

In-vivo visualisation of the anatomical structures related to the acupuncture points Dai mai and Shen mai by MRI: A single-case pilot study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moncayo, Roy; Rudisch, Ansgar; Diemling, Markus; Kremser, Christian

2007-01-01

The concept of acupuncture point localisation in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is based on millenary practical experience. Modern imaging methods such as PET, MRI and SPECT have been used primary for the investigation of the mechanisms of action of acupuncture. In this pilot single-case study we have evaluated the technical possibilities for in-vivo imaging of the anatomical relations of acupuncture points using state of the art MRI. Preliminary experiments relating to the quality of acupuncture needles under the setting of MRI were done both with stainless steel and gold needles. In a second step, in-vivo imaging was carried out. A licensed acupuncture practitioner (RM) chose two points belonging to the so-called extraordinary vessels. In 2 sequential, separate procedures, he inserted himself gold acupuncture needles using a neutral technique (known as Ping Bu Ping Xie) into the Dai mai and Shen mai points, i.e. gall bladder 26 and bladder 62. Imaging was done on a Siemens Magnetom Avanto MR scanner using a head array and body coil. Mainly T1-weighted imaging sequences, as routinely used for patient exams, were used to obtain multi-slice images. In the preliminary experiments only acupuncture needles made of gold showed enough stability in order to be used for further imaging procedures. Using an onion and a banana as an object, further studies showed that the gold needles produced a void defect that corresponds to the tip of the inserted needle, while at the same time an artefactually increased diameter was observed. The in-vivo experiments showed that the Dai mai point was in relation to the abdominal internal oblique muscle. The Shen mai point artefact showed up close to the longus and brevis peroneal tendons at the fibular malleolus. Side effects related to heating or burning were not observed. Improved anatomical recognition was obtained using 3D-volume rendering techniques. Through an adequate choice of acupuncture material (gold needles) as well as of

Prime Contract Awards by State or Country, Place and Contractor. Part 3 (Lodi, California - Saint Helena, California), FY1991

Science.gov (United States)

1991-01-01

8217 00𔃻) 0- .-4-4-4-𔃾 0D01l CN a xZI-Zx a 1.- 00 P- CD gao -s4Nnm-4 LIn n cn C’.j C1 00 NI (0 a 9xU0I- a C. 00 0 -0 0C 000C>-4 00 4 0 0 0D 0-4 * L LAJ4...0) .1 2(0(0-i Of Nf I(Do0N NO 4) < 0 -4 -C 04 - 4 -N 1 0N a 1- 16- 24 C.) 0 - IL I JINI I(0 Naci S 0 0 I-40) 2 0 I (0 C N I0N NC 1- m- C 1-1 1.- 0 I...7.1൰ .C. CIANNN F-- A-4 -4-4 -4 L--4 -4 M -A W-4 it w 0 (0.-I #I <(0 0(0 (0) "-00 00000 000000 coc o 0 ɘ) 0) ) 0)m0) 4D a) M 0( 11 U. I M0-4 aI - jIni

Leggere i Classici in Oriente. Il mito della letteratura occidentale in Dai Sijie, Murakami Haruki, Azar Nafisi

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Niccolò Scaffai

2011-11-01

Full Text Available This study focuses on three recent literary works (fiction and non-fiction novels written by authors of Asiatic origins: the French-speaking Chinese writer, Dai Sijie, the Iranian professor, Azar Nafisi, and the Japanese writer, Murakami Haruki. In the titles of these international bestsellers (Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Reading Lolita in Tehran, and Kafka on the Shore, we find an oxymoron: the name of a famous, canonical Western writer or character is used in an unusual context, linked to the geography of the near or far East. The consequent effect of estrangement can restore strength to literature, perhaps with greater determination than is possible in Western cultures. By using (and reversing the coordinates of Edward Said’s idea of Orientalism and, as in Kafka on the Shore, certain concepts of the Lacanian theory, this study analyzes the transfer of the European literary myths towards Eastern cultures.

Impact of climate change on potential evapotranspiration under a historical and future climate scenario in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, China

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Qin; Yan, Changrong; Ju, Hui; Garré, Sarah

2018-04-01

Climate change is widely accepted to be one of the most critical problems faced by the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain (3H Plain), which is a region in which there is an over-exploitation of groundwater and where future warmer and drought conditions might intensify crop water demand. In this study, the spatiotemporal patterns of ET0 and primary driving meteorological variables were investigated based on a historical and RCP 8.5 scenario daily data set from 40 weather stations over the 3H Plain using linear regression, spline interpolation method, a partial derivative analysis, and multivariate regression. The results indicated a negative trend in all the analysed periods (except spring) of the past 54 years of which only summer and the entire year were statistically significant ( p use of water resources and a sustainable agricultural production in the 3H Plain.

Atmospheric radionuclides from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear reactor accident observed in Vietnam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Long, N.Q.; Giap, T.V.; Phan, N.T.; Truong, Y.; Binh, N.T; Sieu, L.N.; Hien, P.D.

2012-01-01

Radionuclides from the reactor accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant were observed in the surface air at stations in Hanoi, Dalat and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in Vietnam, about 4500 km southwest of Japan, during the period from March 27 to April 22, 2011. The maximum activity concentrations in the air measured at those three sites were 193, 33 and 37 μBq m -3 for 131 I, 134 Cs and 137 Cs, respectively. Peaks of radionuclide concentrations in the air corresponded to arrival of the air mass from Fukushima to Vietnam after traveling for 8 days over the Pacific Ocean. Cesium-134 was detected with the 134 Cs/ 137 Cs activity ratio of about 0.85 in line with observations made elsewhere. The 131 I/ 137 Cs activity ratio was observed to decrease exponentially with time as expected from radioactive decay. The ratio at Dalat, where is 1500 m high, was higher than those at Hanoi and HCMC in low lands, indicating the relative enrichment of the iodine in comparison to cesium at high altitudes. The time-integrated surface air concentrations of the Fukushima-derived radionuclides in the Southeast Asia showed exponential decrease with distance from Fukushima. (author)

The Fukushima-Dai-Ichi accident - Information bulletin nr 10 of the 4 June 2013

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

This report comments the evolution of radioactive deposits and of produce contamination around the Fukushima Dai-Ichi power plant (residual radioactive wastes, contamination of products produced in Japan), indicates and comments the prescriptions and recommendations made by Japanese authorities (for marketing and commercialization of foodstuffs, for life in contaminated areas), gives recommendations to French nationals going to or living in Japan in the most impacted areas. Appendixes contained more detailed presentations and comments on the evolution of radioactive deposits and of the implemented zoning around the power plant, on the exposure of population to gamma radiation emitted by radioactive deposits and on the evolution of evacuated areas, on the evolution of the contamination of products produced in Japan and on risks for consumers (maps or graphs illustrate the present situation and the evolution since 2011 and 2012), and also report measurements performed by the IRSN on a route in the city of Fukushima (location on the map of radioactive deposits in Japan, overview of the followed route and dose rate at the starting point, observations in the urban part of the route and on the wooded hill, dose received by external exposure during a mission in Fukushima)

Necesidad de tratamiento ortodóntico utilizando el Índice Estética Dental (DAI en una población de Guadalajara, Jalisco, México

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María Fernanda Gutiérrez-Rojo

2016-01-01

Full Text Available El Índice de Estética Dental, DAI, permite determinar la severidad de las maloclusiones, con lo que se puede priorizar la necesidad de tratamiento ortodóncico de los pacientes. Material y Métodos: la muestra fue de 123 modelos de estudio pretratamiento de ortodoncia, se valoraron los modelos de estudio con el Índice de Estética Dental, se tabuló y calculó la estadística descriptiva con programa Microsoft Office Excel 2007. Resultados: El promedio del DAI fue de 39.84, el 53% de la población presentó una maloclusión muy severa con necesidad de tratamiento obligatorio, el 17.9% con maloclusión severa con necesidad de tratamiento deseable por el paciente, la categoría de maloclusión definitiva, que requiere tratamiento, se presentó en el 17.1% y solo el 11.4% presentó una oclusión normal sin necesidad de tratamiento. Conclusión: En la población de estudio fue mayor el porcentaje de maloclusión muy severa, las otras tres categorías del índice presentaron valores del 17% al 11%. Las mujeres que acudieron a atención con el ortodoncista presentaron mayor porcentaje de severidad de maloclusión que los hombres. Estos porcentajes demuestran que los pacientes que acuden, o son remitidos al ortodoncista, presentan maloclusiones severas.

Studium tepelných vlastností materiálů akumulujících teplo na bázi fázové přeměny

OpenAIRE

Valentová, Kateřina

2016-01-01

Diplomová práce se zabývá studiem tepelných vlastností materiálů akumulující teplo na bázi fázové přeměny. Cílem této práce bylo proměřit tepelné vlastnosti materiálů využívající k akumulaci tepla fázovou přeměnu, a to především komerčního materiálu od firmy Phase Change Material Products Ltd pod názvem PlusICE A118. Takové materiály se označují jako PCM (z angl. Phase Change Material) a využívají se například jako tepelné akumulátory (izolanty) ve stavebnictví. Nejprve byly popsány fázové př...

¹²⁹I and ¹³⁷Cs in groundwater in the vicinity of Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xu, Sheng; Zhang, Luyuan; Freeman, Stewart P.H.T.

2016-01-01

. The minimal 129I/137Cs activity ratios in the groundwater are more than 2–500 times higher than the FDNPP source ratio. These data can be explained by rainwater infiltrating through the surface soils, with the more water-soluble 129I preferentially extracted into the aqueous phase and the 137Cs preferentially......This paper reports iodine (127I and 129I) and cesium (137Cs) isotope concentrations in groundwater of confined and unconfined aquifers in the vicinity of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP). 127I and 129I concentrations range from 2–13 μg/L and 5 × 107–8 × 1010 atom/L respectively...... retained in the soil....

Bioinformatics Analysis for the Antirheumatic Effects of Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang from a Network Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haiyang Fang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang (HLJDT is a classic TCM formula to clear “heat” and “poison” that exhibits antirheumatic activity. Here we investigated the therapeutic mechanisms of HLJDT at protein network level using bioinformatics approach. It was found that HLJDT shares 5 target proteins with 3 types of anti-RA drugs, and several pathways in immune system and bone formation are significantly regulated by HLJDT’s components, suggesting the therapeutic effect of HLJDT on RA. By defining an antirheumatic effect score to quantitatively measure the therapeutic effect, we found that the score of each HLJDT’s component is very low, while the whole HLJDT achieves a much higher effect score, suggesting a synergistic effect of HLJDT achieved by its multiple components acting on multiple targets. At last, topological analysis on the RA-associated PPI network was conducted to illustrate key roles of HLJDT’s target proteins on this network. Integrating our findings with TCM theory suggests that HLJDT targets on hub nodes and main pathway in the Hot ZENG network, and thus it could be applied as adjuvant treatment for Hot-ZENG-related RA. This study may facilitate our understanding of antirheumatic effect of HLJDT and it may suggest new approach for the study of TCM pharmacology.

GAO's Estimate of the Costs of the "Parental and Medical Leave Act of 1987" (S. 249). Testimony before the Subcommittee on Children, Families, Drugs, and Alcoholism, Committee on Labor and Human Resources, United States Senate.

Science.gov (United States)

Gainer, William J.

The General Accounting Office (GAO) estimates that the cost of S.249, the Parental and Medical Leave Act of 1987, will be, at most, 500 million dollars annually, a figure which reflects the cost of continuing health insurance coverage for employees on unpaid leave. S.249 is legislation which aims to provide to workers at firms with 15 or more…

Automated flaw detection scheme for cast austenitic stainless steel weld specimens using Hilbert-Huang transform of ultrasonic phased array data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, Tariq; Majumdar, Shantanu; Udpa, Lalita; Ramuhalli, Pradeep; Crawford, Susan; Diaz, Aaron; Anderson, Michael T.

2012-01-01

The objective of this work is to develop processing algorithms to detect and localize flaws using ultrasonic phased-array data. Data was collected on cast austenitic stainless stell (CASS) weld specimens onloan from the U.S. nuclear power industry' Pressurized Walter Reactor Owners Group (PWROG) traveling specimen set. Each specimen consists of a centrifugally cast stainless stell (CCSS) pipe section welded to a statically cst(SCSS) or wrought (WRSS) section. The paper presents a novel automated flaw detection and localization scheme using low frequency ultrasonic phased array inspection singals from the weld and heat affected zone of the based materials. The major steps of the overall scheme are preprocessing and region of interest (ROI) detection followed by the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) of A-scans in the detected ROIs. HHT offers time-frequency-energy distribution for each ROI. The Accumulation of energy in a particular frequency band is used as a classification feature for the particular ROI

Estimation of typhoon rainfall in GaoPing River: A Multivariate Maximum Entropy Method

Science.gov (United States)

Pei-Jui, Wu; Hwa-Lung, Yu

2016-04-01

The heavy rainfall from typhoons is the main factor of the natural disaster in Taiwan, which causes the significant loss of human lives and properties. Statistically average 3.5 typhoons invade Taiwan every year, and the serious typhoon, Morakot in 2009, impacted Taiwan in recorded history. Because the duration, path and intensity of typhoon, also affect the temporal and spatial rainfall type in specific region , finding the characteristics of the typhoon rainfall type is advantageous when we try to estimate the quantity of rainfall. This study developed a rainfall prediction model and can be divided three parts. First, using the EEOF(extended empirical orthogonal function) to classify the typhoon events, and decompose the standard rainfall type of all stations of each typhoon event into the EOF and PC(principal component). So we can classify the typhoon events which vary similarly in temporally and spatially as the similar typhoon types. Next, according to the classification above, we construct the PDF(probability density function) in different space and time by means of using the multivariate maximum entropy from the first to forth moment statistically. Therefore, we can get the probability of each stations of each time. Final we use the BME(Bayesian Maximum Entropy method) to construct the typhoon rainfall prediction model , and to estimate the rainfall for the case of GaoPing river which located in south of Taiwan.This study could be useful for typhoon rainfall predictions in future and suitable to government for the typhoon disaster prevention .

Interdependence between damage indices and ground motion parameters based on Hilbert–Huang transform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alvanitopoulos, P F; Andreadis, I; Elenas, A

2010-01-01

Feature extraction from seismic accelerograms is a key issue in characterization of earthquake damage in structures. Until today, a number of effective classical parameters such as peak ground acceleration (PGA) and Arias intensity have been proposed for analyzing the earthquake motion records. The aim of this paper is to search for new crucial characteristic seismic parameters which provide information pertinent to the damage indicators of the structures. The first proposed parameter is the maximum amplitude (A HHT m ax ) and the second is the mean amplitude (A HHT m ean ). Emphasis of our work has been placed on the use of the Hilbert–Huang transform (HHT). A set of 13 natural accelerograms from worldwide well-known sites with strong seismic activity have been used. The HHT has been applied to the nonlinear and non-stationary data (earthquake recordings). Each complex seismic accelerogram is decomposed into several simple components called intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). Using the IMFs a three-dimensional time–frequency distribution of earthquake excitation is computed and two new seismic parameters are proposed and evaluated. After the numerical computation of all the seismic parameters (classical and proposed), nonlinear dynamic analysis is carried out to provide the post-seismic damage status of the structure under study. Two structural damage indices are utilized and the degree of interrelation among them and the seismic parameters is provided by correlation coefficients. Furthermore, two different reinforced concrete structures are examined. Results indicate the high correlation of the new seismic parameters (A HHT m ax , A HHT m ean ) with the damage indices and confirm that HHT is a promising tool for extracting information to characterize damage in structures

Suan Zao Ren Tang in Combination with Zhi Zi Chi Tang as a Treatment Protocol for Insomniacs with Anxiety: A Randomized Parallel-Controlled Trial

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Lin-lin; Zhang, Xin; Liu, Wen-juan; Li, Mei; Zhang, Yong-hua

2015-01-01

Insomnia is a serious worldwide health problem that is often comorbid with anxiety. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of a Chinese formula containing Suan Zao Ren Tang (SZRT) and Zhi Zi Chi Tang (ZZCT; SZR-ZZC) for improving sleep quality and anxiety states with four indices of Polysomnography (PSG), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Self Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). Methods. A randomized, parallel-controlled trial compared SZR-ZZC to lorazepam tablet in insomniacs with anxiety. Patients were randomized to the SZR-ZZC treatment group (n = 60) and the lorazepam tablet treatment group (n = 59). Results. SZR-ZZC significantly improved scores on all four treatment indices. Compared with lorazepam, treatment with SZR-ZZC resulted in a significant reduction in the ISI (P = 0.029), the PSQI (P = 0.017), and wake after sleep onset (WASO; P = 0.008) scores and improved sleep architecture (P = 0.000–0.003) after a 4-week treatment period. Only one subject in the SZR-ZZC group experienced adverse side effects. Conclusion. Treatment with SZR-ZZC for 4 weeks appears to be a relatively safe and effective complementary therapeutic option when aiming to improve sleep quality and anxiety in insomniacs with anxiety. PMID:25793006

Suan Zao Ren Tang in Combination with Zhi Zi Chi Tang as a Treatment Protocol for Insomniacs with Anxiety: A Randomized Parallel-Controlled Trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lin-lin Hu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Insomnia is a serious worldwide health problem that is often comorbid with anxiety. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of a Chinese formula containing Suan Zao Ren Tang (SZRT and Zhi Zi Chi Tang (ZZCT; SZR-ZZC for improving sleep quality and anxiety states with four indices of Polysomnography (PSG, the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI, and the Self Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS. Methods. A randomized, parallel-controlled trial compared SZR-ZZC to lorazepam tablet in insomniacs with anxiety. Patients were randomized to the SZR-ZZC treatment group (n=60 and the lorazepam tablet treatment group (n=59. Results. SZR-ZZC significantly improved scores on all four treatment indices. Compared with lorazepam, treatment with SZR-ZZC resulted in a significant reduction in the ISI (P=0.029, the PSQI (P=0.017, and wake after sleep onset (WASO; P=0.008 scores and improved sleep architecture (P=0.000–0.003 after a 4-week treatment period. Only one subject in the SZR-ZZC group experienced adverse side effects. Conclusion. Treatment with SZR-ZZC for 4 weeks appears to be a relatively safe and effective complementary therapeutic option when aiming to improve sleep quality and anxiety in insomniacs with anxiety.

Climate change impacts on agriculture and soil carbon sequestration potential in the Huang-Hai Plain of China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thomson, Allison M.; Izaurralde, R Cesar C.; Rosenberg, Norman J.; He, Xiaoxia

2006-03-01

The Huang-Hai Plain in northeast China has been cultivated for thousands of years and is the most productive wheat growing region in the country. Its agricultural future will be determined in large part by how global climatic changes affect regional conditions and by the actions China takes to mitigate or adapt to climate change impacts. One potential mitigation strategy is to promote soil carbon (C) sequestration, which would improve soil quality while simultaneously contributing to the mitigation of climate change. The IPCC estimates that 40 Pg of C could be sequestered in cropland soils worldwide over the next century. Here we assess the potential for soil C sequestration with conversion of a conventional till (CT) continuous wheat system to a wheat-corn double cropping system and by implementing no till (NT) management for both continuous wheat and wheat-corn systems. To assess the influence of these management changes under a changing climate, we use two climate change scenarios at two time periods in the EPIC agro-ecosystem simulation model. The applied climate change scenarios are from the HadCM3 Global Climate Model for the time periods 2015-2045 and 2070-2099. The HadCM3 model projects that both temperature and precipitation will increase throughout the next century with increases of greater than 5 °C and up to 300 mm possible by 2099. An increase in the variability of temperature is also projected and is, accordingly, applied in the simulations. The EPIC model indicates that winter wheat yields would increase on average by 0.2 Mg ha-1 in the 2030 period and by 0.8 Mg ha-1 in the 2085 period due largely to the warmer nighttime temperatures and higher precipitation projected by the HadCM3 model. Simulated yields were not significantly affected by imposed changes in crop management. Simulated soil organic C content was higher under both NT management and double cropping than under CT continuous wheat. Soil C sequestration rates for continuous wheat systems

Isotopic ratio and vertical distribution of radionuclides in soil affected by the accident of Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujiwara, Takeshi; Saito, Takumi; Muroya, Yusa; Sawahata, Hiroyuki; Yamashita, Yuji; Nagasaki, Shinya; Okamoto, Koji; Takahashi, Hiroyuki; Uesaka, Mitsuru; Katsumura, Yosuke; Tanaka, Satoru

2012-01-01

The results of γ analyses of soil samples obtained from 50 locations in Fukushima prefecture on April 20, 2011, revealed the presence of a spectrum of radionuclides resulted from the accident of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP). The sum γ radioactivity concentration ranged in more than 3 orders of magnitude, depending on the sampling locations. The contamination of soils in the northwest of the FDNPP was considerable. The 131 I/ 137 Cs activity ratios of the soil samples plotted as a function of the distance from the F1 NPPs exhibited three distinctive patterns. Such patterns would reflect not only the different deposition behaviors of these radionuclides, but also on the conditions of associated release events such as temperature and compositions and physicochemical forms of released radionuclides. The 136 Cs/ 137 Cs activity ratio, on the other hand, was considered to only reflect the difference in isotopic compositions of source materials. Two locations close to the NPP in the northwest direction were found to be depleted in short-lived 136 Cs. This likely suggested the presence of distinct sources with different 136 Cs/ 137 Cs isotopic ratios, although their details were unknown at present. Vertical γ activity profiles of 131 I and 137 Cs were also investigated, using 20–30 cm soil cores in several locations. About 70% or more of the radionuclides were present in the uppermost 2-cm regions. It was found that the profiles of 131 I/ 137 Cs activity ratios showed maxima in the 2–4 cm regions, suggesting slightly larger migration of the former nuclide. - Highlights: ► We report the results of γ analyses of soil samples around Fukushima Dai-ichi NPPs. ► The contamination of soils in the northwest of the power plant was considerable. ► The 131 I/ 137 Cs activity ratios exhibited three distinctive patterns. ► Most of 131 I and 137 Cs were present in the uppermost 2-cm regions of soil.

14C levels in the vicinity of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant prior to the 2011 accident

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xu, Sheng; Cook, Gordon T.; Cresswell, Alan J.

2016-01-01

A 50-year-old Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) from Okuma, ∼1 km southwest of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant, was cored and each annual ring was analysed for 14C. The 14C specific activity values varied from 330.4 Bq kg−1 C in the tree ring formed in 1971 to 231.2 Bq kg−1 C...... discharges from the reactors during their normal operations. In addition, the specific activities are positively correlated with the annual electricity generation values. The excess 14C specific activities were effective dose of ... ingestion pathway in the study location. The primary wind direction is east-southeast/southeast with a frequency of ∼30%, in comparison to ∼20% frequency for the direction of the site under study (north-northeast/northeast). This would tend to indicate a similar magnitude of additional effective dose...

[Diversity of soil fauna in corn fields in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China under effects of conservation tillage].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Qiang-Gen; Zhu, An-Ning; Zhang, Jia-Bao; Zhang, Huan-Chao; Huang, Ping; Zhang, Cong-Zhi

2009-10-01

An investigation was made on the abundance and diversity of soil fauna in the corn fields under conventional and conservation tillage in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China. The abundance and diversity of soil fauna were higher at corn maturing (September) than at its jointing stage (July), and higher at jointing stage under conservation tillage than under conventional tillage. Soil fauna mainly distributed in surface soil layer (0-10 cm), but still had a larger number in 10-20 cm layer under conservation tillage. The individuals of acari, diptera, diplura, and microdrile oligochaetes, especially those of acari, were higher under conservation tillage than under conventional tillage. At maturing stage, an obvious effect of straw-returning under conservation tillage was observed, i. e., the more the straw returned, the higher the abundance of soil fauna, among which, the individuals of collembola, acari, coleopteran, and psocoptera, especially those of collembolan, increased significantly. The abundance of collembola at both jointing and maturing stages was significantly positively correlated with the quantity of straw returned, suggesting that collembola played an important role in straw decomposition and nutrient cycling.

Integrated pharmacokinetics of major bioactive components in MCAO rats after oral administration of Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Huaxu; Qian, Zhilei; Li, Huan; Guo, Liwei; Pan, Linmei; Zhang, Qichun; Tang, Yuping

2012-05-07

Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang (HLJDT, or Oren-gedoku-to in Japanese), an important multi-herb remedy in China and other Asia countries, has been used clinically to treat cerebral ischemia for decades. According to the previous studies we have reported, an HPLC method was developed and validated for determination of berberine, palmatine, baicalin, baicalein and geniposide simultaneously in MCAO rat plasma after administration of HLJDT aqueous extract. A classified integral pharmacokinetic method was put forward after having compared the integrated concentration-time profile with that of single component. An AUC based weighting approach was used for integrated principle. The results indicated the classified integral pharmacokinetic profile of index components from HLJDT could reveal the pharmacokinetic behavior of original components, and was corresponding to the holistic pharmacological effects of anti-ischemia with HLJDT. This study was aimed to explore an approach that could be applied to integrate the pharmacokinetic behavior of different components derived from HLJDT. The integrated pharmacokinetic results also provided more information for further understanding of the clinical cerebrovascular disease in use of HLJDT. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Novel pharmacokinetic studies of the Chinese formula Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang in MCAO rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Huaxu; Qian, Zhilei; He, Feng; Liu, Mengzhu; Pan, Linmei; Zhang, Qichun; Tang, Yuping

2013-07-15

Our previous studies showed that after oral administration of an Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang (HLJDT) decoction, there is a higher concentration of the pure components, berberine, baicalin and gardenoside in the plasma of Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats than in sham-operated rats, The aim of the present study was to determine whether these components could be reliably measured in MCAO rat tissues. First, the plasma concentration-time profiles of berberine, palmatine, baicalin, baicalein and gardenoside were characterised in MCAO rats after oral administration of the aqueous extract of HLJDT. Subsequently, liver, lung and kidney tissues were obtained from sudden death MCAO rats in the absorption phase (0.25 h), the distribution phase (1.0 h) and the elimination phase (8.0 h) after administration of the HLJDT aqueous extract. An HPLC method was developed and validated for the determination of the distribution characteristics of berberine, palmatine, baicalin, baicalein and gardenoside simultaneously from the above-mentioned rat tissues. The results indicated that berberine, palmatine, baicalin and baicalein distributed rapidly and accumulated at high levels in the lung, while gardenoside distributed widely in the lung and the kidney. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to describe the distribution of the active ingredients derived from HLJDT in MCAO rat tissues. The tissue distribution results provide a biopharmaceutical basis for the design of the clinic application of HLJDT in cerebrovascular disease. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

The Anti-Inflammatory Effects of a Yin Zhi Huang Soup in an Experimental Autoimmune Prostatitis Rat Model

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Longsheng Deng

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The present study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of the Chinese herbal medicine Yin Zhi Huang soup (YZS in an experimental autoimmune prostatitis (EAP rat model. In total, 48 rats were randomly divided into the following four groups (n=12/group: saline group, pathological model group, Qianlietai group, and YZS group. We determined the average wet weight of the prostate tissue, the ratio of the wet weight of the prostate tissue to body weight, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α levels in the blood serum, the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS in the rats’ prostate tissues, and the pathological changes in the prostate tissue using light microscopy. YZS reduced the rats’ prostate wet weight, the ratio of the prostate wet weight to body weight, and TNF-α levels in the blood serum and inhibited the expression of iNOS in the rats’ prostate tissues (P<0.05. Following YZS treatment, the pathological changes in the rats’ prostates were improved compared with those in the model group (P<0.05. Furthermore, YZS treatment reduced inflammatory changes in the prostate tissue. It also significantly suppressed proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α, and chemokines, such as iNOS, in the rat model of EAP.

Assessment of vocal cord nodules: a case study in speech processing by using Hilbert-Huang Transform

Science.gov (United States)

Civera, M.; Filosi, C. M.; Pugno, N. M.; Silvestrini, M.; Surace, C.; Worden, K.

2017-05-01

Vocal cord nodules represent a pathological condition for which the growth of unnatural masses on vocal folds affects the patients. Among other effects, changes in the vocal cords’ overall mass and stiffness alter their vibratory behaviour, thus changing the vocal emission generated by them. This causes dysphonia, i.e. abnormalities in the patients’ voice, which can be analysed and inspected via audio signals. However, the evaluation of voice condition through speech processing is not a trivial task, as standard methods based on the Fourier Transform, fail to fit the non-stationary nature of vocal signals. In this study, four audio tracks, provided by a volunteer patient, whose vocal fold nodules have been surgically removed, were analysed using a relatively new technique: the Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) via Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD); specifically, by using the CEEMDAN (Complete Ensemble EMD with Adaptive Noise) algorithm. This method has been applied here to speech signals, which were recorded before removal surgery and during convalescence, to investigate specific trends. Possibilities offered by the HHT are exposed, but also some limitations of decomposing the signals into so-called intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) are highlighted. The results of these preliminary studies are intended to be a basis for the development of new viable alternatives to the softwares currently used for the analysis and evaluation of pathological voice.

Assessment of vocal cord nodules: a case study in speech processing by using Hilbert-Huang Transform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Civera, M; Surace, C; Filosi, C M; Silvestrini, M; Pugno, N M; Worden, K

2017-01-01

Vocal cord nodules represent a pathological condition for which the growth of unnatural masses on vocal folds affects the patients. Among other effects, changes in the vocal cords’ overall mass and stiffness alter their vibratory behaviour, thus changing the vocal emission generated by them. This causes dysphonia, i.e. abnormalities in the patients’ voice, which can be analysed and inspected via audio signals. However, the evaluation of voice condition through speech processing is not a trivial task, as standard methods based on the Fourier Transform, fail to fit the non-stationary nature of vocal signals. In this study, four audio tracks, provided by a volunteer patient, whose vocal fold nodules have been surgically removed, were analysed using a relatively new technique: the Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) via Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD); specifically, by using the CEEMDAN (Complete Ensemble EMD with Adaptive Noise) algorithm. This method has been applied here to speech signals, which were recorded before removal surgery and during convalescence, to investigate specific trends. Possibilities offered by the HHT are exposed, but also some limitations of decomposing the signals into so-called intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) are highlighted. The results of these preliminary studies are intended to be a basis for the development of new viable alternatives to the softwares currently used for the analysis and evaluation of pathological voice. (paper)

Investigating plutonium contamination in marine sediments off Fukushima coast following the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bu Wenting; Guo Qiuju; Zheng, Jian; Aono, Tatsuo; Tagami, Keiko; Uchida, Shigeo; Zhang, Jing; Yamada, Masatoshi

2013-01-01

The Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident has caused large amounts of anthropogenic radionuclides to be released into the atmosphere as well as directly discharged into the sea. To obtain the vertical distribution of Pu isotopes in marine sediments and to better assess the possible contamination from the FDNPP accident in the marine environment, activities of "2"3"9"+"2"4"0Pu and "2"4"1Pu, as well as the atom ratios of "2"4"0Pu/"2"3"9Pu and "2"4"1Pu/"2"3"9Pu, were investigated in a sediment core collected from the western North Pacific in July 2011. The observed vertical profile of "2"3"9"+"2"4"0Pu activities and "2"4"0Pu/"2"3"9Pu atom ratios showed no extra injection of Pu from the accident, indicating no immediate Pu contamination from the FDNPP accident in the marine sediments in the region investigated. (author)

Hilbert-Huang transform based instrumental assessment of intention tremor in multiple sclerosis

Science.gov (United States)

Carpinella, Ilaria; Cattaneo, Davide; Ferrarin, Maurizio

2015-08-01

Objective. This paper describes a method to extract upper limb intention tremor from gyroscope data, through the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT), a technique suitable for the study of nonlinear and non-stationary processes. The aims of the study were to: (i) evaluate the method’s ability to discriminate between healthy controls and MS subjects; (ii) validate the proposed procedure against clinical tremor scores assigned using Fahn’s tremor rating scale (FTRS); and (iii) compare the performance of the HHT-based method with that of linear band-pass filters. Approach. HHT was applied on gyroscope data collected on 20 MS subjects and 13 healthy controls (CO) during finger-to-nose tests (FNTs) instrumented with an inertial sensor placed on the hand. The results were compared to those obtained after traditional linear filtering. The tremor amplitude was quantified with instrumental indexes (TIs) and clinical FTRS ratings. Main results. The TIs computed after HHT-based filtering discriminated between CO and MS subjects with clinically-detected intention tremor (MS_T). In particular, TIs were significantly higher in the final part of the movement (TI2) with respect to the first part (TI1), and, for all components (X, Y, Z), MST showed a TI2 significantly higher than in CO subjects. Moreover, the HHT detected subtle alterations not visible from clinical ratings, as TI2 (Z-component) was significantly increased in MS subjects without clinically-detected tremor (MS_NT). The method’s validity was demonstrated by significant correlations between clinical FTRS scores and TI2 related to X (rs = 0.587, p = 0.006) and Y (rs = 0.682, p < 0.001) components. Contrarily, fewer differences among the groups and no correlation between instrumental and clinical indexes emerged after traditional filtering. Significance. The present results supported the use of the HHT-based procedure for a fully-automated quantitative and objective measure of intention tremor in MS, which can overcome

Decontamination work in the area surrounding Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant: another occupational health challenge of the nuclear disaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Wada, Koji; Yoshikawa, Toru; Murata, Masaru

2012-01-01

This article describes occupational health measures for workers involved in decontamination of radioactive material discharged around Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant after the explosions in 2011. Decontamination is performed by removing radioactive particles (mainly cesium) from surfaces of soil, grass and trees, and buildings. Measurement of radiation doses is necessary to reduce exposure, and to determine whether workers can work below dose limits. Protective equipment for decontamination is determined based on the concentration of radiation in contaminated soil and the exposure to dust. Health examinations by physicians are mandated for decontamination workers upon hiring and every 6 months. While there is no possibility of acute radiation injury from decontamination, workers may be anxious about the unclear effects of chronic low level radiation exposure on health. Measures to protect the decontamination workers are the top priority.

Radio frequency and electromagnetic fields exposure, health risk; Esposizione dell'uomo ai campi elettromagnetici prodotti dai sistemi di telefonia cellulare

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bernardi, P.; Cavagnaro, P.; Pisa, S.; Piuzzi, E. [Rome Unvi. (Italy). Dipt. di Ingegneria Elettronica

1999-08-01

Health risk for humane exposure at electromagnetic field generate from mobile telephones is very particular. In this work are presented the most important results of research. [Italian] La protezione dell'uomo dall'esposizione di campi elettromagnetici prodotti dai sistemi di telefonia mobile presenta caratteristiche del tutto particolari. Bisogna infatti considerare un duplice apetto: da un lato l'esposizione della popolazione ai campi prodotti dalle antenne trasmittenti delle stazioni radio base e, dall'altro, l'esposizione del singolo utente all'apparato portatile. Insieme all'esame di tali problemi, in questo lavoro vengono presentati i risultati piu' significativi delle ricerche fino ad oggi sviluppate per fornire una base razionale alle normative di protezione e si accenna all'attuale evoluzione della ricerca nel campo.

Non-Destructive Detection of Wire Rope Discontinuities from Residual Magnetic Field Images Using the Hilbert-Huang Transform and Compressed Sensing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juwei Zhang

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Electromagnetic methods are commonly employed to detect wire rope discontinuities. However, determining the residual strength of wire rope based on the quantitative recognition of discontinuities remains problematic. We have designed a prototype device based on the residual magnetic field (RMF of ferromagnetic materials, which overcomes the disadvantages associated with in-service inspections, such as large volume, inconvenient operation, low precision, and poor portability by providing a relatively small and lightweight device with improved detection precision. A novel filtering system consisting of the Hilbert-Huang transform and compressed sensing wavelet filtering is presented. Digital image processing was applied to achieve the localization and segmentation of defect RMF images. The statistical texture and invariant moment characteristics of the defect images were extracted as the input of a radial basis function neural network. Experimental results show that the RMF device can detect defects in various types of wire rope and prolong the service life of test equipment by reducing the friction between the detection device and the wire rope by accommodating a high lift-off distance.

The Clinical Effects of Dai-kenchu-to on Postoperative Intestinal Movement and Inflammatory Reaction in Colorectal Surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Osawa, Gakuji; Yoshimatsu, Kazuhiko; Yokomizo, Hajime; Otani, Taisuke; Matsumoto, Atsuo; Nakayama, Mao; Ogawa, Kenji

2015-06-01

We analyzed the effects of the Kampo medicine "Dai-kenchu-to" (DKT) on clinical aspects in colorectal surgery. Total 122 patients who underwent colorectal cancer surgery were divided into a DKT group (n = 53) and a non-DKT group (n = 69). The differences of postoperative course and anti-inflammatory responses between those two groups were analyzed. The 53 out of 59 patients could completely take DKT. In the postoperative course, significant difference was observed in the first flatus day. In the anti-inflammatory effects, differences were observed in the heart rate (HR) of the 3rd POD. In the change between 1st POD and 3rd POD, HR in the DKT group was well controlled compared to the non-DKT group. In the patients who had over 37.5°C of body temperature in 1st POD (n = 53), inflammatory response of the DKT group was reduced compared to the non-DKT group. The DKT might have the favorable influences on postoperative bowel movement and systemic inflammatory reaction, and induce the better postoperative course.

Beef contamination by Cs-134 and Cs-137 in Japan, from the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kelecom, Alphonse; Cruz, Camila Oliveira da; Paulo Filho, Guilherme de Souza, E-mail: lararapls@hotmail.com, E-mail: camilabiouff@gmail.com, E-mail: akelecom@id.uff.br [Universidade Federal Fluminense (LARARA-PLS/UFF), Niteroi, RJ (Brazil). Lab. de Radiobiologia e Radiometria Pedro Lopes dos Santos; Pereira, Wagner de S., E-mail: pereiraws@gmail.com [Industrias Nucleares do Brasil (UNB), Pocos de Caldas, MG (Brazil). Servico de Radioprotecao. Grupo Multidisciplinar de Radioprotecao

2013-07-01

The most serious earthquake ever registered in Japan occurred on March 11, 2011; it was followed by a tsunami that flowed over the Prefectures of Miyagi and Fukushima destroying roads, cities and rice fields, but also knocking several nuclear power plants. The Dai-ichi plant was seriously damaged and considerable amounts of radioactivity were release contaminating atmosphere, soil, ocean and associated fauna and flora. A major environmental monitoring program started covering the Japanese territory and the sea along the coasts of Miyagi, Fukushima and Ibaraki. Thousands of measurements were released every day by Japanese authorities, the plant operator and Universities principally looking for the presence of I-131, C{sub s}-134 and C{sub s}-137. Drinking water and aliments were seriously contaminated. We here analyze data released during one year on I-131 and C{sub s}-134,137 radioactive concentrations in cattle meat. Along this period I-131, when observed, was present only in trace amounts, but the contamination by cesium isotopes exceeded legal Japanese limit in several Japanese prefectures, and became an acute national and international economic problem. (author)

Continuing 137 Cs release to the sea from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant through 2012

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Kanda

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The rate of cesium-137 (137Cs release to the sea from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant for the period until September 2012 was estimated. Publicly released data on 137Cs radioactivity in seawater near the power plant by Tokyo Electric Power Company strongly suggest a continuing release of radionuclides to the sea. The plant has an artificial harbour facility, and the exchange rate of harbour water with surrounding seawater was estimated by the decrease in radioactivity immediately after an intense radioactive water release. The estimated exchange rate of water in the harbour was 0.44 d−1 during the period from 6 to 19 April. The 137Cs radioactivity in the harbour water was substantially higher than that of seawater outside and remained relatively stable after June 2011. A quasi-steady state was assumed with continuous water exchange, and the average release rate of 137Cs was estimated to be 93 GBq d−1 in summer 2011 and 8.1 GBq d−1 in summer 2012.

Beef contamination by Cs-134 and Cs-137 in Japan, from the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kelecom, Alphonse; Cruz, Camila Oliveira da; Paulo Filho, Guilherme de Souza; Pereira, Wagner de S.

2013-01-01

The most serious earthquake ever registered in Japan occurred on March 11, 2011; it was followed by a tsunami that flowed over the Prefectures of Miyagi and Fukushima destroying roads, cities and rice fields, but also knocking several nuclear power plants. The Dai-ichi plant was seriously damaged and considerable amounts of radioactivity were release contaminating atmosphere, soil, ocean and associated fauna and flora. A major environmental monitoring program started covering the Japanese territory and the sea along the coasts of Miyagi, Fukushima and Ibaraki. Thousands of measurements were released every day by Japanese authorities, the plant operator and Universities principally looking for the presence of I-131, C s -134 and C s -137. Drinking water and aliments were seriously contaminated. We here analyze data released during one year on I-131 and C s -134,137 radioactive concentrations in cattle meat. Along this period I-131, when observed, was present only in trace amounts, but the contamination by cesium isotopes exceeded legal Japanese limit in several Japanese prefectures, and became an acute national and international economic problem. (author)

Wearable Sensor-Based Human Activity Recognition Method with Multi-Features Extracted from Hilbert-Huang Transform.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Huile; Liu, Jinyi; Hu, Haibo; Zhang, Yi

2016-12-02

Wearable sensors-based human activity recognition introduces many useful applications and services in health care, rehabilitation training, elderly monitoring and many other areas of human interaction. Existing works in this field mainly focus on recognizing activities by using traditional features extracted from Fourier transform (FT) or wavelet transform (WT). However, these signal processing approaches are suitable for a linear signal but not for a nonlinear signal. In this paper, we investigate the characteristics of the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) for dealing with activity data with properties such as nonlinearity and non-stationarity. A multi-features extraction method based on HHT is then proposed to improve the effect of activity recognition. The extracted multi-features include instantaneous amplitude (IA) and instantaneous frequency (IF) by means of empirical mode decomposition (EMD), as well as instantaneous energy density (IE) and marginal spectrum (MS) derived from Hilbert spectral analysis. Experimental studies are performed to verify the proposed approach by using the PAMAP2 dataset from the University of California, Irvine for wearable sensors-based activity recognition. Moreover, the effect of combining multi-features vs. a single-feature are investigated and discussed in the scenario of a dependent subject. The experimental results show that multi-features combination can further improve the performance measures. Finally, we test the effect of multi-features combination in the scenario of an independent subject. Our experimental results show that we achieve four performance indexes: recall, precision, F-measure, and accuracy to 0.9337, 0.9417, 0.9353, and 0.9377 respectively, which are all better than the achievements of related works.

Huang Guobin’s Poetry, Literary Criticism and Translation%黄国彬的诗文创作、评论和翻译

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

黄维樑[香港

2016-01-01

Huang Guobin, also known as Laurence K. P. Wong, is a Hong Kong writer. He has, to date, published 15 collections of poems, seven collections of essays, and 11 monographs in literary criticism and translation studies, as well as translations of two literary works, The Divine Comedy(translated from the original Italian)and Hamlet, both of them fully annotated. All in all, even though his emphases may vary, he has brought under his jurisdiction the various types of writing d escribed in Western literary theory(poetry, prose, narrative, and so on)and the styles mentioned in the chapter“Ti xing”(‘Style and Temperament’)in Wenxin diaolong(The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons). Natural scenery, astronomy, his country and people, romance, kin relationships, and friendships, as well as literature and art, science and technology, all provide him with an inexhaustible source of material to draw on. The title of his first book is!Pan yuegui de haizi(The Child Who Plucks the Laurel,1975), in which“pan,”also meaning“climb,”is the key to understanding him. He is a remarkable mountain climber and swimmer, and once practised karate. He is full of vim and vigour, which he brings to bear on his studies and writing activities. Dedicated to scaling the heights of literature, he has written numerous sublime long poems as well as essays in the grand style, attaining an outstanding level of excellence, which can be described, in Liu Xie’s words, as“perspicacity like the sun and moon hanging in the sky, language like the fecund mountains and seas.”He has a good command of seven foreign languages, has imbibed the quintessence of literature, is well versed in learning, whether ancient or modern, Chinese or Western, and has a superior style of classical elegance of his own. His works are marked by compactness of texture, richness of content, and a multitudinous diversity, embracing both masculine grandeur and delicate beauty. In the world of literature in

Endophytic fungal communities associated with field-grown soybean roots and seeds in the Huang-Huai region of China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongjun Yang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Plants depend on beneficial interactions between roots and fungal endophytes for growth, disease suppression, and stress tolerance. In this study, we characterized the endophytic fungal communities associated with the roots and corresponding seeds of soybeans grown in the Huang-Huai region of China. For the roots, we identified 105 and 50 genera by culture-independent and culture-dependent (CD methods, respectively, and isolated 136 fungal strains (20 genera from the CD samples. Compared with the 52 soybean endophytic fungal genera reported in other countries, 28 of the genera we found were reported, and 90 were newly discovered. Even though Fusarium was the most abundant genus of fungal endophyte in every sample, soybean root samples from three cities exhibited diverse endophytic fungal communities, and the results between samples of roots and seeds were also significantly different. Together, we identified the major endophytic fungal genera in soybean roots and seeds, and revealed that the diversity of soybean endophytic fungal communities was influenced by geographical effects and tissues. The results will facilitate a better understanding of soybean–endophytic fungi interaction systems and will assist in the screening and utilization of beneficial microorganisms to promote healthy of plants such as soybean.

Fusion of aerial gamma-ray survey and remote sensing data for a deeper understanding of radionuclide fate after radiological incidents. Examples from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi response

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Czaja, Wojciech; Manning, Benjamin; Murphy, J.M.

2016-01-01

We consider fusion of heterogeneous data, consisting of multispectral imagery collected from the WorldView-2 satellite and aerial gamma-ray spectra collected during the NNSA Aerial Measuring System response to the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant crisis. These data are analyzed using the non-linear dimension reduction technique of diffusion maps. The data is then used for classification of regions in the scene. A strong spatial coherence is observed in the gamma-ray data that is closely coupled to the underlying terrain classification obtained from the multispectral data, indicating correlation between these a priori uncorrelated measurements. (author)

Evaluation of the Antioxidant and Melanogenesis Inhibitory Properties of Pracparatum Mungo (Lu-Do Huang

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Yu-Yu Kao

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Pracparatum mungo (Lu-Do Huang is a traditional Chinese functional medicine made from the natural fermentation of mung bean (綠豆 Lǜ Dòu mixed with other Chinese medicines. It has been recognized as having liver protecting and detoxifying effects. As mung beans have been verified to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antipyretic, and whitening actions, the present research utilized the in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo experimental models to investigate the antioxidant and melanin inhibiting effects of P. mungo on the skin. The in vitro experiment revealed that P. mungo methanol extract (PMME and P. mungo ethanol extract (PMEE possess the capacity to clear α,α-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH radicals and inhibit tyrosinase activity. The ex vivo experiment indicated that PMEE can promote the growth of MDCK cells and increase the enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD and catalase in MDCK cells. On the other hand, PMME and PMEE can suppress the proliferation of A375 cells, and PMEE can reduce the enzymatic activities of SOD and catalase in A375 cells. The in vivo results showed that P. mungo can enhance the enzymatic performance of SOD, Catalase, and glutathione peroxidase (GPx in the liver. The results also showed that P. mungo has antioxidant characteristics and can inhibit tyrosinase activity, thereby promoting the growth of skin tissues and suppressing the proliferation of A375 cells, and thus enhancing the effects that the antioxidant enzymatic performance has on the liver. These results can be applied in the development of tyrosinase inhibitors or antioxidants used for the inhibition of melanin biosynthesis or for auto-oxidation in further industrial applications, particularly those relating to functional food or cosmetic compositions.

The beneficial effects of Kampo medicine Dai-ken-chu-to after hepatic resection: a prospective randomized control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishi, Masaki; Shimada, Mitsuo; Uchiyama, Hideaki; Ikegami, Toru; Arakawa, Yusuke; Hanaoka, Jun; Kanemura, Hirofumi; Morine, Yuji; Imura, Satoru; Miyake, Hidenori; Utsunomiya, Toru

2012-10-01

After hepatic resection, delayed flatus and impaired bowel movement often cause problematic postoperative ileus. Kampo medicine, Dai-kenchu-to (DKT), is reported to have a various beneficial effects on bowel systems. The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate effects of DKT after hepatic resection. Thirty-two patients who underwent hepatic resection between July 2007 and August 2008 in Tokushima University Hospital were prospectively divided into DKT group (n=16) and control group (n=16). In DKT group, 2.5 g of DKT was administered orally three times a day from postoperative day (POD) 1. Blood was examined on POD 1, 3, 5 and 7. Postoperative first flatus, bowel movement and full recovery of oral intake, hospital stays and complications were checked. In DKT group, levels of c-reactive protein and beta-(1-3)-D-glucan on POD 3 were significantly decreased (pDKT group (pDKT suppressed inflammatory reaction, stimulated bowel movement and improved oral intake after hepatic resection, which may decrease serious morbidity after hepatic resection.

Continuing {sup 137}Cs release to the sea from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant through 2012

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kanda, J. [Tokyo Univ. of Marine Science and Technology (Japan). Dept. of Ocean Sciences

2013-07-01

The rate of cesium-137 ({sup 137}Cs) release to the sea from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant for the period until September 2012 was estimated. Publicly released data on {sup 137}Cs radioactivity in seawater near the power plant by Tokyo Electric Power Company strongly suggest a continuing release of radionuclides to the sea. The plant has an artificial harbour facility, and the exchange rate of harbour water with surrounding seawater was estimated by the decrease in radioactivity immediately after an intense radioactive water release. The estimated exchange rate of water in the harbour was 0.44 d{sup -1} during the period from 6 to 19 April. The {sup 137}Cs radioactivity in the harbour water was substantially higher than that of seawater outside and remained relatively stable after June 2011. A quasi-steady state was assumed with continuous water exchange, and the average release rate of {sup 137}Cs was estimated to be 93 GBq d{sup -1} in summer 2011 and 8.1 GBq d{sup -1} in summer 2012.

Wearable Sensor-Based Human Activity Recognition Method with Multi-Features Extracted from Hilbert-Huang Transform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huile Xu

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Wearable sensors-based human activity recognition introduces many useful applications and services in health care, rehabilitation training, elderly monitoring and many other areas of human interaction. Existing works in this field mainly focus on recognizing activities by using traditional features extracted from Fourier transform (FT or wavelet transform (WT. However, these signal processing approaches are suitable for a linear signal but not for a nonlinear signal. In this paper, we investigate the characteristics of the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT for dealing with activity data with properties such as nonlinearity and non-stationarity. A multi-features extraction method based on HHT is then proposed to improve the effect of activity recognition. The extracted multi-features include instantaneous amplitude (IA and instantaneous frequency (IF by means of empirical mode decomposition (EMD, as well as instantaneous energy density (IE and marginal spectrum (MS derived from Hilbert spectral analysis. Experimental studies are performed to verify the proposed approach by using the PAMAP2 dataset from the University of California, Irvine for wearable sensors-based activity recognition. Moreover, the effect of combining multi-features vs. a single-feature are investigated and discussed in the scenario of a dependent subject. The experimental results show that multi-features combination can further improve the performance measures. Finally, we test the effect of multi-features combination in the scenario of an independent subject. Our experimental results show that we achieve four performance indexes: recall, precision, F-measure, and accuracy to 0.9337, 0.9417, 0.9353, and 0.9377 respectively, which are all better than the achievements of related works.

Rapid binge-like eating and body weight gain driven by zona incerta GABA neuron activation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiaobing; van den Pol, Anthony N

2017-05-26

The neuronal substrate for binge eating, which can at times lead to obesity, is not clear. We find that optogenetic stimulation of mouse zona incerta (ZI) γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons or their axonal projections to paraventricular thalamus (PVT) excitatory neurons immediately (in 2 to 3 seconds) evoked binge-like eating. Minimal intermittent stimulation led to body weight gain; ZI GABA neuron ablation reduced weight. ZI stimulation generated 35% of normal 24-hour food intake in just 10 minutes. The ZI cells were excited by food deprivation and the gut hunger signal ghrelin. In contrast, stimulation of excitatory axons from the parasubthalamic nucleus to PVT or direct stimulation of PVT glutamate neurons reduced food intake. These data suggest an unexpected robust orexigenic potential for the ZI GABA neurons. Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Time series changes in radiocaesium distribution in tea plants (Camellia sinensis (L.)) after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirono, Yuhei; Nonaka, Kunihiko

2016-01-01

Radiocaesium ( 134 Cs and 137 Cs) release following the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant, belonging to the Tokyo Electric Power Company caused severe contamination of new tea plant (Camellia sinensis (L.)) shoots by radiocaesium in many prefectures in eastern Japan. Because tea plants are perennial crops, there is the fear that the contamination might last for a long time. The objectives of this study were to reveal time series changes in the distribution of radiocaesium in tea plants after radioactive fallout and to evaluate the effect of pruning on reduction of radiocaesium concentrations in new shoots growing next year. The experimental tea field was located in Shizuoka, Japan, approximately 400 km away from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant in a southwest direction. Time series changes in radiocaesium concentrations in unrefined tea, a tea product primarily produced for making Japanese green tea, from May 2011 to June 2013 and distribution of radiocaesium in tea plants from May 2011 to May 2012 were monitored. The radiocaesium concentrations in unrefined tea exponentially decreased; the effective half-lives for 134 Cs and 137 Cs were 0.30 and 0.36 y during the first 2 y after the accident, respectively. With time, the highest concentrations of 137 Cs moved from the upper to the lower parts of plants. Medium pruning 2–3 months after the accident reduced the concentration of 137 Cs in new shoots harvested in the first crop season of the following year by 56% compared with unpruned tea plants; thus, pruning is an effective measure for reducing radiocaesium concentration in tea. - Highlights: • Effective half-life of 137 Cs for first 2 y in new shoots of tea plants is 0.36 y. • Effective half-life of 134 Cs for first 2 y in new shoots of tea plants is 0.30 y. • 81% of radiocaesium existed in foliar layer and branches in 3 months after fallout. • High radiocaesium activity moved from upper to lower parts of tea plants

Feature Extraction and Classification of EHG between Pregnancy and Labour Group Using Hilbert-Huang Transform and Extreme Learning Machine

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Lili Chen

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Preterm birth (PTB is the leading cause of perinatal mortality and long-term morbidity, which results in significant health and economic problems. The early detection of PTB has great significance for its prevention. The electrohysterogram (EHG related to uterine contraction is a noninvasive, real-time, and automatic novel technology which can be used to detect, diagnose, or predict PTB. This paper presents a method for feature extraction and classification of EHG between pregnancy and labour group, based on Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT and extreme learning machine (ELM. For each sample, each channel was decomposed into a set of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs using empirical mode decomposition (EMD. Then, the Hilbert transform was applied to IMF to obtain analytic function. The maximum amplitude of analytic function was extracted as feature. The identification model was constructed based on ELM. Experimental results reveal that the best classification performance of the proposed method can reach an accuracy of 88.00%, a sensitivity of 91.30%, and a specificity of 85.19%. The area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC curve is 0.88. Finally, experimental results indicate that the method developed in this work could be effective in the classification of EHG between pregnancy and labour group.

Comparison between Hilbert-Huang transform and scalogram methods on non-stationary biomedical signals: application to laser Doppler flowmetry recordings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roulier, Remy; Humeau, Anne; Flatley, Thomas P; Abraham, Pierre

2005-01-01

A significant transient increase in laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) signals is observed in response to a local and progressive cutaneous pressure application on healthy subjects. This reflex may be impaired in diabetic patients. The work presents a comparison between two signal processing methods that provide a clarification of this phenomenon. Analyses by the scalogram and the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) of LDF signals recorded at rest and during a local and progressive cutaneous pressure application are performed on healthy and type 1 diabetic subjects. Three frequency bands, corresponding to myogenic, neurogenic and endothelial related metabolic activities, are studied at different time intervals in order to take into account the dynamics of the phenomenon. The results show that both the scalogram and the HHT methods lead to the same conclusions concerning the comparisons of the myogenic, neurogenic and endothelial related metabolic activities-during the progressive pressure and at rest-in healthy and diabetic subjects. However, the HHT shows more details that may be obscured by the scalogram. Indeed, the non-locally adaptative limitations of the scalogram can remove some definition from the data. These results may improve knowledge on the above-mentioned reflex as well as on non-stationary biomedical signal processing methods

Feature Extraction and Classification of EHG between Pregnancy and Labour Group Using Hilbert-Huang Transform and Extreme Learning Machine.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Lili; Hao, Yaru

2017-01-01

Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of perinatal mortality and long-term morbidity, which results in significant health and economic problems. The early detection of PTB has great significance for its prevention. The electrohysterogram (EHG) related to uterine contraction is a noninvasive, real-time, and automatic novel technology which can be used to detect, diagnose, or predict PTB. This paper presents a method for feature extraction and classification of EHG between pregnancy and labour group, based on Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) and extreme learning machine (ELM). For each sample, each channel was decomposed into a set of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) using empirical mode decomposition (EMD). Then, the Hilbert transform was applied to IMF to obtain analytic function. The maximum amplitude of analytic function was extracted as feature. The identification model was constructed based on ELM. Experimental results reveal that the best classification performance of the proposed method can reach an accuracy of 88.00%, a sensitivity of 91.30%, and a specificity of 85.19%. The area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve is 0.88. Finally, experimental results indicate that the method developed in this work could be effective in the classification of EHG between pregnancy and labour group.

A time-frequency analysis method to obtain stable estimates of magnetotelluric response function based on Hilbert-Huang transform

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Jianhua

2017-05-01

The time-frequency analysis method represents signal as a function of time and frequency, and it is considered a powerful tool for handling arbitrary non-stationary time series by using instantaneous frequency and instantaneous amplitude. It also provides a possible alternative to the analysis of the non-stationary magnetotelluric (MT) signal. Based on the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT), a time-frequency analysis method is proposed to obtain stable estimates of the magnetotelluric response function. In contrast to conventional methods, the response function estimation is performed in the time-frequency domain using instantaneous spectra rather than in the frequency domain, which allows for imaging the response parameter content as a function of time and frequency. The theory of the method is presented and the mathematical model and calculation procedure, which are used to estimate response function based on HHT time-frequency spectrum, are discussed. To evaluate the results, response function estimates are compared with estimates from a standard MT data processing method based on the Fourier transform. All results show that apparent resistivities and phases, which are calculated from the HHT time-frequency method, are generally more stable and reliable than those determined from the simple Fourier analysis. The proposed method overcomes the drawbacks of the traditional Fourier methods, and the resulting parameter minimises the estimation bias caused by the non-stationary characteristics of the MT data.

Nuclear health and safety. Status of GAO's environmental, safety, and health recommendations to DOE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

England-Joseph, Judy; Bannerman, Carl J.; Fenzel, William F.; Brack, David L.; Harter, Frederick A.

1990-04-01

DOE's operations are carried out at many contractor-operated sites around the country, including major sites within the nuclear weapons complex that are involved in the production of nuclear material for weapons and naval fuel. At these sites DOE contractors routinely use and generate large quantities of a wide range of hazardous and radioactive materials. Because these materials require special handling by workers. Also pursuant to Mar. 15, 1989, request, we provided you a report entitled Nuclear Health and Safety: Need for Improved Responsiveness to Problems at DOE Sites (GAO/RCED-90-101, Mar. 28, 1990). to prevent exposure to themselves or releases into the environment, DOE's weapons complex, considered in its entirety, is among the potentially more dangerous industrial operations in the world. Over the last decade, at the request of the Congress, we have carried out a series of assessments and evaluations of various aspects of the complex. In over 60 reports and testimonies published since 1990, we have called attention to the mounting problems facing DOE's nuclear weapons complex. This body of work includes (1) identifying serious, costly, and widespread environmental, safety, and health problems at DOE facilities, (2) calling for outside independent oversight of DOE's nuclear operations, and (3) making recommendations to DOE to strengthen its oversight, providing more detailed information and plans to the Congress, and improving its management and accounting practices. In total, our reports and testimonies have included 54 recommendations to DOE, in addition to recommendations to the Congress, concerning environmental, safety, and health matters at the complex. We consider 23 of the 54 recommendations to be still open. The open recommendations call for improvements such as tighter program controls and clearer standards and policies related to environmental, safety, and health matters

The long-term use of zygomatic implants: a 10-year clinical and radiographic report.

Science.gov (United States)

Aparicio, Carlos; Manresa, Carolina; Francisco, Karen; Ouazzani, Wafaa; Claros, Pedro; Potau, Josep M; Aparicio, Arnau

2014-06-01

The zygoma implant has been an effective option in the short-term management of the atrophic edentulous maxilla. To report on long-term outcomes in the rehabilitation of the atrophic maxilla using zygomatic (ZI) and regular implants (RI). 22 consecutive zygomatic patients in a maintenance program were included. Cumulative survival rate (CSR) of ZI, RI, prostheses, and complications were recorded during, at least, 10 years of loading. Implant mobility was tested using Periotest(®). Sinus health was radiographically and clinically assessed according to Lund-Mackay (L-M) score and Lanza and Kennedy survey, respectively. A satisfaction questionnaire and anatomical measurements were also performed. Patients received 22 prostheses, anchored on 172 implants. Forty-one were ZI. Three RI failed (10 years CSR = 97.71%). Two ZI were partly removed due to perimplant infection (10 years CSR = 95.12%). All patients maintained functional prostheses. One patient fractured framework twice. Loosening or fracturing screws happened in 11 patients. Seven patients fractured occlusal material. Four ZI abutments in two patients were disconnected because of uncomfortable prostheses. Alveolar height at the ZI head level on the right and left sides was 2.64 mm and 2.25 mm, respectively. Mean distance of ZI head center to ridge center, on the right and left sides was 4.54 mm and 5.67 mm, respectively. Mean Periotest values (PTv) of ZI were -4.375 PTv and -4.941 PTv before prostheses placement and after 10 years, respectively. Six patients experienced sinusitis 14-127 months postoperatively. 54.55% of the L-M scores did not present opacification (L-M = 0) in any sinus. Osteomeatal obstruction happened in eight patients (two bilateral). Two (9.09%) were diagnosed with sinusitis. Eighty-four percent reported satisfaction levels above 80%. 31.81% reported maximum satisfaction score (100%). The long-term rehabilitation of the severely atrophic maxillae using ZI is a predictable procedure. © 2012

Luteolin decreases invasiveness, deactivates STAT3 signaling, and reverses interleukin-6 induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition and matrix metalloproteinase secretion of pancreatic cancer cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huang XC

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Xince Huang,1 Shengjie Dai,1 Juji Dai,1 Yuwu Xiao,1 Yongyu Bai,1 Bicheng Chen,1,2 Mengtao Zhou1 1Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Zhejiang Provincial Top Key Discipline in Surgery, Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Surgery, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, People’s Republic of China Abstract: Luteolin, a flavone, has been shown to exhibit anticancer properties. Here, we investigated whether luteolin affects epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT and invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cell lines and their underlying mechanism. Pancreatic cancer cell lines PANC-1 and SW1990 were used in our study, and their EMT characters, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP expression level, invasiveness, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3 activity were determined after luteolin treatment. We also treated pancreatic cancer cells with interleukin-6 (IL-6 to see whether IL-6-induced activation of STAT3, EMT, and MMP secretion was affected by luteolin. We found that luteolin inhibits EMT and MMP2, MMP7, and MMP9 expression in a dose-dependent manner, similar to STAT3 signaling. Through Transwell assay, we found that invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cells was inhibited by luteolin. EMT characters and MMP secretion increase with STAT3 activity after IL-6 treatment and these effects, caused by IL-6, were inhibited by luteolin. We concluded that luteolin inhibits invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cells, and we speculated that luteolin inhibits EMT and MMP secretion likely through deactivation of STAT3 signaling. Luteolin has potential antitumor effects and merits further investigation. Keywords: epithelial–mesenchymal transition, matrix metalloproteinase, luteolin, STAT3

Synthesis of the available information about the radioactive contamination of the Japanese terrestrial environment caused by the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident - May 25, 2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

The French institute of radiation protection and nuclear safety (IRSN) collects and analyses regularly the published data concerning the contamination of the Japanese terrestrial environment caused by the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant accident. This synthesis presents a status of the data recently obtained since the previous similar note of April 12. The note presents a mapping of 137 Cs and 134 Cs cumulated deposits in a 80 km area around the damaged power plant, an estimation of the cumulated atmospheric precipitations during March 15-16 night, the evolution of the gamma dose rates in the ambient air of several towns of the Fukushima district, the evolution of the 134 Cs+ 137 Cs and 131 I contamination of agriculture food products and of surface and drinking waters. (J.S.)

Overall skin tone and skin-lightening-improving effects with oral supplementation of lutein and zeaxanthin isomers: a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juturu V

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Vijaya Juturu,1 James P Bowman,2 Jayant Deshpande1 1Department of Scientific and Clinical Affairs, OmniActive Health Technologies Inc., Morristown, NJ, 2James P Bowman & Associates LLC, Loveland, OH, USA Purpose: Carotenoids, especially lutein and zeaxanthin isomers (L/Zi, filter blue light and protect skin from environmental factors including high-energy sources. These carotenoids may be able to block the formation of melanin pathways, decrease cytokines, and increase antioxidants.Subjects and methods: This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial over a 12-week supplementation period. Fifty healthy people (50 healthy subjects were recruited and 46 subjects completed the study (males and females, age: 18–45 years with mild-to-moderate dry skin were included in this study. Skin type of the subjects was classified as Fitzpatrick skin type II–IV scale. Subjects were administered with either an oral dietary supplement containing 10 mg lutein (L and 2 mg zeaxanthin isomers (Zi (L/Zi: RR-zeaxanthin and RS (meso-zeaxanthin or a placebo daily for 12 weeks. The minimal erythemal dose and skin lightening (L* were measured via the Chromameter®. The individual typological angle was calculated. Subjective assessments were also recorded.Results: Overall skin tone was significantly improved in the L/Zi group compared to placebo (P<0.0237, and luminance (L* values were significantly increased in the L/Zi group. Mean minimal erythemal dose was increased with L/Zi supplementation after 12 weeks of supplementation. L/Zi supplementation significantly increased the individual typological angle.Conclusion: L/Zi supplementation lightens and improves skin conditions. Keywords: lutein, zeaxanthin isomers, skin lightening, minimal erythemal dose, individual typological angle, overall skin tone

Efficiency of herbal medicine Dai-kenchu-to on portal blood flow in rat models.

Science.gov (United States)

Muraoka, Izumi; Takatsuki, Mitsuhisa; Soyama, Akihiko; Yamaguchi, Izumi; Tanaka, Shiro; Tanaka, Takayuki; Kinoshita, Ayaka; Hara, Takanobu; Kuroki, Tamotsu; Eguchi, Susumu

2015-09-01

To clarify the influence of Dai-Kenchu-To (DKT) on portal blood flow (PBF), PBF was continuously measured with Doppler ultrasound. Normal liver rats were divided into a DKT 90 mg/kg, DKT 270 mg/kg administered group, and control, while cirrhotic liver rats were divided into a DKT-LC 90 mg/kg administered group and Control-LC. The PBF was measured after the administration of either DKT or water for 60 min by laser Doppler flowmetry system. The PBF in the DKT 90 increased approximately 10 min after DKT was administrated, and elevated levels were maintained for approximately 10 min. A comparison of the increase in PBF by the calculating the area under the curve (AUC) revealed that flow was significantly higher in the DKT 90 compared to either the control or the DKT 270 (p DKT-LC and Control-LC. The AUC, revealed no significant difference between the DKT-LC and Control-LC. DKT induced an increase in PBF in normal livers; however, its effects were insufficient to increase PBF in the cirrhotic livers. No increase in the portal blood flow in the cirrhotic liver rats was probably the result of the cirrhotic liver, which had fibrotic change, and, therefore, may not have had sufficient compliance to accept the increasing blood flow volume from the intestinal tract. We suggested DKT has the potential to protect the liver by increasing PBF when the liver has either normal or mild to moderate dysfunction.

Modeling and analysis of mobility management in mobile communication networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Baek, Woon Min; Yoon, Ji Hyun; Kim, Chesoong

2014-01-01

Many strategies have been proposed to reduce the mobility management cost in mobile communication networks. This paper studies the zone-based registration methods that have been adopted by most mobile communication networks. We focus on two special zone-based registration methods, called two-zone registration (2Z) and two-zone registration with implicit registration by outgoing calls (2Zi). We provide a new mathematical model to analyze the exact performance of 2Z and 2Zi. We also present various numerical results, to compare the performance of 2Zi with those of 2Z and one-zone registration (1Z), and show that 2Zi is superior to 2Z as well as 1Z in most cases.

Chemical profiling approach to evaluate the influence of traditional and simplified decoction methods on the holistic quality of Da-Huang-Xiao-Shi decoction using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detection and time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Xuemei; Zhang, Qianying; Feng, Fang

2016-04-01

Da-Huang-Xiao-Shi decoction, consisting of Rheum officinale Baill, Mirabilitum, Phellodendron amurense Rupr. and Gardenia jasminoides Ellis, is a traditional Chinese medicine used for the treatment of jaundice. As described in "Jin Kui Yao Lue", a traditional multistep decoction of Da-Huang-Xiao-Shi decoction was required while simplified one-step decoction was used in recent repsorts. To investigate the chemical difference between the decoctions obtained by the traditional and simplified preparations, a sensitive and reliable approach of high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detection and electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry was established. As a result, a total of 105 compounds were detected and identified. Analysis of the chromatogram profiles of the two decoctions showed that many compounds in the decoction of simplified preparation had changed obviously compared with those in traditional preparation. The changes of constituents would be bound to cause the differences in the therapeutic effects of the two decoctions. The present study demonstrated that certain preparation methods significantly affect the holistic quality of traditional Chinese medicines and the use of a suitable preparation method is crucial for these medicines to produce special clinical curative effect. This research results elucidated the scientific basis of traditional preparation methods in Chinese medicines. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The economics of nuclear decontamination: assessing policy options for the management of land around Fukushima dai-ichi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Munro, Alistair

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Assesses land management options after the Fukushima accident. • Builds a model for exploring intervention and decontaminations options in areas affected by radioactive contamination. • Findings suggest delaying decontamination efforts by 3–10 years is optimal with a central figure of 8.75 years. • Results are sensitive to estimates of the benefits of resettlement. • Poor state of knowledge about some variables that are key for policy actions, such as psychological benefits and costs of resettlement. -- Abstract: In the light of the Japanese government's intensive efforts to decontaminate areas affected by radioactive Caesium from Fukushima dai-ichi nuclear power plant, I create a framework for assessing the merits of management options. In particular I consider delayed intervention as a possible policy. Delay can be optimal because allowing the natural decay of radiation can lower significantly the costs of achieving targets for exposure. Using some benchmark data for Japan I estimate that optimal delay is positive for most reasonable parameter values. Optimal delay generally lies in the range of 3–10 years with a central figure of 8.8 years. There is however considerable uncertainty over some of the key parameter values, particularly with regard to the behaviour of currently evacuated inhabitants

Investigation of radionuclide distribution using aircraft for surrounding environmental survey from Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torii, Tatsuo; Sanada, Yukihisa; Shikaze, Yoshiaki; Takahashi, Masaki; Ishida, Mutsushi; Nishizawa, Yukiyasu; Urabe, Yoshimi; Sugita, Takeshi; Kondo, Atsuya

2012-12-01

We carried out aerial radiation monitoring (ARM) of all Japan area in order to investigate the influence of the radio cesium which was emitted into the atmosphere by disaster of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant of Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. AMS can measure a gamma ray quickly by flight from 300 m height above the ground. Moreover, ARM has an advantage which can grasp self-possessed quantity distribution of an air dose rate and radioactive cesium in f ield , and is visually intelligible. Although there were apparatus and the technique of ARM in our country, sufficient preparations for wide area monitoring were not made. Therefore, it fixed based on the method of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) about the method of the conversion to all radiation dose, and the conversion method to radiocesium deposition and the method of mapping. It is possible to discriminate from a background (cosmic-ray, self-contamination and natural nuclides) at the time of western-part-of-Japan measurement by improving of the method in parallel to data acquisition. By this monitoring, it was able to check about the distribution situation of the air dose rate of the Japanese whole region, or the radioactive cesium deposition. Here, the measurement technique and a result are described. (author)

Analysis and Recognition of Traditional Chinese Medicine Pulse Based on the Hilbert-Huang Transform and Random Forest in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease

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Rui Guo

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. This research provides objective and quantitative parameters of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM pulse conditions for distinguishing between patients with the coronary heart disease (CHD and normal people by using the proposed classification approach based on Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT and random forest. Methods. The energy and the sample entropy features were extracted by applying the HHT to TCM pulse by treating these pulse signals as time series. By using the random forest classifier, the extracted two types of features and their combination were, respectively, used as input data to establish classification model. Results. Statistical results showed that there were significant differences in the pulse energy and sample entropy between the CHD group and the normal group. Moreover, the energy features, sample entropy features, and their combination were inputted as pulse feature vectors; the corresponding average recognition rates were 84%, 76.35%, and 90.21%, respectively. Conclusion. The proposed approach could be appropriately used to analyze pulses of patients with CHD, which can lay a foundation for research on objective and quantitative criteria on disease diagnosis or Zheng differentiation.

Analysis and Recognition of Traditional Chinese Medicine Pulse Based on the Hilbert-Huang Transform and Random Forest in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yiqin; Yan, Hanxia; Yan, Jianjun; Yuan, Fengyin; Xu, Zhaoxia; Liu, Guoping; Xu, Wenjie

2015-01-01

Objective. This research provides objective and quantitative parameters of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pulse conditions for distinguishing between patients with the coronary heart disease (CHD) and normal people by using the proposed classification approach based on Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) and random forest. Methods. The energy and the sample entropy features were extracted by applying the HHT to TCM pulse by treating these pulse signals as time series. By using the random forest classifier, the extracted two types of features and their combination were, respectively, used as input data to establish classification model. Results. Statistical results showed that there were significant differences in the pulse energy and sample entropy between the CHD group and the normal group. Moreover, the energy features, sample entropy features, and their combination were inputted as pulse feature vectors; the corresponding average recognition rates were 84%, 76.35%, and 90.21%, respectively. Conclusion. The proposed approach could be appropriately used to analyze pulses of patients with CHD, which can lay a foundation for research on objective and quantitative criteria on disease diagnosis or Zheng differentiation. PMID:26180536

Compositions, Formation Mechanism, and Neuroprotective Effect of Compound Precipitation from the Traditional Chinese Prescription Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang

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Chenze Zhang

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Compounds in the form of precipitation (CFP are universally formed during the decocting of Chinese prescriptions, such as Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang (HLJDT. The formation rate of HLJDT CFP even reached 2.63% ± 0.20%. The identification by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MSn proved that the main chemical substances of HLJDT CFP are baicalin and berberine, which is coincident with the theory that the CFP might derive from interaction between acidic and basic compounds. To investigate the formation mechanism of HLJDT CFP, baicalin and berberine were selected to synthesize a simulated precipitation and then the baicalin–berberine complex was obtained. Results indicated that the melting point of the complex interposed between baicalin and berberine, and the UV absorption, was different from the mother material. In addition, 1H-NMR integral and high-resolution mass spectroscopy (HR-MS can validate that the binding ratio was 1:1. Compared with baicalin, the chemical shifts of H and C on glucuronide had undergone significant changes by 1H-, 13C-NMR, which proved that electron transfer occurred between the carboxylic proton and the lone pair of electrons on the N atom. Both HLJDT CFP and the baicalin–berberine complex showed protective effects against cobalt chloride-induced neurotoxicity in differentiated PC12 cells. It is a novel idea, studying the material foundation of CFP in Chinese prescriptions.

A simple extension of “An alternative approach to sea surface aerodynamic roughness” by Zhiqiu Gao, Qing Wang, and Shouping Wang

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Zhiqiu; Wang, Linlin; Bi, Xueyan; Song, Qingtao; Gao, Yuchao

2012-08-01

Based on the data previously collected during the Humidity Exchange over the Sea Main Experiment (HEXMAX), the methods used to parameterize aerodynamic roughness (z0), friction velocity (u*), and the neutral drag coefficient (CDN) under moderate wind speed conditions originally proposed by Gao et al. (2006) were extended by using the nondimensional significant wave height (gHs/u*2 or gHs/U10N2) instead of wave age (cp/u* or cp/U10N), where g is the acceleration of gravity, Hs is the significant wave height, U10Nis the horizontal wind speed at 10-m height under the neutral atmospheric condition, andcp is the phase velocity of the peak wave spectrum. The results show (1) u* = 0.024U10N(gHs/U10N2)-1/4, (2) z0 = 10 × exp[-4.797(gHs/u*2)1/6] or z0 = 10 × exp[-16.613(gHs/U10N2)1/4], and (3) CDN = 0.007(gHs/u*2)-1/3 or CDN = 5.76 × 10-4(gHs/U10N2)-1/2. The present parameterization schemes were experimentally tested.

Extending the Applicability of the Generalized Likelihood Function for Zero-Inflated Data Series

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira, Debora Y.; Chaffe, Pedro L. B.; Sá, João. H. M.

2018-03-01

Proper uncertainty estimation for data series with a high proportion of zero and near zero observations has been a challenge in hydrologic studies. This technical note proposes a modification to the Generalized Likelihood function that accounts for zero inflation of the error distribution (ZI-GL). We compare the performance of the proposed ZI-GL with the original Generalized Likelihood function using the entire data series (GL) and by simply suppressing zero observations (GLy>0). These approaches were applied to two interception modeling examples characterized by data series with a significant number of zeros. The ZI-GL produced better uncertainty ranges than the GL as measured by the precision, reliability and volumetric bias metrics. The comparison between ZI-GL and GLy>0 highlights the need for further improvement in the treatment of residuals from near zero simulations when a linear heteroscedastic error model is considered. Aside from the interception modeling examples illustrated herein, the proposed ZI-GL may be useful for other hydrologic studies, such as for the modeling of the runoff generation in hillslopes and ephemeral catchments.

Dai-Kenchu-To, a Herbal Medicine, Attenuates Colorectal Distention-induced Visceromotor Responses in Rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakaya, Kumi; Nagura, Yohko; Hasegawa, Ryoko; Ito, Hitomi; Fukudo, Shin

2016-10-30

Dai-kenchu-to (DKT), a traditional Japanese herbal medicine, is known to increase gastrointestinal motility and improve ileal function. We tested our hypotheses that (1) pretreatment with DKT would block the colorectal distention-induced visceromotor response in rats, and (2) pretreatment with DKT would attenuate colorectal distention-induced adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) release and anxiety-related behavior. Rats were pretreated with vehicle or DKT (300 mg/kg/5 mL, per os). Visceromotor responses were analyzed using electromyography in response to colorectal distention (10, 20, 40, 60, and 80 mmHg for 20 seconds at 3-minutes intervals). Anxiety-related behavior was measured during exposure to an elevated-plus maze after colorectal distention. Plasma ACTH and serum corticosterone levels were measured after exposure to the elevated-plus maze. Colorectal distention produced robust contractions of the abdominal musculature, graded according to stimulus intensity, in vehicle-treated rats. At 40, 60, and 80 mmHg of colorectal distention, the visceromotor responses of DKT-treated rats was significantly lower than that of vehicle-treated rats. At 80 mmHg, the amplitude was suppressed to approximately one-third in DKT-treated rats, compared with that in vehicle-treated rats. Smooth muscle compliance and the velocity of accommodation to 60 mmHg of stretching did not significantly differ between the vehicle-treated and DKT-treated rats. Similarly, the DKT did not influence colorectal distention-induced ACTH release, corticosterone levels, or anxiety-related behavior in rats. Our results suggest that DKT attenuates the colorectal distention-induced visceromotor responses, without increasing smooth muscle compliance, ACTH release or anxiety-related behavior in rats.

Evaluation of nano-technology-modified zirconia oral implants: a study in rabbits.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jaebum; Sieweke, Janet H; Rodriguez, Nancy A; Schüpbach, Peter; Lindström, Håkan; Susin, Cristiano; Wikesjö, Ulf M E

2009-07-01

The objective of this study was to screen candidate nano-technology-modified, micro-structured zirconia implant surfaces relative to local bone formation and osseointegration. Proprietary nano-technology surface-modified (calcium phosphate: CaP) micro-structured zirconia implants (A and C), control micro-structured zirconia implants (ZiUnite), and titanium porous oxide implants (TiUnite) were implanted into the femoral condyle in 40 adult male New Zealand White rabbits. Each animal received one implant in each hind leg; thus, 20 animals received A and C implants and 20 animals received ZiUnite and TiUnite implants in contralateral hind legs. Ten animals/group were euthanized at weeks 3 and 6 when biopsies of the implant sites were processed for histometric analysis using digital photomicrographs produced using backscatter scanning electron microscopy. The TiUnite surface demonstrated significantly greater bone-implant contact (BIC) (77.6+/-2.6%) compared with the A (64.6+/-3.6%) and C (62.2+/-3.1%) surfaces at 3 weeks (p0.05). Similarly, there were non-significant differences between the TiUnite and the ZiUnite surfaces (p>0.05). At 6 weeks, there were no significant differences in BIC between the TiUnite (67.1+/-4.2%), ZiUnite (69.7+/-5.7%), A (68.6+/-1.9%), and C (64.5+/-4.1%) surfaces (p>0.05). TiUnite and ZiUnite implant surfaces exhibit high levels of osseointegration that, in this model, confirm their advanced osteoconductive properties. Addition of CaP nano-technology to the ZiUnite surface does not enhance the already advanced osteoconductivity displayed by the TiUnite and ZiUnite implant surfaces.

Synthesis of the available information about the radioactive contamination of the Japanese terrestrial environment caused by the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident - September 27, 2011; Synthese des informations disponibles sur la contamination radioactive de l'environnement terrestre japonais provoquee par l'accident de Fukushima Dai-ichi. 27 septembre 2011

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-09-27

The French institute of radiation protection and nuclear safety (IRSN) collects and analyses regularly the published data concerning the contamination of the Japanese terrestrial environment caused by the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant accident. This synthesis presents a status of the data recently obtained since the previous similar notes of April 12, May 25 and July 13. The note presents the detailed activity analysis of several surface soil samples, a mapping of {sup 137}Cs, {sup 134}Cs and {sup 131}I activities with the spatial distribution of samplings in the 20, 30, 80 and 100 km areas around the damaged power plant, the contamination of agriculture food products and a focus on some vegetable products showing a significant contamination, like tea leaves, 'yuzu' fruits, figs and rice. Some other products, like meat, fungi and some milk products show cesium contamination levels above the Japanese standards while cesium and iodine are no longer detected in drinking water. (J.S.)

Radiocesium contamination of the moss Hypnum plumaeforme caused by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

Science.gov (United States)

Oguri, Emiko; Deguchi, Hironori

2018-03-07

We investigated 134 Cs and 137 Cs activity concentrations in the common Japanese moss species Hypnum plumaeforme collected from 32 sites within ca. 100 km radius of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. A total of 32 samples of H. plumaeforme were collected during the field surveys from November 2013 to September 2014. The maximum radiocesium activity concentrations in H. plumaeforme were 60.9 ± 1.8 kBq kg -1 for 134 Cs and 123 ± 2.3 kBq kg -1 for 137 Cs. The mean value for the 134 Cs/ 137 Cs was 1.17 ± 0.05, and the mean T ag value was 0.09 ± 0.13. Positive correlations were obtained between total 134 Cs + 137 Cs activity concentrations in H. plumaeforme and the air dose rate with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.55 (P = 0.001), and between 137 Cs activity concentration in H. plumaeforme and 137 Cs deposition density on soil with r of 0.55 (P = 0.001). These results suggest that the perennial moss species H. plumaeforme could be more suitable and useful as a qualitative indicator for the radiocesium pollution compared to vascular plants spreading over the lowlands including human habitation in Fukushima Prefecture. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Spatiotemporal Variation and Abrupt Change Analysis of Temperature from 1960 to 2012 in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, China

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Yanyu Yin

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Based on a monthly dataset of temperature time series (1960–2012 in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China (HHHPC, spatiotemporal variation and abrupt change analysis of temperature were examined by moving average, linear regression, spline interpolation, Mann-Kendall test, and moving t-test. Major conclusions were listed as follows. (1 Annual and seasonal temperature increased with different rates on the process of fluctuating changes during 1960~2012. The upward trend was 0.22°C 10a−1 for annual temperature, while it was very significant in winter (0.34°C 10a−1 and spring (0.31°C 10a−1, moderately significant in autumn (0.21°C 10a−1, and nonsignificant in summer (0.05°C 10a−1. (2 The spatial changes of annual and seasonal temperature were similar. The temperature increased significantly in Beijing and its adjacent regions, while it was nonsignificant in the central and southern regions. (3 The spring, autumn, winter, and annual temperature had warm abrupt change. The abrupt change time for winter temperature was in the late 1970s, while it was in the late 1980s and early 1990s for spring, autumn, and annual temperature. (4 Macroscopic effects of global and regional climate warming and human activities were probably responsible for the temperature changes. The climate warming would influence the hydrological cycle and agricultural crops in the study area.

Atmospheric discharge and dispersion of radionuclides during the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Part I: Source term estimation and local-scale atmospheric dispersion in early phase of the accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katata, Genki; Ota, Masakazu; Terada, Hiroaki; Chino, Masamichi; Nagai, Haruyasu

2012-01-01

The atmospheric release of 131 I and 137 Cs in the early phase of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP1) accident from March 12 to 14, 2011 was estimated by combining environmental data with atmospheric dispersion simulations under the assumption of a unit release rate (1 Bq h −1 ). For the simulation, WSPEEDI-II computer-based nuclear emergency response system was used. Major releases of 131 I (>10 15 Bq h −1 ) were estimated when air dose rates increased in FNPP1 during the afternoon on March 12 after the hydrogen explosion of Unit 1 and late at night on March 14. The high-concentration plumes discharged during these periods flowed to the northwest and south–southwest directions of FNPP1, respectively. These plumes caused a large amount of dry deposition on the ground surface along their routes. Overall, the spatial pattern of 137 Cs and the increases in the air dose rates observed at the monitoring posts around FNPP1 were reproduced by WSPEEDI-II using estimated release rates. The simulation indicated that air dose rates significantly increased in the south–southwest region of FNPP1 by dry deposition of the high-concentration plume discharged from the night of March 14 to the morning of March 15. - Highlights: ► Source term during the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident was estimated. ► Atmospheric dispersion simulation was carried out for estimation. ► Major releases were estimated in the afternoon on March 12 and the night on March 14. ► Air dose rate increased due to dry deposition during the night of March 14.

Raamat sõja seadustest / Linnart Mäll

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Mäll, Linnart

2001-01-01

Vana-Hiina sõjateoreetikute Sun Zi ja Sun Bini raamatust: Sun, Zi ; Sun, Bin. Sõja seadused / klassikalisest hiina keelest tõlkinud ja kommenteerinud Märt Läänemets. Tln. : Eesti Keele Sihtasutus, 2001. (Sõjandusvaramu. Klassika)

Metabolic activity of uncultivated magnetotactic bacteria revealed by NanoSIMS

Science.gov (United States)

He, M.; Zhang, W.; Gu, L.; Pan, Y.; Lin, W.

2017-12-01

Microorganisms that exhibit magnetotaxis behavior, collectively known as the magnetotactic bacteria (MTB), are those whose motility is influenced by the Earth's magnetic field. MTB are a physiologically diverse group of bacteria with a unique feature of intracellular biomineralization of magnetosomes (Fe3O4 and/or Fe3S4) (Bazylinski et al., 2013). However, the ecophysiology of uncultivated MTB, especially those within the Nitrospirae phylum forming hundreds of bullet-shaped magnetite magnetosomes per cell, is still not well characterized (Lin et al., 2014). Nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) is a powerful tool for revealing element distribution in nanometer-scale resolution, which opens exciting possibilities for the study of interactions between microorganisms and environments (Gao et al., 2016; Musat et al., 2016). Here we applied NanoSIMS to investigate the dynamics of carbon and nitrogen assimilations in two magnetotactic Nitrospirae populations at single cell level. Our NanoSIMS results confirmed the metabolic potential of Nitrospirae MTB proposed by genomic and metagenomic analysis and provided additional insights into the ecophysiology of uncultivated MTB. This study suggests that NanoSIMS-based analyses are powerful approaches for investigating and characterizing the ecological function of environmental microorganisms. References: Bazylinski D A., Lefèvre, C T., Schüler D., 2013. Magnetotactic Bacteria. 453-494.Lin W, Bazylinski DA, Xiao T, Wu L- F, Pan Y., 2014. Life with compass: diversity and biogeography of magnetotactic bacteria. Environ Microbiol, 16: 1462-2920.Gao D., Huang X., Tao Y., 2016. A critical review of NanoSIMS in analysis of microbial metabolic activities at single-cell level. Crit Rev Biotechnol, 36: 884-890.Musat N., Musat F., Weber PK., Pett-Ridge J., 2016. Tracking microbial interactions with NanoSIMS. Curr Opin Biotechnol, 41: 114-121.

Gene therapy for C-26 colon cancer using heparin-polyethyleneimine nanoparticle-mediated survivin T34A

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Zhang L

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Ling Zhang1,*, Xiang Gao1,2,*, Ke Men1, BiLan Wang1, Shuang Zhang1, Jinfeng Qiu1, Meijuan Huang1, MaLing Gou1, Ning Huang2, ZhiYong Qian1, Xia Zhao1, YuQuan Wei11State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, 2Department of Pathophysiology, College of Preclinical and Forensic Medical Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workBackground: Gene therapy provides a novel method for the prevention and treatment of cancer, but the clinical application of gene therapy is restricted, mainly because of the absence of an efficient and safe gene delivery system. Recently, we developed a novel nonviral gene carrier, ie, heparin-polyethyleneimine (HPEI nanoparticles for this purpose.Methods and results: HPEI nanoparticles were used to deliver plasmid-expressing mouse survivin-T34A (ms-T34A to treat C-26 carcinoma in vitro and in vivo. According to the in vitro studies, HPEI nanoparticles could efficiently transfect the pGFP report gene into C-26 cells, with a transfection efficiency of 30.5% ± 2%. Moreover, HPEI nanoparticle-mediated ms-T34A could efficiently inhibit the proliferation of C-26 cells by induction of apoptosis in vitro. Based on the in vivo studies, HPEI nanoparticles could transfect the Lac-Z report gene into C-26 cells in vivo. Intratumoral injection of HPEI nanoparticle-mediated ms-T34A significantly inhibited growth of subcutaneous C-26 carcinoma in vivo by induction of apoptosis and inhibition of angiogenesis.Conclusion: This research suggests that HPEI nanoparticle-mediated ms-T34A may have a promising role in C-26 colon carcinoma therapy.Keywords: gene therapy, mouse survivin-T34A, colon cancer, polyethyleneimine, nanoparticles, cancer therapy

「覆盆子」の生薬学的研究(第1報): 韓国産「覆盆子」の基源(I)

OpenAIRE

難波, 恒雄; 小松, かつ子; 小野, 淳子; 鳴橋, 直弘; 御影, 雅幸

1986-01-01

"Fu-pen-zi" (覆盆子) is the fruit drug, used in Chinese traditional medicine as the remedies for impotence, pollution and premature ejaculation, bet-wetting, frequency of urination, etc. "Fu-pen-zi" from China Continent is considered to be derived from immature fruits of Rubus chingii Hu in general, while in local from other Rubus fruits. On the other hand, the botanical origin of "Fu-pen-zi" produced in Korea is regarded as R. coreanus MIQ., R. crataegifolius BUNGE, R. parvifolius L., etc. Rubu...

Measuring and Reporting Leadership and Core Competency Domains

Science.gov (United States)

2015-09-04

Management : Defense’s System for Army Military Payroll Is Unreliable,” GAO-93-32 (Washington, D.C.: GAO, September 30, 1993). 7 GAO, “DoD Systems...Deficiencies in Controls over Army Active Duty Military Payroll ,” GAO-13-28, (Washington, D.C.: GAO, December 2012); GAO, “DOD Financial Management : The...culture, regional/technical, and leadership/influence.   Examining the numerous military personnel information management systems across DoD, IDA found

Knowledge Management Learned from Decommissioning and Environmental Remediation after an Unexpected Radiological Contamination Occurred at Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP Accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inoue, T.

2016-01-01

Full text: The Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) Accident resulted in severe damage of cores in units 1 to 3, and subsequently entailed not only contamination of facility but also widely-spread radiological contamination in environment due to the release of radioactive nuclides. Decommissioning activities will require at least 30–40 years with various stages of operation, such as contaminated water treatment, decontamination of reactor buildings, retrieval of spent fuel (SF) from SF pools, inspection of primary containment vessel (PCV) and reactor pressure vessel (RPV), and retrieval and further management of damaged fuel and melted debris. Especially, a water injection for core cooling is a pressing issue to stabilize the melted debris, which leads to produce a large amount of contaminated water. Environmental remediation is a crucial issue to return a normal life for local residents. On-site cleaning and off-site remediation produce various kinds and enormous amount of contaminated material with low to high radioactivity. Knowledge management of on-site and off-site issues over generation are critical to achieve the cleaning and remediation requiring a couple of decades. In addition, knowledge obtained through a long term-operation should be shared globally. (author

Täna kell 19.30 avatakse reisisadama endises politseimajas...

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

2005-01-01

Ranna-ala arenguvõimalusi tutvustav näitus "Tagasi mere juurde. Mereõhk teeb vabaks", linnadevahelise projekti "Grands Travaux" osa. Väljapaneku on koostanud Tallinna linnavalitsusse ja AS Tallinna Sadam tellimusel disainibüroo ZiZi & YoYo

Deep Brain Stimulation of Caudal Zona Incerta and Subthalamic Nucleus in Patients with Parkinson's Disease: Effects on Voice Intensity

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Sofie Lundgren

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD affects speech inconsistently. Recently, stimulation of the caudal zona incerta (cZi-DBS has shown superior motor outcomes for PD patients, but effects on speech have not been systematically investigated. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of cZi-DBS and STN-DBS on voice intensity in PD patients. Mean intensity during reading and intensity decay during rapid syllable repetition were measured for STN-DBS and cZi-DBS patients (eight patients per group, before- and 12 months after-surgery on- and off-stimulation. For mean intensity, there were small significant differences on- versus off-stimulation in each group: 74.2 (2.0 dB contra 72.1 (2.2 dB (=.002 for STN-DBS, and 71.6 (4.1 dB contra 72.8 (3.4 dB (=.03 for cZi-DBS, with significant interaction (<.001. Intensity decay showed no significant changes. The subtle differences found for mean intensity suggest that STN-DBS and cZi-DBS may influence voice intensity differently.

Fission products in National Atmospheric Deposition Program—Wet deposition samples prior to and following the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant incident, March 8?April 5, 2011

Science.gov (United States)

Wetherbee, Gregory A.; Debey, Timothy M.; Nilles, Mark A.; Lehmann, Christopher M.B.; Gay, David A.

2012-01-01

Radioactive isotopes I-131, Cs-134, or Cs-137, products of uranium fission, were measured at approximately 20 percent of 167 sampled National Atmospheric Deposition Program monitoring sites in North America (primarily in the contiguous United States and Alaska) after the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant incident on March 12, 2011. Samples from the National Atmospheric Deposition Program were analyzed for the period of March 8-April 5, 2011. Calculated 1- or 2-week radionuclide deposition fluxes at 35 sites from Alaska to Vermont ranged from 0.47 to 5,100 Becquerels per square meter during the sampling period of March 15-April 5, 2011. No fission-product isotopes were measured in National Atmospheric Deposition Program samples obtained during March 8-15, 2011, prior to the arrival of contaminated air in North America.

Traditional Chinese and Indian medicine in the treatment of opioid-dependence: a review

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Fatemeh Doosti

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Objective: In this study, the current literatures on the use of herbs and herbal preparations of Traditional Chinese and Indian Medicine for the treatment of opioid addiction were reviewed. Methods: Search was done in databases such as Pub Med, Science Direct, Scopus, Springer Link, and Google Scholar. Results: Among 18 retrieved studies, 3 studies were about asafetida extract, an approved preparation for ameliorating drug abstinence in China. Chinese preparations including Composite Dong Yuan Gao, Qingjunyin and TJ-97 (a water extract of dai-bofu-to as well as Indian ones, Mentate and Shilajit, were reported to have positive effects against opioid withdrawal, dependence, and tolerance. Moreover, Levo-tetrahydropalmatine and L-Stepholidine, in addition to extracts of Caulis Sinomenii and Sinomenium acutum showed similar effects. Banxia Houpu Decoction, Fu-Yuan pellet, Jinniu capsules, Qingjunyin, Tai-Kang-Ning capsule, and Xuan Xia Qudu Jiaonang (WeiniCom from Chinese preparations, showed anti-addiction effects in randomized, double-blind and, in some studies, multicenter clinical trials. Conclusion: Traditional herbal preparations of China and India have anti-addiction effects with less adverse effects than alpha2-adrenergic or opioid agonists.

五鍼刺法원리 및 임상응용에 관한 연구 I 원리에 관한 연구

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahn Chang-beohm

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Objective : To review the theoretic basis of the Sa -Ahm 5 Element acupuncture devised about 360 years ago, papers and books were researched. Methods : Total of 59 books and papers ranging from ancient Huang Di nei jing to modern Bio Medical Acupuncture for Pain Management were researched to study the basic theory of it in relation to the 5 Shu points, Results : Gao-mu in Chinese Ming dynasty, for the 1st time, had used 5 Shu points based on creation cycle as tonification and sedation treatment respectively and named it as ‘tonification and sedation treatment of self meridian’ but since then, this method, without special reasons, has been rarely used until Sa -Ahm’s new doctrine that include the concept of destruction cycle was asserted. Conclusions : Sa - Ahm 5 Element acupuncture is a method which uses 5 Shu points from the viewpoints of simultaneous tonification and sedation methods which are based on promotion and control cycles. Though it is nowadays mostly-used method in accordance with practitioner’s points, it needs to be set guidelines by which to effectively practice Sa -Ahm acupuncture.

Synthesis of the available information about the radioactive contamination of the Japanese terrestrial environment caused by the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident - September 27, 2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

The French institute of radiation protection and nuclear safety (IRSN) collects and analyses regularly the published data concerning the contamination of the Japanese terrestrial environment caused by the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant accident. This synthesis presents a status of the data recently obtained since the previous similar notes of April 12, May 25 and July 13. The note presents the detailed activity analysis of several surface soil samples, a mapping of 137 Cs, 134 Cs and 131 I activities with the spatial distribution of samplings in the 20, 30, 80 and 100 km areas around the damaged power plant, the contamination of agriculture food products and a focus on some vegetable products showing a significant contamination, like tea leaves, 'yuzu' fruits, figs and rice. Some other products, like meat, fungi and some milk products show cesium contamination levels above the Japanese standards while cesium and iodine are no longer detected in drinking water. (J.S.)

Temporal changes in radiocesium deposition in various forest stands following the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

Science.gov (United States)

Kato, Hiroaki; Onda, Yuichi; Hisadome, Keigo; Loffredo, Nicolas; Kawamori, Ayumi

2017-01-01

In this study, we investigated the transfer of canopy-intercepted radiocesium to the forest floor following the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. The 137 Cs content of throughfall, stemflow, and litterfall were monitored in two coniferous stands (plantations of Japanese cedar) and a deciduous mixed broad-leaved forest stand (oak with red pine) from July 2011 to December 2012. The forest floor of cedar stands had received higher levels of additional 137 Cs deposition compared with the mixed broad-leaved stand during the sampling period. The cumulative 137 Cs deposition during the study period was 119 kBq m -2 for the mature cedar stand, 105 kBq m -2 for the young cedar stand, and 41.5 kBq m -2 for the broad-leaved stand. The deposition of 137 Cs to the forest floor occurred mainly in throughfall during the first rainy season, from July to September 2011 (<200 d after the initial fallout); thereafter, the transfer of 137 Cs from the canopy to forest floor occurred mainly through litterfall. A double exponential field-loss model, which was used to simulate the removal of 137 Cs from canopies, was the best fit for the temporal changes in the canopy 137 Cs inventory. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of iridoid-anthocyanin extract of Cornus mas L. on hematological parameters, population and proliferation of lymphocytes during experimental infection of mice with Trichinella spiralis.

Science.gov (United States)

Piekarska, Jolanta; Szczypka, Marianna; Kucharska, Alicja Z; Gorczykowski, Michał

2018-05-01

The influence of iridoid-anthocyanin aqueous extract of cornelian cherry fruits (CM) on hematological parameters, lymphocyte subsets and proliferation during Trichinella spiralis infection in mice was investigated. CM (100 mg/kg) was administered orally to T. spiralis-infected mice six times within a period encompassing three days prior to the infection and three days after the infection (dai). CM increased the percentage of CD3 + , CD4 + cells and CD4 + /CD8 + ratio and decreased total count of CD8 + and CD19 + splenocytes (5 th dai). An increase in total count of CD4 + , CD3 + , CD19 + splenocytes was observed (21 st dai). CM elevated the percentage of CD4 + cells (7 th dai) and CD4 + /CD8 + ratio (21 st dai) in MLN. CM increased (14 th dai) and then reduced (21 st dai) the percentage of CD8 + MLN lymphocytes and decreased total count of MLN CD8 + cells (21 st dai) and B cells (14 th dai). An activation of lymphocyte proliferation in spleen and simultaneous decrease in MLN on 5 th dai was observed. An increase in red blood cells parameters (5 th dai) and in leukocyte count (7 th dai) was found. A rise in platelet count was noticed both on 5 th and 7 th dai. Moreover, the number of adult T. spiralis on 5 th dai in mice receiving CM extract was lower than in the control mice. These results suggested that iridoid-anthocyanin aqueous extract of CM stimulated murine immune response during T. spiralis infection. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tracking Radioactive Fallout from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Accident in Arctic Snow

Science.gov (United States)

Osterberg, E. C.; Thompson, J.; Landis, J.; Albert, M. R.; Campbell, S. W.; Hawley, R. L.; Virginia, R. A.

2011-12-01

The March 11, 2011 magnitude 9.0 Tohoku, Japan earthquake produced a tsunami that inundated the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant and led to the accidental release of radioactive 131I, 132Te, 134Cs, and 137Cs to the atmosphere. The Japanese Nuclear Safety Commission estimates that 12,000 TBq of 137Cs were released to the atmosphere during the incident, which represents ~14% of the total estimated 137Cs emission from the Chernobyl disaster in April 1986. Measurements of airborne radiation collected at the Fukushima plant illustrate that >50% of the total emitted radiation was released on March 15 and 16 associated with explosions and fires at reactor units 1, 2, and 4, and 70% was emitted in the first 5 days of the event. The source of the radiation is thus well constrained in time and space, providing an opportunity to better understand long-range atmospheric transport processes from Asia to the Arctic, while also assessing the magnitude of the fallout in the Arctic. Here we describe the 137Cs and 134Cs fallout flux near Thule, Greenland (1700 m a.s.l.), at Summit (3200 m a.s.l.), Greenland, and within Denali National Park, Alaska (2400-3900 m a.s.l.) based on series of large-volume (5-15 l) snow pit samples collected in June and July, 2011. In addition to assessing the spatial variability of Fukushima fallout in the Arctic, the elevation range of samples allows for an analysis of any vertical heterogeneity in fallout transport and deposition. Major ion concentrations and stable water isotope ratios are used to confirm the seasonal timing of the Fukushima fallout horizon in the snowpack. Radiocesium was concentrated and isolated from the snow pit meltwater using the well-established ammonium phosphomolybdate (AMP) adsorption method, and 134Cs and 137Cs concentrations were measured using gamma spectrometry with a Canberra 3523 well-type intrinsic Ge-detector at the Dartmouth College Short-Lived Isotope Laboratory. NOAA HYPLIT atmospheric forward

Investigation of the Effects of Continuous Low-Dose Epidural Analgesia on the Autonomic Nervous System Using Hilbert Huang Transform

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Wei-Ren Chuang

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Effects of continuous low-dose epidural bupivacaine (0.05-0.1% infusion on the Doppler velocimetry for labor analgesia have been well documented. The aim of this study was to monitor the activity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS for women in labor based on Hilbert Huang transform (HHT, which performs signal processing for nonlinear systems, such as human cardiac systems. Thirteen pregnant women were included in the experimental group for labor analgesia. They received continuous epidural bupivacaine 0.075% infusion. The normal-to-normal intervals (NN-interval were downloaded from an ECG holter. Another 20 pregnant women in non-anesthesia labor (average gestation age was 38.6 weeks were included in the comparison group. In this study, HHT was used to decompose components of ECG signals, which reflect three different frequency bands of a person's heart rate spectrum (viz. high frequency (HF, low frequency (LF and very low frequency (VLF. It was found that the change of energy in subjects without anesthesia was more active than that with continuous epidural bupivacaine 0.075% infusion. The energy values of the experimental group (i.e., labor analgesia of HF and LF of ANS activities were significantly lower (P < 0.05 than the values of the comparison group (viz. labor without analgesia, but the trend of energy ratio of LF/HF was opposite. In conclusion, the sympathetic and parasympathetic components of ANS are all suppressed by continuous low-dose epidural bupivacaine 0.075% infusion, but parasympathetic power is suppressed more than sympathetic power.

Conspicuity of diffuse axonal injury lesions on diffusion-weighted MR imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kinoshita, Toshibumi; Moritani, Toshio; Hiwatashi, Akio; Wang, Henry Z.; Shrier, David A.; Numaguchi, Yuji; Westesson, Per-Lennart A.

2005-01-01

Objective: (1) To detect diffuse axonal injury (DAI) lesions by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), as compared with fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) imaging and (2) to evaluate hemorrhagic DAI lesions by b 0 images obtained from DWI, as compared with gradient-echo (GRE) imaging. Methods: We reviewed MR images of 36 patients with a diagnosis of DAI. MR imaging was performed 20 h to 14 days (mean, 3.7 days) after traumatic brain injury. We evaluated: (1) conspicuity of lesions on DWI and FLAIR and (2) conspicuity of hemorrhage in DAI lesions on b 0 images and GRE imaging. Results: DWI clearly depicted high-signal DAI lesions. The sensitivity of DWI to lesional conspicuity in DAI lesions was almost equal to that of FLAIR. The sensitivity of b 0 images to identification of hemorrhagic DAI lesions was inferior to that of GRE. Conclusion: DWI is as useful as FLAIR in detecting DAI lesions. GRE imaging is still the superior tool for the evaluation of hemorrhagic DAI

Through wall degradation problem of the turbine extraction steam drain piping due to liquid drop impingement and measures taken for this problem at Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Unit 6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inagaki, Takeyuki; Kobayashi, Teruaki; Shimada, Shigeru; Inoue, Ryousuke; Usuba, Satoshi; Kimura, Takeo

2011-01-01

Through wall degradation was found on the extraction steam drain piping of Unit 6 of Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant owned by Tokyo Electric Power Company after replacement of the turbine rotors with those of higher thermal efficiency. The mechanism of this degradation was loss of material due to liquid drop impingement. Since the estimated life time of the piping based on wall thickness measurements before the replacement was at least 9 years, the rapid wall thinning occurred after the replacement. This paper describes a summary of the phenomenon, its degradation mechanism and root cause, a temporary measurement taken for an immediate action and permanent measures taken during the next refueling outage. (author)

Мао без головы / Мэлор Стуруа

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Стуруа, Мэлор, 1928-

2010-01-01

Hiina skulptoritest Gao Zhenist ja Gao Qiangist, kes esinevad kunstnikunime Gao Vennad (Gao Brothers) all. Vendade dissidentlikust loomingust, nende skulptuurist "Mao süü" (Mao's Guilt), mis kujutab diktaator Mao Zedongi põlvili ja eemaldatava-külgekruvitava peaga

Traumatic midline subarachnoid hemorrhage on initial computed tomography as a marker of severe diffuse axonal injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Mata-Mbemba, Daddy; Mugikura, Shunji; Nakagawa, Atsuhiro; Murata, Takaki; Ishii, Kiyoshi; Kushimoto, Shigeki; Tominaga, Teiji; Takahashi, Shoki; Takase, Kei

2018-01-05

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that midline (interhemispheric or perimesencephalic) traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (tSAH) on initial CT may implicate the same shearing mechanism that underlies severe diffuse axonal injury (DAI). METHODS The authors enrolled 270 consecutive patients (mean age [± SD] 43 ± 23.3 years) with a history of head trauma who had undergone initial CT within 24 hours and brain MRI within 30 days. Six initial CT findings, including intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and tSAH, were used as candidate predictors of DAI. The presence of tSAH was determined at the cerebral convexities, sylvian fissures, sylvian vallecula, cerebellar folia, interhemispheric fissure, and perimesencephalic cisterns. Following MRI, patients were divided into negative and positive DAI groups, and were assigned to a DAI stage: 1) stage 0, negative DAI; 2) stage 1, DAI in lobar white matter or cerebellum; 3) stage 2, DAI involving the corpus callosum; and 4) stage 3, DAI involving the brainstem. Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOSE) scores were obtained in 232 patients. RESULTS Of 270 patients, 77 (28.5%) had DAI; tSAH and IVH were independently associated with DAI (p GOSE score at both hospital discharge and after 6 months. CONCLUSIONS Midline tSAH could implicate the same shearing mechanism that underlies severe DAI, for which midline tSAH on initial CT is a probable surrogate.

Yi Qi Qing Re Gao-containing serum inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced rat mesangial cell proliferation by suppressing the Wnt pathway and TGF-β1 expression.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Liping; Sun, Xueyan; Zhan, Yongli; Liu, Huijie; Wen, Yumin; Mao, Huimin; Dong, X I; Li, Ping

2016-04-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of Yi Qi Qing Re Gao-containing serum (YQ-S) on rat mesangial cell (MC) proliferation and to investigate the underlying mechanism. MCs were divided into the control, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated, YQ-S and fosinopril-containing serum (For-S) groups, and cultured for 48 h. An MTT assay was used to evaluate the proliferation of MCs. In addition, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis were conducted to detect the expression levels of Wnt4, β-catenin and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 in MCs. The results indicated that YQ-S inhibited LPS-induced MC proliferation. The Wnt4 and TGF-β1 mRNA expression levels were reduced in the YQ-S group (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Furthermore, the Wnt4, β-catenin and TGF-β1 protein expression levels were suppressed in the YQ-S group (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Therefore, YQ-S appears to inhibit MC proliferation, and its mechanism may involve the inhibition of the Wnt signaling pathway and downregulation of TGF-β1 expression.

Conspicuity of diffuse axonal injury lesions on diffusion-weighted MR imaging

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Kinoshita, Toshibumi [Department of Radiology, Division of Neuroradiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 648, Rochester, NY 14642 (United States)]. E-mail: kino@grape.med.tottori-u.ac.jp; Moritani, Toshio [Department of Radiology, Division of Neuroradiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 648, Rochester, NY 14642 (United States); Hiwatashi, Akio [Department of Radiology, Division of Neuroradiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 648, Rochester, NY 14642 (United States); Wang, Henry Z. [Department of Radiology, Division of Neuroradiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 648, Rochester, NY 14642 (United States); Shrier, David A. [Department of Radiology, Division of Neuroradiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 648, Rochester, NY 14642 (United States); Numaguchi, Yuji [Department of Radiology, Division of Neuroradiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 648, Rochester, NY 14642 (United States); Westesson, Per-Lennart A. [Department of Radiology, Division of Neuroradiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 648, Rochester, NY 14642 (United States)

2005-10-01

Objective: (1) To detect diffuse axonal injury (DAI) lesions by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), as compared with fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) imaging and (2) to evaluate hemorrhagic DAI lesions by b{sub 0} images obtained from DWI, as compared with gradient-echo (GRE) imaging. Methods: We reviewed MR images of 36 patients with a diagnosis of DAI. MR imaging was performed 20 h to 14 days (mean, 3.7 days) after traumatic brain injury. We evaluated: (1) conspicuity of lesions on DWI and FLAIR and (2) conspicuity of hemorrhage in DAI lesions on b{sub 0} images and GRE imaging. Results: DWI clearly depicted high-signal DAI lesions. The sensitivity of DWI to lesional conspicuity in DAI lesions was almost equal to that of FLAIR. The sensitivity of b{sub 0} images to identification of hemorrhagic DAI lesions was inferior to that of GRE. Conclusion: DWI is as useful as FLAIR in detecting DAI lesions. GRE imaging is still the superior tool for the evaluation of hemorrhagic DAI.

Initial and present situation of food contamination in Japan after the accident at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aono, Tatsuo; Yoshida, Satoshi; Akashi, Makoto

2016-01-01

The accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in March 2011 affected not only the terrestrial environment of Fukushima prefecture and the surrounding area, but also the marine area facing the NPP. Our present study is focused on the concentrations of radionuclides in agricultural products of Fukushima and sea-foods collected off Fukushima after the accident. The regulation value for radiocesium in vegetables, meat and fish was revised from 500 Bq/kg-wet to 100 Bq/kg-wet on 1 April 2012. The overall activity of radiocesium in these products was found to be within the limit of tolerance in respect to Japanese and also international regulations, but there is still radiocesium found at activities greater than this level in edible wild plants, wild mushrooms and game such as boar meat. Although the activities of radionuclides exceeding the regulatory limits were not detected in marine products collected off Fukushima after April 2015, the commercial marine fishery has not received approval in the affected areas except for certain species. We learned from the Fukushima accident that long-term kinetic studies of radionuclides in terrestrial and marine environments is extremely important for prevention of internal contamination, since contamination with radionuclides occurs via the food chain in the environment. (authors)

The total release of xenon-133 from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stohl, Andreas; Seibert, Petra; Wotawa, Gerhard

2012-01-01

The accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant (FD-NPP) on 11 March 2011 released large amounts of radioactivity into the atmosphere. We determine the total emission of the noble gas xenon-133 ( 133 Xe) using global atmospheric concentration measurements. For estimating the emissions, we used three different methods: (i) using a purely observation-based multi-box model, (ii) comparisons of dispersion model results driven with GFS meteorological data with the observation data, and (iii) such comparisons with the dispersion model driven by ECMWF data. From these three methods, we have obtained total 133 Xe releases from FD-NPP of (i) 16.7 ± 1.9 EBq, (ii) 14.2 ± 0.8 EBq, and (iii) 19.0 ± 3.4 EBq, respectively. These values are substantially larger than the entire 133 Xe inventory of FD-NPP of about 12.2 EBq derived from calculations of nuclear fuel burn-up. Complete release of the entire 133 Xe inventory of FD-NPP and additional release of 133 Xe due to the decay of iodine-133 ( 133 I), which can add another 2 EBq to the 133 Xe FD-NPP inventory, is required to explain the atmospheric observations. Two of our three methods indicate even higher emissions, but this may not be a robust finding given the differences between our estimates. - Highlights: ► We determine the total release of xenon-133 from the Fukushima nuclear accident. ► We used global measurements and a box model, as well as dispersion model estimates. ► Total 133 Xe release is about 14.2-19 EBq, more than Fukushima 133 Xe inventory. ► Additional release of iodine-133 and decay into 133 Xe needed to explain results.

Network pharmacology-based identification of key pharmacological pathways of Yin-Huang-Qing-Fei capsule acting on chronic bronchitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Guohua; Zhang, Yanqiong; Ren, Weiqiong; Dong, Ling; Li, Junfang; Geng, Ya; Zhang, Yi; Li, Defeng; Xu, Haiyu; Yang, Hongjun

2017-01-01

For decades in China, the Yin-Huang-Qing-Fei capsule (YHQFC) has been widely used in the treatment of chronic bronchitis, with good curative effects. Owing to the complexity of traditional Chinese herbal formulas, the pharmacological mechanism of YHQFC remains unclear. To address this problem, a network pharmacology-based strategy was proposed in this study. At first, the putative target profile of YHQFC was predicted using MedChem Studio, based on structural and functional similarities of all available YHQFC components to the known drugs obtained from the DrugBank database. Then, an interaction network was constructed using links between putative YHQFC targets and known therapeutic targets of chronic bronchitis. Following the calculation of four topological features (degree, betweenness, closeness, and coreness) of each node in the network, 475 major putative targets of YHQFC and their topological importance were identified. In addition, a pathway enrichment analysis based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway database indicated that the major putative targets of YHQFC are significantly associated with various pathways involved in anti-inflammation processes, immune responses, and pathological changes caused by asthma. More interestingly, eight major putative targets of YHQFC (interleukin [IL]-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-13, FCER1G, CCL11, and EPX) were demonstrated to be associated with the inflammatory process that occurs during the progression of asthma. Finally, a molecular docking simulation was performed and the results exhibited that 17 pairs of chemical components and candidate YHQFC targets involved in asthma pathway had strong binding efficiencies. In conclusion, this network pharmacology-based investigation revealed that YHQFC may attenuate the inflammatory reaction of chronic bronchitis by regulating its candidate targets, which may be implicated in the major pathological processes of the asthma pathway.

Zhuang Zi's Rhetorical Thoughts.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Haixia

The memory of the student uprising at Tiananmen Square in 1989 invites one professor to examine more closely what she does: rhetoric and composition, especially rhetorical invention. To examine the kind of power exercised by official Chinese public discourse and whether language could help to avoid reoccurrences such as the loss of innocent…

Effect of Kampo medicine "Dai-kenchu-to" on microbiome in the intestine of the rats with fast stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshikawa, Kozo; Shimada, Mitsuo; Kuwahara, Tomomi; Hirakawa, Hideki; Kurita, Nobuhiro; Sato, Hirohiko; Utsunomiya, Tohru; Iwata, Takashi; Miyatani, Tomohiko; Higashijima, Jun; Kashihara, Hideya; Takasu, Chie; Matsumoto, Noriko; Nakayama-Imaohji, Haruyuki

2013-01-01

Diversity of gut microbiome has been recently reported to be lost in inflammatory bowel disease. We have previously reported that the Dai-kenchu-to (DKT) prevented the bacterial translocation through suppression of cytokine and apoptosis in rat's fast stress model. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of DKT on maintenance of microbial diversity in rat's intestine with inflammation. Wister rats were received the fast stress for 5 days. In DKT group, rats were administered with DKT (300 mg/kg/day) during the fast stress (DKT-group). The gut microbiomes were analyzed at before- and after- fast stress, and the effect of DKT for on microbial diversities of the gut were evaluated by the PCR-clone library method targeting the 16 S ribosomal RNA gene. In Control-group, Erysipelotrichaceae increased to 86% in after fast stress, OTU of before-fast stress was 111 and after fast stress was only 9 (changing rate: 58%). The diversity of microbiome was severely decreased. On the other hand, in DKT-group, diversity of microbiome was kept after fast stress (Lachnospiraceae: Ruminococcaceae: Coriobacteriales 54%, 22%, 5%), Operational taxonomic units of before fast stress was 52 and after fast stress was 55 (changing rate: 6%). Family Lachnospiraceae which includes butyrate-producing Clostridia (Clostridium IV and XIVa). DKT prevented the reduction of diversity of microbiome in rat's fast stress model. Our data suggested the new anti-inflammatory mechanism of DKT through gut microbiome.

Prevalence and impact of diffuse axonal injury in patients with moderate and severe head injury: a cohort study of early magnetic resonance imaging findings and 1-year outcome.

Science.gov (United States)

Skandsen, Toril; Kvistad, Kjell Arne; Solheim, Ole; Strand, Ingrid Haavde; Folvik, Mari; Vik, Anne

2010-09-01

In this prospective cohort study the authors examined patients with moderate to severe head injuries using MR imaging in the early phase. The objective was to explore the occurrence of diffuse axonal injury (DAI) and determine whether DAI was related to level of consciousness and patient outcome. One hundred and fifty-nine patients (age range 5-65 years) with traumatic brain injury, who survived the acute phase, and who had a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 3-13 were admitted between October 2004 and August 2008. Of these 159 patients, 106 were examined using MR imaging within 4 weeks postinjury. Patients were classified into 1 of 3 stages of DAI: Stage 1, in which lesions were confined to the lobar white matter; Stage 2, in which there were callosal lesions; and Stage 3, in which lesions occurred in the dorsolateral brainstem. The outcome measure used 12 months postinjury was the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOSE). Diffuse axonal injury was detected in 72% of the patients and a combination of DAI and contusions or hematomas was found in 50%. The GCS score was significantly lower in patients with "pure DAI" (median GCS Score 9) than in patients without DAI (median GCS Score 12; p GOSE score of 7, and patients without DAI had a median GOSE score of 8 (p = 0.10). Outcome was better in patients with DAI Stage 1 (median GOSE Score 8) and DAI Stage 2 (median GOSE Score 7.5) than in patients with DAI Stage 3 (median GOSE Score 4; p < 0.001). Thus, in patients without any brainstem injury, there was no difference in good recovery between patients with DAI (67%) and patients without DAI (66%). Diffuse axonal injury was found in almost three-quarters of the patients with moderate and severe head injury who survived the acute phase. Diffuse axonal injury influenced the level of consciousness, and only in patients with DAI was GCS score related to outcome. Finally, DAI was a negative prognostic sign only when located in the brainstem.

Epileptic Seizure Detection based on Wavelet Transform Statistics Map and EMD Method for Hilbert-Huang Spectral Analyzing in Gamma Frequency Band of EEG Signals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Morteza Behnam

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Seizure detection using brain signal (EEG analysis is the important clinical methods in drug therapy and the decisions before brain surgery. In this paper, after signal conditioning using suitable filtering, the Gamma frequency band has been extracted and the other brain rhythms, ambient noises and the other bio-signal are canceled. Then, the wavelet transform of brain signal and the map of wavelet transform in multi levels are computed. By dividing the color map to different epochs, the histogram of each sub-image is obtained and the statistics of it based on statistical momentums and Negentropy values are calculated. Statistical feature vector using Principle Component Analysis (PCA is reduced to one dimension. By EMD algorithm and sifting procedure for analyzing the data by Intrinsic Mode Function (IMF and computing the residues of brain signal using spectrum of Hilbert transform and Hilbert – Huang spectrum forming, one spatial feature based on the Euclidian distance for signal classification is obtained. By K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN classifier and by considering the optimal neighbor parameter, EEG signals are classified in two classes, seizure and non-seizure signal, with the rate of accuracy 76.54% and with variance of error 0.3685 in the different tests.

Synthesis of the available information about the radioactive contamination of the Japanese terrestrial environment caused by the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident - July 13, 2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

The French institute of radiation protection and nuclear safety (IRSN) collects and analyses regularly the published data concerning the contamination of the Japanese terrestrial environment caused by the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant accident. This synthesis presents a status of the data recently obtained since the previous similar notes of April 12 and May 25. The note presents the detailed activity analysis of several surface soil samples (Iitate Maeda, Namie, Hirono, Fukushima..), a mapping of 137 Cs and 134 Cs cumulated deposits in a 80 km area around the damaged power plant, the evolution of radioactive deposits since March 2011 in different places (Fukushima, Hitachinaka, Saitama, Utsunomiya), the evolution of the 134 Cs+ 137 Cs and 131 I contamination of agriculture food products and of drinking water. The IRSN has detected also a significant contamination of some tea samples imported from the Omaezaki region and intercepted by the French customs. Some information about tea and bamboo shoots cultivation and processing in Japan is added in appendix. (J.S.)

Determinants of the return to hometowns after the accident at Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant: A case study for the village of Kawauchi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orita, M.; Hayashida, N.; Urata, H.; Shinkawa, T.; Endo, Y.; Takamura, N.

2013-01-01

The Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 destroyed the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) and almost all residents in a 20 km radius from the plant eventually evacuated. FNPP reactors were stabilised in December 2011; some evacuees decided to return to their hometowns, and the other evacuees remained. Efforts were made to identify the determinants that affect the decision to return home in order to promote recovery of the surrounding area of FNPP. Seventy one residents who had not returned to hometown and 56 residents who had returned were selected. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for confounding factors showed that being female [odds ratio (OR): 2.43, p=50.03], living in areas with relatively higher ambient doses (OR: 3.60, p=50.01) and expressing anxiety over radiation exposure (OR: 8.91, p < 0.01) were independently associated with decisions not to return. Results of this study suggest the importance of active participation by scientists and local authorities in communicating the risk to the general population involved in returning home. (authors)

Taxonomic review of Chinese species of ground beetles of the subgenus Pseudoophonus (genus Harpalus) (Coleoptera: Carabidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Kataev, Boris M; Liang, Hongbin

2015-02-19

A taxonomic review of 23 species of the subgenus Pseudoophonus Motschulsky, 1844, the genus Harpalus Latreille, 1802, occurring in China is given, and a key to these species is provided. The species are divided in three species groups and five subgroups, the distinctive characters of which are listed. The following new synonyms are established: Harpalus calceatus Duftschmid, 1812 = Anisodactylus propinquus Ballion, 1870, syn. n.; H. davidi (Tschitschérine, 1897) = H. kailiensis Huang, 1992, syn. n.; = H. adenticulatus Huang, 1992, syn. n.; = H. cilihumerus Huang, Hu & Sun, 1994, syn. n.; H. fokienensis Schauberger, 1930 = H. muciulus Huang, 1992, syn. n.; H. griseus (Panzer, 1796) = H. xinjiangensis Huang, Hu & Sun, 1994, syn. n.; H. hauserianus Schauberger, 1929 = H. disaogashimensis Huang, 1995, syn. n.; H. pastor pastor Motschulsky, 1844 = H. penglainus Huang, Hu & Sun, 1994, syn. n.; = H. chiloschizontus Huang, 1995, syn. n.; H. rufipes (DeGeer, 1774) = H. scabripectus Huang, Hu & Sun, 1994, syn. n.; H. singularis Tschitschérine, 1906 = H. chengjiangensis Huang, 1993, syn. n.; H. sinicus Hope, 1845 = H. periglabellus Huang, 1992, syn. n.; = H. longihornus Lei & Huang, 1997, syn. n.; and H. tridens Morawitz, 1862 = H. hypogeomysis Huang, 1993, syn. n.; = H. pilosus Huang, 1995, syn. n. Statuses of H. yinchuanensis Huang, 1993 and H. disimuciulus Huang, Lei, Yan & Hu, 1996 are discussed. Lectotypes are designated for H. capito Morawitz, 1862, H. japonicus Morawitz, 1862 and H. eous Tschitschérine, 1901. New data on distribution of Pseudoophonus species in China are provided. Harpalus babai Habu, 1973 is reported from China (Jiangxi) for the first time. The following taxa are recorded from the following Chinese provinces for the first time: H. ussuriensis Chaudoir, 1863 from Hunan; H. aenigma (Tschitschérine, 1897) from Hubei, Jiangxi, and Guangxi; H. pastor Motschulsky, 1844 from Beijing and Xizang; H. fokienensis Schauberger, 1930 from Anhui and Jiangxi; H

A Novel Characteristic Frequency Bands Extraction Method for Automatic Bearing Fault Diagnosis Based on Hilbert Huang Transform

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Xiao Yu

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Because roller element bearings (REBs failures cause unexpected machinery breakdowns, their fault diagnosis has attracted considerable research attention. Established fault feature extraction methods focus on statistical characteristics of the vibration signal, which is an approach that loses sight of the continuous waveform features. Considering this weakness, this article proposes a novel feature extraction method for frequency bands, named Window Marginal Spectrum Clustering (WMSC to select salient features from the marginal spectrum of vibration signals by Hilbert–Huang Transform (HHT. In WMSC, a sliding window is used to divide an entire HHT marginal spectrum (HMS into window spectrums, following which Rand Index (RI criterion of clustering method is used to evaluate each window. The windows returning higher RI values are selected to construct characteristic frequency bands (CFBs. Next, a hybrid REBs fault diagnosis is constructed, termed by its elements, HHT-WMSC-SVM (support vector machines. The effectiveness of HHT-WMSC-SVM is validated by running series of experiments on REBs defect datasets from the Bearing Data Center of Case Western Reserve University (CWRU. The said test results evidence three major advantages of the novel method. First, the fault classification accuracy of the HHT-WMSC-SVM model is higher than that of HHT-SVM and ST-SVM, which is a method that combines statistical characteristics with SVM. Second, with Gauss white noise added to the original REBs defect dataset, the HHT-WMSC-SVM model maintains high classification accuracy, while the classification accuracy of ST-SVM and HHT-SVM models are significantly reduced. Third, fault classification accuracy by HHT-WMSC-SVM can exceed 95% under a Pmin range of 500–800 and a m range of 50–300 for REBs defect dataset, adding Gauss white noise at Signal Noise Ratio (SNR = 5. Experimental results indicate that the proposed WMSC method yields a high REBs fault

Evaluation of radiocesium concentrations in new leaves of wild plants two years after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

Science.gov (United States)

Sugiura, Yuki; Shibata, Michihiro; Ogata, Yoshimune; Ozawa, Hajime; Kanasashi, Tsutomu; Takenaka, Chisato

2016-08-01

Radiocesium ((137)Cs) transfer to plants immediately after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident was investigated by collecting newly emerged leaf and soil samples between May 2011 and November 2012 from 20 sites in the Fukushima prefecture. Radiocesium concentrations in leaf and soil samples were measured to calculate concentration ratios (CR). Woody plants exhibited high CR values because (137)Cs deposited on stems and/or leaves were transferred to newly emerging tissues. The CR values in 2012 declined as compared to that in 2011. Exchangeable (137)Cs rates in soil (extraction rate) samples were measured at five sites. These rates decreased at four sites in 2012 and depended on environmental conditions and soil type. Both CR values and extraction rates decreased in 2012. However, CR values reflected the changes in extraction rates and characteristics of each species. Amaranthaceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Polygonaceae, which had been identified as Cs accumulators, presented no clear (137)Cs accumulation ability. In 2012, the perennial plant Houttuynia cordata and deciduous trees Chengiopanax sciadophylloides and Acer crataegifolium displayed high CR values, indicating that these species are (137)Cs accumulators and may be considered as potential species for phytoremediation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Updated synthesis of the knowledge about the impact on marine environment of the radioactive releases from Fukushima Dai-ichi damaged site - October 26, 2011; Synthese actualisee des connaissances relatives a l'impact sur le milieu marin des rejets radioactifs du site nucleaire accidente de Fukushima Dai-ichi - 26 octobre 2011

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-10-26

A strong radioactive contamination of the marine environment close to the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant has been observed since March 21. The high concentration of some nuclides ({sup 131}I, {sup 137}Cs, {sup 134}Cs, {sup 136}Cs, {sup 132}Te, {sup 132}I) comes from three possible sources: the liquid effluents from the damaged site, the atmospheric fallouts, and the weathering of contaminated soils. This information note presents and comments the most recent informations gathered by the French institute of radiation protection and nuclear safety (IRSN) since the previous information note from July 11 and devoted to the same topic. It presents the estimation of the relative contribution of each contamination source and the evolution with time of the marine contamination. The mapping of {sup 137}Cs concentrations in surface seawater allows to estimate the amount of total {sup 137}Cs in the marine environment and its evolution with time. {sup 137}Cs and {sup 134}Cs concentrations were measured both in samples of surface coastal sediments and in river fishes and seafood products (mainly fishes and molluscs). Results are reported in graphs showing their evolution with time. (J.S.)

Phytochemical, Antimicrobial, and Toxicological Evaluation of Traditional Herbs Used to Treat Sore Throat

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Arifa Mehreen

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The in vitro antibacterial activities of 29 traditional medicinal plants used in respiratory ailments were assessed on multidrug resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria isolated from the sore throat patients and two reference strains. The methanolic, n-hexane, and aqueous extracts were screened by the agar well diffusion assay. Bioactive fractions of effective extracts were identified on TLC coupled with bioautography, while their toxicity was determined using haemolytic assay against human erythrocytes. Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analysis of effective extracts was also performed. Methanolic extract of 18 plants showed antimicrobial activity against test strains. Adhatoda vasica (ZI = 17–21 mm, MIC: 7.12–62.5 μg/mL, Althaea officinalis (ZI = 16–20 mm, MIC: 15.62–31.25 μg/mL, Cordia latifolia (ZI = 16–20 mm, MIC: 12.62–62.5 μg/mL, Origanum vulgare (ZI = 20–22 mm, MIC: 3–15.62 μg/mL, Thymus vulgaris (ZI = 21–25 mm, MIC: 7.81–31.25 μg/mL, and Ziziphus jujuba (ZI = 14–20 mm, MIC: 7.81–31.25 μg/mL showed significant antibacterial activity. Alkaloid fractions of Adhatoda vasica, Cordia latifolia, and Origanum vulgare and flavonoid fraction of the Althaea officinalis, Origanum vulgare, Thymus Vulgaris, and Ziziphus jujuba exhibited antimicrobial activity. Effective plant extracts show 0.93–0.7% erythrocyte haemolysis. The results obtained from this study provide a scientific rationale for the traditional use of these herbs and laid the basis for future studies to explore novel antimicrobial compounds.

Phytochemical, Antimicrobial, and Toxicological Evaluation of Traditional Herbs Used to Treat Sore Throat

Science.gov (United States)

Mehreen, Arifa; Waheed, Muzzamil; Liaqat, Iram; Arshad, Najma

2016-01-01

The in vitro antibacterial activities of 29 traditional medicinal plants used in respiratory ailments were assessed on multidrug resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria isolated from the sore throat patients and two reference strains. The methanolic, n-hexane, and aqueous extracts were screened by the agar well diffusion assay. Bioactive fractions of effective extracts were identified on TLC coupled with bioautography, while their toxicity was determined using haemolytic assay against human erythrocytes. Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analysis of effective extracts was also performed. Methanolic extract of 18 plants showed antimicrobial activity against test strains. Adhatoda vasica (ZI = 17–21 mm, MIC: 7.12–62.5 μg/mL), Althaea officinalis (ZI = 16–20 mm, MIC: 15.62–31.25 μg/mL), Cordia latifolia (ZI = 16–20 mm, MIC: 12.62–62.5 μg/mL), Origanum vulgare (ZI = 20–22 mm, MIC: 3–15.62 μg/mL), Thymus vulgaris (ZI = 21–25 mm, MIC: 7.81–31.25 μg/mL), and Ziziphus jujuba (ZI = 14–20 mm, MIC: 7.81–31.25 μg/mL) showed significant antibacterial activity. Alkaloid fractions of Adhatoda vasica, Cordia latifolia, and Origanum vulgare and flavonoid fraction of the Althaea officinalis, Origanum vulgare, Thymus Vulgaris, and Ziziphus jujuba exhibited antimicrobial activity. Effective plant extracts show 0.93–0.7% erythrocyte haemolysis. The results obtained from this study provide a scientific rationale for the traditional use of these herbs and laid the basis for future studies to explore novel antimicrobial compounds. PMID:27429983

Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Analysis on Inflammation Rat Model after Oral Administration of Huang Lian Jie Du Decoction.

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Wei Ren

Full Text Available Huang-Lian-Jie-Du Decoction (HLJDD is a classical Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM formula with heat-dissipating and detoxifying effects. It is used to treat inflammation-associated diseases. However, no systematic pharmacokinetic (PK and pharmacodynamic (PD data concerning the activity of HLJDD under inflammatory conditions is available to date. In the present study, the concentration-time profiles and the hepatic clearance rates (HCR of 41 major components in rat plasma in response to the oral administration of a clinical dose of HLJDD were investigated by LC-QqQ-MS using a dynamic multiple reaction monitoring (DMRM method. Additionally, the levels of 7 cytokines (CKs in the plasma and the body temperature of rats were analyzed. Furthermore, a PK-PD model was established to describe the time course of the hemodynamic and anti-inflammatory effects of HLJDD. As one of the three major active constituents in HLJDD, iridoids were absorbed and eliminated more easily and quickly than alkaloids and flavonoids. Compared with the normal controls, the flavonoids, alkaloids and iridoids in inflamed rats exhibited consistently changing trends of PK behaviors, such as higher bioavailability, slower elimination, delays in reaching the maximum concentration (Tmax and longer substantivity. The HCR of iridoids was different from that of alkaloids and flavonoids in inflamed rats. Furthermore, excellent pharmacodynamic effects of HLJDD were observed in inflamed rats. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α, interleukin-6 (IL-6, IL-1β, IL-10, and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2 and body temperature significantly decreased after the administration of HLJDD. Based on PK-PD modeling with the three-phase synchronous characterization of time-concentration-effect, flavonoids exhibited one mechanism of action in the anti-inflammatory process, while iridoids and alkaloids showed another mechanism of action. Taken together, the results demonstrated that

Keeping Tradition

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zenhong, C.; Buwalda, P.L.

2011-01-01

Chinese dumplings such as Jiao Zi and Bao Zi are two of the popular traditional foods in Asia. They are usually made from wheat flour dough (rice flour or starch is sometimes used) that contains fillings. They can be steamed, boiled and fried and are consumed either as a main meal or dessert. As

Re?bus disainivõistlus ehk noored innovaatorid bussirevolutsiooni otsinguil

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

2005-01-01

2005. a. algul agentuuri APCI (Agence pour la Promotion de la Creation Industrielle) poolt korraldatud disainivõistlusest Re?bus. Eestist valiti 30 finalisti hulka büroo ZiZi & YoYo töö. Edukamad võistlustööd olid juuni algul väljas rahvusvahelise ühistranspordi assotsiatsiooni (UITP) 56. kongressil Roomas

Trend on teada, või kuidas? / Tõnu Kaalep

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Kaalep, Tõnu, 1966-

1999-01-01

Sisustusmess "Habitare'99" Helsingis. Praegune sisekujundusmood. Eestist olid messil ZiZi kodutekstiilid, Steel Line'i toodetud Tarmo Luisu lambid, kataloogi andmetel firmad Majestic ja Päikesedekoori OÜ. Noorte mööblidisainivõistluse võitsid Touko Korhonen ja Simo Puntila. Hindaja inglise disainiprofessor Ron Arad. Üks Soome Sisearhitektide Liidu kahest aastapreemiast Ben af Schultenile

On the Amortized Complexity of Zero Knowledge Protocols for Multiplicative Relations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cramer, Ronald; Damgård, Ivan Bjerre; Pastro, Valerio

2012-01-01

We present a protocol that allows to prove in zero-knowledge that committed values xi, yi, zi, i = 1,…,l satisfy xiyi = zi, where the values are taken from a finite field. For error probability 2− u the size of the proof is linear in u and only logarithmic in l. Therefore, for any fixed error...... theoretically secure. Using this type of commitments we obtain, in the preprocessing model, a perfect zero-knowledge interactive proof for circuit satisfiability of circuit C where the proof has size O(|C|). We then generalize our basic scheme to a protocol that verifies l instances of an algebraic circuit D...... over K with v inputs, in the following sense: given committed values xi,j and zi, with i = 1,…,l and j = 1,…,v, the prover shows that D(xi,1,…,xi,v) = zi for i = 1,…,l. The interesting property is that the amortized complexity of verifying one circuit only depends on the multiplicative depth...

Deep Brain Stimulation of Caudal Zona Incerta and Subthalamic Nucleus in Patients with Parkinson's Disease: Effects on Diadochokinetic Rate

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Fredrik Karlsson

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The hypokinetic dysarthria observed in Parkinson's disease (PD affects the range, speed, and accuracy of articulatory gestures in patients, reducing the perceived quality of speech acoustic output in continuous speech. Deep brain stimulation (DBS of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS and of the caudal zona incerta (cZi-DBS are current surgical treatment options for PD. This study aimed at investigating the outcome of STN-DBS (7 patients and cZi-DBS (7 patients in two articulatory diadochokinesis tasks (AMR and SMR using measurements of articulation rate and quality of the plosive consonants (using the percent measurable VOT metric. The results indicate that patients receiving STN-DBS increased in articulation rate in the Stim-ON condition in the AMR task only, with no effect on production quality. Patients receiving cZi-DBS decreased in articulation rate in the Stim-ON condition and further showed a reduction in production quality. The data therefore suggest that cZi-DBS is more detrimental for extended articulatory movements than STN-DBS.

DOD Civilian and Contractor Workforces: Additional Cost Savings Data and Efficiencies Plan are Needed

Science.gov (United States)

2016-10-01

Enterprise-wide Contractor Manpower Reporting Application (ECMRA) across all its components, and which will continue to improve reporting of...costs: Not applicable yes (estimated) no (estimated) Source: GAO analysis of DOD’s February 2016 status report | GAO-17-128 aNumber of...and interviewed DOD officials. What GAO Recommends GAO previously recommended that DOD fully address ongoing section 955 requirements, such as

San-Huang-Xie-Xin-Tang Prevents Rat Hearts from Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Apoptosis through eNOS and MAPK Pathways

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Shu-Fen Liou

2011-01-01

Full Text Available San-Huang-Xie-Xin-Tang (SHXT is a traditional Chinese medication consisting of three herbs, namely Coptidis rhizome, Scutellariae radix and Rhei rhizome. This study aimed to examine the cardioprotective effects of SHXT in a rat model of acute myocardial apoptosis induced by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R. Vehicle (intravenous saline or SHXT (intravenous or oral was administered prior to I/R (occlusion of left coronary artery for 45 min followed by reperfusion for 2 h. In the vehicle group, myocardial I/R caused myocardial infarction with increased plasma cardiac enzymes, severe arrhythmia and mortality. Myocardial apoptosis was induced by I/R as evidenced by DNA ladder and Bcl-2/Bax ratio. In the SHXT group, we found that SHXT significantly reduced plasma levels of cardiac enzymes, arrhythmia scores (from 5 ± 1 to 2 ± 1, P<.01 and mortality rate (from 53 to 0%, P<.01. In addition, pretreatment with intravenous SHXT reduced the infarct size dose-dependently when compared with the vehicle group (10 mg kg−1: 14.0 ± 0.2 versus 44.5 ± 5.0%, and 30 mg kg−1: 6.2 ± 1.2% versus 44.5 ± 5.0%, both P<.01. Similarly, oral administration of SHXT reduced the infarct size dose-dependently. Furthermore, SHXT markedly decreased the apoptosis induced by I/R with increased Bcl-2/Bax ratio. Finally, we found that SHXT counteracted the I/R-induced downstream signaling, resulting in increased myocardial eNOS expression and plasma nitrite, and decreased activation of ERK1/2, p38 and JNK. These data suggest that SHXT has cardioprotective effects against I/R-induced apoptosis, and that these effects are mediated, at least in part, by eNOS and MAPK pathways.

Rhein 8-O-β-D-Glucopyranoside Elicited the Purgative Action of Daiokanzoto (Da-Huang-Gan-Cao-Tang), Despite Dysbiosis by Ampicillin.

Science.gov (United States)

Takayama, Kento; Tabuchi, Norihiko; Fukunaga, Masahito; Okamura, Nobuyuki

2016-01-01

Sennoside A (SA), the main purgative constituent of Daiokanzoto (da-huang-gan-cao-tang; DKT), is generally regarded as a prodrug that is transformed into an active metabolite by β-glucosidase derived from Bifidobacterium spp. It has been suggested that antibiotics would promote dysbiosis, and thereby inhibit the purgative activity of DKT. In this study, ampicillin was administered to mice for 8 d, and the changes in the SA metabolism of SA alone and of DKT were investigated. The results showed that the SA metabolism of SA singly continued to be inhibited by ampicillin, but that of DKT was activated from day 3 under the same conditions. In order to investigate the mechanism of SA metabolism activated by DKT in the mice administered ampicillin, changes in the SA metabolism were observed in the presence of rhein 8-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (RG) in rhubarb and liquiritin in glycyrrhiza, both of which accelerated the SA metabolism. In fact, RG achieved an activation of SA metabolism similar to that by DKT. The purgative action of DKT, which was continued treatment of the ampicillin, was significantly greater than that by SA alone, and it was shown that RG was involved in this effect. We also analyzed changes in the intestinal microbiota before and after administration of ampicillin. No Bifidobacteria were detected throughout the treatment, but the population of Bacteroides was significantly increased after 3 d under the same conditions. Taken together, these results strongly suggested that the RG in DKT changed the function of Bacteroides and thereby allowed DKT to metabolize SA.

Velocity Spectra in the Unstable Planetary Boundary Layer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Højstrup, Jørgen

1982-01-01

Models for velocity spectra of all three components in the lower half of the unstable PBL are presented. The model spectra are written as a sum of two parts, nS(n) = A(fi, z/zi)w*2 + B(f, z/zi)u*02, a mixed layer part with a stability dependence, and a surface layer part without stability...

Retrovõtmes pühamu / Karin Paulus

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Paulus, Karin, 1975-

2005-01-01

Tallinnasse Lasnamäele plaanitava Jumalaema kiriku arhitektuurikonkursi võidutööst arhitektuuribüroolt Z-Projekt (arhitektid Oleg Zhemtshugov, Nikolai Djatko, Jevgeni Kolomenkin). Kommenteerib kunstiteadlane Mari-Liis Paaver. Ergutuspreemiad said arhitektuuribüroo ZiZi & YoYo projekt (arhitektid Veronika Valk, Yoko Alender) ning arhitektuuribüroo Lokomotiiv (arhitektid Jüri Martson, Rasmus Reinolt, Ivo-Martin Veelma)

The Reality Of The Homeland Security Enterprise Information Sharing Environment

Science.gov (United States)

2017-12-01

Related Information to Protect the Homeland (GAO 15- 290) (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2015), http://www.gao.gov/ assets...Government Accountability Office [GAO], Information Sharing Environment Better Road Map Needed to Guide Implementation and Investments (GAO-11-455...and its ISE PM would have clearer accountability for information sharing lapses and a faster ability to reform or develop domestic information -sharing

Efficacy of MaZiRenWan, a Chinese Herbal Medicine, in Patients With Functional Constipation in a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Linda Ld; Cheng, Chung-Wah; Kun, Wai; Dai, Liang; Hu, Dong-Dong; Ning, Zi-Wan; Xiao, Hai-Tao; Lin, Cheng-Yuan; Zhao, Ling; Huang, Tao; Tian, Ke; Chan, King-Hong; Lam, Ting-Wa; Chen, Xiao-Rui; Wong, Chi-Tak; Li, Min; Lu, Ai-Ping; Wu, Justin Cy; Bian, Zhao-Xiang

2018-04-11

The Chinese herbal medicine, MaZiRenWan (MZRW), has been used for more than 2000 years to treat constipation, but it has not been tested in a randomized controlled trial. We performed a trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of MZRW, compared with the stimulant laxative senna or placebo, for patients with functional constipation (FC). We performed a double-blind, double-dummy, trial of 291 patients with FC based on Rome III criteria, seen at 8 clinics in Hong Kong from June 2013 through August 2015. Patients were observed for 2 weeks and then assigned randomly (1:1:1) to groups given MZRW (7.5 g, twice daily), senna (15 mg daily), or placebo for 8 weeks. Patients were then followed for 8 weeks and evaluated at baseline and weeks 4, 8 (end of treatment), and 16 (end of follow up). Participants recorded information on stool form and frequency, feeling of complete evacuation, and research medication taken. Data on individual bowel symptoms, global symptom improvement, and adverse events were collected. A complete response was defined as an increase ≥1 complete spontaneous bowel movement (CSBM)/week from baseline (the primary outcome). Secondary outcomes included response during the follow-up period, colonic transit, individual and global symptom assessments, quality of life measured with 36-item short form Chinese version, and adverse events. Although there was no statistically significant difference in proportions of patients with a complete response to MZRW (68%) vs. senna (57.7%) (P=.14) at week 8, there was a statistically significant difference vs. placebo (33.0%) (P<.005). At the 16-week timepoint (after the 8-week follow-up period), 47.4% of patients had a complete response to MZRW, 20.6% had a complete response to senna, and 17.5% had a complete response to placebo (P<.005 for MZRW vs. placebo). The group that received MZRW group also had significant increases in colonic transit and reduced severity of constipation, straining, incomplete evacuation, and

Diagnostic value of susceptibility weighted image in diffuse axonal injury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liang Changsong; Chen Zhong; Ye Wenqin; Chen Zewen; Liao Miaoyou; Ma Chaojin; Li Weifeng

2010-01-01

Objective: To investigate the value of SWI sequence in diagnosis of DAI by analyzing the MRI images of DAI. Methods: The MRI data of 30 cases with DAI diagnosed by clinic were analyzed retrospectively. The signal intensity features and detection rate of lesions were compared in all sequences. Results: SET 1 WI sequence had the lowest sensitivity, secondly was T 2 WI sequence. DAI showed as long T 1 long T 2 signal. Some lesions could be detected with FLAIR, appearing as nodular or patchy hyperintensity. More lesions were detected with SWI sequence than with other sequences. DAI lesions mainly located in the junctional zone of cortex and medulla, basal ganglia, corpus callosum, brain stem and cerebellum. It appeared as needle tip, mottling, nodular hypointensity in SWI sequence. Conclusion: SWI can detect more lesions in cases with DAI than other sequences. It can be an additional sequence in MRI examination for the patients suspicioused with DAI. (authors)

Image Mosaicking Approach for a Double-Camera System in the GaoFen2 Optical Remote Sensing Satellite Based on the Big Virtual Camera.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Yufeng; Jin, Shuying; Wang, Mi; Zhu, Ying; Dong, Zhipeng

2017-06-20

The linear array push broom imaging mode is widely used for high resolution optical satellites (HROS). Using double-cameras attached by a high-rigidity support along with push broom imaging is one method to enlarge the field of view while ensuring high resolution. High accuracy image mosaicking is the key factor of the geometrical quality of complete stitched satellite imagery. This paper proposes a high accuracy image mosaicking approach based on the big virtual camera (BVC) in the double-camera system on the GaoFen2 optical remote sensing satellite (GF2). A big virtual camera can be built according to the rigorous imaging model of a single camera; then, each single image strip obtained by each TDI-CCD detector can be re-projected to the virtual detector of the big virtual camera coordinate system using forward-projection and backward-projection to obtain the corresponding single virtual image. After an on-orbit calibration and relative orientation, the complete final virtual image can be obtained by stitching the single virtual images together based on their coordinate information on the big virtual detector image plane. The paper subtly uses the concept of the big virtual camera to obtain a stitched image and the corresponding high accuracy rational function model (RFM) for concurrent post processing. Experiments verified that the proposed method can achieve seamless mosaicking while maintaining the geometric accuracy.

Fabrication and characterization of drug-loaded nano-hydroxyapatite/polyamide 66 scaffolds modified with carbon nanotubes and silk fibroin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yao MZ

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Meng-Zhu Yao,1 Ming-Yi Huang-Fu,1 Hui-Na Liu,1 Xia-Rong Wang,1 Xiaoxia Sheng,2 Jian-Qing Gao1 1Institute of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, 2Hangzhou SoliPharma Co., Ltd, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China Abstract: Nano-hydroxyapatite/polyamide 66 (nHA/PA66 porous scaffolds were fabricated by a phase inversion method. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs and silk fibroin (SF were used to modify the surface of the nHA/PA66 scaffolds by freeze-drying and cross-linking. Dexamethasone was absorbed to the CNTs to promote the osteogenic differentiation of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs. The cell viability of BMSCs was investigated by changing the concentration of the CNT dispersion, and the most biocompatible scaffold was selected. In addition, the morphology and mechanical property of the scaffolds were investigated. The results showed that the nHA/PA66 scaffolds modified with CNTs and SF met the requirements of bone tissue engineering scaffolds. The dexamethasone-loaded CNT/SF-nHA/PA66 composite scaffold promoted the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, and the drug-loaded scaffolds are expected to function as effective bone tissue engineering scaffolds. Keywords: BMSCs, tissue engineering, porous scaffold, carbon nanotubes, silk fibroin, surface modification, dexamethasone

Treatment results of incomplete chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced cervical cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gao Y

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Ying Gao,1,* Fei Gao,2,* Zi Liu,1 Li-ping Song1 1Department of Radiotherapy Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, People’s Republic of China; 2Second Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Objective: Regimens that combine chemotherapy and radiotherapy increase toxicity and compromise a patient’s ability to adhere to the treatment plan. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of a partially completed chemoradiation regimen prescribed for locally advanced carcinoma of the cervix. Methods: Medical records of 156 patients with locally advanced cervical cancer stage IIB–IVA who received chemoradiation with cisplatin (40 mg/m2 and 5-fluorouracil (500 mg/m2 from October 2006 to October 2008 were collected. The treatment protocol called for two cycles of chemotherapy. External beam radiation therapy was administered using a 10-MeV electron beam. Local control, disease free survival, overall survival, and toxicities were evaluated. Results: With a median follow-up of 37.5 months, 89 patients (57% completed the planned protocol. Sixty seven patients (43% completed fewer than two cycles. The 3-year local control rate was significantly better in the patient group that completed the prescribed plan (92.1% compared to 80.6%; P = 0.033. No statistical significance was observed between the groups that completed or did not complete the two cycle protocol with regard to disease free survival (80.9% and 73.2%, respectively; P = 0.250, overall survival (84.3% and 79.1%; P = 0.405, and progression survival (3.4% and 3.0%; P = 0.892. Differences in acute hematologic toxicity and subcutaneous toxicity were observed between the two groups. Conclusions: Completion of two cycles of 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin with radiotherapy was effective, safe, and responsible for better local control

Feasibility of the Dutch ICF Activity Inventory: a pilot study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

van Nispen Ruth MA

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Demographic ageing will lead to increasing pressure on visual rehabilitation services, which need to be efficiently organised in the near future. The Dutch ICF Activity Inventory (D-AI was developed to assess the rehabilitation needs of visually impaired persons. This pilot study tests the feasibility of the D-AI using a computer-assisted telephone interview. Methods In addition to the regular intake, the first version of the D-AI was assessed in 20 patients. Subsequently, patients and intake assessors were asked to fill in an evaluation form. Based on these evaluations, a new version of the D-AI was developed. Results Mean administration time of the D-AI was 88.8 (± 41.0 minutes. Overall, patients and assessors were positive about the D-AI assessment. However, professionals and 60% of the patients found the administration time to be too long. All included items were considered relevant and only minor adjustments were recommended. Conclusion The systematic character of the revised D-AI will prevent topics from being overlooked and indicate which needs have the highest priority from a patient-centred perspective. Moreover, ongoing assessment of the D-AI will enhance evaluation of the rehabilitation process. To decrease administration time, in the revised D-AI only the top priority goals will be fully assessed. Using the D-AI, a rehabilitation plan based on individual needs can be developed for each patient. Moreover, it enables better evaluation of the effects of rehabilitation. A larger validation study is planned.

Nitrate accumulation and leaching potential reduced by coupled water and nitrogen management in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Ping; Zhang, Jiabao; Zhu, Anning; Li, Xiaopeng; Ma, Donghao; Xin, Xiuli; Zhang, Congzhi; Wu, Shengjun; Garland, Gina; Pereira, Engil Isadora Pujol

2018-01-01

Irrigation and nitrogen (N) fertilization in excess of crop requirements are responsible for substantial nitrate accumulation in the soil profile and contamination of groundwater by nitrate leaching during intensive agricultural production. In this on-farm field trial, we compared 16 different water and N treatments on nitrate accumulation and its distribution in the soil profile (0-180cm), nitrate leaching potential, and groundwater nitrate concentration within a summer-maize (Zea mays L.) and winter-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) rotation system in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain over five cropping cycles (2006-2010). The results indicated that nitrate remaining in the soil profile after crop harvest and nitrate concentration of soil solutions at two depths (80cm and 180cm) declined with increasing irrigation amounts and increased greatly with increasing N application rates, especially for seasonal N application rates higher than 190kgNha -1 . During the experimental period, continuous torrential rainfall was the main cause for nitrate leaching beyond the root zone (180cm), which could pose potential risks for contamination of groundwater. Nitrate concentration of groundwater varied from 0.2 to 2.9mgL -1 , which was lower than the limit of 10mgL -1 as the maximum safe level for drinking water. In view of the balance between grain production and environmental consequences, seasonal N application rates of 190kgNha -1 and 150kgNha -1 were recommended for winter wheat and summer maize, respectively. Irrigation to the field capacity of 0-40cm and 0-60cm soil depth could be appropriate for maize and wheat, respectively. Therefore, taking grain yields, mineral N accumulation in the soil profile, nitrate leaching potential, and groundwater quality into account, coupled water and N management could provide an opportunity to promote grain production while reducing negative environmental impacts in this region. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The 2nd International Conference on Water Resource and Environment (WRE 2016

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhouli Liu

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Table of contents 01 The eco-toxicological effects of cadmium stress on five ornamental plants Zhouli Liu, Wei Chen, Xingyuan He, Shuai Yu, Weihang Ding 02 Study on the formation and release mechanisms of hydrogen sulfide in Longtan coal mine Jianjun Liu, Yuliang Wu, Kaixiang Fan 03 Coral bleaching in the North Reef of China’s Xisha Islands in 2014 Yuanchao Li, Xinqing Zheng, Shiquan Chen, Haiqun Xie 04 Soil chemical characteristics in a Cunninghamia lanceolata stand suffering from ice-snow damage Jie Li, Zhuomin Wang, Li Xue 05 Diversity of understory vegetation was under a Cunninghamia lanceolata stand suffering from ice-snow damage Zhiyang Lie, Weilong Huang, Tongtong Zhou, Li Xue 06 The effect of water, nitrogen and harvesting time on yield and biomass allocation of Helianthus tuberosus L. Kai Gao, Tiexia Zhu 07 The vertical variation of microbial communities in the sediment of sea cucumber pond Weiteng Mao, Pei Yu, Xinfang Lv, Yunchun Li 08 Indicating significances of alpine plant functional groups to environmental change Peixi Su, Rui Shi 09 Research on the daily CH4 fluxes of soil in summer mangrove community at Yingluogang of Guangxi, China Yong Jiang, Xingbin Chen, Shichu liang 10 Beach protection structures in middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River Junfeng Xu 11 Social responsibility management of large dam project with owner as core: an empirical case in China Jiwei Zhu, Zhao Zhai, Linan Zhou, Yun Le, Li Cao 12 The ecological function value assessment analysis of urban waterfront Jiwei Zhu, Ping Lu, Zhiqian Huang, Bei Zhou 13 Mechanism of diurnal osmotic potential changes and adjustment of three Caragana species in different habitats of the Inner Mongolia Plateau Zhirong Zheng, Shihai Lv, Chaoyang Feng 14 Biodiversity of phytoplankton and environmental influences analysis of Longfeng Wetland, China Nan Song, Yan Liu, Xinxin Lu, Yawen Fan 15 The effect of human activities on culturable soil microbes from Yaoquan Mountain in

[Epidemiological characteristics of newly reported HIV infections in Chinese and Burmese residents, during 2012-2016 in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, J B; Chen, X C; Duan, X; Yang, J; Wang, Y K; Yang, T; Ye, R H; Yang, Y C; Yao, S T; Jiang, Y; Duan, S; He, N

2017-10-10

Objective: To understand the epidemiological characteristics of newly reported HIV infections in Chinese and Burmese residents during 2012-2016 in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan province (Dehong) and to provide evidence for the development of related programs on prevention and control. Methods: All the HIV infections who were newly reported during 2012-2016 in Dehong, were recruited as the study subjects, with epidemiological characteristics of the cases analyzed by using the software SPSS 22.0. Results: A total of 5 692 HIV infections were newly reported between 2012 and 2016 (including 5 592 in this study), in which the Chinese patients accounted for 43.3 % (2 419) and the rest 56.7 % (3 173) were Burmese. Differences in age, gender and other social characteristics of these newly reported HIV infections were statistically significant between the Chinese and the Burmese (all p -values Chinese patients but through injecting drug use among the Burmese patients. Conclusions: Epidemiological characteristics of the newly reported HIV infections were different between the Chinese and the Burmese, between 2012 and 2016 in Dehong. Targeted prevention and control programs should be taken.

Updated synthesis of the knowledge about the impact on marine environment of the radioactive releases from Fukushima Dai-ichi damaged site - October 26, 2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

A strong radioactive contamination of the marine environment close to the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant has been observed since March 21. The high concentration of some nuclides ( 131 I, 137 Cs, 134 Cs, 136 Cs, 132 Te, 132 I) comes from three possible sources: the liquid effluents from the damaged site, the atmospheric fallouts, and the weathering of contaminated soils. This information note presents and comments the most recent informations gathered by the French institute of radiation protection and nuclear safety (IRSN) since the previous information note from July 11 and devoted to the same topic. It presents the estimation of the relative contribution of each contamination source and the evolution with time of the marine contamination. The mapping of 137 Cs concentrations in surface seawater allows to estimate the amount of total 137 Cs in the marine environment and its evolution with time. 137 Cs and 134 Cs concentrations were measured both in samples of surface coastal sediments and in river fishes and seafood products (mainly fishes and molluscs). Results are reported in graphs showing their evolution with time. (J.S.)

Mapping of semi-arid iron bearing red sands on emerged areas around lake marshes (Tablas de Daimiel, Spain using hyperspectral DAIS 7915 spectrometer data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

U. Beisl

2006-06-01

Full Text Available Wetlands are particularly sensitive environments receiving attention from the natural sciences community due to their wealth of both flora and fauna, and often considered as natural parks. In the Tablas de Daimiel (La Mancha, Central Spain, Digital Airborne Imaging Spectrometer data (DAIS 7915 have been analyzed to map geological processes on areas around the receding wetland which have never been flooded by water in the past. Sediments permanently exposed to the atmosphere dehydrate and oxide, developing different mineralogical associations arranged on planation surfaces. Such planation surfaces are key in the geological knowledge of recent climate change and landscape evolution. Progressive iron oxide/hydroxide rate and decarbonation can be spectrally followed on the Holocene sands framing the current marshy area. Such mineralogical changes are geologically registered on flat surfaces at different heights over the receding shore of the paleolake. Interacting erosion and sedimentation processes are responsible for the development of the flat morphological surfaces with increasing dryness. Maps are built for four different morphological units consisting of planation surfaces following chronologically the receding marsh during the last 2000 years before the present. Interactive spectral responses of mineralogical associations are described on the imagery, field and laboratory spectra.

Soil sampling and analytical strategies for mapping fallout in nuclear emergencies based on the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onda, Yuichi; Kato, Hiroaki; Hoshi, Masaharu; Takahashi, Yoshio; Nguyen, Minh-Long

2015-01-01

The Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident resulted in extensive radioactive contamination of the environment via deposited radionuclides such as radiocesium and 131 I. Evaluating the extent and level of environmental contamination is critical to protecting citizens in affected areas and to planning decontamination efforts. However, a standardized soil sampling protocol is needed in such emergencies to facilitate the collection of large, tractable samples for measuring gamma-emitting radionuclides. In this study, we developed an emergency soil sampling protocol based on preliminary sampling from the FDNPP accident-affected area. We also present the results of a preliminary experiment aimed to evaluate the influence of various procedures (e.g., mixing, number of samples) on measured radioactivity. Results show that sample mixing strongly affects measured radioactivity in soil samples. Furthermore, for homogenization, shaking the plastic sample container at least 150 times or disaggregating soil by hand-rolling in a disposable plastic bag is required. Finally, we determined that five soil samples within a 3 m × 3-m area are the minimum number required for reducing measurement uncertainty in the emergency soil sampling protocol proposed here. - Highlights: • Emergency soil sampling protocol was proposed for nuclear hazards. • Various sampling procedures were tested and evaluated in Fukushima area. • Soil sample mixing procedure was of key importance for measured radioactivity. • Minimum number of sampling was determined for reducing measurement uncertainty

A backward method to estimate the Dai-ichi reactor core damage using radiation exposure in the environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

PM Udiyani; S Kuntjoro; S Widodo

2016-01-01

The Fukushima accident resulted in the melting of the reactor core due to loss of supply of coolant when the reactor stopped from operating conditions. The earthquake and tsunami caused loss of electricity due to the flooding that occurred in the reactor. The absence of the coolant supply after reactor shutdown resulted in heat accumulation, causing the temperature of the fuel to rise beyond its melting point. In the early stages of the accident, operator could not determine the severity of the accident and the percentage of the reactor core damaged. The available data was based on the radiation exposure in the environment that was reported by the authorities. The aim of this paper is to determine the severity of the conditions in the reactor core based on the radiation doses measured in the environment. The method is performed by backward counting based on the measuring radiation exposure and radionuclides releases source term. The calculation was performed by using the PC-COSYMA code. The results showed that the core damage fraction at Dai-ichi Unit 1 was 70%, and the resulting individual effective dose in the exclusion area is 401 mSv, while the core damage fraction at Unit 2 was 30%, and the resulting individual effective dose was 9.1 mSv, while for Unit 3, the core damage fraction was 25% for an individual effective dose of 92.2 mSv. The differences between the results of the calculation for estimation of core damage proposed in this paper with the previously reported results is probably caused by the applied model for assessment, differences in postulations and assumptions, and the incompleteness of the input data. This difference could be reduced by performing calculations and simulations for more varied assumptions and postulations. (author)

INITIAL AND PRESENT SITUATION OF FOOD CONTAMINATION IN JAPAN AFTER THE ACCIDENT AT THE FUKUSHIMA DAI-ICHI NUCLEAR POWER PLANT.

Science.gov (United States)

Aono, Tatsuo; Yoshida, Satoshi; Akashi, Makoto

2016-09-01

The accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in March 2011 affected not only the terrestrial environment of Fukushima prefecture and the surrounding area, but also the marine area facing the NPP. Our present study is focused on the concentrations of radionuclides in agricultural products of Fukushima and sea-foods collected off Fukushima after the accident. The regulation value for radiocesium in vegetables, meat and fish was revised from 500 Bq/kg-wet to 100 Bq/kg-wet on 1 April 2012. The overall activity of radiocesium in these products was found to be within the limit of tolerance in respect to Japanese and also international regulations, but there is still radiocesium found at activities greater than this level in edible wild plants, wild mushrooms and game such as boar meat. Although the activities of radionuclides exceeding the regulatory limits were not detected in marine products collected off Fukushima after April 2015, the commercial marine fishery has not received approval in the affected areas except for certain species. We learned from the Fukushima accident that long-term kinetic studies of radionuclides in terrestrial and marine environments is extremely important for prevention of internal contamination, since contamination with radionuclides occurs via the food chain in the environment. © World Health Organisation 2016. All rights reserved. The World Health Organization has granted Oxford University Press permission for the reproduction of this article.

Radioactive Cs-137 discharge from Headwater Forested Catchment in Fukushima after Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident

Science.gov (United States)

Iwagami, S.; Onda, Y.; Tsujimura, M.; Sakakibara, K.; Konuma, R.

2015-12-01

Radiocesium migration from headwater forested catchment is important perception as output from the forest which is also input to the subsequent various land use and downstream rivers after Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident. In this study, Cs-137 concentration of dissolved water, suspended sediment and coarse organic matter such as leaf and branch were monitored. Discharge amount of stream water, suspended sediment and coarse organic matter were measured to investigate the discharge amount of radiocesium and composition of radiocesium discharge form through the headwater stream. Observation were conducted at stream site in four headwater catchments in Yamakiya district, located ~35 km north west of FDNPP from June 2011 (suspended sediment and coarse organic matter: August 2012) to December 2014.The Cs-137 concentration of dissolved water was around 1Bq/l at June 2011. Then declined to 0.1 Bq/l at December 2011. And in December 2014, it declined to 0.01 Bq/l order. Declining trend of Cs-137 concentration in dissolved water was expressed in double exponential model. Also temporary increase was observed in dissolved Cs-137 during the rainfall event. The Cs-137 concentration of suspended sediment and coarse organic matter were 170-49000 Bq/kg and 350-14000 Bq/kg respectably. The Cs-137 concentration of suspended sediment showed good correlation with average deposition density of catchment. The effect of decontamination works appeared in declining of Cs-137 concentration in suspended sediment. Contribution rate of Cs-137 discharge by suspended sediment was 96-99% during a year. Total annual Cs-137 discharge from the catchment were 0.02-0.3% of the deposition.

Radiological impact of TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident on invertebrates in the coastal benthic food web.

Science.gov (United States)

Sohtome, Tadahiro; Wada, Toshihiro; Mizuno, Takuji; Nemoto, Yoshiharu; Igarashi, Satoshi; Nishimune, Atsushi; Aono, Tatsuo; Ito, Yukari; Kanda, Jota; Ishimaru, Takashi

2014-12-01

Radioactive cesium ((134)Cs and (137)Cs) concentrations in invertebrates of benthic food web (10 taxonomic classes with 46 identified families) collected from wide areas off Fukushima Prefecture (3-500 m depth) were inspected from July 2011, four months after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident, to August 2013 to elucidate time-series trends among taxa and areas. Cesium-137 was detected in seven classes (77% of 592 specimens). Higher (137)Cs concentrations within detected data were often found in areas near or south of the FDNPP, which is consistent with the reported spatial distribution of (137)Cs concentrations in highly contaminated seawater and sediments after the FDNPP accident. Overall (137)Cs concentrations in invertebrates, the maxima of which (290 Bq kg(-1)-wet in the sea urchin Glyptocidaris crenularis) were lower than in many demersal fishes, had decreased exponentially with time, and exhibited taxon-specific decreasing trends. Concentrations in Bivalvia and Gastropoda decreased clearly with respective ecological half-lives of 188 d and 102 d. In contrast, decreasing trends in Malacostraca and Polychaeta were more gradual, with longer respective ecological half-lives of 208 d and 487 d. Echinoidea showed no consistent trend, presumably because of effects of contaminated sediments taken into their digestive tract. Comparison of (137)Cs concentrations in the invertebrates and those in seawater and sediments suggest that contaminated sediments are the major source of continuing contamination in benthic invertebrates, especially in Malacostraca and Polychaeta. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Projections of Somatosensory Cortex and Frontal Eye Fields onto Incertotectal Neurons in the Cat

Science.gov (United States)

Perkins, Eddie; Warren, Susan; Lin, Rick C.-S.; May, Paul J.

2014-01-01

The goal of this study was to determine whether the input-output characteristics of the zona incerta (ZI) are appropriate for it to serve as a conduit for cortical control over saccade-related activity in the superior colliculus. The study utilized the neuronal tracers wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) and biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) in the cat. Injections of WGA-HRP into primary somatosensory cortex (SI) revealed sparse, widespread nontopographic projections throughout ZI. In addition, region-specific areas of more intense termination were present in ventral ZI, although strict topography was not observed. In comparison, the frontal eye fields (FEF) also projected sparsely throughout ZI, but terminated more heavily, medially, along the border between the two sublaminae. Furthermore, retrogradely labeled incertocortical neurons were observed in both experiments. The relationship of these two cortical projections to incertotectal cells was also directly examined by retrogradely labeling incertotectal cells with WGA-HRP in animals that had also received cortical BDA injections. Labeled axonal arbors from both SI and FEF had thin, sparsely branched axons with numerous en passant boutons. They formed numerous close associations with the somata and dendrites of WGA-HRP-labeled incertotectal cells. In summary, these results indicate that both sensory and motor cortical inputs to ZI display similar morphologies and distributions. In addition, both display close associations with incertotectal cells, suggesting direct synaptic contact. From these data, we conclude that inputs from somatosensory and FEF cortex both play a role in controlling gaze-related activity in the superior colliculus by way of the inhibitory incertotectal projection. PMID:17083121

Biocompatibility of polymer-infiltrated-ceramic-network (PICN) materials with Human Gingival Keratinocytes (HGKs).

Science.gov (United States)

Grenade, Charlotte; De Pauw-Gillet, Marie-Claire; Pirard, Catherine; Bertrand, Virginie; Charlier, Corinne; Vanheusden, Alain; Mainjot, Amélie

2017-03-01

Biocompatibility of polymer-infiltrated-ceramic-network (PICN) materials, a new class of CAD-CAM composites, is poorly explored in the literature, in particular, no data are available regarding Human Gingival Keratinocytes (HGK). The first objective of this study was to evaluate the in vitro biocompatibility of PICNs with HGKs in comparison with other materials typically used for implant prostheses. The second objective was to correlate results with PICN monomer release and indirect cytotoxicity. HGK attachment, proliferation and spreading on PICN, grade V titanium (Ti), yttrium zirconia (Zi), lithium disilicate glass-ceramic (eM) and polytetrafluoroethylene (negative control) discs were evaluated using a specific insert-based culture system. For PICN and eM samples, monomer release in the culture medium was quantified by high performance liquid chromatography and indirect cytotoxicity tests were performed. Ti and Zi exhibited the best results regarding HGK viability, number and coverage. eM showed inferior results while PICN showed statistically similar results to eM but also to Ti regarding cell number and to Ti and Zi regarding cell viability. No monomer release from PICN discs was found, nor indirect cytotoxicity, as for eM. The results confirmed the excellent behavior of Ti and Zi with gingival cells. Even if polymer based, PICN materials exhibited intermediate results between Ti-Zi and eM. These promising results could notably be explained by PICN high temperature-high pressure (HT-HP) innovative polymerization mode, as confirmed by the absence of monomer release and indirect cytotoxicity. Copyright © 2017 The Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dark Energy Survey Year 1 Results: Redshift distributions of the weak lensing source galaxies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoyle, B.; et al.

2017-08-04

We describe the derivation and validation of redshift distribution estimates and their uncertainties for the galaxies used as weak lensing sources in the Dark Energy Survey (DES) Year 1 cosmological analyses. The Bayesian Photometric Redshift (BPZ) code is used to assign galaxies to four redshift bins between z=0.2 and 1.3, and to produce initial estimates of the lensing-weighted redshift distributions $n^i_{PZ}(z)$ for bin i. Accurate determination of cosmological parameters depends critically on knowledge of $n^i$ but is insensitive to bin assignments or redshift errors for individual galaxies. The cosmological analyses allow for shifts $n^i(z)=n^i_{PZ}(z-\\Delta z^i)$ to correct the mean redshift of $n^i(z)$ for biases in $n^i_{\\rm PZ}$. The $\\Delta z^i$ are constrained by comparison of independently estimated 30-band photometric redshifts of galaxies in the COSMOS field to BPZ estimates made from the DES griz fluxes, for a sample matched in fluxes, pre-seeing size, and lensing weight to the DES weak-lensing sources. In companion papers, the $\\Delta z^i$ are further constrained by the angular clustering of the source galaxies around red galaxies with secure photometric redshifts at 0.15z^i$. The clustering and COSMOS validation methods produce consistent estimates of $\\Delta z^i$, with combined uncertainties of $\\sigma_{\\Delta z^i}=$0.015, 0.013, 0.011, and 0.022 in the four bins. We marginalize over these in all analyses to follow, which does not diminish the constraining power significantly. Repeating the photo-z procedure using the Directional Neighborhood Fitting (DNF) algorithm instead of BPZ, or using the $n^i(z)$ directly estimated from COSMOS, yields no discernible difference in cosmological inferences.

Dark Energy Survey Year 1 Results: Redshift distributions of the weak lensing source galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Hoyle, B.; Gruen, D.; Bernstein, G. M.; Rau, M. M.; De Vicente, J.; Hartley, W. G.; Gaztanaga, E.; DeRose, J.; Troxel, M. A.; Davis, C.; Alarcon, A.; MacCrann, N.; Prat, J.; Sánchez, C.; Sheldon, E.; Wechsler, R. H.; Asorey, J.; Becker, M. R.; Bonnett, C.; Carnero Rosell, A.; Carollo, D.; Carrasco Kind, M.; Castander, F. J.; Cawthon, R.; Chang, C.; Childress, M.; Davis, T. M.; Drlica-Wagner, A.; Gatti, M.; Glazebrook, K.; Gschwend, J.; Hinton, S. R.; Hoormann, J. K.; Kim, A. G.; King, A.; Kuehn, K.; Lewis, G.; Lidman, C.; Lin, H.; Macaulay, E.; Maia, M. A. G.; Martini, P.; Mudd, D.; Möller, A.; Nichol, R. C.; Ogando, R. L. C.; Rollins, R. P.; Roodman, A.; Ross, A. J.; Rozo, E.; Rykoff, E. S.; Samuroff, S.; Sevilla-Noarbe, I.; Sharp, R.; Sommer, N. E.; Tucker, B. E.; Uddin, S. A.; Varga, T. N.; Vielzeuf, P.; Yuan, F.; Zhang, B.; Abbott, T. M. C.; Abdalla, F. B.; Allam, S.; Annis, J.; Bechtol, K.; Benoit-Lévy, A.; Bertin, E.; Brooks, D.; Buckley-Geer, E.; Burke, D. L.; Busha, M. T.; Capozzi, D.; Carretero, J.; Crocce, M.; D'Andrea, C. B.; da Costa, L. N.; DePoy, D. L.; Desai, S.; Diehl, H. T.; Doel, P.; Eifler, T. F.; Estrada, J.; Evrard, A. E.; Fernandez, E.; Flaugher, B.; Fosalba, P.; Frieman, J.; García-Bellido, J.; Gerdes, D. W.; Giannantonio, T.; Goldstein, D. A.; Gruendl, R. A.; Gutierrez, G.; Honscheid, K.; James, D. J.; Jarvis, M.; Jeltema, T.; Johnson, M. W. G.; Johnson, M. D.; Kirk, D.; Krause, E.; Kuhlmann, S.; Kuropatkin, N.; Lahav, O.; Li, T. S.; Lima, M.; March, M.; Marshall, J. L.; Melchior, P.; Menanteau, F.; Miquel, R.; Nord, B.; O'Neill, C. R.; Plazas, A. A.; Romer, A. K.; Sako, M.; Sanchez, E.; Santiago, B.; Scarpine, V.; Schindler, R.; Schubnell, M.; Smith, M.; Smith, R. C.; Soares-Santos, M.; Sobreira, F.; Suchyta, E.; Swanson, M. E. C.; Tarle, G.; Thomas, D.; Tucker, D. L.; Vikram, V.; Walker, A. R.; Weller, J.; Wester, W.; Wolf, R. C.; Yanny, B.; Zuntz, J.; DES Collaboration

2018-04-01

We describe the derivation and validation of redshift distribution estimates and their uncertainties for the populations of galaxies used as weak lensing sources in the Dark Energy Survey (DES) Year 1 cosmological analyses. The Bayesian Photometric Redshift (BPZ) code is used to assign galaxies to four redshift bins between z ≈ 0.2 and ≈1.3, and to produce initial estimates of the lensing-weighted redshift distributions n^i_PZ(z)∝ dn^i/dz for members of bin i. Accurate determination of cosmological parameters depends critically on knowledge of ni but is insensitive to bin assignments or redshift errors for individual galaxies. The cosmological analyses allow for shifts n^i(z)=n^i_PZ(z-Δ z^i) to correct the mean redshift of ni(z) for biases in n^i_PZ. The Δzi are constrained by comparison of independently estimated 30-band photometric redshifts of galaxies in the COSMOS field to BPZ estimates made from the DES griz fluxes, for a sample matched in fluxes, pre-seeing size, and lensing weight to the DES weak-lensing sources. In companion papers, the Δzi of the three lowest redshift bins are further constrained by the angular clustering of the source galaxies around red galaxies with secure photometric redshifts at 0.15 < z < 0.9. This paper details the BPZ and COSMOS procedures, and demonstrates that the cosmological inference is insensitive to details of the ni(z) beyond the choice of Δzi. The clustering and COSMOS validation methods produce consistent estimates of Δzi in the bins where both can be applied, with combined uncertainties of σ _{Δ z^i}=0.015, 0.013, 0.011, and 0.022 in the four bins. Repeating the photo-z proceedure instead using the Directional Neighborhood Fitting (DNF) algorithm, or using the ni(z) estimated from the matched sample in COSMOS, yields no discernible difference in cosmological inferences.

Biochemical Conservation and Evolution of Germacrene A Oxidase in Asteraceae*

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Don Trinh; Göpfert, Jens Christian; Ikezawa, Nobuhiro; MacNevin, Gillian; Kathiresan, Meena; Conrad, Jürgen; Spring, Otmar; Ro, Dae-Kyun

2010-01-01

Sesquiterpene lactones are characteristic natural products in Asteraceae, which constitutes ∼8% of all plant species. Despite their physiological and pharmaceutical importance, the biochemistry and evolution of sesquiterpene lactones remain unexplored. Here we show that germacrene A oxidase (GAO), evolutionarily conserved in all major subfamilies of Asteraceae, catalyzes three consecutive oxidations of germacrene A to yield germacrene A acid. Furthermore, it is also capable of oxidizing non-natural substrate amorphadiene. Co-expression of lettuce GAO with germacrene synthase in engineered yeast synthesized aberrant products, costic acids and ilicic acid, in an acidic condition. However, cultivation in a neutral condition allowed the de novo synthesis of a single novel compound that was identified as germacrene A acid by gas and liquid chromatography and NMR analyses. To trace the evolutionary lineage of GAO in Asteraceae, homologous genes were further isolated from the representative species of three major subfamilies of Asteraceae (sunflower, chicory, and costus from Asteroideae, Cichorioideae, and Carduoideae, respectively) and also from the phylogenetically basal species, Barnadesia spinosa, from Barnadesioideae. The recombinant GAOs from these genes clearly showed germacrene A oxidase activities, suggesting that GAO activity is widely conserved in Asteraceae including the basal lineage. All GAOs could catalyze the three-step oxidation of non-natural substrate amorphadiene to artemisinic acid, whereas amorphadiene oxidase diverged from GAO displayed negligible activity for germacrene A oxidation. The observed amorphadiene oxidase activity in GAOs suggests that the catalytic plasticity is embedded in ancestral GAO enzymes that may contribute to the chemical and catalytic diversity in nature. PMID:20351109

Sensitivity of the modelled deposition of Caesium-137 from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant to the wet deposition parameterisation in NAME

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leadbetter, Susan J.; Hort, Matthew C.; Jones, Andrew R.; Webster, Helen N.; Draxler, Roland R.

2015-01-01

This paper describes an investigation into the impact of different meteorological data sets and different wet scavenging coefficients on the model predictions of radionuclide deposits following the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in March 2011. Three separate operational meteorological data sets, the UK Met Office global meteorology, the ECMWF global meteorology and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) mesoscale meteorology as well as radar rainfall analyses from JMA were all used as inputs to the UK Met Office's dispersion model NAME (the Numerical Atmospheric-dispersion Modelling Environment). The model predictions of Caesium-137 deposits based on these meteorological models all showed good agreement with observations of deposits made in eastern Japan with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.44 to 0.80. Unexpectedly the NAME run using radar rainfall data had a lower correlation coefficient (R = 0.66), when compared to observations, than the run using the JMA mesoscale model rainfall (R = 0.76) or the run using ECMWF met data (R = 0.80). Additionally the impact of modifying the wet scavenging coefficients used in the parameterisation of wet deposition was investigated. The results showed that modifying the scavenging parameters had a similar impact to modifying the driving meteorology on the rank calculated from comparing the modelled and observed deposition

Supplementary data: Development of a Y-STR 12-plex PCR system ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Dai et al. 2004. R: AACACCTGATGCCTGGTTG. DYS561. PET. F: GCTTGCCTGATGCCATCTGAAAAT. 2.0. Dai et al. 2004b. R: TGATCCCAACAACTGCACTC. DYS587. PET. F: CCTAAAGCGAAGAGACCATGA. 3.0. Dai et al. 2004. R: TGAAGGCCAAAGAGTGAAAGA. aAll forward primers were labelled with fluorescent dyes.

Evaluation of diffuse axonal injury in traumatic brain injury - Valoración del daño axonal difuso en los traumatismos cráneo-encefálicos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carme Junqué

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Diffuse axonal injury (DAI in traumaticbrain injury (TBI is produced by primary and secondarymechanisms of axonal damage. DAI is the responsibleof neuropsychological impairments associatedto moderate and diffuse TBI such as deficits in attention,memory, speed of mental processing and executivefunctions. Clinical magnetic resonance imagingallows to identify traumatic microbleeds using T2*and to quantify indirect signs of DAI such as the ventricularvolumes of corpus callosum surface. Diffusiontensor imaging (DTI is the most suitable techniqueto identify and to quantify DAI in TBI patients. Thefractional anisotropy (FA values have been found sensitiveto DAI even in mild TBI and correlate withseverity parameters such as Glasgow coma scale andpost-traumatic amnesia. FA values changes over timebut it remains as a permanent TBI sequel even in children.The mean whole brain FA and corpus callosummeasures have shown significant correlations with theclassical neuropsychological deficits seen in TBIpatients with DAI.

Probabilistic mapping of deep brain stimulation effects in essential tremor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Till A Dembek

2017-01-01

Discussion: Our results support the assumption, that the ZI might be a very effective target for tremor suppression. However stimulation inside the ZI and in its close vicinity was also related to the occurrence of stimulation-induced side-effects, so it remains unclear whether the VIM or the ZI is the overall better target. The study demonstrates the use of PSMs for target selection and evaluation. While their accuracy has to be carefully discussed, they can improve the understanding of DBS effects and can be of use for other DBS targets in the therapy of neurological or psychiatric disorders as well. Furthermore they provide a priori information about expected DBS effects in a certain region and might be helpful to clinicians in programming DBS devices in the future.

Student Loans: Oversight of Servicemembers Interest Rate Cap Could Be Strengthened

Science.gov (United States)

2016-11-01

McDonald (Analyst-in-Charge), Jeffrey G. Miller, and Jill Yost. Additional assistance was provided by Susan Aschoff, James Bennett, Mark Bird...correspondence. To have GAO e-mail you a list of newly posted products, go to http://www.gao.gov and select “E-mail Updates.” The price of each GAO publication...printed in color or black and white. Pricing and ordering information is posted on GAO’s website, http://www.gao.gov/ordering.htm. Place orders by

Detailed deposition density maps constructed by large-scale soil sampling for gamma-ray emitting radioactive nuclides from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

Science.gov (United States)

Saito, Kimiaki; Tanihata, Isao; Fujiwara, Mamoru; Saito, Takashi; Shimoura, Susumu; Otsuka, Takaharu; Onda, Yuichi; Hoshi, Masaharu; Ikeuchi, Yoshihiro; Takahashi, Fumiaki; Kinouchi, Nobuyuki; Saegusa, Jun; Seki, Akiyuki; Takemiya, Hiroshi; Shibata, Tokushi

2015-01-01

Soil deposition density maps of gamma-ray emitting radioactive nuclides from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) accident were constructed on the basis of results from large-scale soil sampling. In total 10,915 soil samples were collected at 2168 locations. Gamma rays emitted from the samples were measured by Ge detectors and analyzed using a reliable unified method. The determined radioactivity was corrected to that of June 14, 2011 by considering the intrinsic decay constant of each nuclide. Finally the deposition maps were created for (134)Cs, (137)Cs, (131)I, (129m)Te and (110m)Ag. The radioactivity ratio of (134)Cs-(137)Cs was almost constant at 0.91 regardless of the locations of soil sampling. The radioactivity ratios of (131)I and (129m)Te-(137)Cs were relatively high in the regions south of the Fukushima NPP site. Effective doses for 50 y after the accident were evaluated for external and inhalation exposures due to the observed radioactive nuclides. The radiation doses from radioactive cesium were found to be much higher than those from the other radioactive nuclides. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Nuclear Weapons: DOD Assessed the Need for Each Leg of the Strategic Triad and Considered Other Reductions to Nuclear Forces

Science.gov (United States)

2016-09-01

check, or money order. Call for additional information. Connect with GAO on Facebook , Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube. Subscribe to our RSS Feeds or E...GAO Reports and Testimony Order by Phone Connect with GAO To Report Fraud , Waste, and Abuse in Federal Programs Congressional Relations Public

MRI findings in acute diffuse axonal injured patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Hidetaka

2001-01-01

Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) in the acute stage was clinically evaluated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which is considered superior to computed tomography (CT) in detecting parenchymal brain lesions. MRI was disadvantageous, however, to patients suffering from acute severe head injury because of the long time required to construct imaging and unstable patient vital signs. We conducted MRI safely under a high magnetic field (1.5 tesla) in acute DAI by close observation and with nonmagnetic respirator and electrocardiographic monitoring. MRI was conducted in 95 patients diagnosed with DAI classified into mild (14), moderate (17) and severe (64) DAI by criteria established by Gennarelli (1986). In patients with mild or moderate DAI, CT revealed no lesion in the parenchymal area although MRI detected lesions in every case, mainly in cortical white matter or basal ganglia. In patients with severe DAI, CT revealed parenchymal lesions in 14 although MRI detected further lesions in cortical white matter, basal ganglia, corpus callosum and brainstem in every case. These results correspond well to the experimental model Gennarelli's. This study concluded that MRI was useful in assessing acute DAI patients. (author)

Index of Reports and Testimony: Fiscal Year 1991.

Science.gov (United States)

1991-12-01

74FS, Apr. 24 U.S.-Mexico Trade: Some U.S. Wood Furniture Firms Relocated From Los Angeles Area to Mexico GAO NSIAD-91-191 Apr. 24 El Comercio Entre U.S...Testimony: Fiscal Year 1991 El Comercio Entry Los EE. UU. y Mexico: Informacion acerca de la reglamentacion ambiental y su cumplimiento GAO NSIAi)-91-227SV...Considerations GAO/RCED-91-240 Sept. 17 Air Traffic Control: FAA’s Transition of Communications System to Digital Technology GAO/IMTEC-91-77FS Sept. 26

Design Genetic Algorithm Optimization Education Software Based Fuzzy Controller for a Tricopter Fly Path Planning

Science.gov (United States)

Tran, Huu-Khoa; Chiou, Juing -Shian; Peng, Shou-Tao

2016-01-01

In this paper, the feasibility of a Genetic Algorithm Optimization (GAO) education software based Fuzzy Logic Controller (GAO-FLC) for simulating the flight motion control of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is designed. The generated flight trajectories integrate the optimized Scaling Factors (SF) fuzzy controller gains by using GAO algorithm. The…

Swallowing Quality of Life After Zona Incerta Deep Brain Stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Sundstedt, Stina; Nordh, Erik; Linder, Jan; Hedström, Johanna; Finizia, Caterina; Olofsson, Katarina

2017-02-01

The management of Parkinson's disease (PD) has been improved, but management of signs like swallowing problems is still challenging. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) alleviates the cardinal motor symptoms and improves quality of life, but its effect on swallowing is not fully explored. The purpose of this study was to examine self-reported swallowing-specific quality of life before and after caudal zona incerta DBS (cZI DBS) in comparison with a control group. Nine PD patients (2 women and 7 men) completed the self-report Swallowing Quality of Life questionnaire (SWAL-QOL) before and 12 months after cZI DBS surgery. The postoperative data were compared to 9 controls. Median ages were 53 years (range, 40-70 years) for patients and 54 years (range, 42-72 years) for controls. No significant differences were found between the pre- or postoperative scores. The SWAL-QOL total scores did not differ significantly between PD patients and controls. The PD patients reported significantly lower scores in the burden subscale and the symptom scale. Patients with PD selected for cZI DBS showed good self-reported swallowing-specific quality of life, in many aspects equal to controls. The cZI DBS did not negatively affect swallowing-specific quality of life in this study.

Feasibility study on phyto-remediation techniques for soil contaminated by the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yuu Ishimori; Akihiro Sakoda [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Kagamino, Okayama (Japan); Mina Yamada; Yuko Makino; Satoshi Yamada; Hideyasu Fujiyama [Tottori University, Tottori, Tottori (Japan)

2013-07-01

Tottori University and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency carried out jointly the feasibility study on phyto-remediation techniques, which apply to soil contaminated by the TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP accident. This paper illustrates the results from experimental investigations. Experimental investigations include both water-culture tests and field tests. Several plants, mainly halophytes that can specifically absorb more Na than K, and others like sunflower demonstrated for other domestic large-scale tests, were water-cultured and examined for screening. Easily cultivated and harvested plants without harmful effects on subsequent cultivation were also considered. New Zealand spinach was selected as a candidate for demonstrations in fields. The field tests were carried out at two sites of different agricultural types in Minami-soma, Fukushima prefecture. Concentration of {sup 137}Cs in soil is about 4.5 Bq/g-dry as the average of 10 cm depth. The aims of the field tests are to confirm absorption ability and environmental adaptation of the test plants and to document the cost and performance of projects. In conclusion, the absorption of {sup 137}Cs activity per unit area (Bq/m{sup 2}) by New Zealand spinach could be approximately 0.5%. To achieve an effective result in removal of {sup 137}Cs from soil in around a decade, it is required to find the plant which has ten or more times higher absorption capacity than New Zealand spinach. From the consistency of both results in water-culture and field tests, the water-culture test can be valid for screening. In addition, applicable sites will be limited to fields which are too steep or too narrow to use mechanical diggers, and which are free from any restrictions to enter. (authors)

137Cs vertical migration in a deciduous forest soil following the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakanishi, Takahiro; Matsunaga, Takeshi; Koarashi, Jun; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko

2014-01-01

The large amount of 137 Cs deposited on the forest floor because of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident represents a major potential long-term source for mobile 137 Cs. To investigate 137 Cs mobility in forest soils, we investigated the vertical migration of 137 Cs through seepage water, using a lysimetric method. The study was conducted in a deciduous forest soil over a period spanning 2 month to 2 y after the Fukushima nuclear accident. Our observations demonstrated that the major part of 137 Cs in the litter layer moved into the mineral soil within one year after the accident. On the other hand, the topsoil prevented migration of 137 Cs, and only 2% of 137 Cs in the leachate from litter and humus layer penetrated below a 10 cm depth. The annual migration below a 10 cm depth accounted for 0.1% of the total 137 Cs inventory. Therefore, the migration of 137 Cs by seepage water comprised only a very small part of the total 137 Cs inventory in the mineral soil, which was undetectable from the vertical distribution of 137 Cs in the soil profile. In the present and immediate future, most of the 137 Cs deposited on the forest floor will probably remain in the topsoil successively, although a small but certain amount of bioavailable 137 Cs exists in forest surface soil. -- Highlights: • Lysimeter captured 137 Cs mobility in a forest soil after the Fukushima accident. • Major part of 137 Cs in the litter layer moved into the mineral soil within a year. • Litter-leachate 137 Cs was predominantly adsorbed within the topsoil. • The annual migration below a 10 cm depth was 0.1% of the total 137 Cs inventory

Low acetate concentrations favor polyphosphate-accumulating organisms over glycogen-accumulating organisms in enhanced biological phosphorus removal from wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Tu, Yunjie; Schuler, Andrew J

2013-04-16

Glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs) are thought to compete with polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) in enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) wastewater treatment systems. A laboratory sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was operated for one year to test the hypothesis that PAOs have a competitive advantage at low acetate concentrations, with a focus on low pH conditions previously shown to favor GAOs. PAOs dominated the system under conventional SBR operation with rapid acetate addition (producing high in-reactor concentrations) and pH values of 7.4-8.4. GAOs dominated when the pH was decreased (6.4-7.0). Decreasing the acetate addition rate led to very low reactor acetate concentrations, and PAOs recovered, supporting the study hypothesis. When the acetate feed rate was increased, EBPR failed again. Dominant PAOs and GAOs were Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis and Defluviicoccus Cluster 2, respectively, according to fluorescent in situ hybridization and 454 pyrosequencing. Surprisingly, GAOs were not the immediate causes of PAO failures, based on functional and population measurements. Pyrosequencing results suggested Dechloromonas and Tetrasphaera spp. may have also been PAOs, and additional potential GAOs were also identified. Full-scale systems typically have lower in-reactor acetate concentrations than laboratory SBRs, and so, previous laboratory studies may have overestimated the practical importance of GAOs as causes of EBPR failure.

Elections: DOD Needs More Comprehensive Planning to Address Military and Overseas Absentee Voting Challenges

Science.gov (United States)

2016-04-01

Acknowledgments Contact Acknowledgments Related GAO Products Page 75 GAO-16-378 DOD Overseas Absentee Voting U.S. Postal Service: Actions... Products Page 76 GAO-16-378 DOD Overseas Absentee Voting Election Reform: Nine States’ Experiences Implementing Federal Requirements for...ELECTIONS DOD Needs More Comprehensive Planning to Address Military and Overseas Absentee Voting Challenges

Oral Astragalus (Huang qi) for preventing frequent episodes of acute respiratory tract infection in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Guobin; Chen, Xiankun; Liu, Zhuangzhu; Yang, Lihong; Zhang, La; Stålsby Lundborg, Cecilia; Wen, Zehuai; Guo, Xinfeng; Qin, Xindong; Liang, Jueyao; Liu, Xusheng

2016-12-01

Acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) are common in children and can involve both upper and lower airways. Many children experience frequent ARTI episodes or recurrent respiratory tract infections (RRTIs) in early life, which creates challenges for paediatricians, primary care physicians, parents and carers of children.In China, Astragalus (Huang qi), alone or in combination with other herbs, is used by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners in the form of a water extract, to reduce the risk of ARTIs; it is believed to stimulate the immune system. Better understanding of the therapeutic mechanisms of Astragalus may provide insights into ARTI prevention, and consequently reduced antibiotic use. To assess the effectiveness and safety of oral Astragalus for preventing frequent episodes of acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) in children in community settings. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, Issue 12, 2015), MEDLINE (Ovid) (1946 to 31 December 2015), Embase (Elsevier) (1974 to 31 December 2015), AMED (Ovid) (1985 to 31 December 2015), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) (1979 to 31 December 2015) and Chinese Scientific Journals full text database (CQVIP) (1989 to 31 December 2015), China Biology Medicine disc (CBM 1976 to 31 December 2015) and Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform (WanFang) (1998 to 31 December 2015). We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing oral Astragalus as a sole Chinese herbal preparation with placebo to prevent frequent episodes of ARTIs in children. We used standard Cochrane methodological procedures for this review. We assessed search results to identify relevant studies. We planned to extract data using standardised forms. Disagreements were to be resolved through discussion. Risk of bias was to be assessed using the Cochrane 'Risk of bias' tool. We planned to use mean difference (MD) or standardised mean difference (SMD) for continuous data and risk

Design of a divergence and alignment indicator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brenizer, J.S. Jr.; Raine, D.A.; Gao, J.; Chen, J.

1996-01-01

The divergence and alignment indicator (DAI) is an extension of the ASTM E803 L/D thermal neutron radiography L/D device that allows the user to determine both the beam centerline and the beam divergence. The DAI was made using aluminium plate and rods, and incorporated cadmium wire for contrast. Circular symmetry was utilized to simplify manufacture. The DAI was placed with the five posts against the film cassette or radioscopic imaging device in the physical center of the beam. The DAI was perpendicular to the selected beam radius when the front and back center Cd wire images overlap. The degree of misalignment was indicated by their image positions. After the DAI was aligned, analysis of the cadmium wire ''+'' image spacing yielded the beam divergence. The DAI was tested in a neutron beam which has an L/D of 30 but a small degree of divergence. The DAI was also imaged using an X-ray source. The point source predictions of Cd wire image locations showed good agreement with those measured from the X-ray radiograph. The neutron radiographic locations could be predicted using the point source equations, even though the neutron beam was a complex distributed source. (orig.)

Sedimentation and remobilization of radiocesium in the coastal area of Ibaraki, 70 km south of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Science.gov (United States)

Otosaka, Shigeyoshi; Kobayashi, Takuya

2013-07-01

Sedimentation and remobilization processes of radiocesium were investigated from time-series observations at nine stations in the coastal area of Ibaraki, 70-110 km south of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (1FNPP). Sediment samples were collected four times between June 2011 and January 2012, and concentrations of radiocesium as well as sediment properties such as grain size and elemental compositions were analyzed. Cumulative inventory of (137)Cs in sediment (0-10 cm) ranged between 4 × 10(3) and 3 × 10(4) Bq/m(2) as of January 2012. This amount was generally higher at stations nearer 1FNPP and has remained at the same level since August 2011. From these results, it can be inferred that dissolved radiocesium advected southward from the region adjacent to the 1FNPP and was deposited to the sediment of the study area in the early stage after the accident. The incorporation of radiocesium into sediments was almost irreversible, and higher concentrations of (137)Cs were obtained from the finer-grained fraction of sediments. In the northern offshore stations, resuspension of the fine-grained sediments formed a high-turbidity layer 10-20 m above the seabed. These results indicate that radiocesium-enriched fine particles were transported from the coast to offshore regions through the bottom high-turbidity layer.

Basic concept of the nuclear emergency preparedness and response in Japan after the accident of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station. The plain explanation for regional officials and emergency workers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Sohei; Yamamoto, Kazuya

2013-07-01

After the accident of TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station occurred on March 11, 2011, actions for controlling the accident and protective actions for the residents like evacuation were taken. In parallel with this, it has been developed to reform the nuclear regulatory systems and the emergency preparedness and response systems in Japan. Especially the Nuclear Regulation Authority's Nuclear Emergency Preparedness and Response Guidelines were adopted with the introducing the basic concepts and the criteria on the basis of the IAEA's safety standards and differed greatly from the prior guidelines. Thus the arrangement of emergency response systems, resources and the operational procedures will be developed complying with according to the guidelines in municipalities around the nuclear power station sites. This work attempts to provide a plain explanation as possible for the regional officials and emergency workers about the basic concepts of the new guidelines. (author)

Missile Defense: Assessment of DODs Reports on Status of Efforts and Options for Improving Homeland Missile Defense

Science.gov (United States)

2016-02-17

serving as an integrator and will need to weigh the pros and cons of competing for an integrator role vice a supplier role. In addition, shifting to an... YouTube . Subscribe to our RSS Feeds or E-mail Updates. Listen to our Podcasts . Visit GAO on the web at www.gao.gov. Contact: Website: www.gao.gov

Nuclear Weapons Sustainment: Improvements Made to Budget Estimates Report, but Opportunities Remain to Further Enhance Transparency

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-01

Enhance Transparency Report to Congressional Committees December 2015 GAO-16-23 United States Government Accountability Office United...SUSTAINMENT Improvements Made to Budget Estimates Report, but Opportunities Remain to Further Enhance Transparency Why GAO Did This Study DOD and DOE are...modernization plans and (2) complete, transparent information on the methodologies used to develop those estimates. GAO analyzed the departments

Veterans Justice Outreach Program: VA Could Improve Management by Establishing Performance Measures and Fully Assessing Risks

Science.gov (United States)

2016-04-01

Assessing Risks Report to Congressional Requesters April 2016 GAO-16-393 United States Government Accountability Office United States...Government Accountability Office Highlights of GAO-16-393, a report to congressional requesters April 2016 VETERANS JUSTICE OUTREACH PROGRAM...quality, timeliness, efficiency, cost of service, and outcome. GAO, Tax Administration: IRS Needs to Further Refine Its Tax Filing Season

Psychometric analyses to improve the Dutch ICF Activity Inventory.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruijning, Janna E; van Rens, Ger; Knol, Dirk; van Nispen, Ruth

2013-08-01

In the past, rehabilitation centers for the visually impaired used unstructured or semistructured methods to assess rehabilitation needs of their patients. Recently, an extensive instrument, the Dutch ICF Activity Inventory (D-AI), was developed to systematically investigate rehabilitation needs of visually impaired adults and to evaluate rehabilitation outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the underlying factor structure and other psychometric properties to shorten and improve the D-AI. The D-AI was administered to 241 visually impaired persons who recently enrolled in a multidisciplinary rehabilitation center. The D-AI uses graded scores to assess the importance and difficulty of 65 rehabilitation goals. For high-priority goals (e.g., daily meal preparation), the difficulty of underlying tasks (e.g., read recipes, cut vegetables) was assessed. To reduce underlying task items (>950), descriptive statistics were investigated and factor analyses were performed for several goals. The internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability of the D-AI were investigated by calculating Cronbach α and Cohen (weighted) κ. Finally, consensus-based discussions were used to shorten and improve the D-AI. Except for one goal, factor analysis model parameters were at least reasonable. Internal consistency reliability was satisfactory (range, 0.74 to 0.93). In total, 60% of the 65 goal importance items and 84.4% of the goal difficulty items showed moderate to almost perfect κ values (≥0.40). After consensus-based discussions, a new D-AI was produced, containing 48 goals and less than 500 tasks. The analyses were an important step in the validation process of the D-AI and to develop a more feasible assessment tool to investigate rehabilitation needs of visually impaired persons in a systematic way. The D-AI is currently implemented in all Dutch rehabilitation centers serving all visually impaired adults with various rehabilitation needs.

On the optimum processing conditions of Pb(Zr x Ti1-x )O3: revealing the mechanisms to increase the piezoelectric coefficients up to 1100 pm V-1

Science.gov (United States)

Zeibekis, M.; Vertsioti, G.; Stamopoulos, D.

2016-03-01

The ferroelectric compound family Pb(Zr x Ti1-x )O3 (PZT) is one of the most investigated and widely used piezoelectric materials. Optimization of the piezoelectric coefficients is observed for x ~ 0.52 (Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3) and is further promoted by the increase of grain size (GS). However, in some cases the piezoelectric properties of Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 deteriorate upon processing due to the decrease of density, ρ, that is mostly ascribed to the appearance of byproduct phases. In the present study we discuss the influence of the processing conditions on the piezoelectric properties for polycrystalline Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3, specifically focusing on the sintering temperature, 1100 °C  ⩽  T sin  ⩽  1250 °C. To this end, we use atomic force microscopy (AFM), Archimedes’ method, x-ray diffraction (XRD) and a newly introduced local technique, based on a conventional optical microscope, which is further developed here to accommodate non-clamped specimens. The data obtained via this technique in the regime of relatively high electric fields evidence that the absolute piezoelectric coefficients, |d zi | (i  =  x, y) show a non-monotonic behavior with an unexpectedly high maximum value |d zi | ~ 1100 pm V-1 at T sin  =  1180 °C. These features are accompanied by a progressive increase of coercivity, reaching maximum value E C,i ~ 4.5-5.0 kV cm-1 (i  =  x, y) at T sin  =  1250 °C. To explain these findings, the |d zi | coefficients are compared with the microstructure and compositional information, coming from AFM, Archimedes’ method and XRD data. We conclude that the significantly high |d zi | values observed for samples prepared at T sin  =  1180 °C are motivated by the increase of mean GS, , while for T sin  >  1180 °C the decrease of density, ρ, ascribed to the appearance of byproduct phases, dominates and deteriorates |d zi |. These experimental results on |d zi |(T sin) are reliably

Predicting success of oligomerized pool engineering (OPEN for zinc finger target site sequences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goodwin Mathew J

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Precise and efficient methods for gene targeting are critical for detailed functional analysis of genomes and regulatory networks and for potentially improving the efficacy and safety of gene therapies. Oligomerized Pool ENgineering (OPEN is a recently developed method for engineering C2H2 zinc finger proteins (ZFPs designed to bind specific DNA sequences with high affinity and specificity in vivo. Because generation of ZFPs using OPEN requires considerable effort, a computational method for identifying the sites in any given gene that are most likely to be successfully targeted by this method is desirable. Results Analysis of the base composition of experimentally validated ZFP target sites identified important constraints on the DNA sequence space that can be effectively targeted using OPEN. Using alternate encodings to represent ZFP target sites, we implemented Naïve Bayes and Support Vector Machine classifiers capable of distinguishing "active" targets, i.e., ZFP binding sites that can be targeted with a high rate of success, from those that are "inactive" or poor targets for ZFPs generated using current OPEN technologies. When evaluated using leave-one-out cross-validation on a dataset of 135 experimentally validated ZFP target sites, the best Naïve Bayes classifier, designated ZiFOpT, achieved overall accuracy of 87% and specificity+ of 90%, with an ROC AUC of 0.89. When challenged with a completely independent test set of 140 newly validated ZFP target sites, ZiFOpT performance was comparable in terms of overall accuracy (88% and specificity+ (92%, but with reduced ROC AUC (0.77. Users can rank potentially active ZFP target sites using a confidence score derived from the posterior probability returned by ZiFOpT. Conclusion ZiFOpT, a machine learning classifier trained to identify DNA sequences amenable for targeting by OPEN-generated zinc finger arrays, can guide users to target sites that are most likely to function

Impact of thermal time shift on wheat phenology and yield under warming climate in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, China

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Dengpan; Qi, Yongqing; Li, Zhiqiang; Wang, Rende; Moiwo, Juana P.; Liu, Fengshan

2017-03-01

Given climate change can potentially influence crop phenology and subsequent yield, an investigation of relevant adaptation measures could increase the understanding and mitigation of these responses in the future. In this study, field observations at 10 stations in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China (HHHP) are used in combination with the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM)-Wheat model to determine the effect of thermal time shift on the phenology and potential yield of wheat from 1981-2009. Warming climate speeds up winter wheat development and thereby decreases the duration of the wheat growth period. However, APSIM-Wheat model simulation suggests prolongation of the period from flowering to maturity (Gr) of winter wheat by 0.2-0.8 d•10yr-1 as the number of days by which maturity advances, which is less than that by which flowering advances. Based on computed thermal time of the two critical growth phases of wheat, total thermal time from floral initiation to flowering (TT_floral_initiation) increasesd in seven out of the 10 investigated stations. Alternatively, total thermal time from the start of grainfilling to maturity (TT_start_ grain_fill) increased in all investigated stations, except Laiyang. It is thus concluded that thermal time shift during the past three decades (1981-2009) prolongs Gr by 0.2-3.0 d•10yr-1 in the study area. This suggests that an increase in thermal time (TT) of the wheat growth period is critical for mitigating the effect of growth period reduction due to warming climatic condition. Furthermore, climate change reduces potential yield of winter wheat in 80% of the stations by 2.3-58.8 kg•yr-1. However, thermal time shift (TTS) increases potential yield of winter wheat in most of the stations by 3.0-51.0 kg•yr-1. It is concluded that wheat cultivars with longer growth periods and higher thermal requirements could mitigate the negative effects of warming climate on crop production in the study area.

Pien Tze Huang inhibits the proliferation, and induces the apoptosis and differentiation of colorectal cancer stem cells via suppression of the Notch1 pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Fei; Wei, Lihui; Shen, Aling; Chen, Youqin; Lin, Jiumao; Chu, Jianfeng; Cai, Qiaoyan; Pan, Jie; Peng, Jun

2016-01-01

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) possess properties of continuous self-renewal, multi-directional differentiation and natural chemoresistance, leading to the initiation, progression and relapse of cancer. The characteristics of CSCs are strongly associated with multiple cellular pathways such as Notch1 signaling. Therefore, targeting CSCs via suppressing the Notch1 pathway might represent a promising strategy for cancer treatment. The well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula Pien Tze Huang (PZH) has long been used as an alternative remedy for various cancers including colorectal cancer (CRC). We previously reported that PZH contains a broad range of anticancer activities including an inhibitory effect on CSCs. To further elucidate the mode of action of PZH, in this study we isolated the stem-like side population (SP) from the human CRC SW480 cell line to investigate its effect on CSCs as well as the possible molecular mechanisms. As compared with non-SP cells, the isolated SW480 SP cells displayed stronger capacities of spheroid formation in vitro and tumorigenicity in vivo, demonstrating the stem cell-like features of SP cells. However, PZH treatment significantly decreased the percentage of SP cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, PZH significantly and does-dependently inhibited the viability and promoted the apoptosis and differentiation of the isolated SW480 SP cells. Moreover, PZH treatment profoundly reduced the mRNA and protein expression of Notch1 and Hes1 in the SP cells. Our findings suggest that PZH negatively modulates the characteristics of CSCs through suppression of the Notch1 signaling pathway.

Some lessons on radiological protection learnt from the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kai, M

2012-01-01

The accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant released a large quantity of radioactive iodine and caesium into the environment. In terms of radiological protection, the evacuation and food restrictions that were adopted in a timely manner by the authorities effectively reduced the dose received by people living in the affected area. Since late March, the transition from an emergency to an existing exposure situation has been in progress. In selecting the reference exposure levels in some areas under an existing exposure situation, the authorities tried to follow the situation-based approach recommended by the ICRP. However, a mixture of emergency and post-emergency approaches confused the people living in the contaminated areas because the reactor conditions continued to be not completely stable. In deriving the criteria in an existing exposure situation, the regulatory authority selected 20 mSv y −1 . The mothers in the affected area believed that a dose of 20 mSv y −1 was unacceptably high for children since 1 mSv y −1 is the dose limit for the public under normal conditions. Internet information accelerated concern about the internal exposure to children and the related health effects. From some experiences after the accident the following lessons could be learned. The selection of reference doses in existing exposure situations after an accident must be openly communicated with the public using a risk-informed approach. The detriment-adjusted nominal risk coefficient was misused for calculating the hypothetical number of cancer deaths by some non-radiation experts. It would not be possible to resolve this problem unless the ICRP addressed an alternative risk assessment to convey the meaning and associated uncertainty of the risk to an exposed population. A situation-based approach in addition to a risk-informed approach needs to be disseminated properly in order to select the level of protection that would be the best possible under the

A critical assessment of the microorganisms proposed to be important to enhanced biological phosphorus removal in full-scale wastewater treatment systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stokholm-Bjerregaard, Mikkel; McIlroy, Simon Jon; Nierychlo, Marta

2017-01-01

accumulating organisms (PAOs). Also considered important to EBPR are the glycogen accumulating organisms (GAOs), which are theorized to compete with the PAOs for resources at the expense of P removal efficiency. Numerous studies have sought to identify the PAOs and their GAOs competitors, with several...... sequencing. The microbial community structure in all plants was relatively stable over time. Evidence for the role of the proposed PAOs and GAOs in EBPR varies and is critically assessed, in light of their calculated amplicon abundances, to indicate which of these are important in full-scale systems...... plants. Despite observed high abundances of GAOs (periodically exceeding 20% of the amplicon reads), P removal performance was maintained, indicating that these organisms were not outcompeting the PAOs in these EBPR systems. Phylogenetic diversity within each of the PAOs and GAOs genera was observed...

Interpreting the deposition and vertical migration characteristics of 137Cs in forest soil after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Seongjoo; Yoneda, Minoru; Shimada, Yoko; Satta, Naoya; Fujita, Yasutaka; Shin, In Hwan

2017-08-01

We investigated the deposition and depth distributions of radiocesium in the Takizawa Research Forest, Iwate Prefecture, in order to understand the behavior of radionuclides released from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. The deposition distribution and vertical depth distribution of radiocesium in the soil were compared between topographically distinct parts of the forest where two different tree species grow. The results for all investigated locations show that almost 85% of the radiocesium has accumulated in the region of soil from the topmost organic layer to a soil depth of 0-4 cm. However, no activity was detected at depths greater than 20 cm. Analysis of the radiocesium deposition patterns in forest locations dominated by either coniferous or deciduous tree species suggests that radiocesium was sequestered and retained in higher concentrations in coniferous areas. The deposition data showed large spatial variability, reflecting the differences in tree species and topography. The variations in the measured 137 Cs concentrations reflected the variability in the characteristics of the forest floor environment and the heterogeneity of the initial ground-deposition of the Fukushima fallout. Sequential extraction experiments showed that most of the 137 Cs was present in an un-exchangeable form with weak mobility. Nevertheless, the post-vertical distribution of 137 Cs is expected to be governed by the percentage of exchangeable 137 Cs in the organic layer and the organic-rich upper soil horizons.

Differentiation of Cuscuta chinensis and Cuscuta australis by HPLC-DAD-MS analysis and HPLC-UV quantitation.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Xianghui; Yang, Wenzhi; Ye, Min; Wang, Qing; Guo, Dean

2011-11-01

Cuscuta chinensis and Cuscuta australis, the two botanical sources of the Chinese herbal medicine Tu-Si-Zi, were distinguished from each other based on qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis. By HPLC‑DAD‑MS, a total of 36 compounds were characterized from these two Cuscuta species, including 14 flavonoids, 17 quinic acid derivatives, and 5 lignans. In addition, HPLC‑UV was applied to determine seven major compounds (6 flavonoids plus chlorogenic acid) in 27 batches of Tu-Si-Zi. The results revealed that the amounts of the three classes of compounds varied significantly between the species. C. australis contained more flavonoids but less quinic acid derivatives and lignans than C. chinensis. Particularly, the amounts of kaempferol and astragalin in C. australis were remarkably higher than in C. chinensis. This finding could be valuable for the quality control of Tu-Si-Zi. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma with soft tissue involvement in a young woman

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gao KH

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Kehai Gao, Hongtao Li, Caihong Huang, Huazhuang Li, Jun Fang, Chen Tian Department of Orthopaedics, Yidu Central Hospital, Shandong, People’s Republic of China Introduction: Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that has strong expression of CD30. ALCL can sometimes involve the bone marrow, and in advanced stages, it can produce destructive extranodal lesions. But anaplastic large cell lymphoma kinase (ALK+ ALCL with soft tissue involvement is very rare.Case report: A 35-year-old woman presented with waist pain for over 1 month. The biopsy of soft tissue lesions showed that these cells were positive for ALK-1, CD30, TIA-1, GranzymeB, CD4, CD8, and Ki67 (90%+ and negative for CD3, CD5, CD20, CD10, cytokeratin (CK, TdT, HMB-45, epithelial membrane antigen (EMA, and pan-CK, which identified ALCL. After six cycles of Hyper-CVAD/MA regimen, she achieved partial remission. Three months later, she died due to disease progression.Conclusion: This case illustrates the unusual presentation of ALCL in soft tissue with a bad response to chemotherapy. Because of the tendency for rapid progression, ALCL in young adults with extranodal lesions are often treated with high-grade chemotherapy, such as Hyper-CVAD/MA. Keywords: anaplastic large cell lymphoma, ALK+, soft tissue involvement, Hyper-CVAD/MA

Successful treatment of paraganglioma with sorafenib: a case report and brief review of the literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lin Y

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Yun Lin,1,* Qun Li,1,* Wei Huang,1 Xinyan Jia,1 Hong Jiang,1 Yong Gao,1 Qi Li1,21Department of Oncology, Shanghai East Hospital, 2Department of Oncology, Shanghai First People's Hospital, Shanghai, People's Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this work, and are joint first authorsIntroduction: To date, no effective systemic therapies have been made available for paraganglioma. However, multiple mutations in susceptibility genes have been identified that are potential targets for sorafenib, an oral multitargeted tyrosine-kinase inhibitor.Case presentation: We report the case of a 69-year-old Chinese man with mediastinal paraganglioma that had metastasized to the bone. The paraganglioma responded to sorafenib, a novel multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets angiogenesis, the Raf-kinase pathway, the platelet-derived growth factor Ret, and c-Kit. The patient was diagnosed as having paraganglioma after biopsy of the mediastinal mass. We first treated the patient with radiotherapy. Then he tolerated an etoposide-and-cisplatin chemotherapy regimen. Subsequently, he received 6 months of maintenance treatment with sorafenib (400 mg twice daily. A dramatic reduction in tumor volume was observed. At present, the patient has achieved a partial response, and his clinical status remains unchanged.Conclusion: We suggest that sorafenib should be further investigated in the management of patients with paraganglioma.Keywords: sorafenib, paraganglioma, molecular-targeted drug

Changes in proinflammatory cytokines and white matter in chronically stressed rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang P

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Ping Yang,1 Zhenyong Gao,1 Handi Zhang,1 Zeman Fang,1 Cairu Wu,1 Haiyun Xu,1,2 Qing-Jun Huang1 1Mental Health Center, 2Department of Anatomy, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China Abstract: Although the pathogenesis of depression, an incapacitating psychiatric ailment, remains largely unknown, previous human and animal studies have suggested that both proinflammatory cytokines and altered oligodendrocytes play important roles in the condition. This study examined these two factors in the brains of rats following unpredictable chronic mild stress for 4 weeks, with the hypothesis that chronic stress may affect oligodendrocytes and elevate proinflammatory cytokines in the brain. After suffering unpredictable stressors for 4 weeks, the rats showed depression-like behaviors, including decreased locomotion in the open field, increased immobility time in the forced swim test, and decreased sucrose consumption and less sucrose preference when compared with controls. Immunohistochemical staining of brain sections showed higher immunoreactivity of proinflammatory cytokines in certain brain regions of stressed rats compared with controls; lower immunoreactivity of myelin basic protein and fewer mature oligodendrocytes were seen in the prefrontal cortex, but no demyelination was detected. These results are interpreted and discussed in the context of recent findings from human and animal studies. Keywords: cytokines, depression, myelination, oligodendrocytes, stress 

Preconditioning with the traditional Chinese medicine Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang initiates HIF-1α-dependent neuroprotection against cerebral ischemia in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qichun; Bian, Huimin; Li, Yu; Guo, Liwei; Tang, Yuping; Zhu, Huaxu

2014-06-11

Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang (HLJDT) is a classical heat-clearing and detoxicating formula of traditional Chinese medicine that is widely used to treat stroke. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of HLJDT preconditioning on neurons under oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) and rats subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). A stroke model of rats was obtained through MCAO. Following HLJDT preconditioning, the cerebral infarction volume, cerebral water content, and neurological deficient score were determined. Cerebral cortical neurons cultured in vitro were preconditioned with HLJDT and then subjected to OGD treatment. The release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) from neurons was detected. The levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and PI3K/Akt signaling were analyzed by western blotting, and the levels of erythropoietin (EPO) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the supernatant of the neurons and the plasma of MCAO rats were measured through a radioimmunological assay. The apoptosis and proliferation of neurons were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. HLJDT preconditioning significantly reduced the cerebral infarction volume and cerebral water content and ameliorated the neurological deficient score of MCAO rats. In addition, HLJDT preconditioning protected neurons against OGD. Increased HIF-1α, EPO, and VEGF levels and the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling were observed as a result of HLJDT preconditioning. Furthermore, HLJDT preconditioning was found to inhibit ischemia-induced neuron apoptosis and to promote neuron proliferation under conditions of ischemia/reperfusion. Both rats and neurons subjected to HLJDT preconditioning were able to resist ischemia/reperfusion or hypoxia injury through the inhibition of apoptosis and the enhancement of proliferation, and these effects were primarily dependent on the activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and HIF-1α. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights

Labor-Management Relations: Strikes and the Use of Permanent Strike Replacements in the 1970s and 1980s

Science.gov (United States)

1991-01-01

Labor Violations Throughout the United States (GAO/HRD-90-i 16;, Apr. 30, 1990). Child Labor Violations and Sweatshops in the U.S. (GAO/T-11RD-90-18...Mar. 16,1990). How Well Does OSIIA Protect Workers From Reprisal: Inspector Opin- ions (GAO/T-HI1)-q0-8, Nov. 16, 1989). " Sweatshops " in the U.S

Modelling the transport of radioactive cesium released from the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP with sediments through the hydrologic system

Science.gov (United States)

Kinouchi, T.; Omata, T.; Wei, L.; Liu, T.; Araya, M.

2013-12-01

Due to the accident of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant on March 2011, a huge amount of radionuclides including Cesium-134 and Cesium-137 was deposited over the main island of Japan and the Pacific Ocean, resulting in further transfer and diffusion of Cesium through the atmospheric flow, watershed hydrological processes, and terrestrial ecosystem. Particularly, for the transfer of Cesium-134 and Cesium-137, sediments eroded and transported by the rainfall-runoff processes play an important role as Cesium tends to be strongly adsorbed to soil particles such as clay and silt. In this study, we focus on the transport of sediment and adsorbed Cesium in the watershed-scale hydrologic system to predict the long-term change of distribution of Cesium and its discharge to rivers and ocean. We coupled a physically-based distributed hydrological model with the modules of erosion and transport of sediments and adsorbed Cesium, and applied the coupled model to the Abukuma River watershed, which is located over the area of higher deposition of Cesium. In the model, complex land use and land cover distributions, and the effect of human activities such as irrigation, dam control and urban drainage system are taken into accounts. Simulation was conducted for the period of March 2011 until August 2012, with initial spatial distribution of Cesium-134 and Cesium-137 obtained by the airborne survey. Simulated flow rates and sediment concentrations agreed well with observed, and found that since the accident, two major storms in July and September 2011 transported about 50% of total sediments transported during the simulated periods. Cesium concentration in the sediment was reproduced well except for the difference in the initial periods. This difference is attributable to the uncertainty arisen from the initial distribution of Cesium in the soil and the transfer of Cesium from the forest canopy.

Zero inflated Poisson and negative binomial regression models: application in education.

Science.gov (United States)

Salehi, Masoud; Roudbari, Masoud

2015-01-01

The number of failed courses and semesters in students are indicators of their performance. These amounts have zero inflated (ZI) distributions. Using ZI Poisson and negative binomial distributions we can model these count data to find the associated factors and estimate the parameters. This study aims at to investigate the important factors related to the educational performance of students. This cross-sectional study performed in 2008-2009 at Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS) with a population of almost 6000 students, 670 students selected using stratified random sampling. The educational and demographical data were collected using the University records. The study design was approved at IUMS and the students' data kept confidential. The descriptive statistics and ZI Poisson and negative binomial regressions were used to analyze the data. The data were analyzed using STATA. In the number of failed semesters, Poisson and negative binomial distributions with ZI, students' total average and quota system had the most roles. For the number of failed courses, total average, and being in undergraduate or master levels had the most effect in both models. In all models the total average have the most effect on the number of failed courses or semesters. The next important factor is quota system in failed semester and undergraduate and master levels in failed courses. Therefore, average has an important inverse effect on the numbers of failed courses and semester.

Fake "Returnee" Earns 4 Million through Fraudulent Marriages: More than Ten Women Fall for His Claims of Being a Boss and Possessing a House and Car

Science.gov (United States)

Chinese Education and Society, 2005

2005-01-01

This article discusses the case of Wang Ruiliang. Ms. Huang filed a case against Wang Jun, alleging that he had defrauded her. Ms. Huang met a man named Wang Jun in April 2002 through a certain matrimonial agency. Before they had been together for very long, Wang Jun asked to borrow money from Ms. Huang, claiming that he was having difficulties in…

Measurement of air dose rates over a wide area around the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant through a series of car-borne surveys.

Science.gov (United States)

Andoh, Masaki; Nakahara, Yukio; Tsuda, Shuichi; Yoshida, Tadayoshi; Matsuda, Norihiro; Takahashi, Fumiaki; Mikami, Satoshi; Kinouchi, Nobuyuki; Sato, Tetsuro; Tanigaki, Minoru; Takamiya, Koichi; Sato, Nobuhiro; Okumura, Ryo; Uchihori, Yukio; Saito, Kimiaki

2015-01-01

A series of car-borne surveys using the Kyoto University RAdiation MApping (KURAMA) and KURAMA-II survey systems has been conducted over a wide area in eastern Japan since June 2011 to evaluate the distribution of air dose rates around the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant and to evaluate the time-dependent trend of decrease in air dose rates. An automated data processing system for the KURAMA-II system was established, which enabled rapid analysis of large amounts of data obtained using about 100 KURAMA-II units. The initial data used for evaluating the migration status of radioactive cesium were obtained in the first survey, followed by other car-borne surveys conducted over more extensive and wider measurement ranges. By comparing the measured air dose rates obtained in each survey (until December 2012), the decreasing trend of air dose rates measured through car-borne surveys was found to be more pronounced than those expected on the basis of the physical decay of radioactive cesium and of the air dose rates measured using NaI (Tl) survey meters in the areas surrounding the roadways. In addition, it was found that the extent of decrease in air dose rates depended on land use, wherein it decreased faster for land used as building sites than for forested areas. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Helicopter Controllability

Science.gov (United States)

1989-09-01

106 3. Program CC Systems Technology, Inc. (STI) of Hawthorne, CA., develops and markets PC control system analysis and design software including...is marketed in Palo Alto, Ca., by Applied i and can be used for both linear and non- linear control system analysis. Using TUTSIM involves developing...gravity centroid ( ucg ) can be calculated as 112 n m pi - 2 zi acg n i (7-5) where pi = poles zi = zeroes n = number of poles m = number of zeroes If K

Military Personnel: DOD Needs More Complete Data on Active-Duty Servicemembers Use of Food Assistance Programs

Science.gov (United States)

2016-07-01

four installations that were selected based on size, cost of living, and presence of food assistance programs. What GAO Recommends GAO... criteria . In an April 2010 report, GAO identified 18 government programs that provide food assistance to low-income households. Servicemembers may apply...Vary 7 DOD Does Not Know the Extent to Which Servicemembers Use Food Assistance Programs 13 Military Officials at Selected Installations Cited

Veterans’ Health Care: Limited Progress Made to Address Concerns That Led to High Risk Designation

Science.gov (United States)

2017-03-15

Women Veterans. GAO-17-52. Washington , D.C.: December 2, 2016. Veterans Health Care: Improvements Needed in Operationalizing Strategic Goals and...Access to Primary Care. GAO-16-328. Washington , D.C.: March 18, 2016. DOD and VA Health Care: Actions Needed to Help Ensure Appropriate Medication...ET Wednesday, March 15, 2017 GAO-17-473T United States Government Accountability Office United States Government Accountability Office

An extensive study of the concentrations of particulate/dissolved radiocaesium derived from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in various river systems and their relationship with catchment inventory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshimura, Kazuya; Onda, Yuichi; Sakaguchi, Aya; Yamamoto, Masayoshi; Matsuura, Yuki

2015-01-01

An extensive investigation of particulate radiocaesium in suspended solids and dissolved radiocaesium in river water was undertaken at 30 sites in Fukushima and Miyagi Prefectures in December 2012, and their relationships with catchment inventory and the solid/liquid distribution coefficient (K d ) were evaluated. Rivers located in the coastal region on the north side of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant exhibited relatively higher particulate radiocaesium concentrations. Significant correlations were found between concentrations of particulate/dissolved radiocaesium and average catchment inventories, indicating that the concentrations of particulate/dissolved radiocaesium could be approximated from the catchment inventory. Particulate radiocaesium concentration was significantly correlated with dissolved radiocaesium concentration (with the exception of concentrations measured in estuaries), and the geometric mean K d was calculated as 3.6 × 10 5 with a 95% confidence interval of 2.6–5.1 × 10 5 . - Highlights: • Particulate radiocaesium concentration correlated with catchment inventory. • Particulate size can be an important factor of the correlation. • Solid/liquid distribution coefficients were obtained for extensive area

The Amenity of Temple and Longshan Forest in Xishuangbanna Restored

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2002-01-01

<正>Dai nationality believes in Buddhism. According to the Book of Yebei (shell leave) in Dai language, there have been 28 Buddha, including Sakyamuni, passed on from generation to generation, Sakyamuni was the last generation of Buddha. It is said that their attainment of enlighten and becoming Buddha were connected with trees, Sakyamuni was under Bodhi-tree to become Buddha. These trees were deemed as Holy Bodies, they received careful protection from Dai people. There is a saying in Dai nationality that "never discard parents and never cut Bodhi-tree. The old regulation stipulates that cutting Bodhi-tree will be deemed as destroying temple or

Mārketings mūzikas industrijā

OpenAIRE

Ēvelis, Andris

2012-01-01

Bakalaura darba tēma ir mārketings mūzikas industrijā. Bakalaura darba mērķis ir novērtēt mārketinga lomu mūsdienu mūziķa veiksmīgā darbībā, izpētīt mārketinga pasākumu efektivitāti, analizējot šī brīža situāciju vietējā tirgū, kā arī izstrādāt priekšlikumus mūziķa vai grupas darbības uzlabošanai. Bakalaura darba pirmajā daļā tiek novērtēti tradicionālie un netradicionālie mārketinga veidi no teorētiskā viedokļa. Bakalaura otrajā daļā ir apskatīti mūsdienu mūziķa karjerā izmantojami mārket...

Computed tomography in diagnosis of diffuse axonal injury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iwadate, Yasuo; Ono, Juniti; Okimura, Yoshitaka; Suda, Sumio; Isobe, Katsumi; Yamaura, Akira.

1990-01-01

Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) has been described in instances of prolonged traumatic coma on the basis of the neuropathological findings, but the same findings are also found in patients with cerebral concussion. Experimental studies confirm that the quality of survivors following trauma is directly proportional to the amount of primarily injured-axon. When the injured axon lies in a widespread area of the brain, outcome for the patient is always poor. In a series of 260 severely head-injured patients, based on their poor outcome, 69 (27%) were diagnosed as DAI. Because of their relatively good outcome, eighty-two patients (32%) were classified into non-DAI group. The predominant CT finding of DAI patients was intraparenchymal deep-seated hemorrhagic lesion. This was observed in 28 patients (41%). Normal CT was also observed in 11 patients (16%). On the other hand, 8 of the non-DAI group (10%) manifested deep-seated lesions. Diffuse cerebral swelling (DCS) appeared in both groups in the same incidence. Subarachnoid hematoma in the perimesencephalic cistern (SAH (PMC)) and intraventricular hematoma (IVH) were observed in 64% of the DAI group, and in 23% of the non-DAI group. The available evidence indicates that various types of hematoma seen in the deep-seated structures of the brain do not have an absolute diagnostic value, but the frequency of hematoma is thought to increase in proportion to the amount of injured-axon. (author)

An Analysis of Internal Controls for DoD Contract Management

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-01

alternative control activities to reduce the risk of fraud ( COSO , 2013; GAO, 2014). Also, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which contains an...force. Since 1992, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has identified contract management within the DOD as an area for high risk in fraud...force. Since 1992, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has identified contract management within the DOD as an area for high risk in fraud

Downward migration of radiocesium in an abandoned paddy soil after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, Junko; Wakabayashi, Shokichi; Tamura, Kenji; Onda, Yuichi

2018-02-01

After the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident on March 2011, continuous monitoring of the detailed vertical distribution of radiocesium in soil is required to evaluate the fate of radiocesium and establish strategies for remediation and management of the contaminated land. It is especially important to investigate paddy soil because little knowledge has been accumulated for paddy soil and wetland rice is a major staple in Japan. Therefore, we monitored the vertical distribution of 137 Cs in abandoned paddy soil in a planned evacuation zone from June 2011 to March 2016. The decontamination works (i.e., 5 cm of surface soil removal and re-covering with uncontaminated soil) were conducted by the government in 2015. As a result of monitoring, the 137 Cs gradually migrated downward with time and the 137 Cs concentration in the 0-10 cm soil was almost homogenous in October 2014, although it was non-cultivated. The liner relationship was obtained between the median depth, which is the thickness of a soil layer containing half of the total 137 Cs inventory, and the time after the accident, indicating the migration rate was constant (1.3 cm y -1 ) before the decontamination works. After the decontamination works, the 137 Cs concentration in the uppermost surface layer was reduced by 90%, however the total 137 Cs inventory was reduced by only 50-70%. It was shown that the efficiency of 137 Cs removal by the decontamination works decrease linearly over time in fields like the studied paddy, in which the homogenization of 137 Cs concentration occurred. Conversely, the downward migration of 137 Cs to subsurface layers deeper than 10 cm (i.e., plowpan layer) with low permeability rarely occurred. It is expected that these unique trends in distribution and migration of 137 Cs would be found in abandoned paddy soils with properties similar to the studied soil, sandy loam but poorly drained because of the low permeable plowpan layer, although further validation is

Development of solid lipid nanoparticles containing total flavonoid extract from Dracocephalum moldavica L. and their therapeutic effect against myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury in rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tan ME

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Mei-e Tan,1–3,* Cheng-hui He,3,* Wen Jiang,4 Cheng Zeng,2–4 Ning Yu,3 Wei Huang,2 Zhong-gao Gao,2 Jian-guo Xing3 1Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Endemic Phytomedicine Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shihezi University, Shihezi, 2State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Department of Pharmaceutics, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 3Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Uighur Medicines, Xinjiang Institute of Materia Medica, 4Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Total flavonoid extract from Dracocephalum moldavica L. (TFDM contains effective components of D. moldavica L. that have myocardial protective function. However, the cardioprotection function of TFDM is undesirable due to its poor solubility. In order to improve the solubility and efficacy of TFDM, we developed TFDM-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (TFDM-SLNs and optimized the formulation of TFDM-SLNs using central composite design and response surface methodology. The physicochemical properties of TFDM-SLNs were characterized, and the pharmacodynamics was investigated using the myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury model in rats. The nanoparticles of optimal formulation for TFDM-SLNs were spherical in shape with the average particle size of 104.83 nm and had a uniform size distribution with the polydispersity index value of 0.201. TFDM-SLNs also had a negative zeta potential of -28.7 mV to ensure the stability of the TFDM-SLNs emulsion system. The results of pharmacodynamics demonstrated that both TFDM and TFDM-SLN groups afforded myocardial protection, and the protective effect of TFDM-SLNs was significantly superior to that of TFDM alone, based on the infarct area, histopathological examination, cardiac enzyme levels and inflammatory factors in serum. Due to the optimal

Modeling Turbulence Generation in the Atmospheric Surface and Boundary Layers

Science.gov (United States)

2015-10-01

hydrostatic equation: dP dz = −ρa g −→ ∫ ZI 0 ρa dz = − 1 g ∫ dP = + 1 g [P (0)− P (ZI)]. (6.14) The pressure at the surface is... surface pressure is estimated, we can compute a vertical pressure profile using the hydrostatic equation and a selected temperature profile based on dP... surface -layer atmosphere. By surface layer what is intended is a layer of foliage plus the surface itself. That is, a flat ground surface that

Conventional Corneal Collagen Cross-Linking Versus Transepithelial Diluted Alcohol and Iontophoresis-Assisted Corneal Cross-Linking in Progressive Keratoconus.

Science.gov (United States)

Bilgihan, Kamil; Yesilirmak, Nilufer; Altay, Yesim; Yuvarlak, Armagan; Ozdemir, Huseyin Baran

2017-12-01

To compare clinical outcomes of conventional corneal cross-linking (C-CXL) and diluted alcohol and iontophoresis-assisted corneal cross-linking (DAI-CXL) for the treatment of progressive keratoconus (KC). Ninety-three eyes of 80 patients with KC were treated by C-CXL (n = 47) or DAI-CXL (n = 46). Visual acuity, keratometry, KC indexes, pachymetry, and aberrations were recorded before treatment and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment. The demarcation line was assessed 1 month after treatment. A significant improvement in visual acuity was observed at month 3 and month 6 after DAI-CXL and C-CXL, respectively. A significant decrease in maximum keratometry was observed in both groups at month 6. The front symmetry index significantly improved in both groups after 6 months, whereas the Baiocchi Calossi Versaci index significantly improved only after DAI-CXL at month 12 (P = 0.01). Average keratometry and other KC indexes were stable during 12 months of follow-up. Central corneal thickness decreased by 28.6 and 40.2 μm after DAI-CXL and C-CXL at month 1, respectively (P < 0.01), and it reached baseline at the 12th month (P = 0.14) only in the DAI-CXL group. Higher-order aberrations, coma, and spherical aberration significantly worsened at month 1 (P < 0.01) only after C-CXL; however, they improved significantly at month 12 compared with baseline (P < 0.05) in both groups. The demarcation line was visible in all cases at month 1 at a mean depth of 302 ± 56 μm and 311 ± 57 μm after DAI-CXL and C-CXL, respectively (P = 0.7). The DAI-CXL protocol seems as effective as the C-CXL protocol in halting KC progression after 1 year of follow-up.

Denitrifying capability and community dynamics of glycogen accumulating organisms during sludge granulation in an anaerobic-aerobic sequencing batch reactor

Science.gov (United States)

Bin, Zhang; Bin, Xue; Zhigang, Qiu; Zhiqiang, Chen; Junwen, Li; Taishi, Gong; Wenci, Zou; Jingfeng, Wang

2015-08-01

Denitrifying capability of glycogen accumulating organisms (GAOs) has received great attention in environmental science and microbial ecology. Combining this ability with granule processes would be an interesting attempt. Here, a laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was operated to enrich GAOs and enable sludge granulation. The results showed that the GAO granules were cultivated successfully and the granules had denitrifying capability. The batch experiments demonstrated that all NO3--N could be removed or reduced, some amount of NO2--N were accumulated in the reactor, and N2 was the main gaseous product. SEM analysis suggested that the granules were tightly packed with a large amount of tetrad-forming organisms (TFOs); filamentous bacteria served as the supporting structures for the granules. The microbial community structure of GAO granules was differed substantially from the inoculant conventional activated sludge. Most of the bacteria in the seed sludge grouped with members of Proteobacterium. FISH analysis confirmed that GAOs were the predominant members in the granules and were distributed evenly throughout the granular space. In contrast, PAOs were severely inhibited. Overall, cultivation of the GAO granules and utilizing their denitrifying capability can provide us with a new approach of nitrogen removal and saving more energy.

Radiation measurements in the Chiba Metropolitan Area and radiological aspects of fallout from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plants accident.

Science.gov (United States)

Amano, Hikaru; Akiyama, Masakazu; Chunlei, Bi; Kawamura, Takao; Kishimoto, Takeshi; Kuroda, Tomotaka; Muroi, Takahiko; Odaira, Tomoaki; Ohta, Yuji; Takeda, Kenji; Watanabe, Yushu; Morimoto, Takao

2012-09-01

Large amounts of radioactive substances were released into the environment from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plants in eastern Japan as a consequence of the great earthquake (M 9.0) and tsunami of 11 March 2011. Radioactive substances discharged into the atmosphere first reached the Chiba Metropolitan Area on 15 March. We collected daily samples of air, fallout deposition, and tap water starting directly after the incident and measured their radioactivity. During the first two months maximum daily concentrations of airborne radionuclides observed at the Japan Chemical Analysis Center in the Chiba Metropolitan Area were as follows: 4.7 × 10(1) Bq m(-3) of (131)I, 7.5 Bq m(-3) of (137)Cs, and 6.1 Bq m(-3) of (134)Cs. The ratio of gaseous iodine to total iodine ranged from 5.2 × 10(-1) to 7.1 × 10(-1). Observed deposition rate maxima were as follows: 1.7 × 10(4) Bq m(-2) d(-1) of (131)I, 2.9 × 10(3) Bq m(-2) d(-1) of (137)Cs, and 2.9 × 10(3) Bq m(-2) d(-1) of (134)Cs. The deposition velocities (ratio of deposition rate to concentration) of cesium radionuclides and (131)I were detectably different. Radioactivity in tap water caused by the accident was detected several days after detection of radioactivity in fallout in the area. Radiation doses were estimated from external radiation and internal radiation by inhalation and ingestion of tap water for people living outdoor in the Chiba Metropolitan Area following the Fukushima accident. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cesium-134 and 137 activities in the central North Pacific Ocean after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Kameník

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Surface seawater 134Cs and 137Cs samples were collected in the central and western North Pacific Ocean during the 2 yr after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident to monitor dispersion patterns of these radioisotopes towards the Hawaiian Islands. In the absence of other recent sources and due to its short half-life, only those parts of the Pacific Ocean would have detectable 134Cs values that were impacted by Fukushima releases. Between March and May 2011, 134Cs was not detected around the Hawaiian Islands and Guam. Here, most 137Cs activities (1.2–1.5 Bq m–3 were in the range of expected preexisting levels. Some samples north of the Hawaiian Islands (1.6–1.8 Bq m–3 were elevated above the 23-month baseline established in surface seawater in Hawaii indicating that those might carry atmospheric fallout. The 23-month time-series analysis of surface seawater from Hawaii did not reveal any seasonal variability or trends, with an average activity of 1.46 ± 0.06 Bq m–3 (Station Aloha, 18 values. In contrast, samples collected between Japan and Hawaii contained 134Cs activities in the range of 1–4 Bq m–3, and 137Cs levels were about 2–3 times above the preexisting activities. We found that the southern boundary of the Kuroshio and Kuroshio extension currents represented a boundary for radiation dispersion with higher activities detected within and north of the major currents. The radiation plume has not been detected over the past 2 yr at the main Hawaiian Islands due to the transport patterns across the Kuroshio and Kuroshio extension currents.

Cesium-134 and 137 activities in the central North Pacific Ocean after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kamenik, J.; Dulaiova, H. [Hawaii Univ., Manoa, Honolulu, HI (United States). Dept. of Geology and Geophysics; Buesseler, K.O.; Pike, S.M. [Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA (United States). Dept. of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry; St' astna, K. [Czech Technical Univ., Prague (Czech Republic). Dept. of Nuclear Chemistry

2013-07-01

Surface seawater {sup 134}Cs and {sup 137}Cs samples were collected in the central and western North Pacific Ocean during the 2 yr after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident to monitor dispersion patterns of these radioisotopes towards the Hawaiian Islands. In the absence of other recent sources and due to its short half-life, only those parts of the Pacific Ocean would have detectable {sup 134}Cs values that were impacted by Fukushima releases. Between March and May 2011, {sup 134}Cs was not detected around the Hawaiian Islands and Guam. Here, most {sup 137}Cs activities (1.2-1.5 Bq m{sup -3}) were in the range of expected preexisting levels. Some samples north of the Hawaiian Islands (1.6-1.8 Bq m{sup -3}) were elevated above the 23-month baseline established in surface seawater in Hawaii indicating that those might carry atmospheric fallout. The 23-month time-series analysis of surface seawater from Hawaii did not reveal any seasonal variability or trends, with an average activity of 1.46 ± 0.06 Bq m{sup -3} (Station Aloha, 18 values). In contrast, samples collected between Japan and Hawaii contained {sup 134}Cs activities in the range of 1-4 Bq m{sup -3}, and {sup 137}Cs levels were about 2-3 times above the preexisting activities. We found that the southern boundary of the Kuroshio and Kuroshio extension currents represented a boundary for radiation dispersion with higher activities detected within and north of the major currents. The radiation plume has not been detected over the past 2 yr at the main Hawaiian Islands due to the transport patterns across the Kuroshio and Kuroshio extension currents.

In vitro antibacterial activity of methanol and water extracts of adiantum capillus veneris and tagetes patula against multidrug resistant bacterial strains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hussain, M.M.; Ahmad, B.; Bashid, E.; Hashim, S.

2014-01-01

The aim of present study was to screen the antimicrobial activities of extracts of leaves and stems of Adiantum capillus veneris and Tagetes patula against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial strains. Extracts from the leaves and stems of these plants were extracted with methanol and water and tested for their antibacterial activity by disc diffusion method against ten MDR bacterial strains i.e., Citrobacter freundii, Escherichia coli, Providencia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris, Salmonella typhi, Shigella and Vibrio cholerae. Leaves methanol extract (LME) of Adiantum showed maximum Zone of Inhibition (ZI) against Providencia, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Shigella, Vibrio cholerae, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris and Salmonella typhi, whereas its stem methanol extract (SME) was very active against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella typhi. Similarly LME of Tagetes showed highest ZI against Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae while SME showed highest ZI to Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae, Providencia, Shigella and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Leaves water extract (LWE) of Adiantum was very active against all ten bacterial strains while its stem water extract (SWE) showed maximum ZI against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella typhi, Shigella, Proteus vulgaris and Providencia. LWE of Tagetes was only active against Vibrio cholerae whereas SWE was very active against Salmonella typhi and active against P. vulgaris, Citrobacter freundii and Vibrio cholerae. It was concluded from this study that extracts of both Adiantum and Tagetes have prominent activities against most of the MDR bacterial strains and needs further studies for utmost benefits. (author)

Neonatal exposure to daidzein, genistein, or the combination modulates bone development in female CD-1 mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaludjerovic, Jovana; Ward, Wendy E

2009-03-01

Neonatal exposure to genistein (GEN), an isoflavone abundant in soy, favorably modulates bone mineral density (BMD) and bone strength in mice at adulthood. The study objective was to determine whether early exposure to a combination of the soy isoflavones daidzein (DAI) and GEN that naturally exists in soy protein-based infant formula results in greater benefits to bone at adulthood than either treatment alone. Male and female CD-1 mice (n = 8-16 pups per group per gender) were randomized to subcutaneous injections of DAI (2 mg x kg body weight(-1) x d(-1)), GEN (5 mg x kg body weight(-1) x d(-1)), DAI+GEN (7 mg x kg body weight(-1) x d(-1)), diethylstilbesterol (DES; positive control) (2 mg x kg body weight(-1) x d(-1)), or control (CON) from postnatal d 1-5 and were studied to 4 mo of age. BMD, biomechanical bone strength, and bone microarchitecture were assessed at the femur and lumbar vertebrae (LV). Females treated with DAI, GEN, DAI+GEN, or DES had greater (P GEN resulted in greater (P GEN had a positive effect on the skeleton of female mice at adulthood, but, compared with individual treatments, DAI+GEN did not have a greater benefit to bone in females or males.

Business Systems Modernization: DOD Needs to Fully Define Policies and Procedures for Institutionally Managing Investments

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hite, Randolph C; Doherty, Neil; Fraser, Nalani; Glover, Nancy; Holland, Michael; Lakhmani, Neelaxi; Mai, Jacqueline; Paul, Sabine; Tandon, Niti; Stavros-Turner, Jennifer

2007-01-01

... (IT) business system investment management. To support GAO's legislative mandate to review DoD's efforts, GAO assessed whether the department's corporate investment management approach comports with relevant federal guidance...

A Metabolomic Strategy to Screen the Prototype Components and Metabolites of Shuang-Huang-Lian Injection in Human Serum by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

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Mingxing Guo

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Shuang-huang-lian injection (SHLI is a famous Chinese patent medicine, which has been wildly used in clinic to treat acute respiratory tract infection, pneumonia, influenza, and so forth. Despite the widespread clinical application, the prototype components and metabolites of SHLI have not been fully elucidated, especially in human body. To discover and screen the constituents or metabolites of Chinese medicine in biofluids tends to be more and more difficult due to the complexity of chemical compositions, metabolic reactions and matrix effects. In this work, a metabolomic strategy to comprehensively elucidate the prototype components and metabolites of SHLI in human serum conducted by UPLC-Q-TOF/MS was developed. Orthogonal partial least squared discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA was applied to distinguish the exogenous, namely, drug-induced constituents, from endogenous in human serum. In the S-plot, 35 drug-induced constituents were found, including 23 prototype compounds and 12 metabolites which indicated that SHLI in human body mainly caused phase II metabolite reactions. It was concluded that the metabolomic strategy for identification of herbal constituents and metabolites in biological samples was successfully developed. This identification and structural elucidation of the chemical compounds provided essential data for further pharmacological and pharmacokinetics study of SHLI.

A modified variable-coefficient projective Riccati equation method and its application to (2 + 1)-dimensional simplified generalized Broer-Kaup system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Qing; Zhu Jiamin; Hong Bihai

2008-01-01

A modified variable-coefficient projective Riccati equation method is proposed and applied to a (2 + 1)-dimensional simplified and generalized Broer-Kaup system. It is shown that the method presented by Huang and Zhang [Huang DJ, Zhang HQ. Chaos, Solitons and Fractals 2005; 23:601] is a special case of our method. The results obtained in the paper include many new formal solutions besides the all solutions found by Huang and Zhang

Human Capital: Additional Actions Needed to Enhance DOD’s Efforts to Address Mental Health Care Stigma

Science.gov (United States)

2016-04-01

Civilians (n=21) 6 5 8 2 h) Substance abuse (alcohol or drugs ) Servicemembers (n= 186) 43 53 82 8 Civilians (n=22) 9 8 4 1 Source: GAO | GAO...Efforts to Address Mental Health Care Stigma Why GAO Did This Study A 2010 DOD task force on suicide prevention concluded that stigma—the negative...Representatives A 2010 Department of Defense (DOD) Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces concluded that

Littoral Combat Ship and Frigate: Slowing Planned Frigate Acquisition Would Enable Better Informed Decisions

Science.gov (United States)

2016-12-08

weld seam from tugboat LCS 8 October 2016 Hull damage during Panama Canal transit Source: GAO analysis of Navy documentation. | GAO-17-279T However...these types of major incidents are not limited to the past 12 months. For example, LCS 4 also rubbed against the sides of the Panama Canal locks...Connect with GAO To Report Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in Federal Programs Congressional Relations Public Affairs Strategic Planning and External Liaison Please Print on Recycled Paper .

75 FR 71567 - Public Availability of Government Accountability Office Records

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-24

... the GAO Forensic Audits and Special Investigations (GAO FraudNet) are an example of records that could... occasionally collects, during the course of its audits and investigations, records from law enforcement...

Drought evolution characteristics and precipitation intensity changes during alternating dry-wet changes in the Huang-Huai-Hai River basin

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, D. H.; Wu, D.; Huang, R.; Wang, L. N.; Yang, G. Y.

2013-03-01

According to the Chinese climate divisions and the Huang-Huai-Hai River basin digital elevation map, the basin is divided into seven sub-regions by means of cluster analysis of the basin meteorological stations using the self-organizing map (SOM) neural network method. Based on the daily precipitation data of 171 stations for the years 1961-2011, the drought frequency changes with different magnitudes are analyzed and the number of consecutive days without precipitation is used to identify the drought magnitudes. The first precipitation intensity after a drought period is analyzed with the Pearson-III frequency curve, then the relationship between rainfall intensity and different drought magnitudes is observed, as are the drought frequency changes for different years. The results of the study indicated the following: (1) the occurrence frequency of different drought level shows an overall increasing trend; there is no clear interdecadal change shown, but the spatial difference is significant. The occurrence frequencies of severe and extraordinary drought are higher on the North China Plain, Hetao Plains in Ningxia-Inner Mongolia, as well as on the Inner Mongolia and the Loess Plateaus, and in the Fen-Wei Valley basin. (2) As the drought level increases, the probability of extraordinary rainstorm becomes lower, and the frequency of occurrence of spatial changes in different precipitation intensities vary. In the areas surrounding Bo Sea, the Shandong Peninsula and the Huai River downstream, as the drought level increases, the occurrence frequency of different precipitation intensities first shows a decreasing trend, which becomes an increasing trend when extraordinary drought occurs. In the middle and upper reaches of the Huai River basin, on the Hai River basin piedmont plain and Hetao Plains in Ningxia-Inner Mongolia, Inner Mongolia and Loess Plateaus, and in the Fen-Wei Valley basin, the probability of the different precipitation intensities shows an overall

Resistência do algodoeiro à ferrugem tropical potencializada pelo silício

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonia Mirian Nogueira de Moura Guerra

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Este trabalho teve como objetivo estudar o efeito do silício (Si sobre componentes de resistência do algodoeiro à ferrugem tropical causada por Phakopsora gossypii. Plantas das cultivares BRS Buriti e FM 993 cresceram em solução nutritiva contendo zero (-Si ou 2 mmol Si L- 1 (+Si. A maior concentração foliar de Si aumentou o período de incubação e o período latente em 9% e 14,3%, respectivamente, reduziu a área pustular, a área abaixo da curva de progresso da ferrugem e a área abaixo da curva de progresso da área da pústula em 27,5%, 36% e 22%, respectivamente. Nas plantas das cultivares BRS Buriti e FM 993 supridas com Si houve redução no número de pústulas em 70% e 30% e no número de urédias em 40,3% e 19,5%, respectivamente. A concentração de compostos fenólicos nas plantas da cultivar BRS Buriti supridas com Si aumentou até os 10 dai e, para a cultivar FM993, até os 30 dai. A concentração de derivados da lignina-ácido tioglicólico aumentou depois dos 20 dai para as duas cultivares supridas com Si. Atividade da peroxidas e aumentou até os 25 dai e os 10 dai para as plantas das cultivares BRS Buriti e FM 993 supridas com Si, respectivamente. A atividade da quitinase aumentou até 10 dai para as plantas da cultivar BRS Buriti e aos 10 e 20 dai para as plantas da cultivar supridas com Si. A atividade da glucanase aumentou até os 10 dai para as plantas da cultivar BRS Buriti supridas com Si e até os 20 dai para as plantas da cultivar FM 993 supridas com Si. Em conclusão, o suprimento de Si contribuiu para aumentar a resistência do algodoeiro à ferrugem devido à maior atividade das enzimas de defesa.

Intragastric Dai-Kenchu-To, a Japanese herbal medicine, stimulates colonic motility via transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 in dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Kikuchi, Daisuke; Shibata, Chikashi; Imoto, Hirofumi; Naitoh, Takeshi; Miura, Koh; Unno, Michiaki

2013-08-01

Japanese herbal medicine, also known as Kampo, is used for various diseases in Japan. One of those medicines, Dai-Kenchu-To (DKT), is considered clinically effective for adhesive bowel obstruction and chronic constipation. Although scientific evidence of DKT to improve adhesive bowel obstruction was shown in several previous reports, mechanism of DKT to improve constipation remains unknown. Our aim was to study the effect of intragastric DKT on colonic motility and defecation, and the involvement of various receptors in DKT-induced colonic contractions. Five beagle dogs were instructed with serosal strain-gauge force transducers to measure circular muscle activity at the proximal, middle, and distal colon. Dogs are suitable for a present study to administer the drugs repeatedly to the same individual and look at its effect on colonic motility. We studied the effects of DKT (2.5 or 5 g) administered into the stomach on colonic motility. Muscarinic receptor antagonist atropine, nicotinic receptor antagonist hexamthonium, or 5-hydroxytryptamine-3 receptor antagonist ondansetron was injected intravenously 10 min before DKT administration. Capsazepine, an antagonist to transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1), was administered into the stomach 5 min before DKT administration. Intragastric DKT (2.5 or 5 g) induced colonic contractions within 10 min after administration but did not induce defecation. Pretreatment with atropine, hexamthonium, ondansetron, or capsazepine inhibited DKT-induced colonic contractions. These results indicate that orally administered DKT stimulates colonic motility via TRPV1, muscarinic, nicotinic, and 5-hydroxytryptamine-3 receptors, thereby providing scientific support for the efficacy of oral DKT in chronic constipation.

Analysis of multi-scale chaotic characteristics of wind power based on Hilbert–Huang transform and Hurst analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liang, Zhengtang; Liang, Jun; Zhang, Li; Wang, Chengfu; Yun, Zhihao; Zhang, Xu

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A scale division method of wind power based on HHT and Hurst analysis is proposed. • The time–frequency components of wind power show different fractal structures. • These components are superposed and reconstructed into three scale subsequences. • Each subsequence has a chaotic characteristic and shows its own properties. • The EMD-LSSVM + ELM method improves the short-term wind power forecasting accuracy. - Abstract: The causes of uncertainty in wind farm power generation are not yet fully understood. A method for the scale division of wind power based on the Hilbert–Huang transform (HHT) and Hurst analysis is proposed in this paper, which allows the various multi-scale chaotic characteristics of wind power to be investigated to reveal further information about the dynamic behavior of wind power. First, the time–frequency characteristics of wind power are analyzed using the HHT, and then Hurst analysis is applied to analyze the stochastic/persistent characteristics of the different time–frequency components. Second, based on their fractal structures, the components are superposed and reconstructed into three series, which are defined as the Micro-, Meso- and Macro-scale subsequences. Finally, indices related to the statistical and behavioral characteristics of the subsequences are calculated and used to analyze their nonlinear dynamic behavior. The data collected from a wind farm of Hebei Province, China, are selected for case studies. The simulation results reveal that (1) although the time–frequency components can be decomposed, the different fractal structures of the signal are also derived from the original series; (2) the three scale subsequences all present chaotic characteristics and each of them exhibits its own unique properties. The Micro-scale subsequence shows strong randomness and contributes the least to the overall fluctuations; the Macro-scale subsequence is the steadiest and exhibits the most significant tendency

From The Count of Montecristo to The Bethroted (to say nothing of Melissa: Italy and television serials during the Sixties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Achille Campanile

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Come Gianluigi Rossini spiega nel libro Le serie TV, e come questo numero illustra, le tante diverse forme di serialità narrativa hanno via via creato tante diverse forme di dipendenza. Ma una delle più memorabili resta quella innescata dai cosiddetti “sceneggiati” che la nostra Rai manda in onda tra gli anni Cinquanta e i Settanta, dipendenza vissuta pressoché da tutti con la stessa assolutezza, cerimonia laica, passione (e non di rado ossessione condivisa negli stessi tempi e modi: non solo la fiction di turno spadroneggia indisturbata (oltre a non avere concorrenti alla sua altezza, la televisione consiste fino al 1961 in un  solo canale, in due fino al 1979, ma inoltre sprigiona, diversamente dai quiz e dai festival, il fascino garantito del mondo immaginario; e d’altra parte, diversamente dai libri, dai film stessi (e, ovviamente, dalle serie attuali, permette alla collettività di scivolare in questo mondo in simultanea, lo distilla con cadenze regolari nella quotidianità della nazione.

Radiocesium contamination of the web spider Nephila clavata (Nephilidae: Arachnida) 1.5 years after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

Science.gov (United States)

Ayabe, Yoshiko; Kanasashi, Tsutomu; Hijii, Naoki; Takenaka, Chisato

2014-01-01

We measured the concentrations of radiocesium ((134)Cs and (137)Cs) in a large web spider, Nephila clavata L. Koch (Nephilidae: Arachnida), collected at three sites at different distances from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant about 1.5 y after the accident in March 2011. The radiocesium concentrations in spiders were highest in a streamside secondary forest 33 km northwest of the power plant: mean ± a standard deviation of 2.401 ± 1.197 Bq g(-1) dry for (134)Cs and 3.955 ± 1.756 Bq g(-1) dry for (137)Cs. In a hillside secondary forest 37 km northwest of the power plant, the mean concentrations of (134)Cs and (137)Cs were 0.825 ± 0.247 Bq g(-1) dry and 1.470 ± 0.454 Bq g(-1) dry, respectively. In a pine forest 62 km west of the power plant, very low radiocesium concentrations were detected, but in only a few individuals. The concentrations of (134)Cs and (137)Cs in spiders collected at each site tended to be correlated with the air radiation dose rate at each site. Since spiders are key components of food webs in forests, the high concentrations in this species at contaminated sites suggested that the radiocesium from the accident has transferred through food chains and reached to higher trophic level of the food chains. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Zīmola "DANONE" mārketinga komunikācijas analīze .

OpenAIRE

Liniņš, Matīss

2017-01-01

Mūsdienu pasaulē gandrīz visos tirgus segmentos valda ļoti sīva konkurence, kā rezultātā uzņēmumi izmanto dažādus līdzekļu, lai nodotu ziņu par savu produktu un piedāvājumu līdz patērētājiem. Šī konkurence pāriet arī uz ziņojumu nodošanu un uzņēmumi sāk savā starpā cīnīties par to, kurš nodos patērētājiem pievilvcīgāku ziņojumu, tādējādi cerot, ka patērētājs izvēlešies tieši viņu produktu. Tomēr ļoti bieži tā nenotiek, jo uzņēmumu nav veikuši rūpīgu mērķauditorijas izpēti un iepazīnušies ar p...

Magnetic resonance imaging in diffuse brain injury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yokota, Hiroyuki; Yasuda, Kazuhiro; Mashiko, Kunihiro; Henmi, Hiroshi; Otsuka, Toshibumi; Kobayashi, Shiro; Nakazawa, Shozo

1992-01-01

Forty cases diagnosed as diffuse brain injury (DBI) were studied by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed within 3 days after injury. These cases were divided into two groups, which were the concussion group and diffuse axonal injury (DAI) group established by Gennarelli. There were no findings on computerized tomography (CT) in the concussion group except for two cases which had a brain edema or subarachnoid hemorrhage. But on MRI, high intensity areas on T2 weighted imaging were demonstrated in the cerebral white matter in this group. Many lesions in this group were thought to be edemas of the cerebral white matter, because of the fact that on serial MRI, they were isointense. In mild types of DAI, the lesions on MRI were located only in the cerebral white matter, whereas, in the severe types of DAI, lesions were located in the basal ganglia, the corpus callosum, the dorsal part of the brain stem as well as in the cerebral white matter. As for CT findings, parenchymal lesions were not visualized especially in mild DAI. Our results suggested that the lesions in cerebral concussion were edemas in cerebral white matter. In mild DAI they were non-hemorrhagic contusion; and in severe DAI they were hemorrhagic contusions in the cerebral white matter, the basal ganglia, the corpus callosum or the dorsal part of the brain stem. (author)

Radiological impact of TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident on invertebrates in the coastal benthic food web

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sohtome, Tadahiro; Wada, Toshihiro; Mizuno, Takuji; Nemoto, Yoshiharu; Igarashi, Satoshi; Nishimune, Atsushi; Aono, Tatsuo; Ito, Yukari; Kanda, Jota; Ishimaru, Takashi

2014-01-01

Radioactive cesium ( 134 Cs and 137 Cs) concentrations in invertebrates of benthic food web (10 taxonomic classes with 46 identified families) collected from wide areas off Fukushima Prefecture (3–500 m depth) were inspected from July 2011, four months after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident, to August 2013 to elucidate time-series trends among taxa and areas. Cesium-137 was detected in seven classes (77% of 592 specimens). Higher 137 Cs concentrations within detected data were often found in areas near or south of the FDNPP, which is consistent with the reported spatial distribution of 137 Cs concentrations in highly contaminated seawater and sediments after the FDNPP accident. Overall 137 Cs concentrations in invertebrates, the maxima of which (290 Bq kg −1 -wet in the sea urchin Glyptocidaris crenularis) were lower than in many demersal fishes, had decreased exponentially with time, and exhibited taxon-specific decreasing trends. Concentrations in Bivalvia and Gastropoda decreased clearly with respective ecological half-lives of 188 d and 102 d. In contrast, decreasing trends in Malacostraca and Polychaeta were more gradual, with longer respective ecological half-lives of 208 d and 487 d. Echinoidea showed no consistent trend, presumably because of effects of contaminated sediments taken into their digestive tract. Comparison of 137 Cs concentrations in the invertebrates and those in seawater and sediments suggest that contaminated sediments are the major source of continuing contamination in benthic invertebrates, especially in Malacostraca and Polychaeta. - Highlights: • Radioactive cesium was measured in benthic invertebrates collected off Fukushima. • Results show taxon-specific and area-specific decreases in ecological half-lives. • Reasonable depuration of 137 Cs concentration was found in Bivalvia and Gastropoda. • Slow depuration was observed in Polychaeta and Malacostraca. • Sediments are expected to be the major

Interim report on the accident at Fukushima Nuclear Power Stations of Tokyo Electric Power Company

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-12-01

The Investigation Committee on the Accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Stations (the Investigation Committee) of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) was established by the Cabinet decision on May 24, 2011. Its objectives are: to conduct investigation for finding out the causes of accidents at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station (Fukushima Dai-ichi NPS) and Fukushima Dai-ni Nuclear Power Station (Fukushima Dai-ni NPS) of TEPCO as well as the causes of accident damage; and to make policy recommendations for limiting the expansion of damage and preventing reoccurrence of similar accidents. The Investigation Committee has conducted its investigation and evaluation since its first meeting on June 7, 2011. Its activities included: site visits to the Fukushima Dai-ichi and Dai-ni NPSs, as well as to other facilities; hearing of heads of local governments around the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPS; and hearing of people concerned through interviews mainly arranged by the Secretariat. As of December 16, 2011, the number of interviewees reached 456. The investigation and evaluation by the Investigation Committee are still ongoing and the Interim Report does not cover every item that the Committee aims at investigating and evaluating. Fact-finding of even some of those items discussed in the Interim Report are not yet completed. The Investigation Committee continues to conduct its investigation and evaluation and will issue its Final Report in the summer of 2012. This brief executive summary covers mainly considerations and evaluation of the issues in Chapter VII of the Interim Report, with brief reference to Chapters I to VI. The Investigation Committee recommendations are printed in bold. (author)

Defense Acquisitions. Missile Defense Needs a Better Balance between Flexibility and Accountability

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Francis, Paul

2007-01-01

.... Congress requires GAO to assess MDA's progress annually. GAO's March 2007 report addressed MDA's progress during fiscal year 2006 and followed up on program oversight issues and the current status of MDA's quality assurance program...

Military Operations: DOD Needs to Address Contract Oversight and Quality Assurance Issues for Contracts Used to Support Contingency Operations

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Solis, William M; Coffey, Carole; Baker, Sarah; Brown, Renee; Junek, Larry; La Due Lake, Ronald; Lenane, Katherine; Mason, Susan; Sawyer, Jr., Connie W; Thornton, Karen

2008-01-01

.... In its fiscal year 2007 report, the House Appropriations Committee directed GAO to examine the link between the growth in DOD's operation and maintenance costs and DOD's increased reliance on service contracts. GAO determined (1...

FISCAL YEAR 2003 BUDGET REQUEST. U.S. General Accounting Office

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2002-01-01

.... General Accounting Office (GAO) to report on GAO's fiscal year 2001 performance and results, current challenges and future plans, and budget request for fiscal year 2003 to support the Congress and serve the American public...

Pathological activity in mediodorsal thalamus of rats with spinal cord injury pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitt, Jessica L; Masri, Radi; Pulimood, Nisha S; Keller, Asaf

2013-02-27

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results not only in motor deficits, but produces, in many patients, excruciating chronic pain (SCI pain). We have previously shown, in a rodent model, that SCI causes suppression of activity in the GABAergic nucleus, the zona incerta (ZI), and concomitant increased activity in one of its main targets, the posterior nucleus of the thalamus (PO); the increased PO activity is correlated with the maintenance and expression of hyperalgesia after SCI. Here, we test the hypothesis that SCI causes a similar pathological increase in other thalamic nuclei regulated by the ZI, specifically the mediodorsal thalamus (MD), which is involved in the emotional-affective aspects of pain. We recorded single and multiunit activity from MD of either anesthetized or awake rats, and compared data from rats with SCI with data from sham-operated controls (anesthetized experiments) or with data from the same animals prelesion (awake experiments). Consistent with our hypothesis, MD neurons from rats with SCI show significant increases in spontaneous firing rates and in the magnitude and duration of responses to noxious stimuli. In a subset of anesthetized animals, similar changes in activity of MD neurons were produced by pharmacologically inactivating ZI in naive rats, suggesting that the changes in the MD after SCI are related to suppressed inhibition from the ZI. These data support our hypothesis that SCI pain results, at least in part, from a loss of inhibition to thalamic nuclei associated with both the sensory-discriminative and emotional-affective components of pain.

Immunolocalization and expression of Na(+)/K(+) -ATPase in embryos, early larval stages and adults of the freshwater shrimp Palaemonetes argentinus (Decapoda, Caridea, Palaemonidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Ituarte, Romina Belén; Lignot, Jehan-Hervé; Charmantier, Guy; Spivak, Eduardo; Lorin-Nebel, Catherine

2016-06-01

The euryhaline shrimp Palaemonetes argentinus exemplifies an evolutionary transition from brackish to freshwater habitats that requires adequate osmoregulatory capacities. Hyperosmoregulation is functional at hatching and it likely begins during the embryonic phase allowing this species to develop entirely in fresh water. Here, we investigated the Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase α-subunit gene (nka-α) expression using quantitative real-time PCR and localized Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase (NKA) in ion-transporting epithelia through immunofluorescence microscopy. We reared shrimps from spawning to juvenile stages at two salinities (1, 15 ‰) and maintained adults for 3 weeks at three salinity treatments (1, 15, 25 ‰). nka-α gene expression was measured in: (1) embryos at an early (SI), intermediate (SII) and late (SIII) stage of embryonic development; (2) newly hatched larvae (Zoea I, ZI); and (3) isolated gill tissue of adults. The nka-α expression was low in SI and SII embryos and reached maximum levels prior to hatching (SIII), which were similar to expression levels detected in the ZI. The nka-α expression in SIII and ZI was highest at 15 ‰, whereas salinity did not affect expression in earlier embryos. In SIII, in ZI and in a later zoeal stage ZIV, NKA was localized in epithelial cells of pleurae, in the inner-side epithelium of branchiostegite and in the antennal glands. Gills appeared in the ZIV but NKA immunolabeling of the cells of the gill shaft occurred in a subsequent developmental larval stage, the decapodid. Extrabranchial organs constitute the main site of osmoregulation in early ontogenetic stages of this freshwater shrimp.

Enlarged Liver

Science.gov (United States)

... of liver damage. Medicinal herbs. Certain herbs, including comfrey, ma huang and mistletoe, can increase your risk ... herbs to avoid include germander, chaparral, senna, mistletoe, comfrey, ma huang, valerian root, kava, celandine and green ...

Instantaneous 3D EEG Signal Analysis Based on Empirical Mode Decomposition and the Hilbert–Huang Transform Applied to Depth of Anaesthesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mu-Tzu Shih

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Depth of anaesthesia (DoA is an important measure for assessing the degree to which the central nervous system of a patient is depressed by a general anaesthetic agent, depending on the potency and concentration with which anaesthesia is administered during surgery. We can monitor the DoA by observing the patient’s electroencephalography (EEG signals during the surgical procedure. Typically high frequency EEG signals indicates the patient is conscious, while low frequency signals mean the patient is in a general anaesthetic state. If the anaesthetist is able to observe the instantaneous frequency changes of the patient’s EEG signals during surgery this can help to better regulate and monitor DoA, reducing surgical and post-operative risks. This paper describes an approach towards the development of a 3D real-time visualization application which can show the instantaneous frequency and instantaneous amplitude of EEG simultaneously by using empirical mode decomposition (EMD and the Hilbert–Huang transform (HHT. HHT uses the EMD method to decompose a signal into so-called intrinsic mode functions (IMFs. The Hilbert spectral analysis method is then used to obtain instantaneous frequency data. The HHT provides a new method of analyzing non-stationary and nonlinear time series data. We investigate this approach by analyzing EEG data collected from patients undergoing surgical procedures. The results show that the EEG differences between three distinct surgical stages computed by using sample entropy (SampEn are consistent with the expected differences between these stages based on the bispectral index (BIS, which has been shown to be quantifiable measure of the effect of anaesthetics on the central nervous system. Also, the proposed filtering approach is more effective compared to the standard filtering method in filtering out signal noise resulting in more consistent results than those provided by the BIS. The proposed approach is therefore

Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Decotion induced protective autophagy against the injury of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion via MAPK-mTOR signaling pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Peng-Ran; Wang, Jun-Song; Zhang, Chao; Song, Xing-Fang; Tian, Na; Kong, Ling-Yi

2013-08-26

Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Decotion (HLJDD, Hwangryun-Hae-Dok-Decotion in Japan), an ancient antipyretic and detoxifying traditional Chinese medicine formula, was reported to have protective effect on ischemic stroke. To investigate the therapeutic effect of HLJDD on ischemic stroke and explore its mode of action. A model of ischemic stroke in the rat was established after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by reperfusion. Rats were assigned randomly to groups of control, sham, transient ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), and three treatment groups by HLJDD at 2.5, 5.0, 10.0mg/kg. The neurological deficit, the cerebral infarct size, morphology abnormality, biochemical parameters were examined, and the levels of relevant proteins were determined by immunoblotting analysis to evaluate the protective effects of HLJDD on ischemic stroke and explore the underlying mechanism. Compared with I/R group, HLJDD significantly ameliorated neurological deficit and histopathology changes, decreased infarct area, and restored the levels of biochemical indicators including nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), glutathione disulfide (GSSG), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), Cu/Zn-SOD, Mn-SOD and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX). HLJDD also notably elevated the levels of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3), Beclin-1, and other autophagy related genes (Atgs), promoted the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK), protein kinase B (Akt), 3-phosphoinositide-dependent kinase (PDK1), and inhibited the activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), c-Jun N-terminal protein kinases (JNK), p38, phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN). HLJDD showed neuroprotective effects on ischemic stroke, at least in part to the induced protective autophagy via the regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signals. This Akt-independent protective autophagy is favorable in the treatment of stroke, avoiding unfavorable side

Carbon nanotube-incorporated collagen hydrogels improve cell alignment and the performance of cardiac constructs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sun HY

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Hongyu Sun,* Jing Zhou,* Zhu Huang,* Linlin Qu,* Ning Lin,* Chengxiao Liang, Ruiwu Dai, Lijun Tang, Fuzhou Tian General Surgery Center, Chengdu Military General Hospital, Chengdu, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs provide an essential 2-D microenvironment for cardiomyocyte growth and function. However, it remains to be elucidated whether CNT nanostructures can promote cell–cell integrity and facilitate the formation of functional tissues in 3-D hydrogels. Here, single-walled CNTs were incorporated into collagen hydrogels to fabricate (CNT/Col hydrogels, which improved mechanical and electrical properties. The incorporation of CNTs (up to 1 wt% exhibited no toxicity to cardiomyocytes and enhanced cell adhesion and elongation. Through the use of immunohistochemical staining, transmission electron microscopy, and intracellular calcium-transient measurement, the incorporation of CNTs was found to improve cell alignment and assembly remarkably, which led to the formation of engineered cardiac tissues with stronger contraction potential. Importantly, cardiac tissues based on CNT/Col hydrogels were noted to have better functionality. Collectively, the incorporation of CNTs into the Col hydrogels improved cell alignment and the performance of cardiac constructs. Our study suggests that CNT/Col hydrogels offer a promising tissue scaffold for cardiac constructs, and might serve as injectable biomaterials to deliver cell or drug molecules for cardiac regeneration following myocardial infarction in the near future. Keywords: carbon nanotubes, collagen hydrogel, cardiac constructs, cell alignment, tissue functionality

Spacecraft and Stellar Occultations by Turbulent Planetary Atmospheres. A Theoretical Investigation of Various Wave Propagation Effects and Their Impact on Derived Profiles of Refractivity, Temperature and Pressure,

Science.gov (United States)

1981-05-08

by writing the electric field observer approaches the focal as E = A exp I i(kS - wt) 1, where A is le in the plane ofthc sky the amplitude and kS...lowest-order correction to the electric field E. Writing z- [@ (Yi-Yo) 2 + o (zI -z 0 c 0 (zI - o) 3 4c 2 (z, -Zo) 2 (, -yo) + ... (3.14) it is...si ellair oc cult at ions when t It(- tcondit ions leadlIn-,, to equation (7.2) are satisfied. Thus equtins 17. 1) and( ( 7.2) ielt the( vatriance

"1"3"7Cs distribution in mulberry (Morus alba) after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident and effect of spray application of a liquid potassium fertilizer onto trunk surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harada, Naoki; Nonaka, Masanori; Motojima, Sayaka; Igarashi, Kazuki

2015-01-01

After the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in March 2011, contamination of mulberry-leaf tea with over 100Bq kg"-"1 "1"3"7Cs was found. We therefore investigated "1"3"7Cs distribution in mulberry trees (Morus alba) and soil in Nihonmatsu City from 2012. As a result, mulberry leaves near the end of branches (0 - 30 cm), which are usually used as edible leaves, were shown to contain higher "1"3"7Cs concentration than the others. Trunk showed highest "1"3"7Cs concentration among the plant parts of mulberry investigated, while root "1"3"7Cs concentration was relatively low. Autoradiographic studies for leaf, bark and cross-sectional trunk suggest that radioactive substances were deposited onto bark and leaf radioactive contamination could be due to translocation of "1"3"7Cs from trunk. Spray application of 0.5% KH_2PO_4 solution onto trunk surface significantly reduced "1"3"7Cs concentration in edible leaves emerged about one month after the application. However, the effect was limited and insufficient to solve the problem of radioactive contamination in edible mulberry leaves. (author)

Recent advances on smart TiO2 nanotube platforms for sustainable drug delivery applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Q

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Qun Wang,1,2,* Jian-Ying Huang,2,* Hua-Qiong Li,3,4 Allan Zi-Jian Zhao,4 Yi Wang,4 Ke-Qin Zhang,2,5 Hong-Tao Sun,1 Yue-Kun Lai,2,5 1College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 2National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou, 3Institute of Biomaterials and Engineering, Wenzhou Medical University, 4Wenzhou Institute of Biomaterials and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, 5Research Center of Cooperative Innovation for Functional Organic/Polymer Material Micro/Nanofabrication, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: To address the limitations of traditional drug delivery, TiO2 nanotubes (TNTs are recognized as a promising material for localized drug delivery systems. With regard to the excellent biocompatibility and physicochemical properties, TNTs prepared by a facile electrochemical anodizing process have been used to fabricate new drug-releasing implants for localized drug delivery. This review discusses the development of TNTs applied in localized drug delivery systems, focusing on several approaches to control drug release, including the regulation of the dimensions of TNTs, modification of internal chemical characteristics, adjusting pore openings by biopolymer coatings, and employing polymeric micelles as drug nanocarriers. Furthermore, rational strategies on external conditions-triggered stimuli-responsive drug release for localized drug delivery systems are highlighted. Finally, the review concludes with the recent advances on TNTs for controlled drug delivery and corresponding prospects in the future. Keywords: TiO2 nanotubes, electrochemical anodization, modification, stimulated drug delivery, drug-releasing implant

The advantages of using traditional Chinese medicine as an adjunctive therapy in the whole course of cancer treatment instead of only terminal stage of cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Fanghua; Zhao, Lin; Zhou, Aiyan; Zhang, Bo; Li, Anyuan; Wang, Zhixue; Han, Junqing

2015-02-01

Recent studies indicate that Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can play an important role in the whole course of cancer treatment such as recovery stages of post-operative, radiotherapy or chemotherapy stages instead of only terminal stage of cancer. In this review, we have summarized current evidence for using TCM as adjuvant cancer treatment in different stages of cancer lesions. Some TCMs (e.g., TJ-41, Liu-jun-zi-tang, PHY906, Coumarin, and Aescine) are capable of improving the post-operative symptoms such as fatigue, pain, appetite, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and lymphedema. Some TCMs (e.g., Ginseng, Huang-Qi, BanZhiLian, TJ-48, Huachansu injection, Shenqi fuzheng injection, and Kanglaite injection) in combination with chemo- or radio-therapy are capable of enhancing the efficacy of and diminishing the side effects and complications caused by chemo- and radiotherapy. Taken together, they have great advantages in terms of suppressing tumor progression, relieving surgery complications, increasing the sensitivity of chemo- and radio- therapeutics, improving an organism's immune system function, and lessening the damage caused by surgery, chemo- or radio-therapeutics. They have significant effects on relieving breast cancer-related lymphedema, reducing cancer-related fatigue and pain, improving radiation pneumonitis and gastrointestinal side effects, protecting liver function, and even ameliorating bone marrow suppression. This review of those medicines should contribute to an understanding of Chinese herbal medicines as an adjunctive therapy in the whole course of cancer treatment instead of only terminal stage of cancer, by providing useful information for development of more effective anti-cancer drugs and making more patients "survival with cancer" for a long time.

Effect of various absorption enhancers based on tight junctions on the intestinal absorption of forsythoside A in Shuang-Huang-Lian, application to its antivirus activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Wei; Zhu, Xuan Xuan; Yin, Ai Ling; Cai, Bao Chang; Wang, Hai Dan; Di, Liuqing; Shan, Jin Jun

2014-01-01

Forsythoside A (FTA), one of the main active ingredients in Shuang-Huang-Lian (SHL), possesses strong antibacterial, antioxidant and antiviral effects, and its pharmacological effects was higher than that of other ingredients, but the absolute bioavailability orally was approximately 0.72%, which was significantly low, influencing clinical efficacies of its oral preparations seriously. In vitro Caco-2 cell and in vivo pharmacokinetics study were simultaneously performed to investigate the effects of absorption enhancers based on tight junctions: sodium caprate and water-soluble chitosan on the intestinal absorption of FTA, and the eventual mucosal epithelial damage resulted from absorption enhancers was evaluated by MTT test and morphology observation, respectively. The pharmacological effects such as antivirus activity improvement by absorption enhancers were verified by MDCK damage inhibition rate after influenza virus propagation. The observations from in vitro Caco-2 cell showed that the absorption of FTA in SHL could be improved by absorption enhancers. Meanwhile, the absorption enhancing effect of water-soluble chitosan may be almost saturable up to 0.0032% (w/v), and sodium caprate at concentrations up to 0.64 mg/mL was safe, but water-soluble chitosan at different concentrations was all safe for these cells. In pharmacokinetics study, water-soluble chitosan at dosage of 50 mg/kg improved the bioavailability of FTA in SHL to the greatest extent, and was safe for gastrointestine from morphological observation. Besides, treatment with SHL with water-soluble chitosan at dosage of 50 mg/kg prevented MDCK damage after influenza virus propagation better significantly than that of control. Water-soluble chitosan at dosage of 50 mg/kg might be safe and effective absorption enhancer for improving the bioavailability of FTA and the antivirus activity in vitro in SHL.

Radioactive particles revealed by electron microscopy. Chemical and physical properties of radioactive particles in aerosol samples emitted during the early stage of Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adachi, Kouji

2015-01-01

Water-insoluble radioactive materials emitted during an early stage of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in 2011 were identified, and their chemical and physical properties were characterized as particulate matters. In this report, studies on radioactive particles collected from filter samples in Tsukuba on March 14–15, 2011 are summarized. Their compositions, chemical states, sizes, shapes, crystallinity, and hygroscopicity were analyzed using microscopic analyses such as electron microscopy and synchrotron with a micro-beam. The results indicate that they include Cs, Fe, and Zn as well as elements from fission products and are water insoluble, spherical-glassy particles with ca. 2 micrometer in size. Understanding of their detailed properties is significant to improve the numerical models during the accident and to understand their occurrences in soil as well as the accident itself. In addition to the water-insoluble radioactive materials, water-soluble radioactive materials, which were likely emitted in different events during the accident, should be investigated to have comprehensive understanding of the accident and its environmental effects. More samples from various environments such as soil will be needed, and more detailed chemical and physical analyses will help to understand their formation process, influences on human health, and long term decrements in ambient conditions. (author)

Measurement of soil contamination by radionuclides due to the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident and associated estimated cumulative external dose estimation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Endo, S.; Kimura, S.; Takatsuji, T.; Nanasawa, K.; Imanaka, T.; Shizuma, K.

2012-01-01

Soil sampling was carried out at an early stage of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident. Samples were taken from areas around FDNPP, at four locations northwest of FDNPP, at four schools and in four cities, including Fukushima City. Radioactive contaminants in soil samples were identified and measured by using a Ge detector and included 129m Te, 129 Te, 131 I, 132 Te, 132 I, 134 Cs, 136 Cs, 137 Cs, 140 Ba and 140 La. The highest soil depositions were measured to the northwest of FDNPP. From this soil deposition data, variations in dose rates over time and the cumulative external doses at the locations for 3 months and 1 y after deposition were estimated. At locations northwest of FDNPP, the external dose rate at 3 months after deposition was 4.8–98 μSv/h and the cumulative dose for 1 y was 51 to 1.0 × 10 3 mSv; the highest values were at Futaba Yamada. At the four schools, which were used as evacuation shelters, and in the four urban cities, the external dose rate at 3 months after deposition ranged from 0.03 to 3.8 μSv/h and the cumulative doses for 1 y ranged from 3 to 40 mSv. The cumulative dose at Fukushima Niihama Park was estimated as the highest in the four cities. The estimated external dose rates and cumulative doses show that careful countermeasures and remediation will be needed as a result of the accident, and detailed measurements of radionuclide deposition densities in soil will be important input data to conduct these activities.

Acute alcohol intoxication, diffuse axonal injury and intraventricular bleeding in patients with isolated blunt traumatic brain injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsukawa, Hidetoshi; Shinoda, Masaki; Fujii, Motoharu; Takahashi, Osamu; Murakata, Atsushi; Yamamoto, Daisuke

2013-01-01

The influence of blood alcohol level (BAL) on outcome remains unclear. This study investigated the relationships between BAL, type and number of diffuse axonal injury (DAI), intraventricular bleeding (IVB) and 6-month outcome. This study reviewed 419 patients with isolated blunt traumatic brain injury. First, it compared clinical and radiological characteristics between patients with good recovery and disability. Second, it compared BAL among DAI lesions. Third, it evaluated the correlation between the BAL and severity of IVB, number of DAI and corpus callosum injury lesions. Regardless of BAL, older age, male gender, severe Glasgow Coma Scale score (injury lesions. Acute alcohol intoxication was not associated with type and number of DAI lesion, IVB and disability. This study suggested that a specific type of traumatic lesion, specifically lesion on genu of corpus callosum and IVB, might be more vital for outcome.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Khayat Saied. Hsu Shu-Lu. Huang Chenn-Jung. Huang Baoshan. Hussain R. Jahir. Ibrahim A ... Lin Tao. Liu W.K.. Liu Jiming. Liu J. Lohani Bharat. Lucey Anthony. M Venkataramana. Madhu Kumar S D. Madria Sanjay. Mahadevappa Manjunatha.

77 FR 27774 - Health Information Technology Policy Committee Vacancy

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-11

... GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE Health Information Technology Policy Committee Vacancy AGENCY... American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) established the Health Information Technology Policy.... ADDRESSES: GAO: [email protected] . GAO: 441 G Street NW., Washington, DC 20548. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION...

The transition from a maternal to external nitrogen source in maize seedlings

KAUST Repository

Sabermanesh, Kasra; Holtham, Luke R.; George, Jessey; Roessner, Ute; Boughton, Berin A.; Heuer, Sigrid; Tester, Mark A.; Plett, Darren C.; Garnett, Trevor P.

2017-01-01

capture. The concentrations of seed-derived free amino acids within root and shoot tissues are initially high, but decrease rapidly until stabilising eight days after imbibition (DAI). Similarly, shoot N% decreases, but does not stabilise until 12-13 DAI

NEA and its Role in Enhancing the Implementation of Defence in Depth (DiD) in Light of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shimomura, K., E-mail: Kazuo.SHIMOMURA@oecd.org [OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), Issy-Les-Moulineaux (France)

2014-10-15

Full text: This keynote speech will give an overview of NEA Activities to Enhance Global Nuclear Safety both those core to its work and those that have been initiated after the Fukushima Accident. In particular it will highlight the outcomes of the recently published “NEA report on the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident”. The speech will specifically point out those lessons learnt related to Defence in Depth, and how those were fed into the NEA’s one day workshop on “Challenges and Enhancements to DiD in light of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Accident”, that took place on 5th June 2013. A workshop that brought together the member countries represented on the NEA’s three major standing committees for safety to not only discuss the lessons learnt from the accident but also what the NEA members considered could be done to enhance the understanding and implementation of defence in depth within nuclear safety. Members of these three standing committees, the Committee for Nuclear Regulatory Activities (CNRA), The Committee for Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) and the Committee on Radiation Protection and Public Health (CRPPH) represent a considerable body of knowledge on the application of DiD within the countries using nuclear energy. The outcome of the workshop was the identification of a number of key tasks that NEA would take forward to assist in harmonising and enhancing globally the implementation of the DiD philosophy. The speech will in addition detail how the discussions ranged across the whole of the nuclear safety framework, what conclusions were derived and the process the NEA followed to incorporate those tasks within its future programme of work either by enhancing current activities or creating new ones. (author)

Radiocesium contamination of the web spider Nephila clavata (Nephilidae: Arachnida) 1.5 years after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ayabe, Yoshiko; Kanasashi, Tsutomu; Hijii, Naoki; Takenaka, Chisato

2014-01-01

We measured the concentrations of radiocesium ( 134 Cs and 137 Cs) in a large web spider, Nephila clavata L. Koch (Nephilidae: Arachnida), collected at three sites at different distances from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant about 1.5 y after the accident in March 2011. The radiocesium concentrations in spiders were highest in a streamside secondary forest 33 km northwest of the power plant: mean ± a standard deviation of 2.401 ± 1.197 Bq g −1 dry for 134 Cs and 3.955 ± 1.756 Bq g −1 dry for 137 Cs. In a hillside secondary forest 37 km northwest of the power plant, the mean concentrations of 134 Cs and 137 Cs were 0.825 ± 0.247 Bq g −1 dry and 1.470 ± 0.454 Bq g −1 dry, respectively. In a pine forest 62 km west of the power plant, very low radiocesium concentrations were detected, but in only a few individuals. The concentrations of 134 Cs and 137 Cs in spiders collected at each site tended to be correlated with the air radiation dose rate at each site. Since spiders are key components of food webs in forests, the high concentrations in this species at contaminated sites suggested that the radiocesium from the accident has transferred through food chains and reached to higher trophic level of the food chains. -- Highlights: • We investigated radiocesium contamination of large web spiders in Fukushima. • Spiders collected at three different sites in Fukushima were contaminated. • Radiocesium concentrations of spiders tended to increase with the air radiation dose rates. • Radiocesium concentrations of spiders did not affect by the amount of prey

In vitro induction of multiple buds from cotyledonary nodes of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

reading 6

2012-02-01

Feb 1, 2012 ... Balsam pear (Momordica charantia L.) is a weak climbing annual vine ... acids, reducing sugars and fixed oil (Dhalla et al., 1961). Ambasta et ..... Lee-Huang S, Huang PL, Bourinbaiar AS, Chen HC, Kung HF (1995). Inhibition ...

Defense Budget: DOD Needs to Improve Reporting of Operation and Maintenance Base Obligations

Science.gov (United States)

2016-08-01

10For additional information on DOD’s planning, programming, budgeting, and execution process, see GAO, DOD Service Acquisition ...check, or money order. Call for additional information. Connect with GAO on Facebook , Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube. Subscribe to our RSS Feeds or E

Environmental Remediation Activities in Japan Following the Fukushima Dai-ichi Reactor Incident - 12603

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lively, J.W.; Kelley, J.L.; Marcial, M.R. [AMEC Environment and Infrastructure (United States); Yashio, Shoko; Kuriu, Nobou; Kamijo, Hiroaki; Jotatsu, Kato [Obayashi Corporation (Japan)

2012-07-01

In March 2011, the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactor power plant was crippled by the Great Pacific earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Much of the focus in the news was on the reactor site itself as the utility company (TEPCO), the Japanese government, and experts from around the world worked to bring the damaged plants into a safe shutdown condition and stem the release of radioactivity to the environment. Most of the radioactivity released was carried out to sea with the prevailing winds. Still, as weather patterns changed and winds shifted, a significant plume of radioactive materials released from the plant deposited in the environment surrounding the plant, contaminating large land areas of the Fukushima Prefecture. The magnitude of the radiological impact to the surrounding environmental is so large that the Japanese government has had to reevaluate the meaning of 'acceptably clean'. In many respects, 'acceptably clean' cannot be a one-size-fits-all standard. The economics costs of such an approach would make impossible what is already an enormous and costly environmental response and remediation task. Thus, the Japanese government has embarked upon an approach that is both situation-specific and reasonably achievable. For example, the determination of acceptably clean for a nursery school or kindergarten play yard may be different from that for a parking lot. The acceptably clean level of residual radioactivity in the surface soil of a rice paddy is different from that in a forested area. The recognized exposure situation (scenario) thus plays a large role in the decision process. While sometimes complicated to grasp or implement, such an approach does prioritize national resources to address environment remediation based upon immediate and significant risks. In addition, the Japanese government is testing means and methods, including advanced or promising technologies, that could be proven to be effective in reducing the amount of radioactivity

On the downscaling of actual evapotranspiration maps based on combination of MODIS and landsat-based actual evapotranspiration estimates

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Ramesh K.; Senay, Gabriel B.; Velpuri, Naga Manohar; Bohms, Stefanie; Verdin, James P.

2014-01-01

 Downscaling is one of the important ways of utilizing the combined benefits of the high temporal resolution of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images and fine spatial resolution of Landsat images. We have evaluated the output regression with intercept method and developed the Linear with Zero Intercept (LinZI) method for downscaling MODIS-based monthly actual evapotranspiration (AET) maps to the Landsat-scale monthly AET maps for the Colorado River Basin for 2010. We used the 8-day MODIS land surface temperature product (MOD11A2) and 328 cloud-free Landsat images for computing AET maps and downscaling. The regression with intercept method does have limitations in downscaling if the slope and intercept are computed over a large area. A good agreement was obtained between downscaled monthly AET using the LinZI method and the eddy covariance measurements from seven flux sites within the Colorado River Basin. The mean bias ranged from −16 mm (underestimation) to 22 mm (overestimation) per month, and the coefficient of determination varied from 0.52 to 0.88. Some discrepancies between measured and downscaled monthly AET at two flux sites were found to be due to the prevailing flux footprint. A reasonable comparison was also obtained between downscaled monthly AET using LinZI method and the gridded FLUXNET dataset. The downscaled monthly AET nicely captured the temporal variation in sampled land cover classes. The proposed LinZI method can be used at finer temporal resolution (such as 8 days) with further evaluation. The proposed downscaling method will be very useful in advancing the application of remotely sensed images in water resources planning and management.

Biocompatibility of polymer-infiltrated-ceramic-network (PICN) materials with Human Gingival Fibroblasts (HGFs).

Science.gov (United States)

Grenade, Charlotte; De Pauw-Gillet, Marie-Claire; Gailly, Patrick; Vanheusden, Alain; Mainjot, Amélie

2016-09-01

Polymer-infiltrated-ceramic-network (PICN) materials constitute an innovative class of CAD-CAM materials offering promising perspectives in prosthodontics, but no data are available in the literature regarding their biological properties. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro biocompatibility of PICNs with human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) in comparison with materials typically used for implant prostheses and abutments. HGF attachment, proliferation and spreading on discs made of PICN, grade V titanium (Ti), yttrium zirconia (Zi), lithium disilicate glass-ceramic (eM) and polytetrafluoroethylene (negative control), were evaluated using a specific insert-based culture system (IBS-R). Sample surface properties were characterized by XPS, contact angle measurement, profilometry and SEM. Ti and Zi gave the best results regarding HGF viability, morphology, number and coverage increase with time in comparison with the negative control, while PICN and eM gave intermediate results, cell spreading being comparable for PICN, Ti, Zi and eM. Despite the presence of polymers and their related hydrophobicity, PICN exhibited comparable results to glass-ceramic materials, which could be explained by the mode of polymerization of the monomers. The results of the present study confirm that the currently employed materials, i.e. Ti and Zi, can be considered to be the gold standard of materials in terms of HGF behavior, while PICN gave intermediate results comparable to eM. The impact of the present in vitro results needs to be further investigated clinically, particularly in the view of the utilization of PICNs for prostheses on bone-level implants. Copyright © 2016 The Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Population dynamics of bacteria involved in enhanced biological phosphorus removal in Danish wastewater treatment plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Mielczarek, Artur Tomasz; Nguyen, Hien Thi Thu; Nielsen, Jeppe Lund; Nielsen, Per Halkjær

2013-03-15

The enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) process is increasingly popular as a sustainable method for removal of phosphorus (P) from wastewater. This study consisted of a comprehensive three-year investigation of the identity and population dynamics of polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) and glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs) in 28 Danish municipal wastewater treatment plants with nutrient removal. Fluorescence in situ hybridization was applied to quantify ten probe-defined populations of PAO and GAO that in total constituted a large fraction (30% on average) of the entire microbial community targeted by the EUBmix probes. Two PAO genera, Accumulibacter and Tetrasphaera, were very abundant in all EBPR plants (average of 3.7% and 27% of all bacteria, respectively), and their abundance was relatively stable in the Danish full-scale plants without clear temporal variations. GAOs were occasionally present in some plants (Competibacter in 11 plants, Defluviicoccus in 6 plants) and were consistent in only a few plants. This shows that these were not core species in the EBPR communities. The total GAO abundance was always lower than that of Accumulibacter. In plants without EBPR design, the abundance of PAO and GAO was significantly lower. Competibacter correlated in general with high fraction of industrial wastewater. In specific plants Accumulibacter correlated with high C/P ratio of the wastewater and Tetrasphaera with high organic loading. Interestingly, the relative microbial composition of the PAO/GAO species was unique to each plant over time, which gives a characteristic plant-specific "fingerprint". Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of the results of carbon pellet modeling to the problem of plasma penetration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vahala, L.L.; El Cashlan, A.G.; Gerdin, G.A.; Parks, P.B.

1990-01-01

The assumptions of the evaporation model for low-Z pellets interacting with magnetic fusion plasmas developed by P. B. Parks are tested. These assumptions are that the vapor density profile in the region adjacent to the pellet surface, falls off with radial distance as r -α , where 5 zi , is much less than a flow time for the vapor in this same region τ f (i.e. for r zi much-lt τ f , is tested at the sonic radius using the results from atomic physics and the low-Z evaporation model. It is found that indeed τ zi much-lt τ f for plasmas with parameters close to thermonuclear conditions (e.g. TFTR and CIT), but not for those of smaller Tokamaks such as TEXT. The results of pellet penetration calculations for the conditions of the TEXT carbon-pellet injection experiments are presented which show better agreement with experiment if the shielding fraction is calculated at each step of the pellet-penetration calculation, the effect of ionization is ignored, and if the effect of possible uncertainties in the background plasma parameters is included. 14 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs

Federal Employees’ Compensation Act: DOD Access to DOL Data is Generally Sufficient, but Monitoring Timelines Could Help Return-to-Work Efforts

Science.gov (United States)

2016-09-01

including reimbursement for transportation costs incurred in obtaining medical treatment or rehabilitation services, or nursing and other...Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube . Subscribe to our RSS Feeds or E-mail Updates. Listen to our Podcasts. Visit GAO on the web at www.gao.gov. Contact

“Candidatus Propionivibrio aalborgensis”

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Albertsen, Mads; McIlroy, Simon Jon; Stokholm-Bjerregaard, Mikkel

2016-01-01

by wasting the biomass. However, glycogen accumulating organisms (GAOs) may reduce the EBPR efficiency as they compete for substrates with PAOs, but do not store excessive amounts of polyphosphate. PAOs and GAOs are thought to be phylogenetically unrelated, with the model PAO being the betaproteobacterial...

A Sociolinguistic Assessment of the Darwazi Speech Variety in Afghanistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simone Beck

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a sociolinguistic assessment of the Darwāzi speech varieties (including Tangshewi based on data collected during a survey conducted between August 31st and September 19th 2008 in the Darwāz area. The research was carried out under the auspices of the International Assistance Mission, a Non-Governmental Organization working in Afghanistan. The goal was to determine whether Dari, one of the two national languages, is adequate to be used in literature and primary school education, or whether the Darwāzi people would benefit from language development, including literature development and primary school education in the vernacular.

Improving the security of a quantum secret sharing protocol between multiparty and multiparty without entanglement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Lianfang; Liu Yimin; Shi Shouhua; Zhang Zhanjun

2007-01-01

Recently Yan and Gao [F.L. Yan, T. Gao, Phys. Rev. A 72 (2005) 012304] have proposed a quantum secret sharing protocol which allows a secret message to be shared between one group of m parties and another group of n parties. The protocol is claimed to be secure. In this Letter, first we show that any subgroup consisting of evil cooperative parties (or one and only one evil party) can successfully cheat other parties to obtain the secret message without being detected. Then we improve the original Yan-Gao protocol such that the insider's cheats are prevented

90Sr and 89Sr in seawater off Japan as a consequence of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Casacuberta

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The impact of the earthquake and tsunami on the east coast of Japan on 11 March 2011 caused a loss of power at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant (NPP that resulted in one of the most important releases of artificial radioactivity into the environment. Although several works were devoted to evaluating the atmospheric dispersion of radionuclides, the impact of the discharges to the ocean has been less investigated. Here we evaluate the distribution of Fukushima-derived 90Sr (n = 57 and 89Sr (n = 19 throughout waters 30–600 km offshore in June 2011. Concentrations of 90Sr and 89Sr in both surface waters and shallow profiles ranged from 0.8 ± 0.2 to 85 ± 3 Bq m−3 and from 19 ± 6 to 265 ± 74 Bq m−3, respectively. Because of its short half-life, all measured 89Sr was due to the accident, while the 90Sr concentrations can be compared to the background levels in the Pacific Ocean of about 1.2 Bq m−3. Fukushima-derived radiostrontium was mainly detected north of Kuroshio Current, as this was acting as a southern boundary for transport. The highest activities were associated with near-shore eddies, and larger inventories were found in the closest stations to Fukushima NPP. The data evidence a major influence of direct liquid discharges of radiostrontium compared to the atmospheric deposition. Existing 137Cs data reported from the same samples allowed us to establish a 90Sr / 137Cs ratio of 0.0256 ± 0.0006 in seawater off Fukushima, being significantly different than that of the global atmospheric fallout (i.e., 0.63 and may be used in future studies to track waters coming from the east coast of Japan. Liquid discharges of 90Sr to the ocean were estimated, resulting in an inventory of 53 ± 1 TBq of 90Sr in the inshore study area in June 2011 and total releases of 90Sr ranging from 90 to 900 TBq, depending upon the reported estimates of 137Cs releases that are considered.

Silver-loaded nanotubular structures enhanced bactericidal efficiency of antibiotics with synergistic effect in vitro and in vivo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xu N

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Na Xu,1,2,* Hao Cheng,3,4,* Jiangwen Xu,1 Feng Li,3 Biao Gao,1 Zi Li,3 Chenghao Gao,3 Kaifu Huo,5 Jijiang Fu,1,2 Wei Xiong3 1The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, School of Materials and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 2Institute of Biology and Medicine, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 3Orthopaedic Department, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 4Biomaterials Innovation Research Center, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; 5Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become a major issue due to the long-term use and abuse of antibiotics in treatments in clinics. The combination therapy of antibiotics and silver (Ag nanoparticles is an effective way of both enhancing the antibacterial effect and decreasing the usage of antibiotics. Although the method has been proved to be effective in vitro, no in vivo tests have been carried out at present. Herein, we described a combination therapy of local delivery of Ag and systemic antibiotics treatment in vitro in an infection model of rat. Ag nanoparticle-loaded TiO2 nanotube (NT arrays (Ag-NTs were fabricated on titanium implants for a customized release of Ag ion. The antibacterial properties of silver combined with antibiotics vancomycin, rifampin, gentamicin, and levofloxacin, respectively, were tested in vitro by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC assay, disk diffusion assay, and antibiofilm formation test. Enhanced antibacterial activity of combination therapy was observed for all the chosen bacterial strains, including gram-negative Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922, gram

Three-year monitoring study of radiocesium transfer and ambient dose rate in forest environments affected by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Science.gov (United States)

Kato, Hiroaki; Onda, Yuichi; Loffredo, Nicolas; Kawamori, Ayumi; Hisadome, Keigo

2015-04-01

We investigated the transfer of canopy-intercepted radiocesium to the forest floor during 3 years (July 2011~) following the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. The cesium-137 (Cs-137) contents of throughfall, stemflow, and litterfall were monitored in two coniferous stands (plantation of Japanese cedar) and a deciduous broad-leaved forest stand (Japanese oak with red pine). We also measured an ambient dose rate at different height in the forest by using a survey meter (TCS-172B, Hitachi-Aloka Medical, LTD.) and a portable Ge gamma-ray detector (Detective-DX-100T, Ortec, Ametek, Inc.). Furthermore, effects of forest decontamination on the reduction of ambient dose rate were assessed quantitatively. Total Cs-137 deposition flux from the canopy to forest floor for the mature cedar, young cedar, and the mixed broad-leaved stands were 157 kBq/m^2, 167 kBq/m^2, and 54 kBq/m^2, respectively. These values correspond to 36%, 39% and 12% of total atmospheric input after the accident. The ambient dose rate showed an exponential decrease with time for all the forest sites, however the decreasing trend differed depending on the forest type. These data suggested that an ambient dose rate in forest environment can be variable in spatially and temporally reflecting the transfer of radiocesium from canopy to forest floor. We presented the analysis results of the relationship between radiocesium deposition flux and ambient dose rate at the forest floor. In addition to that, we reported the effects of forest decontamination (e.g., tree felling, removal of organic materials, woodchip pavement) on the reduction of ambient dose rate in the forest environment.

On Dangerous Anthropogenic Interference and Climate Change Risk (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Mann, M. E.

2009-12-01

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) commits signatory nations (which includes all major nations including the United States) to stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations at levels short of Dangerous Anthropogenic Interference (“ DAI”) with the climate. To properly define DAI, one must take into account issues that are not only scientific, but, economic, political, and ethical in nature. Defining DAI is furthermore complicated by the inter-generational and regionally-disaggregated nature of the risks associated with climate change. In this talk, I will explore the nature of anthropogenic climate change risks and the notion of DAI.

Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research - Vol 15, No 3 (2016)

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Wan Wu, Wei Chen, Qiong Jin, 447-451 ... Chung-Shih Chen, Mei-Lin Wang, Rosa Huang Liu, Shih-Pin Chen, Tsong-Ming Lu, Wei-Yu Tsai, Chien-Fu Huang, ... Yan-Qiong Li, Rui Hu, Li-Hui Zhong, Qian Sun, You-Ping Yan, 527-533.