WorldWideScience

Sample records for incubator evaluation process

  1. National Security Technology Incubator Evaluation Process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None, None

    2007-12-31

    This report describes the process by which the National Security Technology Incubator (NSTI) will be evaluated. The technology incubator is being developed as part of the National Security Preparedness Project (NSPP), funded by a Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) grant. This report includes a brief description of the components, steps, and measures of the proposed evaluation process. The purpose of the NSPP is to promote national security technologies through business incubation, technology demonstration and validation, and workforce development. The NSTI will focus on serving businesses with national security technology applications by nurturing them through critical stages of early development. An effective evaluation process of the NSTI is an important step as it can provide qualitative and quantitative information on incubator performance over a given period. The vision of the NSTI is to be a successful incubator of technologies and private enterprise that assist the NNSA in meeting new challenges in national safety and security. The mission of the NSTI is to identify, incubate, and accelerate technologies with national security applications at various stages of development by providing hands-on mentoring and business assistance to small businesses and emerging or growing companies. To achieve success for both incubator businesses and the NSTI program, an evaluation process is essential to effectively measure results and implement corrective processes in the incubation design if needed. The evaluation process design will collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative data through performance evaluation system.

  2. Tenant Recruitment and Support Processes in Sustainability-Profiled Business Incubators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bank, Natasha; Kanda, Wisdom

    2016-01-01

    Recruitment and support processes in sustainability-profiled incubators have received little research attention. The article addresses this knowledge gap in an empirical investigation of three sustainability-oriented incubators in Sweden, Finland and Germany. The data are based on interviews with managers, stakeholders and tenants in Green Tech…

  3. What determines a successful business incubator?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gerlach, Sophia; Brem, Alexander

    2015-01-01

    Business incubators have become an important pillar in the attraction and the support of innovation and entrepreneurship – in practice, and to a greater extent in theory as well. Based on earlier research, we give an overview of business incubator literature between 2001 and 2013. We review...... these results in a generic business incubation process model, which is elaborated in a pre-, main- and after-incubation phase. Finally, we introduce an incubator guide, which is summarizing the key areas into a questionnaire. Hence, on the one hand, we foster future research on business incubation with our...... conceptual framework based on an extensive literature review. On the other hand, we support managers and policy makers with a practice-oriented and research-based evaluation tool for a status quo analysis as well as a solid basis for a further incubator development....

  4. Processes of Incubating African Female Entrepreneurs: Some Evidences from Senegal and Tanzania

    OpenAIRE

    Imani Silver Kyaruzi; Chantal Ahoefa Hales

    2009-01-01

    This paper seeks to examine the processes of incubating African female entrepreneurs. It is observed that despite the growing interest and large volume of literature on business incubation and their role in local economic growth, theories have been silent on explaining the role(s) of “female incubatees” within this process. The particular focus of this paper is on our current understanding of the nature of the complex processes of providing business support services to female entrepreneurs in...

  5. National Security Technology Incubator Business Plan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None, None

    2007-12-31

    This document contains a business plan for the National Security Technology Incubator (NSTI), developed as part of the National Security Preparedness Project (NSPP) and performed under a Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) grant. This business plan describes key features of the NSTI, including the vision and mission, organizational structure and staffing, services, evaluation criteria, marketing strategies, client processes, a budget, incubator evaluation criteria, and a development schedule. The purpose of the NSPP is to promote national security technologies through business incubation, technology demonstration and validation, and workforce development. The NSTI will focus on serving businesses with national security technology applications by nurturing them through critical stages of early development. The vision of the NSTI is to be a successful incubator of technologies and private enterprise that assist the NNSA in meeting new challenges in national safety, security, and protection of the homeland. The NSTI is operated and managed by the Arrowhead Center, responsible for leading the economic development mission of New Mexico State University (NMSU). The Arrowhead Center will recruit business with applications for national security technologies recruited for the NSTI program. The Arrowhead Center and its strategic partners will provide business incubation services, including hands-on mentoring in general business matters, marketing, proposal writing, management, accounting, and finance. Additionally, networking opportunities and technology development assistance will be provided.

  6. Comparative clinical evaluation of a prototype non-electric transport incubator and an electrical infant incubator in a neonatal unit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khodadadeh, Y; Nili, F; Nayeri, F; Wickramasinghe, Y

    2001-09-01

    A new non-electric transport incubator has been developed for transferring babies between health facilities in developing countries. The temperature performance of this prototype was compared with a commercial electric incubator. The warm-up time for the prototype was 51.8 min, compared with 48.1 min for the electric incubator. Forty-five non-distressed premature babies, aged 24-72 h, with a gestational age of less than 37 weeks, were continuously evaluated for a 2 h period. Twenty-five babies, with a mean weight of 2073 g (range 1500-2500 g), were studied in the prototype, and 20 babies, with a mean weight of 2076g (range 1550-2500 g), were studied in the electrical incubator. The rectal and abdominal skin temperature, heart rate, oxygen saturation and respiratory rate of the babies were recorded. The temperature, oxygen and humidity level of the canopy and the room temperature were also measured. The SaO2, heart rate and respiratory rate were within the normal range (in the prototype: 96.5%, 130.5 beats min(-1) and 43 breaths min(-1), respectively; and, in the electric incubator: 96.5%, 128.5 beats min(-1) and 40 breaths min(-1), respectively). No evidence of carbon dioxide narcosis, hypoxia, acidosis or adverse thermoregulatory behaviour were observed in the two groups. The mean rectal temperature for both groups was within the range 36.5 degrees C-37.5 degrees C. There was no significant difference between the measurements of the two groups. The level of oxygen inside the canopy was 21%, and no decrease was observed. The new nonelectric transport incubator confirmed its safety and efficiency in providing a warm environment for non-distressed premature babies over a 2 h period.

  7. Understanding management practices in business incubators

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Blok, Vincent; Thijssen, Sander; Pascucci, Stefano

    2017-01-01

    Following the call for process-oriented research on business incubation processes, this paper investigates the process of business incubation (BI) via an understanding of management practices and interactions. Based on a comprehensive literature review and empirical evidence of management practices

  8. Evaluation of the effect of temperature and time of incubation on ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The complete blood count (CBC) is one of the most common tests requested by physicians. The results of this test are affected by different factors such as temperature and time of incubation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate changes in CBC results at room temperature (RT). In a cross-sectional study, ...

  9. Mathematical modelling of thermoregulation processes for premature infants in closed convectively heated incubators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fraguela, Andrés; Matlalcuatzi, Francisca D; Ramos, Ángel M

    2015-02-01

    The low-weight newborns and especially the premature infants have difficulty in maintaining their temperature in the range considered to be normal. Several studies revealed the importance of thermal environment and moisture to increase the survival rate of newborns. This work models the process of heat exchange and energy balance in premature newborns during the first hours of life in a closed incubator. In addition, a control problem was proposed and solved in order to maintain thermal stability of premature newborns to increase their rate of survival and weight. For this purpose, we propose an algorithm to control the temperature inside the incubator. It takes into account the measurements of the body temperature of a premature newborn which are recorded continuously. We show that using this model the temperature of a premature newborn inside the incubator can be kept in a thermal stability range. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  10. Assessment and Certification of Neonatal Incubator Sensors through an Inferential Neural Network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Medeiros de Araújo

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Measurement and diagnostic systems based on electronic sensors have been increasingly essential in the standardization of hospital equipment. The technical standard IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission 60601-2-19 establishes requirements for neonatal incubators and specifies the calibration procedure and validation tests for such devices using sensors systems. This paper proposes a new procedure based on an inferential neural network to evaluate and calibrate a neonatal incubator. The proposal presents significant advantages over the standard calibration process, i.e., the number of sensors is drastically reduced, and it runs with the incubator under operation. Since the sensors used in the new calibration process are already installed in the commercial incubator, no additional hardware is necessary; and the calibration necessity can be diagnosed in real time without the presence of technical professionals in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU. Experimental tests involving the aforementioned calibration system are carried out in a commercial incubator in order to validate the proposal.

  11. Diffusion of student business incubators

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hjortsø, Carsten Nico Portefée; Honig, Benson; Riis, Nina Louise Fynbo

    education. Applying neo-institutional theory, we examine the development of student incubation activities in the field of general state-funded Danish universities. We review institutional pressures from the political sphere that led to the diffusion of student incubation, introducing a three-phase process...

  12. Aligning business strategy of incubator center and tenants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prasetyawan, Yudha; Agustiani, Elly; Jumayla, Sari

    2017-06-01

    Incubator center is developed to help a particular group of small business players to achieve the expected business growth. In this center, business players often called as tenants will get assistances in pertaining with space, professional network, marketing, investment or funding, and training to improve their business capability. There are three types of incubator center, namely universities that help their alumni or business people in their surrounded area, company that supports small business as the corporate social responsibility, and independent organizations that have specialties in the business development. Some might success in increasing the capacity of the tenants, while other can have difficulties to increase the simplest business capability, e.g., to define the production cost to measure the profit. This study was intended to propose a model to align the business strategy between incubator center and its tenants. The sales and profit growth are the main priorities for the tenants together with their business capability and sustainability. The proposed alignment model provides measurement tools that link the motivation of tenants for joining the incubation process with the mission of incubator center. The linkage covered the key performance indicators (KPI), steps to achieve the target and evaluation tools to improve the current handicaps. An experiment on 4 (four) diverse business fields of the tenants of an incubator center was performed to test the model. As a result, the increase of KPI of incubator center will simultaneously yield a higher value of the tenants' sales.

  13. A Handy Preterm Infant Incubator for Providing Intensive Care: Simulation, 3D Printed Prototype, and Evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaylaa, Amira J; Rashid, Mohamad; Shaib, Mounir; El Majzoub, Imad

    2018-01-01

    Preterm infants encounter an abrupt delivery before their complete maturity during the third trimester of pregnancy. Polls anticipate an increase in the rates of preterm infants for 2025, especially in middle- and low-income countries. Despite the abundance of intensive care methods for preterm infants, such as, but not limited to, commercial, transport, embrace warmer, radiant warmer, and Kangaroo Mother Care methods, they are either expensive, lack the most essential requirements or specifications, or lack the maternal-preterm bond. This drove us to carry this original research and innovative idea of developing a new 3D printed prototype of a Handy preterm infant incubator. We aim to provide the most indispensable intensive care with the lowest cost, to bestow low-income countries with the Handy incubator's care, preserve the maternal -preterm's bond, and diminish the rate of mortality. Biomedical features, electronics, and biocompatible materials were utilized. The design was simulated, the prototype was 3D printed, and the outcomes were tested and evaluated. Simulation results showed the best fit for the Handy incubator's components. Experimental results showed the 3D-printed prototype and the time elapsed to obtain it. Evaluation results revealed that the overall performance of Kangaroo Mother Care and the embrace warmer was 75 ± 1.4% and 66.7 ± 1.5%, respectively, while the overall performance of our Handy incubator was 91.7 ± 1.6%, thereby our cost-effective Handy incubator surpassed existing intensive care methods. The future step is associating the Handy incubator with more specifications and advancements.

  14. RELIABILITY ASSESSMENTS OF INFANT INCUBATOR AND THE ANALYZER

    OpenAIRE

    Özdemirci, Emre; Özarslan Yatak, Meral; Duran, Fecir; Canal, Mehmet Rahmi

    2014-01-01

    Approximately 80% of newborn in Turkey are put in neonatal incubators because of their problematic cases. Incubators used for treatment may adversely affect baby’s health seriously, if they adjusts or measures the parameters incorrectly. In this study, complications arisen because of inaccurate adjustment and measurement of incubator parameters were investigated. Current infant incubator analyzers were researched and the deficiencies were evaluated considering the standards and clin...

  15. The design of neonatal incubators: a systems-oriented, human-centered approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferris, T K; Shepley, M M

    2013-04-01

    This report describes a multidisciplinary design project conducted in an academic setting reflecting a systems-oriented, human-centered philosophy in the design of neonatal incubator technologies. Graduate students in Architectural Design and Human Factors Engineering courses collaborated in a design effort that focused on supporting the needs of three user groups of incubator technologies: infant patients, family members and medical personnel. Design teams followed established human-centered design methods that included interacting with representatives from the user groups, analyzing sets of critical tasks and conducting usability studies with existing technologies. An iterative design and evaluation process produced four conceptual designs of incubators and supporting equipment that better address specific needs of the user groups. This report introduces the human-centered design approach, highlights some of the analysis findings and design solutions, and offers a set of design recommendations for future incubation technologies.

  16. Evaluation of different X ray equipment and incubators for pediatric radiographic images implementation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carbi, E.D.O.; Souza, R.T.F.; Pina, D.R.

    2009-01-01

    The children frequent/y are exposed to the ionizing radiation and other emotional and physical risks in the attempts repeated to get radiographic images of quality. This study it has as objective to evaluate X ray beam about quality and intensity at three different equipment with single-phase generator of voltage and the absorption factors to 5 different incubators and 3 different cradles in the neonatal UTI of the Clinics Hospital on the Medicine College in Botucatu. The methodology consisted of carrying through measured of half Layer Value and Radiation output for the different X ray equipment with voltage with in between 45 and 100 kVp, applied at the X ray tube. The measures of the absorption factors had been carried through varying the thicknesses of attenuating material (phantom) for the different voltage value with in between 50 and 100kVp. The results had shown the same energy effective for the different X ray equipment and the same absorption factors for the different incubators and evaluated cradles, taking into account, the same thickness of attenuating material and same voltage. (author)

  17. A study of knowledge supernetworks and network robustness in different business incubators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Haihong; Wu, Wenqing; Zhao, Liming

    2016-04-01

    As the most important intangible resource of the new generation of business incubators, knowledge has been studied extensively, particularly with respect to how it spreads among incubating firms through knowledge networks. However, these homogeneous networks do not adequately describe the heterogeneity of incubating firms in different types of business incubators. To solve the problem of heterogeneity, the notion of a knowledge supernetwork has been used both to construct a knowledge interaction model among incubating firms and to distinguish social network relationships from knowledge network relationships. The process of knowledge interaction and network evolution can then be simulated with a few rules for incubating firms regarding knowledge innovation/absorption, social network connection, and entry and exit, among other aspects. Knowledge and networks have been used as performance indicators to evaluate the evolution of knowledge supernetworks. Moreover, we study the robustness of incubating firms' social networks by employing four types of attack strategies. Based on our simulation results, we conclude that there have been significant knowledge interaction and network evolution among incubating firms on a periodic basis and that both specialized and diversified business incubators have every advantage necessary in terms of both knowledge and networks to cultivate start-up companies. As far as network robustness is concerned, there is no obvious difference between the two types of business incubators with respect to the stability of their network structures, but specialized business incubators have stronger network communication abilities than diversified business incubators.

  18. Incubation temperature and hemoglobin dielectric of chicken embryos incubated under the influence of electric field.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shafey, T M; Al-Batshan, H A; Shalaby, M I; Ghannam, M M

    2006-01-01

    Eggs from a layer-type breeder flock (Baladi, King Saud University) between 61 and 63 weeks of age were used in 3 trials to study the effects of electric field (EF) during incubation on the internal temperature of incubation, and eggs and hemoglobin (Hb) dielectric of chicken embryos at 18 days of age. Dielectric relative permittivity (epsilon') and conductivity (sigma) of Hb were examined in the range of frequency from 20 to 100 kHz. The values of dielectric increment (Deltaepsilon') and the relaxation times (tau) of Hb molecules were calculated. The internal temperature of eggs was measured in empty (following the removal of egg contents) and fertilized eggs in trials 1 and 2, respectively. The level of the EF was 30 kV/m, 60 Hz. EF incubation of embryos influenced the temperature of incubation and electrical properties of Hb molecules and did not influence the temperature of incubation and internal environment of eggs when empty eggs were incubated. EF incubation of fertilized eggs significantly raised the temperature of incubation, egg air cell, and at the surface of the egg yolk by approximately 0.09, 0.60, and 0.61 degrees F, respectively and Hb epsilon', sigma, Deltaepsilon', and tau as a function of the range of frequency of 20 to 100 kHz when compared with their counterparts of the control group. It was concluded that the exposure of fertilized chicken eggs to EF of 30 kV/m, 60 Hz, during incubation altered dielectric properties of Hb and that probably affected cell to cell communication and created the right environment for enhancing the growing process and heat production of embryos consequently increasing the temperature of the internal environment of the egg, and incubation.

  19. Automatic Evaluation of Colonies Growth rate of Yeasts incubated in Petri dishes using Mobile Platform

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alecsander Pereira Martins

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes an automatic method based on computer vision implemented in mobile platform capable of monitoring the growth of microbial colonies incubated in Petri dishes. The developed optimized image processing algorithm performs this task without human intervention from images of colonies of the microorganism in different evolution phases. The contribution of this paper is the development of a fast and robust mobile tool to assist bioprocess experts in monitoring the growth of colonies without using the conventional error prone evaluation techniques. The obtained results successfully demonstrated dimensional alterations in colonies in a faster and more precise fashion when compared with the conventional method, with the additional advantage of versatility in producing reliable estimation of the growth rates with higher statistical significance.

  20. Creativity – The Unconscious Foundations of the Incubation Period

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simone M. eRitter

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Creativity is one of the most important assets we have to navigate through the fast changing world of the 21st century. Anecdotal accounts of creative individuals suggest that oftentimes, creative discoveries result from a process whereby initial conscious thought is followed by a period during which one refrains from task-related conscious thought. For example, one may spend an embarrassing amount of time thinking about a problem when the solution suddenly pops into consciousness while taking a shower. Not only creative individuals but also traditional theories of creativity have put a lot of emphasis on this incubation stage in creative thinking. The aim of the present article is twofold. First, an overview of the domain of incubation and creativity is provided by reviewing and discussing studies on incubation, mind-wandering, and sleep. Second, the causes of incubation effects are discussed. Previously, little attention has been paid to the causes of incubation effects and most findings do not really speak to whether the effects should be explained by unconscious processes or merely by consequences of a period of distraction. In the latter case, there is no need to assume active unconscious processes. The findings discussed in the current article support the idea that it is not merely the absence of conscious thought that drives incubation effects, but that during an incubation period unconscious processes contribute to creative thinking. Finally, practical implications and directions for future research will be discussed.

  1. Measuring the performance of business incubators

    OpenAIRE

    VANDERSTRAETEN, Johanna; MATTHYSSENS, Paul; VAN WITTELOOSTUIJN, Arjen

    2012-01-01

    This paper focuses on incubator performance measurement. First, we report the findings of an extensive literature review. Both existing individual measures and more comprehensive measurement systems are discussed. This literature review shows that most incubator researchers and practitioners only use one or a few indicators for performance evaluation, and that existing measurement systems do not recognize the importance of short, medium and long-term results, do not always include an incubato...

  2. Technology Business Incubators as Engines of Growth: Towards a distinction between Technology Incubators and Non-Technology Incubators.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ratinho, Tiago; Harms, Rainer; Groen, Arend J.

    2009-01-01

    Business incubators are an increasingly popular tool for promoting job and wealth creation. Yet given the heterogeneity of incubation models, it is not always clear how incubators operate, what their main characteristics are and how can they best contribute to job and wealth creation. If technology

  3. Technology business incubators as engines of growth: towards a distinction between technology incubators and non-technology incubators

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ratinho, Tiago; Harms, Rainer; Groen, Arend J.; Langan Fox, Janice

    2010-01-01

    Business incubators are an increasingly popular tool for promoting job and wealth creation. Yet given the heterogeneity of incubation models, it is not always clear how incubators operate, what their main characteristics are and how can they best contribute to job and wealth creation. If technology

  4. The Co-evolution of Business Incubators and National Incubator Networks in Emerging Markets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David F. Robinson

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available The study proposes a three stage model of the development of business incubation practices in emerging markets. The model addresses the diffusion of incubation practices to new markets, the institutionalization of those practices and the co-evolution of incubators and national networks of incubation. The model is based on interviews conducted in Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. New incubators in emerging markets often face strong cultural norms and institutional impediments to helping entrepreneurs start new businesses. As incubation becomes better established in a country, incubators provide more advanced technical, legal and market-based advice. Networks of incubators form to share specialized services across many incubators, to allocate government funding to incubators, and to lobby for public and private support of innovation.

  5. Business Incubators: Creation of a Fit in Armenia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Grigorian, A.; Ratinho, Tiago; Harms, Rainer

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, we evaluate the extent to which business incubation services meet tenant’s needs. Additionally, we pose the question of whether the current business incubators actually cover the needs of a particular industry. Our empirical setting is a developing country in the Caucasian Region

  6. Establishment and Development of Business Incubators

    OpenAIRE

    Teliceanu Claudiu Daniel

    2010-01-01

    Business incubators are established in order to help new businesses to consolidate and, consequently, to lead to creation of new jobs as part of a strategic framework - territorial oriented, or on a particular policy priority or a combination of these factors. The business incubator supports its customers to overcome the legislative, administrative barriers and thus to start much easier a business, by facilitating the business establishment process and their access to community support network.

  7. EMPOWERING IT ENTREPRENEURSHIPS: WHAT’S THE CONTRIBUTION OF BUSINESS INCUBATORS?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wescley Silva Xavier

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available This article aims to analyze the contribution of Business Incubators for small IT business. In this way, a deep research in three Brazilian IT Incubators was developed. We investigated the perception of incubators’ managers, tenant and graduated entrepreneurs regarding to the key elements of incubation process, as support and infrastructure, university-incubator interaction, and management training. Our findings indicate some deficiencies in IT Incubators, predominantly in prospecting customers, attracting financial resources, and establishing relationships within universities and research centers.

  8. Innovation Incubator: Whisker Labs Technical Evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sparn, Bethany F. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Frank, Stephen M. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Earle, Lieko [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Scheib, Jennifer G. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

    2017-08-01

    The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) is a program to foster and accelerate startup companies with commercial building energy-efficiency and demand management technologies. The program is funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Whisker Labs, an Oakland, California-based company, was one of four awardees in the first IN2 cohort and was invited to participate in the program because of its novel electrical power sensing technology for circuit breakers. The stick-on Whisker meters install directly on the front face of the circuit breakers in an electrical panel using adhesive, eliminating the need to open the panel and install current transducers (CTs) on the circuit wiring.

  9. Factors affecting incubation patterns and sex roles of black oystercatchers in Alaska

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spiegel, Caleb S.; Haig, Susan M.; Goldstein, Michael I.; Huso, Manuela M. P.

    2012-01-01

    Studies examining the effects of human disturbance on avian parental behavior and reproductive success are fundamental to bird conservation. However, many such studies fail to also consider the influence of natural threats, a variable environment, and parental roles. Our work examines interactive relationships of cyclical (time of day, tide, temperature, seasonality) and stochastic (natural/human disturbance) processes with incubation patterns (attendance, bout lengths, recess rates) of the Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani), a shorebird of conservation concern. We used 24-hour-per-day video monitoring of 13 molecularly-sexed breeding pairs to systematically examine incubation, revealing previously undocumented information that may inform conservation practices for the genus. Seven of 22 video-monitored nests failed, primarily from egg depredation by nocturnally-active mammals. Analyses of 3177 hrs of video footage indicated a near doubling of incubation bout lengths at night, corresponding to the increased risk of nighttime egg predation. Females had higher overall nest attendance (54% vs. 42%) and longer mean incubation bout lengths than males (88 min vs. 73 min). Uninterrupted incubation bouts were over twice as long as bouts interrupted by disturbance. Incubating males departed nests substantially more frequently due to nest-area disturbances than females in one, but not both, years of our study. Our findings suggest that sexes exhibit different, but complimentary, incubation patterns, facilitating efficient egg care in a dynamic environment with several nest threats. We emphasize the importance of considering natural influences when evaluating human threats to shorebird reproductive behavior and success.

  10. Meeting embryonic requirements of broilers throughout incubation: a review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R Molenaar

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available During incubation of chicken embryos, environmental conditions, such as temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 concentration, must be controlled to meet embryonic requirements that change during the different phases of embryonic development. In the current review, the effects of embryo temperature, egg weight loss, and CO2 concentration on hatchability, hatchling quality, and subsequent performance are discussed from an embryonic point of view. In addition, new insights related to the incubation process are described. Several studies have shown that a constant eggshell temperature (EST of 37.5 to 38.0°C throughout incubation results in the highest hatchability, hatchling quality, and subsequent performance. Egg weight loss must be between 6.5 and 14.0% of the initial egg weight, to obtain an adequate air cell size before the embryo internally pips. An increased CO2 concentration during the developmental phase of incubation (first 10 days can accelerate embryonic development and hatchability, but the physiological mechanisms of this acceleration are not completely understood. Effects of ar increased CO2 concentration during late incubation also need further investigation. The preincubation warming profile, thermal manipulation, and in ovo feeding are new insights related to the incubation process and show that the optimal situation for the embryo during incubation highly depends on the conditions of the eggs before (storage duration and during incubation (environmental conditions and on the conditions of the chickens after hatching (environmental temperature.

  11. Learning Incubator: an instrument to foster entrepreneurship in Nursing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Backes, Dirce Stein; Obem, Marielle Kulakowski; Pereira, Simone Barbosa; Gomes, Carine Alves; Backes, Marli Terezinha Stein; Erdmann, Alacoque Lorenzini

    2015-01-01

    this study aimed to know the contributions of the Learning Incubator to the process of lifelong education in health. this is a qualitative field research whose data was collected from August to December 2014 by the focus group technique. The research had 34 employees of a Teaching Hospital in the central region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul that participated previously in the incubation process. from the data encoded by content analysis, three themes were selected: Learning Incubator - welcoming and integrating space; An instigating instrument that enhances possibilities; Continuous and lifelong education strategy. the Learning Incubator is an important instrument to foster entrepreneurship in nursing and other health areas due to its capacity of rethinking mechanized practices, to the possibility of instigating new ways of being and acting, and to the ability of creating and developing new ideas based on individual and institutional needs.

  12. Use of serum biochemistry to evaluate nutritional status and health of incubating common eiders (Somateria mollissima) in Finland

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hollmen, T.; Franson, J.C.; Hario, Martti; Sankari, S.; Kilpi, Mikael; Lindstrom, K.

    2001-01-01

    During 1997–1999, we collected serum samples from 156 common eider (Somateria mollissima) females incubating eggs in the Finnish archipelago of the Baltic Sea. We used serum chemistry profiles to evaluate metabolic changes in eiders during incubation and to compare the health and nutritional status of birds nesting at a breeding area where the eider population has declined by over 50% during the past decade, with birds nesting at two areas with stable populations. Several changes in serum chemistries were observed during incubation, including (1) decreases in serum glucose, total protein, albumin, β‐globulin, and γ‐globulin concentrations and (2) increases in serum uric acid, creatine kinase, and β‐hydroxybutyrate concentrations. However, these changes were not consistent throughout the 3‐yr period, suggesting differences among years in the rate of carbohydrate, lipid, and protein utilization during incubation. The mean serum concentrations of free fatty acids, glycerol, and albumin were lowest and the serum α‐ and γ‐globulin levels were highest in the area where the eider population has declined, suggesting a role for nutrition and diseases in the population dynamics of Baltic eiders.

  13. State of the art incubator for controlled atmosphere studies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Per Væggemose

    1998-01-01

    in the design of the incubator, due to their importance for the final performance of the incubator. This includes choice of temperature control system, humidification system, gas addition and control, data collection and process control, and the physical design which includes airlocks for taking out samples...

  14. Unpainting the black box : exploring mechanisms and practices of start-up incubators

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Weele, M.A.

    2016-01-01

    Although incubators have become one of the most prominent instruments to stimulate the emergence and growth of start-ups, questions are being raised about their effectiveness. One major obstacle to evaluate the effectiveness of incubators is that the incubator remains a ‘black box’: the extant

  15. Principles and Best Practices in Successful Tourism Business Incubators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andreea F. Şchiopu

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available The business incubators are entities that provide support to start-up companies, managing the obstacles faced by entrepreneurs and facilitating the hazardous process of business creation. This article aims to identify the existing views on best practices that can contribute to the achieving of business incubators’ objectives. Moreover, the present study investigates how the business incubators can ensure the success of tourism, with evidence grounded in both theory and case studies from around the world. In this paper, the authors have identified several types of incubators that could be used successfully for the benefit of start-ups in the tourism sector, such as network incubators, incubators in ecotourism or nature-based incubators. The authors also propose a new perspective on best practices in business incubation, emphasizing the role of the emotions that entrepreneurs have to cope with. Even though the studies in this area are still scarce, the authors strongly believe that this will be a topic highly discussed in the near future, given the fact that emotion and logical thought are intertwined, interacting in complex ways during problem solving, decision making, and other important forms of cognition that entrepreneurs use when pursuing their ventures.

  16. Incubation environment impacts the social cognition of adult lizards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siviter, Harry; Deeming, D Charles; van Giezen, M F T; Wilkinson, Anna

    2017-11-01

    Recent work exploring the relationship between early environmental conditions and cognition has shown that incubation environment can influence both brain anatomy and performance in simple operant tasks in young lizards. It is currently unknown how it impacts other, potentially more sophisticated, cognitive processes. Social-cognitive abilities, such as gaze following and social learning, are thought to be highly adaptive as they provide a short-cut to acquiring new information. Here, we investigated whether egg incubation temperature influenced two aspects of social cognition, gaze following and social learning in adult reptiles ( Pogona vitticeps ). Incubation temperature did not influence the gaze following ability of the bearded dragons; however, lizards incubated at colder temperatures were quicker at learning a social task and faster at completing that task. These results are the first to show that egg incubation temperature influences the social cognitive abilities of an oviparous reptile species and that it does so differentially depending on the task. Further, the results show that the effect of incubation environment was not ephemeral but lasted long into adulthood. It could thus have potential long-term effects on fitness.

  17. Ambient-temperature incubation for the field detection of Escherichia coli in drinking water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, J; Stauber, C; Murphy, J L; Khan, A; Mu, T; Elliott, M; Sobsey, M D

    2011-04-01

     Escherichia coli is the pre-eminent microbiological indicator used to assess safety of drinking water globally. The cost and equipment requirements for processing samples by standard methods may limit the scale of water quality testing in technologically less developed countries and other resource-limited settings, however. We evaluate here the use of ambient-temperature incubation in detection of E. coli in drinking water samples as a potential cost-saving and convenience measure with applications in regions with high (>25°C) mean ambient temperatures.   This study includes data from three separate water quality assessments: two in Cambodia and one in the Dominican Republic. Field samples of household drinking water were processed in duplicate by membrane filtration (Cambodia), Petrifilm™ (Cambodia) or Colilert® (Dominican Republic) on selective media at both standard incubation temperature (35–37°C) and ambient temperature, using up to three dilutions and three replicates at each dilution. Matched sample sets were well correlated with 80% of samples (n = 1037) within risk-based microbial count strata (E. coli CFU 100 ml−1 counts of 1000), and a pooled coefficient of variation of 17% (95% CI 15–20%) for paired sample sets across all methods.   These results suggest that ambient-temperature incubation of E. coli in at least some settings may yield sufficiently robust data for water safety monitoring where laboratory or incubator access is limited.

  18. Age-dependent branching processes for surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases with incubation period

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marusia N Bojkova

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to review the recent results of the authors in the area of infectious disease modelling by means of branching stochastic processes. This is a new approach involving age-dependent branching models, which turned out to be more appropriate and flexible for describing the spread of an infection in a given population, than discrete time ones. Concretely, Bellman-Harris and Sevast’yanov’s branching processes are investigated. It is justified that the proposed models are proper candidates as models of infectious diseases with incubation period like measles, mumps, avian flu, etc. It is worth to notice that in general the developed methodology is applicable to the diseases that follow the so-called SIR (susceptible- infected-removed scheme in terms of epidemiological models. Two policies of extra-vaccination level are proposed and compared on the ground of simulation examples.

  19. Business Incubators Support College Performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I Ketut Sutama

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Business incubators have a very important role in developing entrepreneurship, since it gives large opportunity to its participants to develop their business skill during incubation. The Indonesian government today provides a major boost to the development of business incubators in universities or other form of higher education institutions. The purpose of this research is to analyze the validation of the establishment of business incubator in colleges. In Ministerial Regulation (Permen Minister of Cooperation and Small Medium Entrepreneurship the Republic of Indonesia No. 24/2015 explained that the head of the university, the Rector or the Director may issue a business incubators license. Thus, internal validation can be done by university or college management through the issuance of Decree (SK Establishment complete with personnel appointed as manager. Furthermore, the college, has to provide a place or room consisting of office space, tenant room at least 3, discussion room 1, and tenant production display room. External validation is carried out by tenants through their success of becoming independent businessmen after being forged or incubated in a business incubator for a maximum of 3 years in one incubation period.

  20. Calcification process dynamics in coral primary polyps as observed using a calcein incubation method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoshikazu Ohno

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Calcification processes are largely unknown in scleractinian corals. In this study, live confocal imaging was used to elucidate the spatiotemporal dynamics of the calcification process in aposymbiotic primary polyps of the coral species Acropora digitifera. The fluorophore calcein was used as a calcium deposition marker and a visible indicator of extracellular fluid distribution at the tissue-skeleton interface (subcalicoblastic medium, SCM in primary polyp tissues. Under continuous incubation in calcein-containing seawater, initial crystallization and skeletal growth were visualized among the calicoblastic cells in live primary polyp tissues. Additionally, the distribution of calcein-stained SCM and contraction movements of the pockets of SCM were captured at intervals of a few minutes. Our experimental system provided several new insights into coral calcification, particularly as a first step in monitoring the relationship between cellular dynamics and calcification in vivo. Our study suggests that coral calcification initiates at intercellular spaces, a finding that may contribute to the general understanding of coral calcification processes.

  1. [The oxygen consumption of ostrich embryos during incubation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reiner, G; Dzapo, V

    1995-02-01

    This work deals with the oxygen consumption of ostrich chicks during incubation. Brood eggs were incubated in a hermetic isolated acrylic-glass cylinder. Reduction of oxygen content in the air surrounding the egg was measured using an oxygen-sensitive electrode. A sigmoid curve could be drawn during incubation, with the steepest phase being around day 26. Maximum oxygen consumption was reached on day 36. It was slightly decreased until day 39, when the embryo switches to lung circulation, followed again by an increase until hatching. Average oxygen consumptions for the whole brood interval were calculated to 63.6 liters. Oxygen volumes consumed on day 36 result in a demand about to 240 liters of fresh air per egg and day. Oxygen consumption of the embryos on day 36 was significantly positive correlated with their vitality. Numb or less vital embryos could be clearly differentiated from others. The higher a chick's oxygen consumption, the earlier and shorter its hatching. Possible applications of the method in regard to the evaluation of incubation parameters or chicken constitution are discussed.

  2. Analysis for grouping of factors of performance of technology-based enterprise in incubators: study of the incubators of the State of Santa Catarina

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pedro Paulo Andrade Júnior

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The study it has for objective to evaluate the capacity of overcoming of difficulties of Technology-based enterprise in incubators, aiming at to the proposal of action of improvements and performance for groupings, using as reference the incubators the State of Santa Catarina. The used methodology privileges the qualitative approach. The research is characterized for being of the type description-exploratory, carried through under the study form multicase. The interview constitutes the main instrument of collection of data. Intentional samples had been used to select the citizens of this inquiry. For presentation and analysis of the data set and interpretation of the verbal stories, it was used technique of content analysis and the technique of triangulation for quarrel of the results. The results of the research had allowed identifying to the difficulties of resident enterprise in incubators and its relevance in the overcoming of the difficulties on the basis of four groupings: in the financial restrictions, of management, production and commercialization considering elements that allow action of improvement. Moreover, the research contributes practice by proposing of actions for improvements to be adopted by companies and also by incubators in order to improve their factors of performance and evaluation.

  3. International strategies of business incubation: the USA, Germany and Russia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evgeny Tsaplin

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we examine strategies of business incubation in the following countries: the USA, Germany and Russia using both a comparative theoretical analysis of different performance criteria of business incubators and interviewing experts who work directly with startup companies. We find that there are more differences than similarities between the strategies of business incubation in these countries. The USA prove to be far ahead of Germany and especially Russia in supporting start-ups. The study might impact a business practice in the way of clarifying the most significant characteristics and general trends of business incubation strategies in the countries mentioned to take them into account in the process of launching and developing startup companies in one or another country.

  4. Properties of slate mining wastes incubated with grape marc compost under laboratory conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paradelo, Remigio; Moldes, Ana Belén; Barral, María Teresa

    2009-02-01

    The effect of the addition of spent grape marc compost (GMC) and vermicompost (GMV) as amendments to slate mining wastes was evaluated in a laboratory incubation experiment. Mixtures of slate processing fines (SPF), with three doses of each amendment (4%, 8% and 16% compost, dry weight), plus a control were incubated at 25 degrees C in the laboratory for 90 days. The changes in the chemical and biological properties of the mixtures (pH, total C, total N, inorganic N, available nutrients, microbial biomass carbon and dehydrogenase activity) were investigated during the incubation period, and once it was finished, the phytotoxicity of the mixtures was determined by the germination of Lolium multiflorum Lam. seeds. The addition of the amendments significantly increased the nutrient concentrations of the SPF and enhanced biological activity by increasing microbial biomass and enzymatic activity. Results improved with higher doses; within the composts, GMV showed a better performance than GMC. These results prove the suitability of grape marc-derived amendments for the biochemical amelioration of mining wastes, and highlight the benefits of organic amendment in restoration projects.

  5. Evaluation of microbial community composition in thermophilic methane-producing incubation of production water from a high-temperature oil reservoir.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Fang; Mbadinga, Serge Maurice; Liu, Jin-Feng; Gu, Ji-Dong; Mu, Bo-Zhong

    2013-01-01

    Investigation of petroleum microbes is fundamental for the development and utilization of oil reservoirs' microbial resources, and also provides great opportunities for research and development of bio-energy. Production water from a high-temperature oil reservoir was incubated anaerobically at 55 degrees C for more than 400 days without amendment of any nutrients. Over the time of incubation, about 1.6 mmol of methane and up to 107 micromol of hydrogen (H2) were detected in the headspace. Methane formation indicated that methanogenesis was likely the predominant process in spite of the presence of 23.4 mM SO4(2-) in the production water. Microbial community composition of the incubation was characterized by means of 16S rRNA gene clone libraries construction. Bacterial composition changed from Pseudomonales as the dominant population initially to Hydrogenophilales-related microorganisms affiliated to Petrobacter spp. closely. After 400 days of incubation, other bacterial members detected were related to Anareolineales, beta-, gamma-, and delta-Proteobacteria. The archaeal composition of the original production water was essentially composed of obligate acetoclastic methanogens of the genus Methanosaeta, but the incubation was predominantly composed of CO2-reducing methanogens of the genus Methanothermobacter and Crenarchaeotes-related microorganisms. Our results suggest that methanogenesis could be more active than expected in oil reservoir environments and methane formation from CO2-reduction played a significant role in the methanogenic community. This conclusion is consistent with the predominant role played by H2-oxidizing methanogens in the methanogenic conversion of organic matter in high-temperature petroleum reservoirs.

  6. Principles and Best Practices in Successful Tourism Business Incubators

    OpenAIRE

    Andreea F. Schiopu; Dragos C. Vasile; Claudia E. Tuclea

    2015-01-01

    The business incubators are entities that provide support to start-up companies, managing the obstacles faced by entrepreneurs and facilitating the hazardous process of business creation. This article aims to identify the existing views on best practices that can contribute to the achieving of business incubators’ objectives. Moreover, the present study investigates how the business incubators can ensure the success of tourism, with evidence grounded in both theory and case studies from aroun...

  7. 3H-TdR autoradiography in vitro incubation for the evaluation of the therapeutic effect in chronic atrophic gastritis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ding Jie

    1988-01-01

    This paper discussed with the feasibility of using 3 H-TdR autoraoiography in vitro incubation to evaluate the therapeutic effect of atrophic gastritis. The results showed that gastric mucosa labelling indices measured by autoradiography can reflect the property, severity and clincal conditions of chronic gastritis quantitatively. The methodology is raliable and reproducible. It was suggested that labelling indices may serve as a cytokinetic parameter to evaluate the therapeutic effect of atrophic gastritis

  8. Light scattering method to measure red blood cell aggregation during incubation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grzegorzewski, B.; Szołna-Chodór, A.; Baryła, J.; DreŻek, D.

    2018-01-01

    Red blood cell (RBC) aggregation can be observed both in vivo as well as in vitro. This process is a cause of alterations of blood flow in microvascular network. Enhanced RBC aggregation makes oxygen and nutrients delivery difficult. Measurements of RBC aggregation usually give a description of the process for a sample where the state of a solution and cells is well-defined and the system reached an equilibrium. Incubation of RBCs in various solutions is frequently used to study the effects of the solutions on the RBC aggregation. The aggregation parameters are compared before and after incubation while the detailed changes of the parameters during incubation remain unknown. In this paper we have proposed a method to measure red blood cell aggregation during incubation based on the well-known technique where backscattered light is used to assess the parameters of the RBC aggregation. Couette system consisting of two cylinders is adopted in the method. The incubation is observed in the Couette system. In the proposed method following sequence of rotations is adapted. Two minutes rotation is followed by two minutes stop. In this way we have obtained a time series of back scattered intensity consisting of signals respective for disaggregation and aggregation. It is shown that the temporal changes of the intensity manifest changes of RBC aggregation during incubation. To show the ability of the method to assess the effect of incubation time on RBC aggregation the results are shown for solutions that cause an increase of RBC aggregation as well as for the case where the aggregation is decreased.

  9. Long term field evaluation of phosphate rock and superphosphate in acid soils of Hungary; Incubation and pot experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nemeth, T.; Osztoics, E.; Csatho, P.; Radimszky, L.; Baczo, G.Y.

    2002-01-01

    A series of experiments was conducted to compare the agronomic effectiveness of phosphate rock (from Algeria) and of single superphosphate (from Russia, Kola) on a moderately acidic pseudogley brown forest soil (Szentgyoergyvoelgy) and on a slightly acidic chernozem brown forest soil (Kompolt). Dynamics of water-soluble and ammonium lactate-soluble P-contents (AL-P) and soil pH-H 2 O changes were studied in a half-year long incubation experiment. A follow-up pot experiment with the same soils was carried out with winter rape as test plants. Both experiments were set up with similar P fertilizer sources and P rates (100, 200, and 400 mg mineral acid soluble P 2 O 5 per kg soil). At the beginning of incubation experiment, the water-soluble P content of the pseudogley brown forest soil was influenced by both the sources of P and the experimental conditions. The water-soluble P content decreased with time. After the 15 th to 20 th day of incubation, when the fast binding process of the water-soluble P ended, the effects of the P forms decreased. In this stage, the effects of environmental conditions depended on the form of the P fertilizer. The water-soluble P content of the phosphate rock-treated samples was affected to a great extent by soil water content, while the incubation temperature had a greater effect in soils treated with superphosphate. The AL-P content of soils was increased similarly by addition of equal rates of phosphate rock and super-phosphate at the beginning of incubation. The AL-P content of phosphate rock-treated soils was higher throughout the incubation period than of the superphosphate-treated soils -treated. Temperature had a greater effect on the AL-P content of soils than soil water content. As the AL-extraction may dissolve a substantial amount of the undecomposed phosphate rock, this method is not applicable to soil testing of available P forms from phosphate rock-treated soils. Initial soil pH decreased on average by 0.5 units in the

  10. Particle size alterations of feedstuffs during in situ NDF incubation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Krämer, Monika; Nørgaard, P.; Lund, Peter

    2013-01-01

    feedstuffs with a decrease of 74 % between 24 h and 288 h in situ rumen incubation. Together with the highest mass proportion (20 %) of particles in the critical zone for escape (smaller than 0.005 mm2 in area) for late cut grass silage after 288 h in situ rumen incubation, this imposes a risk for particle...... evaluated in terms of particle size for a broad range of feedstuffs which typically serve as NDF sources in dairy cow rations. Early and late cut grass silages, corn silage, alfalfa silage, rapeseed meal and dried distillers grains were examined. Treatments were I) drying and grinding of forage samples...... and grinding of concentrates, II) neutral detergent soluble (NDS) extraction, III) machine-washing and NDS extraction, IV) 24 h rumen incubation, machine-washing and NDS extraction, and V) 288 h rumen incubation, machine-washing and NDS extraction. Degradation profiles for potentially degradable NDF were...

  11. National Security Technology Incubation Project Continuation Plan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2008-09-30

    This document contains a project continuation plan for the National Security Technology Incubator (NSTI). The plan was developed as part of the National Security Preparedness Project (NSPP) funded by a Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) grant. This continuation plan describes the current status of NSTI (staffing and clients), long-term goals, strategies, and long-term financial solvency goals.The Arrowhead Center of New Mexico State University (NMSU) is the operator and manager of the NSTI. To realize the NSTI, Arrowhead Center must meet several performance objectives related to planning, development, execution, evaluation, and sustainability. This continuation plan is critical to the success of NSTI in its mission of incubating businesses with security technology products and services.

  12. Functioning of the students business-incubators on the base of leading Ukrainian universities

    OpenAIRE

    S.A. Tulchinska

    2015-01-01

    The aim of the article. The aim of the article is the research of business-incubators functioning in Ukraine as a component of innovative infrastructure in general and student business-incubators in particular and developing criteria for evaluating their activity. The results of the analysis. It was determined that purpose of student innovation business incubator should be protection and representation of students interests through innovative transformation of students ideas, projects in t...

  13. Towards a distinction between technology incubators and non-technology incubators: can they contribute to economic growth?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ratinho, Tiago; Harms, Rainer; Groen, Arend J.; Fink, M.; Hatak, I.

    2010-01-01

    Business incubators are an increasingly popular tool for promoting job and wealth creation. Yet given the heterogeneity of incubation models, it is not always clear how incubators operate, what their main characteristics are and how can they best contribute to job and wealth creation. If technology

  14. Effects of Ascorbic Acid Injection in Incubated Eggs Submitted to Heat Stress on Incubation Parameters and Chick Quality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S Sgavioli

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Dose-dependent positive effects on hatchability and hatchling weight have been attributed to ascorbic acid (AA when eggs were submitted or not to intermittent heat stress during incubation. Fertile breeder (Cobb(r eggs were used to determine if the pre-incubation injection of AA in ovo affects the incubation and hatchling quality of egg incubated under thermoneutral or intermittent heat stress conditions. Eggs were not injected or injected with 0, 2,4, or 6% AA/100µL water and incubated at continuous thermoneutral (37.5ºC or hot (39.0ºC temperature. Eggshell temperature (EST increased in the second half of the incubation period in all experimental groups. The EST of non-injected eggs and of those injected with water was higher when incubated at 39°C than at 37.5°C, but EST was not different among eggs injected with AA. Egg mass loss and eggshell conductance were higher in the eggs incubated at 39°C than at 37.5°C.Hatchability was lower in the eggs injected with AA. Liver and yolk sac weights were higher, whereas heart and liver weights were lower in hatchlings from eggs incubated at 39°C; however, hatchling weight was not affected by incubation temperature. The results showed that AA doses affected egg conductive heat loss and hatchability, and that they did not minimize the effects of high incubation temperature on liver and heart development.

  15. Effect of varying incubation periods on cytotoxicity and virucidal ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Backgrounds: Justicia gendarussa Burm.f. has an anti-HIV activity. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of incubation periods on the cytotoxicity and virucidal activities of the J. gendarussa leaves extract on MOLT-4 cells. Materials and Methods: The cytotoxicity assay was evaluated by using the WST-1 test with ...

  16. Humidification of incubators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harpin, V A; Rutter, N

    1985-01-01

    The effect of increasing the humidity in incubators was examined in 62 infants of less than 30 weeks' gestation. Thirty three infants nursed in high humidity for two weeks were compared retrospectively with 29 infants from an earlier study who were nursed under plastic bubble blankets or with topical paraffin but without raised humidity. Humidification reduced skin water loss and improved maintenance of body temperature from birth, but did not delay the normal postnatal maturation of the skin. Infants nursed without humidity frequently became hypothermic in spite of a high incubator air temperature. These advantages must be weighed against the finding that overheating was more common and Pseudomonas was more commonly isolated from the infants. It is recommended that incubator humidity is raised for babies under 30 weeks' gestation in the first days of life but meticulous attention should be paid to fluid balance, avoiding overheating, and cleansing of the humidifier reservoir. PMID:3985653

  17. Saraniyadhamma Community knowledge Incubator area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Siripong Arundechachai

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The purposes of this research were to 1 study the situation of the community knowledge incubator area at the past to the present time in Banhad,Tambon banhad, Amphoe banhad Changwat KhonKaen, 2 study guidelines Buddhadhamma “Saraniyadhamma” revised by Community knowledge application Banhad, Tambon banhad, Amphoe banhad Changwat KhonKaen, 3 study workflow of Saraniyadhamma that led to the creation of the network community knowledge incubator area together with another community. The target groups used in this research of the purposive sampling family farmers of 10, in Tambon banhad,Amphoe banhad Changwat KhonKaen. the Qualitative research.was used in this Study The results showed that 1 diversing issues in the Community live action of the relationships or occupations experience can be passed down, as well as the risk of loss the relationships between the people and people, people and supernatural. After people and nature lost in the community, but thay Continue to Perform, because community has strengths given the importance of all, to themselves, to others, generous, generosity, mounting traditions, Led to the creation Community Knowledge Incubator 2 adopting Buddhism’s “Saraniyadhamma 6” that applied to community Knowledge Incubator by giving to make immunity community. Strong The six fetures, were Principle 1: Metta-kayakamma, feature on sacrifiction, unity and synergy. Principle 2: Metta-manokamma, feature on mercifulness, collective sacrification. Principle 3: Metta-kayakamma, feature on good things, speak well, good action. Principle 4: Sadharana-bhogi, feature on humane society, mutual respect. Principle 5 Sila-samannata, feature on, follow the rules of society. Principle 5 Metta-manokamma feature on rationality, listening to the opinion of others. It found that there were process-driven learning and following six rules of saraniyadhamma, and immunity system, risk Decoupled. 3 Networks Saraniyadhamma learnt together with other

  18. Best Practices for In-Situ Sediment-Water Incubations with Benthic Landers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tengberg, Anders; Kononets, Mikhail; Hall, Per; Nilsson, Madeleine; Ekeroth, Nils

    2017-04-01

    Biological, chemical, physical and geological processes that take place at the seafloor are crucial in influencing and regulating many aquatic environments. One method to estimate exchange rates, fluxes, between the sediment and the overlying water is in-situ sediment-water incubations using autonomous chamber landers. As for all field sampling and measurements best practices methods are needed to obtain high quality data. With experiences form many years usage of the Gothenburg autonomous bottom lander systems this presentation will describe some of the experimental work that has been done with focus on quality control and data evaluation methods.

  19. Knowledge service decision making in business incubators based on the supernetwork model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Liming; Zhang, Haihong; Wu, Wenqing

    2017-08-01

    As valuable resources for incubating firms, knowledge resources have received gradually increasing attention from all types of business incubators, and business incubators use a variety of knowledge services to stimulate rapid growth in incubating firms. Based on previous research, we generalize the knowledge transfer and knowledge networking services of two main forms of knowledge services and further divide knowledge transfer services into knowledge depth services and knowledge breadth services. Then, we construct the business incubators' knowledge supernetwork model, describe the evolution mechanism among heterogeneous agents and utilize a simulation to explore the performance variance of different business incubators' knowledge services. The simulation results show that knowledge stock increases faster when business incubators are able to provide knowledge services to more incubating firms and that the degree of discrepancy in the knowledge stock increases during the process of knowledge growth. Further, knowledge transfer services lead to greater differences in the knowledge structure, while knowledge networking services lead to smaller differences. Regarding the two types of knowledge transfer services, knowledge depth services are more conducive to knowledge growth than knowledge breadth services, but knowledge depth services lead to greater gaps in knowledge stocks and greater differences in knowledge structures. Overall, it is optimal for business incubators to select a single knowledge service or portfolio strategy based on the amount of time and energy expended on the two types of knowledge services.

  20. Integrating education and incubation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hjortsø, Carsten Nico Portefée; Riis, Nina Louise Fynbo

    During the last decade student business incubation activities have become mainstream activities in Western universities. This is also the case in Danish higher education where all universities have established in-house student incubators. The models applied are different and place varied emphasis...... on the integration of extracurricular activities with formal credit awarding activities. In a Danish context, such integration has become increasingly important due to recent political reforms aimed at shortening the time it takes students to graduate in order to reduce national higher education expenditures....... On this backdrop, this paper explores the following questions: • How and to what extent do university student incubators collaborate with formal study programmes? • And which factors influence this integration of curricular and extracurricular activities?...

  1. Micro-incubator for bacterial biosensing applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clasen, Estine; Land, Kevin; Joubert, Trudi-Heleen

    2016-02-01

    The presence of Escherichia coli (E. coli ) is a commonly used indicator micro-organism to determine whether water is safe for human consumption.1 This paper discusses the design of a micro-incubator that can be applied to concentrate bacteria prior to environmental water quality screening tests. High sensitivity and rapid test time is essential and there is a great need for these tests to be implemented on-site without the use of a laboratory infrastructure. In the light of these requirements, a mobile micro-incubator was designed, manufactured and characterised. A polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) receptacle has been designed to house the 1-5 ml cell culture sample.2 A nano-silver printed electronics micro-heater has been designed to incubate the bacterial sample, with an array of temperature sensors implemented to accurately measure the sample temperature at various locations in the cell culture well. The micro-incubator limits the incubation temperature range to 37+/-3 °C in order to ensure near optimal growth of the bacteria at all times.3 The incubation time is adjustable between 30 minutes and 9 hours with a maximum rise time of 15 minutes to reach the set-point temperature. The surface area of the printed nano silver heating element is 500 mm2. Electrical and COMSOL Multiphysics simulations are included in order to give insight on micro-incubator temperature control. The design and characterization of this micro-incubator allows for further research in biosensing applications.

  2. Encapsulation of Aloe Vera and Its Effect During Yogur Incubation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ricardo Adolfo Parra Huertas

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The yogurt is milk derivative highly consumed around the world,as well as aloe vera. Both have reports tocontribute to human health. The purpose of this research is to determine the effect of the addition of capsules with aloe vera during the incubation of yogurt. Aloeverawas encapsulated in alginate at two different concentrations, 1% and 2%,addingthe capsules from the moment of incubation and comparing the effect of the addition of capsules withthe non-addition of them. For these samples were determined: pH, acidity, syneresis, lactic acid bacteria count, sensory evaluation and proximate analysis. The results indicated that for the three treatments pH values and acid behaved similarly to each characteristic of the yogurt during incubation. The lactic acid bacteria count indicated that treatment with capsules containing 2% sodium alginate had higher counts. Sensorially, three treatments had a favorable acceptability; proximate analysis had favorable values . In conclusion,the tests showed the viability of encapsulated aloe vera in the manufacture of yogurt during incubation time without being affected by the concentration of sodium alginate.

  3. Navigating the Role of Business Incubators: A Review on the Current Literature on Business Incubation in South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thobekani Lose

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Business incubators (BIs are a significant tool in promoting the development of entrepreneurial firms, technology-based growth firms and economic growth in South Africa. The study reviewed the current literature on business incubation in South Africa. BIs in South Africa emerged as a popular strategy in the 1990s and most of the current literature was established in the same period. However, the current literature is still limited. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of existing knowledge on the role and effectiveness of business incubation in supporting the development of new small startup businesses. The quantitative and qualitative literature published by the academic and practitioner communities is reviewed. The searches indicated that incubation has encouraged many studies in South Africa. The studies can be categorised under the following themes: the role and contribution of incubators, success factors for business incubation, obstacles, and the relationship between incubators and entrepreneurship. The areas for further research are suggested. Two major areas that new research can explore focus on the creation of the model and selfsustainability of BIs.

  4. Effect of Incubator Type and Broiler Breeder Age on Hatchability and Chick Quality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ICS Araújo

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of broiler breeder age and incubator type on hatching parameters, hatch window, embryo diagnosis results, and hatchling physical quality. The treatments consisted of a combination of three broiler breeder ages (29, 35 and 59 weeks of age and two incubator types (single stage, SS; or and multiple stage, MS. A completely randomized design in a 3x2 factorial arrangement was applied. In Experiment I, 1,896 eggs were used and 360 eggs in Experiment II. There was an interaction between breeder age and incubator type only for hatchling physical quality score. Independently of incubator type, hatchability rate, late embryo mortality, and egg contamination were higher in the eggs laid by older breeders (59-wk-old. Early mortality (0-4 days was higher in the embryos from young breeders (29-wk-old. A shorter hatch window birth was obtained in the SS incubator, resulting in higher hatchling body weight relative to egg weight, and better hatchling physical quality score. Both types of incubators provide good conditions for embryo development; however, the physical quality of chicks derived from eggs from intermediate-aged breeders (35-wk-old is better when eggs are incubated in SS incubators.

  5. Cell surface damage and morphological changes in Oenococcus oeni after freeze-drying and incubation in synthetic wine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bravo-Ferrada, Bárbara Mercedes; Gonçalves, Sónia; Semorile, Liliana; Santos, Nuno C; Brizuela, Natalia; Elizabeth Tymczyszyn, E; Hollmann, Axel

    2018-04-28

    The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of freeze-drying in the presence of trehalose as a cryoprotectant, followed by incubation in synthetic wine, on surface damage, viability and l-malic acid consumption of the oenological strain Oenococcus oeni UNQOe 73.2. After freeze-drying, no significant differences were observed in the number of viable cells (for both acclimated and non-acclimated cultures) respect to the fresh culture. In contrast, loss of viability was observed after wine incubation for 24 h, being acclimated freeze-dried cells the best conditions for this. After the preservation process, small changes in cell morphology were observed by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The Zeta potential and AFM showed that 24 h of wine incubation was enough to induce several cell surface modifications. Plate count data allowed us to establish that surface damage is an important factor for loss of viability, regardless of the acclimation treatment. Although the number of surviving O. oeni cells decreased dramatically after incubation in synthetic wine for 15 days, the consumption of l-malic acid was higher than 70%, with freeze-dried cells showing a better performance than fresh cultures. These results demonstrate that O. oeni freeze-dried cultures could be applied to direct wine inoculation, to conduct malolactic fermentation, maintaining its technological properties and reducing the time and costs of the winemaking process. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  6. A Study of Business Incubators: Models, Best Practices, and Recommendations for NASA and Florida

    Science.gov (United States)

    1997-01-01

    This study was conducted to provide NASA-Kennedy Space Center with information and recommendations to support establishing one or more technology-based business incubators In Florida. The study involved assembling information about incubators: why they succeed, why they fail, how they are organized, and what services they provide. Consequently, this study focuses on widely-recognized "best practices," needed to establish successful technology- based business incubators. The findings are used to optimize the design and implementation of one or more technology-based business incubators to be established in Florida. Recommendations reflect both the essential characteristics of successful incubators and the optimal business demographics in Florida. Appendix A provides a fuller description of the objectives of the study. Technology-based business incubators are an increasing catalyst of new business development across the USi Incubators focus on providing entrepreneurs and small start-up firms with a wide array of support services necessary to bring forth new products and processes based on technologies developed in the nation's federal and private laboratories and universities. Appendix B provides extensive discussion of findings relative to technology- based business incubators.

  7. Nitrification and N2O production processes in soil incubations after ammonium fertilizer application at high concentrations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deppe, Marianna; Well, Reinhard; Giesemann, Anette; Flessa, Heinz

    2016-04-01

    High concentrations of ammonium as they occur, e.g., after point-injection of ammonium fertilizer solution according to the CULTAN fertilization technique may retard nitrification. Potential advantages in comparison to conventional fertilization include a higher N efficiency of crops, reduced nitrate leaching, and lower N2O and N2 emissions. Dynamics of nitrification due to plant uptake and dilution processes, leading to decreasing ammonium concentrations in fertilizer depots, has only poorly been studied before. Furthermore, there is little information about the relative contribution of different N2O production processes under these conditions. To elucidate the process dynamics a laboratory incubation study was conducted. After fertilization with ammonium sulfate at 5 levels (from 0 to 5000 mg NH4+-N kg-1; 20mg NO3--N kg-1 each), sandy loam soil was incubated in dynamic soil microcosms for 21 days. N2O, CH4 and CO2 fluxes as well as isotope signatures of N2O and, at three dates, NO3- and NH4+ were measured. To identify N2O production processes, acetylene inhibition (0.01 vol.%), 15N tracer approaches, and isotopomer data (15N site preference and δ18O) were used. N2O emissions were highest at 450mg NH4+-N kg-1 and declined with further increasing concentrations. At 5000 mg NH4+-N kg-1 nitrification was completely inhibited. However, approximately 90% of N2O production was inhibited by acetylene application, and there was no change in the relative contribution of nitrification and denitrification to N2O production with N level. Applying the non-equilibrium technique to our 15N tracer data revealed heterogeneous distribution of denitrification in soil, with at least two distinct NO3- pools, and spatial separation of NO3- formation and consumption. In comparison with the acetylene inhibition and 15N tracer approaches the results of the isotopomer approach were reasonable and indicated substantial contribution of nitrifier-denitrification (10-40%) to total N2O

  8. Southwest Regional Clean Energy Incubation Initiative (SRCEII)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Webber, Michael [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)

    2017-10-31

    The Austin Technology Incubator’s (ATI’s) Clean Energy Incubator at the University of Texas at Austin (ATI-CEI) utilized the National Incubator Initiative for Clean Energy (NIICE) funding to establish the Southwest Regional Clean Energy Incubation Initiative, composed of clean energy incubators from The University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin), The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), and Texas A&M University (TAMU).

  9. An MR-compatible neonatal incubator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paley, M N J; Hart, A R; Lait, M; Griffiths, P D

    2012-07-01

    To develop a neonatal MR-compatible incubator for transporting babies between a neonatal intensive care unit and an MRI unit that is within the same hospital but geographically separate. The system was strapped to a standard MR-compatible patient trolley, which provides space for resuscitation outside the incubator. A constant-temperature exothermic heat pad was used to maintain temperature together with a logging fluoro-optic temperature monitor and alarm system. The system has been designed to accommodate standard knee-sized coils from the major MR manufacturers. The original incubator was constructed from carbon fibre, but this required modification to prevent radiofrequency shading artefacts due to the conducting properties of the carbon fibre. A high-tensile polyester material was used, which combined light weight with high impact strength. The system could be moved onto the patient bed with the coils and infant in place by one technologist. Studies in eight neonatal patients produced high quality 1.5 T MR images with low motion artefacts. The incubator should also be compatible with imaging in 3 T MR systems, although further work is required to establish this. Images were acquired using both rapid and high-resolution sequences, including three-dimensional volumes, proton spectra and diffusion weighting. The incubator provides a safe, quiet environment for neonates during transport and imaging, at low cost.

  10. Marketing Plan for the National Security Technology Incubator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2008-03-31

    This marketing plan was developed as part of the National Security Preparedness Project by the Arrowhead Center of New Mexico State University. The vision of the National Security Technology Incubator program is to be a successful incubator of technologies and private enterprise that assist the NNSA in meeting new challenges in national safety and security. The plan defines important aspects of developing the incubator, such as defining the target market, marketing goals, and creating strategies to reach the target market while meeting those goals. The three main marketing goals of the incubator are: 1) developing marketing materials for the incubator program; 2) attracting businesses to become incubator participants; and 3) increasing name recognition of the incubator program on a national level.

  11. Evaluation of incubated defatted rubber seed meal with sheep rumen liquor for Pangasius diet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Agus Suprayudi

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT The research evaluated the use of rubber seed meal (Hevea brasiliensis; RBS incubated with sheep rumen liquor as a subtitution of soybean meal in catfish Pangasionodon sp. diet. The fish was cultured for 40 days and fed with the experimental diet containing RBS at five different diet compositions regarding to soybean meal substitution level, i.e. 0% (control, 12%, 23%, 34%, and 44%. Feeding was done three times a day to satiation. No significant different was found on fish-protein retention and survival rate in all treatments. Based on the study result, the use of rubber-seed meal (Hevea brasiliensis; RBS incubated with sheep rumen liquor could substitute soybean meal in catfish Pangasionodon sp. diet. Keywords: Hevea brasiliensis, Pangasionodon sp., catfish, sheep rumen liquor, rubber seed meal  ABSTRAK Penelitian ini mengevaluasi penggunaan tepung bungkil biji karet (Hevea brasiliensis; TBBK yang diinkubasi dengan cairan rumen domba sebagai pengganti tepung bungkil kedelai pada pakan ikan patin Pangasionodon sp. Pemeliharaan ikan dilakukan selama 40 hari dengan pemberian lima komposisi pakan berbeda sesuai tingkat substitusi tepung bungkil kedelai oleh tepung bungkil karet. TBBK yang ditambahkan untuk mengganti bungkil kedelai adalah sebesar 0%, 12%, 23%, 34% dan 44%. Pemberian pakan dilakukan selama tiga kali sehari secara at satiation. Tidak ditemukan perbedaan signifikan (P>0,05 pada nilai retensi protein dalam tubuh dan kelangsungan hidup ikan uji pada semua perlakuan. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, dapat disimpulkan bahwa tepung bungkil biji karet yang diinkubasi dengan cairan rumen domba dapat digunakan sebagai pengganti bungkil kedelai pada pakan ikan patin Pangasionodon sp. Kata kunci: Hevea brasiliensis, Pangasionodon sp., patin, rumen domba, tepung biji karet 

  12. Effects of incubation temperature on growth and performance of the veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrews, Robin M

    2008-10-01

    I evaluated the effect of incubation temperature on phenotypes of the veiled chameleon, Chamaeleo calyptratus. I chose this species for study because its large clutch size (30-40 eggs or more) allows replication within clutches both within and among experimental treatments. The major research objectives were (1) to assess the effect of constant low, moderate, and high temperatures on embryonic development, (2) to determine whether the best incubation temperature for embryonic development also produced the "best" hatchlings, and (3) to determine how a change in incubation temperature during mid-development would affect phenotype. To meet these objectives, I established five experimental temperature regimes and determined egg survival and incubation length and measured body size and shape, selected body temperatures, and locomotory performance of lizards at regular intervals from hatching to 90 d, or just before sexual maturity. Incubation temperature affected the length of incubation, egg survival, and body mass, but did not affect sprint speed or selected body temperature although selected body temperature affected growth in mass independently of treatment and clutch. Incubation at moderate temperatures provided the best conditions for both embryonic and post-hatching development. The highest incubation temperatures were disruptive to development; eggs had high mortality, developmental rate was low, and hatchlings grew slowly. Changes in temperature during incubation increased the among-clutch variance in incubation length relative to that of constant temperature treatments. Copyright 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  13. The business incubator in a network perspective

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bøllingtoft, Anne; Ulhøi, John Parm

    2003-01-01

    Recent years have seen the emergence of a new incubator model, the "networked incubator", which is a hybrid form of the archetypal business incubators, based on territorial synergy, relational symbiosis and economices of scale, to the benefit of the participating 'incubatees'. The question...... addressed in this paper is why this new model has emerged and what distinguishes it from the more traditional incubator model. The theoretical basis of the research is social capital theory. Empirically, the paper is based on 6 months' ethnographic data collected in one of the first known networked...

  14. Accuracy of egg flotation throughout incubation to determine embryo age and incubation day in waterbird nests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ackerman, Joshua T.; Eagles-Smith, Collin A.

    2010-01-01

    Floating bird eggs to estimate their age is a widely used technique, but few studies have examined its accuracy throughout incubation. We assessed egg flotation for estimating hatch date, day of incubation, and the embryo's developmental age in eggs of the American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana), Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus), and Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri). Predicted hatch dates based on egg flotation during our first visit to a nest were highly correlated with actual hatch dates (r = 0.99) and accurate within 2.3 ± 1.7 (SD) days. Age estimates based on flotation were correlated with both day of incubation (r = 0.96) and the embryo's developmental age (r = 0.86) and accurate within 1.3 ± 1.6 days and 1.9 ± 1.6 days, respectively. However, the technique's accuracy varied substantially throughout incubation. Flotation overestimated the embryo's developmental age between 3 and 9 days, underestimated age between 12 and 21 days, and was most accurate between 0 and 3 days and 9 and 12 days. Age estimates based on egg flotation were generally accurate within 3 days until day 15 but later in incubation were biased progressively lower. Egg flotation was inaccurate and overestimated embryo age in abandoned nests (mean error: 7.5 ± 6.0 days). The embryo's developmental age and day of incubation were highly correlated (r = 0.94), differed by 2.1 ± 1.6 days, and resulted in similar assessments of the egg-flotation technique. Floating every egg in the clutch and refloating eggs at subsequent visits to a nest can refine age estimates.

  15. External Service Providers to the National Security Technology Incubator: Formalization of Relationships

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2008-04-30

    This report documents the formalization of relationships with external service providers in the development of the National Security Technology Incubator (NSTI). The technology incubator is being developed as part of the National Security Preparedness Project (NSPP), funded by a Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) grant. This report summarizes the process in developing and formalizing relationships with those service providers and includes a sample letter of cooperation executed with each provider.

  16. Evaluation of 100 brain examinations using a 3 Tesla MR-compatible incubator - safety, handling, and image quality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sirin, Selma; Goericke, Sophia L.; Kinner, Sonja; Schweiger, Bernd; Huening, Britta M.; Stein, Anja; Felderhoff-Mueser, Ursula

    2013-01-01

    Several studies have revealed the importance of brain imaging in term and preterm infants. The aim of this retrospective study was to review safety, handling, and image quality of MR brain imaging using a new 3 Tesla MR-compatible incubator. Between 02/2011 and 05/2012 100 brain MRIs (84 infants, mean gestational age 32.2 ± 4.7 weeks, mean postmenstrual age at imaging 40.6 ± 3.4 weeks) were performed using a 3 Tesla MR-compatible incubator with dedicated, compatible head coil. Seventeen examinations (13 infants, mean gestational age 35.1 ± 5.4 weeks, mean postmenstrual age at imaging 47.8 ± 7.4 weeks) with a standard head coil served as a control. Image analysis was performed by a neuroradiologist and a pediatric radiologist in consensus. All but two patients with known apnea were transferred to the MR unit and scanned without problems. Handling was easier and faster with the incubator; relevant motion artifacts (5.9 vs. 10.8 %) and the need for repetitive sedation (43.0 vs. 86.7 %) were reduced. Considering only images not impaired by motion artifacts, image quality (4.8 ± 0.4 vs. 4.3 ± 0.8, p = 0.047) and spatial resolution (4.7 ± 0.4 vs. 4.2 ± 0.6, p = 0.011) of T2-weighted images were scored significantly higher in patients imaged with the incubator. SNR increased significantly (171.6 ± 54.5 vs. 80.5 ± 19.8, p < 0.001) with the use of the incubator. Infants can benefit from the use of a 3 Tesla MR-compatible incubator because of its safety, easier, and faster handling (compared to standard imaging) and possibility to obtain high-quality MR images even in unstable patients. (orig.)

  17. Testing of mechanical ventilators and infant incubators in healthcare institutions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Badnjevic, Almir; Gurbeta, Lejla; Jimenez, Elvira Ruiz; Iadanza, Ernesto

    2017-01-01

    The medical device industry has grown rapidly and incessantly over the past century. The sophistication and complexity of the designed instrumentation is nowadays rising and, with it, has also increased the need to develop some better, more effective and efficient maintenance processes, as part of the safety and performance requirements. This paper presents the results of performance tests conducted on 50 mechanical ventilators and 50 infant incubators used in various public healthcare institutions. Testing was conducted in accordance to safety and performance requirements stated in relevant international standards, directives and legal metrology policies. Testing of output parameters for mechanical ventilators was performed in 4 measuring points while testing of output parameters for infant incubators was performed in 7 measuring points for each infant incubator. As performance criteria, relative error of output parameters for mechanical ventilators and absolute error of output parameters for infant incubators was calculated. The ranges of permissible error, for both groups of devices, are regulated by the Rules on Metrological and Technical Requirements published in the Official Gazette of Bosnia and Herzegovina No. 75/14, which are defined based on international recommendations, standards and guidelines. All ventilators and incubators were tested by etalons calibrated in an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory, which provides compliance to international standards for all measured parameters.The results show that 30% of the tested medical devices are not operating properly and should be serviced, recalibrated and/or removed from daily application.

  18. The Upgrade to Hybrid Incubators in China

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hu, Yimei; Gao, Yuchen

    countries and emerging economics. Based on a single in-depth case-study of Tuspark Incubator, this study explores key factors and specific ways for the upgrade to hybrid incubators in the context of China. By using categorical analysis, three factors, i.e. incubation subdivision, intermediary platform......, and proactive approach, are found to be essential for a formerly government-sponsored TBI’s upgrading. The result of this study also provides new insights and several implications for incubator managers and policy makers in emerging economies. In addition, whether the key factors can be used in upgrade of other...... TBIs in China requires further study....

  19. ENHANCING INNOVATION ROLES OF PESANTREN BUSINESS INCUBATOR IN PONDOK PESANTREN SUNAN DRAJAT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Biyati Ahwarumi

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Business Incubator is one of PPSD’s (Pondok Pesantren Sunan Drajat sub-units that supports their owneconomy independency. PPSD have existed as an important part of education, social and especially economic institution for Muslim community in East Java. Each year, Muslim intellectuals graduate from PPDS as Santri graduates, and mostly work, not only as religion teachers, but also as entrepreneurs, back in their hometown. The phenomenon of Santri Entrepreneurs appears to be the main inspiration for Business Incubator foundation. The researcher subsequently observes such phenomenon, also known as Santri anti-poverty agent, by using Action Research method as a base of observation for data collecting, analysis and synthesis process. The aim is to describe innovative methods of PPSD’s Business Incubator in generating entrepreneurs along with pesantren ecosystem where this research was conducted. The research findings are the description of knowledge management and recommendation for developing entrepreneurship within incubator related to PPSD policy.

  20. [Audit "Toys and incubators in neonatology"].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raginel, T; Bigoin-Dupont, M; Aguelon, V; Fines-Guyon, M; Guillemin, M G

    2009-08-01

    Owing to an increase in nosocomial septicaemias in the Neonatalogy department, we've judged it necessary to consider the role of items not linked to the nursing procedures, and nevertheless present in the incubators, as well as the hygiene techniques applied to them. In November 2007, we've made a longitudinal prospective study consisting in an observation audit during 3 successive days, observing every single incubator with a newborn baby. In each incubator, we've checked whether there were or not items that weren't required by the nursing activities, along with their characteristics and the hygiene procedures applied to them. We've inquired as well whether the parents and the nursing staff knew and applied the required hygiene procedures. In 13 among the 17 incubators under survey, at least one item not strictly required by the nursing procedures could be found. The number of toys in each incubator varied from seven to one. Among the 33 toys surveyed, 24 (73%) of them showed a score of maximum fluffiness (4 out of 4), and only 10 wore labels giving cleansing advice from the manufacturers. Without any record about the cleaning/disinfecting of the toys brought in hospital, we have observed that the parents were given varied advice about how to clean the toys at home before putting them in the incubators (only four parents had washed the toys in their washing machines at more than 30 degrees C). From the six samples under scrutiny, all the culture results were tested positive. In particular two of the soft toys sampled were found infected by a Pseudomonas oryzihabitans. These particular toys belonged to a baby who had been diagnosed with a septicaemia characterized by hemocultures positive to a P. oryzihabitans of a different strain. Our audit has been an efficient reminder that any item put in an incubator is a potential vector and reservoir of pathogen organisms. After a general feedback towards the department staff, the medical staff then prescribed to

  1. Development Of A Neonatal Incubator Analyzer [desenvolvimento De Um Analisador De Incubadoras Neonatais

    OpenAIRE

    Alexandrino J.C.; Leite H.J.D.; Kalid R.A.; Hermini A.H.; Lepikson H.A.

    2011-01-01

    Although designed to benefit premature newborns (NB) by creating an artificial environment close to the uterine conditions, the use of neonatal incubators may expose the NB to several sources of risk. Periodic inspections for verification of minimum requirements of performance and safety can identify these and their degrees of impact, helping to minimize them. In order to automate the metrological evaluation essays in neonatal incubators, we present the development of an analyzer with the cap...

  2. Advanced Portable Preterm Baby Incubator

    OpenAIRE

    Shaib , M.; Rashid , M.; Hamawy , L.; Arnout , M.; Majzoub , I. ,; Zaylaa , A. ,

    2017-01-01

    International audience; Nearly 20 million premature and Low Birth Weight infants are born each year in developing countries, 4 million die within their first month. These deaths occur due to the unavailability or unreliability of traditional incubators. Moreover, although Telemedicine is helpful in rural areas, the shortage of healthcare providers have made it inaccessible in both basic healthcare. Thereby, traditional preterm baby and low-birth weight incubators and therapeutic techniques la...

  3. Pre-incubation of porcine semen reduces the incidence of polyspermy on embryos derived from low quality oocytes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cláudio Francisco Brogni

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT: The main cause of low efficiency of in vitro produced porcine embryos is the high polyspermic penetration rates at fertilization, which is aggravated in low quality oocytes. Experiment 1 evaluated the embryo development in high and low quality oocytes. Experiment 2 evaluated the embryo development and quality of low quality oocytes fertilized with sperm pre-incubated during 0h (control, 0.5h, 1h and 1.5h. Experiment 3 investigated fertilization and monospermic rates of the same groups of Experiment 2. Experiment 4 evaluated embryo development, cell density, fertilization and monospermic rates of high quality oocytes using semen pre incubated during the best time observed in the previous experiments. Cleavage and blastocyst rates were analyzed by chi-square test, and remaining data by ANOVA and Tukey test (P≤0.05. The cleavage (74.8 vs 51.7% and blastocyst (33.7 vs 9.8% rates were greater in oocytes of high versus low quality, with no differences in cell density. Fertilization rates (65.6 to 79.5% were not influenced by pre-incubation time. However, semen pre-incubation during 1.5h increased monospermic penetration (53.3% and cleavage rates (92.5% in low quality oocytes. Blastocyst rate was improved with 1.5h of semen pre incubation; however they were still lower than that observed with high quality control oocytes. Ultimately, pre-incubation did not influence fertilization, monospermic penetration, embryo development rates, nor cell density in oocytes of high quality. Low-quality porcine oocytes resulted in better rates of embryo development if in vitro fertilized with sperm pre-incubated for 1.5 hour.

  4. BIOREACTOR WITH LID FOR EASY ACCESS TO INCUBATION CAVITY

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2012-01-01

    There is provided a bioreactor which is provided with a lid (13) that facilitates access to the incubation cavity. Specifically the end wall of the incubation cavity is constituted by the lid (13) so that removal of the cap renders the incubation cavity fully accessible.......There is provided a bioreactor which is provided with a lid (13) that facilitates access to the incubation cavity. Specifically the end wall of the incubation cavity is constituted by the lid (13) so that removal of the cap renders the incubation cavity fully accessible....

  5. Accuracy of egg flotation throughout incubation to determine embryo age and incubation day in water bird nests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ackerman, Joshua T.; Eagles-Smith, Collin A.

    2010-01-01

    Floating bird eggs to estimate their age is a widely used technique, but few studies have examined its accuracy throughout incubation. We assessed egg flotation for estimating hatch date, day of incubation, and the embryo's developmental age in eggs of the American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana), Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus), and Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri). Predicted hatch dates based on egg flotation during our first visit to a nest were highly correlated with actual hatch dates (r = 0.99) and accurate within 2.3 ?? 1.7 (SD) days. Age estimates based on flotation were correlated with both day of incubation (r = 0.96) and the embryo's developmental age (r = 0.86) and accurate within 1.3 ?? 1.6 days and 1.9 ?? 1.6 days, respectively. However, the technique's accuracy varied substantially throughout incubation. Flotation overestimated the embryo's developmental age between 3 and 9 days, underestimated age between 12 and 21 days, and was most accurate between 0 and 3 days and 9 and 12 days. Age estimates based on egg flotation were generally accurate within 3 days until day 15 but later in incubation were biased progressively lower. Egg flotation was inaccurate and overestimated embryo age in abandoned nests (mean error: 7.5 ?? 6.0 days). The embryo's developmental age and day of incubation were highly correlated (r = 0.94), differed by 2.1 ?? 1.6 days, and resulted in similar assessments of the egg-flotation technique. Floating every egg in the clutch and refloating eggs at subsequent visits to a nest can refine age estimates. ?? The Cooper Ornithological Society 2010.

  6. Evaluation of the Relationship between the Incubation Time and Carotenoid Production in Rhodotorula Slooffiae and R. Mucilaginosa Isolated from Leather Tanning Wastewater .

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadat Naghavi, Farzaneh; Hanachi, Parichehr; Soudi, Mohammad Reza; Saboora, Azra; Ghorbani, Atefeh

    2013-10-01

    Carotenoids which are naturally synthesized by fungi such as yeasts can act as an antioxidant which is closely related to their ability to decrease the risk of a variety of degenerative diseases. In recent years, the increase of demand for carotenoids obtained from natural sources has promoted major efforts to improve carotenoid production from biological sources such as pigmented yeasts. The aim of this study was comparing incubation time and carotenoid production in Rhodotorula slooffiae and R. mucilaginosa isolated from leather tanning wastewater. To isolate the carotenoid pigment, cells were suspended in acetone and broken using a homogenizer, followed by centrifugation and separation of supernatant. In order to study the effect of incubation time, samples were held at 30 ˚С in a shaker at 150 rpm for 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 hr. For analytical evaluation, pigments were measured spectrophotometrically at 450 nm using the extinction coefficient E(1%) 450=2500. The results showed that the content of total carotenoid in R. slooffiae was the highest when samples were incubated for 72 hr. Overall, R. mucilaginosa had more potential to produce carotenoid. The best incubation periods for R. slooffiae and R. mucilaginosa were 72 hr and 48 hr, respectively. It seemed that the maximum rate of total carotenoid was not directly associated with the maximum amount of cell biomass and the type of carotenoid and their relative amount may vary depending on genus of yeast.

  7. Determining the need for improvement of infant incubator design with quality function deployment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tarigan, U.; Ginting, R.; Siregar, I.

    2018-02-01

    A Newborns need particular attention because it takes time to adapt to the outside world. In accordance with the standard post-neonatal procedures, newborns should be incorporated into the incubator within a specified period of time according to the infant’s health level. Infant incubator as a medical device used to care for newborns, often get complaints from doctors and child nurses. The complaint indicates consumer dissatisfaction with incubator products in the hospital. Broadly speaking, objection against infant incubators lie in inappropriate designs. To overcome these complaints the researchers apply the method of Quality Function Deployment to determine the characteristics of priority techniques in accordance with the wishes of consumers with it. The primary focus of QFD is to engage customers in the product development process as early as possible, which their needs and desires serve as the starting point of the QFD process. Therefore, QFD is called the voice of customer. The underlying philosophy is that customers are not always satisfied with a product even though the product has been perfectly produced. The results show that the category used as a priority improvement is the additional function of the oxygen cylinder and the size of the door hole. QFD phase one produces technical characteristics of Ergonomy, Features and Cost as critical part determinants.

  8. Effect of ELISA kit manufacturing process and incubation time on progesterone concentration measured in dog serum for ovulation diagnosis - Short communication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thuróczy, Julianna; Reiczigel, Jenő; Balogh, Lajos

    2016-09-01

    Twenty-two serum samples of healthy bitches were tested with the frozen and lyophilised version of the same ELISA kit (Quanticheck, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Budapest, Hungary). Samples were chosen on the basis of their progesterone (P4) concentrations, which were between 1.00 and 20.00 ng/mL. As it is well known, this range has the highest clinical relevance in ovulation diagnosis. Both types of microplates were read at 15-min intervals from the 15th until the 90th minute (min) of incubation, and the results were compared with those of frozen plates at 60 min of incubation as 100 percent. Lyophilised microplates gave on average 18 percent higher results than the frozen version at equal incubation times. The highest difference between lyophilised and frozen samples was observed at 45 and 60 min of incubation. Ninety-four percent of the reaction in the frozen microplate occurred in the first 15 min, and during the subsequent 30 min the reaction seemingly stopped. After the 45th min of incubation, this 94 percent increased to 108 percent in the subsequent 30 min, which remained the final approximate result at the end of the 90 min of incubation. In contrast to the frozen microplate, the measured concentration increased continuously in the lyophilised version and reached the highest level at the 60th min. The results of the lyophilised microplate reached the same level at 30 min of incubation as those of the frozen version at 60 min. In conclusion, a mechanical increase or decrease of the incubation time does not generate a linear change in the test results. This study demonstrated that the results of a series of samples collected from the same bitch cannot be compared if they are measured with different laboratory methods or different ELISA kits.

  9. Anthropogenic nitrogen input traced by means of δ 15N values in macroalgae: Results from in-situ incubation experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deutsch, Barbara; Voss, Maren

    2006-01-01

    The macroalgae species Fucus vesiculosus (Phaeophyta), Polysiphonia sp., and Ceramium rubrum (Rhodophyta) originally grown at an unpolluted brackish site of the southern Baltic Sea were incubated for 10 and 14 days at 12 stations along a salinity gradient in a highly polluted estuary. We have expected an adaptation of the initially low δ 15 N values to the higher ones within the incubation period. In addition to the macroalgae the δ 15 N values of NO 3 - were measured to evaluate fractionation processes of the source nitrate. Inside the estuary, δ 15 N-NO 3 - values were 6.2-9.7 per mille , indicating anthropogenic nitrogen sources. The red macroalgae adequately reflected the nitrate isotope values in the surrounding waters, whereas for F. vesiculosus the results were not that clear. The reasons were assumed to be higher initial δ 15 N values of F. vesiculosus and presumably a too slow nitrogen uptake and growth rate. The method of macroalgae incubations seems suitable as a simple monitoring to study the influence of anthropogenic nitrogen loading in an estuarine environment

  10. Business Incubation in Chile: Development, Financing and Financial Services

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aruna Chandra

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Business incubation in Chile is still in its nascent stages, with approximately 27 incubators supported primarily by a coalition of government and universities. Chilean business incubators tend to capitalize on regional resource strengths and have a strategic focus on high growth, high innovation, high impact businesses as a result of a government mandate to focus on developing business with high potential for economic development and job creation. The government’s efforts to create the framework conditions for entrepreneurship by investing in business incubators, organizing risk capital for early stage ventures to fill capital market gaps and support for angel networks as well as incubator funding are discussed. Policy implications for the continued growth of the incubation industry are provided.

  11. Is newborn melatonin production influenced by magnetic fields produced by incubators?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bellieni, Carlo Valerio; Tei, Monica; Iacoponi, Francesca; Tataranno, Maria Luisa; Negro, Simona; Proietti, Fabrizio; Longini, Mariangela; Perrone, Serafina; Buonocore, Giuseppe

    2012-08-01

    During permanence in most incubators, newborns are very close to the electric engine, which represents a source of electromagnetic fields (EMF). Previous studies demonstrated a decrease in melatonin production in adults and animals exposed to EMF. To assess melatonin production in a group of newborns exposed to EMF, and to evaluate whether removing the babies from the source of MF can affect melatonin production. We have recruited 28 babies (study group), who had spent at least 48 h in incubator where we had previously assessed the presence of significant EMF. We have measured their mean 6-hydroxy-melatonin-sulfate (6OHMS) urine excretion at the end of their permanence in the incubators, and compared it with their mean 6OHMS excretion after having been put in cribs, where EMF are below the detectable limit (babies who were not exposed to EMF during both samples. Mean 6OHMS/cr values were respectively 5.34±4.6 and 7.68±5.1ng/mg (p=0.026) when babies were exposed to EMF in incubators, and after having been put in the crib. In the control group, mean 6OHMS/cr values in the first and in the second sample were respectively 5.91±5.41 vs 6.17±3.94ng/mg (p=0.679). The transitory increase in melatonin production soon after removing newborns from incubators demonstrates a possible influence of EMF on melatonin production in newborns. Further studies are needed to confirm these data. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. INNOVATION CLUSTERS: SOCIAL LEARNING AND BUSINESS INCUBATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dan Deac

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available A sustainable innovation is more expensive than a regular one but it may lead to long termbenefits and durable competitive advantage, especially if many firms from the networkcollude or act within constrained environments such as business incubators. The opinionformation process, which leads to sustainable innovation, may be viewed as a collectivecognitive process resembling that of branding and re-branding. Technological innovationscan be viewed as sequences of cost reduction events and, in a many-firm setting, sociallearning which leads to sustainability-oriented behaviour depends on (mutual trustrelations. The experimental modelling part of the paper illustrates selected aspects of theconcept just outlined by developing a stylized dynamic model of the firm.

  13. National Alliance for Clean Energy Incubators New Mexico Clean Energy Incubator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roberts, Suzanne S.

    2004-12-15

    The National Alliance for Clean Energy Incubators was established by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to develop an emerging network of business incubators for entrepreneurs specializing in clean energy enterprises. The Alliance provides a broad range of business services to entrepreneurs in specific geographic locales across the U.S. and in diverse clean energy technology areas such as fuel cells, alternative fuels, power generation, and renewables, to name a few. Technology Ventures Corporation (TVC) participates in the Alliance from its corporate offices in Albuquerque, NM, and from its sites in Northern and Southern New Mexico, California, and Nevada. TVC reports on the results of its attempts to accelerate the growth and success of clean energy and energy efficiency companies through its array of business support services. During the period from September 2002 through September 2004, TVC describes contributions to the Alliance including the development of 28 clients and facilitating capital raises exceeding $35M.

  14. Avian Incubation Patterns Reflect Temporal Changes in Developing Clutches.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caren B Cooper

    Full Text Available Incubation conditions for eggs influence offspring quality and reproductive success. One way in which parents regulate brooding conditions is by balancing the thermal requirements of embryos with time spent away from the nest for self-maintenance. Age related changes in embryo thermal tolerance would thus be expected to shape parental incubation behavior. We use data from unmanipulated Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus nests to examine the temporal dynamics of incubation, testing the prediction that increased heat flux from eggs as embryos age influences female incubation behavior and/or physiology to minimize temperature fluctuations. We found that the rate of heat loss from eggs increased with embryo age. Females responded to increased egg cooling rates by altering incubation rhythms (more frequent, shorter on- and off- bouts, but not brood patch temperature. Consequently, as embryos aged, females were able to increase mean egg temperature and decrease variation in temperature. Our findings highlight the need to view full incubation as more than a static rhythm; rather, it is a temporally dynamic and finely adjustable parental behavior. Furthermore, from a methodological perspective, intra- and inter-specific comparisons of incubation rhythms and average egg temperatures should control for the stage of incubation.

  15. Micro and Small Enterprises Incubator - Phase III

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    The goals of the Mozambique Information and Communication Technology Micro and Small Enterprises Incubator (MICTI Incubator) are twofold: to identify sustainable opportunities for technology-based businesses in priority development areas; and to test the assumption that technology-based businesses can mentor the ...

  16. Mind Wandering and the Incubation Effect in Insight Problem Solving

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Tengteng; Zou, Hong; Chen, Chuansheng; Luo, Jin

    2015-01-01

    Although many anecdotes suggest that creative insights often arise during mind wandering, empirical research is still sparse. In this study, the number reduction task (NRT) was used to assess whether insightful solutions were related to mind wandering during the incubation stage of the creative process. An experience sampling paradigm was used to…

  17. Physical origin of the incubation time of self-induced GaN nanowires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Consonni, V.; Trampert, A.; Geelhaar, L.; Riechert, H.

    2011-01-01

    The nucleation process of self-induced GaN nanowires grown by molecular beam epitaxy has been investigated by reflection high-energy electron diffraction measurements. It is found that stable nuclei in the form of spherical cap-shaped islands develop only after an incubation time that is strongly dependent upon the growth conditions. Its evolution with the growth temperature and gallium rate has been described within standard island nucleation theory, revealing a nucleation energy of 4.9 ± 0.1 eV and a very small nucleus critical size. The consideration of the incubation time is critical for the control of the nanowire morphology.

  18. MONITORING BABY INCUBATOR SENTRAL DENGAN KOMUNIKASI WIRELESS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ary Sulistyo Utomo

    2018-04-01

    180m. Pengujian suhu ruang baby incubator menggunakan termometer sebagai perbandingan dengan nilai suhu yang dibaca pada alat. Dari pengukuran diperoleh tingkat perbedaan 0% pada suhu 30oC dan 2,8% pada suhu 37oC.   Kata kunci: baby incubator, sistem monitoring sentral, microsoft visual studio, arduino.

  19. Building Bridges to Integrate Care (BRIDGES): Incubating Health Service Innovation across the Continuum of Care for Patients with Multiple Chronic Conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhattacharyya, Onil; Schull, Michael; Shojania, Kaveh; Stergiopoulos, Vicky; Naglie, Gary; Webster, Fiona; Brandao, Ricardo; Mohammed, Tamara; Christian, Jennifer; Hawker, Gillian; Wilson, Lynn; Levinson, Wendy

    2016-01-01

    Integrating care for people with complex needs is challenging. Indeed, evidence of solutions is mixed, and therefore, well-designed, shared evaluation approaches are needed to create cumulative learning. The Toronto-based Building Bridges to Integrate Care (BRIDGES) collaborative provided resources to refine and test nine new models linking primary, hospital and community care. It used mixed methods, a cross-project meta-evaluation and shared outcome measures. Given the range of skills required to develop effective interventions, a novel incubator was used to test and spread opportunities for system integration that included operational expertise and support for evaluation and process improvement.

  20. Preliminary data on growth and enzymatic abilities of soil fungus Humicolopsis cephalosporioides at different incubation temperatures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elíades, Lorena Alejandra; Cabello, Marta N; Pancotto, Verónica; Moretto, Alicia; Rago, María Melisa; Saparrat, Mario C N

    2015-01-01

    Nothofagus pumilio (Poepp & Endl.) Krasser, known as "lenga" is the most important timber wood species in southernmost Patagonia (Argentina). Humicolopsis cephalosporioides Cabral & Marchand is a soil fungus associated with Nothofagus pumilio forests, which has outstanding cellulolytic activity. However, there is no information about the ability of this fungus to use organic substrates other than cellulose, and its ability to produce different enzyme systems, as well as its response to temperature. The aim of this study was to examine the role of H. cephalosporioides in degradation processes in N. pumilio forests in detail by evaluating the in vitro ability of four isolates of this fungus to grow and produce different lytic enzyme systems, and their response to incubation temperature. The ability of the fungi to grow and produce enzyme systems was estimated by inoculating them on agar media with specific substrates, and the cultures were incubated at three temperatures. A differential behavior of each strain in levels of growth and enzyme activity was found according to the medium type and/or incubation temperature. A intra-specific variability was found in H. cephalosporioides. Likewise a possible link between the saprotrophic role of this fungus in N. pumilio forests and the degradation of organic matter under stress conditions, such as those from frosty environments, was also discussed. Copyright © 2013 Revista Iberoamericana de Micología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  1. Periodical low eggshell temperatures during incubation and post hatch dietary arginine supplementation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Afsarian, O.; Shahir, M.H.; Akhlaghi, A.; Lotfolahian, H.; Hoseini, A.; Lourens, A.

    2016-01-01

    An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of a periodically low eggshell temperature exposure during incubation and dietary supplementation of arginine on performance, ascites incidence, and cold tolerance acquisition in broilers. A total of 2,400 hatching eggs were randomly assigned to

  2. Fundamental Space Biology-1: HHR and Incubator for ISS Space Life Sciences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirven-Brooks, M.; Fahlen, T.; Sato, K.; Reiss-Bubenheim, D.

    The Space Station Biological Research Project (SSBRP) is developing an Incubator and a Habitat Holding Rack (HHR) to support life science experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The HHR provides for cooling and power needs, and supports data transfer (including telemetry, commanding, video processing, Ethernet), video compression, and data and command storage). The Incubator is a habitat that provides for controlled temperature between +4 C and +45 C and air circulation. It has a set of connector ports for power, analog and digital sensors, and video pass-through to support experiment-unique hardware within the Incubator specimen chamber. The Incubator exchanges air with the ISS cabin. The Fundamental Space Biology-1 (FSB-1) Project will be delivering, the HHR and two Incubators to ISS. The two inaugural experiments to be conducted on ISS using this hardware will investigate the biological effects of the space environment on two model organisms, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae; yeast) and Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans; nematode). The {M}odel {Y}east {C}ultures {o}n {S}tation (MYCOS) experiment will support examination of the effect of microgravity and cosmic radiation on yeast biology. In the second series of experiments during the same increment, the effects of microgravity and space environment radiation on C. elegans will be examined. The {F}undamental Space Biology {I}ncubator {E}xperiment {R}esearch using {C}. {e}legans (FIERCE) study is designed to support a long duration, multi-generational study of nematodes. FIERCE on-orbit science operations will include video monitoring, sub-culturing and periodic fixation and freezing of samples. For both experiments, investigators will be solicited via an International Space Life Sciences Research Announcement. In the near future, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module will be delivered to ISS, which will house the SSBRP 2.5 m Centrifuge Rotor. The Incubator can be placed onto the Centrifuge

  3. Availability of a P from phosphate rock, thermophosphate and trip superphosphate after different incubation periods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muraoka, T.; Boaretto, A.E.; Scivittaro, W.B.; Brasil, E.C.

    2002-01-01

    Patos phosphate rock, Yoorin thermophosphate and triple phosphate were mixed with a tropical acid soil (Haplic Ferralsol) and incubated for different periods (short term experiment 1: 0, 1 and 30 days, and long term experiment 2: 0, 1, 30, 60, 150 and 300 days). The experiments were started with the longest period in order to have all the periods ending at the same time when rice was sown. Soil samples were taken for available P determination through Bray 1 method. There was clear decrease in extractable P with increasing period of incubation, probably due to reversion reactions to form less soluble forms of P. In addition, the reversion reactions seemed to be a more intensive process than the dissolution process. The Yoorin thermophosphate, probably due to its alkaline nature and Si content, proved to be a superior agronomic P source by maintaining the same extractable P content during the whole incubation period. (author)

  4. Designing a Low-Cost Multifunctional Infant Incubator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tran, Kevin; Gibson, Aaron; Wong, Don; Tilahun, Dagmawi; Selock, Nicholas; Good, Theresa; Ram, Geetha; Tolosa, Leah; Tolosa, Michael; Kostov, Yordan; Woo, Hyung Chul; Frizzell, Michael; Fulda, Victor; Gopinath, Ramya; Prasad, J Shashidhara; Sudarshan, Hanumappa; Venkatesan, Arunkumar; Kumar, V Sashi; Shylaja, N; Rao, Govind

    2014-06-01

    Every year, an unacceptably large number of infant deaths occur in developing nations, with premature birth and asphyxia being two of the leading causes. A well-regulated thermal environment is critical for neonatal survival. Advanced incubators currently exist, but they are far too expensive to meet the needs of developing nations. We are developing a thermodynamically advanced low-cost incubator suitable for operation in a low-resource environment. Our design features three innovations: (1) a disposable baby chamber to reduce infant mortality due to nosocomial infections, (2) a passive cooling mechanism using low-cost heat pipes and evaporative cooling from locally found clay pots, and (3) insulated panels and a thermal bank consisting of water that effectively preserve and store heat. We developed a prototype incubator and visited and presented our design to our partnership hospital site in Mysore, India. After obtaining feedback, we have determined realistic, nontrivial design requirements and constraints in order to develop a new prototype incubator for clinical trials in hospitals in India. © 2014 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

  5. Automatic Incubator-type Temperature Control System for Brain Hypothermia Treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaohua, Lu; Wakamatsu, Hidetoshi

    An automatic air-cooling incubator is proposed to replace the manual water-cooling blanket to control the brain tissue temperature for brain hypothermia treatment. Its feasibility is theoretically discussed as follows: First, an adult patient with the cooling incubator is modeled as a linear dynamical patient-incubator biothermal system. The patient is represented by an 18-compartment structure and described by its state equations. The air-cooling incubator provides almost same cooling effect as the water-cooling blanket, if a light breeze of speed around 3 m/s is circulated in the incubator. Then, in order to control the brain temperature automatically, an adaptive-optimal control algorithm is adopted, while the patient-blanket therapeutic system is considered as a reference model. Finally, the brain temperature of the patient-incubator biothermal system is controlled to follow up the given reference temperature course, in which an adaptive algorithm is confirmed useful for unknown environmental change and/or metabolic rate change of the patient in the incubating system. Thus, the present work ensures the development of the automatic air-cooling incubator for a better temperature regulation of the brain hypothermia treatment in ICU.

  6. Incubator Display Software Cost Reduction Toolset Software Requirements Specification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moran, Susanne; Jeffords, Ralph

    2005-01-01

    The Incubator Display Software Requirements Specification was initially developed by Intrinsyx Technologies Corporation (Intrinsyx) under subcontract to Lockheed Martin, Contract Number NAS2-02090, for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center (ARC) Space Station Biological Research Project (SSBRP). The Incubator Display is a User Payload Application (UPA) used to control an Incubator subrack payload for the SSBRP. The Incubator Display functions on-orbit as part of the subrack payload laptop, on the ground as part of the Communication and Data System (CDS) ground control system, and also as part of the crew training environment.

  7. APPLICATION OF THE MODEL CERNE FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CRITERIA INCUBATION SELECTION IN TECHNOLOGY BASED BUSINESSES : A STUDY IN INCUBATORS OF TECHNOLOGICAL BASE OF THE COUNTRY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Clobert Jefferson Passoni

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Business incubators are a great source of encouragement for innovative projects, enabling the development of new technologies, providing infrastructure, advice and support, which are key elements for the success of new business. The technology-based firm incubators (TBFs, which are 154 in Brazil. Each one of them has its own mechanism for the selection of the incubation companies. Because of the different forms of management of incubators, the business model CERNE - Reference Center for Support for New Projects - was created by Anprotec and Sebrae, in order to standardize procedures and promote the increase of chances for success in the incubations. The objective of this study is to propose selection criteria for the incubation, considering CERNE’s five dimensions and aiming to help on the decision-making in the assessment of candidate companies in a TBF incubator. The research was conducted from the public notices of 20 TBF incubators, where 38 selection criteria were identified and classified. Managers of TBF incubators validated 26 criteria by its importance via online questionnaires. As a result, favorable ratings were obtained to 25 of them. Only one criterion differed from the others, with a unfavorable rating.

  8. Incubation of ethanol reinstatement depends on test conditions and how ethanol consumption is reduced

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ginsburg, Brett C.; Lamb, R. J.

    2015-01-01

    In reinstatement studies (a common preclinical procedure for studying relapse), incubation occurs (longer abstinence periods result in more responding). This finding is discordant with the clinical literature. Identifying determinants of incubation could aid in interpreting reinstatement and identifying processes involved in relapse. Reinstated responding was examined in rats trained to respond for ethanol and food under a multiple concurrent schedule (Component 1: ethanol FR5, food FR150; Component 2: ethanol FR5, food FR5–alternating across the 30-min session). Ethanol consumption was then reduced for 1 or 16 sessions either by suspending training (rats remained in home cage) or by providing alternative reinforcement (only Component 2 stimuli and contingencies were presented throughout the session). In the next session, stimuli associated with Component 1 were presented and responses recorded but ethanol and food were never delivered. Two test conditions were studied: fixed-ratio completion either produced ethanol- or food-associated stimuli (signaled) or had no programmed consequence (unsignaled). Incubation of ethanol responding was observed only after suspended training during signaled test sessions. Incubation of food responding was also observed after suspended training. These results are most consistent with incubation resulting from a degradation of feedback functions limiting extinction responding, rather than an increased motivation. PMID:25595114

  9. Measuring efficiency and productivity growth of new technology-based firms in business incubators: the Portuguese case study of Madan Parque.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grilo, A; Santos, J

    2015-01-01

    Business incubators can play a major role in helping to turn a business idea into a technology-based organization that is economically efficient. However, there is a shortage in the literature regarding the efficiency evaluation and productivity evolution of the new technology-based firms (NTBFs) in the incubation scope. This study develops a model based on the data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology, which allows the incubated NTBFs to evaluate and improve the efficiency of their management. Moreover, the Malmquist index is used to examine productivity change. The index is decomposed into multiple components to give insights into the root sources of productivity change. The proposed model was applied in a case study with 13 NTBFs incubated. From that study, we conclude that inefficient firms invest excessively in research and development (R&D), and, on average, firms have a productivity growth in the period of study.

  10. Measuring Efficiency and Productivity Growth of New Technology-Based Firms in Business Incubators: The Portuguese Case Study of Madan Parque

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grilo, A.; Santos, J.

    2015-01-01

    Business incubators can play a major role in helping to turn a business idea into a technology-based organization that is economically efficient. However, there is a shortage in the literature regarding the efficiency evaluation and productivity evolution of the new technology-based firms (NTBFs) in the incubation scope. This study develops a model based on the data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology, which allows the incubated NTBFs to evaluate and improve the efficiency of their management. Moreover, the Malmquist index is used to examine productivity change. The index is decomposed into multiple components to give insights into the root sources of productivity change. The proposed model was applied in a case study with 13 NTBFs incubated. From that study, we conclude that inefficient firms invest excessively in research and development (R&D), and, on average, firms have a productivity growth in the period of study. PMID:25874266

  11. Measuring Efficiency and Productivity Growth of New Technology-Based Firms in Business Incubators: The Portuguese Case Study of Madan Parque

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Grilo

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Business incubators can play a major role in helping to turn a business idea into a technology-based organization that is economically efficient. However, there is a shortage in the literature regarding the efficiency evaluation and productivity evolution of the new technology-based firms (NTBFs in the incubation scope. This study develops a model based on the data envelopment analysis (DEA methodology, which allows the incubated NTBFs to evaluate and improve the efficiency of their management. Moreover, the Malmquist index is used to examine productivity change. The index is decomposed into multiple components to give insights into the root sources of productivity change. The proposed model was applied in a case study with 13 NTBFs incubated. From that study, we conclude that inefficient firms invest excessively in research and development (R&D, and, on average, firms have a productivity growth in the period of study.

  12. Broiler incubation. 1. Effect of elevated temperature during late incubation on body weight and organs of chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leksrisompong, N; Romero-Sanchez, H; Plumstead, P W; Brannan, K E; Brake, J

    2007-12-01

    Three experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of increased egg temperature during the final third of incubation on BW, yolk sac, heart, and digestive organs of broiler chicks at hatching. Egg temperatures were found to be approximately 1.0 to 1.5 degrees C higher than incubator air temperature. Elevated egg temperature (39.5 degrees C) after embryonic day 14 generally accelerated hatching time but decreased the relative weight of the heart in all 3 experiments, whereas BW and relative weights of the gizzard, proventriculus, and small intestines were significantly smaller in 2 of 3 experiments as compared with the control (approximately 38.2 degrees C). Relative weights of the yolk sac or liver were significantly larger due to elevated egg temperature in single experiments only. A striking feature of the chicks that developed at an elevated egg temperature was their white color as compared with the yellow color of chicks from eggs incubated at more normal temperatures.

  13. The Impact of the Incubator on the Internationalization of Firms

    OpenAIRE

    Raquel Engelman; Aurora Carneiro zen; Edi Madalena Fracasso

    2015-01-01

    This paper aims to examine how technology incubators contribute to the internationalization of incubated Brazilian companies. To do so, was developed a framework that, in addition to supporting research, can be used to provide a basis for studies of internationalization in small technology-based companies and incubators and to assist their managers. By comparing the factors identified as influencing internationalization and the actions and services provided by the technology incubators, an in...

  14. Anthropogenic nitrogen input traced by means of {delta} {sup 15}N values in macroalgae: Results from in-situ incubation experiments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Deutsch, Barbara [Baltic Sea Research Institute, Seestr. 15, 18119 Rostock (Germany)]. E-mail: barbara.deutsch@io-warnemuende.de; Voss, Maren [Baltic Sea Research Institute, Seestr. 15, 18119 Rostock (Germany)

    2006-08-01

    The macroalgae species Fucus vesiculosus (Phaeophyta), Polysiphonia sp., and Ceramium rubrum (Rhodophyta) originally grown at an unpolluted brackish site of the southern Baltic Sea were incubated for 10 and 14 days at 12 stations along a salinity gradient in a highly polluted estuary. We have expected an adaptation of the initially low {delta} {sup 15}N values to the higher ones within the incubation period. In addition to the macroalgae the {delta} {sup 15}N values of NO{sub 3} {sup -} were measured to evaluate fractionation processes of the source nitrate. Inside the estuary, {delta} {sup 15}N-NO{sub 3} {sup -} values were 6.2-9.7 per mille , indicating anthropogenic nitrogen sources. The red macroalgae adequately reflected the nitrate isotope values in the surrounding waters, whereas for F. vesiculosus the results were not that clear. The reasons were assumed to be higher initial {delta} {sup 15}N values of F. vesiculosus and presumably a too slow nitrogen uptake and growth rate. The method of macroalgae incubations seems suitable as a simple monitoring to study the influence of anthropogenic nitrogen loading in an estuarine environment.

  15. Improvements in and relating to the incubation of samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bagshawe, K.D.

    1978-01-01

    Apparatus is described for incubating a plurality of biological samples and particularly as part of an analysis, e.g. radioimmunoassay or enzyme assay, of the samples. The apparatus is comprised of an incubation station with a plurality of containers to which samples together with diluent and reagents are supplied. The containers are arranged in rows in two side-by-side columns and are circulated sequentially. Sample removal means is provided either at a fixed location or at a movable point relative to the incubator. Circulation of the containers and the length of sample incubation time is controlled by a computer. The incubation station may include a plurality of sections with the columns in communication so that rows of samples can be moved from the column of one section to the column of an adjacent section, to provide alternative paths for circulation of the samples. (author)

  16. Humidity control of an incubator using the microcontroller-based active humidifier system employing an ultrasonic nebulizer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Güler, I; Burunkaya, M

    2002-01-01

    Relative humidity levels of an incubator were measured and controlled. An ultrasonic nebulizer system as an active humidifier was used to humidify the incubator environment. An integrated circuit-type humidity sensor was used to measure the humidity level of the incubator environment. Measurement and control processes were achieved by a PIC microcontroller. The high-performance and high-speed PIC provided the flexibility of the system. The developed system can be used effectively for the intensive care of newborns and/or premature babies. Since the humidifier generates an aerosol in ambient conditions, it is possible to provide the high relative humidity level for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes in medicine.

  17. INCUBATORS WITHIN UNIVERSITY AND CLUSTERED CONTEXTS: CASES OF NATIONAL CHIAO TUNG UNIVERSITY (NCTU AND NATIONAL TSING HUA UNIVERSITY (NTHU INCUBATORS IN HSINCHU, TAIWAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khairul Akmaliah Adham

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Research literature on business incubators has highlighted the significance of clustered locational contexts and networking as key to an incubator's success. Using the case study approach, this study aimed to test the validity of this framework for explaining the level of success of the National Chiao Tung University (NCTU and National Tsing Hua University (NTHU Incubators in Hsinchu, Taiwan – both of which are highly-networked, cluster-centric and university-based. In-depth interviews were conducted with the managers of both incubators, and these were followed by information gathering on university patents and knowledge transfers from the research and development (R&D office at each university. Analysis found that the incubators' locational contexts determined the degree and manner of their networking, but their profitability and growth potential were influenced by many other factors working in combination. Satisfying their sponsors' requirements and serving their core functions through sound management and strategic planning appeared to be the key to achieving profitability and sustainability, with benefits for all stakeholders. These constructs provide directions for more research on the performance of incubators and other business entities that are located within university and clustered contexts.

  18. Study of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields in infant incubators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cermáková, Eleonora

    2003-01-01

    The aim of the work was to present the results of measurements of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF EMF), namely the magnetic flux density, inside infant incubators, and to compare these results with the data published by other authors who point out to a possible association between leukemia or other diseases observed in newborns kept in incubators after the birth and the ELF EMF exposure in the incubator. The measured magnetic flux densities were compared with the reference values for this frequency range indicated in the European Union (EU) recommendations. The repeated measurements in incubators were made with a calibrated magnetometer EFA 300 in the frequency range of 5-30 kHz. Effective values of magnetic flux densities of ELF EMF were determined taking account of the reference values. The results of many repeated measurements showing the values of magnetic flux density in modern incubators with plastic supporting frame, were compared with those obtained in old type incubators with iron skeleton. A power frequency of 50 Hz was detected in the incubator and the ELF EMF values were by over two orders lower than the EU reference values. The paper emphasizes the need to take a special care of newborns kept in incubators even if only the sub-reference values are detected. The EU reference values are intended for the adult human population. A baby in an incubator has much smaller dimensions, higher electric conductivity and maybe trigger another mechanism of response to ELF EMF than that indicated in this paper.

  19. The Impact of the Incubator on the Internationalization of Firms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raquel Engelman

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims to examine how technology incubators contribute to the internationalization of incubated Brazilian companies. To do so, was developed a framework that, in addition to supporting research, can be used to provide a basis for studies of internationalization in small technology-based companies and incubators and to assist their managers. By comparing the factors identified as influencing internationalization and the actions and services provided by the technology incubators, an integrated model with four constructs (entrepreneurs; organizational characteristics; network; foreign market was built. The results demonstrate that incubation positively affects the internationalization of companies and indicate the actions and services that contribute towards the internationalization, as also reveals aspects that could be improved.

  20. Assessment of the theoretical basis of the Rule of Additivity for the nucleation incubation time during continuous cooling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu, Y.T.; Lowe, T.C.; Asaro, R.J.

    1997-01-01

    The rule of additivity was first proposed by Scheil and Steinberg for predicting the incubation time for nucleation of solid phases during continuous-cooling phase transformations, and has since been widely used for both the nucleation incubation and the entire process of phase transformation. While having been successfully used to calculate the transformed volume fraction during continuous cooling in many steel alloy systems, there is experimental evidence that shows rule of additivity to be invalid for describing the incubation time for nucleation. Attempts to prove the validity of the rule of additivity for the incubation time have not met with much success, and much confusion still exists about its applicability to the incubation time. This article investigates the additivity of the consumption of the incubation time for nucleation during continuous cooling through an analysis based upon classical nucleation theory. It is rigorously demonstrated that the rule of additivity is invalid for the incubation time for nucleation. However, in practice, the relative error caused by using the rule of additivity could be very small in many cases due to the resolution limit of current experimental techniques. The present theory provides an explanation for the failure of the rule of additivity in predicting the incubation time for nucleation during continuous cooling. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

  1. Effect of High Incubation Temperature on the Blood Parameters of Layer Chicks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S Sgavioli

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Adequate environmental temperature control is essential for incubation efficiency. Layer breeder eggs (n=360 were weighed and distributed in a completely randomized experimental design with two treatments, consisting of two incubation temperatures (T1=37.5 °C, control; and T2=39.0 °C, hot, with two incubators per temperature, and 90 eggs per incubator, totaling 360 eggs. Hatchability, embryo mortality, and chick cloacal and body surface temperatures were not affected by incubation temperature. Eggs incubated at the hot temperature presented greater egg mass loss and higher eggshell conductance than those incubated at the control temperature. Layer chicks derived from eggs incubated at control temperature showed greater absolute weight, yolk-free egg mass, and heavier hearts than those from eggs submitted to heat stress during incubation. The control group presented lower base excess and ionized calcium blood levels. Incubating eggs at temperatures higher than those recommended compromises body and heart development of layer chicks and negatively affects blood ionized calcium availability, and therefore, bone mineralization during embryo development. Efficient temperature control during the incubation of fertile eggs is essential to obtain good quality layer chicks.

  2. Effect of Incubation Time and Sucrose Addition on the Characteristics of Cheese Whey Yoghurt

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nurhartadi, E.; Utami, R.; Nursiwi, A.; Sari, A. M.; Widowati, E.; Sanjaya, A. P.; Esnadewi, E. A.

    2017-04-01

    The effect of incubation time and concentration of sucrose addition on the characteristics of cheese whey yogurt (lactic acid content, pH, total lactic acid bacteria, antioxidant activity, viscosity) and sensory characteristics (color, odor, flavor, consistency, and overalls) were investigated. The cheese whey yogurt fermentation process was carried out for 24h and 36h with the addition of sucrose 8, 10, and 12% (w/w) of total solid, respectively. The results showed that the lactic acid content, total lactic acid bacteria, antioxidant activity, and viscosity of cheese whey yogurt were affected by the incubation time and sucrose addition. The level of pH of yogurt which was incubated at 24h and 36h were relatively in the same levels, which were 4.51 up to 4.63. Due the sensory characteristic of cheese whey yogurt the panellists gave the high score for the cheese whey yogurt which was incubated at 24h and sucrose addition 12% (w/w) of total solid. The cheese whey yogurt has 0.41% lactic acid content; pH 4.51; 7.09 log total lactic acid bacteria cells / ml; 5.78% antioxidant activity; and 5.97 cP viscosity. The best sensory and physico-chemical characteristic of cheese whey yogurt was achieved by 24h incubation time and 12% concentration of sucrose addition.

  3. Trans-shell infection by pathogenic micro-organisms reduces the shelf life of non-incubated bird's eggs: a constraint on the onset of incubation?

    OpenAIRE

    Cook, Mark I; Beissinger, Steven R; Toranzos, Gary A; Rodriguez, Roberto A; Arendt, Wayne J

    2003-01-01

    Many birds initiate incubation before clutch completion, which results in asynchronous hatching. The ensuing within-brood size disparity often places later-hatched nestlings at a developmental disadvantage, but the functional significance of the timing of the onset of incubation is poorly understood. Early incubation may serve to maintain the viability of early-laid eggs, which declines over time owing to the putative effects of ambient temperature. An unexplored risk to egg viability is tran...

  4. Shaping of Competencies of Managers in Academic Incubators of Entrepreneurship in Poland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kurowska-Pysz Joanna

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Background and purpose: Participation of future entrepreneurs in Academic Incubators of Entrepreneurship (AIE in Poland is one of the innovative paths to shape their managerial competences. The aim of the paper is to analyse and evaluate the activities of the AIEs as an environment inside of which managerial competencies are formed, and formulate recommendations concerning the improvement of AIEs, in terms of the development of managerial skills of future entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach: The author relied on research - study surveys and empirical, qualitative, exploratory research, which were supported by figures. The author focused on four important issues: - Motives of researchers and students interested in the support of AIE; - The quality of support offered by the incubator to its participants as well as the frequency of use of this support by future entrepreneurs; - The possibility of extending the support system for AIE participants; - Traits / managerial and entrepreneurial competences desired in people running their own businesses. Results: AIE participants are focused primarily on implementing their business ventures and to a much lesser extent, care about the simultaneous development of their managerial competencies to manage these projects. It is manifested, among other by differentiated assessment of the suitability of certain forms of support from the incubator and the low intensity of use of this support. Despite this, AIE participants perceive the development of desirable traits and strengthening of specific entrepreneurial, management competencies. It is not a very dynamic growth, although it translates into their motivation to start a business after leaving the incubator. Conclusion: It is recommended to place greater emphasis on mobilizing the future entrepreneurs to make use of forms of support for the development of their managerial competences. It is necessary for complex preparation of future entrepreneurs to

  5. Egg incubator control system with short message service (sms) fault ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The egg incubator system with temperature sensor can measure the state of the incubator and automatically change to the suitable condition for the egg. The health of the egg is very important for the development of embryo. The status condition in the incubator system will appear on the liquid crystal display (LCD) screen.

  6. Influence of incubation management on pipping position, hatching ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Influence of incubation management on pipping position, hatching ability and survival of ostrich chicks. Z Brand, SWP Cloete, IA Malecki, CR Brown. Abstract. Despite numerous studies, the effect of artificial incubation on the hatchability and survival of near-term ostrich chicks is still not well understood. Records from 13 975 ...

  7. Business Incubators: A Review. Digest Number 97-4.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schuyler, Gwyer

    A business incubator is an organization of services designed to nurture new businesses. Services that can be offered include management assistance, access to financing, business or technical support services, and shared office services. In 1997, 550 incubators served more than 13,000 clients, affiliates, and graduates. More than 80 percent of the…

  8. Development Of A Biogas-Powered Poultry Egg Incubator ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study advances the utilization of biogas energy for chick production. A wooden frame still-air incubator was developed, which uses biogas as a fuel to supply heat through a burner installed at the base. A no-load test was carried out during which incubator temperatures were calibrated against ambient temperatures ...

  9. Effects of Egg Incubation Methods on Locomotor Performances of Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) Hatchlings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohd Uzair Rusli; Joseph, J.; Hock-Chark, L.; Zainudin Bachol

    2015-01-01

    Effects of different incubation methods on crawling and swimming ability of post-emergence green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) hatchlings at Cherating (Kuantan, Pahang) and Chagar Hutang (Pulau Redang, Terengganu) Turtle Sanctuary were analysed during nesting season in 2009. Mean crawling speed of hatchlings incubated in styrofoam box, beach hatchery and in situ were at 0.042±0.008, 0.136±0.026 and 0.143±0.045 m/ s, respectively. Crawling performance of hatclings from styrofoam box can be improved by keeping them for at least 48 h after their emergence. For swimming performance, all types of incubation methods showed significant differences in mean power-stroke rate during their early swimming effort ranging at 93-114 strokes/ min. However, no correlation was found between morphological characteristics of hatchlings and swimming performance. The results from this study may give different perspective in evaluating hatchling production, which is in terms of hatchling morphological characteristics and their locomotor performance. (author)

  10. Lysosome stabilization in slices of rat liver when incubated with vitamin A excess

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morre, D.M.; Morre, D.J.; Bowen, S.; Reutter, W.

    1986-01-01

    An organ culture of slices of livers from adult rats was used to study effect of vitamin A (all-trans retinol) on lysosome stability. Lysosomes were purified by centrifugation in Percoll gradients. Preparations were monitored by electron microscopy and evaluated by morphometry and assays of marker enzymes. Enrichments relative to homogenates and crude pellets were estimated from latent (triton X-100) acid p-nitrophenylphosphatase specific activities. Lysosomes prepared from unincubated slices were enriched 50-fold in latent acid phosphatase relative to homogenates. In contrast, lysosomes prepared from slices incubated for 30 min in PBS alone were enriched only 20-fold. When 25 μg/ml retinol was included in the incubation medium, enrichments of 40-fold were obtained. The integrity of the slices was monitored by electron microscopy and their viability was confirmed by a sustained uptake and incorporation of [ 3 H]leucine into protein (up to 2 h in culture). The loss of lysosomes from homogenates of slices incubated in the absence of retinol was accompanied by a loss of acid phosphatase from the lysosomal pellet to the supernatant during purification. Addition of retinol to slices just prior to homogenization was without effect. The results demonstrate a stabilizing influence of vitamin A on lysosomes during incubation of licer slices. The findings contrast earlier reports of retinol-induced lysosome fragility in other in vitro systems

  11. Acrosin release and acrosin activity during incubation in capacitating media using fresh and frozen-thawed dog sperm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mónica de los Reyes

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available We evaluated the effect of time and temperature on acrosin release from the acrosomal cap and the activity of this enzyme during in vitro capacitation in fresh and frozen/thawed dog sperm. Sperm-rich fractions of six ejaculates from three dogs were processed as fresh and frozen samples. Each sperm sample was incubated in canine capacitation medium (CCM for 0, 1, 2 and 3 h at 20°C and at 37°C. After incubation, the samples were assessed by the indirect immunofluorescent staining technique. The probability of having unlabeled sperm (PUS, indicating acrosin loss, was modelled by a binomial distribution using logistic regression. There was a linear relationship between PUS and time at both temperatures (p<0.001; however, a major percentage of unlabeled sperm was observed in frozen/thawed samples soon after incubation, indicating that the release of acrosin was affected by capacitation time, mainly in frozen samples. Temperature influenced acrosin release only in cryopreserved sperm (p<0.05. Acrosin activity was measured by digestion halos on slides coated with gelatin-substrate film during each time period; a significant increase in the number of large halos was observed in fresh samples throughout the experiment, whereas frozen/thawed sperm showed a decreased rate of halo diameters during culture. Thus, there appears to differences between fresh and frozen dog sperm in terms of acrosin release and the level of acrosin activity in the course of in vitro capacitation.

  12. Incubation times of dinosaur eggs via embryonic metabolism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Scott A.

    2016-08-01

    The incubation times for the eggs of 21 dinosaurs are determined from an estimate of their embyronic metabolic rate and the mass of the hatchlings via a mass growth model based on conservation of energy. Embryos in extant birds and crocodiles are studied in order to determine the best model for embryonic metabolism and growth. These results are used to develop a theoretical model that predicts the incubation times of an egg. This model is applied to dinosaur eggs and provides a unique window into dinosaur reproduction. The dinosaurs studied come from both Saurischia and Ornithischia. The incubation times vary from about 28 days for Archaeopteryx lithographica to about 76 days for Alamosaurus sanjuanensis.

  13. Incubation temperature affects the behavior of adult leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flores, D; Tousignant, A; Crews, D

    1994-06-01

    The leopard gecko has temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD); females are predominantly produced when incubated at 26 degrees C (100%), 30 degrees C (70%), and 34 degrees C (95%), whereas males are predominantly produced at 32.5 degrees C (75%). Exogenous estradiol can override the effect of temperature on sex determination. To compare temperature-determined females with hormone-determined females, eggs from the male-biased temperature were treated with estradiol benzoate during incubation. As adults, animals from a male-biased incubation temperature were more likely to exhibit aggression than animals from female-biased incubation temperatures. Furthermore, females from a male-biased incubation temperature tended to be less attractive than females from female-biased temperatures. Hormone-determined females were both attractive and aggressive. This suggests that incubation temperature is an important development determinant of adult aggressiveness and attractiveness. The 26 degrees C animals ovariectomized on the day of hatch exhibited more frequent aggression and were unreceptive to males, indicating that postnatal ovarian hormones also play a role in adult sociosexual behaviors. The parallel between incubation temperature and intrauterine position in laboratory mammals is discussed.

  14. Toward a balanced framework to evaluate and improve the internal functioning of non-profit economic development business incubators : A study in Belgium

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vanderstraeten, J.; Matthyssens, P.; van Witteloostuijn, A.

    2014-01-01

    Non-profit organisations, such as economic development incubators, may adapt the balanced scorecard and strategy map in their efforts to improve their internal functioning. In this paper, we employ qualitative research among non-profit economic development incubators in Antwerp, Belgium, to modify

  15. Preparation and Characterization of Nanoparticles Made from Co-Incubation of SOD and Glucose

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liping Cai

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The attractive potential of natural superoxide dismutase (SOD in the fields of medicine and functional food is limited by its short half-life in circulation and poor permeability across the cell membrane. The nanoparticle form of SOD might overcome these limitations. However, most preparative methods have disadvantages, such as complicated operation, a variety of reagents—some of them even highly toxic—and low encapsulation efficiency or low release rate. The aim of this study is to present a simple and green approach for the preparation of SOD nanoparticles (NPs by means of co-incubation of Cu/Zn SOD with glucose. This method was designed to prepare nanoscale aggregates based on the possible inhibitory effect of Maillard reaction on heating-induced aggregation during the co-incubation. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE results indicated that the Maillard reaction occurred during the co-incubation process. It was found that enzymatically active NPs of Cu/Zn SOD were simultaneously generated during the reaction, with an average particle size of 175.86 ± 0.71 nm, and a Zeta potential of −17.27 ± 0.59 mV, as established by the measurement of enzymatic activity, observations using field emission scanning electron microscope, and analysis of dynamic light scattering, respectively. The preparative conditions for the SOD NPs were optimized by response surface design to increase SOD activity 20.43 fold. These SOD NPs showed storage stability for 25 days and better cell uptake efficacy than natural SOD. Therefore, these NPs of SOD are expected to be a potential drug candidate or functional food factor. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the preparation of nanoparticles possessing the bioactivity of the graft component protein, using the simple and green approach of co-incubation with glucose, which occurs frequently in the food industry during thermal processing.

  16. Effects of oil transferred from incubating gulls to their eggs

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, K.A.; LeFever, C.A.

    1979-01-01

    No. 2 fuel oil, or water, was applied to the breast feathers of incubating laughing gulls trapped at their nest site on an island colony in Texas. Gulls were released after treatment and allowed to incubate their eggs for 5 days. Oil was transferred from the feathers of incubating adults to their eggs and resulted in 41% embryo mortality compared with 2% in controls.

  17. Plasma biochemistry values in emperor geese (Chen canagica) in Alaska: comparisons among age, sex, incubation, and molt.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franson, J. Christian; Hoffman, D.J.; Schmutz, J.A.

    2009-01-01

    Reduced populations of emperor geese (Chen canagica), a Bering Sea endemic, provided the need to assess plasma biochemistry values as indicators of population health. A precursory step to such an investigation was to evaluate patterns of variability in plasma biochemistry values among age, sex, and reproductive period. Plasma from 63 emperor geese was collected on their breeding grounds on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in western Alaska, USA. The geese sampled included 18 incubating adult females captured, in mid June, on their nests by using bow nets, and 30 adults and 15 goslings captured in corral traps in late July and early August, when the adults were molting their wing feathers and the goslings were 5-6 weeks old. Plasma was evaluated for 15 biochemical parameters, by comparing results among age, sex, and sampling period (incubation versus wing-feather molt). Ten of the 15 biochemical parameters assayed differed among adults during incubation, the adults during molt, and the goslings at molt, whereas sex differences were noted in few parameters.

  18. A Framework of Successful E-Business Incubator for Indonesian Public Universities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lina Gozali

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In many developed countries, many business incubators take part to help starts-up company to develop their own business; especially the baby born business cannot compete with the giant industries that have become the old business players. Universities play an important role in motivating young graduates to become technology entrepreneur. Unemployment in Indonesia is still the main issue for the government program to increase welfare in the future. In year 2014 the data from Statistic Center of Indonesia state that Indonesia has 4% unemployment from Indonesia’ work generation. In Indonesia, incubators has been developed since 1992 initiated by the government, Cooperative Department and also universities. This effort continued in 1997 when there was a program called the Development of Entrepreneurship Culture in universities, and of its activity was New Entrepreneur Incubator. The objectives of the research are to investigate the success factor for e-business incubator, and to propose and develop a framework for successful e-business incubator for public universities in Indonesia. Research location is in Indonesia for the public universities that have their e-business incubator. This research will conduct quantitative and qualitative analyses based on data collection from incubator managers and business founders in Indonesia. The result of this research is a framework for successful e-business incubator in Indonesian public universities.

  19. Business support within business incubators.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ratinho, Tiago; Harms, Rainer; Groen, Arend J.

    2009-01-01

    Business incubators (BI) have been established worldwide as tools for company creation and small businesses support. BIs claim to help their tenants by providing them with the optimal conditions for increasing early stage survival. Practitioners and researchers agree that business support is a

  20. Short Nissl staining for incubated cryostat sections of the brain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindroos, O F

    1991-01-01

    Nissl stain often binds poorly to cryostat sections which have been incubated in solutions of radiolabeled ligands. Such incubation is used in receptor autoradiography of the brain when using the in vitro method. We have developed a rapid (16 min) modification of Nissl staining for sections that bind stain poorly, e.g., incubated sections. The method stains well sections which cannot be stained with other rapid Nissl staining methods.

  1. Evolutionary dynamics of incubation periods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ottino-Loffler, Bertrand; Scott, Jacob G; Strogatz, Steven H

    2017-12-21

    The incubation period for typhoid, polio, measles, leukemia and many other diseases follows a right-skewed, approximately lognormal distribution. Although this pattern was discovered more than sixty years ago, it remains an open question to explain its ubiquity. Here, we propose an explanation based on evolutionary dynamics on graphs. For simple models of a mutant or pathogen invading a network-structured population of healthy cells, we show that skewed distributions of incubation periods emerge for a wide range of assumptions about invader fitness, competition dynamics, and network structure. The skewness stems from stochastic mechanisms associated with two classic problems in probability theory: the coupon collector and the random walk. Unlike previous explanations that rely crucially on heterogeneity, our results hold even for homogeneous populations. Thus, we predict that two equally healthy individuals subjected to equal doses of equally pathogenic agents may, by chance alone, show remarkably different time courses of disease.

  2. Evaluation of different X ray equipment and incubators for pediatric radiographic images implementation;Avaliacao de diferentes equipamentos de raios-X e incubadoras para implementacao de imagens radiograficas pediatricas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carbi, E.D.O.; Souza, R.T.F.; Pina, D.R. [UNESP, Botucatu, SP (Brazil). Faculdade de Medicina. Dept. de Doencas Tropicais e Diagnostico por Imagem

    2009-07-01

    The children frequent/y are exposed to the ionizing radiation and other emotional and physical risks in the attempts repeated to get radiographic images of quality. This study it has as objective to evaluate X ray beam about quality and intensity at three different equipment with single-phase generator of voltage and the absorption factors to 5 different incubators and 3 different cradles in the neonatal UTI of the Clinics Hospital on the Medicine College in Botucatu. The methodology consisted of carrying through measured of half Layer Value and Radiation output for the different X ray equipment with voltage with in between 45 and 100 kVp, applied at the X ray tube. The measures of the absorption factors had been carried through varying the thicknesses of attenuating material (phantom) for the different voltage value with in between 50 and 100kVp. The results had shown the same energy effective for the different X ray equipment and the same absorption factors for the different incubators and evaluated cradles, taking into account, the same thickness of attenuating material and same voltage. (author)

  3. Business Incubators - the savior of startups? : An exploratory study on knowledge acquisition in a business incubator from a startup perspective

    OpenAIRE

    Pettersson, Beatrice; Götsén, Anna

    2016-01-01

    Startups play a vital role in economic development, however, have a high rate of failure, partly due to insufficient knowledge resources. A business incubator is an institution aimed to assist startups with services and resources in order to facilitate their development. There is, however, a gap in previous research regarding knowledge flows and acquisition in business incubators. Furthermore, few scholars have conducted research from the startup perspective in this context. This study, there...

  4. The Rufous Hornero (Furnarius rufus) nest as an incubation chamber.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shibuya, Felipe L S; Braga, Talita V; Roper, James J

    2015-01-01

    Foraging and incubation are mutually exclusive activities for parent birds. A trade-off is generated when a combination of food availability and temperature regulation force birds to choose one and neglect the other, at least temporarily. The Rufous Hornero builds large, oven-like, mud nests, the evolutionary cause of which remains unknown. We tested that temperature variation inside the nest is that which is expected if one function of the nest were for temperate regulation. If so, this would suggest that the nest works as an incubation chamber (but which now may serve more than one function). We divided nests into two natural treatments: nests that received more continuous direct sunshine (sun), and those that received less direct sunshine, due to shade from trees or buildings (shade). Thermometer data loggers were placed in the nest cavity and outside, in the shade of the nest, and temperature was measured every 10min. We predicted that temperatures would consistently be higher and less variable in nests than outside nests. Also, at higher ambient temperatures the nest would function better as an incubation chamber as a consequence of having evolved in a hotter climate. Thus, in Curitiba, where temperatures are lower than where the species (and nest) evolved, nests in greater sunshine should have thermal characteristics that support the incubation chamber hypothesis. Predictions were supported: with Repeated Measures ANOVA and t-tests, we found that temperatures were more constant and higher in nests, especially when in the sun, and as the season progressed (hotter ambient temperatures). We conclude that the large mud nest of the Rufous Hornero works as an incubation chamber that likely evolved to help resolve the incubation-foraging trade-off in the very seasonal and hot regions where the bird evolved. Thus, as an incubation chamber, the nest allows the bird to forage rather than incubate thereby resolving the foraging-incubation trade-off and potentially

  5. A system for incubations at high gas partial pressure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrick eSauer

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available High-pressure is a key feature of deep subsurface environments. High partial pressure of dissolved gasses plays an important role in microbial metabolism, because thermodynamic feasibility of many reactions depends on the concentration of reactants. For gases, this is controlled by their partial pressure, which can exceed one MPa at in-situ conditions. Therefore, high hydrostatic pressure alone is not sufficient to recreate true deep subsurface in-situ conditions, but the partial pressure of dissolved gasses has to be controlled as well.We developed an incubation system that allows for incubations at hydrostatic pressure up to 60 MPa, temperatures up to 120° C and at high gas partial pressure. The composition and partial pressure of gasses can be manipulated during the experiment. The system is mainly made from off-the-shelf components with only very few custom-made parts. A flexible and inert PVDF incubator sleeve, which is almost impermeable for gases, holds the sample and separates it from the pressure fluid. The flexibility of the incubator sleeve allows for sub-sampling of the medium without loss of pressure. Experiments can be run in both static and flow through mode. The incubation system described here is usable for versatile purposes, not only the incubation of microorganisms and determination of growth rates, but also for chemical degradation or extraction experiments under high gas saturation, e.g. fluid-gas-rock-interactions in relation to carbon dioxide sequestration.As an application of the system we extracted organic acids from sub-bituminous coal using H2O as well as a H2O-CO2 mixture at elevated temperature (90°C and pressure (5 MPa. Subsamples were taken during the incubation and analysed by ion chromatography. Furthermore we demonstrated the applicability of the system for studies of microbial activity, using samples from the Isis mud volcano. We could detect an increase in sulphate reduction rate upon the addition of

  6. Incubation reduces microbial growth on eggshells and the opportunity for trans-shell infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mark I. Cook; Steven R. Beissinger; Gary A. Toranzos; Wayne J. Arendt

    2005-01-01

    Avian eggshells harbour microbes shortly after laying, and under appropriate ambient conditions they can multiply rapidly, penetrate through shell pores, infect egg contents and cause embryo mortality. We experimentally examined how incubation affects bacterial processes on the eggshells of pearl-eyed thrashers Margarops fuscatus nesting in tropical montane and lowland...

  7. Noise level in neonatal incubators: A comparative study of three models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernández Zacarías, F; Beira Jiménez, J L; Bustillo Velázquez-Gaztelu, P J; Hernández Molina, R; Lubián López, Simón

    2018-04-01

    Preterm infants usually have to spend a long time in an incubator, excessive noise in which can have adverse physiological and psychological effects on neonates. In fact, incubator noise levels typically range from 45 to 70 dB but differences in this respect depend largely on the noise measuring method used. The primary aim of this work was to assess the extent to which noise in an incubator comes from its own fan and how efficiently the incubator can isolate external noise. Three different incubator models were characterized for acoustic performance by measuring their internal noise levels in an anechoic chamber, and also for noise isolation efficiency by using a pink noise source in combination with an internal and an external microphone that were connected to an SVAN958 noise analyzer. The incubators studied produced continuous equivalent noise levels of 53.5-58 dB and reduced external noise by 5.2-10.4 dB. A preterm infant in an incubator is exposed to noise levels clearly exceeding international recommendations even though such levels usually comply with the limit set in the standard IEC60601-2-19: 2009 (60 dBA) under normal conditions of use. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  8. Business Plan: Community Business Incubator for Scaling Independent Designers in Qatar

    OpenAIRE

    Bachir, Abir

    2012-01-01

    Local design is a business incubator that seeks to scale design and designers in Qatar within the category of furnishings, home wear and apparel. Meeting larger social objectives includes increasing national entrepreneurial activity and decreasing the gender gap through the provision of accessible opportunities in design. Our products reflect individual and regional pride. Our processes utilize efficient operational resources while infusing social responsibility in a growing economy. The Wo...

  9. Are incubators the new wonder tool for entrepreneurship education?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Toon Buddingh

    2014-01-01

    In the nineties of the last century, a lot of (ICT) incubators started in the Netherlands, many private (GorillaPark, Ant Factory, Lost Boys and Newconomy), some public, such as Twinning. Most of them stopped early this century or gone bankrupt. From 2005 university incubators like YesDelft!,

  10. The value of business incubation services for early stage start-ups

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jakobsen, Brian; Tanev, Stoyan; Jensen, Søren

    2017-01-01

    of the needs of early stage start-ups since they: i) do not have a well-articulated business model but work towards establishing one; ii) operate under conditions of significantly high risks and uncertainties; and iii) have not developed the minimum viable set of partners that would enable them to demonstrate...... in specific incubation programs. The findings should contribute to existing literature within the topic of business-incubation, as well as provide managers of both incubators and start-ups with actionable insights about the ways of maximizing the value of incubation services.......The paper focuses on conceptualizing the value of business incubation services for early stage start-ups that are typical of university-based entrepreneurial ecosystems. The challenge of such conceptualization consists in two main issues. The first issue is taking into account the specificity...

  11. High turnover of fungal hyphae in incubation experiments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Vries, Franciska T; Bååth, Erland; Kuyper, Thom W; Bloem, Jaap

    2009-03-01

    Soil biological studies are often conducted on sieved soils without the presence of plants. However, soil fungi build delicate mycelial networks, often symbiotically associated with plant roots (mycorrhizal fungi). We hypothesized that as a result of sieving and incubating without plants, the total fungal biomass decreases. To test this, we conducted three incubation experiments. We expected total and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal biomass to be higher in less fertilized soils than in fertilized soils, and thus to decrease more during incubation. Indeed, we found that fungal biomass decreased rapidly in the less fertilized soils. A shift towards thicker hyphae occurred, and the fraction of septate hyphae increased. However, analyses of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) and neutral lipid fatty acids could not clarify which fungal groups were decreasing. We propose that in our soils, there was a fraction of fungal biomass that was sensitive to fertilization and disturbance (sieving, followed by incubation without plants) with a very high turnover (possibly composed of fine hyphae of AM and saprotrophic fungi), and a fraction that was much less vulnerable with a low turnover (composed of saprotrophic fungi and runner hyphae of AMF). Furthermore, PLFAs might not be as sensitive in detecting changes in fungal biomass as previously thought.

  12. Thermal management in closed incubators: New software for assessing the impact of humidity on the optimal incubator air temperature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delanaud, Stéphane; Decima, Pauline; Pelletier, Amandine; Libert, Jean-Pierre; Durand, Estelle; Stephan-Blanchard, Erwan; Bach, Véronique; Tourneux, Pierre

    2017-08-01

    Low-birth-weight (LBW) neonates are nursed in closed incubators to prevent transcutaneous water loss. The RH's impact on the optimal incubator air temperature setting has not been studied. On the basis of a clinical cohort study, we modelled all the ambient parameters influencing body heat losses and gains. The algorithm quantifies the change in RH on the air temperature, to maintain optimal thermal conditions in the incubator. Twenty-three neonates (gestational age (GA): 30.0 [28.9-31.6] weeks) were included. A 20% increase and a 20% decrease in the RH induced a change in air temperature of between -1.51 and +1.85°C for a simulated 650g neonate (GA: 26 weeks), between -1.66 and +1.87°C for a 1000g neonate (GA: 31 weeks), and between -1.77 and +1.97°C for a 2000g neonate (GA: 33 weeks) (phumidity +c age +d weight (phumidity. The software constitutes a decision support tool for improving patient care in routine clinical practice. Copyright © 2017 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Process evaluation distributed system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moffatt, Christopher L. (Inventor)

    2006-01-01

    The distributed system includes a database server, an administration module, a process evaluation module, and a data display module. The administration module is in communication with the database server for providing observation criteria information to the database server. The process evaluation module is in communication with the database server for obtaining the observation criteria information from the database server and collecting process data based on the observation criteria information. The process evaluation module utilizes a personal digital assistant (PDA). A data display module in communication with the database server, including a website for viewing collected process data in a desired metrics form, the data display module also for providing desired editing and modification of the collected process data. The connectivity established by the database server to the administration module, the process evaluation module, and the data display module, minimizes the requirement for manual input of the collected process data.

  14. Electromagnetic fields produced by incubators influence heart rate variability in newborns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bellieni, C V; Acampa, M; Maffei, M; Maffei, S; Perrone, S; Pinto, I; Stacchini, N; Buonocore, G

    2008-07-01

    Incubators are largely used to preserve preterm and sick babies from postnatal stressors, but their motors produce high electromagnetic fields (EMFs). Newborns are chronically exposed to these EMFs, but no studies about their effects on the fragile developing neonatal structure exist. To verify whether the exposure to incubator motor electric power may alter autonomous nervous system activity in newborns. Heart rate variability (HRV) of 43 newborns in incubators was studied. The study group comprised 27 newborns whose HRV was studied throughout three 5-minute periods: with incubator motor on, off, and on again, respectively. Mean HRV values obtained during each period were compared. The control group comprised 16 newborns with constantly unrecordable EMF and exposed to changes in background noise, similar to those provoked by the incubator motor. Mean (SD) total power and the high-frequency (HF) component of HRV increased significantly (from 87.1 (76.2) ms2 to 183.6 (168.5) ms2) and the mean low-frequency (LF)/HF ratio decreased significantly (from 2.0 (0.5) to 1.5 (0.6)) when the incubator motor was turned off. Basal values (HF = 107.1 (118.1) ms2 and LF/HF = 1.9 (0.6)) were restored when incubators were turned on again. The LF spectral component of HRV showed a statistically significant change only in the second phase of the experiment. Changes in background noise did not provoke any significant change in HRV. EMFs produced by incubators influence newborns' HRV, showing an influence on their autonomous nervous system. More research is needed to assess possible long-term consequences, since premature newborns may be exposed to these high EMFs for months.

  15. Geographic variation in avian incubation periods and parental influences on embryonic temperature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Thomas E; Auer, Sonya K; Bassar, Ronald D; Niklison, Alina M; Lloyd, Penn

    2007-11-01

    Theory predicts shorter embryonic periods in species with greater embryo mortality risk and smaller body size. Field studies of 80 passerine species on three continents yielded data that largely conflicted with theory; incubation (embryonic) periods were longer rather than shorter in smaller species, and egg (embryo) mortality risk explained some variation within regions, but did not explain larger differences in incubation periods among geographic regions. Incubation behavior of parents seems to explain these discrepancies. Bird embryos are effectively ectothermic and depend on warmth provided by parents sitting on the eggs to attain proper temperatures for development. Parents of smaller species, plus tropical and southern hemisphere species, commonly exhibited lower nest attentiveness (percent of time spent on the nest incubating) than larger and northern hemisphere species. Lower nest attentiveness produced cooler minimum and average embryonic temperatures that were correlated with longer incubation periods independent of nest predation risk or body size. We experimentally tested this correlation by swapping eggs of species with cool incubation temperatures with eggs of species with warm incubation temperatures and similar egg mass. Incubation periods changed (shortened or lengthened) as expected and verified the importance of egg temperature on development rate. Slower development resulting from cooler temperatures may simply be a cost imposed on embryos by parents and may not enhance offspring quality. At the same time, incubation periods of transferred eggs did not match host species and reflect intrinsic differences among species that may result from nest predation and other selection pressures. Thus, geographic variation in embryonic development may reflect more complex interactions than previously recognized.

  16. Factors related to shell deaths during artificial incubation of ostrich eggs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z. Brand

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available he ostrich industry experiences a high rate of embryonic mortalities during artificial incubation of eggs. Embryonic deaths were studied from data recorded on 37 740 fertile eggs incubated artificially during the 1998-2005 breeding seasons. Roughly 10 000 eggs that sustained embryonic mortalities were classified according to the stage and nature of death, i.e. before 21 days of incubation, after 21 days of incubation, deaths after pipping and rotten eggs. Although infection may have played a role in ~1300 rotten eggs, no detailed knowledge of the pathogens involved was available. The remainder of deaths could not be related to pathogens and the deaths were thus generally referred to as non-infectious. The overall level of embryonic mortality in all the eggs studied was 28.5 %. Overall embryonic mortality was affected by incubator, with higher levels (57.0 % found in eggs incubated in an African Incubator(R and also in eggs that were transferred between incubators during incubation (38.1 %. Overall embryonic mortality also increased in eggs produced by older females. Eggs produced in the autumn had the highest level of embryonic mortality at 53.6 %, whereas eggs produced in the winter had a marginally higher level of embryonic mortalities of 29.2 % compared with eggs produced during summer (27.4 %. Eggs produced by South African (SA Black males crossed to Zimbabwean Blue females had high levels of embryonic losses of 45.7 %. The embryonic mortality of eggs produced by SA Blacks or Zimbabwean Blue breeding birds subjected to pure breeding was similar at ~33-34 %, but embryonic mortality was improved in eggs produced by Zimbabwean Blue males crossed to SA Black females (27 %. Embryonic mortality was increased in eggs that were set directly (32.0 % or subjected to longer than 6 days of storage (43.5 %. Embryonic mortality was affected by year. The results that were obtained will assist in determining non-infectious factors that have a negative

  17. EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT OF YELLOWFIN TUNA (Thunnus albacares AT DIFFERENT INCUBATION TEMPERATURE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jhon Harianto Hutapea

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available The experiment was conducted in order to figure out the effect of incubation temperature on embryonic development of yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares eggs. Five different incubation temperatures were applied as treatments, i.e.: 24°C, 26°C, 28°C, 30°C, and 32°C with 3 replicate each. Ten micro plates with lid (IWAKI, Japan were used; each has 6 well and 10 mL volumes. Five micro plates were used for experiment and five for balance on shaker. Three well of each micro plate were filled with 8 mL ultra violet sterilized sea water and 50 fertilized eggs. Temperature was set using Multi Thermo Incubator which has 5 level racks. Temperatures were set from the lowest to the highest on bottom to upper rack order. To maintain eggs dispersed in the medium, shaker on each rack was operated at 150 RPM. The embryo was monitored every 30-60 minutes depends on embryonic stage development using Microscope which was connected to Digital Camera DXM 1200F. Image analyses by Image Analyzer Program. The results showed, incubation temperature was significantly affect (P<0.05 embryonic development and hatching time of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares eggs. Optimum incubation temperature for embryo development and hatching was 28°C. Decreased on incubation temperature slows down embryo development at all stages, and vice versa, increased on incubation temperature accelerates embryo development.

  18. Geographic variation in avian incubation periods and parental influences on embryonic temperature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, T.E.; Auer, S.K.; Bassar, R.D.; Niklison, Alina M.; Lloyd, P.

    2007-01-01

    Theory predicts shorter embryonic periods in species with greater embryo mortality risk and smaller body size. Field studies of 80 passerine species on three continents yielded data that largely conflicted with theory; incubation (embryonic) periods were longer rather than shorter in smaller species, and egg (embryo) mortality risk explained some variation within regions, but did not explain larger differences in incubation periods among geographic regions. Incubation behavior of parents seems to explain these discrepancies. Bird embryos are effectively ectothermic and depend on warmth provided by parents sitting on the eggs to attain proper temperatures for development. Parents of smaller species, plus tropical and southern hemisphere species, commonly exhibited lower nest attentiveness (percent of time spent on the nest incubating) than larger and northern hemisphere species. Lower nest attentiveness produced cooler minimum and average embryonic temperatures that were correlated with longer incubation periods independent of nest predation risk or body size. We experimentally tested this correlation by swapping eggs of species with cool incubation temperatures with eggs of species with warm incubation temperatures and similar egg mass. Incubation periods changed (shortened or lengthened) as expected and verified the importance of egg temperature on development rate. Slower development resulting from cooler temperatures may simply be a cost imposed on embryos by parents and may not enhance offspring quality. At the same time, incubation periods of transferred eggs did not match host species and reflect intrinsic differences among species that may result from nest predation and other selection pressures. Thus, geographic variation in embryonic development may reflect more complex interactions than previously recognized. ?? 2007 The Author(s).

  19. Degradation of 14C-ETU in a soil profile investigated by means of incubation in two different incubation systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bech, A.; Johannesen, H.

    1994-07-01

    The purpose of the paper is to elucidate the mechanism of biodegradation of ethylenethiourea (ETU) in arable soils, both on the surface and in the deeper layers. The effect of incubation system upon the ETU biodegradation was studied by incubation of undisturbed and mixed soil cores in tubes or flasks respectively. The total mineralization of ETU to CO2 in the ploughed layer and in the deeper layers is investigated by means of biodegradation tests with 14 C-ETU in soil samples collected from 15, 60 and 100 cm depth. ETU microbial biodegradation was studied in a series of tests covering conversion and isolation of ETU degrading microorganisms. (EG) 86 refs

  20. A new view of avian life-history evolution tested on an incubation paradox.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Thomas E

    2002-02-07

    Viewing life-history evolution in birds based on an age-specific mortality framework can explain broad life-history patterns, including the long incubation periods in southern latitudes documented here. I show that incubation periods of species that are matched phylogenetically and ecologically between Argentina and Arizona are longer in Argentina. Long incubation periods have mystified scientists because they increase the accumulated risk of time-dependent mortality to young without providing a clear benefit. I hypothesize that parents of species with low adult mortality accept increased risk of mortality to their young from longer incubation if this allows reduced risk of mortality to themselves. During incubation, songbird parents can reduce risk of mortality to themselves by reducing nest attentiveness (percentage of time on the nest). Here I show that parents of species with lower adult mortality exhibit reduced nest attentiveness and that lower attentiveness is associated with longer incubation periods. However, the incubation period is also modified by juvenile mortality. Clutch size variation is also strongly correlated with age-specific mortality. Ultimately, adult and juvenile mortality explain variation in incubation and other life-history traits better than the historical paradigm.

  1. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMPANY AND INCUBATOR FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Paula Ferreira Alves

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The biotechnology activities development demands an intense academic and scientific basis, a productive sector capable of transforming academic research in scientific products and services, and the creation of an institutional environment to promote the sector’s development. Moreover, many biotechnology companies establish formal partnerships with Universities (by technological incubator to expand innovative capacity coming into the market. The importance of biotechnology for developing countries is perceived by its ability to promote national development based on knowledge and innovation. In Brazil, the government establishes technological incubators to accelerate the company consolidation. In this way, it is important to study the relationship between the actors involved. In this context, this article aims to analyze the relationship between a technological incubator and a biotech company. To do so, the qualitative approach was adopted to reach the objective. Interviews with incubator’s employees of a Brazilian University and biotechnology company’s managers were conducted. The results show that the company-incubator interaction promoted projects approval which were able to support new researches development and to purchase production equipment. Incubated companies have higher chances of survival in the market from the interaction with University, through the technological incubator. The relationship between the incubator and the biotech company is considered a fundamental condition for biotechnology activities development.

  2. [Centralized management strategy of the infant incubators in NICUs].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Hong-cheng

    2005-07-01

    There are many problems existing at present in the incubator applications and management. Among them, the prominent problems are their cleaning and disinfection. We hope to find, through the centralized management and clinical engineering, an efficient strategy in order to get more reasonable and better maintenance, cleaning and training for infant incubators in NICUs. Scientific management will provide an excellent service to infant patients.

  3. Preliminary evaluation of alternative waste form solidification processes. Volume II. Evaluation of the processes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1980-08-01

    This Volume II presents engineering feasibility evaluations of the eleven processes for solidification of nuclear high-level liquid wastes (HHLW) described in Volume I of this report. Each evaluation was based in a systematic assessment of the process in respect to six principal evaluation criteria: complexity of process; state of development; safety; process requirements; development work required; and facility requirements. The principal criteria were further subdivided into a total of 22 subcriteria, each of which was assigned a weight. Each process was then assigned a figure of merit, on a scale of 1 to 10, for each of the subcriteria. A total rating was obtained for each process by summing the products of the subcriteria ratings and the subcriteria weights. The evaluations were based on the process descriptions presented in Volume I of this report, supplemented by information obtained from the literature, including publications by the originators of the various processes. Waste form properties were, in general, not evaluated. This document describes the approach which was taken, the developent and application of the rating criteria and subcriteria, and the evaluation results. A series of appendices set forth summary descriptions of the processes and the ratings, together with the complete numerical ratings assigned; two appendices present further technical details on the rating process

  4. Nitrogen dynamics in stream wood samples incubated with [14C]lignocellulose and potassium[15N]nitrate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aumen, N.G.; Bottomley, P.J.; Gregory, S.V.

    1985-01-01

    Surface wood samples obtained from a Douglas fir log incubated in vitro with [ 14 C]lignocellulose in a defined mineral salts medium supplemented with 10 mg of N liter -1 of 15 N-labeled NO 3 - (50 atom % 15 N). Evolution of 14 CO 2 , distribution and isotopic dilution of 15 N, filtrate N concentrations, and the rates of denitrification, N 2 fixation, and respiration were measured at 6, 12, and 18 days of incubation. The organic N content of the lignocellulose-wood sample mixture had increased from 132 μg of N to a maximum of 231 μg of N per treatment after 6 days of incubation. Rates of [ 14 C]lignocellulose decomposition were greatest during the first 6 days and then began to decline over the remaining 12 days. Total CO 2 evolution was also highest at day 6 and declined steadily over the remaining duration of the incubation. Filtrate NH 4 + -N increased from background levels to a final value of 57 μg of N per treatment. Filtrate NO 3 - N completely disappeared by day 6, and organic N showed a slight decline between days 12 and 18. The majority of the 15 N that could be recovered appeared in the particulate organic fraction by day 6 (41 μg of N), and the filtrate NH 4 + N fraction contained 11 μg of 15 N by day 18. The 15 N enrichment values of the filtrate NH 4 + and the inorganic N associated with the particulate fraction had increased to approximately 20 atom % 15 N by 18 days of incubation, whereas the particulate organic fraction reached its highest enrichment by day 6. Measurements of N 2 fixation and denitrification indicated an insignificant gain or loss of N from the experimental system by these processes. The data show that woody debris in stream ecosystems might function as a rapid and efficient sink for exogenous N, resulting in stimulation of wood decomposition and subsequent activation of other N cycling processes

  5. A case study of incubation of tourism activities in the region of Subotica as a chance of tourism management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zedi Ildiko

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The development of tourism at the micro level can be channeled through various aspects of the implementation of business ideas. One of the features of modern mechanisms is the use of business incubators and their ability to implement business ideas of tourist industry. Specific target groups, who want to do business in the field of tourism, with the support of the incubator can get through the first 3 years of operations, which are needed to stabilize. Incubation of tourism services, so far hasn't been the subject of the research and study in our region, because the incubators were big news in our country. The micro-entrepreneurship, in the sector in which has a lot of beginners in the field of tourism, the problems of management and its development are closely related to the usual problems of starting his own business, with the risks that are specific to the tourism sector. The tourism sector is a very sensitive sector of the economy, who right now, very quickly respond to any changes in the environment. This paper discusses about the possibility of using business incubators for incubation of tourist services, the conditions for the development of management skills, to overcome the risk in the business, the link of business incubation of micro level with the development of the tourism industry, through case studies. The aim is to conclude as specified instructions that will help Micro-entrepreneurs in the process of incubation of tourist services and developing their own organizational management in practice. They will apply normative methods, namely: observation, comparison, analysis and synthesis, inference of induction and deduction.

  6. Micro-incubator for bacterial biosensing applications

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Clasen, E

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The presence of Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a commonly used indicator micro-organism to determine whether water is safe for human consumption. This paper discusses the design of a micro-incubator that can be applied to concentrate bacteria prior...

  7. Incubation Temperature, But Not Pequi Oil Supplementation, Affects Methane Production, and the Ruminal Microbiota in a Rumen Simulation Technique (Rusitec System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea C. Duarte

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Lipid supplementation is a promising strategy for methane mitigation in cattle and has been evaluated using several different lipid sources. However, limited studies have assessed the effect of temperature on methane emissions from cattle and changes in incubation temperature have also not been extensively evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the combined effect of pequi oil (high in unsaturated fatty acids and incubation temperature on fermentation characteristics and microbial communities using the rumen simulation technique. A completely randomized experiment was conducted over a 28-day period using a Rusitec system. The experiment was divided into four periods of 7 days each, the first of which was a 7-day adaptation period followed by three experimental periods. The two treatments consisted of a control diet (no pequi oil inclusion and a diet supplemented with pequi oil (1.5 mL/day which increased the dietary fat content to 6% (dry matter, DM-basis. Three fermenter vessels (i.e., replicates were allocated to each treatment. In the first experimental period, the incubation temperature was maintained at 39°C, decreased to 35°C in the second experimental period and then increased again to 39°C in the third. Pequi oil was continuously supplemented during the experiment. Microbial communities were assessed using high-throughput sequencing of the archaeal and bacterial 16S rRNA gene. Methane production was reduced by 57% following a 4°C decrease in incubation temperature. Supplementation with pequi oil increased the dietary fat content to 6% (DM-basis but did not affect methane production. Analysis of the microbiota revealed that decreasing incubation temperature to 35°C affected the archaeal and bacterial diversity and richness of liquid-associated microbes, but lipid supplementation did not change microbial diversity.

  8. Exposing broiler eggs to green, red and white light during incubation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Archer, G S

    2017-07-01

    Previous work has shown that exposing broiler eggs to white light during incubation can improve hatchability and post-hatch animal welfare. It was hypothesized that due to how different wavelengths of light can affect avian physiology differently, and how pigmented eggshells filter light that different monochromatic wavelengths would have differential effects on hatchability and post-hatch animal welfare indicators. To determine, we incubated chicken eggs (n=6912) under either no light (dark), green light, red light or white light; the light level was 250 lux. White and red light were observed to increase hatch of fertile (P0.05). Fear response of during isolation and tonic immobility was reduced (P0.05) from dark incubated broilers. All light incubated broilers had lower (Phatchery efficiency and post-hatch animal welfare at the same time.

  9. Preterm infant thermal care: differing thermal environments produced by air versus skin servo-control incubators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, K A; Burr, R

    1999-06-01

    Incubator thermal environments produced by skin versus air servo-control were compared. Infant abdominal skin and incubator air temperatures were recorded from 18 infants in skin servo-control and 14 infants in air servo-control (26- to 29-week gestational age, 14 +/- 2 days postnatal age) for 24 hours. Differences in incubator and infant temperature, neutral thermal environment (NTE) maintenance, and infant and incubator circadian rhythm were examined using analysis of variance and scatterplots. Skin servo-control resulted in more variable air temperature, yet more stable infant temperature, and more time within the NTE. Circadian rhythm of both infant and incubator temperature differed by control mode and the relationship between incubator and infant temperature rhythms was a function of control mode. The differences between incubator control modes extend beyond temperature stability and maintenance of NTE. Circadian rhythm of incubator and infant temperatures is influenced by incubator control.

  10. Small business incubators: An emerging phenomenon in South Africa’s SMME economy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mukovhe Masutha

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available In South Africa much policy attention is focused on the potential of the small, medium and micro-enterprise (SMME economy for job creation. Nevertheless, despite government support for the SMME economy, high mortality rates are experienced by start-up enterprises. In common with international experience South Africa has adopted business incubation as a strategic tool for assisting the survival as well as building the competitiveness of SMMEs. This article analyses the state of business incubation in South Africa drawing attention to marked differences between the groups of public sector business incubators as opposed to those business incubators which have been initiated by the private sector.

  11. Being flexible through customization : The impact of incubator focus and customization strategies on incubate survival and growth

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vanderstraeten, J.; van Witteloostuijn, Arjen; Matthyssens, P.; Andreassi, T.

    Given the increased importance of flexibility in company development models, it is not surprising that start-up support structures such as business incubators give more attention to flexible service offerings. In this paper, we argue that an incubator’s service customization strategy is ideal in

  12. Metabolic cost of incubation in the Laysan albatross and Bonin petrel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grant, G S; Whittow, G C

    1983-01-01

    1. Oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production were measured in resting and incubating Laysan albatrosses and Bonin petrels on Midway Atoll in the north central Pacific Ocean. 2. Incubation metabolism within the thermal neutral zone is less than or equal to resting metabolism in the albatross and petrel. 3. The respiratory quotients (0.64-0.72) during the long fasts indicate fat metabolism. 4. The estimated fractional water content of the albatross and petrel do not change during incubation fasts because water loss is balanced by metabolic water production.

  13. The Data Envelopment Analysis Method in Benchmarking of Technological Incubators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bożena Kaczmarska

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an original concept for the application of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA in benchmarking processes within innovation and entrepreneurship centers based on the example of technological incubators. Applying the DEA method, it is possible to order analyzed objects, on the basis of explicitly defined relative efficiency, by compiling a rating list and rating classes. Establishing standards and indicating “clearances” allows the studied objects - innovation and entrepreneurship centers - to select a way of developing effectively, as well as preserving their individuality and a unique way of acting with the account of local needs. (original abstract

  14. Benzoic Acid Production with Respect to Starter Culture and Incubation Temperature during Yogurt Fermentation using Response Surface Methodology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Hyung-Seok; Lee, Na-Kyoung; Jeon, Hye-Lin; Eom, Su Jin; Yoo, Mi-Young; Lim, Sang-Dong; Paik, Hyun-Dong

    2016-01-01

    Benzoic acid is occasionally used as a raw material supplement in food products and is sometimes generated during the fermentation process. In this study, the production of naturally occurring yogurt preservatives was investigated for various starter cultures and incubation temperatures, and considered food regulations. Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus plantarum, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium lactis, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium infantis, and Bifidobacterium breve were used as yogurt starter cultures in commercial starters. Among these strains, L. rhamnosus and L. paracasei showed the highest production of benzoic acid. Therefore, the use of L. rhamnosus, L. paracasei, S. thermophilus, and different incubation temperatures were examined to optimize benzoic acid production. Response surface methodology (RSM) based on a central composite design was performed for various incubation temperatures (35-44℃) and starter culture inoculum ratios (0-0.04%) in a commercial range of dairy fermentation processes. The optimum conditions were 0.04% L. rhamnosus, 0.01% L. paracasei, 0.02% S. thermophilus, and 38.12℃, and the predicted and estimated concentrations of benzoic acid were 13.31 and 13.94 mg/kg, respectively. These conditions maximized naturally occurring benzoic acid production during the yogurt fermentation process, and the observed production levels satisfied regulatory guidelines for benzoic acid in dairy products.

  15. Image quality associated with the use of an MR-compatible incubator in neonatal neuroimaging.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    O'Regan, K

    2012-04-01

    MRI in the neonate poses significant challenges associated with patient transport and monitoring, and the potential for diminished image quality owing to patient motion. The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of a dedicated MR-compatible incubator with integrated radiofrequency coils in improving image quality of MRI studies of the brain acquired in term and preterm neonates using standard MRI equipment.

  16. In vitro motility evaluation of aggregated cancer cells by means of automatic image processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Hauwer, C; Darro, F; Camby, I; Kiss, R; Van Ham, P; Decaesteker, C

    1999-05-01

    Set up of an automatic image processing based method that enables the motility of in vitro aggregated cells to be evaluated for a number of hours. Our biological model included the PC-3 human prostate cancer cell line growing as a monolayer on the bottom of Falcon plastic dishes containing conventional culture media. Our equipment consisted of an incubator, an inverted phase contrast microscope, a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) video camera, and a computer equipped with an image processing software developed in our laboratory. This computer-assisted microscope analysis of aggregated cells enables global cluster motility to be evaluated. This analysis also enables the trajectory of each cell to be isolated and parametrized within a given cluster or, indeed, the trajectories of individual cells outside a cluster. The results show that motility inside a PC-3 cluster is not restricted to slight motion due to cluster expansion, but rather consists of a marked cell movement within the cluster. The proposed equipment enables in vitro aggregated cell motility to be studied. This method can, therefore, be used in pharmacological studies in order to select anti-motility related compounds. The compounds selected by the equipment described could then be tested in vivo as potential anti-metastatic.

  17. DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED IN ISO 9001:2008 IMPLEMENTATION PROJECTS IN INCUBATED TECHNOLOGY-BASED COMPANIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eduardo Gome Salgado

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Quality Management Systems (QMS are designed to continuously improve the performance of organizations aiming to constantly improve their services seeking to overcome their results. Thus, for the services and/or products offered to transmit confidence and credibility, they should be designed within appropriate norms and standards. This research aims to assess the difficulties encountered by the incubated companies participating in the PRIME-FINEP project and developing projects for certification of their QMS in accordance with ISO 9001:2008. An exploratory survey was performed in nine incubated technology-based companies (TBC, through a questionnaire with 21 questions totaling the opinion of 20 respondents. After analyzing the data it is concluded, with statistical meaning, that the TBC's with little incubation time present difficulties in implementing the quality policy (5.3, difficulty not identified in other studies conducted in large companies. However difficulties similar to those of the large companies are present in the incubated TBC, and are the following: documentation requirements (4.2 present in all incubated companies (regardless of incubation time, and design and development (7.3 present in companies with little incubation time. The difficulty in implementing the quality policy (5.3 is reflected in the achievement of the QMS certification project in accordance with ISO 9001:2008.

  18. Is the evolution of clutch size limited by incubation ability in shorebirds?

    OpenAIRE

    Beatty, Jessica Lynne

    2015-01-01

    Incubation is a crucial aspect of avian life history where differences in incubation techniques and investments can have long lasting effects on offspring and parental well- being and reproductive success. The factors limiting why some birds, such as shorebirds, have fixed clutch sizes has intrigued life history theorist to propose different hypotheses about the evolution of clutch size. Lack's "incubation limitation hypothesis," suggesting that clutch size is limited by the amount of eggs a ...

  19. Business Incubation as an Instrument of Innovation: The Experience of South America and the Caribbean

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haven Allahar

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines the experience of business incubation as an innovative developmental instrument based on the recent experience of the South American countries of Brazil and Chile and the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. A qualitative research method was adopted involving a review of published reports, journal articles and relevant case studies; and face-to-face semi-structured interviews with incubator managerial staff. The major findings are that there are great similarities among the incubators studied in terms of their links to universities, services offered, and funding challenges, but there is growing acceptance of incubation as a potentially valid tool for promoting business development and innovation although most incubators are at the early stage. The paper is original because the case study application to incubation in Trinidad and Tobago is new with only one related article published, and this study therefore adds value to the body of research because business incubation has been under-researched in the study area. The research is limited to the extent that the case study focuses on a comparison of selected incubator features and did not include the views of clients. The practical implications of this study is that sponsors of incubators and managers need to obtain a deeper understanding of the incubation ecosystem especially with regard to innovation-based incubators, if successful innovative businesses are to emerge. The results of the study can also be generalized over the small island developing states of the Caribbean.

  20. Can incubators work in Africa? Acorn Technologies and the entrepreneur-centric model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakma, Justin; Masum, Hassan; Singer, Peter A

    2010-12-13

    Incubators are organizations that support the growth of new and typically technology-based enterprises, by providing business support services that bring together human and financial capital. Although the traditional role of incubators has been for economic development, they may also be a useful policy lever to tackle global health, by fostering the development and delivery of local health innovation.Given its high disease burden, life sciences incubators hold particular potential for Africa. As the most industrially advanced African nation, South Africa serves as a litmus test for identifying effective incubator policies. The case study method was used to illustrate how one such publicly funded incubator founded in 2002, Acorn Technologies, helped to catalyze local health product innovation. Acorn helped to support twelve biomedical device firms. One of them, Real World Diagnostics, was founded by a trainee from Acorn's innovative internship program (Hellfire). It developed rapid strip diagnostic tests for locally prevalent diseases including schistosomiasis and HIV, and reported $2 million (USD) in revenue in 2009.Acorn achieved this success by operating as a non-profit virtual incubator with little physical infrastructure. Employing a virtual model in combination with stringent selection criteria of capital efficiency for clients proved to be effective in reducing its own fixed costs. Acorn focused on entrepreneurship training and networking, both critical at an early stage in an environment dominated by multinational biomedical device companies.Acorn and its clients learned that employing a cross-subsidy business model allowed one to generate royalty revenue through imports to subsidize R&D for local diseases. However, funding constraints and government expectations for rapid self-sustainability forced Acorn to merge with its sister biotechnology incubator in 2009. A key to Acorn's achievements was identifying entrepreneurs with technologies with health and

  1. Can incubators work in Africa? Acorn Technologies and the entrepreneur-centric model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Singer Peter A

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Incubators are organizations that support the growth of new and typically technology-based enterprises, by providing business support services that bring together human and financial capital. Although the traditional role of incubators has been for economic development, they may also be a useful policy lever to tackle global health, by fostering the development and delivery of local health innovation. Given its high disease burden, life sciences incubators hold particular potential for Africa. As the most industrially advanced African nation, South Africa serves as a litmus test for identifying effective incubator policies. The case study method was used to illustrate how one such publicly funded incubator founded in 2002, Acorn Technologies, helped to catalyze local health product innovation. Discussion Acorn helped to support twelve biomedical device firms. One of them, Real World Diagnostics, was founded by a trainee from Acorn’s innovative internship program (Hellfire. It developed rapid strip diagnostic tests for locally prevalent diseases including schistosomiasis and HIV, and reported $2 million (USD in revenue in 2009. Acorn achieved this success by operating as a non-profit virtual incubator with little physical infrastructure. Employing a virtual model in combination with stringent selection criteria of capital efficiency for clients proved to be effective in reducing its own fixed costs. Acorn focused on entrepreneurship training and networking, both critical at an early stage in an environment dominated by multinational biomedical device companies. Acorn and its clients learned that employing a cross-subsidy business model allowed one to generate royalty revenue through imports to subsidize R&D for local diseases. However, funding constraints and government expectations for rapid self-sustainability forced Acorn to merge with its sister biotechnology incubator in 2009. Summary A key to Acorn’s achievements was

  2. Can incubators work in Africa? Acorn Technologies and the entrepreneur-centric model

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    Background Incubators are organizations that support the growth of new and typically technology-based enterprises, by providing business support services that bring together human and financial capital. Although the traditional role of incubators has been for economic development, they may also be a useful policy lever to tackle global health, by fostering the development and delivery of local health innovation. Given its high disease burden, life sciences incubators hold particular potential for Africa. As the most industrially advanced African nation, South Africa serves as a litmus test for identifying effective incubator policies. The case study method was used to illustrate how one such publicly funded incubator founded in 2002, Acorn Technologies, helped to catalyze local health product innovation. Discussion Acorn helped to support twelve biomedical device firms. One of them, Real World Diagnostics, was founded by a trainee from Acorn’s innovative internship program (Hellfire). It developed rapid strip diagnostic tests for locally prevalent diseases including schistosomiasis and HIV, and reported $2 million (USD) in revenue in 2009. Acorn achieved this success by operating as a non-profit virtual incubator with little physical infrastructure. Employing a virtual model in combination with stringent selection criteria of capital efficiency for clients proved to be effective in reducing its own fixed costs. Acorn focused on entrepreneurship training and networking, both critical at an early stage in an environment dominated by multinational biomedical device companies. Acorn and its clients learned that employing a cross-subsidy business model allowed one to generate royalty revenue through imports to subsidize R&D for local diseases. However, funding constraints and government expectations for rapid self-sustainability forced Acorn to merge with its sister biotechnology incubator in 2009. Summary A key to Acorn’s achievements was identifying entrepreneurs

  3. The design of multi temperature and humidity monitoring system for incubator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Junyu; Xu, Peng; Peng, Zitao; Qiang, Haonan; Shen, Xiaoyan

    2017-01-01

    Currently, there is only one monitor of the temperature and humidity in an incubator, which may cause inaccurate or unreliable data, and even endanger the life safety of the baby. In order to solve this problem,we designed a multi-point temperature and humidity monitoring system for incubators. The system uses the STC12C5A60S2 microcontrollers as the sender core chip which is connected to four AM2321 temperature and humidity sensors. We select STM32F103ZET6 core development board as the receiving end,cooperating with Zigbee wireless transmitting and receiving module to realize data acquisition and transmission. This design can realize remote real-time observation data on the computer by communicating with PC via Ethernet. Prototype tests show that the system can effectively collect and display the information of temperature and humidity of multiple incubators at the same time and there are four monitors in each incubator.

  4. CO2 emissions from soil incubated with sugarcane straw and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    SAM

    2014-08-13

    Aug 13, 2014 ... CO2 emissions peaked at 5.45, 10.82, 14.00, 11.92 and 11.20, 14.47, 15.98,and 14.74 µg mol of. CO2 g-1 s-1 within the ... of mineral N for plants and microorganisms. The .... incubation and were highest when incubated at 30°C with average daily ... because the majority of labile C had been consumed.

  5. Probabilistic analysis of degradation incubation time of steam generator tubing materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pandey, M.D.; Jyrkama, M.I.; Lu, Y.; Chi, L.

    2012-01-01

    The prediction of degradation free lifetime of steam generator (SG) tubing material is an important step in the life cycle management and decision for replacement of steam generators during the refurbishment of a nuclear station. Therefore, an extensive experimental research program has been undertaken by the Canadian Nuclear Industry to investigate the degradation of widely-used SG tubing alloys, namely, Alloy 600 TT, Alloy 690 TT, and Alloy 800. The corrosion related degradations of passive metals, such as pitting, crevice corrosion and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) etc. are assumed to start with the break down of the passive film at the tube-environment interface, which is characterized by the incubation time for passivity breakdown and then the degradation growth rate, and both are influenced by the chemical environment and coolant temperature. Since the incubation time and growth rate exhibit significant variability in the laboratory tests used to simulate these degradation processes, the use of probabilistic modeling is warranted. A pit is initiated with the breakdown of the passive film on the SG tubing surface. Upon exposure to aggressive environments, pitting corrosion may not initiate immediately, or may initiate and then re-passivate. The time required to initiate pitting corrosion is called the pitting incubation time, and that can be used to characterize the corrosion resistance of a material under specific test conditions. Pitting may be the precursor to other corrosion degradation mechanisms, such as environmentally-assisted cracking. This paper will provide an overview of the results of the first stage of experimental program in which samples of Alloy 600 TT, Alloy 690 TT, and Alloy 800 were tested under various temperatures and potentials and simulated crevice environments. The testing environment was chosen to represent layup, startup, and full operating conditions of the steam generators. Degradation incubation times for over 80 samples were

  6. Sod1 deficiency reduces incubation time in mouse models of prion disease.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shaheen Akhtar

    Full Text Available Prion infections, causing neurodegenerative conditions such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and kuru in humans, scrapie in sheep and BSE in cattle are characterised by prolonged and variable incubation periods that are faithfully reproduced in mouse models. Incubation time is partly determined by genetic factors including polymorphisms in the prion protein gene. Quantitative trait loci studies in mice and human genome-wide association studies have confirmed that multiple genes are involved. Candidate gene approaches have also been used and identified App, Il1-r1 and Sod1 as affecting incubation times. In this study we looked for an association between App, Il1-r1 and Sod1 representative SNPs and prion disease incubation time in the Northport heterogeneous stock of mice inoculated with the Chandler/RML prion strain. No association was seen with App, however, significant associations were seen with Il1-r1 (P = 0.02 and Sod1 (P<0.0001 suggesting that polymorphisms at these loci contribute to the natural variation observed in incubation time. Furthermore, following challenge with Chandler/RML, ME7 and MRC2 prion strains, Sod1 deficient mice showed highly significant reductions in incubation time of 20, 13 and 24%, respectively. No differences were detected in Sod1 expression or activity. Our data confirm the protective role of endogenous Sod1 in prion disease.

  7. Comparison of the flows of nitrogen and inorganic phosphorous, dissolved in the Cienaga Grande de Santa Marta, Colombian Caribbean; obtained from incubation cameras in situ and incubation of silt nucleus in laboratory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Navas S, Gabriel R; Zea Sven; Campos, Nestor Hernando

    2002-01-01

    This research focused on the comparison of low cost methodologies to determine ionic nitrogen and phosphorous fluxes across the soft sediment-water interface in Cienaga Grande de Santa Marta. In situ transparent incubation chambers and sediment cores for laboratory incubation were employed. It was found that inside the incubation chambers a depletion of dissolved oxygen occurred thus the incubation couldn't be extended for more than six hours, time insufficiently to detect important variations in concentration of the analyzed ions. Furthermore in addition, chambers were difficult to handle. Twenty-four hour sediment core incubation in the laboratory did not have the above-mentioned problems. Oxygen concentration could be kept constant, and ion concentration changes were generally large enough to allow quantitative estimations of the fluxes

  8. Biomaterials trigger endothelial cell activation when co-incubated with human whole blood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herklotz, Manuela; Hanke, Jasmin; Hänsel, Stefanie; Drichel, Juliane; Marx, Monique; Maitz, Manfred F; Werner, Carsten

    2016-10-01

    Endothelial cell activation resulting from biomaterial contact or biomaterial-induced blood activation may in turn also affect hemostasis and inflammatory processes in the blood. Current in vitro hemocompatibility assays typically ignore these modulating effects of the endothelium. This study describes a co-incubation system of human whole blood, biomaterial and endothelial cells (ECs) that was developed to overcome this limitation. First, human endothelial cells were characterized in terms of their expression of coagulation- and inflammation-relevant markers in response to various activators. Subsequently, their capacity to regulate hemostasis as well as complement and granulocyte activation was monitored in a hemocompatibility assay. After blood contact, quiescent ECs exhibited anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory properties. When they were co-incubated with surfaces exhibiting pro-coagulant or pro-inflammatory characteristics, the ECs down-regulated coagulation but not complement or leukocyte activation. Analysis of intracellular levels of the endothelial activation markers E-selectin and tissue factor showed that co-incubation with model surfaces and blood significantly increased the activation state of ECs. Finally, the coagulation- and inflammation-modulating properties of the ECs were tested after blood/biomaterial exposure. Pre-activation of ECs by biomaterials in the blood induced a pro-coagulant and pro-inflammatory state of the ECs, wherein the pro-coagulant response was higher for biomaterial/blood pre-activated ECs than for TNF-α-pre-activated cells. This work provides evidence that biomaterials, even without directly contacting the endothelium, affect the endothelial activation state with and have consequences for plasmatic and cellular reactions in the blood. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. The Incubator Concept as an Entry Mode Option for Danish SME's

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hollensen, Svend; Dyhr Ulrich, Anna Marie

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this article is to investigate the relevance of an alternative entry mode, the incubator concept. Such an alternative entry mode like the so-called incubator is increasingly being used as a shortcut or bridge to a distant market. In-depth qualitative research on a selected case (Kelsen...

  10. 76 FR 30696 - Technology Evaluation Process

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-26

    ...-NOA-0039] Technology Evaluation Process AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy... (DOE) seeks comments and information related to a commercial buildings technology evaluation process... evaluation efforts. The goal of creating this standard process is to evaluate energy-saving technologies in a...

  11. Prions in milk from ewes incubating natural scrapie.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caroline Lacroux

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Since prion infectivity had never been reported in milk, dairy products originating from transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE-affected ruminant flocks currently enter unrestricted into the animal and human food chain. However, a recently published study brought the first evidence of the presence of prions in mammary secretions from scrapie-affected ewes. Here we report the detection of consistent levels of infectivity in colostrum and milk from sheep incubating natural scrapie, several months prior to clinical onset. Additionally, abnormal PrP was detected, by immunohistochemistry and PET blot, in lacteal ducts and mammary acini. This PrP(Sc accumulation was detected only in ewes harbouring mammary ectopic lymphoid follicles that developed consequent to Maedi lentivirus infection. However, bioassay revealed that prion infectivity was present in milk and colostrum, not only from ewes with such lympho-proliferative chronic mastitis, but also from those displaying lesion-free mammary glands. In milk and colostrum, infectivity could be recovered in the cellular, cream, and casein-whey fractions. In our samples, using a Tg 338 mouse model, the highest per ml infectious titre measured was found to be equivalent to that contained in 6 microg of a posterior brain stem from a terminally scrapie-affected ewe. These findings indicate that both colostrum and milk from small ruminants incubating TSE could contribute to the animal TSE transmission process, either directly or through the presence of milk-derived material in animal feedstuffs. It also raises some concern with regard to the risk to humans of TSE exposure associated with milk products from ovine and other TSE-susceptible dairy species.

  12. Network brokers or hit makers? Analyzing the influence of incubation on start-up investments

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Rijnsoever, Frank J.; Van Weele, Marijn A.; Eveleens, Chris P.

    Incubators are a prominent way to support technology based start-ups. Yet, it remains unclear to what extent these incubators enhance start-up performance, nor is it known through which mechanisms this would occur. In this paper we test two mechanisms to explain the relationship between incubation

  13. Assessment of predation risk through referential communication in incubating birds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, Toshitaka N.

    2015-05-01

    Parents of many bird species produce alarm calls when they approach and deter a nest predator in order to defend their offspring. Alarm calls have been shown to warn nestlings about predatory threats, but parents also face a similar risk of predation when incubating eggs in their nests. Here, I show that incubating female Japanese great tits, Parus minor, assess predation risk by conspecific alarm calls given outside the nest cavity. Tits produce acoustically discrete alarm calls for different nest predators: “jar” calls for snakes and “chicka” calls for other predators such as crows and martens. Playback experiments revealed that incubating females responded to “jar” calls by leaving their nest, whereas they responded to “chicka” calls by looking out of the nest entrance. Since snakes invade the nest cavity, escaping from the nest helps females avoid snake predation. In contrast, “chicka” calls are used for a variety of predator types, and therefore, looking out of the nest entrance helps females gather information about the type and location of approaching predators. These results show that incubating females derive information about predator type from different types of alarm calls, providing a novel example of functionally referential communication.

  14. Availability of caesium isotopes in vegetation estimated from incubation and extraction experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salbu, B.; Oestby, G.; Garmo, T.H.; Hove, K.

    1992-01-01

    A rapid and inexpensive incubation and extraction technique for estimating the available low molecular weight and potentially bioavailable fraction of Cs isotopes in vegetation has been developed. Samples of contaminated vegetation (grass, herbage and fungi) and litter were exposed to rumen liquid from sheep, by in vitro incubation or by placing nylon bags in the rumen of sheep (in sacco). The results were compared with laboratory extractions using rumen buffer, NH 4 OAc, CsCl and de-ionized water. The release of low molecular weight 137 Cs species after in vitro incubation with rumen liquid for 4-8 h was 75-85% for grass, herbage and fungi, 30% for lichen and 10% for litter. The reproducibility of the method was 5% for digestible matrices and 10-20% for litter where the fraction of Cs isotopes released was small. Extractions with NH 4 OAc and CsCl released 75 and 80% of the Cs isotopes in grass, respectively. Significantly lower extraction yields were obtained with de-ionized water and buffer. During in sacco incubation, 90-100% of the Cs isotopes in vegetation was released within 1 h; however, potentially available low molecular weight forms and Cs-bearing colloidal material could not be differentiated. The results obtained by incubation with rumen liquid and by extraction with NH 4 OAc or CsCl were in good agreement with published data from a 3 week feeding trial. For practical reasons extraction with NH 4 OAc or CsCl rather than incubation with rumen liquid is recommended for estimating the fraction of available low molecular weight Cs species. Results from incubation with rumen liquid showed that the availability of Cs isotopes in grass collected in 1986 was low (15%), but increased with time up to 1989 (75-80%). It is probable that the high fraction of inert 137 Cs species reflects surface contamination in 1986. (author)

  15. Technology Business Incubators in China and India

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tang, Mingfeng; Baskaran, Angathevar; Pancholi, Jatin

    2011-01-01

    We present a comparative case study of Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) in two major emerging economies in Asia - China and India. We employ an integrative analytical framework that combines three broad categories of indicators (originally developed by developed by Mian, 1997): Management...

  16. A STUDY ON INDIAN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE BASED BUSINESS INCUBATORS

    OpenAIRE

    RANA BASU; DHRUBES BISWAS

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to identify and explore the various range of business incubation services being provided to the nascent entrepreneurs which is based on comprehensive compilation and subsequent analysis of literature followed by case based approach in context to Indian higher educational institute (HEI) based business incubation centres. The objective behind this research is to critically assess the assistance services and to prioritize the service dimensions provided by the busin...

  17. Monitoring System and Temperature Controlling on PID Based Poultry Hatching Incubator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shafiudin, S.; Kholis, N.

    2018-04-01

    Poultry hatching cultivation is essential to be observed in terms of temperature stability by using artificial penetration incubator which applies On/Off control. The On/Off control produces relatively long response time to reach steady-state conditions. Moreover, how the system works makes the component worn out because the lamp is on-off periodically. Besides, the cultivation in the market is less suitable to be used in an environment which has fluctuating temperature because it may influence plant’s temperature stability. The study aims to design automatic poultry hatching cultivation that can repair the temperature’s response of plant incubator to keep stable and in line with the intended set-point temperature value by using PID controller. The method used in PID controlling is designed to identify plant using ARX (Auto Regressive eXogenous) MATLAB which is dynamic/non-linear to obtain mathematical model and PID constants value that is appropriate to system. The hardware design for PID-based egg incubator uses Arduino Uno R3, as the main controller that includes PID source, and PWM, to keep plant temperature stability, which is integrated with incandescent light actuators and sensors where DHTI 1 sensor as the reader as temperature condition and plant humidity. The result of the study showed that PID constants value of each plant is different. For parallel 15 Watt plant, Kp = 3.9956, Ki = 0.361, Kd = 0, while for parallel 25 Watt plant, the value of Kp = 5.714, Ki = 0.351, Kd = 0. The PID constants value were capable to produce stable system response which is based on set-point with steady state error’s value is around 5%, that is 2.7%. With hatching percentage of 70-80%, the hatching process is successful in air-conditioned environment (changeable).

  18. 15 CFR 286.7 - Evaluation process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Evaluation process. 286.7 Section 286... VOLUNTARY CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT SYSTEM EVALUATION (NVCASE) PROGRAM § 286.7 Evaluation process. (a) Each applicant requesting to be evaluated under NVCASE is expected to initiate the process and assume designated...

  19. Perfil do suporte oferecido pelas incubadoras brasileiras às empresas incubadas The profile of the support offered by the brazilian incubators to the incubated companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabiano Maury Raupp

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available O artigo objetiva delinear o perfil do suporte oferecido pelas incubadoras brasileiras às empresas incubadas. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, de natureza quanti-qualitativa, realizado por meio de pesquisa survey. A população da pesquisa corresponde a 179 incubadoras brasileiras, tendo-se obtido um retorno de 37 delas. A coleta de dados deu-se com base em questionário enviado por e-mail aos coordenadores das incubadoras. Inicia-se o estudo fazendo uma breve incursão teórica acerca de incubadoras de empresas, fases do processo de incubação e suporte das incubadoras às empresas incubadas. Na seqüência, identifica-se os procedimentos metodológicos adotados. Em seguida, procede-se à descrição e análise dos dados coletados. Por último, apresenta-se as conclusões do estudo realizado, bem como recomendações para futuras pesquisas.The goal of this article is to outline the profile of the support offered by the Brazilian incubators to the incubated companies. This is a descriptive study, based on both quality and quantity, done through a survey. The target of the research was 179 Brazilian incubators, having heard from 37 of them. The data collection was based on questionnaire sent through e-mail to the coordinators of the incubators. The study began with a brief theoretical foray about incubators of companies. After that, the adopted methodological procedures are identified. Then, the description and the analysis of the data collected are done. At last, the conclusion of the study and recommendation for future researches are presented.

  20. Characterization of incubation experiments and development of an enrichment culture capable of ammonium oxidation under iron reducing conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, S.; Jaffé, P. R.

    2014-08-01

    Incubation experiments were conducted using soil samples from a forested riparian wetland where we have previously observed anaerobic ammonium oxidation coupled to iron reduction. Production of both nitrite and ferrous iron were measured repeatedly during incubations when the soil slurry was supplied with either ferrihydrite or goethite and ammonium chloride. Significant changes in the microbial community were observed after 180 days of incubation as well as in a continuous flow membrane reactor, using 16S rRNA gene PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, 454-pyrosequencing, and real-time quantitative PCR analysis. We believe that one of the dominant microbial species in our system (an uncultured Acidimicrobiaceae bacterium A6), belonging to the Acidimicrobiaceae family, whose closest cultivated relative is Ferrimicrobium acidiphilum (with 92% identity) and Acidimicrobium ferrooxidans (with 90% identity), might play a key role in this anaerobic biological process that uses ferric iron as an electron acceptor while oxidizing ammonium to nitrite. After ammonium was oxidized to nitrite, nitrogen loss proceeded via denitrification and/or anammox.

  1. Characterization of incubation experiments and development of an enrichment culture capable of ammonium oxidation under iron-reducing conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, S.; Jaffé, P. R.

    2015-02-01

    Incubation experiments were conducted using soil samples from a forested riparian wetland where we have previously observed anaerobic ammonium oxidation coupled to iron reduction. Production of both nitrite and ferrous iron was measured repeatedly during incubations when the soil slurry was supplied with either ferrihydrite or goethite and ammonium chloride. Significant changes in the microbial community were observed after 180 days of incubation as well as in a continuous flow membrane reactor, using 16S rRNA gene PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, 454 pyrosequencing, and real-time quantitative PCR analysis. We be Acidimicrobiaceae bacterium A6), belonging to the Acidimicrobiaceae family, whose closest cultivated relative is Ferrimicrobium acidiphilum (with 92% identity) and Acidimicrobium ferrooxidans (with 90% identity), might play a key role in this anaerobic biological process that uses ferric iron as an electron acceptor while oxidizing ammonium to nitrite. After ammonium was oxidized to nitrite, nitrogen loss proceeded via denitrification and/or anammox.

  2. Dynamics and complexity of body temperature in preterm infants nursed in incubators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jost, Kerstin; Pramana, Isabelle; Delgado-Eckert, Edgar; Kumar, Nitin; Datta, Alexandre N; Frey, Urs; Schulzke, Sven M

    2017-01-01

    Poor control of body temperature is associated with mortality and major morbidity in preterm infants. We aimed to quantify its dynamics and complexity to evaluate whether indices from fluctuation analyses of temperature time series obtained within the first five days of life are associated with gestational age (GA) and body size at birth, and presence and severity of typical comorbidities of preterm birth. We recorded 3h-time series of body temperature using a skin electrode in incubator-nursed preterm infants. We calculated mean and coefficient of variation of body temperature, scaling exponent alpha (Talpha) derived from detrended fluctuation analysis, and sample entropy (TSampEn) of temperature fluctuations. Data were analysed by multilevel multivariable linear regression. Data of satisfactory technical quality were obtained from 285/357 measurements (80%) in 73/90 infants (81%) with a mean (range) GA of 30.1 (24.0-34.0) weeks. We found a positive association of Talpha with increasing levels of respiratory support after adjusting for GA and birth weight z-score (pbody temperature in incubator-nursed preterm infants show considerable associations with GA and respiratory morbidity. Talpha may be a useful marker of autonomic maturity and severity of disease in preterm infants.

  3. Incubator weaning in preterm infants and associated practice variation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneiderman, R; Kirkby, S; Turenne, W; Greenspan, J

    2009-08-01

    To evaluate the relationship of weight of preterm infants when first placed into an open crib with days to full oral feedings, growth velocity and length of stay (LOS), and to identify unwarranted variation in incubator weaning after adjusting for severity indices. A retrospective study using the ParadigmHealth neonatal database from 2003 to 2006 reviewed incubator weaning to an open crib in appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) infants from 22 to weeks gestation. Primary outcome measurements included days to full oral (PO) feeding, weight gain from open crib to discharge and length of stay. Models were severity adjusted. To understand hospital practice variation, we also used a regression model to estimate the weight at open crib for the top 10 volume hospitals. In all 2908 infants met the inclusion criteria for the study. Their mean weight at open crib was 1850 g. On average every additional 100 g an infant weighed at the open crib was associated with increased time to full PO feeding by 0.8 days, decreased weight gained per day by 1 gram and increased LOS by 0.9 days. For the top 10 volume hospitals, severity variables alone accounted for 9% of the variation in weight at open crib, whereas the hospital in which the baby was treated accounted for an additional 19% of the variation. Even after controlling for severity, significant practice variation exists in weaning to an open crib, leading to potential delays in achieving full-volume oral feeds, decreased growth velocity and prolonged LOS.

  4. MARKETING CHALLENGES FOR SOUTH AFRICAN PUBLIC SECTOR BUSINESS INCUBATOR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Donaldson Walter James

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Entrepreneurship and innovation form the cornerstone of economic development in many developing countries. Through this, rather ideal combination employment can be enhanced, communities can be uplifted through education, and growth can be increased through discretionary purchasing power. This cycle has positive spinoffs which can alleviate poverty and decrease famine. Recent local research suggests that more than eighty percent of entrepreneurs, start-ups and Business ‘Incubatees’ don’t make it through their first year of establishment after leaving a Business Incubator programme. This paper tries to identify some of the marketing challenges faced by Business Incubators, and indeed BIMs in the Public Sector environment in South Africa. Identification and highlighting the possible drawbacks for ‘incubatees’ may assist them with success or meeting competitive challenges when they depart from the security of the relevant programmes. This study examines some of the skills, knowledge and attributes required for BIMs in this sector and what is required to meet the business and marketing challenges faced to remain sustainable. The survey was aimed at the largest, focused segment of South African Business Incubators affiliated to the industrial public sector and the hypothesis was to prove that strategic marketing information, acumen and knowledge is a key differentiator towards the growth and sustainability of Business Incubators in that sector. It is notable that these marketing challenges may also compare favourably with several other public sector segments in relevant countries of the southern African region as similar macroeconomic challenges are faced.

  5. Changes in the air cell volume of artificially incubated ostrich eggs ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A total of 2160 images of candled, incubated ostrich eggs were digitized to determine the percentage of egg volume occupied by the air cell at different stages of incubation. The air cell on average occupied 2.5% of the volume of fresh eggs. For eggs that hatched successfully, this volume increased to an average of 24.4% ...

  6. Design of fiber optic based respiratory sensor for newborn incubator application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhia, Arika; Devara, Kresna; Abuzairi, Tomy; Poespawati, N. R.; Purnamaningsih, Retno W.

    2018-02-01

    This paper reports the design of respiratory sensor using fiber optic for newborn incubator application. The sensor works based on light intensity losses difference obtained due to thorax movement during respiration. The output of the sensor launched to support electronic circuits to be processed in Arduino Uno microcontroler such that the real-time respiratory rate (breath per minute) can be presented on LCD. Experiment results using thorax expansion of newborn simulator show that the system is able to measure respiratory rate from 10 up to 130 breaths per minute with 0.595% error and 0.2% hysteresis error.

  7. Selective medium for aerobic incubation of Campylobacter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Studies were conducted on the formulation of a selective medium that could be used to isolate Campylobacter from mixed bacterial cultures using aerobic incubation. A non-selective, basal broth medium was prepared and supplemented with Bolton, Cefex, or Skirrow antibiotic mixtures. The ability of pur...

  8. Transferases activity in blood plasma of chickens hatched from eggs irradiated during incubation by low dose gamma rays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kraljevic, P.; Vilic, M.; Miljanic, S.; Simpraga, M.

    2005-01-01

    In our earlier studies chickens hatched from eggs irradiated with 0.15 Gy gamma rays before incubation showed a significantly higher growth than controls during the fattening period (1-42 days). The activity of aspartate-aminotransferase (AST), alanine-aminotransferase (ALT) and plasma glucose in the same chickens were also significantly higher. These results suggested that low-dose gamma-radiation stimulated certain metabolic processes in chickens hatched from eggs irradiated before incubation. The goal of this study was to determine the effects of low-dose ionising radiation on AST and ALT activity in the blood plasma of chickens hatched from eggs irradiated during incubation. The eggs of heavy breeding chickens (Avian, line 34) were exposed to 0.15 Gy of gamma-radiation (6 0C o) on the seventh day of incubation, i.e. at the time when the organogenesis in chickens is completed. The control group of chickens hatched from non-irradiated eggs. All other conditions were the same for both groups. After hatching, blood samples were taken from the wing vein on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 20, 32 and 42. The activity of both enzymes was determined spectrophotometrically using Boehringer Mannheim GmbH optimised kits. On day 10, AST and ALT activity were significantly higher in the blood plasma of chickens hatched from irradiated eggs, but it significantly dropped for both enzymes on day 20. Our results indicate that exposure of eggs to low-dose gamma-radiation on the seventh day of incubation affects AST and ALT activity in the blood plasma of chickens hatched from irradiated eggs. However, this effect is somewhat different from the effects of egg exposure to low-dose gamma radiation before incubation.(author)

  9. 76 FR 37344 - Technology Evaluation Process

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-06-27

    ...-NOA-0039] Technology Evaluation Process AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy... seeks comments and information related to a commercial buildings technology evaluation process. DOE is seeking to create a process for evaluating emerging and underutilized energy efficient technologies for...

  10. Measuring temperature dependence of soil respiration: importance of incubation time, soil type, moisture content and model fits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schipper, L. A.; Robinson, J.; O'Neill, T.; Ryburn, J.; Arcus, V. L.

    2015-12-01

    Developing robust models of the temperature response and sensitivity of soil respiration is critical for determining changes carbon cycling in response to climate change and at daily to annual time scales. Currently, approaches for measuring temperature dependence of soil respiration generally use long incubation times (days to weeks and months) at a limited number of incubation temperatures. Long incubation times likely allow thermal adaptation by the microbial population so that results are poorly representative of in situ soil responses. Additionally, too few incubation temperatures allows for the fit and justification of many different predictive equations, which can lead to inaccuracies when used for carbon budgeting purposes. We have developed a method to rapidly determine the response of soil respiration rate to wide range of temperatures. An aluminium block with 44 sample slots is heated at one end and cooled at the other to give a temperature gradient from 0 to 55°C at about one degree increments. Soil respiration is measured within 5 hours to minimise the possibility of thermal adaptation. We have used this method to demonstrate the similarity of temperature sensitivity of respiration for different soils from the same location across seasons. We are currently testing whether long-term (weeks to months) incubation alter temperature response and sensitivity that occurs in situ responses. This method is also well suited for determining the most appropriate models of temperature dependence and sensitivity of soil respiration (including macromolecular rate theory MMRT). With additional testing, this method is expected to be a more reliable method of measuring soil respiration rate for soil quality and modelling of soil carbon processes.

  11. The mood variation in mothers of preterm infants in Kangaroo mother care and conventional incubator care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Macedo, Elizeu Coutinho; Cruvinel, Fernando; Lukasova, Katerina; D'Antino, Maria Eloisa Famá

    2007-10-01

    Preterm babies are more prone to develop disorders and so require immediate intensive care. In the conventional neonatal intensive care, the baby is kept in the incubator, separated from the mother. Some actions have been taken in order to make this mother-child separation less traumatic. One of these actions is the Kangaroo mother care (KMC) characterized by skin-to-skin contact between a mother and her newborn. The objective of this study was to compare the mood variation of mothers enrolled in the KMC program to those in the conventional incubator care. In one general hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 90 mothers were evaluated before and after contact with the baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The participants were divided into three groups: 30 mothers of term newborns (TG), 30 mothers of preterm infants included in KMC program (PGK) and 30 preterms with incubator placement (PGI). The Brazilian version of the Visual Analogue Mood Scale (VAMS) was used for the assessment before and after the infant's visit. Results showed that TG mothers reported fewer occurrences of depressive states than PGK and PGI mothers. A significant mood variation was observed for PGK and PGI after the infant's visit. PGK mothers reported feeling calmer, stronger, well-coordinated, energetic, contented, tranquil, quick-witted, relaxed, proficient, happy, friendly and clear-headed. The only variation showed by PGI mothers was an increase in feeling clumsy. This study shows a positive effect of the KMC on the mood variation of preterm mothers and points to the need of a more humane experience during the incubator care.

  12. Male songbirds provide indirect parental care by guarding females during incubation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fedy, B.C.; Martin, T.E.

    2009-01-01

    Across many taxa, guarding of fertile mates is a widespread tactic that enhances paternity assurance. However, guarding of mates can also occur during the nonfertile period, and the fitness benefits of this behavior are unclear. Male songbirds, for example, sometimes guard nonfertile females during foraging recesses from incubation. We hypothesized that guarding postreproductive mates may have important, but unrecognized, benefits by enhancing female foraging efficiency, thereby increasing time spent incubating eggs. We tested the hypothesis in 2 songbird species by examining female behavior during natural and experimentally induced absences of males. Male absence caused increased vigilance in foraging females that decreased their efficiency and resulted in less time spent incubating eggs. Male guarding of nonfertile females can thus provide a previously unrecognized form of indirect parental care.

  13. INCUBATION YIELD AS A FUNCTION OF BROILER BREEDER AGE / RENDIMENTO DE INCUBAÇÃO EM FUNÇÃO DA IDADE DA MATRIZ

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. F. da Silva

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The factors involved in poultry egg incubation include breeder hen age, which may influence both the external and internal quality of eggs. In this context, this study sought to determine incubation yield among eggs from breeder hens at three ages. A total of 1,728 eggs were obtained from Cobb broiler breeders at three ages (26 weeks, 32 weeks, and 53 weeks and incubated. At the end of the incubation process, eclosion, hatchability, the percentage of infertile eggs, the time of embryo mortality, and chick weight were all analyzed according to breeder hen age. Analysis of variance was applied to the results, and egg fertility was found to be associated with breeder age, since lower rates of eclosion were found in eggs from younger broiler breeders. Chick weight was also found to be influenced by breeder age, since eggs from older broiler breeders hatched into heavier chicks. However, neither mortality nor hatchability were found to be affected by breeder hen age.

  14. Renewable energy and wild life conservation: design and construction of a solar incubator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Evans, John Martin; Schiller, Silvia de; Garreta, Fabian [Universidad de Buenos Aires, Centro de Investigacion Habitat y Energia, Buenos Aires (Argentina)

    1998-09-01

    This paper presents the design, construction and results of a solar powered incubator and pools for rearing yacare, a specie of the crocodile family, found in northern Argentina. The design was developed by the Research Centre Habitat and Energy, Faculty of Architecture, Design and Urbanism, Buenos Aires University in the framework of a Cooperation Agreement with the Argentine Wild Life Foundation. The installation, located in a Wild Life Refuge in a remote sub-tropical area of the Chaco Province in the north-east region of Argentina, consists of an incubation chamber for hatching the yacare with strict temperature conditions, pools for rearing the young during a year, heated by solar energy, an auxiliary wood-fired water heater and PV system to power the pumps control system and other minimal requirements such as lighting. The concepts, system development and integration, construction process and measured performance are presented together with the first results of this project which integrates low impact renewable energy systems to support the conservation of an endangered specie. (Author)

  15. Influence of incubation management on pipping position, hatching ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Information Technology

    Despite numerous studies, the effect of artificial incubation on the .... effects of environmental factors such as production year, season, female age, ... Eggs were obtained from the commercial ostrich breeding flock maintained at the Oudtshoorn.

  16. Parathion alters incubation behavior of laughing gulls

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, D.H.; Mitchell, C.A.; Hill, E.F.

    1983-01-01

    One member of each pair of incubating laughing gulls at 9 nests was trapped, orally dosed with either 6 mg/kg parathion in corn oil or corn oil alone, and marked about the neck with red dye. Each nest was marked with a numbered stake and the treatment was recorded. A pilot study with captive laughing gulls had determined the proper dosage of parathion that would significantly inhibit their brain AChE activity (about 50% of normal) without overt signs of poisoning. After dosing, birds were released and the nests were observed for 2 1/2 days from a blind on the nesting island. The activities of the birds at each marked nest were recorded at 10-minute intervals. Results indicated that on the day of treatment there was no difference (P greater than 0.05, Chi-square test) in the proportion of time spent on the nest between treated and control birds. However, birds dosed with 6 mg/kg parathion spent significantly less time incubating on days 2 and 3 than did birds receiving only corn oil. By noon on the third day, sharing of nest duties between pair members in the treated group had approached normal, indicating recovery from parathion intoxication. These findings suggest that sublethal exposure of nesting birds to an organophosphate (OP) insecticide, such as parathion, may result in decreased nest attentiveness, thereby making the clutch more susceptible to predation or egg failure. Behavioral changes caused by sublethal OP exposure could be especially detrimental in avian species where only one pair member incubates or where both members are exposed in species sharing nest duties.

  17. Bifurcation and spatial pattern formation in spreading of disease with incubation period in a phytoplankton dynamics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Randhir Singh Baghel

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available In this article, we propose a three dimensional mathematical model of phytoplankton dynamics with the help of reaction-diffusion equations that studies the bifurcation and pattern formation mechanism. We provide an analytical explanation for understanding phytoplankton dynamics with three population classes: susceptible, incubated, and infected. This model has a Holling type II response function for the population transformation from susceptible to incubated class in an aquatic ecosystem. Our main goal is to provide a qualitative analysis of Hopf bifurcation mechanisms, taking death rate of infected phytoplankton as bifurcation parameter, and to study further spatial patterns formation due to spatial diffusion. Here analytical findings are supported by the results of numerical experiments. It is observed that the coexistence of all classes of population depends on the rate of diffusion. Also we obtained the time evaluation pattern formation of the spatial system.

  18. EFFECT OF THE ADDITION OF SEMINAL PLASMA, VITAMIN E AND INCUBATION TIME ON POST-THAWED SPERM VIABILITY IN BOAR SEMEN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alba G C Pech-Sansores

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of seminal plasma (SP, vitamin E (VE, and incubation time on sperm viability of post-thawed boar semen. Thirty six ejaculates were used and allocated to four treatments: T1, semen + BTS (Belstville Thawing Solution + 10% SP; T2, semen + BTS + 200μg/ml VE; T3, semen + BTS + 10% SP + 200μg/ml VE; T4, semen + BTS (control. Motility (MOT, intact acrosomes (IA, membrane integrity (MI and mitochondrial activity (MA were evaluated, at 0 and 30 min after thawing. A split plot design was used and the data analyzed using a mixed model analysis of variance. There was a significant effect of SP and VE on IA and MI (P0.05. There was significant effect of incubation time on MOT (21.3 and 27.9% and IA (46.0 and 36.0%, at 0 and 30 min post-thawing (P <0.05. It is concluded that the vitamin E, seminal plasma or the combination of both, affected the thawed sperm traits here studied. Incubation time increased motility and intact acrosome percentage but did not affect the membrane integrity and mitochondrial activity.

  19. Microbial infection affects egg viability and incubation behavior in a tropical passerine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mark I. Cook; Steven R. Beissinger; Gary A. Toranzos; Roberto A. Arendt Rodriguez

    2004-01-01

    Many avian species initiate incubation before clutch completion, which causes eggs to hatch asynchronously. This influences brood competitive dynamics and often results in nestling mortality. The prevailing hypotheses contend that parents incubate early because asynchronous hatching provides fitness benefits to parents or surviving offspring. An alternative idea is...

  20. Soil respiration is not limited by reductions in microbial biomass during long-term soil incubations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Declining rates of soil respiration are reliably observed during long-term laboratory incubations, but the cause is uncertain. We explored different controls on soil respiration during long-term soil incubations. Following a 707 day incubation (30 C) of soils from cultivated and forested plots at Ke...

  1. The costs of egg production and incubation in great tits (Parus major)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Visser, M.E.; Lessells, C.M.

    2001-01-01

    The costs of egg production and incubation may have a crucial effect on avian reproductive decisions, such as clutch size and the timing of reproduction. We carried out a brood-size enlargement experiment on the great tit (Parus major), in which the birds had to lay and incubate extra eggs (full

  2. Adhesion and biofilm formation by Staphylococcus aureus from food processing plants as affected by growth medium, surface type and incubation temperature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heloísa Maria Ângelo Jerônimo

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available This study assessed the effect of different growth media [BHI broth, BHI broth plus glucose (10 g/100 mL and BHI broth plus NaCl (5 g/100 mL] and incubation temperatures (28 or 37 ºC on the adherence, detachment and biofilm formation on polypropylene and stainless steel surfaces (2 x 2 cm coupons for a prolonged period (24-72 h by some strains of Staphylococcus aureus (S3, S28 and S54 from food processing plants. The efficacy of the sanitizers sodium hypochlorite (250 mg/mL and peracetic acid (30 mg/mL in reducing the number of viable bacterial cells in a preformed biofilm was also evaluated. S. aureus strains adhered in highest numbers in BHI broth, regardless of the type of surface or incubation temperature. Cell detachment from surfaces revealed high persistence over the incubation period. The number of cells needed for biofilm formation was noted in all experimental systems after 3 days. Peracetic acid and sodium hypochlorite were not efficient in completely removing the cells of S. aureus adhered onto polypropylene and stainless steel surfaces. From these results, the assayed strains revealed high capacities to adhere and form biofilms on polypropylene and stainless steel surfaces under the different growth conditions, and the cells in biofilm matrixes were resistant to total removal when exposed to the sanitizers sodium hypochlorite and peracetic acid.Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o efeito de diferentes meios de crescimento [caldo BHI, caldo BHI adicionado de glucose (10 g/100 mL e caldo BHI adicionado de NaCl (5 g/100 mL] e temperaturas de incubação (28 e 37 ºC sobre a adesão, separação e formação de biofilme sobre superfícies (2 x 2 cm de polipropileno e aço inoxidável durante longo tempo de incubação (24-72 h por parte de cepas de Staphylococcus aureus (S3, S58 e S54 isoladas de plantas de processamento de alimentos. Também foi avaliada a eficácia dos sanitizantes hipoclorito de sódio (250 mg/mL e ácido perac

  3. Effect of BioSentry 904 and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-tris disinfecting during incubation of chicken eggs on microbial levels and productivity of poultry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, S E; Sander, J E

    2004-01-01

    Proper sanitation practices and the use of efficacious disinfectants in a hatchery have an effect on chick quality. Aerosol bacterial counts, egg moisture loss, hatchability, chick quality, and broiler productivity were evaluated when egg surfaces were contaminated by immersion of each egg into a broth medium containing a field isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and incubated with exposure to one of three disinfectant treatments administered by fine spray: distilled water, BioSentry 904 (904), and a 1:1 ratio of 904 and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-Tris. The aerosol bacteria levels were statistically greater on day 21 of incubation in the group treated with distilled water than in those receiving disinfectants. Overall hatch of fertile eggs and egg moisture loss were comparable among all three treatments. At 1 day of age, the chicks incubated with 904 had a statistically lower yolk sac contamination rate than those incubated with 904+EDTA-Tris or distilled water. The 2-wk mortality rates, body weights, feed conversion ratios, yolk sac weights, and yolk sac contamination rates were all similar among the three treatments.

  4. Screening of Lactic Acid Bacteria for Anti-Fusarium Activity and Optimization of Incubation Conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Hui; Vegi, Anuradha; Wolf-Hall, Charlene

    2017-10-01

    Anti-Fusarium activities of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) Lactobacillus plantarum 299V, L. plantarum NRRL-4496, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus VT1 were determined by a microdilution assay developed in this study against Fusarium graminearum 08/RG/BF/51. A cell-free Lactobacillus culture supernatant (CFLCS) of L. rhamnosus VT1 had the highest anti-Fusarium activity. Response surface methodology was used to optimize the incubation conditions for production of CFLCS. A Box-Behnken factorial design was used to investigate the effects of incubation time, shaking speed, and incubation temperature on the inhibition rate of CFLCS. A model equation was generated to predict the inhibition rate of CFLCS under various incubation conditions. A low probability value (0.0012) and associated F value of 25.10 suggested that the model was highly significant. A high R 2 value (0.978) indicated a very satisfactory model performance. Response surface methodology analysis suggested that an incubation temperature at 34°C, a shaking speed at 170 rpm, and an incubation time of 55 h were the best combination for production of CFLCS from L. rhamnosus VT1. Under these incubation conditions, a 10% L. rhamnosus VT1 CFLCS solution was predicted to inhibit the growth of F. graminearum by 75.6% in vitro and inhibited 83.7% of the growth in the validation experiment. Thus, the CFLCS of L. rhamnosus VT1 was an effective anti-Fusarium mixture.

  5. Mobile Incubation in Waved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata: Associated Hatching Failure and Artificial Mitigation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jill A. Awkerman

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available Waved albatrosses often relocate their eggs during incubation by placing the egg between the tarsi and shuffling forward. This behavior frequently results in eggs becoming lodged between rocks, accounting for at least 10%, and perhaps as much as 80%, of breeding failures. Because albatross populations worldwide are currently threatened, artificial means of augmenting reproductive success may be necessary to mitigate losses caused by anthropogenic effects. We characterize the frequency and extent of egg movement; test several hypotheses related to microhabitat, timing, and incubation location to explain the behavior; and investigate the utility of repositioning lodged eggs in a location in which breeding birds might resume incubation. Egg rescue increased both the likelihood of continued incubation as well as the hatching rate in our experiment, and provides an efficient, low-cost management option for this species.

  6. How do entrepreneurs’ characteristics influence the benefits from the various elements of a business incubator?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Monsson, Christian Kjær; Jørgensen, Søren Berg

    2016-01-01

    /implications – The conclusions have importance for regional government and development managers aiming at designing new business incubators. The authors suggest that in order to enhance the effect of incubator programmes they must be tailor-made to the individual entrepreneur. Originality/value – Previous studies have either...... and a survey of 100 incubatees in order to study entrepreneurs within a specific incubator programme called the Growth Factories located in Region Zealand, Denmark. Findings – The authors find that there are significant differences in the perceived benefit of various business incubator elements for incubatees...

  7. Social capital dimensions among incubated entrepreneurs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sergio Ezequiel Quijano Quijano

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available This article shows contributions from leading researchers in the fi eld of social capital as support of corporate sustainability and the contribution generated by a descriptive case study based on a representative sample from entrepreneurs from the Fundación Parque de Desarrollo Tecnológico (Parquesoft in Colombia, to contrast the theoretical approaches. The findings show a slight presence of social capital in the performance of incubated entrepreneurs.

  8. Innovation, incubation and entrepreneurship case studies from IIT Kanpur

    CERN Document Server

    Khandekar, Sameer

    2017-01-01

    This book focuses on promoting entrepreneurial ecosystems within universities and educational institutes. It especially emphasizes the thriving systems and practices existing within the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK). It discusses cases and successes of the SIDBI Incubation and Innovation Centre in the Institute. This edited volume highlights the vision of IITK and describes a few of the major achievements of the past few years. It especially showcases the requirements and challenges of creating, sustaining, and boosting such entrepreneurial ecosystems and incubation centres. The contents of this book will be useful to researchers, administrators, and corporate collaborators working in the area of monetizing technology coming from educational institutions by converting it to successful products and business ideas. .

  9. Fitness cost of incubation in great tits (Parus major) is related to clutch size

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Heij, Maaike E; van den Hout, Piet J; Tinbergen, Joost M

    2006-01-01

    Life-history theory predicts that parents produce the number of offspring that maximizes their fitness. In birds, natural selection on parental decisions regarding clutch size may act during egg laying, incubation or nestling phase. To study the fitness consequences of clutch size during the incubation phase, we manipulated the clutch sizes during this phase only in three breeding seasons and measured the fitness consequences on the short and the long term. Clutch enlargement did not affect the offspring fitness of the manipulated first clutches, but fledging probability of the subsequent clutch in the same season was reduced. Parents incubating enlarged first clutches provided adequate care for the offspring of their first clutches during the nestling phase, but paid the price when caring for the offspring of their second clutch. Parents that incubated enlarged first clutches had lower local survival in the 2 years when the population had a relatively high production of second clutches, but not in the third year when there was a very low production of second clutches. During these 2 years, the costs of incubation were strong enough to change positive selection, as established by brood size manipulations in this study population, into stabilizing selection through the negative effect of incubation on parental fitness. PMID:16928638

  10. Toxicological evaluation of some Malaysian locally processed raw food products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharif, R; Ghazali, A R; Rajab, N F; Haron, H; Osman, F

    2008-01-01

    Malaysian locally processed raw food products are widely used as main ingredients in local cooking. Previous studies showed that these food products have a positive correlation with the incidence of cancer. The cytotoxicity effect was evaluated using MTT assay (3-(4,5-dimetil-2-thiazolil)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide) against Chang liver cells at 2000 microg/ml following 72 h incubation. Findings showed all methanol extracts caused a tremendous drop in the percentage of cell viability at 2000 microg/ml (shrimp paste - 41.69+/-3.36%, salted fish - 37.2+/-1.06%, dried shrimp - 40.32+/-1.8%, pfood showed that shrimp paste did not comply with the protein requirement (Food Act 1983. Salt was found in every sample with the highest percentage being detected in shrimp paste which exceeded 20%. Following heavy metal analysis (arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury), arsenic was found in every sample with dried shrimps showing the highest value as compared to the other samples (6.16 mg/kg). In conclusion, several food extracts showed cytotoxic effect but did not cause DNA damage against Chang liver cells. Salt was found as the main additive and arsenic was present in every sample, which could be the probable cause of the toxicity effects observed.

  11. Effect of particle size and microbial phytase on phytate degradation in incubated maize and soybean meal

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ton Nu, Mai Anh; Blaabjerg, Karoline; Poulsen, Hanne Damgaard

    2014-01-01

    The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of screen size (1, 2 and 3 mm) and microbial phytase (0 and 1000 FTU/kg as-fed) on phytate degradation in maize (100% maize), soybean meal (100% SBM) and maize–SBM (75% maize and 25% SBM) incubated in water for 0, 2, 4, 8 and 24 h at 38°C...... reduced APS by 48% in maize, 30% in SBM and 26% in maize–SBM. No interaction between screen size and microbial phytase on phytate degradation was observed, but the interaction between microbial phytase and incubation time was significant (P... of screen size and feed on microbial phytase efficacy on phytate degradation. The interaction between screen size and feed affected the relative phytate degradation rate (Rd) of microbial phytase as well as the time to decrease 50% of the phytate P (t) (P

  12. Effects of temperature, light and incubation period on production, germination and bioactivity of Trichoderma atroviride.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daryaei, A; Jones, E E; Ghazalibiglar, H; Glare, T R; Falloon, R E

    2016-04-01

    The goal was to determine the effect of temperature, light and incubation period on production, germination and bioactivity of Trichoderma atroviride LU132 against Rhizoctonia solani. The incubation temperatures of 20, 25 or 30°C were assessed on the production of T. atroviride conidia under constant light over a 25 and 50 days periods. The resulting conidia were also studied for germination and bioactivity. Conidium production was maximum at 25°C after 20 days. The second peak of conidium production occurred at 45-50 days. Incubation at 25°C after 15 days showed optimum production of T. atroviride LU132. Conidia produced at 30°C gave the greatest germination and bioactivity in comparison with incubation at 20 or 25°C. This study indicates that the temperature at which conidia of T. atroviride are produced affects germination and bioactivity. Formulations based on production of the high conidia yield may not result in optimal bioactivity and there is a trade-off between quantity and quality of T. atroviride LU132 conidia. Conidium production was shown to be a continuous process, and increased under a dark/light regime. This is the first report of bimodal conidium production in a Trichoderma biological control agent (BCA), which is likely to be on 20 days cycle, and is dependent on colony age rather than abiotic factors. Conidia produced after 15 days are likely to be the most suitable for use in commercial production of this strain as a BCA. Most studies on Trichoderma-based BCA have only shown the effect of culture conditions on the high conidia yield regardless of conidium quality. This study is the first report on conidium quality affected by principal culture conditions for Trichoderma biological control formulations. © 2016 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  13. Dynamics of two methanogenic microbiomes incubated in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, naphthenic acids, and oil field produced water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oko, Bonahis J; Tao, Yu; Stuckey, David C

    2017-01-01

    Oil field produced water (OFPW) is widely produced in large volumes around the world. Transforming the organic matter in OFPW into bioenergy, such as biomethane, is one promising way to sustainability. However, OFPW is difficult to biologically degrade because it contains complex compounds such as naphthenic acids (NAs), or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Although active microbial communities have been found in many oil reservoirs, little is known about how an exotic microbiome, e.g. the one which originates from municipal wastewater treatment plants, would evolve when incubated with OFPW. In this study, we harvested methanogenic biomass from two sources: a full-scale anaerobic digester (AD) treating oil and gas processing wastewater (named O&G sludge), and from a full-scale AD reactor treating multiple fractions of municipal solid wastes (named MS, short for mixed sludge). Both were incubated in replicate microcosms fed with PAHs, NAs, or OFPW. The results showed that the PAHs, NAs, and OFPW feeds could rapidly alter the methanogenic microbiomes, even after 14 days, while the O&G sludge adapted faster than the mixed sludge in all the incubations. Two rarely reported microorganisms, a hydrogenotrophic methanogen Candidatus methanoregula and a saccharolytic fermenter Kosmotoga , were found to be prevalent in the PAHs and OFPW microcosms, and are likely to play an important role in the syntrophic degradation of PAHs and OFPW, cooperating with methanogens such as Methanoregula, Methanosarcina, or Methanobacterium . The dominant phyla varied in certain patterns during the incubations, depending on the biomass source, feed type, and variation in nutrients. The sludge that originated from the oil and gas processing wastewater treatment (O&G) reactor adapted faster than the one from municipal solid waste reactors, almost certainly because the O&G biomass had been "pre-selected" by the environment. This study reveals the importance of biomass selection for other

  14. Effect of temperature on incubation period, embryonic mortality, hatch rate, egg water loss and partridge chick weight (Rhynchotus rufescens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nakage ES

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to determine the effects of incubation temperature (34.5; 35.5; 36.5; 37.5 and 38.5ºC, on incubation period, embryonic mortality, hatching rate, water loss and chick weight at hatch, using daily incubation of partridge (Rhynchotus rufescens eggs. The highest hatching percentage was obtained between 35.5 and 36.5ºC. Incubation length and temperature were inversely proportional. Water loss was lower in eggs incubated at low temperatures as compared to high temperatures. There was no difference among incubation temperatures in absolute and relative hatchling weights. Early embryonic mortality increased at low temperatures (36.5ºC. Our results show that, under conditions of daily incubation of eggs in the same incubator, higher hatching rate can be obtained using temperatures between 35.5ºC and 36.5ºC; incubation temperature is inversely proportional to incubation length, and absolute and relative weights of partridge chicks are not affected by incubation temperature.

  15. The effect of varying incubation times for hypotonic treatment of lymphocytes in dicentric assay technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noraisyah Yusof; Noriah Jamal; Rahimah Abdul Rahim; Juliana Mahamad Napiah

    2010-01-01

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has recommended that incubation time for the hypotonic treatment of lymphocytes in dicentric assay technique to be between 15 to 20 minutes. Incubation time will effect the hypotonic treatment of lymphocytes and thus, the breakage of cytoplasmic membrane. The objective of this study is to examine the effect of varying incubation times for hypotonic treatment of lymphocytes in dicentric assay technique. In this study, we choose to use our standard protocol for dicentric assay technique. However, for the hypotonic treatment of lymphocytes, the incubation times were varied from 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 minutes respectively. Lymphocytes were then fixed and stained with Giemsa. The cells were then analyzed for clear background that indicates good metaphases. We found that incubation time of 30 minutes gives the best metaphase images. This incubation time is longer than what has been recommended by the IAEA. This maybe explained by the fact that our country's climate is of higher humidity compared with the European countries. (author)

  16. Curriculum Design and Implementation of the Emergency Medicine Chief Resident Incubator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gisondi, Michael A; Chou, Adaira; Joshi, Nikita; Sheehy, Margaret K; Zaver, Fareen; Chan, Teresa M; Riddell, Jeffrey; Sifford, Derek P; Lin, Michelle

    2018-02-24

    Background Chief residents receive minimal formal training in preparation for their administrative responsibilities. There is a lack of professional development programs specifically designed for chief residents. Objective In 2015, Academic Life in Emergency Medicine designed and implemented an annual, year-long, training program and virtual community of practice for chief residents in emergency medicine (EM). This study describes the curriculum design process and reports measures of learner engagement during the first two cycles of the curriculum. Methods Kern's Six-Step Approach for curriculum development informed key decisions in the design and implementation of the Chief Resident Incubator. The resultant curriculum was created using constructivist social learning theory, with specific objectives that emphasized the needs for a virtual community of practice, longitudinal content delivery, mentorship for participants, and the facilitation of multicenter digital scholarship. The 12-month curriculum included 11 key administrative or professional development domains, delivered using a combination of digital communications platforms. Primary outcomes measures included markers of learner engagement with the online curriculum, recognized as modified Kirkpatrick Level One outcomes for digital learning. Results An average of 206 chief residents annually enrolled in the first two years of the curriculum, with an overall participation by 33% (75/227) of the allopathic EM residency programs in the United States (U.S.). There was a high level of learner engagement, with an average 13,414 messages posted per year. There were also 42 small group teaching sessions held online, which included 39 faculty and 149 chief residents. The monthly e-newsletter had a 50.7% open rate. Digital scholarship totaled 23 online publications in two years, with 67 chief resident co-authors and 21 faculty co-authors. Conclusions The Chief Resident Incubator is a virtual community of practice that

  17. Improving the Process of Student Evaluation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriela Neacşu

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we analyzed the process of student evaluation from “Spiru Haret” University. The process under consideration occurs according to a specific Procedure – Process of student evaluation from the Manual of Quality Assurance Procedures, “Spiru Haret” University, Edition 1, 2012. The goal of this procedure, mentioned in the Manual, is to present the student evaluation procedure by using the Blackboard educational platform and other evaluation techniques of quality learning, based on materials developed by teachers of “Spiru Haret” University, as well as corresponding responsibilities, in order to increase the learning process quality and the exigency degree in the examination process, as well as students’ satisfaction measured by accumulated competences. We appreciate that the purpose of this procedure is first and foremost to ensure transparency and objectivity in exam passing decision. After identifying the weaknesses with the “cause - effect” chart, we have sought to improve student evaluation process using PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act method, resulting in the design of a new assessment flowchart.

  18. Business incubators: (how) do they support their tenants?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ratinho, Tiago; Harms, Rainer; Groen, Arend J.

    2009-01-01

    Business incubators (BI) have been established worldwide as tools for company creation and small businesses support. BIs claim to help their tenants by providing them with the optimal conditions for increasing early stage survival. Practitioners and researchers agree that business support is a

  19. Dynamic failure of dry and fully saturated limestone samples based on incubation time concept

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuri V. Petrov

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available This paper outlines the results of experimental study of the dynamic rock failure based on the comparison of dry and saturated limestone samples obtained during the dynamic compression and split tests. The tests were performed using the Kolsky method and its modifications for dynamic splitting. The mechanical data (e.g. strength, time and energy characteristics of this material at high strain rates are obtained. It is shown that these characteristics are sensitive to the strain rate. A unified interpretation of these rate effects, based on the structural–temporal approach, is hereby presented. It is demonstrated that the temporal dependence of the dynamic compressive and split tensile strengths of dry and saturated limestone samples can be predicted by the incubation time criterion. Previously discovered possibilities to optimize (minimize the energy input for the failure process is discussed in connection with industrial rock failure processes. It is shown that the optimal energy input value associated with critical load, which is required to initialize failure in the rock media, strongly depends on the incubation time and the impact duration. The optimal load shapes, which minimize the momentum for a single failure impact, are demonstrated. Through this investigation, a possible approach to reduce the specific energy required for rock cutting by means of high-frequency vibrations is also discussed.

  20. Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae at direct addition or pre-incubation on in vitro gas production kinetics and degradability of four fibrous feeds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mona M.Y. Elghandour

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on in vitro gas production (GP kinetics and degradability of corn stover, oat straw, sugarcane bagasse and sorghum straw. Feedstuffs were incubated with different doses of yeast [0, 4, 8 and 12 mg/g dry matter (DM] at direct addition or 72 h pre-incubation. Rumen GP was recorded at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 24, 30, 48, 54 and 72 h of incubation. After 72 h, rumen pH and methane were determined and contents were filtrated for DM, neutral (NDF and acid detergent fibre (ADF degradability. Fibrous species×method of application×yeast interactions occurred (P<0.001 for all measured ruminal GP parameters and degradability. The direct addition or 72 h pre-incubation of S. cerevisiae with corn stover improved (P<0.05 GP and methane and decreased (P<0.05 the lag time (L and NDF degradability (NDFD. The direct addition of S. cerevisiae to oat straw increased (P<0.05 rate of GP (c and decreased (P<0.05 asymptotic GP (b. However, 72 h pre-incubation increased (P<0.05 c with linearly decreased b, DM degradability (DMD and NDFD. Applying S. cerevisiae for 72 h pre-incubation decreased (P<0.001 methane emission. The direct addition or 72 h pre-incubation of S. cerevisiae to sorghum straw increased (P<0.05 b, c, L, DMD and NDFD. Overall, the effect of dose varied among different feedstuffs and different application methods. Results suggested that the direct addition of S. cerevisiae could support and improve ruminal fermentation of lowquality forages at 4 to 12 g/kg DM.

  1. 7 CFR 4284.512 - Evaluation process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Evaluation process. 4284.512 Section 4284.512 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) RURAL BUSINESS-COOPERATIVE SERVICE AND....512 Evaluation process. (a) Applications will be evaluated by qualified reviewers appointed by the...

  2. 7 CFR 4284.912 - Evaluation process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Evaluation process. 4284.912 Section 4284.912 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) RURAL BUSINESS-COOPERATIVE SERVICE AND... Evaluation process. (a) Applications will be evaluated by agricultural economists or other technical experts...

  3. A Study on the Histopathological Changes and Growth Inhibition of the Chick Embryos after Incubation with Radioactive Sulfur ({sup 35}S)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shin, Soo Young [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1967-03-15

    The changes in histopathology of various organs and growth inhibition of the chick embryos incubated with radioactive sulfur ({sup 35}S) were experimentally studied. The various doses of {sup 35}S were injected into the yolk sac at different intervals and the weight changes of the embryos were evaluated to determine the growth inhibition rates. The embryos sacrificed on various incubation days were used for the study of histopathological changes in organs such as the bone, liver, kidney, gonad, and eye. Following were the results:1) The weight changes of the {sup 35}S treated groups were as follows: i) Embryos treated on the 5th incubation day: No weight changes were noted on the 8th incubation day, however, the growth inhibition rate of 32.1% was noted in the group treated with 50 {mu}C and of 38.2% in the group treated with 150{mu}C on the 12th incubation day. The rates were 9.1 and 12.1% on the 15th incubation day, and 6.5 and 10.6% on the 18th incubation day respectively. ii) Embryos treated on the 8th incubation day: The growth inhibition rates on the 12th, 15th and 18th incubation days in the groups treated with 50 {mu}C were 20.9, 25.9 and 18.8% and in those treated with 150 {mu}C were 20.0, 14.9 and 16.9% respectively. iii) Embryos treated on the 12th incubation day: The growth inhibition rates on the 15th and 18th in the groups treated with 50 {mu}C were 13.6 and 21.1% and in those treated with 150 {mu}C were 26.7 and 6.5% and in those treated with 250 {mu}C were 10.6 and 12.6% respectively. iv) Embryos treated on the 15th incubation day: The growth inhibition rates on the 18th in the groups treated with 50 {mu}C were 6.5% and in those treated with 150 {mu}C were 10.1% and in those treated with 250 {mu}C were 8.5% respectively. In summary, the longer the incubation days, the less the growth inhibition rates. II) The histopathological changes in the various organs were as follows: i) Bone: Hyperplasia and edematous changes of the bone cavity, irregular

  4. European business venturing in times of digitisation - An analysis of for-profit business incubators in a triple helix context

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brem, Alexander; Kreusel, Nico; Roth, Natalie

    2018-01-01

    Business incubators have been developed as a key component of entrepreneurial activities in countries all over Europe. These incubators have a non-profit or a for-profit profile, with one-third located in Germany. The increased engagement of private business in what was a public-dominated incubat......Business incubators have been developed as a key component of entrepreneurial activities in countries all over Europe. These incubators have a non-profit or a for-profit profile, with one-third located in Germany. The increased engagement of private business in what was a public......-dominated incubation landscape may influence established theoretical frameworks. Within this context, this paper analyses 11 German business incubators to look at the most common types of for-profit business incubators in Germany and their main characteristics. Moreover, it introduces classification criteria...... for these incubators. Another aspect of the analysis is the effect of the triple helix dimensions of the different incubation types. The results show that two additional types of incubators can be identified in addition to the traditional public business incubator model, namely 'company builders' and 'accelerators...

  5. Temporal dynamics of fibrolytic and methanogenic rumen microorganisms during in situ incubation of switchgrass determined by 16S rRNA gene profiling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hailan ePiao

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The rumen is known for its biomass-degrading and methane-producing phenotype. Fermentation of recalcitrant plant material necessitates the synergistic activity of diverse microbial taxonomic groups that inhabit this anaerobic environment. Although interspecies hydrogen (H2 transfer, a process during which bacterially generated H2 is transferred to methanogenic Archaea, has obtained significant attention over the last decades, the temporal variation of the different taxa involved in in situ biomass-degradation, H2 transfer and methanogenesis process remains to be established. We investigated the temporal succession of microbial taxa and its effect on fiber composition during rumen incubation using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Switchgrass filled nylon bags were placed in the rumen of a cannulated cow and collected at nine time points for DNA extraction and 16S pyrotag profiling. The microbial community colonizing the air-dried and non-incubated switchgrass was dominated by members of the Bacilli. During in situ incubation of the switchgrass, two major shifts in the community composition were observed: Bacilli were replaced within 30 min by members belonging to the Bacteroidia and Clostridia. A second significant shift was observed after 16 h of rumen incubation, when members of the Spirochaetes and Fibrobacteria classes became more abundant in the fiber-adherent community. During the first 30 min of rumen incubation ~13% of the switchgrass dry matter was degraded, whereas little biomass degradation appeared to have occurred between 30 min and 4 h after the switchgrass was placed in the rumen. Interestingly, methanogenic members of the Euryarchaeota increased up to 3-fold during this period of reduced biomass-degradation, with peak abundance just before rates of dry matter degradation increased again. We hypothesize that during this period microbial-mediated fibrolysis was temporarily inhibited until H2 was metabolized into CH4 by methanogens.

  6. Cost of reproduction in a long-lived bird: incubation effort reduces immune function and future reproduction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanssen, Sveinn Are; Hasselquist, Dennis; Folstad, Ivar; Erikstad, Kjell Einar

    2005-05-22

    Life-history theory predicts that increased current reproductive effort should lead to a fitness cost. This cost of reproduction may be observed as reduced survival or future reproduction, and may be caused by temporal suppression of immune function in stressed or hard-working individuals. In birds, consideration of the costs of incubating eggs has largely been neglected in favour of the costs of brood rearing. We manipulated incubation demand in two breeding seasons (2000 and 2001) in female common eiders (Somateria mollissima) by creating clutches of three and six eggs (natural range 3-6 eggs). The common eider is a long-lived sea-duck where females do not eat during the incubation period. Mass loss increased and immune function (lymphocyte levels and specific antibody response to the non-pathogenic antigens diphtheria and tetanus toxoid) was reduced in females incubating large clutches. The increased incubation effort among females assigned to large incubation demand did not lead to adverse effects on current reproduction or return rate in the next breeding season. However, large incubation demand resulted in long-term fitness costs through reduced fecundity the year after manipulation. Our data show that in eiders, a long-lived species, the cost of high incubation demand is paid in the currency of reduced future fecundity, possibly mediated by reduced immune function.

  7. Study on team evaluation. Team process model for team evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sasou Kunihide; Ebisu, Mitsuhiro; Hirose, Ayako

    2004-01-01

    Several studies have been done to evaluate or improve team performance in nuclear and aviation industries. Crew resource management is the typical example. In addition, team evaluation recently gathers interests in other teams of lawyers, medical staff, accountants, psychiatrics, executive, etc. However, the most evaluation methods focus on the results of team behavior that can be observed through training or actual business situations. What is expected team is not only resolving problems but also training younger members being destined to lead the next generation. Therefore, the authors set the final goal of this study establishing a series of methods to evaluate and improve teams inclusively such as decision making, motivation, staffing, etc. As the first step, this study develops team process model describing viewpoints for the evaluation. The team process is defined as some kinds of power that activate or inactivate competency of individuals that is the components of team's competency. To find the team process, the authors discussed the merits of team behavior with the experienced training instructors and shift supervisors of nuclear/thermal power plants. The discussion finds four team merits and many components to realize those team merits. Classifying those components into eight groups of team processes such as 'Orientation', 'Decision Making', 'Power and Responsibility', 'Workload Management', 'Professional Trust', 'Motivation', 'Training' and 'staffing', the authors propose Team Process Model with two to four sub processes in each team process. In the future, the authors will develop methods to evaluate some of the team processes for nuclear/thermal power plant operation teams. (author)

  8. ANTIMICROBIAL BIO-NONWOVEN FABRICS FOR EYES'S SWATH AND DIAPERS FOR INFANT'S INCUBATORS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ElSayed A. ElNashar

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available An infant incubator is a piece of equipment common to pediatric hospitals, birthing centers and neonatal intensive care units. While the unit may serve several specific functions, it is generally used to provide a safe and stable environment for newborn infants, often those who were born prematurely or with an illness or disability that makes them especially vulnerable for the first several months of life. The objective of this research was to gain a better understanding of New Approach for a Bio-Nonwoven fabrics and infant's incubator in terms of the specific materials as MaterBi/PCL® as Bioplastic and the elements of comfort, drivers associated with it and its waste biodegradation by different methods. Shortly after birth, the beginning in first hours of life babies with neonatal, a byproduct of the red blood cells decomposition. Many convenient features to consider with tow basic disposable eyes` swathe and diapers on infant’s incubator options: cloth of basic disposable eyes` swathe and diapers, with their end use properties. The form design of eyes` swathe® and diapers® shapes, for infant’s incubator stage then consider convenience, cost, and environmental waste.

  9. Leaching of soils during laboratory incubations does not affect soil organic carbon mineralisation but solubilisation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    González-Domínguez, Beatriz; Studer, Mirjam S; Hagedorn, Frank; Niklaus, Pascal A; Abiven, Samuel

    2017-01-01

    Laboratory soil incubations provide controlled conditions to investigate carbon and nutrient dynamics; however, they are not free of artefacts. As carbon and nitrogen cycles are tightly linked, we aimed at investigating whether the incubation-induced accumulation of mineral nitrogen (Nmin) biases soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralisation. For this, we selected two soils representative of the C:N ratio values found in European temperate forests, and applied two incubation systems: 'closed' beakers and 'open' microlysimeters. The latter allowed leaching the soil samples during the incubation. By the end of the 121-day experiment, the low C:N soil significantly accumulated more Nmin in beakers (5.12 g kg-1 OC) than in microlysimeters (3.00 g kg-1 OC) but there was not a significant difference in SOC mineralisation at any point of the experiment. On the other hand, Nmin did not accumulate in the high C:N soil but, by the end of the experiment, leaching had promoted 33.9% more SOC solubilisation than beakers. Therefore, we did not find evidence that incubation experiments introduce a bias on SOC mineralisation. This outcome strengthens results from soil incubation studies.

  10. Effects of temperature and CO2 during late incubation on broiler chicken development

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Maatjens, C.M.

    2016-01-01

    Incubation conditions need to be adjusted to meet embryonic requirements to obtain optimal chick quality and hatchability. Eggshell temperature (EST) can be used as a non- invasive method to determine embryo temperature. A high EST of 38.9°C during the second or third week of incubation

  11. Issues evaluation process at Rocky Flats Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, L.C.

    1992-01-01

    This report describes the issues evaluation process for Rocky Flats Plant as established in July 1990. The issues evaluation process was initiated February 27, 1990 with a Charter and Process Overview for short-term implementation. The purpose of the process was to determine the projects required for completion before the Phased Resumption of Plutonium Operations. To determine which projects were required, the issues evaluation process and emphasized risk mitigation, based on a ranking system. The purpose of this report is to document the early design of the issues evaluation process to record the methodologies used that continue as the basis for the ongoing Issues Management Program at Rocky Flats Plant

  12. Limited male incubation ability and the evolution of egg size in shorebirds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lislevand, Terje; Thomas, Gavin H

    2006-06-22

    In bird species where males incubate but are smaller than females, egg size may be constrained by male body size, and hence ability to incubate the eggs. Using data from 71 such shorebird species, we show that egg size decreases as the degree of female-biased sexual size dimorphism increases, after controlling for female body mass. Relative egg size was not related to mean clutch size. However, when controlling for mating system, the relationship between female-biased sexual size dimorphism and relative egg size was only significant in polyandrous species. The relatively small eggs of socially polyandrous shorebirds have previously been explained as an energy-saving strategy associated with the production of multiple clutches. Our findings suggest that egg size evolution is better explained by male incubation limitation in these birds.

  13. Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and its metabolites in hepatic microsomal incubations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pietrogrande, M.C.; Rossi, D.; Paganetto, G

    2003-03-17

    A method is reported for the determination of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and its metabolites in in vitro metabolism studies. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis allows separation of 18 by-products of DEHP metabolism. On the basis of retention time and specific mass spectra m/z values, three classes of compounds can be identified: (i) alcohols as hydrolysis product; (ii) acids produced by alcohol oxidation; (iii) compounds retaining phthalic moiety. The chromatogram can also be acquired in SIM mode at m/z 149 resulting in 13 well-separated chromatographic peaks: from retention time and mass spectra it can be inferred that the main peaks correspond to mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) and ({omega}-1)-hydroxyl-MEHP. The kinetics of DEHP metabolism was studied using an S9 Aroclor-induced liver fraction as in vitro model and following incubation assay after 20, 40, 60 and 90 min. The composition of incubation mixtures can be quantitatively evaluated from selected ion monitoring chromatograms at m/z 149: the by-product concentration increases during the incubation time, as a consequence of DEHP degradation. During the incubation test a significant conversion of DEHP into MEHP is observed: a conversion yield of 10, 13, 16 and 20% of the original DEHP is obtained after 20, 40, 60 and 90 min, respectively. The metabolic conversion of DEHP to MEHP explains the endocrine-disrupting activity of the original DEHP; moreover, it has been demonstrated that MEHP and its ({omega}-1)-oxidation metabolite induce peroxisome proliferation. This result strengthens the suggestion that the study of DEHP metabolic pathway is fundamental to better understanding its toxicological behavior.

  14. Role of Anterior Intralaminar Nuclei of Thalamus Projections to Dorsomedial Striatum in Incubation of Methamphetamine Craving.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xuan; Witonsky, Kailyn R; Lofaro, Olivia M; Surjono, Felicia; Zhang, Jianjun; Bossert, Jennifer M; Shaham, Yavin

    2018-02-28

    Relapse to methamphetamine (Meth) seeking progressively increases after withdrawal from drug self-administration (incubation of Meth craving). We previously demonstrated a role of dorsomedial striatum (DMS) dopamine D1 receptors (D1Rs) in this incubation. Here, we studied the role of afferent glutamatergic projections into the DMS and local D1R-glutamate interaction in this incubation in male rats. We first measured projection-specific activation on day 30 relapse test by using cholera toxin b (retrograde tracer) + Fos (activity marker) double-labeling in projection areas. Next, we determined the effect of pharmacological reversible inactivation of lateral or medial anterior intralaminar nuclei of thalamus (AIT-L or AIT-M) on incubated Meth seeking on withdrawal day 30. We then used an anatomical asymmetrical disconnection procedure to determine whether an interaction between AIT-L→DMS glutamatergic projections and postsynaptic DMS D1Rs contributes to incubated Meth seeking. We also determined the effect of unilateral inactivation of AIT-L and D1R blockade of DMS on incubated Meth seeking, and the effect of contralateral disconnection of AIT-L→DMS projections on nonincubated Meth seeking on withdrawal day 1. Incubated Meth seeking was associated with selective activation of AIT→DMS projections; other glutamatergic projections to DMS were not activated. AIT-L (but not AIT-M) inactivation or anatomical disconnection of AIT-L→DMS projections decreased incubated Meth seeking. Unilateral inactivation of AIT-L or D1R blockade of the DMS had no effect on incubated Meth craving, and contralateral disconnection of AIT-L→DMS projections had no effect on nonincubated Meth seeking. Our results identify a novel role of AIT-L and AIT-L→DMS glutamatergic projections in incubation of drug craving and drug seeking. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Methamphetamine seeking progressively increases after withdrawal from drug self-administration, a phenomenon termed incubation of

  15. Business Incubators – Favorable Environment for Small and Medium Enterprises Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Camelia MORARU

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available The biggest problem for many small and medium enterprises (SMEs is not the idea or the product provided and neither its customers, but their needs. High prices of production and office space are critical to the survival of a small business. Incubators come as a response to the needs of small and medium enterprises in key steps of a business, such as initiation and market penetration. An incubator aims to have a positive effect on the economic health of an area, of a community.

  16. Effects of incubation on solubility and mobility of trace metals in two contaminated soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ma, Lena Q.; Dong Yan

    2004-01-01

    Much research has focused on changes in solubility and mobility of trace metals in soils under incubation. In this experiment, changes in solubility and mobility of trace metals (Pb, Cu and As) and Fe in two contaminated soils from Tampa, Florida and Montreal, Canada were examined. Soils of 30 g were packed in columns and were incubated for 3-80 days under water-flooding incubation. Following incubation, metal concentrations in pore water (water soluble) and in 0.01 M CaCl 2 leachates (exchangeable+water soluble) were determined. While both soils were contaminated with Pb (1600-2500 mg kg -1 ), Tampa soil was also contaminated with As (230 mg kg -1 ). Contrast to the low pH (3.8) of Tampa soil, Montreal soil had an alkaline pH of 7.7 and high Ca of 1.6%. Concentrations of Fe(II) increased with incubation time in the Tampa soil mainly due to reductive Fe dissolution, but decreased in the Montreal soil possibly due to formation of FeCO 3 . The inverse relationship between concentrations of Pb and Fe(II) in pore water coupled with the fact that Fe(II) concentrations were much greater than those of Pb in pore water may suggest the importance of Fe(II) in controlling Pb solubility in soils. However, changes in concentrations of Fe(II), Pb, Cu and As in pore water with incubation time were similar to those in leachate, i.e. water soluble metals were positively related to exchangeable metals in the two contaminated soils. This research suggests the importance of Fe in controlling metal solubility and mobility in soils under water-flooded incubation. - Iron is important in controlling metal solubility and mobility in flooded soils

  17. An Agile Innovation Framework Supported through Business Incubators

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Unal, O.; Afsarmanesh, H.; Angelov, S.; Camarinha-Matos, L.M.; Afsarmanesh, H.

    2014-01-01

    Entrepreneurs and SMEs that develop new ideas are the main sources of innovation in products and services in the society. However, due to the lack of required resources and know-how innovation ideas may not develop into full-fledged results. Business incubators can play an important role here. They

  18. Program Incubation and Commercialization Best Practices Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Richardson, Shannon

    2018-04-06

    As a reminder, the primary task of the 4C Program is to increase the commercialization rate of cleantech companies in California. Commercialization, broadly defined, is the innovation continuum of developing and introducing a new product or service into the market. For measurability, the 4C Program defines commercialization as encompassing a startup’s: (a) preparation, (b) incubation, (c) commercial-scale pilot / demonstration, and (d) first customer.

  19. Evaluation and processing of covariance data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wagner, M.

    1993-01-01

    These proceedings of a specialists'meeting on evaluation and processing of covariance data is divided into 4 parts bearing on: part 1- Needs for evaluated covariance data (2 Papers), part 2- generation of covariance data (15 Papers), part 3- Processing of covariance files (2 Papers), part 4-Experience in the use of evaluated covariance data (2 Papers)

  20. Adaptive influence of extrinsic and intrinsic factors on variation of incubation periods among tropical and temperate passerines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Thomas E.; Ton, Riccardo; Oteyza, Juan C.

    2018-01-01

    Understanding intrinsic (physiological) and extrinsic (e.g., temperature) causes of variation in embryonic development time (incubation period) is important because they can have different impacts on individual quality. Robert Ricklefs and colleagues have argued that longer incubation periods result primarily from intrinsic physiological programs that increase individual quality and adult survival. They claim that incubation periods are largely invariant and that extrinsic factors like temperature have little impact. We have argued that adult survival may be a cause rather than a consequence of much of the variation in embryonic development time. A reduction in extrinsic sources of annual adult mortality (e.g., migration, predation, nonbreeding-season mortality) favors reduced parental effort during incubation to minimize costs to future reproduction and survival. Reduced parental effort, in turn, manifests as cooler average egg temperatures that yield longer incubation periods. Ricklefs and colleagues mischaracterized our hypothesis and deconstructed their own incorrect version, while also making some incorrect statements. We show that reevaluation of previous evidence provided by this group actually supports a role of egg temperature for the variation in incubation periods. We also summarize other observational and experimental evidence that incubation periods are not invariant and that egg temperature has a strong causal influence on variation within and among species. In fact, egg temperature explains ∼60% of the difference in incubation periods among species. The remaining ∼40% reflects intrinsic physiological programs and other factors, potentially providing intrinsic benefits. Ultimately, annual adult mortality explains substantial variation in parental effort and egg temperature, and the latter strongly explains variation in incubation periods. Both intrinsic programs and extrinsic temperature effects need to be considered in attempts to understand

  1. Temporal dynamics of fibrolytic and methanogenic rumen microorganisms during in situ incubation of switchgrass determined by 16S rRNA gene profiling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piao, Hailan; Lachman, Medora; Malfatti, Stephanie; Sczyrba, Alexander; Knierim, Bernhard; Auer, Manfred; Tringe, Susannah G; Mackie, Roderick I; Yeoman, Carl J; Hess, Matthias

    2014-01-01

    The rumen microbial ecosystem is known for its biomass-degrading and methane-producing phenotype. Fermentation of recalcitrant plant material, comprised of a multitude of interwoven fibers, necessitates the synergistic activity of diverse microbial taxonomic groups that inhabit the anaerobic rumen ecosystem. Although interspecies hydrogen (H2) transfer, a process during which bacterially generated H2 is transferred to methanogenic Archaea, has obtained significant attention over the last decades, the temporal variation of the different taxa involved in in situ biomass-degradation, H2 transfer and the methanogenesis process remains to be established. Here we investigated the temporal succession of microbial taxa and its effect on fiber composition during rumen incubation using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Switchgrass filled nylon bags were placed in the rumen of a cannulated cow and collected at nine time points for DNA extraction and 16S pyrotag profiling. The microbial community colonizing the air-dried and non-incubated (0 h) switchgrass was dominated by members of the Bacilli (recruiting 63% of the pyrotag reads). During in situ incubation of the switchgrass, two major shifts in the community composition were observed: Bacilli were replaced within 30 min by members belonging to the Bacteroidia and Clostridia, which recruited 34 and 25% of the 16S rRNA reads generated, respectively. A second significant shift was observed after 16 h of rumen incubation, when members of the Spirochaetes and Fibrobacteria classes became more abundant in the fiber-adherent community. During the first 30 min of rumen incubation ~13% of the switchgrass dry matter was degraded, whereas little biomass degradation appeared to have occurred between 30 min and 4 h after the switchgrass was placed in the rumen. Interestingly, methanogenic members of the Euryarchaeota (i.e., Methanobacteria) increased up to 3-fold during this period of reduced biomass-degradation, with peak abundance just

  2. Early efforts in modeling the incubation period of infectious diseases with an acute course of illness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nishiura Hiroshi

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The incubation period of infectious diseases, the time from infection with a microorganism to onset of disease, is directly relevant to prevention and control. Since explicit models of the incubation period enhance our understanding of the spread of disease, previous classic studies were revisited, focusing on the modeling methods employed and paying particular attention to relatively unknown historical efforts. The earliest study on the incubation period of pandemic influenza was published in 1919, providing estimates of the incubation period of Spanish flu using the daily incidence on ships departing from several ports in Australia. Although the study explicitly dealt with an unknown time of exposure, the assumed periods of exposure, which had an equal probability of infection, were too long, and thus, likely resulted in slight underestimates of the incubation period. After the suggestion that the incubation period follows lognormal distribution, Japanese epidemiologists extended this assumption to estimates of the time of exposure during a point source outbreak. Although the reason why the incubation period of acute infectious diseases tends to reveal a right-skewed distribution has been explored several times, the validity of the lognormal assumption is yet to be fully clarified. At present, various different distributions are assumed, and the lack of validity in assuming lognormal distribution is particularly apparent in the case of slowly progressing diseases. The present paper indicates that (1 analysis using well-defined short periods of exposure with appropriate statistical methods is critical when the exact time of exposure is unknown, and (2 when assuming a specific distribution for the incubation period, comparisons using different distributions are needed in addition to estimations using different datasets, analyses of the determinants of incubation period, and an understanding of the underlying disease mechanisms.

  3. Early efforts in modeling the incubation period of infectious diseases with an acute course of illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishiura, Hiroshi

    2007-05-11

    The incubation period of infectious diseases, the time from infection with a microorganism to onset of disease, is directly relevant to prevention and control. Since explicit models of the incubation period enhance our understanding of the spread of disease, previous classic studies were revisited, focusing on the modeling methods employed and paying particular attention to relatively unknown historical efforts. The earliest study on the incubation period of pandemic influenza was published in 1919, providing estimates of the incubation period of Spanish flu using the daily incidence on ships departing from several ports in Australia. Although the study explicitly dealt with an unknown time of exposure, the assumed periods of exposure, which had an equal probability of infection, were too long, and thus, likely resulted in slight underestimates of the incubation period. After the suggestion that the incubation period follows lognormal distribution, Japanese epidemiologists extended this assumption to estimates of the time of exposure during a point source outbreak. Although the reason why the incubation period of acute infectious diseases tends to reveal a right-skewed distribution has been explored several times, the validity of the lognormal assumption is yet to be fully clarified. At present, various different distributions are assumed, and the lack of validity in assuming lognormal distribution is particularly apparent in the case of slowly progressing diseases. The present paper indicates that (1) analysis using well-defined short periods of exposure with appropriate statistical methods is critical when the exact time of exposure is unknown, and (2) when assuming a specific distribution for the incubation period, comparisons using different distributions are needed in addition to estimations using different datasets, analyses of the determinants of incubation period, and an understanding of the underlying disease mechanisms.

  4. [A pathogenesis study of tic disorder in children based on pathogen incubation theory].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Ya-bing; Wu, Min

    2007-11-01

    Pathogen incubation theory includes "no manifestation after infection" and "manifestation after incubation". Clinical data showed that the incidence and recurrence of tic disorders in children had a strong relevance to six exogenous factors. The pathogenesis is similar to the pathogenic mechanism based on incubation of pathogen theory, so we proposed a theory of "tic disorder induced by incubation of pathogen". Pathogenic wind can be classified into exterior wind and endogenous wind. Pathogenic wind is more apt to move, rise and migrate. The characteristics of pathogenic wind, especially easy mobility, determine the symptoms and signs of tic disorder, for pathogenic wind can be characterized by vibration and involuntary movement such as convulsion and tremor. If exogenous pathogenic wind moves into half-exterior and half-interior phase from the exterior, both the exterior and interior syndromes should be treated at the same time. We should regulate the function of the liver and the lung, expel pathogenic wind by dispersing the lung, and calm endogenous wind by removing obstruction in the collaterals and soothing the liver.

  5. INCUBATORS AND GOVERNMENT POLICY FOR DEVELOPING IT INDUSTRY AND REGION IN EMERGING ECONOMIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nur Atiqah Abdullah

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Incubation, a concept supported by a variety of economic cluster theories, is a vital element in economic development in developed countries. The entrepreneurial businesses that they house often improve the developed economies in terms of not only jobs but also wealth creation. The question that this article embraces is as follows: "Do incubators play the same vital role in economic development in developing regions of the world?" We use the case study methodology to develop this query in a focus area of regional development in an emerging economy. We examine the implementation of three incubators located in designated cybercities. The cybercity concept is one of the Malaysian government's initiatives to encourage the development of the IT industry within the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC Program. This study takes advantage of the 10-year development of cybercities by performing a longitudinal study. We found that these incubators did well in achieving their initial performance objectives, but they need to catch up with developed countries' continued rapid progress.

  6. Factors affecting sleep/vigilance behaviour in incubating mallards

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Javůrková, V.; Hořák, D.; Kreisinger, J.; Klvaňa, P.; Albrecht, Tomáš

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 117, č. 4 (2011), s. 345-355 ISSN 0179-1613 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR KJB601110803; GA MŠk LC06073 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60930519 Keywords : mallard * vigilance * antipredation behaviour * incubation Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 2.008, year: 2011

  7. Early Phase Process Evaluation: Industrial Practices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zulfan Adi Putra

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Process route evaluation is a part of research and development (R&D works in an industrial chemical project life cycle. In this early phase, good process evaluation, including process synthesis and designs, provide guidance’s on the R&D project. The paper aimed to collect practical methods used in this early phase process route evaluation from author’s 10 years of industrial experiences.  The collected methods range from forward-backward process synthesis, functional process design, use of cost estimation, and applications of Monte Carlo simulation. Led by a good project management (e.g. via a stage-gate approach use of these methods have shown beneficial results. Some important results are strong arguments on whether or not the project will continue, as well as relevant technical and economic issues identified during this early phase process synthesis and design. Later on, these issues become guidance’s to the follow-up project, if it is continued.

  8. In-Well Sediment Incubators to Evaluate Microbial Community Stability and Dynamics following Bioimmobilization of Uranium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baldwin, Brett R.; Peacock, Aaron D.; Gan, M.; Resch, Charles T.; Arntzen, Evan V.; Smithgall, A.N.; Pfiffner, S.; Freifeld, Barry M.; White, D.C.; Long, Philip E.

    2009-01-01

    An in-situ incubation device (ISI) was developed in order to investigate the stability and dynamics of sediment associated microbial communities to prevailing subsurface oxidizing or reducing conditions. Here we describe the use of these devices at the Old Rifle Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) site. During the 7 month deployment oxidized Rifle aquifer background sediments (RABS) were deployed in previously biostimulated wells under iron reducing conditions, cell densities of known iron reducing bacteria including Geobacteraceae increased significantly showing the microbial community response to local subsurface conditions. PLFA profiles of RABS following in situ deployment were strikingly similar to those of adjacent sediment cores suggesting ISI results could be extrapolated to the native material of the test plots. Results for ISI deployed reduced sediments showed only slight changes in community composition and pointed toward the ability of the ISIs to monitor microbial community stability and response to subsurface conditions.

  9. Effect of location of eggs in the incubator on hatchability of eggs from ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... the hatchability of all eggs set and of fertile eggs was the highest in eggs placed in the front of the machine. Furthermore, early and middle stage deaths during incubation were lower in the front of the incubator compared to the back. The differences between eggs placed in the upper, middle and lower parts of the machine ...

  10. The Role Of Business Incubators In The Economic Development Of Saudi Arabia

    OpenAIRE

    Mohamed Imam Salem

    2014-01-01

    Business incubators are perceived to be a mainstay of economic development programs. They create value by combining the entrepreneurial drive of a startup with resources generally available to new ventures. Among the primary objectives of business incubators are creating employment opportunities in the local economy and commercializing technologies. Saudi government has put high-growth, innovative businesses at the heart of its economic agenda. The aim of this paper is to enhance understa...

  11. Elasticity and breaking strength of synthetic suture materials incubated in various equine physiological and pathological solutions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kearney, C M; Buckley, C T; Jenner, F; Moissonnier, P; Brama, P A J

    2014-07-01

    Selection of suture material in equine surgery is often based on costs or subjective factors, such as the surgeon's personal experience, rather than objective facts. The amount of objective data available on durability of suture materials with regard to specific equine physiological conditions is limited. To evaluate the effect of various equine physiological and pathological fluids on the rate of degradation of a number of commonly used suture materials. In vitro material testing. Suture materials were exposed in vitro to physiological fluid, followed by biomechanical analysis. Three absorbable suture materials, glycolide/lactide copolymer, polyglactin 910 and polydioxanone were incubated at 37°C for 7, 14 or 28 days in phosphate-buffered saline, equine serum, equine urine and equine peritoneal fluid from an animal with peritonitis. Five strands of each suture material type were tested to failure in a materials testing machine for each time point and each incubation medium. Yield strength, strain and Young's modulus were calculated, analysed and reported. For all suture types, the incubation time had a significant effect on yield strength, percentage elongation and Young's modulus in all culture media (Ptype was also shown significantly to influence changes in each of yield strength, percentage elongation and Young's modulus in all culture media (Ptype of fluid have significant effects on the biomechanical properties of various suture materials. These findings are important for evidence-based selection of suture material in clinical cases. © 2013 EVJ Ltd.

  12. Incubator Baby Shows: A Medical and Social Frontier

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lieberman, Hannah

    2001-01-01

    America's first hospitals for premature infants were built at the turn of the twentieth century at fairs, amusement parks, and expositions. These hospitals represented both a medical and a social frontier. They had a great impact on American medicine because they demonstrated the success of caring for premature infants using incubators. The…

  13. Continuous measurements of nitrous oxide isotopomers during incubation experiments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Winther, Malte Nordmann; Balslev-Harder, David; Christensen, Søren

    2016-01-01

    relevant for studies of atmospheric chemistry. We present results from continuous incubation experiments with denitrifying bacteria, Pseudomonas fluorescens (producing and reducing N2O) and P. chlororaphis (only producing N2O). The continuous position dependent measurements reveal the transient pattern....... fluorescens, the calculations results in SP values of −5.7 ‰ ± 5.6 during production of N2O and 2.3 ‰ ± 3.2 during reduction of N2O. In summary, we implemented continuous measurements of N2O isotopomers during incubation of denitrifying bacteria and believe that similar experiments will lead to a better...... understanding of denitrifying bacteria and N2O turnover in soils and sediments and ultimately hands-on knowledge on the biotic mechanisms behind greenhouse gas exchange of the Globe....

  14. Evaluating evaluation as a communication process. What role for formative evaluation in ICT-based knowledge acquisition?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    USEILLE Philippe

    2005-10-01

    Full Text Available This article examines how formative evaluation as a communication process contributes to knowledge acquisition in using ICT (Information and Communication Technologies. Previous studies, especially in the field of education and training, have shown that formative evaluation plays a crucial part in the learning process because it contributes to learning to learn. Through formative evaluation, the learner becomes aware of errors and can adjust learning strategies to the situation. In addition, formative evaluation provides the teaching side with significant and useful information. Consequently, ICT researches have developed a wide range of solutions for this specific purpose. It is however difficult to check the efficiency of these tools by considering the effects of ICT in the knowledge acquisition process. I suggest that formative evaluation includes also a communication system that has an effect on the learning process. This study tackles the issue by proposing an alternative approach to formative evaluation that considers it as both a learning and a communication process. The study is based on SADT (Structure Analysis and Design Technique that provides a suitable description for the whole complex communication process. It allows a rigorous understanding and identification of the variables of evaluation as a communication process in order to take care of an ICT frame. Finally, this article outlines a multidisciplinary method to evaluate formative evaluation by focusing on the validity facets of the communication process. Keywords: formative evaluation, communication process, validity criteria, ICT training context.

  15. Optimization of incubation temperature in embryonated chicken eggs inoculated with H9N2 vaccinal subtype of avian influenza virus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saeed Sedigh-Eteghad

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available There are little information about growth properties of low pathogenic (LP avian influenza virus (AIV in embryonated chicken eggs (ECEs at different incubation temperatures. Knowledge of this information increases the quantity and quality of antigen in vaccine production process. For this purpose, 10-5 dilution of AIV (A/Chicken/Iran/99/H9N2 was inoculated (Intra-allantoic into 400, 11-day old specific pathogen free (SPF ECEs in the 0.1 mL per ECE rate and incubated in 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37.5, 38, 39 ̊C for 72 hr in 65% humidity. Early death embryos in first 24 hr were removed. Amnio-allantoic fluid was withdrawn into the measuring cylinder, and tested for hemagglutination (HA activity and egg infective dose 50 (EID50. The utilizable ECEs and amnio-allantoic fluid volume was significantly increased in 35 ̊C, (p < 0.05. Significant difference in HA and EID50 titers, were seen only in 39 ̊C group. Therefore, 35°C is an optimum temperature for incubation of inoculated ECEs.

  16. Analysis of the Organizational Structure of Enterprises of Technological Basis With Projects Without Incubators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcela Gimenes Bera Oshita

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The contingency theory assumes that the structure of the organization involves environment, people, technologies and administrative techniques for achieving the objectives of the company, which must comply with the contingent factors and the environment in which it is inserted. Being that, by the evolution of technology companies must be innovative from an organic structure. Thus, the incubated companies have innovative feature, this way: how is the organizational structure of enterprises of technological basis with projects in incubators? This research aims to asses and classify the organizational structure of enterprises of technological basis with projects in incubators in the State of Paraná. To achieve this goal it carried out a literature review on the contingency theory. Afterwards it was applied the questionnaire with companies incubated in that sought to identify their organizational structure Trough the applied methodology was found that, in General, incubated companies presented some mechanistic designs features with command-based rules and procedures in that only one person takes the decision, which way be the reflection of a technological breakthrough in which companies migrate to a mechanistic designs structure for organic , as well as in the results of Joan Woodward (1958, in which the occurrence of technological advancement, companies use the mechanistic designs structure, changing later to organic.

  17. Direct effects of incubation temperature on morphology, thermoregulatory behaviour and locomotor performance in jacky dragons (Amphibolurus muricatus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esquerré, Damien; Keogh, J Scott; Schwanz, Lisa E

    2014-07-01

    Incubation temperature is one of the most studied factors driving phenotypic plasticity in oviparous reptiles. We examined how incubation temperature influenced hatchling morphology, thermal preference and temperature-dependent running speed in the small Australian agamid lizard Amphibolurus muricatus. Hatchlings incubated at 32 °C grew more slowly than those incubated at 25 and 28 °C during their first month after hatching, and tended to be smaller at one month. These differences were no longer significant by three months of age due to selective mortality of the smallest hatchlings. The cooler incubation treatments (25 °C and 28 °C) produced lizards that had deeper and wider heads. Hatchlings from 28 °C had cooler and more stable temperature preferences, and also had lower body temperatures during a 2-h thermoregulatory behaviour trial. Locomotor performance was enhanced at higher body temperatures, but incubation temperature had no measurable effect either independently or in interaction with body temperature. Our study demonstrates that incubation temperature has direct effects on morphology and thermoregulatory behaviour that appears to be independent of any size-dependent effects. We postulate a mechanistic link between these two effects. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Incubation period for campylobacteriosis and its importance in the estimation of incidence related to travel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horn, B J; Lake, R J

    2013-10-03

    Differentiation between travel-related and domestic cases of infectious disease is important in managing risk. Incubation periods of cases from several outbreaks of campylobacteriosis in Canada, Europe, and the United States with defined exposure time of less than 24 hours were collated to provide information on the incubation period distribution. This distribution was consistent across the varied outbreaks considered, with 84% (702/832) of cases having an incubation period of four days or less and 1% having an incubation period of eight days or more. The incubation period distribution was incorporated into a model for the number of travel-related cases presenting with symptom onset at given dates after return to their country of residence. Using New Zealand notification data between 2006 and 2010 for cases who had undertaken foreign travel within 10 days prior to symptom onset, we found that 29.6% (67/227 cases; 95% confidence interval (CI): 28.3–30.8%) of these cases were likely to have been domestic cases. When cases with symptom onset prior to arrival were included, the probable domestic cases represented 11.8% (67/571; 95% CI: 11.2–12.3%). Consideration of incubation time distributions and consistent collection of travel start/end dates with symptom onset dates would assist attribution of cases to foreign travel.

  19. A Theory for the Incubation Period Following a Stress Reduction During Creep

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bilde-Sørensen, Jørgen

    1978-01-01

    incubation period is much shorter than the time needed to establish an equilibrium structure at the new lower stress. The dependence of dislocation line tension upon line length is taken into account; as a result of this, recovery rates are predicted to depend on stress to a power larger than three......A dislocation model is presented for the phenomena following a stress reduction during creep. It is suggested that an incubation period for the production of new mobile dislocations arises because attractive junctions on the verge of breaking just before the stress reduction are no longer so after...... the stress reduction. The breaking stress of the junctions must be lowered by climb movements in the surrounding network before the junctions can break and release new mobile dislocations. On the basis of these concepts, an expression is derived for the length of the incubation period. This theoretical...

  20. Sensitization of Micrococcus radiophilus to gamma-rays by postirradiation incubation with chloramphenicol or at nonpermissive temperature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kitayama, S; Harsojo,; Matsuyama, A [Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, Wako, Saitama (Japan)

    1980-12-01

    M. radiophilus was sensitized to gamma-rays by postirradiation incubation at 42/sup 0/C or at 30/sup 0/C in the presence of chloramphenicol. Radiation induced strand scissions and alkali labile bonds in DNA were repaired by post-irradiation incubation under normal conditions. However, these lesions were repaired only partially during the incubation at 42/sup 0/C or in the presence of chloramphenicol.

  1. A critical assessment of the occurrence and extend of oxygen contamination during anaerobic incubations utilizing commercially available vials

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    De Brabandere, Loreto; Thamdrup, Bo; Revsbech, Niels Peter

    2011-01-01

    contaminate the samples by oxygen diffusing from or through their plastic or rubber components. In this study, we investigated the sources and extent of oxygen contamination during anoxic incubations, and present solutions to minimize oxygen contamination. In particular, we investigated oxygen contamination...... in Labco® Exetainers, glass vials with a butyl rubber septum in the screw cap, which are frequently used in microbiological experiments. Our results show that significant oxygen contamination occurred at different stages during the incubation. Contamination occurred when Exetainers were either filled...... or incubated for more than16 h under oxic atmosphere, but also under an oxygen-free atmosphere due to diffusion of oxygen out of the butyl rubber septum. Therefore, to avoid oxygen contamination during incubations, we suggest (1) filling and incubating the incubation containers under anoxic atmosphere (glove...

  2. Limited male incubation ability and the evolution of egg size in shorebirds

    OpenAIRE

    Lislevand, Terje; Thomas, Gavin H.

    2006-01-01

    In bird species where males incubate but are smaller than females, egg size may be constrained by male body size, and hence ability to incubate the eggs. Using data from 71 such shorebird species, we show that egg size decreases as the degree of female-biased sexual size dimorphism increases, after controlling for female body mass. Relative egg size was not related to mean clutch size. However, when controlling for mating system, the relationship between female-biased sexual size dimorp...

  3. Temperature during the last week of incubation. III. Effects on chicken embryo physiology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Maatjens, C.M.; Roovert-Reijrink, van I.A.M.; Engel, B.; Pol, van der C.W.; Kemp, B.; Brand, van den H.

    2017-01-01

    We investigated effects of eggshell temperature (EST) of 35.6, 36.7, 37.8, or 38.9°C applied from d of incubation (E) 15, E17, or E19 onward on chicken embryo physiology. A total of 2,850 first-grade eggs of a 43-week-old Ross 308 broiler breeder flock were incubated at an EST of 37.8°C until E15.

  4. Dinosaur incubation periods directly determined from growth-line counts in embryonic teeth show reptilian-grade development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erickson, Gregory M; Zelenitsky, Darla K; Kay, David Ian; Norell, Mark A

    2017-01-17

    Birds stand out from other egg-laying amniotes by producing relatively small numbers of large eggs with very short incubation periods (average 11-85 d). This aspect promotes high survivorship by limiting exposure to predation and environmental perturbation, allows for larger more fit young, and facilitates rapid attainment of adult size. Birds are living dinosaurs; their rapid development has been considered to reflect the primitive dinosaurian condition. Here, nonavian dinosaurian incubation periods in both small and large ornithischian taxa are empirically determined through growth-line counts in embryonic teeth. Our results show unexpectedly slow incubation (2.8 and 5.8 mo) like those of outgroup reptiles. Developmental and physiological constraints would have rendered tooth formation and incubation inherently slow in other dinosaur lineages and basal birds. The capacity to determine incubation periods in extinct egg-laying amniotes has implications for dinosaurian embryology, life history strategies, and survivorship across the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction event.

  5. Effect of incubation on bacterial communities of eggshells in a temperate bird, the Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Won Young Lee

    Full Text Available Inhibitory effect of incubation on microbial growth has extensively been studied in wild bird populations using culture-based methods and conflicting results exist on whether incubation selectively affects the growth of microbes on the egg surface. In this study, we employed culture-independent methods, quantitative PCR and 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing, to elucidate the effect of incubation on the bacterial abundance and bacterial community composition on the eggshells of the Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica. We found that total bacterial abundance increased and diversity decreased on incubated eggs while there were no changes on non-incubated eggs. Interestingly, Gram-positive Bacillus, which include mostly harmless species, became dominant and genus Pseudomonas, which include opportunistic avian egg pathogens, were significantly reduced after incubation. These results suggest that avian incubation in temperate regions may promote the growth of harmless (or benevolent bacteria and suppress the growth of pathogenic bacterial taxa and consequently reduce the diversity of microbes on the egg surface. We hypothesize that this may occur due to difference in sensitivity to dehydration on the egg surface among microbes, combined with the introduction of Bacillus from bird feathers and due to the presence of antibiotics that certain bacteria produce.

  6. Evaluation of nonaqueous processes for nuclear materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Musgrave, B.C.; Grens, J.Z.; Knighton, J.B.; Coops, M.S.

    1983-12-01

    A working group was assigned the task of evaluating the status of nonaqueous processes for nuclear materials and the prospects for successful deployment of these technologies in the future. In the initial evaluation, the study was narrowed to the pyrochemical/pyrometallurgical processes closely related to the processes used for purification of plutonium and its conversion to metal. The status of the chemistry and process hardware were reviewed and the development needs in both chemistry and process equipment technology were evaluated. Finally, the requirements were established for successful deployment of this technology. The status of the technology was evaluated along three lines: (1) first the current applications were examined for completeness, (2) an attempt was made to construct closed-cycle flow sheets for several proposed applications, (3) and finally the status of technical development and future development needs for general applications were reviewed. By using these three evaluations, three different perspectives were constructed that together present a clear picture of how complete the technical development of these processes are

  7. A Conceptual Development Framework for Management and Leadership Learning in the UK Incubator Sector

    Science.gov (United States)

    D. Hannon, Paul

    2003-01-01

    Focuses attention upon a recent phenomenon promoted by public sector policy and government funding and adopted within the private sector as a vehicle for wealth creation, where wealth can mean the development of different forms of capital such as financial, intellectual and social. Incubators and incubation programmes have established themselves…

  8. Artificial incubation of muscovy duck eggs : Why some eggs hatch and others do not

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Harun, MAS; Veeneklaas, RJ; Visser, GH; Van Kampen, M

    This study was designed to gain insight into the influence of spraying and cooling, during artificial incubation, on the embryo metabolic rate and hatching ability of Muscovy duck eggs. Three times a week 93 incubated eggs were sprayed and cooled for 0.5 h at room temperature. Daily embryo metabolic

  9. Effects of ultraviolet irradiation and postirradiation incubation on heterogeneous nuclear RNA size in murine cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ali, R.; Sauerbier, W.

    1978-01-01

    We have analyzed the decrease in synthesis of individual size classes of heterogeneous nuclear RNA (hnRNA) in ultraviolet (uv)-irradiated Merwin plasmacytoma (MPC-11) cells at various times of postirradiation incubation. HnRNA from nonirradiated control cells is distributed over a wide range from approximately 60S to 5S, with 42S RNA carrying more label than any other size class. HnRNA from uv-irradiated cells shows a dose-dependent shift in size distribution toward lower molecular weight. The size distribution of hnRNA synthesized after prolonged times of postirradiation incubation is restored toward normal, i.e., synthesis of long RNA molecules increases relative to the synthesis of short ones. Analysis of the total number of hnRNA chains synthesized during a 20-min [ 3 H]uridine pulse shows a considerable eduction in their number with increasing uv dose. Murine cell lines are excision-repair-deficient but capable of post replication repair inhibited by caffeine. HnRNA transcripts of cells incubated in its presence were studied. The caffeine, which has no effect on hnRNA size in control cells, inhibits to a considerable extent the restoration of full-length transcripts during postirradiation incubation. The lack of excision repair in MPC-11 was confirmed by the analysis of pyrimidine dimers in trichloracetic acid-insoluble and soluble fractions within 8 h of postirradiation incubation. The size of parental and daughter strand DNA in uv-irradiated cells was correlated with RNA transcript size. The parental DNA in these experiments does not change its size as a consequence of uv exposure and postirradiation incubation. In contrast, daughter DNA strands are short in uv-irradiated cells and they increase in size during postirradiation incubation to reach the size of parental strands after 8 h

  10. Influence of the incubation conditions on culture media to optimize primary isolation of Mycobacterium bovis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cássia Yumi Ikuta

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The isolation of Mycobacterium bovis is critical to a surveillance system for bovine tuberculosis based on detection of lesions in abattoirs. Thus, four solid culture media and three incubation conditions were investigated to elucidate which combination overcomes the others by assessing growth, time to the first appearance of colonies and their number. Ninety-seven samples of granulomatous lesions were submitted to the decontamination procedure by 1-hexadecylpyridinium chloride at 0.75% w/v, and inoculated on two egg-based media, Stonebrink’s (ST and Löwenstein-Jensen’s with sodium pyruvate (LJp, and two agar-based media, tuberculosis blood agar (B83 and Middlebrook 7H11 medium (7H11. Each medium was incubated at 37°C for 90 days in three incubation conditions: in air, in air containing 10% carbon dioxide (CO2, and in air in slopes closed with burned hydrophobic cotton and subsequently plugged with a cork to create a microaerophilic atmosphere. The colonies appeared faster and in higher number when incubated in air containing 10% CO2 (p < 0.01, independent of media. B83 showed a faster growth and detected more isolates at 30 days of incubation, when compared to ST (0.0178, LJp (p < 0.0001 and 7H11 (p < 0.0001, though there was no difference between B83, ST and LJp at 60 and 90 days of incubation. 7H11 presented the lowest number of isolates (p < 0.0001 and a longer period for the appearance of the first colony (p < 0.001. According to our findings, the concomitant use of ST and B83 media incubated in air containing 10% CO2 increases the isolation of M. bovis in a shorter period of time, which improves bovine tuberculosis diagnosis.

  11. Randomized Vehicle-Controlled Study of Short Drug Incubation Aminolevulinic Acid Photodynamic Therapy for Actinic Keratoses of the Face or Scalp.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pariser, David M; Houlihan, Anna; Ferdon, Mary Beth; Berg, James E

    2016-03-01

    Aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) can be effective and well tolerated when applied over a broad area and for short drug incubation times. To evaluate the effect of short-incubation time and application method on the safety and efficacy of ALA-PDT versus vehicle (VEH-PDT) in the treatment of actinic keratoses (AKs) of the face or scalp. Aminolevulinic acid or VEH was applied to face or scalp as a broad area application for 1, 2, or 3 hours or as a spot application for 2 hours before blue light activation. An identical treatment was repeated at Week 8 if any AK lesions remained. Median AK clearance rate for ALA-treated subjects ranged from 68% to 79% at Week 12, compared with 7% of the VEH-treated group (p 47) at Week 12, compared with 2% (1/46) of the VEH-treated group (p = .0041). The safety profile seen in this study is consistent with previously reported side effects of the therapy. Short-incubation ALA-PDT was found to be superior to VEH-PDT for AK lesion clearance. A second treatment improves efficacy.

  12. Conceptual modelling of human resource evaluation process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Negoiţă Doina Olivia

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Taking into account the highly diverse tasks which employees have to fulfil due to complex requirements of nowadays consumers, the human resource within an enterprise has become a strategic element for developing and exploiting products which meet the market expectations. Therefore, organizations encounter difficulties when approaching the human resource evaluation process. Hence, the aim of the current paper is to design a conceptual model of the aforementioned process, which allows the enterprises to develop a specific methodology. In order to design the conceptual model, Business Process Modelling instruments were employed - Adonis Community Edition Business Process Management Toolkit using the ADONIS BPMS Notation. The conceptual model was developed based on an in-depth secondary research regarding the human resource evaluation process. The proposed conceptual model represents a generic workflow (sequential and/ or simultaneously activities, which can be extended considering the enterprise’s needs regarding their requirements when conducting a human resource evaluation process. Enterprises can benefit from using software instruments for business process modelling as they enable process analysis and evaluation (predefined / specific queries and also model optimization (simulations.

  13. Costs of Reproduction in Breeding Female Mallards: Predation Risk during Incubation Drives Annual Mortality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Todd W. Arnold

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The effort expended on reproduction may entail future costs, such as reduced survival or fecundity, and these costs can have an important influence on life-history optimization. For birds with precocial offspring, hypothesized costs of reproduction have typically emphasized nutritional and energetic investments in egg formation and incubation. We measured seasonal survival of 3856 radio-marked female Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos from arrival on the breeding grounds through brood-rearing or cessation of breeding. There was a 2.5-fold direct increase in mortality risk associated with incubating nests in terrestrial habitats, whereas during brood-rearing when breeding females occupy aquatic habitats, mortality risk reached seasonal lows. Mortality risk also varied with calendar date and was highest during periods when large numbers of Mallards were nesting, suggesting that prey-switching behaviors by common predators may exacerbate risks to adults in all breeding stages. Although prior investments in egg laying and incubation affected mortality risk, most relationships were not consistent with the cost of reproduction hypothesis; birds with extensive prior investments in egg production or incubation typically survived better, suggesting that variation in individual quality drove both relationships. We conclude that for breeding female Mallards, the primary cost of reproduction is a fixed cost associated with placing oneself at risk to predators while incubating nests in terrestrial habitats.

  14. Incubation of Spirometra eggs at laboratory conditions by Modified ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Incubation of Spirometra eggs was conducted in the helminthology laboratory Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sokoine University of Agriculture during the period July to September, 2012. Spirometra eggs from faeces of naturally infected lions (Panthera leo) from Tarangire National Park, Tanzania were cultured at laboratory ...

  15. Changes in brain magnetic resonance imaging patterns for preterm infants after introduction of a magnetic resonance-compatible incubator coil system: 5-year experience at a single institution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Hyun-Hae; Kim, In-One; Cheon, Jung-Eun; Choi, Young Hun; Lee, So Mi; Kim, Woo Sun

    2016-09-01

    To evaluate the changes in using patterns of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in preterm infants after introduction of a MR-compatible incubator coil system. Brain MRIs for preterm infants with the MR-compatible incubator coil from March 2010 to July 2014 (n=154, group A) were compared with MRIs prior to the introduction of the incubator coil, from March 2005 to February 2010 (n=65, group B). Clinical data, MRI findings, acquisition time, and incidence of adverse events during the study were retrospectively reviewed. For the qualitative analysis of the examinations, the presence of motion artefact, spatial resolution, and overall image quality were assessed. Signal uniformity of each sequence was evaluated for a quantitative comparison. Comparing with group B, Group A was significantly younger (36+3 vs. 38+3 weeks, pimage acquisition time was significantly shorter in group A (21.4±4.5 vs. 25.4±5.5min, pimage quality with decreased signal variation than group B (all pimage quality. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Student experimenter and sponsor display SE83-9 'Chix in Space' incubator

    Science.gov (United States)

    1988-01-01

    Student experimenter John C. Vellinger (left) explains components of an incubator for his Student Experiment (SE) 83-9 Chicken Embryo Development in Space or 'Chix in Space' to be carried onboard STS-29 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103. Mark S. Deusser, representing the sponsoring organization, holds up the incubator for inspection by STS-29 crewmembers who will monitor in-space operation of the experiment. Mission Specialist (MS) Robert C. Springer is partially visible in the lower right foreground. The student's sponsor is Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).

  17. Open-dish incubator for live cell imaging with an inverted microscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heidemann, Steven R; Lamoureux, Phillip; Ngo, Kha; Reynolds, Matthew; Buxbaum, Robert E

    2003-10-01

    Here we describe the design and fabrication of an inexpensive cell culture incubator for the stage of an inverted light microscope for use in live cell imaging. This device maintains the temperature of the cell culture at 37 degrees C with great stability and, after reaching equilibrium, provides focal stability of an image for 20-25 min with oil-immersion lenses. We describe two versions of the incubator: one for use with standard 60-mm plastic culture dishes, and the other version for imaging of cells on glass coverslips. Either can be made for less than $400. Most components are widely available commercially, and it requires only simple wiring and 3 h to assemble. Although the device is generally useful for live cell imaging on an inverted microscope, it is particularly suitable for work in which instruments are introduced into the culture, such as electrophysiology or micromanipulation. The design is based on the principle that control performance is limited by the lag time between detection and response. The key element of the design is a heated, temperature-controlled aluminum ring serving as a mini-incubator surrounding the culture vessel. For this reason, we call our design a "ringcubator."

  18. Garlic essential oil increases rates of eggs fertilization and hatching of Rhamdia quelen larvae in an artificial incubation system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nilton Garcia Marengoni

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of garlic (Allium sativum essential oil on the rates of eggs fertilization and hatching and on the normal development of larvae of artificially incubated silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen. The experiment was carried out using a completely randomized experimental design with four treatments and five replicates. The treatments consisted of introducing garlic essential oil into the incubators, which used a closed system of water recirculation, at concentrations of 0, 1, 3, and 5mg L-1. Rates of eggs fertilization and larval hatching were determined at 10 and 24h after the beginning of eggs hydration. Morphology of larvae was assessed with the aid of a stereo microscope to determine the rate of normal development. The concentration of 5mg L-1 promoted better rates of eggs fertilization and larval hatching. Concentrations of garlic essential oil had a linear effect on eggs fertilization rates and larval hatching. Garlic oil did not influence the morphology of the larvae (P>0.05. It is recommended to use 5mg L-1 of garlic essential oil to promote better rates of eggs fertilization and larval hatching of artificially incubated silver catfish.

  19. Rapid Identification of Microorganisms from Positive Blood Culture by MALDI-TOF MS After Short-Term Incubation on Solid Medium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curtoni, Antonio; Cipriani, Raffaella; Marra, Elisa Simona; Barbui, Anna Maria; Cavallo, Rossana; Costa, Cristina

    2017-01-01

    Matrix-assisted laser-desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) is a useful tool for rapid identification of microorganisms. Unfortunately, its direct application to positive blood culture is still lacking standardized procedures. In this study, we evaluated an easy- and rapid-to-perform protocol for MALDI-TOF MS direct identification of microorganisms from positive blood culture after a short-term incubation on solid medium. This protocol was used to evaluate direct identification of microorganisms from 162 positive monomicrobial blood cultures; at different incubation times (3, 5, 24 h), MALDI-TOF MS assay was performed from the growing microorganism patina. Overall, MALDI-TOF MS concordance with conventional methods at species level was 60.5, 80.2, and 93.8% at 3, 5, and 24 h, respectively. Considering only bacteria, the identification performances at species level were 64.1, 85.0, and 94.1% at 3, 5, and 24 h, respectively. This protocol applied to a commercially available MS typing system may represent, a fast and powerful diagnostic tool for pathogen direct identification and for a promptly and pathogen-driven antimicrobial therapy in selected cases.

  20. Demand-side management process evaluations - the management perspective

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perrault, G.A.; Barrett, L.B.

    1993-01-01

    A demand-side management (DSM) process evaluation is a qualitative, expert assessment of how a utility marketing program is being conducted. It reviews the efficiency and effectiveness in which a utility plans, manages, executes, and monitors the delivery of DSM programs to its marketplace. Process evaluations,which includes load impact, customer satisfaction and cost-effectiveness analysis, are becoming an increasingly significant component. The process evaluation focus is on the program planning and delivery process as opposed to the energy impacts resulting from the specific measures or products of the program. Because of this process-oriented focus, such evaluations can identify important opportunities for improving the cost-effectiveness of a program without significantly changing product lines. The evaluation may identify administrative or delivery process improvements. In addition, the evaluation may identify ways of improving the degree to which the customer is satisfied with the program or the utility. Since process evaluations are usually conducted as part of a utility's mandated DSM measurement and evaluation plan, they tend to focus mainly on the stated needs of the regulator as opposed to company management. This can be a problem. Although the regulatory perspective is important, in an increasingly competitive business environment, utilities must not overlook management's business and operational needs for specific information regarding DSM program planning, control, execution, and evaluation. This paper discusses some of the conflicts that exist between the regulator's and management's needs for DSM program evaluation results and presents some approaches for assuring that both needs are met. It is organized to first discuss the scope of a process evaluation, then the evaluation issues, the management concerns, and finally reporting of results

  1. Incubation Temperature during Fetal Development Influences Morphophysiological Characteristics and Preferred Ambient Temperature of Chicken Hatchlings.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Viviane de Souza Morita

    Full Text Available Skin and feather characteristics, which play a critical role in body temperature maintenance, can be affected by incubation circumstances, such as incubation temperature. However, no study to date has assessed the influence of incubation temperature during the fetal stage on morphometric characteristics and vascular development of the skin, feather characteristics, and their relationship to hormone levels and preferred temperature in later life in chickens. Broiler breeder eggs were exposed to low (36°C, control (37.5°C, or high (39°C temperatures (treatments LT, CK, and HT, respectively from day 13 of incubation onward, because it is known that the endocrine axes are already established at this time. During this period, eggshell temperature of HT eggs (38.8±0.33°C was higher than of LT (37.4±0.08°C and CK eggs (37.8 ±0.15°C. The difference between eggshell and incubator air temperature diminished with the increasing incubation temperature, and was approximately zero for HT. HT hatchlings had higher surface temperature on the head, neck, and back, and thinner and more vascularized skin than did CK and LT hatchlings. No differences were found among treatments for body weight, total feather weight, number and length of barbs, barbule length, and plasma T4 concentration. LT hatchlings showed lower plasma T3 and GH, as well as lower T3/T4 ratio and decreased vascularity in the neck, back, and thigh skin compared to CK hatchlings. On the other hand, HT hatchlings had decreased skin thickness and increased vascularity, and preferred a higher ambient temperature compared to CK and HT hatchlings. In addition, for all treatments, surface temperature on the head was higher than of the other body regions. We conclude that changes in skin thickness and vascularity, as well as changes in thyroid and growth hormone levels, are the result of embryonic strategies to cope with higher or lower than normal incubation temperatures. Additionally exposure to

  2. Pyruvate incubation enhances glycogen stores and sustains neuronal function during subsequent glucose deprivation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shetty, Pavan K; Sadgrove, Matthew P; Galeffi, Francesca; Turner, Dennis A

    2012-01-01

    The use of energy substrates, such as lactate and pyruvate, has been shown to improve synaptic function when administered during glucose deprivation. In the present study, we investigated whether prolonged incubation with monocarboxylate (pyruvate or lactate) prior rather than during glucose deprivation can also sustain synaptic and metabolic function. Pyruvate pre-incubation(3-4h) significantly prolonged (>25 min) the tolerance of rat hippocampal slices to delayed glucose deprivation compared to control and lactate pre-incubated slices, as revealed by field excitatory post synaptic potentials (fEPSPs); pre-incubation with pyruvate also reduced the marked decrease in NAD(P)H fluorescence resulting from glucose deprivation. Moreover, pyruvate exposure led to the enhancement of glycogen stores with time, compared to glucose alone (12 μmol/g tissue at 4h vs. 3.5 μmol/g tissue). Prolonged resistance to glucose deprivation following exogenous pyruvate incubation was prevented by glycogenolysis inhibitors, suggesting that enhanced glycogen mediates the delay in synaptic activity failure. The application of an adenosine A1 receptor antagonist enhanced glycogen utilization and prolonged the time to synaptic failure, further confirming this hypothesis of the importance of glycogen. Moreover, tissue levels of ATP were also significantly maintained during glucose deprivation in pyruvate pretreated slices compared to control and lactate. In summary, these experiments indicate that pyruvate exposure prior to glucose deprivation significantly increased the energy buffering capacity of hippocampal slices, particularly by enhancing internal glycogen stores, delaying synaptic failure during glucose deprivation by maintaining ATP levels, and minimizing the decrease in the levels of NAD(P)H. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Fate of lignin, cutin and suberin in soil organic matter fractions - an incubation experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mueller, Carsten W.; Mueller, Kevin E.; Freeman, Katherine H.; Ingrid, Kögel-Knabner

    2010-05-01

    The turnover of soil organic matter (SOM) is controlled by its chemical composition, its spatial accessibility and the association with the mineral phase. Separation of bulk soils by physical fractionation and subsequent chemical analysis of these fractions should give insights to how compositional differences in SOM drive turnover rates of different size-defined carbon pools. The main objective of this study was to elucidate the relative abundance and recalcitrance of lignin, cutin and suberin in aggregated bulk soils and SOM fractions in the course of SOM decomposition. Bulk soils and physically-separated size fractions (sand, silt and clay) of the Ah horizon of a forest soil (under Picea abies L.Karst) were parallel incubated over a period of one year. In order to differentiate between particulate OM (POM) and mineral-associated SOM the particle size fractions were additionally separated by density after the incubation experiment. We used solid-state 13C-CPMAS NMR spectroscopy and GC-MS (after copper oxide oxidation and solvent extraction) to analyze the composition of the incubated samples. The abundance and isotopic composition (including 13C and 14C) of the respired CO2 further enabled us to monitor the dynamics of SOM mineralization. This approach allowed for differentiating between C stabilization of soil fractions due to accessibility/aggregation and to biochemical recalcitrance at different scales of resolution (GC-MS, NMR). We found a relative enrichment of alkyl C and decreasing lignin contents in the order of sand particulate OM (POM). For the fresh particulate OM (POM) of the sand fraction a clear decay of lignin was observed in the course of the incubation experiment, indicated by decreasing C/V and increasing ac/alV ratios. A relative decrease of aliphatic C in the incubated fractions compared to the incubated bulk soils showed the preferential mineralization of less recalcitrant C compounds that were spatially inaccessible in aggregates of the bulk

  4. Effect of temperature on the egg incubation period of Taeniopteryx nebulosa (Plecoptera)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brittain, J.E.

    1977-01-01

    Eggs of Taeniopteryx nebulosa (L.) were incubated in the laboratory at constant temperatures between 2/sup 0/C and 24/sup 0/C and at field temperatures. A relationship, linear on logarithmic scales, was found between water temperature (T/sup 0/C) and mean egg incubation period (Y days) for the temperature range 2 to 24/sup 0/C. The relationship is given by the regression equation: Y = 313 T/sup -1/./sup 03/ (r = 0.998, p < 0.001). Hatching success was low below 4/sup 0/C and above 20/sup 0/C.

  5. The effect of male incubation feeding on female nest attendance and reproductive performance in a socially monogamous bird

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Amininasab, Seyed Mehdi; Birker, Martje; Kingma, Sjouke A.; Hildenbrandt, Hanno; Komdeur, Jan

    The incubation of eggs plays a key role in avian parental care. To ensure embryo development, incubating parents have to keep their eggs within the appropriate temperature limits. To do so, incubating individuals allocate substantial energy to the thermal demands of their eggs, but they face a

  6. Egg incubation effects generate positive correlations between size, speed and learning ability in young lizards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amiel, Joshua Johnstone; Lindström, Tom; Shine, Richard

    2014-03-01

    Previous studies have suggested that body size and locomotor performance are targets of Darwinian selection in reptiles. However, much of the variation in these traits may derive from phenotypically plastic responses to incubation temperature, rather than from underlying genetic variation. Intriguingly, incubation temperature may also influence cognitive traits such as learning ability. Therefore, we might expect correlations between a reptile's size, locomotor speed and learning ability either due to selection on all of these traits or due to environmental effects during egg incubation. In the present study, we incubated lizard eggs (Scincidae: Bassiana duperreyi) under 'hot' and 'cold' thermal regimes and then assessed differences in hatchling body size, running speed and learning ability. We measured learning ability using a Y-maze and a food reward. We found high correlations between size, speed and learning ability, using two different metrics to quantify learning (time to solution, and directness of route), and showed that environmental effects (incubation temperature) cause these correlations. If widespread, such correlations challenge any simple interpretation of fitness advantages due to body size or speed within a population; for example, survivors may be larger and faster than nonsurvivors because of differences in learning ability, not because of their size or speed.

  7. Effect of soil organic matter on antimony bioavailability after the remediation process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakamaru, Yasuo Mitsui; Martín Peinado, Francisco José

    2017-09-01

    We evaluated the long-term (18 year) and short-term (4 weeks) changes of Sb in contaminated soil with SOM increase under remediation process. In the Aznalcóllar mine accident (1998) contaminated area, the remediation measurement implemented the Guadiamar Green Corridor, where residual pollution is still detected. Soils of the re-vegetated area (O2) with high pH and high SOM content, moderately re-vegetated area (O1) and unvegetated area (C) were sampled. Soil pH, CEC, SOM amount and soil Sb forms were evaluated. Soil Sb was measured as total, soluble, exchangeable, EDTA extractable, acid oxalate extractable, and pyro-phosphate extractable fractions. Further, the short-term effect of artificial organic matter addition was also evaluated with incubation study by adding compost to the sampled soil from C, O1 and O2 areas. After 4 weeks of incubation, soil chemical properties and Sb forms were evaluated. In re-vegetated area (O2), soil total Sb was two times lower than in unvegetated area (C); however, soluble, exchangeable, and EDTA extractable Sb were 2-8 times higher. The mobile/bioavailable Sb increase was also observed after 4 weeks of incubation with the addition of compost. Soluble, exchangeable, and EDTA extractable Sb was increased 2-4 times by compost addition. By the linear regression analysis, the significantly related factors for soluble, exchangeable, and EDTA extractable Sb values were pH, CEC, and SOM, respectively. Soluble Sb increase was mainly related to pH rise. Exchangeable Sb should be bound by SOM-metal complex and increased with CEC. EDTA extractable fraction should be increased with increase of SOM as SOM-Fe associated Sb complex. From these results, it was shown that increase of SOM under natural conditions or application of organic amendment under remediation process should increase availability of Sb to plants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. The tools for evaluating logistics processes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michał Adamczak

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: The growing importance of business process approach and dynamic management is triggered by market expectations for lead time reductions and the pressure for cost cuts. An efficient process management requires measurement and assessment skills. This article is intended to present the tools used in evaluating processes and the way in which they work together under simulated conditions. Methods: The project's Authors believe that a process can be assessed by measuring its attributes: cost, time and quality. An assessment tool has been developed for each of those attributes. For costs - it could be activity based costing, for time - value stream mapping; for quality - statistical process control. Each tool allows for evaluating one of the attributes, any element in the process hierarchy. The methods presented in the paper have been supplemented with process modelling and simulation. Results: In order to show how process assessment tools are combined with process simulation the Authors show a sample process in three versions (serial, parallel and mixed. A variant simulation (using iGrafx software allows for determining the values of attributes in the entire process based on the data set for its components (activities. In the example under investigation the process variant has no impact on its quality. Process cost and time are affected. Conclusions: The tools for identifying attribute values, in combination with process modelling and simulation, can prove very beneficial when applied in business practice. In the first place they allow for evaluating a process based on the value of the attributes pertaining to its particular activities, which, on the other hand, raises the possibility of process configuration at the design stage. The solution presented in the paper can be developed further with a view to process standardization and best variant recommendation.  

  9. Incubating a Space Strategy: The Role of Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-06-01

    Instruction in broad ranging subjects was given to “round out complete education as an Air Corps officer, especially where he will have close...development of space education ; and the internal connections within the military remain strong at ACSC, while the external connections, especially to...INCUBATING A SPACE STRATEGY: THE ROLE OF EDUCATION BY ELISABETH K. WHITE A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY OF

  10. Effect of incubation system on the development of intestinal villi, metabolism, and performance of one- to forty-day-old broiler chickens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Araceli Pacheco Villanueva

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT An experiment was performed to evaluate the effect of the incubation system ― multiple-stage (MS and single-stage (SS ― on the characteristics at hatching, intestinal morphology, metabolism, and performance of Cobb-500 chickens from 1 to 40 d of age. A total of 1,968 fertile eggs were incubated in two setters under commercial conditions. Birds hatched in SS were longer than those hatched in MS, and the females had higher relative intestinal weight compared with males. However, at hatching, there were no differences in BW and yolk-free body mass from incubation system or sex. In the period from 1-40 d, the birds hatched in SS were heavier, had higher weight gain and better adjusted feed conversion, without differences in feed intake and feed conversion. This result is due mainly to MS females, which always, although in some periods only numerically, exhibited worse responses than the other treatment, lowering the average MS bird performance. Sex influenced the duodenal villi height in chickens at 0 d; females showed larger villi than males. Moreover, the birds hatched in SS had deeper crypts than those hatched in MS. At 7 d, because males had higher feed intake, the differences in duodenal villi height found at hatching disappeared, leaving only a gender effect on jejunum crypt depth: females showed deeper crypts. As regards the metabolism coefficients of nutrients from 5 to 7 d, females were more efficient in metabolizing energy and showed higher apparent metabolizable energy corrected for nitrogen values than males, with no differences caused by the incubation system. The best incubation conditions are obtained with the single-stage system, based on the improved broiler performance (2.98%, especially in the females (5.04%.

  11. Impacts of soil incorporation of pre-incubated silica-rich rice residue on soil biogeochemistry and greenhouse gas fluxes under flooding and drying.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gutekunst, Madison Y; Vargas, Rodrigo; Seyfferth, Angelia L

    2017-09-01

    Incorporation of silica-rich rice husk residue into flooded paddy soil decreases arsenic uptake by rice. However, the impact of this practice on soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and elemental cycling is unresolved particularly as amended soils experience recurrent flooding and drying cycles. We evaluated the impact of pre-incubated silica-rich rice residue incorporation to soils on pore water chemistry and soil GHG fluxes (i.e., CO 2 , CH 4 , N 2 O) over a flooding and drying cycle typical of flooded rice cultivation. Soils pre-incubated with rice husk had 4-fold higher pore water Si than control and 2-fold higher than soils pre-incubated with rice straw, whereas the pore water As and Fe concentrations in soils amended with pre-incubated straw and husk were unexpectedly similar (maximum ~0.85μM and ~450μM levels, respectively). Pre-incubation of residues did not affect Si but did affect the pore water levels of As and Fe compared to previous studies using fresh residues where straw amended soils had higher As and Fe in pore water. The global warming potential (GWP) of soil GHG emissions decreased in the order straw (612±76g CO 2 -eqm -2 )>husk (367±42gCO 2 -eqm -2 )>ashed husk=ashed straw (251±26 and 278±28gCO 2 -eqm -2 )>control (186±23gCO 2 -eqm -2 ). The GWP increase due to pre-incubated straw amendment was due to: a) larger N 2 O fluxes during re-flooding; b) smaller contributions from larger CH 4 fluxes during flooded periods; and c) higher CH 4 and CO 2 fluxes at the onset of drainage. In contrast, the GWP of the husk amendment was dominated by CO 2 and CH 4 emissions during flooded and drainage periods, while ashed amendments increased CO 2 emissions particularly during drainage. This experiment shows that ashed residues and husk addition minimizes GWP of flooded soils and enhances pore water Si compared to straw addition even after pre-incubation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Automated Processing and Evaluation of Anti-Nuclear Antibody Indirect Immunofluorescence Testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ricchiuti, Vincent; Adams, Joseph; Hardy, Donna J; Katayev, Alexander; Fleming, James K

    2018-01-01

    Indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) is considered by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the international consensus on ANA patterns (ICAP) the gold standard for the screening of anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA). As conventional IIF is labor intensive, time-consuming, subjective, and poorly standardized, there have been ongoing efforts to improve the standardization of reagents and to develop automated platforms for assay incubation, microscopy, and evaluation. In this study, the workflow and performance characteristics of a fully automated ANA IIF system (Sprinter XL, EUROPattern Suite, IFA 40: HEp-20-10 cells) were compared to a manual approach using visual microscopy with a filter device for single-well titration and to technologist reading. The Sprinter/EUROPattern system enabled the processing of large daily workload cohorts in less than 8 h and the reduction of labor hands-on time by more than 4 h. Regarding the discrimination of positive from negative samples, the overall agreement of the EUROPattern software with technologist reading was higher (95.6%) than when compared to the current method (89.4%). Moreover, the software was consistent with technologist reading in 80.6-97.5% of patterns and 71.0-93.8% of titers. In conclusion, the Sprinter/EUROPattern system provides substantial labor savings and good concordance with technologist ANA IIF microscopy, thus increasing standardization, laboratory efficiency, and removing subjectivity.

  13. Automated Processing and Evaluation of Anti-Nuclear Antibody Indirect Immunofluorescence Testing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vincent Ricchiuti

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Indirect immunofluorescence (IIF is considered by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR and the international consensus on ANA patterns (ICAP the gold standard for the screening of anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA. As conventional IIF is labor intensive, time-consuming, subjective, and poorly standardized, there have been ongoing efforts to improve the standardization of reagents and to develop automated platforms for assay incubation, microscopy, and evaluation. In this study, the workflow and performance characteristics of a fully automated ANA IIF system (Sprinter XL, EUROPattern Suite, IFA 40: HEp-20-10 cells were compared to a manual approach using visual microscopy with a filter device for single-well titration and to technologist reading. The Sprinter/EUROPattern system enabled the processing of large daily workload cohorts in less than 8 h and the reduction of labor hands-on time by more than 4 h. Regarding the discrimination of positive from negative samples, the overall agreement of the EUROPattern software with technologist reading was higher (95.6% than when compared to the current method (89.4%. Moreover, the software was consistent with technologist reading in 80.6–97.5% of patterns and 71.0–93.8% of titers. In conclusion, the Sprinter/EUROPattern system provides substantial labor savings and good concordance with technologist ANA IIF microscopy, thus increasing standardization, laboratory efficiency, and removing subjectivity.

  14. Construction of Agricultural University Students’ Entrepreneurship Incubation Base – Taking Sichuan Agricultural University as a Case Study

    OpenAIRE

    Xia Yao; Jianping Xie; Linchun He

    2013-01-01

    In the recent years, as an effective practice in university students’ entrepreneurship education, construction of university students’ entrepreneurship incubation base has been rapidly developed in different universities. This paper takes construction of the entrepreneurship incubation base in Sichuan Agricultural University as a case study, analyzes the current status of university students’ entrepreneurship incubation base and makes a discussion on establishment of management institution, f...

  15. Effect of soil organic matter on antimony bioavailability after the remediation process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamaru, Yasuo Mitsui; Martín Peinado, Francisco José

    2017-01-01

    We evaluated the long-term (18 year) and short-term (4 weeks) changes of Sb in contaminated soil with SOM increase under remediation process. In the Aznalcóllar mine accident (1998) contaminated area, the remediation measurement implemented the Guadiamar Green Corridor, where residual pollution is still detected. Soils of the re-vegetated area (O2) with high pH and high SOM content, moderately re-vegetated area (O1) and unvegetated area (C) were sampled. Soil pH, CEC, SOM amount and soil Sb forms were evaluated. Soil Sb was measured as total, soluble, exchangeable, EDTA extractable, acid oxalate extractable, and pyro-phosphate extractable fractions. Further, the short-term effect of artificial organic matter addition was also evaluated with incubation study by adding compost to the sampled soil from C, O1 and O2 areas. After 4 weeks of incubation, soil chemical properties and Sb forms were evaluated. In re-vegetated area (O2), soil total Sb was two times lower than in unvegetated area (C); however, soluble, exchangeable, and EDTA extractable Sb were 2–8 times higher. The mobile/bioavailable Sb increase was also observed after 4 weeks of incubation with the addition of compost. Soluble, exchangeable, and EDTA extractable Sb was increased 2–4 times by compost addition. By the linear regression analysis, the significantly related factors for soluble, exchangeable, and EDTA extractable Sb values were pH, CEC, and SOM, respectively. Soluble Sb increase was mainly related to pH rise. Exchangeable Sb should be bound by SOM-metal complex and increased with CEC. EDTA extractable fraction should be increased with increase of SOM as SOM-Fe associated Sb complex. From these results, it was shown that increase of SOM under natural conditions or application of organic amendment under remediation process should increase availability of Sb to plants. - Highlights: • The effect of SOM on Sb availability was evaluated after the remediation process. • Increase in SOM raised

  16. Physics Incubator at Kansas State University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flanders, Bret; Chakrabarti, Amitabha

    Funded by a major private endowment, the physics department at Kansas State University has recently started a physics incubator program that provides support to research projects with a high probability of commercial application. Some examples of these projects will be discussed in this talk. In a parallel effort, undergraduate physics majors and graduate students are being encouraged to work with our business school to earn an Entrepreneurship minor and a certification in Entrepreneurship. We will discuss how these efforts are promoting a ``culture change'' in the department. We will also discuss the advantages and the difficulties in running such a program in a Midwest college town.

  17. Effects of egg incubation condition on the post-hatching growth and performance of the snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ryan, Kathleen M. [State Univ. of New York (SUNY),Buffalo, NY (United States)

    1990-12-01

    The effect of incubation temperature on the post-hatching growth and performance capacities of the common snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina was investigated in the laboratory. Turtle eggs were collected from four sites in New York State and randomly assigned to four incubation temperature treatments to produce males (constant 26°C and downshifted 30-26-30°C) and females (constant 30°C and upshifted 26-30-26°C) under constant and altered temperature regimes. The incubation conditions resulted in 92% males from the constant 26°C group and 93% males from the downshifted group. 100% females resulted from both the constant 30°C group and the upshifted group. Turtles hatching from eggs incubated constantly at 26°C were significantly larger than hatchlings from eggs incubated at a constant 30°C or downshifted. Hatchlings were raised in individual aquaria at 25°C and fed earthworms and fish. After a 9-month growth period, turtles which had been incubated at a constant 30°C gained significantly more mass than did turtles from eggs which had been downshifted or upshifted. There was no extended effect of incubation condition on Post-hatching performance and learning ability as measured by righting and feeding responses. Thus, the mass gain differences seen in this study suggest that physiological differences do result as the consequence of incubation condition. However, these physiological differences are not reflected in normal locomotive or feeding behavior.

  18. Effects of egg incubation condition on the post-hatching growth and performance of the snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ryan, K.M.

    1990-12-01

    The effect of incubation temperature on the post-hatching growth and performance capacities of the common snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina was investigated in the laboratory. Turtle eggs were collected from four sites in New York State and randomly assigned to four incubation temperature treatments to produce males (constant 26[degree]C and downshifted 30-26-30[degree]C) and females (constant 30[degree]C and upshifted 26-30-26[degree]C) under constant and altered temperature regimes. The incubation conditions resulted in 92% males from the constant 26[degree]C group and 93% males from the downshifted group. 100% females resulted from both the constant 30[degree]C group and the upshifted group. Turtles hatching from eggs incubated constantly at 26[degree]C were significantly larger than hatchlings from eggs incubated at a constant 30[degree]C or downshifted. Hatchlings were raised in individual aquaria at 25[degree]C and fed earthworms and fish. After a 9-month growth period, turtles which had been incubated at a constant 30[degree]C gained significantly more mass than did turtles from eggs which had been downshifted or upshifted. There was no extended effect of incubation condition on Post-hatching performance and learning ability as measured by righting and feeding responses. Thus, the mass gain differences seen in this study suggest that physiological differences do result as the consequence of incubation condition. However, these physiological differences are not reflected in normal locomotive or feeding behavior.

  19. [Development of Monitoring System for Infant Incubator Based on IOT Technology].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Wenfeng; Peng, Dunlu; Gu, Nan

    2017-05-30

    IOT(Internet of things) is a relatively new technology, more and more integrated into our lives. In this paper we use infant incubator for example, introduce the application of IOT technology to reduce the risk of the use of medical devices, and through the dynamic management to improve the management level and efficiency. Put forward a method of medical equipment linked. Combined with the point of IOT technology and sensor technology, we find out the actual needs of the management and use of infant incubator. For the dynamic management of medical equipment, we use sensors to control risk points. The system meets the needs of the hospital and patients in many areas.

  20. Influence of starter culture strains, pH adjustment and incubation ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    STORAGESEVER

    2009-09-01

    Sep 1, 2009 ... in fermented dairy products. In this study ... (36ºC) incubation temperature caused an increase in EPS production. Viscosity of ... contains most of the lactose of cheese-milk. ..... Protein content, heat treatment and the presence.

  1. Human-centered incubator: beyond a design concept

    OpenAIRE

    Goossens, R H M; Willemsen, H

    2013-01-01

    We read with interest the paper by Ferris and Shepley1 on a human-centered design project with university students on neonatal incubators. It is interesting to see that in the design solutions and concepts as presented by Ferris and Shepley,1 human-centered design played an important role. In 2005, a master thesis project was carried out in the Delft University of Technology, following a similar human-centered design approach.2, 3 In that design project we also addressed the noise level insid...

  2. THE BUSINESS INCUBATORS AS A LEVER FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT OF YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

    OpenAIRE

    Mariana MIRZAC

    2014-01-01

    The business incubators are an instrument of indirect financial support mechanisms in the field of business entrepreneurship of small and medium business, as in the final stage of incubation operators can obtain the status of a successful enterprise and help support new entrepreneurs that are working effectively and which are at the stage of incubation. The university incubators meet the need for action to support businesses resulting primarily from activities of universities having the m...

  3. A dark incubation period is important for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of mature internode explants of sweet orange, grapefruit, citron, and a citrange rootstock.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marutani-Hert, Mizuri; Bowman, Kim D; McCollum, Greg T; Mirkov, T Erik; Evens, Terence J; Niedz, Randall P

    2012-01-01

    Citrus has an extended juvenile phase and trees can take 2-20 years to transition to the adult reproductive phase and produce fruit. For citrus variety development this substantially prolongs the time before adult traits, such as fruit yield and quality, can be evaluated. Methods to transform tissue from mature citrus trees would shorten the evaluation period via the direct production of adult phase transgenic citrus trees. Factors important for promoting shoot regeneration from internode explants from adult phase citrus trees were identified and included a dark incubation period and the use of the cytokinin zeatin riboside. Transgenic trees were produced from four citrus types including sweet orange, citron, grapefruit, and a trifoliate hybrid using the identified factors and factor settings. The critical importance of a dark incubation period for shoot regeneration was established. These results confirm previous reports on the feasibility of transforming mature tissue from sweet orange and are the first to document the transformation of mature tissue from grapefruit, citron, and a trifoliate hybrid.

  4. Rapid production of Candida albicans chlamydospores in liquid media under various incubation conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alicia, Zavalza-Stiker; Blanca, Ortiz-Saldivar; Mariana, García-Hernández; Magdalena, Castillo-Casanova; Alexandro, Bonifaz

    2006-01-01

    The production of chlamydospores is a diagnostic tool used to identify Candida albicans; these structures also represent a model for morphogenetic research. The time required to produce them with standard methods is 48-72 hours in rice meal agar and tensoactive agents. This time can be shorted using liquid media such as cornmeal broth (CMB) and dairy supplements. Five media were tested: CMB plus 1% Tween-80, CMB plus 5% milk, CMB plus 5% milk serum, milk serum, and milk serum plus 1% Tween-80, under different incubation conditions: at 28 degrees C and 37 degrees C in a metabolic bath stirring at 150 rpm, and at 28 degrees C in a culture stove. The reading time points were established at 8 and 16 hours. The best results were obtained at 16 hours with CMB plus 5% milk under incubation at 28 degrees C and stirring at 150 rpm. The next most efficient methods were CMB plus 5% milk serum and CMB plus 1% Tween-80, under the same incubation conditions. The other media were ineffective in producing chlamydospores. The absence of stirring at 28 degrees C prevented the formation of chlamydospores within the set time points, and incubation at 37 degrees C decreased their production. This paper reports that the time to form C. albicans chlamydospores can be reduced.

  5. Experimental corneal calcification, hydration and /sup 45/Ca uptake in rabbit corneas incubated in vitro

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Obenberger, J [Ceskoslovenska Akademie Ved, Prague. Oftalmologicka Laborator; Dobiasova, M; Babicky, A [Ceskoslovenska Akademie Ved, Prague. Isotopova Laborator Biologickych Ustavu

    1974-07-01

    Experimental corneal calcification could easily be produced by a combination of corneal injury (perfusion of the anterior chamber of the eye with a solution of potassium permanganate) amd dihydrotachysterol (DHT) treatment. Rabbit corneas with induced calcification as well as corneas of three additional groups of rabbits, i.e. those treated with permanganate or DHT only and control animals were incubated for two hours in a medium containing /sup 45/Ca. An increased uptake of /sup 45/Ca into the cornea was found in the group of rabbits receiving DHT only. Potassium cyanide added to the incubation medium did not affect corneal hydration nor the final activity of the incubated corneas. (auth)

  6. Hydrostatic pressure incubation affects barrier properties of mammary epithelial cell monolayers, in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mießler, Katharina S; Markov, Alexander G; Amasheh, Salah

    2018-01-01

    During lactation, accumulation of milk in mammary glands (MG) causes hydrostatic pressure (HP) and concentration of bioactive compounds. Previously, a changed expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins was observed in mice MGs by accumulation of milk, in vivo. The TJ primarily determines the integrity of the MG epithelium. The present study questioned whether HP alone can affect the TJ in a mammary epithelial cell model, in vitro. Therefore, monolayers of HC11, a mammary epithelial cell line, were mounted into modified Ussing chambers and incubated with 10 kPa bilateral HP for 4 h. Short circuit current and transepithelial resistance were recorded and compared to controls, and TJ proteins were analyzed by Western blotting and immunofluorescent staining. In our first approach HC11 cells could withstand the pressure incubation and a downregulation of occludin was observed. In a second approach, using prolactin- and dexamethasone-induced cells, a decrease of short circuit current was observed, beginning after 2 h of incubation. With the addition of 1 mM barium chloride to the bathing solution the decrease could be blocked temporarily. On molecular level an upregulation of ZO-1 could be observed in hormone-induced cells, which was downregulated after the incubation with barium chloride. In conclusion, bilateral HP incubation affects mammary epithelial monolayers, in vitro. Both, the reduction of short circuit current and the change in TJ proteins may be interpreted as physiological requirements for lactation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. TEXACO GASIFICATION PROCESS - INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION REPORT

    Science.gov (United States)

    This report summarizes the evaluation of the Texaco Gasification Process (TGP) conducted under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program. The Texaco Gasification Process was developed by Texaco Inc. The TGP is a comm...

  8. A New Environmental Monitoring System For Silkworm Incubators

    OpenAIRE

    Alejandra Duque-Torres; Juan Ruiz-Rosero; Gesille Zambrano-Gonzalez; Martha Almanza-Pinzon; Oscar Mauricio Caicedo Rendon; Gustavo Ramirez-Gonzalez

    2018-01-01

    A newly Monitoring Environmental Conditions System is proposed based on Raspberry-Pi. This proposal monitors the temperature, humidity, and luminosity in a silkworm incubator. The monitoring data are collected and save in the cloud for the subsequent analysis. The monitoring environmental system is based on Raspberry Pi due to capabilities, features, and low cost. The preliminary tests were realized in a real scenery and the results demonstrating its reliability.

  9. Dissolution and aggregation of Cu nanoparticles in culture media: effects of incubation temperature and particles size

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Lingxiangyu; Fernández-Cruz, María Luisa; Connolly, Mona; Schuster, Michael; Navas, José María

    2015-01-01

    Here, the effects of incubation temperature and particle size on the dissolution and aggregation behavior of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) in culture media were investigated over 96 h, equivalent to the time period for acute cell toxicity tests. Three CuNPs with the nominal sizes of 25, 50, and 100 nm and one type of micro-sized particles (MPs, ∼500 nm) were examined in culture media used for human and fish hepatoma cell lines acute tests. A large decrease in sizes of CuNPs in the culture media was observed in the first 24 h incubation, and subsequently the sizes of CuNPs changed slightly over the following 72 h. Moreover, the decreasing rate in size was significantly dependent on the incubation temperature; the higher the incubation temperature, the larger the decreasing rate in size. In addition to that, we also found that the release of copper ions depended on the incubation temperature. Moreover, the dissolution rate of Cu particles increased very fast in the first 24 h, with a slight increase over the following 72 h

  10. Dissolution and aggregation of Cu nanoparticles in culture media: effects of incubation temperature and particles size

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Lingxiangyu [Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology (China); Fernández-Cruz, María Luisa; Connolly, Mona [Spanish National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology - INIA, Department of Environment (Spain); Schuster, Michael [Technische Universität München, Department of Chemistry (Germany); Navas, José María, E-mail: jmnavas@inia.es [Spanish National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology - INIA, Department of Environment (Spain)

    2015-01-15

    Here, the effects of incubation temperature and particle size on the dissolution and aggregation behavior of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) in culture media were investigated over 96 h, equivalent to the time period for acute cell toxicity tests. Three CuNPs with the nominal sizes of 25, 50, and 100 nm and one type of micro-sized particles (MPs, ∼500 nm) were examined in culture media used for human and fish hepatoma cell lines acute tests. A large decrease in sizes of CuNPs in the culture media was observed in the first 24 h incubation, and subsequently the sizes of CuNPs changed slightly over the following 72 h. Moreover, the decreasing rate in size was significantly dependent on the incubation temperature; the higher the incubation temperature, the larger the decreasing rate in size. In addition to that, we also found that the release of copper ions depended on the incubation temperature. Moreover, the dissolution rate of Cu particles increased very fast in the first 24 h, with a slight increase over the following 72 h.

  11. Mobi-incubation user experience for rural entrepreneurs in emerging economies

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Chelule, E

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available . mobi-Incubation applications should be designed with appreciation of brand, image and other elements of emotional design. 6.3 Accessible Accessibility describes how easy it is for people to use the applications. In this case the mobi...

  12. Changes in hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism-related parameters in domestic pigeon (Columba livia) during incubation and chick rearing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wan, X P; Xie, P; Bu, Z; Zou, X T

    2018-04-01

    This study aimed to evaluate the hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism-related parameters of adult male and female White King pigeons (Columba livia) during incubation and chick rearing. At day 4 (I4), 10 (I10) and 17 (I17) of incubation and day 1 (R1), 7 (R7), 15 (R15) and 25 (R25) of chick rearing, livers were sampled from six pigeons for each sex. Glycogen and fat contents, activities of glycolytic enzymes (hexokinase, HK; 6-phosphofructokinase, 6-PFK), and genes expressions of key enzymes involved in glycolysis (pyruvate kinase, PK; glucokinase, GK), gluconeogenesis (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase cytosolic, PCK1; fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, FBP1; glucose-6-phosphatase, G6Pase), fatty acid synthesis (fatty acid synthase, FAS; acetyl-CoA carboxylase, ACC) and fatty acid β-oxidation (carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1, CPT1; acyl-CoA 1, ACO) were measured. In male and female pigeon livers, glycogen content and HK activity dramatically increased after I17 and after R1, respectively; expressions of FBP1 and G6Pase genes were maximized at R15; activity of 6-PFK and expressions of PK and CPT1 genes were highest at R7; fat content and expressions of FAS and ACC genes steeply increased from I10 to R1. In females, hepatic expressions of GK and PCK1 genes were greatest at R7 and I17, respectively; however, in males, both of them were maximized at R15. Hepatic expression of ACO gene was significantly enhanced at R1 compared to I17 and R7 in males, whereas it was notably up-regulated at I17 and R7 in females. Furthermore, expressions of PCK1, GK, FAS and ACC genes were in significant relation to fat content in the livers of female pigeons, while fat content in male pigeons was highly correlated with expression of PCK1, ACC, CPT1 and ACO genes. In conclusion, regulations of glucose and lipid metabolic processes were enhanced in parent pigeon livers from terminal phases of incubation to mid phase of chick rearing with sexual effects. © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  13. Cryopreservation of ram semen with antioxidant supplemented soybean lecithin-based extenders and impacts on incubation resilience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toker, M Berk; Alcay, Selim; Gokce, Elif; Ustuner, Burcu

    2016-06-01

    The scope of this study was investigation the affects of various antioxidants on 1% soybean lecithin-based semen extenders for ram semen cryopreservation. Ejaculates, collected via electrically stimulated ejaculation, that have a thick consistency, rapid wave motion (3-5 on a 0-5 scale) and >75% initial motility were pooled. The pooled samples were split into four equal aliquots as 5 mM Methionine, 5 mM Cysteamine, 1 mM Cysteine and a sample of antioxidant-free control group. Each sample group was diluted to a ratio of 1/5 (semen/extender, v/v) as final concentration and two step dilution method was used for cryopreservation. Extender groups were assessed for sperm motility, plasma membrane functional integrity using hypoosmotic swelling test (HOST), damaged acrosome using FITC-Pisum sativum agglutinin (PSA-FITC) and DNA integrity using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL). Semen samples also incubated for 6 h in humidified air with 5% CO2 at 39 °C to evaluate post-thaw incubation resilience of semen characteristics. The results showed that freezing and thawing procedures had negative effects on motility (P < 0.05), plasma membrane integrity (P < 0.05) and acrosomal integrity (P < 0.05). After 6 h of incubation time, the Cysteine supplemented extender group yielded significantly higher results than other extender groups in terms of spermatological parameters. Furthermore MDA levels in the antioxidant groups were lower than control group (P < 0.05). Nevertheless, there were no significant differences among antioxidant groups. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Evaluating Cytotoxicity and Cellular Uptake from the Presence of Variously Processed Ti02 Nanostructured Morphologies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, J.; Wong, S.; Zhou, H.; Santull, A.C.

    2010-05-01

    We evaluated the cytotoxicity of various morphological classes of TiO{sub 2} nanostructures (including 0-D nanoparticles, 1-D nanorods, and 3-D assemblies) toward living cells. These TiO{sub 2} nanostructures were modified with fluorescent dye molecules, mediated via a dopamine linkage, in order to facilitate a confocal study of their internalization. Specifically, we noted that both TiO{sub 2} 1-D nanorods and 0-D nanoparticles could internalize into cells after 24 h of incubation time. However, only incubation with TiO{sub 2} 1-D nanorods and 3-D micrometer-scale sea urchin-like assemblies at concentrations of up to 125 {mu}g/mL yielded data suggestive of cell viabilities of close to 100%. Moreover, upon irradiation with UV light for periods of a few minutes at energy densities of up to 1 J/cm{sub 2}, we observed up to 60% mortality rates, indicative of the cytotoxic potential of photoirradiated TiO{sub 2} nanostructures due to the generation of reactive oxygen species.

  15. Incubation of Aquilaria subintegra with Microbial Culture Supernatants Enhances Production of Volatile Compounds and Improves Quality of Agarwood Oil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monggoot, Sakon; Kulsing, Chadin; Wong, Yong Foo; Pripdeevech, Patcharee

    2018-06-01

    Incubation with microbial culture supernatants improved essential oil yield from Aquilaria subintegra woodchips. The harvested woodchips were incubated with de man, rogosa and sharpe (MRS) agar, yeast mold (YM) agar medium and six different microbial culture supernatants obtained from Lactobacillus bulgaricus , L. acidophilus , Streptococcus thermophilus , Lactococcus lactis , Saccharomyces carlsbergensis and S. cerevisiae prior to hydrodistillation. Incubation with lactic acid bacteria supernatants provided higher yield of agarwood oil (0.45% w/w) than that obtained from yeast (0.25% w/w), agar media (0.23% w/w) and water (0.22% w/w). The composition of agarwood oil from all media and microbial supernatant incubations was investigated by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Overall, three major volatile profiles were obtained, which corresponded to water soaking (control), as well as, both YM and MRS media, lactic acid bacteria, and yeast supernatant incubations. Sesquiterpenes and their oxygenated derivatives were key components of agarwood oil. Fifty-two volatile components were tentatively identified in all samples. Beta-agarofuran, α-eudesmol, karanone, α-agarofuran and agarospirol were major components present in most of the incubated samples, while S. cerevisiae -incubated A. subintegra provided higher amount of phenyl acetaldehyde. Microbial culture supernatant incubation numerically provided the highest yield of agarwood oil compared to water soaking traditional method, possibly resulting from activity of extracellular enzymes produced by the microbes. Incubation of agarwood with lactic acid bacteria supernatant significantly enhanced oil yields without changing volatile profile/composition of agarwood essential oil, thus this is a promising method for future use.

  16. Weight monitoring system for newborn incubator application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Widianto, Arif; Nurfitri, Intan; Mahatidana, Pradipta; Abuzairi, Tomy; Poespawati, N. R.; Purnamaningsih., Retno W.

    2018-02-01

    We proposed weight monitoring system using load cell sensor for newborn incubator application. The weight sensing system consists of a load cell, conditioning signal circuit, and microcontroller Arduino Uno R3. The performance of the sensor was investigated by using the various weight from 0 up to 3000 g. Experiment results showed that this system has a small error of 4.313% and 12.5 g of threshold and resolution value. Compared to the typical baby scale available in local market, the proposed system has a lower error value and hysteresis.

  17. Time allocation between feeding and incubation in uniparental arctic-breeding shorebirds: energy reserves provide leeway in a tight schedule

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tulp, I.Y.M.; Schekkerman, H.

    2006-01-01

    Birds with uniparental incubation may face a time allocation problem between incubation and feeding. Eggs need regular warming to hatch successfully, but the parent must leave the nest to feed and safeguard its own survival. Time allocation during incubation is likely to depend on factors

  18. Process Evaluation of a Workers' Health Surveillance Program for Meat Processing Workers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Holland, Berry J; Brouwer, Sandra; de Boer, Michiel R; Reneman, Michiel F; Soer, Remko

    2017-01-01

    Objective To evaluate the implementation process of a workers' health surveillance (WHS) program in a Dutch meat processing company. Methods Workers from five plants were eligible to participate in the WHS program. The program consisted of four evaluative components and an intervention component.

  19. Process Evaluation of a Workers' Health Surveillance Program for Meat Processing Workers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Holland, Berry; Brouwer, Sandra; de Boer, Michiel R; Reneman, Michiel F; Soer, Remko

    Objective To evaluate the implementation process of a workers' health surveillance (WHS) program in a Dutch meat processing company. Methods Workers from five plants were eligible to participate in the WHS program. The program consisted of four evaluative components and an intervention component.

  20. Emerging Connections: Quantum & Classical Optics Incubator Program Book

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lesky, Marcia [Optical Society of America, Washington, DC (United States)

    2016-11-06

    The Emerging Connections: Quantum & Classical Optics Incubator was a scientific meeting held in Washington, DC on 6-8 November 2016. This Incubator provided unique and focused experiences and valuable opportunities to discuss advances, challenges and opportunities regarding this important area of research. Quantum optics and classical optics have coexisted for nearly a century as two distinct, but consistent descriptions of light in their respective domains. Recently, a number of detailed examinations of the structure of classical light beams have revealed that effects widely thought to be solely quantum in origin also have a place in classical optics. These new quantum-classical connections are informing classical optics in meaningful ways specifically by expanding understanding of optical coherence. Simultaneously, relationships discovered with classical light beams now also serve as a vehicle to illuminate concepts that no longer solely belong to the quantum realm. Interference, polarization, coherence, complementarity and entanglement are a partial list of elementary notions that now appear to belong to both quantum and classical optics. The goal of this meeting was to bring emerging quantum-classical links into wider view and to indicate directions in which forthcoming and future work would promote discussion and lead to a more unified understanding of optics.

  1. Evaluation of granular anaerobic ammonium oxidation process for the disposal of pre-treated swine manure

    OpenAIRE

    Shou-Qing Ni; Ning Yang

    2014-01-01

    With rising environmental concerns on potable water safety and eutrophication, increased media attention and tighter environmental regulations, managing animal waste in an environmentally responsible and economically feasible way can be a challenge. In this study, the possibility of using granular anammox process for ammonia removal from swine waste treatment water was investigated. A rapid decrease of NO2 −–N and NH4 +–N was observed during incubation with wastewater from an activated sludge...

  2. Exergy Evaluation of Desalination Processes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Veera Gnaneswar Gude

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Desalination of sea or brackish water sources to provide clean water supplies has now become a feasible option around the world. Escalating global populations have caused the surge of desalination applications. Desalination processes are energy intensive which results in a significant energy portfolio and associated environmental pollution for many communities. Both electrical and heat energy required for desalination processes have been reduced significantly over the recent years. However, the energy demands are still high and are expected to grow sharply with increasing population. Desalination technologies utilize various forms of energy to produce freshwater. While the process efficiency can be reported by the first law of thermodynamic analysis, this is not a true measure of the process performance as it does not account for all losses of energy. Accordingly, the second law of thermodynamics has been more useful to evaluate the performance of desalination systems. The second law of thermodynamics (exergy analysis accounts for the available forms of energy in the process streams and energy sources with a reference environment and identifies the major losses of exergy destruction. This aids in developing efficient desalination processes by eliminating the hidden losses. This paper elaborates on exergy analysis of desalination processes to evaluate the thermodynamic efficiency of major components and process streams and identifies suitable operating conditions to minimize exergy destruction. Well-established MSF, MED, MED-TVC, RO, solar distillation, and membrane distillation technologies were discussed with case studies to illustrate the exergy performances.

  3. UNIVERSITIES AND INCUBATORS: KEY FACTORS DRIVING ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liane Mahlmann Kipper

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Economic diversification is an utterly important factor for regions that are directly or indirectly related to any productive mechanisms and seek to strengthen their foundations for the generation of jobs and income. Within this context, to invest in business preparation and maturation, especially in the ones related to the technological area, turns out to be an interesting mean of diversifying a regional economy that is facing the risk of stagnation. This study considers the importance of the role taken on by universities and their incubators in driving entrepreneurship and supporting the creation of new companies and the innovative capacity of a country through knowledge transfer amongst universities and companies, generating benefits and socioeconomic progress in a country. It also conducts a case study on a company of the information technology area, recently incubated and whose major objective consists in becoming part of this economic diversification basis.

  4. Genetic parameters for ostrich incubation traits in South Africa ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Genetic parameters for ostrich incubation traits in South Africa. Z Brand, S Cloete, I Malecki, C Brown. Abstract. Data obtained from a pair-mated ostrich flock located at Oudtshoorn, South Africa, were used to estimate genetic parameters for egg weight (EWT), weight of day-old chicks (CWT), water loss to 21 (WL21) and 35 ...

  5. Systematic factors that affect ostrich egg incubation traits | Brand ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Data obtained from a pair-mated ostrich flock maintained at Oudtshoorn, South Africa, were used to estimate environmental and genetic parameters for egg weight (EWT), water loss of incubated eggs up to 21 days (WL21), water loss up to 35 days (WL35), pipping time (PT) and weight of day-old chicks (CWT). Between ...

  6. An Automated System for Incubation of Pelagic Fish Eggs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leif Jørgensen

    1987-01-01

    Full Text Available An automated system for incubation of pelagic fish eggs is described. The system has an internal air driven water circulation which separates healthy and dead or strongly infected eggs. A processor controlled, pulsed water exchange provides a strongly reduced water requirement. The equipment has also an automated temperature and salinity control and adjustment.

  7. Altered embryonic development in northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus induced by pre-incubation oscillatory thermal stresses mimicking global warming predictions.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kelly S Reyna

    Full Text Available Global warming is likely to alter reproductive success of ground-nesting birds that lay eggs normally left unattended for days or even weeks before actual parental incubation, especially in already warm climates. The native North American bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus is such a species, and pre-incubation quail eggs may experience temperatures ≥45°C. Yet, almost nothing is known about embryonic survival after such high pre-incubation temperatures. Freshly laid bobwhite quail eggs were exposed during a 12 day pre-incubation period to one of five thermal regimes: low oscillating temperatures (25-40°C, mean = 28.9°C, high oscillating temperatures (30-45°C, mean = 33.9°C, low constant temperatures (28.85°C, high constant temperatures (mean = 33.9°C, or commercially employed pre-incubation temperatures (20°C. After treatment, eggs were then incubated at a standard 37.5°C to determine subsequent effects on embryonic development rate, survival, water loss, hatching, and embryonic oxygen consumption. Both quantity of heating degree hours during pre-incubation and specific thermal regime (oscillating vs. non-oscillating profoundly affected important aspects of embryo survival and indices of development and growth Pre-incubation quail eggs showed a remarkable tolerance to constant high temperatures (up to 45°C, surviving for 4.5±0.3 days of subsequent incubation, but high oscillating pre-incubation temperature increased embryo survival (mean survival 12.2±1.8 days and led to more rapid development than high constant temperature (maximum 38.5°C, even though both groups experienced the same total heating degree-hours. Oxygen consumption was ~200-300 μl O2.egg.min-1 at hatching in all groups, and was not affected by pre-incubation conditions. Oscillating temperatures, which are the norm for pre-incubation quail eggs in their natural habitat, thus enhanced survival at higher temperatures. However, a 5°C increase in pre-incubation

  8. Altered embryonic development in northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) induced by pre-incubation oscillatory thermal stresses mimicking global warming predictions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reyna, Kelly S; Burggren, Warren W

    2017-01-01

    Global warming is likely to alter reproductive success of ground-nesting birds that lay eggs normally left unattended for days or even weeks before actual parental incubation, especially in already warm climates. The native North American bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) is such a species, and pre-incubation quail eggs may experience temperatures ≥45°C. Yet, almost nothing is known about embryonic survival after such high pre-incubation temperatures. Freshly laid bobwhite quail eggs were exposed during a 12 day pre-incubation period to one of five thermal regimes: low oscillating temperatures (25-40°C, mean = 28.9°C), high oscillating temperatures (30-45°C, mean = 33.9°C), low constant temperatures (28.85°C), high constant temperatures (mean = 33.9°C), or commercially employed pre-incubation temperatures (20°C). After treatment, eggs were then incubated at a standard 37.5°C to determine subsequent effects on embryonic development rate, survival, water loss, hatching, and embryonic oxygen consumption. Both quantity of heating degree hours during pre-incubation and specific thermal regime (oscillating vs. non-oscillating) profoundly affected important aspects of embryo survival and indices of development and growth Pre-incubation quail eggs showed a remarkable tolerance to constant high temperatures (up to 45°C), surviving for 4.5±0.3 days of subsequent incubation, but high oscillating pre-incubation temperature increased embryo survival (mean survival 12.2±1.8 days) and led to more rapid development than high constant temperature (maximum 38.5°C), even though both groups experienced the same total heating degree-hours. Oxygen consumption was ~200-300 μl O2.egg.min-1 at hatching in all groups, and was not affected by pre-incubation conditions. Oscillating temperatures, which are the norm for pre-incubation quail eggs in their natural habitat, thus enhanced survival at higher temperatures. However, a 5°C increase in pre-incubation temperature

  9. Exposure of embryos to cyclically cold incubation temperatures durably affects energy metabolism and antioxidant pathways in broiler chickens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loyau, T; Collin, A; Yenisey, C; Crochet, S; Siegel, P B; Akşit, M; Yalçin, S

    2014-08-01

    Cyclically cold incubation temperatures have been suggested as a means to improve resistance of broiler chickens to ascites; however, the underlying mechanisms are not known. Nine hundred eggs obtained from 48 wk Ross broiler breeders were randomly assigned to 2 incubation treatments: control I eggs were incubated at 37.6°C throughout, whereas for cold I eggs the incubation temperature was reduced by 1°C for 6 h daily from 10 to 18 d of incubation. Thereafter, chickens were reared at standard temperatures or under cold exposure that was associated or not with a postnatal cold acclimation at d 5 posthatch. At hatch, hepatic catalase activity and malondialdehyde content were measured. Serum thyroid hormone and triglyceride concentrations, and muscle expression of several genes involved in the regulation of energy metabolism and oxidative stress were also measured at hatch and 5 and 25 d posthatch. Cold incubation induced modifications in antioxidant pathways with higher catalase activity, but lower expression of avian uncoupling protein 3 at hatch. However, long-term enhancement in the expression of avian uncoupling protein 3 was observed, probably caused by an increase in the expression of the transcription factor peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α. These effects were not systematically associated with an increase in serum triiodothyronine concentrations that were observed only in chickens exposed to both cold incubation and later acclimation at 5 d with cold rearing. Our results suggest that these conditions of cyclically cold incubation resulted in the long-term in changes in antioxidant pathways and energy metabolism, which could enhance the health of chickens reared under cold conditions. © Poultry Science Association Inc.

  10. note on variable incubation period within a clutch of eggs

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Compo Biochem. Physiol. 53A: 1-6. MENDELSOHN, 1. M., BIGOS, H. C. & LEDGER, 1. A. In press. The biology of the black-shouldered. NOTE ON VARIABLE. INCUBATION PERIOD WITHIN A. CLUTCH OF EGGS OF THE. LEOPARD TORTOISE. (GEOCHELONE P ARDALIS). (CHELONIA: CRYPTODIRA: TESTUDINIDAE).

  11. Integrating Usability Evaluations into the Software Development Process

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lizano, Fulvio

    as relevant and strategic human–computer interaction (HCI) activities in the software development process, there are obstacles that limit the complete, effective and efficient integration of this kind of testing into the software development process. Two main obstacles are the cost of usability evaluations...... and the software developers' resistance to accepting users’ opinions regarding the lack of usability in their software systems. The ‘cost obstacle’ refers to the constraint of conducting usability evaluations in the software process due to the significant amount of resources required by this type of testing. Some......This thesis addresses the integration of usability evaluations into the software development process. The integration here is contextualized in terms of how to include usability evaluation as an activity in the software development lifecycle. Even though usability evaluations are considered...

  12. Soil structure and microbial activity dynamics in 20-month field-incubated organic-amended soils

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arthur, Emmanuel; Schjønning, Per; Møldrup, Per

    2014-01-01

    to determine compressive strength. During incubation, the amount of WDC depended on soil carbon content while the trends correlated with moisture content. Organic amendment only yielded modest decreases (mean of 14% across all sampling times and soils) in WDC, but it was sufficient to stimulate the microbial......Soil structure formation is essential to all soil ecosystem functions and services. This study aims to quantify changes in soil structure and microbial activity during and after field incubation and examine the effect of carbon, organic amendment and clay on aggregate characteristics. Five soils...... community (65–100% increase in FDA). Incubation led to significant macroaggregate formation (>2 mm) for all soils. Friability and strength of newly-formed aggregates were negatively correlated with clay content and carbon content, respectively. Soil workability was best for the kaolinite-rich soil...

  13. How do students from Student Incubators (SI) use networks and how can SI support the activity?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Henrik Mariendal

    2015-01-01

    This paper examines Student Entrepreneur’s (SE) use of networks as part of their activities in a Student Incubator (SI). Recommendations are made as to how SI can create activities to support students' use of internal and external relationships and discusses the paradox between running a learning...... in an entrepreneurial context. Often the increasing attention to entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial processes will probably emphasise growth and development environments (e.g. SIs) at educational institutions. An aspect which is currently not given much attention but which have considerable influence on both learning...

  14. Temperature experienced during incubation affects antioxidant capacity but not oxidative damage in hatchling red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Treidel, L A; Carter, A W; Bowden, R M

    2016-02-01

    Our understanding of how oxidative stress resistance phenotypes are affected by the developmental environment is limited. One component of the developmental environment, which is likely central to early life oxidative stress among ectothermic and oviparous species, is that of temperature. We investigated how incubation temperature manipulations affect oxidative damage and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans) hatchlings. First, to determine whether temperature fluctuations elicit oxidative stress, eggs from clutches were randomly assigned to either a constant (29.5 °C) or daily fluctuating temperature incubation (28.7 ± 3 °C) treatment. Second, to assess the effect of temperature fluctuation frequency on oxidative stress, eggs were incubated in one of three fluctuating incubation regimes: 28.7 ± 3 °C fluctuations every 12 h (hyper), 24 h (normal) or 48 h (hypo). Third, we tested the influence of average incubation temperature by incubating eggs in a daily fluctuating incubation temperature regime with a mean temperature of 26.5 °C (low), 27.1 °C (medium) or 27.7 °C (high). Although the accumulation of oxidative damage in hatchlings was unaffected by any thermal manipulation, TAC was affected by both temperature fluctuation frequency and average incubation temperature. Individuals incubated with a low frequency of temperature fluctuations had reduced TAC, while incubation at a lower average temperature was associated with enhanced TAC. These results indicate that although sufficient to prevent oxidative damage, TAC is influenced by developmental thermal environments, potentially because of temperature-mediated changes in metabolic rate. The observed differences in TAC may have important future consequences for hatchling fitness and overwinter survival. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  15. THE BUSINESS INCUBATORS AS A LEVER FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT OF YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mariana MIRZAC

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The business incubators are an instrument of indirect financial support mechanisms in the field of business entrepreneurship of small and medium business, as in the final stage of incubation operators can obtain the status of a successful enterprise and help support new entrepreneurs that are working effectively and which are at the stage of incubation. The university incubators meet the need for action to support businesses resulting primarily from activities of universities having the main goal to turn research results into productive technological activities, with efficient economic results.

  16. Utilization Efficiency of Yolk Egg on Maanvis (Pterophyllum scalare Embryos and Larvae in Different Incubation Temperatures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Budiardi

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available This study was performed to determine the efficiency of yolk egg utilization in embryos and larvae, hatching rate, incubation time to hatch, and growth rate of maanvis (Pterophyllum scalare larvae incubated at room remperature, 27oC, and 30oC.  Results of study showed that yolk egg utilization efficiency of embryos and larvae incubated at 30oC was 73.70% and 0,18%, respectively, and no different with that of room and 27oC incubation temperatures.  Hatching rate of eggs incubated at 30oC (84.75% was also same with that of other treatments.  However, incubation time to hatch (27.41 hours was shorter than that of other treatments.  The growth rate by length of larvae (2.16% and survival rate (75.28% incubated at 30oC was also higher compared with that of other treatments.  Thus, in general, optimum temperature for egg hatching and larval rearing of maanvis was 30oC. Keywords: maanvis, Pterophyllum scalare, egg yolk, larvae, embryo, temperature   ABSTRAK Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui efisiensi pemanfaatan kuning telur pada embrio dan larva, derajat penetasan, lama inkubasi telur hingga menetas, dan laju pertumbuhan serta kelangsungan hidup larva ikan maanvis (Pterophyllum scalare yang diinkubasi pada suhu ruang, 27oC dan 30oC.  Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa nilai efisiensi pemanfaatan kuning telur bila diinkubasi pada suhu 30oCsebesar 73,70% pada fase embrio dan 0,18% pada fase larva, dan tidak berbeda dengan suhu ruang dan 27oC.  Demikian juga dengan derajat penetasan telur  (84,75% tidak berbeda dengan perlakuan lainnya.  Sementara itu, lama inkubasi telur hingga menetas (27,41 jam lebih cepat dibandingkan dengan suhu inkubasi perlakuan lainnya. Demikian juga dengan laju pertumbuhan panjang (2,16% dan kelangsungan hidup larva (75,28% lebih tinggi dibandingkan dengan perlakuan lainnya. Dengan demikian, secara umum suhu optimal untuk penetasan dan pemeliharaan larva ikan maanvis adalah 30°C. Kata kunci: ikan maanvis

  17. Evaluation of pretreatment processes for supercritical water oxidation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barnes, C.M.

    1994-01-01

    This report evaluates processes to chemically treat US Department of Energy wastes to remove organic halogens, phosphorus, and sulfur. Chemical equilibrium calculations, process simulations, and responses from developers and licensors form the basis for comparisons. Gas-phase catalytic hydrogenation processes, strong base and base catalyzed processes, high pressure hydrolysis, and other emerging or commercial dehalogenation processes (both liquid and mixed phase) were considered. Cost estimates for full-scale processes and demonstration testing are given. Based on the evaluation, testing of a hydrogenation process and a strong base process are recommended.

  18. Evaluation of pretreatment processes for supercritical water oxidation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barnes, C.M.

    1994-01-01

    This report evaluates processes to chemically treat US Department of Energy wastes to remove organic halogens, phosphorus, and sulfur. Chemical equilibrium calculations, process simulations, and responses from developers and licensors form the basis for comparisons. Gas-phase catalytic hydrogenation processes, strong base and base catalyzed processes, high pressure hydrolysis, and other emerging or commercial dehalogenation processes (both liquid and mixed phase) were considered. Cost estimates for full-scale processes and demonstration testing are given. Based on the evaluation, testing of a hydrogenation process and a strong base process are recommended

  19. Effects of soil water content and grass recycling on N2O emission in an urban lawn under laboratory incubation study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nataningtyas, Dilin Rahayu; Morita, Shunsuke; Hatano, Ryusuke

    2017-12-01

    In the context of global warming, the increase of N2O gas production from the agricultural area has gained enhancing concern due to N2O is a potent greenhouse gas and an ozone depleted substance. While adding clipping grass has been accepted to replace N-fertilizer input in urban law management its effect on soil gas emission still questionable. A laboratory incubation study had been conducted to evaluate the effect of soil water content and grass recycling on greenhouse gas emission from an urban lawn. The soil samples were taken from Yurigahara Park, Sapporo, Hokkaido Japan. The 17 days at 25°C incubation study was started after adjusting soil water content to 35% and 50% with and without adding the clipping grass on soil surfaces. Greenhouse gas emissions were higher with the addition of grass, however, for NO and N2O considerably higher in 35% than 50% water content. The denitrification process was responsible for the N2O increase in this action. Soil chemical and microbial properties, pH, WEOC, NO3--N, NH4+-N and microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) as well as N-grass content were also measured to know their correlation with N2O emission. The fine-scale heterogeneity occurred in the soil has impact on the variability of soil chemical properties that influenced the N2O emission. In the other hand, the effect of grass recycling appeared to increased soil N-inorganic contents and stimulated the N-gaseous concentration.

  20. Rapid identification of microorganisms from positive blood cultures by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry subsequent to very short-term incubation on solid medium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Idelevich, E A; Schüle, I; Grünastel, B; Wüllenweber, J; Peters, G; Becker, K

    2014-10-01

    Rapid identification of the causative microorganism is important for appropriate antimicrobial therapy of bloodstream infections. Bacteria from positive blood culture (BC) bottles are not readily available for identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Lysis and centrifugation procedures suggested for direct MALDI-TOF MS from positive BCs without previous culture are associated with additional hands-on processing time and costs. Here, we describe an alternative approach applying MALDI-TOF MS from bacterial cultures incubated very briefly on solid medium. After plating of positive BC broth on Columbia blood agar (n = 165), MALDI-TOF MS was performed after 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12 and (for control) 24 h of incubation until reliable identification to the species level was achieved (score ≥2.0). Mean incubation time needed to achieve species-level identification was 5.9 and 2.0 h for Gram-positive aerobic cocci (GPC, n = 86) and Gram-negative aerobic rods (GNR, n = 42), respectively. Short agar cultures with incubation times ≤2, ≤4, ≤6, ≤8 and ≤12 h yielded species identification in 1.2%, 18.6%, 64.0%, 96.5%, 98.8% of GPC, and in 76.2%, 95.2%, 97.6%, 97.6%, 97.6% of GNR, respectively. Control species identification at 24 h was achieved in 100% of GPC and 97.6% of GNR. Ethanol/formic acid protein extraction performed for an additional 34 GPC isolates cultivated from positive BCs showed further reduction in time to species identification (3.1 h). MALDI-TOF MS using biomass subsequent to very short-term incubation on solid medium allows very early and reliable bacterial identification from positive BCs without additional time and cost expenditure. © 2014 The Authors Clinical Microbiology and Infection © 2014 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

  1. Repeated restraint stress exposure during early withdrawal accelerates incubation of cue-induced cocaine craving.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glynn, Ryan M; Rosenkranz, J Amiel; Wolf, Marina E; Caccamise, Aaron; Shroff, Freya; Smith, Alyssa B; Loweth, Jessica A

    2018-01-01

    A major challenge for treating cocaine addiction is the propensity for abstinent users to relapse. Two important triggers for relapse are cues associated with prior drug use and stressful life events. To study their interaction in promoting relapse during abstinence, we used the incubation model of craving and relapse in which cue-induced drug seeking progressively intensifies ('incubates') during withdrawal from extended-access cocaine self-administration. We tested rats for cue-induced cocaine seeking on withdrawal day (WD) 1. Rats were then subjected to repeated restraint stress or control conditions (seven sessions held between WD6 and WD14). All rats were tested again for cue-induced cocaine seeking on WD15, 1 day after the last stress or control session. Although controls showed a time-dependent increase in cue-induced cocaine seeking (incubation), rats exposed to repeated stress in early withdrawal exhibited a more robust increase in seeking behavior between WD1 and WD15. In separate stressed and control rats, equivalent cocaine seeking was observed on WD48. These results indicate that repeated stress in early withdrawal accelerates incubation of cocaine craving, although craving plateaus at the same level were observed in controls. However, 1 month after the WD48 test, rats subjected to repeated stress in early withdrawal showed enhanced cue-induced cocaine seeking following acute (24 hours) food deprivation stress. Together, these data indicate that chronic stress exposure enhances the initial rate of incubation of craving during early withdrawal, resulting in increased vulnerability to cue-induced relapse during this period, and may lead to a persistent increase in vulnerability to the relapse-promoting effects of stress. © 2016 Society for the Study of Addiction.

  2. The effects of incubation period and temperature on the Hydrogen ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The effects of incubation period and temperature on the Hydrogen sulphide (H 2 S) technique for detection of faecal contamination in water. ... African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology. Journal Home ... A total of 171 water samples from 3 sources were analyzed for the presence of faecal contamination by

  3. Effects of sequence of nylon bags rumen incubation on kinetics of degradation in some commonly used feedstuffs in dairy rations

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    DONG Shuang-zhao; Arash Azarfar; ZOU Yang; LI Sheng-li; WANG Ya-jing; CAO Zhi-jun

    2017-01-01

    Nowadays, most available information on the degradative behaviour of feeds in ruminants is based onin situ incubation in the rumen, and it is adopted by many feed evaluation systems currently in use for ruminants. However, the outcome of this technique might be affected by many factors such as sequence of nylon bags incubation in the rumen. The objective of current study was to investigate effects of sequence of nylon bag incubation on degradative behavior of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent ifber (NDF) and acid detergent ifber (ADF) in some feed ingredients commonly used in dairy rations, including alfalfa haylage, corn silage, corn grain and soybean meal. Four multiparous Holstein lactating cows iftted with permanent ruminal cannulas were used. The nylon bags containing feed samples either were placed in the rumen at once and removed at designated time intervals (all in-gradually out method; AG) or were placed in the rumen at designated time points and retrieved at once (gradually in-all out method; GA). Fractional rate of degradation of potentially degradable fraction, lag time and effective rumen degradability (ED) of DM and CP were signiifcantly higher in the AG compared to the GA method (P namely corn grain and soybean meal. This experiment is the ifrst time to investigate effects of two methods under the same experiment conditions, providing basic data for the determination of ED.

  4. Innovation incubators – entities of support of small and medium-sized enterprises’ competitiveness in the Modern economy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maier Lidia

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Innovation incubators are entities of the infrastructure network of support of small and medium-sized enterprises. At the stage of SMEs’ maximum vulnerability, they improve the survival of innovative businesses through the range of services and facilities provided. They are designed to mitigate the problems faced by SMEs, which develop and implement innovations, ensuring sustainability and competitiveness. Along with promoting the entrepreneurial spirit, innovation incubators play an essential role in promoting knowledge and innovation transfer, introduction of the research results into economic circuit, creating links between businesses, universities, research institutions, etc., links between people, talents and resources.In this article, we will focus on innovation incubators, their role in the development of SMEs in the world and in the Republic of Moldova, making an accent in the creation and development of the country's first Innovation Incubator „Inovatorul”.

  5. Imaging the neonate in the incubator: an investigation of the technical, radiological and nursing issues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mutch, S J; Wentworth, S D P

    2007-11-01

    Modern neonatal incubators incorporate an X-ray tray device into the mattress support structure to facilitate patient examination with minimal disturbance and distress. However, the usual method of examination is to place the image plate directly underneath the baby. Users often cite radiological reasons for not using X-ray trays but modern quantitative evidence is lacking. This work looks at the technical and clinical aspects of imaging neonates in incubators and the impact that these may have in determining the imaging protocol. A number of hospitals were surveyed to determine their current method of examination and the reasons for their preference. Experimental measurements of the radiological impact of using (or not using) the X-ray tray were performed for a range of neonatal incubators. The average dose to the image plate was 5.9 microGy (range 5.4-6.4 microGy) for the "plate on mattress" method and 3.0 microGy (2.0-3.8 microGy) when using the tray--a 49% reduction owing to the mattress support materials. However, when using a computed radiography (CR) imaging system, the image quality differences were marginal. Survey results indicated that nurses preferred to use the tray but that radiographers were reluctant. We conclude that incubator manufacturers could do much to improve the radiological performance of their equipment and we offer recommendations. We also conclude that, with appropriate nurse and radiographer training and the advent of CR imaging systems, use of X-ray tray facilities may optimize imaging of the neonate in the incubator.

  6. Does supplier evaluation impact process improvement?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shiva Prasad h c

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: The research explores and examines factors for supplier evaluation and its impact on process improvement particularly aiming on a steel pipe manufacturing firm in Gujarat, India. Design/Methodology/approach: The conceptual research framework was developed and hypotheses were stated considering the analysis of literature and discussions with the managers and engineers of a steel pipe manufacturing company in Gujarat, India. Data was collected using in-depth interview. The questionnaire primarily involves the perception of evaluation of supplier. Factors influencing supplier evaluation and its influence on process improvement is also examined in this study. The model testing and validation was done using partial least square method. Outcomes signified that the factors that influence evaluation of the supplier are quality, cost, delivery and supplier relationship management. Findings: The study depicted that quality and cost factors for supplier evaluation are insignificant. The delivery and supplier relationship management have significant influence on evaluation of the supplier. The research also depicted that supplier evaluation has significant influence on process improvement. Research limitations/implications: The study has been made specifically for ABC steel pipe manufacturing industry in Gujarat, India and may not be appropriate to the other industries or any parts of the world. There is a possibility of response bias as the conclusions of this research was interpreted on survey responses taken from the employees of case study company, so it is suggested that future research can overcome this problem by employing various methodologies in addition to surveys like carrying out focus group and in-depth interviews, brainstorming sessions with the experts etc. Originality/value: Many researchers have considered quality, cost and delivery as the factors for evaluating the suppliers. But for a company it is quintessential to have good

  7. Unexpectedly long incubation period of Plasmodium vivax malaria, in the absence of chemoprophylaxis, in patients diagnosed outside the transmission area in Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    da Silveira Bressan Clarisse

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In 2010, Brazil recorded 3343,599 cases of malaria, with 99.6% of them concentrated in the Amazon region. Plasmodium vivax accounts for 86% of the cases circulating in the country. The extra-Amazonian region, where transmission does not occur, recorded about 566 cases imported from the Amazonian area in Brazil and South America, from Central America, Asia and African countries. Prolonged incubation periods have been described for P. vivax malaria in temperate climates. The diversity in essential biological characteristics is traditionally considered as one possible explanation to the emergence of relapse in malaria and to the differences in the duration of the incubation period, which can also be explained by the use of chemoprophylaxis. Studying the reported cases of P. vivax malaria in Rio de Janeiro, where there is no vector transmission, has made it possible to evaluate the extension of the incubation period and to notice that it may be extended in some cases. Methods Descriptive study of every malaria patients who visited the clinic in the last five years. The mean, standard deviation, median, minimum and maximum of all incubation periods were analysed. Results From the total of 80 patients seen in the clinic during the study time, with confirmed diagnosis of malaria, 49 (63% were infected with P. vivax. Between those, seven had an estimated incubation period varying from three to 12 months and were returned travellers from Brazilian Amazonian states (6 and Indonesia (1. None of them had taken malarial chemoprophylaxis. Conclusions The authors emphasize that considering malaria as a possible cause of febrile syndrome should be a post-travel routine, independent of the time elapsed after exposure in the transmission area, even in the absence of malaria chemoprophylaxis. They speculate that, since there is no current and detailed information about the biological cycle of human malaria plasmodia's in Brazil, it is possible

  8. ASME Evaluation on Grid Mobile E-Commerce Process

    OpenAIRE

    Dan Chang; Wei Liao

    2012-01-01

    With the development of E-commerce, more scholars have paid attention to research on Mobile E-commerce and mostly focus on the optimization and evaluation of existing process. This paper researches the evaluation of Mobile E-commerce process with a method called ASME. Based on combing and analyzing current mobile business process and utilizing the grid management theory, mobile business process based on grid are constructed. Firstly, the existing process, namely Non-grid Mobile E-commerce, an...

  9. A dark incubation period is important for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of mature internode explants of sweet orange, grapefruit, citron, and a citrange rootstock.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mizuri Marutani-Hert

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Citrus has an extended juvenile phase and trees can take 2-20 years to transition to the adult reproductive phase and produce fruit. For citrus variety development this substantially prolongs the time before adult traits, such as fruit yield and quality, can be evaluated. Methods to transform tissue from mature citrus trees would shorten the evaluation period via the direct production of adult phase transgenic citrus trees. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Factors important for promoting shoot regeneration from internode explants from adult phase citrus trees were identified and included a dark incubation period and the use of the cytokinin zeatin riboside. Transgenic trees were produced from four citrus types including sweet orange, citron, grapefruit, and a trifoliate hybrid using the identified factors and factor settings. SIGNIFICANCE: The critical importance of a dark incubation period for shoot regeneration was established. These results confirm previous reports on the feasibility of transforming mature tissue from sweet orange and are the first to document the transformation of mature tissue from grapefruit, citron, and a trifoliate hybrid.

  10. An evaluation of three processing methods and the effect of reduced culture times for faster direct identification of pathogens from BacT/ALERT blood cultures by MALDI-TOF MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loonen, A J M; Jansz, A R; Stalpers, J; Wolffs, P F G; van den Brule, A J C

    2012-07-01

    Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a fast and reliable method for the identification of bacteria from agar media. Direct identification from positive blood cultures should decrease the time to obtaining the result. In this study, three different processing methods for the rapid direct identification of bacteria from positive blood culture bottles were compared. In total, 101 positive aerobe BacT/ALERT bottles were included in this study. Aliquots from all bottles were used for three bacterial processing methods, i.e. the commercially available Bruker's MALDI Sepsityper kit, the commercially available Molzym's MolYsis Basic5 kit and a centrifugation/washing method. In addition, the best method was used to evaluate the possibility of MALDI application after a reduced incubation time of 7 h of Staphylococcus aureus- and Escherichia coli-spiked (1,000, 100 and 10 colony-forming units [CFU]) aerobe BacT/ALERT blood cultures. Sixty-six (65%), 51 (50.5%) and 79 (78%) bottles were identified correctly at the species level when the centrifugation/washing method, MolYsis Basic 5 and Sepsityper were used, respectively. Incorrect identification was obtained in 35 (35%), 50 (49.5%) and 22 (22%) bottles, respectively. Gram-positive cocci were correctly identified in 33/52 (64%) of the cases. However, Gram-negative rods showed a correct identification in 45/47 (96%) of all bottles when the Sepsityper kit was used. Seven hours of pre-incubation of S. aureus- and E. coli-spiked aerobe BacT/ALERT blood cultures never resulted in reliable identification with MALDI-TOF MS. Sepsityper is superior for the direct identification of microorganisms from aerobe BacT/ALERT bottles. Gram-negative pathogens show better results compared to Gram-positive bacteria. Reduced incubation followed by MALDI-TOF MS did not result in faster reliable identification.

  11. Process perspective on image quality evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leisti, Tuomas; Halonen, Raisa; Kokkonen, Anna; Weckman, Hanna; Mettänen, Marja; Lensu, Lasse; Ritala, Risto; Oittinen, Pirkko; Nyman, Göte

    2008-01-01

    The psychological complexity of multivariate image quality evaluation makes it difficult to develop general image quality metrics. Quality evaluation includes several mental processes and ignoring these processes and the use of a few test images can lead to biased results. By using a qualitative/quantitative (Interpretation Based Quality, IBQ) methodology, we examined the process of pair-wise comparison in a setting, where the quality of the images printed by laser printer on different paper grades was evaluated. Test image consisted of a picture of a table covered with several objects. Three other images were also used, photographs of a woman, cityscape and countryside. In addition to the pair-wise comparisons, observers (N=10) were interviewed about the subjective quality attributes they used in making their quality decisions. An examination of the individual pair-wise comparisons revealed serious inconsistencies in observers' evaluations on the test image content, but not on other contexts. The qualitative analysis showed that this inconsistency was due to the observers' focus of attention. The lack of easily recognizable context in the test image may have contributed to this inconsistency. To obtain reliable knowledge of the effect of image context or attention on subjective image quality, a qualitative methodology is needed.

  12. The impact of university-based incubation support on the innovation strategy of academic spin-offs

    OpenAIRE

    Soetanto, Danny Prabowo; Jack, Sarah Louise

    2016-01-01

    This paper develops understanding about how incubation support and innovation strategy can determine the performance of academic spin-offs. Using a sample of spin-offs from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Norway, we analyse the potential moderating effect of incubation support (networking and entrepreneurial support) on innovation strategy effectiveness. The empirical results demonstrate: (1) a technology and market exploitation strategy has a stronger and more positive effect on the ...

  13. Sex steroid levels across the reproductive cycle of female leopard geckos, Eublepharis macularius, from different incubation temperatures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rhen, T; Sakata, J T; Zeller, M; Crews, D

    2000-05-01

    Incubation temperature during embryonic development determines gonadal sex in many reptiles, including the leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius). In this study, we examined the hormonal and behavioral changes that occur during the reproductive cycle of female leopard geckos from four (i.e., 26, 30, 32.5, and 34 degrees C) incubation temperatures. Controlling for reproductive status, plasma levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), testosterone (T), and progesterone (P) varied with incubation temperature but estradiol 17-beta (E2) levels did not. Controlling for the effects of incubation temperature, DHT and T levels were low when females were previtellogenic, increased slightly during early vitellogenesis, increased dramatically during late vitellogenesis (i.e., prior to ovulation), and then decreased to previtellogenic levels after ovulation. In contrast, E2 levels increased gradually from the previtellogenic stage to the early vitellogenic stage, peaked during late vitellogenesis, and decreased to previtellogenic levels after ovulation. Levels of P increased from the previtellogenic stage to the early vitellogenic stage, remained elevated during late vitellogenesis, and then decreased after ovulation. Moreover, we determined that females were not sexually receptive when previtellogenic, were somewhat receptive during early vitellogenesis (approximately 20% receptive), were most receptive during late vitellogenesis (approximately 80% receptive), and were again unreceptive after ovulation. Incubation temperature did not influence receptivity. Overall, these data show that hormone levels and behavior change coordinately during the reproductive cycle. Although incubation temperature has persistent effects on endocrine physiology in adult female leopard geckos, these effects are modest compared to hormonal changes across the reproductive cycle.

  14. Perinatal development and nutrient utilization in chickens : effects of incubation conditions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Molenaar, R.

    2010-01-01

    Suboptimal incubation conditions can negatively affect survival and development of chicken embryos. However, physiological mechanisms that may explain these effects, and the long-lasting consequences are largely unknown. Therefore, the first aim of this thesis was to investigate effects of eggshell

  15. Effect of Low Dose Gamma Radiation Upon Phosphatase Activity in Blood Plasma of Chicken Hatched from Eggs Irradiated on the Seventh Day of Incubation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kraljevic, P.; Vilic, M.; Miljanic, S.; Simpraga, M.

    2008-01-01

    In our earlier studies chickens hatched from eggs irradiated with 0.15 Gy gamma rays before incubation showed a significantly higher growth than controls during the fattening period (1-42 days). The activity of aspartate-aminotransferase (AST), alanine-aminotransferase (ALT), acid phosphatase (ACP) and plasma glucose in the same chickens were also significantly higher. These results suggested that low-dose gamma-radiation stimulated certain metabolic processes in chickens hatched from eggs irradiated before incubation. Investigating the effect of low dose gamma radiation upon transferases activity in blood plasma of chickens hatched from eggs irradiated on the 7th day of incubation, i.e. in the time when organogenesis is completely finished, we found that on day 10, AST and ALT activity was significantly higher in the blood plasma of those chickens, whereas it significantly dropped for both enzymes on day 20. This time the goal of study was to determine the effect of low-dose gamma radiation on ACP and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in the blood plasma of chickens hatched from eggs irradiated on the 7th day of incubation. The eggs of heavy breeding chickens (Avian, line 34) were exposed to 0.15 Gy of gamma radiation (60Co) on the seventh day of incubation. The control group included chickens hatched from non-irradiated eggs. All other conditions were the same for both groups. After hatching, blood samples were taken from the wing vein on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 20, 32 and 42. The activity of both enzymes was determined spectrophotometrically using Boehringer Mannheim GmbH optimised kits. ACP activity was significantly lower in the blood plasma of chickens hatched from irradiated eggs on day 3 (P<0,01), 5 (P<0,05) and 10 (P<0,05). Throughout the experimental period ALP activity did not statistically significantly change. Our results indicate that exposure of eggs to low-dose gamma radiation on the seventh day of incubation reduces ACP activity in the blood plasma

  16. Effects of pre-incubation of eggs in fresh water and varying sperm concentration on fertilization rate in sterlet sturgeon, Acipenser ruthenus

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Siddique, Mohammad Abdul Momin; Butts, Ian; Psěnička, Martin

    2015-01-01

    , while it was significant at the 4300:1 and 430:1 ratios. The use of adequate experimental suboptimal sperm to egg ratio revealed a positive effect of pre-incubation time, such that at the 430:1 ratio, 0.5. min pre-incubation increased the fertilization rate than 10. min. At 0. min pre......-incubation the proportion of fertilized eggs increased at the 430,000:1 ratio, while at 1. min fertilization increased at the 4300:1 ratio. At the 10. min pre-incubation time, fertilization increased at the 43,000:1 ratio. Moreover, at the 0.5. min pre-incubation time, the 43,000:1 ratio increased the fertilization rate...... than the 430:1 ratio. Generally, for 430:1 ratio, the fertilization rate is lower than in control. Transmission electron microscopy showed that pre-incubation of eggs in water for

  17. Effect of incubation time of sago (metroxylon sago) waste by local microorganism ″ginta″ on ph, crude protein, and crude fiber content

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ginting, Nurzainah; Pase, E.

    2018-03-01

    This study aims to examine the effect of incubation times of sago waste by local microorganism (MOL) “Ginta” to the crude protein and crude fiber content in relation to finding a cheap and good quality ruminants feed alternative. Incubation times were 0 hours to 144 hours. The data obtained were analyzed using Completely Randomize Design consisting of seven treatments and three replications. The result showed that the duration of incubation of sago waste by local microorganism (MOL) “Ginta” caused pH reduction, improved crude protein and crude fiber content. pH reduction was from 7.03 at 0 hour to 4.05 at 144 hours incubation. The highest increased in crude protein was H6U3 (5.58%) : 144 hours incubation and the lowest was H0U2 (3.22%) : 0 hour incubation while the highest crude fiber was H0U1 (19.99%) : 0 hour incubation and the lowest was H6U3 (18.23%) : 144 hours incubation. It can be concluded that incubation of sago waste triggered lower pH, higher crude protein and lower crude fiber than uninoculated. A recommendation could be given on using MOL ‘Ginta” in order to produce a cheap and good quality ruminans feed alternative.

  18. New York Nano-Bio Molecular Information Technology (NYNBIT) Incubator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Das, Digendra K

    2008-12-19

    This project presents the outcome of an effort made by a consortium of six universities in the State of New York to develop a Center for Advanced technology (CAT) in the emerging field of Nano-Bio-Molecular Information Technology. The effort consists of activities such as organization of the NYNBIT incubator, collaborative research projects, development of courses, an educational program for high schools, and commercial start-up programs.

  19. Self-Assessment in the Evaluation Process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koehler, Michael

    1990-01-01

    Describes a four-step process to involve teachers in self-evaluation that results in performance ownership. When supervisors incorporate teacher self-assessments into classroom observation reports, teachers are more willing to engage in follow-up professional growth activities and perceive supervisors as helpers in the process. (MLH)

  20. Automated Plasma Spray (APS) process feasibility study: Plasma spray process development and evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fetheroff, C. W.; Derkacs, T.; Matay, I. M.

    1979-01-01

    An automated plasma spray (APS) process was developed to apply two layer (NiCrAlY and ZrO2-12Y2O3) thermal-barrier coatings to aircraft gas turbine engine blade airfoils. The APS process hardware consists of four subsystems: a mechanical blade positioner incorporating two interlaced six-degree-of-freedom assemblies; a noncoherent optical metrology subsystem; a microprocessor-based adaptive system controller; and commercial plasma spray equipment. Over fifty JT9D first stage turbine blades specimens were coated with the APS process in preliminary checkout and evaluation studies. The best of the preliminary specimens achieved an overall coating thickness uniformity of + or - 53 micrometers, much better than is achievable manually. Factors limiting this performance were identified and process modifications were initiated accordingly. Comparative evaluations of coating thickness uniformity for manually sprayed and APS coated specimens were initiated. One of the preliminary evaluation specimens was subjected to a torch test and metallographic evaluation.

  1. Buying Time—The Immune System Determinants of the Incubation Period to Respiratory Viruses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas M. Moran

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Respiratory viruses cause disease in humans characterized by an abrupt onset of symptoms. Studies in humans and animal models have shown that symptoms are not immediate and appear days or even weeks after infection. Since the initial symptoms are a manifestation of virus recognition by elements of the innate immune response, early virus replication must go largely undetected. The interval between infection and the emergence of symptoms is called the incubation period and is widely used as a clinical score. While incubation periods have been described for many virus infections the underlying mechanism for this asymptomatic phase has not been comprehensively documented. Here we review studies of the interaction between human pathogenic respiratory RNA viruses and the host with a particular emphasis on the mechanisms used by viruses to inhibit immunity. We discuss the concept of the “stealth phase”, defined as the time between infection and the earliest detectable inflammatory response. We propose that the “stealth phase” phenomenon is primarily responsible for the suppression of symptoms during the incubation period and results from viral antagonism that inhibits major pathways of the innate immune system allowing an extended time of unhindered virus replication.

  2. Incubation behaviour in triazenepolymer thin films upon near-infrared femtosecond laser pulse irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bonse, J; Wiggins, S M; Solis, J; Sturm, H; Urech, L; Wokaun, A; Lippert, T

    2007-01-01

    The effects of laser radiation induced by a sequence of ultrashort (130 fs), near-infrared (800 nm) Ti:sapphire laser pulses in ∼1 μm thick triazenepolymer films on glass substrates have been investigated by means of in-situ real-time reflectivity measurements featuring a ps-resolution streak camera and a ns-resolution photodiode set-up. The polymer films show incubation effects when each laser pulse in the sequence has a fluence below the single-pulse damage threshold. Non-damage conditions are maintained for several incubation pulses such that the reflectivity of the film shows a rapid decrease of up to 30% within 1 ns but subsequently recovers to its initial value on a ms timescale. Additional pulses lead to a permanent film damage. The critical number of laser pulses needed to generate a permanent damage of the film has been studied as a function of the laser fluence. Once damage is created, further laser pulses cause a partial removal of the film material from the glass substrate. Scanning force microscopy has been used to characterise ex-situ the irradiated surface areas. Based on these complementary measurements possible incubation mechanisms are discussed

  3. Evaluation and processing of nuclear data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pearlstein, S.

    1980-01-01

    The role a nuclear data evaluator plays in obtaining evaluated nuclear data, needed for applications, from measured nuclear data is surveyed. Specific evaluation objectives, problems, and procedures are discussed. The use of nuclear systematics to complement nuclear experiment and theory is described. With the Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF) as an example, the formatting, checking, and processing of nuclear data are discussed as well as the testing of evaluated nuclear data in the calculation of integral benchmark experiments. Other important topics such as the Probability Table Method and interrelation between differential and integral data are also discussed. 25 figures

  4. Evaluation and processing of nuclear data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pearlstein, S.

    1981-01-01

    The role a nuclear data evaluator plays in obtaining evaluated nuclear data, needed for applications, from measured nuclear data is surveyed. Specific evaluation objectives, problems, and procedures are discussed. The use of nuclear systematics to complement nuclear experiment and theory is described. Using the Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF) as an example the formatting, checking, and processing of nuclear data is discussed as well as the testing of evaluated nuclear data in the calculation of integral benchmark experiments. Other important topics such as the Probability Table Method and interrelation between differential and integral data are also discussed. (author)

  5. Temperature induced decoupling of enzymatic hydrolysis and carbon remineralization in long-term incubations of Arctic and temperate sediments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Robador, Alberto; Brüchert, Volker; Steen, Andrew

    2010-01-01

    explored the temperature sensitivity of enzymatic hydrolysis and its connection to subsequent steps in anoxic organic carbon degradation in long-term incubations of sediments from the Arctic and the North Sea. These sediments were incubated under anaerobic conditions for 24 months at temperatures of 0, 10......, and 20 ºC. The short-term temperature response of the active microbial community was tested in temperature gradient block incubations. The temperature optimum of extracellular enzymatic hydrolysis, as measured with a polysaccharide (chondroitin sulfate), differed between Arctic and temperate habitats...

  6. The evaluation process of short training sessions in organizations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Overschie, M.G.F.; Lukosch, H.K.; De Vries, P.

    This paper presents a critical reflection of the evaluation of learning processes in organizations. Based on learning and evaluation theories and concepts we discuss qualitative and quantitative evaluation processes, and its relationship to short training sessions to foster sustainable development.

  7. Evaluation procedure for radioactive waste treatment processes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Whitty, W.J.

    1979-11-01

    An aspect of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory's nuclear waste management R and D programs has been to develop an evaluation procedure for radioactive waste treatment processes. This report describes the process evaluation method. Process worth is expressed as a numerical index called the Figure-of-Merit (FOM), which is computed using a hierarchial, linear, additive, scoring model with constant criteria weights and nonlinear value functions. A numerical example is used to demonstrate the procedure and to point out some of its strengths and weaknesses. Potential modifications and extensions are discussed, and an extensive reference list is included

  8. Effects of Defaunation on Fermentation Characteristics and Methane Production by Rumen Microbes When Incubated with Starchy Feed Sources

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W. Z. Qin

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available An in vitro experiment was conducted to examine the effects of defaunation (removal of protozoa on ruminal fermentation characteristics, CH4 production and degradation by rumen microbes when incubated with cereal grains (corn, wheat and rye. Sodium lauryl sulfate as a defaunation reagent was added into the culture solution at a concentration of 0.000375 g/ml, and incubated anaerobically for up to 12 h at 39°C. Following defaunation, live protozoa in the culture solution were rarely observed by microscopic examination. A difference in pH was found among grains regardless of defaunation at all incubation times (p<0.01 to 0.001. Defaunation significantly decreased pH at 12 h (p<0.05 when rumen fluid was incubated with grains. Ammonia-N concentration was increased by defaunation for all grains at 6 h (p<0.05 and 12 h (p<0.05 incubation times. Total VFA concentration was increased by defaunation at 6 h (p<0.05 and 12 h (p<0.01 for all grains. Meanwhile, defaunation decreased acetate and butyrate proportions at 6 h (p<0.05, p<0.01 and 12 h (p<0.01, p<0.001, but increased the propionate proportion at 3 h, 6 h and 12 h incubation (p<0.01 to 0.001 for all grains. Defaunation increased in vitro effective degradability of DM (p<0.05. Production of total gas and CO2 was decreased by defaunation for all grains at 1 h (p<0.05, p<0.05 and then increased at 6 h (p<0.05, p<0.05 and 12 h (p<0.05, p<0.05. CH4 production was higher from faunation than from defaunation at all incubation times (p<0.05.

  9. EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE STRONIUM AND TRANSURANIC SEPARATION PROCESSES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    SMALLEY CS

    2011-04-25

    In order to meet contract requirements on the concentrations of strontium-90 and transuranic isotopes in the immobilized low-activity waste, strontium-90 and transuranics must be removed from the supernate of tanks 241-AN-102 and 241-AN-107. The process currently proposed for this application is an in-tank precipitation process using strontium nitrate and sodium permanganate. Development work on the process has not proceeded since 2005. The purpose of the evaluation is to identify whether any promising alternative processes have been developed since this issue was last examined, evaluate the alternatives and the baseline process, and recommend which process should be carried forward.

  10. Considerations for Creating a Food Business Incubator in Virginia

    OpenAIRE

    Pasquarelli, Ian

    2016-01-01

    Due to overwhelming current demand for affordable rental commercial kitchen space in Virginia, this report was compiled in order to assess a viable Virginia model for small food business support. The incubator business model is gaining in popularity across the country, and increasing the capacity for small food business operations in many metropolitan areas. Multiple in-person interviews were conducted with food producers, food retailers, shared-use kitchen owners, city/county officials, and ...

  11. A Process For Performance Evaluation Of Real-Time Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew J. Kornecki

    2003-12-01

    Full Text Available Real-time developers and engineers must not only meet the system functional requirements, but also the stringent timing requirements. One of the critical decisions leading to meeting these timing requirements is the selection of an operating system under which the software will be developed and run. Although there is ample documentation on real-time systems performance and evaluation, little can be found that combines such information into an efficient process for use by developers. As the software industry moves towards clearly defined processes, creation of appropriate guidelines describing a process for performance evaluation of real-time system would greatly benefit real-time developers. This technology transition research focuses on developing such a process. PROPERT (PROcess for Performance Evaluation of Real Time systems - the process described in this paper - is based upon established techniques for evaluating real-time systems. It organizes already existing real-time performance criteria and assessment techniques in a manner consistent with a well-formed process, based on the Personal Software Process concepts.

  12. Serum thromboxane B2 (TXB2 Determination is Influenced by Sample Incubation Temperature in Healthy Beagle Dogs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aleš Jerin

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The measurement of serum thromboxane B2 (TXB2 production by platelets is a specific test for assessment of platelet cyclooxygenase (COX-1 activity following administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of sample incubation at 37 °C for one hour on serum TXB2 concentration in comparison with incubation at room temperature. A total of 54 blood samples for serum TXB2 measurements were collected from six healthy beagle dogs into two separate serum tubes. While one group of tubes was incubated in a 37 °C water bath, the second group of tubes was left to coagulate at room temperature, both for one hour. Serum TXB2 concentrations were measured by ELISA. The mean concentration (± SD of serum TXB2 in the group of samples that were incubated at 37 °C was significantly (P 2 concentration in healthy beagle dogs and demonstrate that validated methods for assessment of COX-1 activity by measurement of serum TXB2 should be used in order to make results more reliable and comparable between different studies. The results of this study might be of great help in planning NSAID studies in dogs by providing the information that TXB2 generation by platelets is influenced profoundly by incubation temperature.

  13. Thermal processes evaluation for RWMC wastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1991-01-01

    The objective of this activity was to provide a white paper that identifies, collects information, and presents a preliminary evaluation of ''core'' thermal technologies that could be applied to RWMC stored and buried mixed waste. This paper presents the results of the following activities: General thermal technology identification, collection of technical and cost information on each technology, identification of thermal technologies applicable to RWMC waste, evaluation of each technology as applied to RWMC waste in seven process attributes, scoring each technology on a one to five scale (five highest) in each process attribute. Reaching conclusions about the superiority of one technology over others is not advised based on this preliminary study alone. However, the highly rated technologies (i.e., overall score of 2.9 or better) are worthy of a more detailed evaluation. The next step should be a more detailed evaluation of the technologies that includes onsite visits with operational facilities, preconceptual treatment facility design analysis, and visits with developers for emerging technologies. 2 figs., 6 tabs

  14. Mentoring Entrepreneurial Networks: mapping conceptions of participants in technological-based business incubators in Brazil.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pontes Regis, Helder

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available The recent entrepreneurship research agenda includes the analysis of cognitive structures of successful entrepreneurs, revealing an important tool for the examination of an entrepreneurial career. Using techniques of cognitive maps, this study explores the concepts of a successful career and the network itself, as a whole, for career development. Fifty-three entrepreneurs were studied, in seven technological incubators in the city of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. Specifically, this study aimed to map the shared meanings of the incubated entrepreneurs regarding informal support networks. Such networks support the entrepreneurial career and the present study explores the characteristics and the conceptual model that underlies the networks. The data collection was achieved through interviews through a free evocation technique. The shared meanings indicate the existence of inherent thought categories that support network context in the incubator environment, mainly the mentoring networks. The results endorse the interpretation of an informal mentoring model emerging from the dominant evocations concerning a successful career and of the network itself as promoter of career development.

  15. Practice variation in the transfer of premature infants from incubators to open cots in Australian and New Zealand neonatal nurseries: results of an electronic survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    New, Karen; Bogossian, Fiona; East, Christine; Davies, Mark William

    2010-06-01

    The incubator environment is essential for optimal physiological functioning and development of the premature infant but the infant is ultimately required to make a successful transfer from incubator to open cot in order to be discharged from hospital. Criteria for transfer lack a systematic approach because no clear, specific guideline predominates in clinical practice. Practice variation exists between continents, regions and nurseries in the same countries, but there is no recent review of current practices utilised for transferring premature infants from incubators to open cots. To document current practice for transferring premature infants to open cots in neonatal nurseries. A descriptive, cross-sectional survey. Twenty-two neonatal intensive care units and fifty-six high dependency special care baby units located in public hospitals in Australia and New Zealand. A sample of 78 key clinical nursing leaders (nurse unit managers, clinical nurse consultants or clinical nurse specialists) within neonatal nurseries identified through email or telephone contact. Data were collected using a web-based survey on practice, decision-making and strategies utilised for transferring premature infants from incubators to open cots. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and crosstabs) were used to analyse data. Comparisons between groups were tested for statistical significance using Chi-squared or Fisher's exact test. Significant practice variation between countries was found for only one variable, nursing infants clothed (p=0.011). Processes and practices undertaken similarly in both countries include use of incubator air control mode, current weight criterion, thermal challenging, single-walled incubators and heated mattress systems. Practice variation was significant between neonatal intensive care units and special care baby units for weight range (p=0.005), evidence-based practice (p=0.004), historical nursery practice (p=0.029) and incubator air control mode (p=0

  16. δ15N in soil leachate: Incubation experiments with different fertilisers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lojen, S.; Pintar, M.; Lobnik, F.

    1999-01-01

    Groundwater in agriculturally intensive areas is exposed to heavy pollution by nutrients and phytopharmaceutical agents. A laboratory soil column incubation experiment was set up to investigate the influence of different fertilisers in two soil types on the concentration and isotopic composition of dissolved nitrate in the leachate

  17. Evaluation of EMG processing techniques using Information Theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farfán, Fernando D; Politti, Julio C; Felice, Carmelo J

    2010-11-12

    Electromyographic signals can be used in biomedical engineering and/or rehabilitation field, as potential sources of control for prosthetics and orthotics. In such applications, digital processing techniques are necessary to follow efficient and effectively the changes in the physiological characteristics produced by a muscular contraction. In this paper, two methods based on information theory are proposed to evaluate the processing techniques. These methods determine the amount of information that a processing technique is able to extract from EMG signals. The processing techniques evaluated with these methods were: absolute mean value (AMV), RMS values, variance values (VAR) and difference absolute mean value (DAMV). EMG signals from the middle deltoid during abduction and adduction movement of the arm in the scapular plane was registered, for static and dynamic contractions. The optimal window length (segmentation), abduction and adduction movements and inter-electrode distance were also analyzed. Using the optimal segmentation (200 ms and 300 ms in static and dynamic contractions, respectively) the best processing techniques were: RMS, AMV and VAR in static contractions, and only the RMS in dynamic contractions. Using the RMS of EMG signal, variations in the amount of information between the abduction and adduction movements were observed. Although the evaluation methods proposed here were applied to standard processing techniques, these methods can also be considered as alternatives tools to evaluate new processing techniques in different areas of electrophysiology.

  18. Evaluation of Models of the Reading Process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balajthy, Ernest

    A variety of reading process models have been proposed and evaluated in reading research. Traditional approaches to model evaluation specify the workings of a system in a simplified fashion to enable organized, systematic study of the system's components. Following are several statistical methods of model evaluation: (1) empirical research on…

  19. Carbon dioxide emission from maize straw incubated with soil under various moisture and nitrogen levels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abro, S.A.; Tian, X.; Hussain, Q.; Talpur, M.; Singh, U.

    2012-01-01

    A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the decomposition of maize straw incorporated into soil amended with nitrogen (N) and moisture (M) levels. Clay loam topsoil amended with maize straw was adjusted to four initial nitrogen treatments (C/N ratios of 72, 36, 18, and 9) and four moisture levels (60%, 70%, 80% and 90 % of field capacity) for the total of 16 treatments and incubated at 20 deg. C for 51 days. CO/sub 2/-C evolved was regularly recorded for all treatments during entire incubation period. Results showed that the mixing of straw with soil accelerated decomposition rates and enhanced cumulative CO/sub 2/-C production. The incorporation of straw brought about 50% increase in the cumulative CO/sub 2/-C production as compared with controls. About 45% of added maize straw C was mineralized to CO/sub 2/-C in 51 days. We conclude that incorporation of straw into soil along with the addition of N and moisture levels significantly affected CO/sub 2/-C evolution, cumulative CO/sub 2-C/, C mineralization and soil organic carbon deposition. The CO/sub 2/ emission was in positive correlation with (R2=0.99) N, moisture and incubation time (days). The straw returning into soil may enhance carbon pools and, thus will improve soil and environmental quality. (author)

  20. Process Evaluation in Corrections-Based Substance Abuse Treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolk, James L.; Hartmann, David J.

    1996-01-01

    Argues that process evaluation is needed to validate prison-based substance abuse treatment effectiveness. Five groups--inmates, treatment staff, prison staff, prison administration, and the parole board--should be a part of this process evaluation. Discusses these five groups relative to three stages of development of substance abuse treatment in…

  1. Conjugated fatty acids and methane production by rumen microbes when incubated with linseed oil alone or mixed with fish oil and/or malate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xiang Z; Gao, Qing S; Yan, Chang G; Choi, Seong H; Shin, Jong S; Song, Man K

    2015-08-01

    We hypothesized that manipulating metabolism with fish oil and malate as a hydrogen acceptor would affect the biohydrogenation process of α-linolenic acid by rumen microbes. This study was to examine the effect of fish oil and/or malate on the production of conjugated fatty acids and methane (CH4 ) by rumen microbes when incubated with linseed oil. Linseed oil (LO), LO with fish oil (LO-FO), LO with malate (LO-MA), or LO with fish oil and malate (LO-FO-MA) was added to diluted rumen fluid, respectively. The LO-MA and LO-FO-MA increased pH and propionate concentration compared to the other treatments. LO-MA and LO-FO-MA reduced CH4 production compared to LO. LO-MA and LO-FO-MA increased the contents of c9,t11-conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and c9,t11,c15-conjugated linolenic acid (CLnA) compared to LO. The content of malate was rapidly reduced while that of lactate was reduced in LO-MA and LO-FO-MA from 3 h incubation time. The fold change of the quantity of methanogen related to total bacteria was decreased at both 3 h and 6 h incubation times in all treatments compared to the control. Overall data indicate that supplementation of combined malate and/or fish oil when incubated with linseed oil, could depress methane generation and increase production of propionate, CLA and CLnA under the conditions of the current in vitro study. © 2015 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

  2. Advanced Oxidation Process sanitization of hatching eggs reduces Salmonella in broiler chicks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rehkopf, A C; Byrd, J A; Coufal, C D; Duong, T

    2017-10-01

    The microbial quality of eggs entering the hatchery is an important critical control point for biosecurity, pathogen reduction, and food safety programs in poultry production. Developing interventions to reduce Salmonella contamination of eggs is important to improving the microbial food safety of poultry and poultry products. The hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and ultraviolet light (UV) Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) has been previously demonstrated to be effective in reducing Salmonella on the surface of experimentally contaminated eggs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of treating eggs with an egg-sanitizing apparatus using the H2O2/UV AOP on Salmonella contamination during incubation, hatching, and in broiler chicks during grow-out. Experimentally contaminated eggs were treated using the automated H2O2/UV AOP egg sanitizer and incubated for 21 d. AOP sanitization reduced Salmonella up to 7 log10 cfu egg-1 (P Salmonella positive eggs by up to 75% (P Salmonella-positive eggs during incubation. Additionally, Salmonella was recovered from more chicks hatched from untreated eggs than from eggs treated using the H2O2/UV AOP egg sanitizer (P Salmonella contamination on the surface of eggs using the H2O2/UV AOP egg sanitizer prior to incubation may reduce the gastrointestinal colonization of chicks by Salmonella. © 2017 Poultry Science Association Inc.

  3. Evaluation of EMG processing techniques using Information Theory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Felice Carmelo J

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Electromyographic signals can be used in biomedical engineering and/or rehabilitation field, as potential sources of control for prosthetics and orthotics. In such applications, digital processing techniques are necessary to follow efficient and effectively the changes in the physiological characteristics produced by a muscular contraction. In this paper, two methods based on information theory are proposed to evaluate the processing techniques. Methods These methods determine the amount of information that a processing technique is able to extract from EMG signals. The processing techniques evaluated with these methods were: absolute mean value (AMV, RMS values, variance values (VAR and difference absolute mean value (DAMV. EMG signals from the middle deltoid during abduction and adduction movement of the arm in the scapular plane was registered, for static and dynamic contractions. The optimal window length (segmentation, abduction and adduction movements and inter-electrode distance were also analyzed. Results Using the optimal segmentation (200 ms and 300 ms in static and dynamic contractions, respectively the best processing techniques were: RMS, AMV and VAR in static contractions, and only the RMS in dynamic contractions. Using the RMS of EMG signal, variations in the amount of information between the abduction and adduction movements were observed. Conclusions Although the evaluation methods proposed here were applied to standard processing techniques, these methods can also be considered as alternatives tools to evaluate new processing techniques in different areas of electrophysiology.

  4. Ethanol production from sweet sorghum bagasse through process optimization using response surface methodology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lavudi, Saida; Oberoi, Harinder Singh; Mangamoori, Lakshmi Narasu

    2017-08-01

    In this study, comparative evaluation of acid- and alkali pretreatment of sweet sorghum bagasse (SSB) was carried out for sugar production after enzymatic hydrolysis. Results indicated that enzymatic hydrolysis of alkali-pretreated SSB resulted in higher production of glucose, xylose and arabinose, compared to the other alkali concentrations and also acid-pretreated biomass. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was, therefore, used to optimize parameters, such as alkali concentration, temperature and time of pretreatment prior to enzymatic hydrolysis to maximize the production of sugars. The independent variables used during RSM included alkali concentration (1.5-4%), pretreatment temperature (125-140 °C) and pretreatment time (10-30 min) were investigated. Process optimization resulted in glucose and xylose concentration of 57.24 and 10.14 g/L, respectively. Subsequently, second stage optimization was conducted using RSM for optimizing parameters for enzymatic hydrolysis, which included substrate concentration (10-15%), incubation time (24-60 h), incubation temperature (40-60 °C) and Celluclast concentration (10-20 IU/g-dwt). Substrate concentration 15%, (w/v) temperature of 60 °C, Celluclast concentration of 20 IU/g-dwt and incubation time of 58 h led to a glucose concentration of 68.58 g/l. Finally, simultaneous saccharification fermentation (SSF) as well as separated hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) was evaluated using Pichia kudriavzevii HOP-1 for production of ethanol. Significant difference in ethanol concentration was not found using either SSF or SHF; however, ethanol productivity was higher in case of SSF, compared to SHF. This study has established a platform for conducting scale-up studies using the optimized process parameters.

  5. Modulating intracellular acidification by regulating the incubation time of proton caged compounds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carbone, Marilena; Sabbatella, Gianfranco; Antonaroli, Simonetta; Orlando, Viviana; Biagioni, Stefano; Nucara, Alessandro

    2016-09-01

    A proton caged compound, the 1-(2-nitrophenyl)- ethylhexadecyl sulfonate (HDNS), was dosed into HEK-293 at different incubation times. Samples were irradiated with filtered UV light for inducing photolysis of the HDNS and then probed by infrared spectroscopy. The intracellular acidification reaction can be followed by monitoring the consequent CO2 peak intensity variation. The total CO2 produced is similar for all the samples, hence it is only a function of the initial HDNS concentration. The way it is achieved, though, is different for the different incubation times and follows kinetics, which results in a combination of a linear CO2 increase and a steep CO2 increase followed by a decay. This is interpreted in terms of confinement of the HDNS into intracellular vesicles of variable average size and sensitive to UV light when they reach critical dimensions.

  6. Methods for the Evaluation of Waste Treatment Processes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hans-Joachim Gehrmann

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Decision makers for waste management are confronted with the problem of selecting the most economic, environmental, and socially acceptable waste treatment process. This paper elucidates evaluation methods for waste treatment processes for the comparison of ecological and economic aspects such as material flow analysis, statistical entropy analysis, energetic and exergetic assessment, cumulative energy demand, and life cycle assessment. The work is based on the VDI guideline 3925. A comparison of two thermal waste treatment plants with different process designs and energy recovery systems was performed with the described evaluation methods. The results are mainly influenced by the type of energy recovery, where the waste-to-energy plant providing district heat and process steam emerged to be beneficial in most aspects. Material recovery options from waste incineration were evaluated according to sustainability targets, such as saving of resources and environmental protection.

  7. Evaluation of the Acquisition Audit Process

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Smolenyak, Barbara

    1997-01-01

    The objectives were to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the acquisition audit process, determine whether reductions can be achieved by improvements in prioritizing audits, and determine...

  8. A method to evaluate process performance by integrating time and resources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yu; Wei, Qingjie; Jin, Shuang

    2017-06-01

    The purpose of process mining is to improve the existing process of the enterprise, so how to measure the performance of the process is particularly important. However, the current research on the performance evaluation method is still insufficient. The main methods of evaluation are mainly using time or resource. These basic statistics cannot evaluate process performance very well. In this paper, a method of evaluating the performance of the process based on time dimension and resource dimension is proposed. This method can be used to measure the utilization and redundancy of resources in the process. This paper will introduce the design principle and formula of the evaluation algorithm. Then, the design and the implementation of the evaluation method will be introduced. Finally, we will use the evaluating method to analyse the event log from a telephone maintenance process and propose an optimization plan.

  9. IN Like Flint: How the Innovation Incubator at UM-Flint Fosters Social Entrepreneurship in a City Remaking Itself

    Science.gov (United States)

    Custer, Nic

    2015-01-01

    This paper focuses on how the University of Michigan-Flint's Innovation Incubator supports emerging for-profit businesses and nonprofit organizations through programming, business plan development, and ongoing mentorship. The Incubator is especially interested in supporting start-ups that address key social issues in the surrounding community,…

  10. Embryonic metabolism of the ornithischian dinosaurs Protoceratops andrewsi and Hypacrosaurus stebingeri and implications for calculations of dinosaur egg incubation times

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Scott A.

    2017-04-01

    The embryonic metabolisms of the ornithischian dinosaurs Protoceratops andrewsi and Hypacrosaurus stebingeri have been determined and are in the range observed in extant reptiles. The average value of the measured embryonic metabolic rates for P. andrewsi and H. stebingeri are then used to calculate the incubation times for 21 dinosaurs from both Sauischia and Ornithischia using a mass growth model based on conservation of energy. The calculated incubation times vary from about 70 days for Archaeopteryx lithographica to about 180 days for Alamosaurus sanjuanensis. Such long incubation times seem unlikely, particularly for the sauropods and large theropods. Incubation times are also predicted with the assumption that the saurischian dinosaurs had embryonic metabolisms in the range observed in extant birds.

  11. Business incubator as a support measure for start-ups in Russia and Sweden. : Comparative analysis.

    OpenAIRE

    Kiseleva, Maria

    2017-01-01

    Growth and developing of start-ups plays an important role as starting new business is one of the indicator that shows the economy level of each country. At that time start-ups need support and one of such support institutions is business incubator who can provide all resources that start-ups need. Different studies exist about business incubator as a support measure and the role of them for start- ups, but there is a lack of studies in analyzing this topic in different business environments....

  12. The incubation period distribution of tuberculosis estimated with a molecular epidemiological approach.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Borgdorff, M.W.; Sebek, M.; Geskus, R.B.; Kremer, K.; Kalisvaart, N.; Soolingen, D. van

    2011-01-01

    BACKGROUND: There is limited information on the distribution of incubation periods of tuberculosis (TB). METHODS: In The Netherlands, patients whose Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates have identical DNA fingerprints in the period 1993-2007 were interviewed to identify epidemiological links between

  13. A Common Loon incubates rocks as surrogates for eggs

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeStefano, Stephen; Koenen, Kiana K. G.; Pereira, Jillian W.

    2013-01-01

    A nesting Gavia immer (Common Loon) was discovered incubating 2 rocks on a floating nest platform on the Quabbin reservoir in central Massachusetts for 43 days, well beyond the typical period of 28 days, before we moved in to investigate. The rocks were likely unearthed in the soil and vegetation used on the platform to create a more natural substrate for the nest. We suggest sifting through soil and vegetation to remove rocks before placing material on nest platforms.

  14. The incubation period distribution of tuberculosis estimated with a molecular epidemiological approach

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Borgdorff, Martien W.; Sebek, Maruschka; Geskus, Ronald B.; Kremer, Kristin; Kalisvaart, Nico; van Soolingen, Dick

    2011-01-01

    There is limited information on the distribution of incubation periods of tuberculosis (TB). In The Netherlands, patients whose Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates have identical DNA fingerprints in the period 1993-2007 were interviewed to identify epidemiological links between cases. We determined

  15. Thermophilic nitrate-reducing microorganisms prevent sulfate reduction in cold marine sediments incubated at high temperature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nepomnyashchaya, Yana; Rezende, Julia; Hubert, Casey

    2014-05-01

    Hydrogen sulphide produced during metabolism of sulphate-reducing microorganisms (SRM) is toxic, corrosive and causes detrimental oil reservoir souring. During secondary oil recovery, injecting oil reservoirs with seawater that is rich in sulphate and that also cools high temperature formations provides favourable growth conditions for SRM. Nitrate addition can prevent metabolism of SRM by stimulating nitrate-reducing microorganisms (NRM). The investigations of thermophilic NRM are needed to develop mechanisms to control the metabolism of SRM in high temperature oil field ecosystems. We therefore established a model system consisting of enrichment cultures of cold surface marine sediments from the Baltic Sea (Aarhus Bay) that were incubated at 60°C. Enrichments contained 25 mM nitrate and 40 mM sulphate as potential electron acceptors, and a mixture of the organic substrates acetate, lactate, propionate, butyrate (5 mM each) and yeast extract (0.01%) as potential carbon sources and electron donors. Slurries were incubated at 60°C both with and without initial pasteurization at 80°C for 2 hours. In the enrichments containing both nitrate and sulphate, the concentration of nitrate decreased indicating metabolic activity of NRM. After a four-hour lag phase the rate of nitrate reduction increased and the concentration of nitrate dropped to zero after 10 hours of incubation. The concentration of nitrite increased as the reduction of nitrate progressed and reached 16.3 mM after 12 hours, before being consumed and falling to 4.4 mM after 19-day of incubation. No evidence for sulphate reduction was observed in these cultures during the 19-day incubation period. In contrast, the concentration of sulphate decreased up to 50% after one week incubation in controls containing only sulphate but no nitrate. Similar sulfate reduction rates were seen in the pasteurized controls suggesting the presence of heat resistant SRM, whereas nitrate reduction rates were lower in the

  16. The effects of incubation on academic and non-academic high-tech start-ups: evidence from Italy

    OpenAIRE

    Colombo, Massimo G.; Piva, Evila; Rentocchini, Francesco

    2012-01-01

    This study aims at empirically investigating whether technology incubators help academic high-tech start-ups to establish collaborations with other organizations, thus increasing the competitiveness of these firms. In doing so, we take into account the specificities of academic high-tech start-ups with respect to their non-academic counterparts. We compare the effects of incubation on academic and non-academic high-tech start-ups through econometric estimates using a large sample of Italian f...

  17. The experience of a solidarity incubation project formed by mental health users A experiência de incubar um empreendimento solidário formado por usuários de saúde mental

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Priscila Tagliaferro Rojo

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: From the articulation of mental health and social economy actors in a city of São Paulo, a solidarity group was created trough an incubation process using the partnership between the Center for Psychosocial Care and the Regional Incubator for Popular Cooperatives. The incubation is an advisory process for groups in the formation and consolidation of economic enterprises. The incubation method of this incubator comprises sixteen classes of behavior. Objective: To describe and reflect on the process of incubation performed by this group. Materials and Methods: In this qualitative research, we used multiple data sources, such as reports, projects, meeting minutes, among others. All ethical guidelines were followed. Results: From the analysis of the documents, it was found that is relevant the building of partnerships and the community involvement in the process of social inclusion by the work of mental health users. We emphasize the importance of the technicians’ presence in the group, understanding it as the right to health protection. It should be considered that there are still challenges to achieve self-management and operational users in the transformation of workers/members. Conclusions: It is expected that this research contribute to the reflection of other experiences and also to the knowledge on incubation methodology in mental health.Introdução: Da articulação dos atores da saúde mental e da economia solidária de um município paulista foi criado um grupo solidário, em processo de incubação por meio de parceria entre o Centro de Atenção Psicossocial e uma Incubadora de Cooperativas Populares. A incubação é um processo de assessoria a grupos para formação e consolidação de empreendimentos econômicos. O método de incubação dessa incubadora compreende dezesseis classes de comportamentos. Objetivo: Descrever e refletir sobre a experiência de incubação desse grupo. Materiais e Métodos: Nesta pesquisa

  18. Impacto das funções desempenhadas pelos gerentes nos resultados da incubadora: survey realizada na rede mineira de inovação The impact of the functions performed by managers in the incubator's results: a Survey accomplished by "Rede Mineira de Inovação"

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Magno da Silva

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Este artigo tem como objetivo avaliar as relações entre as funções desempenhadas pelo gerente e os resultados obtidos pela incubadora. São considerados como resultados: o tempo que o gerente ocupa cargo de direção, o tempo de existência da incubadora, o número de empresas incubadas, o número de empresas graduadas e a obtenção da certificação ISO 9001. As funções desempenhadas pelos gerentes das incubadoras, baseadas nas funções do Escritório de Gerenciamento de Projetos (PMO, são agrupadas e suas descrições são adaptadas ao contexto das incubadoras de empresas. Um questionário foi elaborado e enviado por e-mail às incubadoras de empresas da Rede Mineira de Inovação. Os dados foram coletados, processados estatisticamente e posteriormente analisados, tendo como resultados principais: as funções consideradas mais importantes para se alcançar os resultados da incubadora - participar do planejamento estratégico das empresas incubadas e distribuir recursos disponíveis entre as empresas incubadas - e a de menor importância para a obtenção dos resultados - monitorar e controlar o desempenho de cada plano de negócio das empresas incubadas.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the functions performed by managers and the results obtained by the incubator. The results considered were the following: the time period for manager's take over, the incubator's existence time period, the number of incubated companies, the number of firms graduated, and the achievement of ISO 9001 certification. The functions performed by managers of incubators are based on the Project Management Office (PMO. These functions are then grouped and their descriptions are adapted to the context of the incubators. A questionnaire was prepared and sent by e-mail to business incubators in the "Rede Mineira de Inovação". The data were collected, processed and analyzed statistically. The main results obtained showed that

  19. Are they helping? An examination of business incubators' impact on tenant firms

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ratinho, Tiago

    2011-01-01

    Business incubators (BI) have been established throughout the world as spurs to economic growth. Promoters and BIs‟ managers claim an important role in creating companies, support them till graduation and therefore often boast their contribution to job and wealth creation. Particularly since the

  20. Studies on the Cold Incubation Method in the {sup 131}I-T3 Resin Sponge Uptake Test

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsuchiya, T. [National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba (Japan); Takino, H.; Kurata, K.; Wakebayashi, T. [Dainabot Radioisotope Laboratory, Ltd, Tokyo (Japan); Ito, K.; Nishikawa, T.; Ino, E. [Ito Hospital, Tokyo (Japan); Momotani, N. [Dept. of Internal Medicine, Keio University Medical School, Tokyo (Japan)

    1970-02-15

    An attempt was made to establish a new method that eliminates the correction factors in incubation time and temperature of T3 resin sponge uptake test. Each pooled serum in three different states of thyroid function, i.e. hyperthyroid, euthyroid and hypothyroid,was separately incubated for 20, 24 and 28 h with T3 resin sponge either in a cold room at 2 Degree-Sign C, 5 Degree-Sign C or 8 Degree-Sign C, or in a refrigerator adjusted to 5 Degree-Sign C. The T3 uptake values in each pooled serum were not affected by the difference in the temperature and the incubation time in the cold incubation method. Applicability of the present method (using refrigerator) was examined in about 200 cases of different states of thyroid function. The values obtained by the strictly controlled conventional method (25 Degree-Sign C, 1 h) showed a good correlation with those obtained by the new method. In cases of hypothyroidal state the present method yielded a wider range of uptake values than the conventional one, and hence provided a better method of distinguishing thyroidal function. (author)

  1. Experimental Incubations Elicit Profound Changes in Community Transcription in OMZ Bacterioplankton

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stewart, Frank J.; Dalsgaard, Tage; Young, Curtis R.; Thamdrup, Bo; Revsbech, Niels Peter; Ulloa, Osvaldo; Canfield, Don E.; DeLong, Edward F.

    2012-01-01

    Sequencing of microbial community RNA (metatranscriptome) is a useful approach for assessing gene expression in microorganisms from the natural environment. This method has revealed transcriptional patterns in situ, but can also be used to detect transcriptional cascades in microcosms following experimental perturbation. Unambiguously identifying differential transcription between control and experimental treatments requires constraining effects that are simply due to sampling and bottle enclosure. These effects remain largely uncharacterized for “challenging” microbial samples, such as those from anoxic regions that require special handling to maintain in situ conditions. Here, we demonstrate substantial changes in microbial transcription induced by sample collection and incubation in experimental bioreactors. Microbial communities were sampled from the water column of a marine oxygen minimum zone by a pump system that introduced minimal oxygen contamination and subsequently incubated in bioreactors under near in situ oxygen and temperature conditions. Relative to the source water, experimental samples became dominated by transcripts suggestive of cell stress, including chaperone, protease, and RNA degradation genes from diverse taxa, with strong representation from SAR11-like alphaproteobacteria. In tandem, transcripts matching facultative anaerobic gammaproteobacteria of the Alteromonadales (e.g., Colwellia) increased 4–13 fold up to 43% of coding transcripts, and encoded a diverse gene set suggestive of protein synthesis and cell growth. We interpret these patterns as taxon-specific responses to combined environmental changes in the bioreactors, including shifts in substrate or oxygen availability, and minor temperature and pressure changes during sampling with the pump system. Whether such changes confound analysis of transcriptional patterns may vary based on the design of the experiment, the taxonomic composition of the source community, and on the

  2. Cost of reproduction in a long-lived bird: incubation effort reduces immune function and future reproduction

    OpenAIRE

    Hanssen, S A; Hasselquist, Dennis; Folstad, I; Erikstad, K E

    2005-01-01

    Life-history theory predicts that increased current reproductive effort should lead to a fitness cost. This cost of reproduction may be observed as reduced survival or future reproduction, and may be caused by temporal suppression of immune function in stressed or hard-working individuals. In birds, consideration of the costs of incubating eggs has largely been neglected in favour of the costs of brood rearing. We manipulated incubation demand in two breeding seasons (2000 and 2001) in female...

  3. Effects of Soil Moisture on the Temperature Sensitivity of Soil Heterotrophic Respiration: A Laboratory Incubation Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Weiping; Hui, Dafeng; Shen, Weijun

    2014-01-01

    The temperature sensitivity (Q10) of soil heterotrophic respiration (Rh) is an important ecological model parameter and may vary with temperature and moisture. While Q10 generally decreases with increasing temperature, the moisture effects on Q10 have been controversial. To address this, we conducted a 90-day laboratory incubation experiment using a subtropical forest soil with a full factorial combination of five moisture levels (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% water holding capacity - WHC) and five temperature levels (10, 17, 24, 31, and 38°C). Under each moisture treatment, Rh was measured several times for each temperature treatment to derive Q10 based on the exponential relationships between Rh and temperature. Microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial community structure and soil nutrients were also measured several times to detect their potential contributions to the moisture-induced Q10 variation. We found that Q10 was significantly lower at lower moisture levels (60%, 40% and 20% WHC) than at higher moisture level (80% WHC) during the early stage of the incubation, but became significantly higher at 20%WHC than at 60% WHC and not significantly different from the other three moisture levels during the late stage of incubation. In contrast, soil Rh had the highest value at 60% WHC and the lowest at 20% WHC throughout the whole incubation period. Variations of Q10 were significantly associated with MBC during the early stages of incubation, but with the fungi-to-bacteria ratio during the later stages, suggesting that changes in microbial biomass and community structure are related to the moisture-induced Q10 changes. This study implies that global warming’s impacts on soil CO2 emission may depend upon soil moisture conditions. With the same temperature rise, wetter soils may emit more CO2 into the atmosphere via heterotrophic respiration. PMID:24647610

  4. Noise distribution of an incubator with nebulizer at a neonatal intensive care unit in southern Taiwan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, H F; Chang, Y J

    2001-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the noise distribution and sources of peak noise inside an incubator with a nebulizer at a neonatal intensive care unit of a medical center in Southern Taiwan. Sound levels were monitored continuously with an electronic sound-meter for 24 hours daily over a one-week period. Three working hours (day, evening, and night hours) in the weekday and weekend (total 48 hours) were selected randomly from the one-week period of noise survey to observe peak noise at levels > or = 65 dBA. Results revealed that 24.8% of the total monitoring period had sound levels at or = 70 dBA. Furthermore, a total of 947 peak noises > or = 65 dBA were found within the 48 hours, of which 61.5% were in a range of 65-69 dBA, 24% of 70-74 dBA, 9.8% of 75-79 dBA, and 4.8% > or = 80 dBA. Human-related sources, equaling 79%, were the dominant peak noises. These noises included opening and closing doors, banging the incubator hood, conversation among staff, nursing activity inside the incubator, tearing and opening paper or bags, opening and closing trash can lids, and bumping metal carts or other apparatus. Nonhuman-related sources were 21% including alarms of monitors and running of the incubator motor. Results of this study showed that the noise distribution in the incubator with nebulizer was far above a protective limitation of 58 dBA, suggested by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1974. However, most peak noises could be reduced by modification of staff behavior. Therefore, determinations of noise distribution and sources of peak noise in this study are useful for further noise reduction programs.

  5. Studies on improving ostrich egg hatch ability and its relation with some factors affecting embryonic development during artificial incubation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amer, N.S.I.

    2012-01-01

    The present study was carried out in co-operation between the Ostrich Production Farm, Nuclear Research Center, Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo, Egypt and the Faculty of Agriculture, AL-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt. Ostrich eggs were obtained from Resk Company for Ostrich Production and set for incubation at ElShfie Farm, Belbas, Sharkia, Egypt. The objectives are:1- To follow up changes in some vital physiological parameters and blood components associated with ostrich embryonic development during incubation and to provide reference blood biochemical baseline values for future studies of avian species and to document novel information on some normal changes associated with growth of the developing ostrich embryo during the incubation, as no similar and complete data could be found on this aspect in the literature. 2- In an effort to improve the hatch ability and hatching performance of ostrich eggs by testing the effect of in ovo injection of several nutrients. Two trials were carried out: 1-First trial To follow up changes in some vital physiological parameters and blood components associated with ostrich embryonic development during incubation. A total number of 60 ostrich eggs weighed between 1300 and 1500 g were obtained from from Resk Company for Ostrich Production. Eggs were collected weekly in patches of 25 eggs and Egg incubation was performed in ElShfie Farm, Belbas, Egypt. Egg weight and egg weight loss during incubation were determined on each eggs.2- Second Trial In vivo injection In an effort to improve the hatch ability and hatching performance of ostrich eggs by testing the effect of in ovo injection of several nutrients. A total of 100 fertile ostrich eggs weighed between 1300 and 1500 g were obtained from from Resk Company for Ostrich Production. Eggs were collected weekly in patches of 25 eggs and egg incubation was performed in ElShfie Farm, Belbas, Egypt. Eggs were injected at the 7 th day of incubation to deposit test material in

  6. Evaluation and Modification of Processes for Bioethanol Separation and Production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johnner P Sitompul

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper concerns on process evaluation and modification for bioethanol separation and production by applying pinch technology. Further, the paper is also focused on obtaining a most energy-efficient process among several processes. Three basic process configurations of bioethanol separation and production were selected for this study. The three separations and production systems are Othmer process, Barbet process and a separation process that operates under vacuum condition. Basically, each process is combination of Danish Distilleries process with a separation system yielding 95% (v/v bioethanol. The production capacity of the plant is estimated about 4 x 107 litre of bioethanol 95% (v/v per year. The result of the studies shows that the most energy efficient process among the three processes evaluated is the Othmer process, followed by the Barbet process and the process involving vacuum operation. The evaluation also shows that further energy saving can be carried for Barbet and Othmer process configuration when Tmin = 10oC for heat exchange possible.

  7. A study of the incubation of microbead agglutination assays in a microfluidic system

    KAUST Repository

    Castro, David

    2016-12-19

    This work reports on a quantitative study of the incubation of a microbead-based agglutination assay inside a microfluidic system. In this system, a droplet (1.25µL) consisting of a mixture of functionalized microbeads and analyte is flowed through a 0.51mm internal diameter silicone tube. Hydrodynamic forces alone produce a very efficient mixing of the beads within the droplet. We tested the agglutination at different speeds and show a robust response at the higher range of speeds (150 – 200µL/min), while also reaching a completion in the agglutination process. At these velocities, a length of 180cm is shown to be sufficient to confidently measure the agglutination assay, which takes between 2.5 – 3 minutes. This high throughput quantification method has the potential of accelerating the measurements of various types of biomarkers, which can greatly benefit the fields of biology and medicine.

  8. Using Analytic Hierarchy Process in Textbook Evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kato, Shigeo

    2014-01-01

    This study demonstrates the application of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) in English language teaching materials evaluation, focusing in particular on its potential for systematically integrating different components of evaluation criteria in a variety of teaching contexts. AHP is a measurement procedure wherein pairwise comparisons are made…

  9. Sensitivity to acetic acid, ability to colonize abiotic surfaces and virulence potential of Listeria monocytogenes EGD-e after incubation on parsley leaves.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rieu, A; Guzzo, J; Piveteau, P

    2010-02-01

    To investigate how the survival of Listeria monocytogenes on parsley leaves may affect its ability to sustain process-related harsh conditions and its virulence. Parsley seedlings were spot inoculated with stationary phase cells of L. monocytogenes EGD-e and incubated for 15 days. Each day, bacterial cells were harvested and enumerated, and their ability to survive acetic acid challenge (90 min, pH 4.0), to colonize abiotic surfaces and to grow as biofilms was assessed. After a 3-log decrease over the first 48 h, the population stabilized to about 10(6) CFU g(-1) until the sixth day. After the sixth day, L. monocytogenes was no longer detected, even after specific enrichment. Incubation on parsley leaves affected the ability of L. monocytogenes to survive acetic acid challenge (90 min, pH 4.0) and to adhere to stainless steel although the ability to grow as biofilm was preserved. To further investigate these physiological alterations, the mRNA levels of six target genes (bsh, clpC, groEL, inlA, opuC, prfA) was quantified using reverse transcription qPCR after 5 h of incubation on parsley leaves. A decrease was observed in all but one (bsh) target, including groEL and clpC which are involved in resistance to salt and acid. Moreover, the decrease in the levels of inlA, prfA and opuC transcripts after incubation on parsley suggested a repression of some genes involved in pathogenicity. In vitro assessment of mammalian cell adherence and invasion using Caco-2 cells confirmed the repression of the virulence factor InlA; however, the virulence potential in vivo in the chick embryo model was not affected. Listeria monocytogenes did undergo rapid changes to adapt its physiology to the phyllosphere. This study highlights the physiological changes undergone by L. monocytogenes during/after survival on parsley leaves.

  10. Typeability of PowerPlex Y (Promega) profiles in selected tissue samples incubated in various environments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niemcunowicz-Janica, Anna; Pepiński, Witold; Janica, Jacek Robert; Janica, Jerzy; Skawrońska, Małgorzata; Koc-Zórawska, Ewa

    2007-01-01

    In cases of decomposed bodies, Y chromosomal STR markers may be useful in identification of a male relative. The authors assessed typeability of PowerPlex Y (Promega) loci in post mortem tissue material stored in various environments. Kidney, spleen and pancreas specimens were collected during autopsies of five persons aged 20-30 years, whose time of death was determined within the limit of 14 hours. Tissue material was incubated at 21 degrees C and 4 degrees C in various environmental conditions. DNA was extracted by the organic method from tissue samples collected in 7-day intervals and subsequently typed using the PowerPlexY-STR kit and ABI 310. A fast decrease in the typeability rate was seen in specimens incubated in peat soil and in sand. Kidney tissue samples were typeable in all PowerPlexY-STR loci within 63 days of incubation at 4 degrees C. Faster DNA degradation was recorded in spleen and pancreas specimens. In samples with negative genotyping results, no DNA was found by fluorometric quantitation. Decomposed soft tissues are a potential material for DNA typing.

  11. Laboratory evidence for short and long-term damage to pink salmon incubating in oiled gravel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heintz, R.; Rice, S.; Wiedmer, M.

    1995-01-01

    Pink salmon, incubating in gravel contaminated with crude oil, demonstrated immediate and delayed responses in the laboratory at doses consistent with the concentrations observed in oiled streams in Prince William Sound. The authors incubated pink salmon embryos in a simulated intertidal environment with gravel contaminated by oil from the Exxon Valdez. During the incubation and emergence periods the authors quantified dose-response curves for characters affected directly by the oil. After emergence, fish were coded wire tagged and released, or cultured in netpens. Delayed responses have been observed among the cultured fish, and further observations will be made when coded wire tagged fish return in September 1995. The experiments have demonstrated that eggs need not contact oiled gravel to experience increased mortality, and doses as low as 17 ppb tPAH in water can have delayed effects on growth. A comparison of sediment tPAH concentrations from streams in Prince William Sound with these laboratory data suggests that many 1989 brood pink salmon were exposed to deleterious quantities of oil

  12. Evaluation of control strategies in forming processes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Calmano Stefan

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Products of forming processes are subject to quality fluctuations due to uncertainty in semi-finished part properties as well as process conditions and environment. An approach to cope with these uncertainties is the implementation of a closed-loop control taking into account the actual product properties measured by sensors or estimated by a mathematical process model. Both methods of uncertainty control trade off with a financial effort. In case of sensor integration the effort is the cost of the sensor including signal processing as well as the design and manufacturing effort for integration. In case of an estimation model the effort is mainly determined by the time and knowledge needed to derive the model, identify the parameters and implement the model into the PLC. The risk of mismatch between model and reality as well as the risk of wrong parameter identification can be assumed as additional uncertainty (model uncertainty. This paper evaluates controlled and additional uncertainty by taking into account process boundary conditions like the degree of fluctuations in semi-finished part properties. The proposed evaluation is demonstrated by the analysis of exemplary processes.

  13. Incubation of human blood fractions leads to changes in apparent miRNA abundance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skovgaard, Kerstin; Jørgensen, Stine Thuen; Heegaard, Peter M. H.

    in significant changes in the abundance of miR-21, miR-155, Let-7c and Let 7f in plasma, miR-21, miR-23a and miR-150 in RBC and miR-15b, miR-126, miR155 and Let-7g in PBMC, while no change was seen in PRP and PMN. Interestingly, in the samples incubated with glass beads, no miRNAs were significantly affected...... in plasma, RBC, PBMC and PMN, while expression of miR-25, miR15a, miR-126 and miR223 was significantly changed in PRP. Thus, PRP, as the only blood fraction depended on stimulation to change its miRNA profile upon incubation. For the other fractions, stimulation either leveled out the changes induced...

  14. Coal liquefaction process streams characterization and evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Robbins, G.A.; Brandes, S.D.; Winschel, R.A.; Burke, F.P.

    1992-03-01

    CONSOL R D is conducting a three-year program to characterize process and product streams from direct coal liquefaction process development projects. The program objectives are two-fold: (1) to obtain and provide appropriate samples of coal liquids for the evaluation of analytical methodology, and (2) to support ongoing DOE-sponsored coal liquefaction process development efforts. The two broad objectives have considerable overlap and together serve to provide a bridge between process development and analytical chemistry.

  15. Hanford phosphate precipitation filtration process evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walker, B.W.; McCabe, D.J.

    1997-01-01

    The purpose of this filter study was to evaluate cross-flow filtration as effective solid-liquid separation technology for treating Hanford wastes, outline operating conditions for equipment, examine the expected filter flow rates, and determine proper cleaning. A proposed Hanford waste pre-treatment process uses sodium hydroxide at high temperature to remove aluminum from sludge. This process also dissolves phosphates. Upon cooling to 40 degrees centigrade the phosphates form a Na7(PO4)2F9H2O precipitate which must be removed prior to further treatment. Filter studies were conducted with a phosphate slurry simulant to evaluate whether 0.5 micron cross-flow sintered metal Mott filters can separate the phosphate precipitate from the wash solutions. The simulant was recirculated through the filters at room temperature and filtration performance data was collected

  16. Randomized controlled trial of skin-to-skin contact from birth versus conventional incubator for physiological stabilization in 1200- to 2199-gram newborns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bergman, N J; Linley, L L; Fawcus, S R

    2004-06-01

    Conventional care of prematurely born infants involves extended maternal-infant separation and incubator care. Recent research has shown that separation causes adverse effects. Maternal-infant skin-to-skin contact (SSC) provides an alternative habitat to the incubator, with proven benefits for stable prematures; this has not been established for unstable or newborn low-birthweight infants. SSC from birth was therefore compared to incubator care for infants between 1200 and 2199 g at birth. This was a prospective, unblinded, randomized controlled clinical trial; potential subjects were identified before delivery and randomized by computerized minimization technique at 5 min if eligible. Standardized care and observations were maintained for 6 h. Stability was measured in terms of a set of pre-determined physiological parameters, and a composite cardio-respiratory stabilization score (SCRIP). 34 infants were analysed in comparable groups: 3/18 SSC compared to 12/13 incubator babies exceeded the pre-determined parameters (p incubator (maximum 78), mean difference 2.88 (95% CI: 0.3-5.46, p = 0.031). All 18 SSC subjects were stable in the sixth hour, compared to 6/13 incubator infants. Eight out of 13 incubator subjects experienced hypothermia. Newborn care provided by skin-to-skin contact on the mother's chest results in better physiological outcomes and stability than the same care provided in closed servo-controlled incubators. The cardio-respiratory instability seen in separated infants in the first 6 h is consistent with mammalian "protest-despair" biology, and with "hyper-arousal and dissociation" response patterns described in human infants: newborns should not be separated from their mothers.

  17. Incubation strategies of the Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) in relation to ambient temperature and time of day

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Lixun Zhang; Bei An; Meilin Shu; Changming Zhao; Xiaojun Yang; Yila Suo; Yongjun Se; Xilite Dabu

    2017-01-01

    Background: The behavior of cranes reflects many of their survival strategies, but little has been known of the incu-bation strategies of cranes, in which both parents share incubation duties, in response to cold temperatures in alpine environments. The lack of information may restrict the effective conservation of the threatened Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis), a biparental bird nesting in high elevation wetlands. Methods: We directly observed and used infrared video cameras from 2014 to 2015 to study the incubation behav-ior and quantitatively measured the frequency and details of egg turning behavior in the Black-necked Crane at the Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve in western Gansu Province, China. Results: At lower ambient temperatures in the morning, crane parents spent more time on the nest with less recess frequency and prolonged on-bout duration, while at higher temperatures around noon, the parents had more frequent recesses from incubation and shorter periods between nest exchanges. They adjusted the amount of time incubating by varying the recess frequency and the length of on-bout duration. Mean nest attendance and egg turn-ing frequency of females were significantly higher than those of the males. The nest attendance and on-bout duration of females showed a significantly negative relationship with those of males. The two parents responded differently to the change of temperature. Females spent more time on the nest at lower morning temperatures, while males increased their time on the nest at higher temperatures after noon. Higher incubation recess frequency and egg turn-ing frequency were observed at noon, probably because parents spent more time foraging, taking advantage of the lower egg cooling rate. Conclusion: Both Black-necked Crane parents in the alpine environment adjusted their behavior in response to the thermal requirements of eggs and the weather conditions experienced. Our findings demonstrate that parents of this species incubated

  18. Incubation strategies of the Black-necked Crane(Grus nigricollis) in relation to ambient temperature and time of day

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Lixun Zhang; Bei AnSchool of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University; Meilin Shu; Changming Zhao; Xiaojun Yang; Yila Suo; Yongjun Se; Xilite Dabu

    2017-01-01

    Background: The behavior of cranes reflects many of their survival strategies, but little has been known of the incubation strategies of cranes, in which both parents share incubation duties, in response to cold temperatures in alpine environments. The lack of information may restrict the effective conservation of the threatened Black-necked Crane(Grus nigricollis), a biparental bird nesting in high elevation wetlands.Methods: We directly observed and used infrared video cameras from 2014 to 2015 to study the incubation behavior and quantitatively measured the frequency and details of egg turning behavior in the Black-necked Crane at the Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve in western Gansu Province, China.Results: At lower ambient temperatures in the morning, crane parents spent more time on the nest with less recess frequency and prolonged on-bout duration, while at higher temperatures around noon, the parents had more frequent recesses from incubation and shorter periods between nest exchanges. They adjusted the amount of time incubating by varying the recess frequency and the length of on-bout duration. Mean nest attendance and egg turning frequency of females were significantly higher than those of the males. The nest attendance and on-bout duration of females showed a significantly negative relationship with those of males. The two parents responded differently to the change of temperature. Females spent more time on the nest at lower morning temperatures, while males increased their time on the nest at higher temperatures after noon. Higher incubation recess frequency and egg turning frequency were observed at noon, probably because parents spent more time foraging, taking advantage of the lower egg cooling rate.Conclusion: Both Black-necked Crane parents in the alpine environment adjusted their behavior in response to the thermal requirements of eggs and the weather conditions experienced. Our findings demonstrate that parents of this species incubated in

  19. A rumor transmission model with incubation in social networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Jianwen; Wu, Wenjiang

    2018-02-01

    In this paper, we propose a rumor transmission model with incubation period and constant recruitment in social networks. By carrying out an analysis of the model, we study the stability of rumor-free equilibrium and come to the local stable condition of the rumor equilibrium. We use the geometric approach for ordinary differential equations for showing the global stability of the rumor equilibrium. And when ℜ0 = 1, the new model occurs a transcritical bifurcation. Furthermore, numerical simulations are used to support the analysis. At last, some conclusions are presented.

  20. A system for incubations at high gas partial pressure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sauer, Patrick; Glombitza, Clemens; Kallmeyer, Jens

    2012-01-01

    dioxide sequestration. As an application of the system we extracted organic compounds from sub-bituminous coal using H2O as well as a H2O–CO2 mixture at elevated temperature (90°C) and pressure (5 MPa). Subsamples were taken at different time points during the incubation and analyzed by ion chromatography....... Furthermore we demonstrated the applicability of the system for studies of microbial activity, using samples from the Isis mud volcano. We could detect an increase in sulfate reduction rate upon the addition of methane to the sample....

  1. Students’ views on the block evaluation process: A descriptive analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ntefeleng E. Pakkies

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: Higher education institutions have executed policies and practices intended to determine and promote good teaching. Students’ evaluation of the teaching and learning process is seen as one measure of evaluating quality and effectiveness of instruction and courses. Policies and procedures guiding this process are discernible in universities, but it isoften not the case for nursing colleges. Objective: To analyse and describe the views of nursing students on block evaluation, and how feedback obtained from this process was managed.Method: A quantitative descriptive study was conducted amongst nursing students (n = 177 in their second to fourth year of training from one nursing college in KwaZulu-Natal. A questionnaire was administered by the researcher and data were analysed using the Statistical Package of Social Sciences Version 19.0. Results: The response rate was 145 (81.9%. The participants perceived the aim of block evaluation as improving the quality of teaching and enhancing their experiences as students.They questioned the significance of their input as stakeholders given that they had never been consulted about the development or review of the evaluation tool, or the administration process; and they often did not receive feedback from the evaluation they participated in. Conclusion: The college management should develop a clear organisational structure with supporting policies and operational guidelines for administering the evaluation process. The administration, implementation procedures, reporting of results and follow-up mechanisms should be made transparent and communicated to all concerned. Reports and actions related to these evaluations should provide feedback into relevant courses or programmes. Keywords: Student evaluation of teaching; perceptions; undergraduate nursing students; evaluation process

  2. A Process for the Evaluation of Training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Civil Service Commission, Washington, DC. Training Leadership Div.

    The process of evaluating the training of federal civil service employees is summarized in three phases: (1) the focus--establishing the scope and objectives of the evaluation effort, (2) the plan--developing a blueprint for conducting the project, and (3) the implementation--obtaining necessary data, interpreting them, and providing conclusions…

  3. Changes in microbial and nutrient composition associated with rumen content compost incubation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shrestha, Karuna; Shrestha, Pramod; Adetutu, Eric M; Walsh, Kerry B; Harrower, Keith M; Ball, Andrew S; Midmore, David J

    2011-02-01

    Physico-chemical and microbiological investigations were carried out on rumen content material composted for nine months, fresh vermicasts (obtained after passing the same compost through the guts of a mixture of three species of earthworms: Eisenia fetida, Lumbricus rubellus and Perionyx excavates) and microbially enhanced extracts derived from rumen compost, vermicast and vermicast leachate incubated for up to 48 h. Compared to composted rumen contents, vermicast was only improved in terms of microbial biomass C, while vermicast leached extract was significantly higher in NH(4)(+)-N,PO(4)(-)-P, humic acid, bacterial counts and total microbial activity compared to rumen compost extract. Although no difference between treatments was observed in genetic diversity as indicated by DGGE analysis, community level functional diversity of vermicast leached extract (Biolog™) was higher than that of composted rumen contents, vermicast and rumen compost extract indicating an enhancement of microbial activity rather than diversity due to liquid incubation. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Influx of CO2 from Soil Incubated Organic Residues at Constant Temperature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shoukat Ali Abro

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Temperature induced CO2 from genotypic residue substances is still less understood. Two types of organic residues (wheat- maize were incubated at a constant temperature (25°C to determine the rate and cumulative influx of CO2 in laboratory experiment for 40 days. Further, the effect of surface and incorporated crop residues with and without phosphorus addition was also studied. Results revealed that mixing of crop residues increased CO2-C evolution significantly & emission rare was 37% higher than that of control. At constant temperature, soil mixed residues, had higher emission rates CO2-C than the residues superimposed. There was linear correlation of CO2-C influxed for phosphorus levels and residue application ways with entire incubation at constant temperature. The mixing of organic residues to soil enhanced SOC levels and biomass of microbially bound N; however to little degree ammonium (NH4-N and nitrate NO3-N nitrogen were decreased.

  5. Curcumin uptake enhancement using low dose light illumination during incubation in Candida albicans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romano, Renan A.; Pratavieira, Sebastião.; da Silva, Ana P.; Kurachi, Cristina; Bagnato, Vanderlei S.; Guimarães, Francisco E. G.

    2017-07-01

    A new PDI protocol is presented in this study. C. albicans cells pre-illuminated with a low dose light demonstrated an increase of curcumin uptake when compared to dark incubation, leading to a higher PDI efficacy.

  6. Changes According to Incubation Periods in Some Microbiological Characteristics at Soil Samples of Some Soil Series from the Gelemen Agricultural Administration

    OpenAIRE

    KARA, Emine Erman

    1998-01-01

    Changes according to incubation periods in some microbiological characteristics at soil samples of soil series from Gelemen Agricultural Administraction were investigated in this study. The results show that bacteria, actinomycet had values in the first periods of incubation (30ºC and field capacity) and in the following periods increased. However, fungus population changed depending upon series properties and reached maximum values 24th and 32th days after the beginning of incubation. During...

  7. Contribuição das incubadoras tecnológicas na internacionalização das empresas incubadas Contribución de las incubadoras tecnológicas a la internacionalización de las empresas incubadas Contribution of technology incubators to the internationalization of incubated companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raquel Engelman

    2013-03-01

    empresas de base tecnológica incubadas. Se desarrolló el modelo a partir de la literatura sobre las dos áreas de interés de la investigación. Se analizaron referencias sobre la internacionalización de empresas, por medio de un estudio de los factores que influyen en su internacionalización, especialmente para micro y pequeñas empresas de base tecnológica. Asimismo, se estudiaron aspectos del proceso de incubación de empresas de tecnología, así como las acciones y los servicios prestados por las incubadoras. Se llevó a cabo un estudio descriptivo con 40 incubadoras tecnológicas brasileñas (50% de la población y que cumplieron con los siguientes criterios: estar en funcionamiento desde un periodo superior a dos años y tener al menos una empresa graduada. Los cuestionarios mostraron que el 40% de las incubadoras de la muestra poseen un programa formal dirigido a la internacionalización de las empresas incubadas y el 60% de las incubadoras tienen empresas que iniciaron el proceso de internacionalización. Los resultados indicaron una relación positiva entre incubación e internacionalización. La investigación presenta indicaciones sobre acciones y servicios que son eficaces para la internacionalización de las empresas.This work aims to verify how Brazilian technology incubators contribute to the internationalization of incubated companies from the point of view of their management. To meet this objective we developed a model that, in addition to supporting this study, could provide a basis for studies of internationalization in small technology-based companies and incubators and assist their management. The model was based on the literature on two relevant areas of work: first, a survey was carried out on the factors influencing the internationalization of enterprises, especially micro and small technology-based companies; second, aspects of the process of incubation of technology ventures were examined, as well as the actions and services provided by

  8. An anaerobic incubation study of metal lability in drinking water treatment residue with implications for practical reuse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Changhui; Yuan, Nannan; Pei, Yuansheng

    2014-06-15

    Drinking water treatment residue (WTR) is an inevitable by-product generated during the treatment of drinking water with coagulating agents. The beneficial reuse of WTR as an amendment for environmental remediation has attracted growing interest. In this work, we investigated the lability of Al, As, Ba, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sr, V and Zn in Fe/Al hydroxide-comprised WTR based on a 180-day anaerobic incubation test using fractionation, in vitro digestion and a toxicity characteristic leaching procedure. The results indicated that most metals in the WTR were stable during anaerobic incubation and that the WTR before and after incubation could be considered non-hazardous in terms of leachable metal contents according to US EPA Method 1311. However, the lability of certain metals in the WTR after incubation increased substantially, especially Mn, which may be due to the reduction effect. Therefore, although there is no evidence presented to restrict the use of WTR in the field, the lability of metals (especially Mn) in WTR requires further assessment prior to field application. In addition, fractionation (e.g., BCR) is recommended for use to determine the potential lability of metals under various conditions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. The "Process" of Process Use: Methods for Longitudinal Assessment in a Multisite Evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaw, Jessica; Campbell, Rebecca

    2014-01-01

    Process use refers to the ways in which stakeholders and/or evaluands change as a function of participating in evaluation activities. Although the concept of process use has been well discussed in the literature, exploration of methodological strategies for the measurement and assessment of process use has been limited. Typically, empirical…

  10. Evaluation and adjustment of description of denitrification in the DailyDayCent and COUP models based on N2 and N2O laboratory incubation system measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grosz, Balázs; Well, Reinhard; Dannenmann, Michael; Dechow, René; Kitzler, Barbara; Michel, Kerstin; Reent Köster, Jan

    2017-04-01

    data-sets are needed in view of the extreme spatio-temporal heterogeneity of denitrification. DASIM will provide such data based on laboratory incubations including measurement of N2O and N2 fluxes and determination of the relevant drivers. Here, we present how we will use these data to evaluate common biogeochemical process models (DailyDayCent, Coup) with respect to modeled NO, N2O and N2 fluxes from denitrification. The models are used with different settings. The first approximation is the basic "factory" setting of the models. The next step would show the precision in the results of the modeling after adjusting the appropriate parameters from the result of the measurement values and the "factory" results. The better adjustment and the well-controlled input and output measured parameters could provide a better understanding of the probable scantiness of the tested models which will be a basis for future model improvement.

  11. An incubation medium for the elevation of adenosine triphosphate and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in fresh and long-preserved human erythrocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rubinstein, D; Warrendorf, E

    1975-06-01

    The levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in freshly drawn human erythrocytes can be tripled by a 2 h incubation at 37 degrees C in a medium containing 21 mM glucose, 1.8 mM adenine, 5 mM pyruvate, 10 mM inosine, and 96 mM phosphate. Similar incubation conditions will restore the levels of ATP and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in erythrocytes from blood levels preserved for 12 and 15 weeks, respectively, to those of fresh cells. Omission of pyruvate from the incubation medium further increases the level of ATP slightly, but there is little elevation of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate. Under these conditions labelled pyruvate and lactate production from [14-C]glucose or [14-C]inosine is not diminished, but labelled fructose 1,6-diphosphate, rather than 2,3-diphosphoglycerate, accumulates. In addition, omission of pyruvate from the incubation medium, with a concomitant decrease in accumulation of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate, diminishes the concentration of inorganic phosphate required for optimal ATP elevation. A 5 h incubation in the glucose-adenine-pyruvate-inosine-phosphate medium elevates the levels of ATP and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in erythrocytes from blood preserved in the cold for 15 weeks to twice that of fresh cells, indicating that the cells retain their metabolic potential even after prolonged storage at 2 degrees C. The medium may provide a method of rejuvenating 10-12 week cold-preserved erythrocytes for transfusion purposes, by a 1 h incubation at 37 degrees C.

  12. Design of an Incubator for Premature Infant Based on LabVIEW.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Lina; Zhou, Runjing

    2005-01-01

    This paper introduces the system structure, hardware circuits, control algorithms, and software program of the incubator for premature infant based on LabVIEW. The main advantages of this device are that preheating is less time than others, the capability of meeting of emergency is provided, control track of temperature and humidity are visible, operation is easy to clinical practice, and maintainability is possessed.

  13. Effect of short-term pre-hatch heat shock of incubating eggs on ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    These results suggest that prenatal thermal conditioning is not detrimental to broiler growth under standard rearing conditions in the absence of thermal stress. However, survival rate was improved but live weight and FCR were in some cases significantly poorer. Keywords: Heat stress, incubation, parent age, live weight, ...

  14. Speckled eggs: water-loss and incubation behaviour in the great tit Parus major.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Higham, James P; Gosler, Andrew G

    2006-10-01

    Many small passerine birds worldwide lay white eggs speckled with red, brown and black protoporphyrin pigment spots (maculation). Unlike some patterns of avian eggshell pigmentation which clearly serve a crypsis or signalling function, the ubiquity of maculation among passerines suggests that its origins lie in another function, not specific to any particular ecological or behavioural group. Elsewhere, we have presented evidence that protoporphyrin pigments serve a structural function related to eggshell thickness and calcium availability: eggshell maculation in the great tit Parus major increases with decreasing soil calcium levels, pigments demarcate thinner areas of shell, and both the pigment intensity and distribution are related to shell thickness. Here we show that maculation also affects the rate of water loss from the egg during incubation (approximately Mass Loss per Day or MLD, which is critical to egg viability), but not that of unincubated eggs. We also demonstrate, both by observation and experiment, that the effect of female incubation behaviour on MLD compensates in some way for variation in egg characteristics, and that differences between females in the degree of such compensation are related to differences in clutch maculation. Our results suggest that, while a principal function of maculation in this species may be to strengthen the eggshell, it may also reduce eggshell permeability when large amounts of pigment are used, and that this necessitates a behavioural adjustment from the female during incubation. We discuss these findings and make further testable predictions from our model.

  15. Temperature during the last week of incubation. I. Effects on hatching pattern and broiler chicken embryonic organ development

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Maatjens, C.M.; Roovert-Reijrink, van I.A.M.; Engel, B.; Pol, van der C.W.; Kemp, B.; Brand, van den H.

    2016-01-01

    We investigated the effects of an eggshell temperature (EST) of 35.6, 36.7, 37.8, and 38.9°C applied from d of incubation (E) 15, E17, and E19 on hatching pattern and embryonic organ development. A total of 2,850 first-grade eggs of a 43-week-old Ross 308 broiler breeder flock were incubated at an

  16. Evaluation of innovation processes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jakub Tabas

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available In present, innovations are spoken as an engine of the world economy because the innovations are transforming not only business entities but the whole industries. The innovations have become a necessity for business entities in order to survive on floating challenging markets. This way, innovations are driving force of companies’ performance. The problem which arises here is a question of measurement innovation’s effect on the financial performance of company or selection between two or more possible variants of innovation’s realization. Various authors which are focused on innovations processes are divided into two groups in their attitudes towards the question of influence of innovations on financial performance of companies. One group of the authors present the idea that any reliable measurement is not possible or efficient. The second group of authors present some methods theoretically applicable on this measurement but they base their approaches mostly on the methods of measurement of investments effectiveness or they suggest employment of indicators or ratios which wouldn’t be clearly connected with the outcome of innovation process. The aim of submitted article is to compare different approaches to evaluation of the innovation processes. The authors compare various approaches here and by use of analysis and synthesis, they determine their own method how to measure outcome of innovation process.

  17. Study on process evaluation model of students' learning in practical course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Jie; Liang, Pei; Shen, Wei-min; Ye, Youxiang

    2017-08-01

    In practical course teaching based on project object method, the traditional evaluation methods include class attendance, assignments and exams fails to give incentives to undergraduate students to learn innovatively and autonomously. In this paper, the element such as creative innovation, teamwork, document and reporting were put into process evaluation methods, and a process evaluation model was set up. Educational practice shows that the evaluation model makes process evaluation of students' learning more comprehensive, accurate, and fairly.

  18. Ammonium accumulation in commercially available embryo culture media and protein supplements during storage at 2-8°C and during incubation at 37°C.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kleijkers, Sander H M; van Montfoort, Aafke P A; Bekers, Otto; Coonen, Edith; Derhaag, Josien G; Evers, Johannes L H; Dumoulin, John C M

    2016-06-01

    components into ammonium is more pronounced during incubation at 37°C, however, it is not negligible during storage at 2-8°C. This results in increasing ammonium levels in culture media over time that may affect embryo development. Therefore, it is important that the use of free l-glutamine in human embryo culture media is stopped and that the use of protein supplements is thoroughly evaluated. No funding or no competing interests declared. Not applicable. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  19. Seismic re-evaluation process in Medzamor-2 NPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zadoyan, P.

    2000-01-01

    Seismic re-evaluation process for Medzamor-2 NPP describes the following topics: program implementation status; re-evaluation program structure; regulatory procedure and review plan; current tasks and practice; and regulatory assessment and research programs

  20. Fibrinolytic Activity and Dose-Dependent Effect of Incubating Human Blood Clots in Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester: In Vitro Assays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abuzar Elnager

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE has been reported to possess time-dependent fibrinolytic activity by in vitro assay. This study is aimed at investigating fibrinolytic dose-dependent activity of CAPE using in vitro assays. Methods. Standardized human whole blood (WB clots were incubated in either blank controls or different concentrations of CAPE (3.75, 7.50, 15.00, 22.50, and 30.00 mM. After 3 hours, D-dimer (DD levels and WB clot weights were measured for each concentration. Thromboelastography (TEG parameters were recorded following CAPE incubation, and fibrin morphology was examined under a confocal microscope. Results. Overall, mean DD (μg/mL levels were significantly different across samples incubated with different CAPE concentrations, and the median pre- and postincubation WB clot weights (grams were significantly decreased for each CAPE concentration. Fibrin removal was observed microscopically and indicated dose-dependent effects. Based on the TEG test, the Ly30 fibrinolytic parameter was significantly different between samples incubated with two different CAPE concentrations (15.0 and 22.50 mM. The 50% effective dose (ED50 of CAPE (based on DD was 1.99 mg/mL. Conclusions. This study suggests that CAPE possesses fibrinolytic activity following in vitro incubation and that it has dose-dependent activities. Therefore, further investigation into CAPE as a potential alternative thrombolytic agent should be conducted.

  1. Background ELF magnetic fields in incubators: a factor of importance in cell culture work.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mild, Kjell Hansson; Wilén, Jonna; Mattsson, Mats-Olof; Simko, Myrtill

    2009-07-01

    Extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields in cell culture incubators have been measured. Values of the order of tens of muT were found which is in sharp contrast to the values found in our normal environment (0.05-0.1microT). There are numerous examples of biological effects found after exposure to MF at these levels, such as changes in gene expression, blocked cell differentiation, inhibition of the effect of tamoxifen, effects on chick embryo development, etc. We therefore recommend that people working with cell culture incubators check for the background magnetic field and take this into account in performing their experiments, since this could be an unrecognised factor of importance contributing to the variability in the results from work with cell cultures.

  2. The Context, Process, and Outcome Evaluation Model for Organisational Health Interventions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fridrich, Annemarie; Jenny, Gregor J.; Bauer, Georg F.

    2015-01-01

    To facilitate evaluation of complex, organisational health interventions (OHIs), this paper aims at developing a context, process, and outcome (CPO) evaluation model. It builds on previous model developments in the field and advances them by clearly defining and relating generic evaluation categories for OHIs. Context is defined as the underlying frame that influences and is influenced by an OHI. It is further differentiated into the omnibus and discrete contexts. Process is differentiated into the implementation process, as the time-limited enactment of the original intervention plan, and the change process of individual and collective dynamics triggered by the implementation process. These processes lead to proximate, intermediate, and distal outcomes, as all results of the change process that are meaningful for various stakeholders. Research questions that might guide the evaluation of an OHI according to the CPO categories and a list of concrete themes/indicators and methods/sources applied within the evaluation of an OHI project at a hospital in Switzerland illustrate the model's applicability in structuring evaluations of complex OHIs. In conclusion, the model supplies a common language and a shared mental model for improving communication between researchers and company members and will improve the comparability and aggregation of evaluation study results. PMID:26557665

  3. The Context, Process, and Outcome Evaluation Model for Organisational Health Interventions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fridrich, Annemarie; Jenny, Gregor J; Bauer, Georg F

    2015-01-01

    To facilitate evaluation of complex, organisational health interventions (OHIs), this paper aims at developing a context, process, and outcome (CPO) evaluation model. It builds on previous model developments in the field and advances them by clearly defining and relating generic evaluation categories for OHIs. Context is defined as the underlying frame that influences and is influenced by an OHI. It is further differentiated into the omnibus and discrete contexts. Process is differentiated into the implementation process, as the time-limited enactment of the original intervention plan, and the change process of individual and collective dynamics triggered by the implementation process. These processes lead to proximate, intermediate, and distal outcomes, as all results of the change process that are meaningful for various stakeholders. Research questions that might guide the evaluation of an OHI according to the CPO categories and a list of concrete themes/indicators and methods/sources applied within the evaluation of an OHI project at a hospital in Switzerland illustrate the model's applicability in structuring evaluations of complex OHIs. In conclusion, the model supplies a common language and a shared mental model for improving communication between researchers and company members and will improve the comparability and aggregation of evaluation study results.

  4. Communal nesting under climate change: fitness consequences of higher incubation temperatures for a nocturnal lizard.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dayananda, Buddhi; Gray, Sarah; Pike, David; Webb, Jonathan K

    2016-07-01

    Communal nesting lizards may be vulnerable to climate warming, particularly if air temperatures regulate nest temperatures. In southeastern Australia, velvet geckos Oedura lesueurii lay eggs communally inside rock crevices. We investigated whether increases in air temperatures could elevate nest temperatures, and if so, how this could influence hatching phenotypes, survival, and population dynamics. In natural nests, maximum daily air temperature influenced mean and maximum daily nest temperatures, implying that nest temperatures will increase under climate warming. To determine whether hotter nests influence hatchling phenotypes, we incubated eggs under two fluctuating temperature regimes to mimic current 'cold' nests (mean = 23.2 °C, range 10-33 °C) and future 'hot' nests (27.0 °C, 14-37 °C). 'Hot' incubation temperatures produced smaller hatchlings than did cold temperature incubation. We released individually marked hatchlings into the wild in 2014 and 2015, and monitored their survival over 10 months. In 2014 and 2015, hot-incubated hatchlings had higher annual mortality (99%, 97%) than cold-incubated (11%, 58%) or wild-born hatchlings (78%, 22%). To determine future trajectories of velvet gecko populations under climate warming, we ran population viability analyses in Vortex and varied annual rates of hatchling mortality within the range 78- 96%. Hatchling mortality strongly influenced the probability of extinction and the mean time to extinction. When hatchling mortality was >86%, populations had a higher probability of extinction (PE: range 0.52- 1.0) with mean times to extinction of 18-44 years. Whether future changes in hatchling survival translate into reduced population viability will depend on the ability of females to modify their nest-site choices. Over the period 1992-2015, females used the same communal nests annually, suggesting that there may be little plasticity in maternal nest-site selection. The impacts of climate change may

  5. Student evaluations of the portfolio process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, John E; Airey, Tatum C; Bisso, Andrea M; Slack, Marion K

    2011-09-10

    To evaluate pharmacy students' perceived benefits of the portfolio process and to gather suggestions for improving the process. A questionnaire was designed and administered to 250 first-, second-, and third-year pharmacy students at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy. Although the objectives of the portfolio process were for students to understand the expected outcomes, understand the impact of extracurricular activities on attaining competencies, identify what should be learned, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and modify their approach to learning, overall students perceived the portfolio process as having less than moderate benefit. First-year students wanted more examples of portfolios while second- and third-year students suggested that more time with their advisor would be beneficial. The portfolio process will continue to be refined and efforts made to improve students' perceptions of the process as it is intended to develop the self-assessments skills they will need to improve their knowledge and professional skills throughout their pharmacy careers.

  6. NETWORK RELATIONSHIPS IN SMALL INCUBATED TECHNOLOGY-BASED (ITBS FIRMS: A STUDY OF ITS IMPORTANCE TO ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN THE PERCEPTION OF ENTREPRENEURS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alessandra Vasconcelos Gallon

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this article is to describe the network of relationships and identify the importance of these relationships to the organizational performance of small ITBs incubated in the perception of entrepreneurs. Therefore, the research was exploratory, with qualitative method in the first part and descriptive, using a quantitative method in the continuation. Data were collected through a script with open questions and two structured questionnaires. The manager of the incubator and entrepreneurs from 14 residents were ITBs social subjects respondents. Component analysis of the relationship network of ITBs was to: (i examine the characteristics of the network of relationships of ITBs incubated by a statement of means-ends relationships, related by links of influence, and (ii note that there are line between efforts to meet the goals set by both ITBs incubated, as the incubator, and the importance of achieving these objectives for the improvement of organizational performance of ITBs.

  7. NETWORK RELATIONSHIPS IN SMALL INCUBATED TECHNOLOGY-BASED (ITBS FIRMS: A STUDY OF ITS IMPORTANCE TO ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN THE PERCEPTION OF ENTREPRENEURS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alessandra Vasconcelos Gallon

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this article is to describe the network of relationships and identify the importance of these relationships to the organizational performance of small ITBs incubated in the perception of entrepreneurs. Therefore, the research was exploratory, with qualitative method in the first part and descriptive, using a quantitative method in the continuation. Data were collected through a script with open questions and two structured questionnaires. The manager of the incubator and entrepreneurs from 14 residents were ITBs social subjects respondents. Component analysis of the relationship network of ITBs was to: (i examine the characteristics of the network of relationships of ITBs incubated by a statement of means-ends relationships,related by links of influence, and (ii note that there are line between efforts to meet the goals set by both ITBs incubated, as the incubator, and the importance of achieving these objectives for the improvement of organizational performance of ITBs.

  8. Differential investment and costs during avian incubation determined by individual quality: an experimental study of the common eider (Somateria mollissima).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanssen, Sveinn Are; Erikstad, Kjell Einar; Johnsen, Vigdis; Bustnes, Jan Ove

    2003-03-07

    Individuals of different quality may have different investment strategies, shaping responses to experimental manipulations, thereby rendering the detection of such patterns difficult. However, previous clutch-size manipulation studies have infrequently incorporated individual differences in quality. To examine costs of incubation and reproductive investment in relation to changes in clutch size, we enlarged and reduced natural clutch sizes of four and five eggs by one egg early in the incubation period in female common eiders (Somateria mollissima), a sea duck with an anorectic incubation period. Females that had produced four eggs (lower quality) responded to clutch reductions by deserting the nest more frequently but did not increase incubation effort in response to clutch enlargement, at the cost of reduced hatch success of eggs. Among birds with an original clutch size of five (higher quality), reducing and enlarging clutch size reduced and increased relative body mass loss respectively without affecting hatch success. In common eiders many females abandon their own ducklings to the care of other females. Enlarging five-egg clutches led to increased brood care rate despite the higher effort spent incubating these clutches, indicating that the higher fitness value of a large brood is increasing adult brood investment. This study shows that the ability to respond to clutch-size manipulations depends on original clutch size, reflecting differences in female quality. Females of low quality were reluctant to increase investment at the cost of lower hatch success, whereas females of higher quality apparently have a larger capacity both to increase incubation effort and brood care investment.

  9. [Survey on the medical mycology processes to the members of the French Society for Medical Mycology].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kauffmann-Lacroix, C; Albouy-Llaty, M; Migeot, V; Contet-Audonneau, N

    2011-09-01

    The objective of the survey was to describe the practices of clinical laboratories in terms of cultures in medical mycology. We have implemented this project within the members of the French Society for Medical Mycology (SFMM) to evaluate the analytical processes of the mycological examination in our laboratories. This preliminary study would help to suggest the future French guidelines. A questionnaire regarding the processing of mycology analysis was sent to the 227 members of the SFMM in 2009. The data involved 21 types of samples, direct microscopic examination with or without colouring and the reagents, the number of culture media, the types of media (Sabouraud, Sabouraud antibiotic, Sabouraud cycloheximide and chromogenic medium), temperature and duration of the incubation (days) and the existence of a first result before the end of the incubation period. The analytical processes were compared to an accredited laboratory according to EN ISO 15189. A great heterogeneity was observed in the 36 forms from 27 (75%) laboratories belonging to university hospitals among the 38 existing in France. As for deep samples, two microscopic exams were performed, only one was usually done. A more sensitive technique was preferred to the wet-mount for some samples. Routine samples are often inoculated on a chromogenic media. For deep samples two medium are inoculated (chromogenic media, Sabouraud and antibiotics). If the temperature of incubation is unique, 30°C was chosen. A temperature of 37°C was preferred for samples where Candida spp. is selected. When there are two temperatures of incubation, 27°C and 37°C were preferred. Each biologist can compare his proceedings to the other laboratories and to a laboratory already accredited. The question is to find the best strategies for each medical mycology specimen. They will aid the process of accreditation according to EN ISO 15189, which now applies in all laboratories in Europe. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS

  10. Process variables in organizational stress management intervention evaluation research: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Havermans, Bo M; Schlevis, Roosmarijn Mc; Boot, Cécile Rl; Brouwers, Evelien Pm; Anema, Johannes; van der Beek, Allard J

    2016-09-01

    This systematic review aimed to explore which process variables are used in stress management intervention (SMI) evaluation research. A systematic review was conducted using seven electronic databases. Studies were included if they reported on an SMI aimed at primary or secondary stress prevention, were directed at paid employees, and reported process data. Two independent researchers checked all records and selected the articles for inclusion. Nielsen and Randall's model for process evaluation was used to cluster the process variables. The three main clusters were context, intervention, and mental models. In the 44 articles included, 47 process variables were found, clustered into three main categories: context (two variables), intervention (31 variables), and mental models (14 variables). Half of the articles contained no reference to process evaluation literature. The collection of process evaluation data mostly took place after the intervention and at the level of the employee. The findings suggest that there is great heterogeneity in methods and process variables used in process evaluations of SMI. This, together with the lack of use of a standardized framework for evaluation, hinders the advancement of process evaluation theory development.

  11. The Effect of Rice Fermented (Tape Ketan Hitam Liquid Fraction Concentrations and Incubation Times on pH, Viscosity and Organoleptic Quality of Goat Milk

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Naili Iqrimah

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed to determine of interaction and the best of percentage rice fermented liquid fraction addition and incubation times on pH, viscosity and organoleptic quality. The experimental method was designed by factorial Completely Randomized Design (CRD which three times replicated. The treatment consists of rice fermented liquid fraction concentrations by 5 %, 15 %, 25 % and 35 % (v/v  and incubation times by 0 (without incubation , 8,16 and 24 hours. The results showed that the different concentration of rice fermented liquid fraction showed a significantly different effect on pH, viscosity, colour, smell, taste and textur, while  in incubation times gave a significantly different effect on pH, viscosity, smell, taste and textur but not give a significant effect on colour. The best combination obtained from addition of rice fermented liquid fraction 25 % and 24 hours of incubation times. Key words: goat milk, rice fermented liquid fraction, incubation times

  12. 'Healthy Eating and Lifestyle in Pregnancy (HELP)' trial: Process evaluation framework.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simpson, Sharon A; Cassidy, Dunla; John, Elinor

    2014-07-01

    We developed and tested in a cluster RCT a theory-driven group-based intervention for obese pregnant women. It was designed to support women to moderate weight gain during pregnancy and reduce BMI one year after birth, in addition to targeting secondary health and wellbeing outcomes. In line with MRC guidance on developing and evaluating complex interventions in health, we conducted a process evaluation alongside the trial. This paper describes the development of the process evaluation framework. This cluster RCT recruited 598 pregnant women. Women in the intervention group were invited to attend a weekly weight-management group. Following a review of relevant literature, we developed a process evaluation framework which outlined key process indicators that we wanted to address and how we would measure these. Central to the process evaluation was to understand the mechanism of effect of the intervention. We utilised a logic-modelling approach to describe the intervention which helped us focus on what potential mediators of intervention effect to measure, and how. The resulting process evaluation framework was designed to address 9 core elements; context, reach, exposure, recruitment, fidelity, recruitment, retention, contamination and theory-testing. These were assessed using a variety of qualitative and quantitative approaches. The logic model explained the processes by which intervention components bring about change in target outcomes through various mediators and theoretical pathways including self-efficacy, social support, self-regulation and motivation. Process evaluation is a key element in assessing the effect of any RCT. We developed a process evaluation framework and logic model, and the results of analyses using these will offer insights into why the intervention is or is not effective. Copyright © 2014.

  13. Industrial yogurt manufacture: monitoring of fermentation process and improvement of final product quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soukoulis, C; Panagiotidis, P; Koureli, R; Tzia, C

    2007-06-01

    Lactic acid fermentation during the production of skim milk and whole fat set-style yogurt was continuously monitored by measuring pH. The modified Gompertz model was successfully applied to describe the pH decline and viscosity development during the fermentation process. The viscosity and incubation time data were also fitted to linear models against ln(pH). The investigation of the yogurt quality improvement practices included 2 different heat treatments (80 degrees C for 30 min and 95 degrees C for 10 min), 3 milk protein fortifying agents (skim milk powder, whey powder, and milk protein concentrate) added at 2.0%, and 4 hydrocolloids (kappa-carrageenan, xanthan, guar gum, and pectin) added at 0.01% to whole fat and skim yogurts. Heat treatment significantly affected viscosity and acetaldehyde development without influencing incubation time and acidity. The addition of whey powder shortened the incubation time but had a detrimental effect on consistency, firmness, and overall acceptance of yogurts. On the other hand, addition of skim milk powder improved the textural quality and decreased the vulnerability of yogurts to syneresis. Anionic stabilizers (kappa-carrageenan and pectin) had a poor effect on the texture and palatability of yogurts. However, neutral gums (xanthan and guar gum) improved texture and prevented the wheying-off defect. Skim milk yogurts exhibited longer incubation times and higher viscosities, whereas they were rated higher during sensory evaluation than whole fat yogurts.

  14. Adopting Disruptive Technologies in Traditional Universities: Continuing Education as an Incubator for Innovation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Archer, Walter; Anderson, Terry; Garrison, Randy

    1999-01-01

    Traditional universities are feeling the impact of "disruptive technologies" such as distance education. Seeing how businesses have responded to such disruptions, universities should "incubate" innovations in a semiautonomous unit such as continuing education, which can address new markets with low margins. (SK)

  15. Evaluating Students' Beliefs in Problem Solving Process: A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozturk, Tugba; Guven, Bulent

    2016-01-01

    Problem solving is not simply a process that ends when an answer is found; it is a scientific process that evolves from understanding the problem to evaluating the solution. This process is affected by several factors. Among these, one of the most substantial is belief. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the beliefs of high school students…

  16. Process evaluations for uranium recovery from scrap material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Westphal, B.R.; Benedict, R.W.

    1992-01-01

    The integral Fast Reactor (IFR) concept being developed by Argonne National Laboratory is based on pyrometallurgical processing of spent nuclear metallic fuel with subsequent fabrication into new reactor fuel by an injection casting sequence. During fabrication, a dilute scrap stream containing uranium alloy fines and broken quartz (Vycor) molds in produced. Waste characterization of this stream, developed by using present operating data and chemical analysis was used to evaluate different uranium recovery methods and possible process variations for the return of the recovered metal. Two methods, comminution with size separation and electrostatic separation, have been tested and can recover over 95% of the metal. Recycling the metal to either the electrochemical process or the injection casting was evaluated for the different economic and process impacts. The physical waste parameters and the important separation process variables are discussed with their effects on the viability of recycling the material. In this paper criteria used to establish the acceptable operating limits is discussed

  17. Identifying important parameters for a continuous bioscouring process

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lenting, H.B.M.; Lenting, H.B.M.; Zwier, E.; Nierstrasz, Vincent

    2002-01-01

    Compared to a bioscouring process in the batch mode, a continuously operating process requires relatively short processing steps. This study focusses on minimizing the required enzymatic incubation time. It is clear that the presence of a sufficient level of surfactant is of major importance in

  18. An evaluation approach for alarm processing improvement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jung-Taek; Lee, Dong-Young; Hwang, In-Koo; Park, Jae-Chang

    1997-01-01

    In light of the need to improve MMIS of NPPs, the advanced I and C research team of KAERI has embarked on developing an Alarm and Diagnosis-Integrated Operator Support System, called ADIOS, to filter or suppress unnecessary or nuisance alarms and diagnose abnormality of the plant process. ADIOS has been built in an object-oriented AI environment of G-2 expert system software tool, as presented in a companion paper. ADIOS then is evaluated according to the plan in three steps; (1) preliminary tests to refine the knowledge base and inference structure of ADIOS in such a dynamic environment, and also to evaluate the appropriateness of alarm-processing algorithms; (2) to ensure correctness, consistency, and completeness in the knowledge base using COKEP (Checker Of Knowledge base using Extended Petri net); and (3) the cognitive performance evaluation using the Simulation Analyzer with a Cognitive Operator Model (SACOM) in the KAERI's Integrated Test Facility (ITF). (author). 5 figs, 1 tab

  19. Chemical-cleaning process evaluation: Westinghouse steam generators. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cleary, W.F.; Gockley, G.B.

    1983-04-01

    The Steam Generator Owners Group (SGOG)/Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Steam Generator Secondary Side Chemical Cleaning Program, under develpment since 1978, has resulted in a generic process for the removal of accumulated corrosion products and tube deposits in the tube support plate crevices. The SGOG/EPRI Project S150-3 was established to obtain an evaluation of the generic process in regard to its applicability to Westinghouse steam generators. The results of the evaluation form the basis for recommendations for transferring the generic process to a plant specific application and identify chemical cleaning corrosion guidelines for the materials in Westinghouse Steam Generators. The results of the evaluation, recommendations for plant-specific applications and corrosion guidelines for chemical cleaning are presented in this report

  20. Evaluation of the Effects of Incubation Temperature and Ph On the Susceptibility of Candida Albicans Isolates to Ketoconazole Invitro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F Katiraee

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Candidiasis, as an opportunistic infection, is caused by the Candida species. Although Candida albicans is classified in the body as an endogenic flora, it plays an important role in creating Candida related diseases. Candida vulvovaginitis in pregnant women, diabetes mellitus patients and those using multiple antibiotics and contraceptive drugs demonstrates the high resistance of the organism against conventional medication. On the other hand, recurrent vaginitis disintegrates the long-term process of treatment in majority of the patients. The present research was done with the aim of determining the optimum conditions for susceptibility testing before retreatment of patients. Methods: 10 isolates of Candida albicans obtained from 31 suspected patients suffering from recurrent Candida vaginitis were incubated with ketoconazole at two pH of 7.2 and 5.5 and two temperatures of 35ºC and 27ºC. The Microdilution broth test technique was used. The RPMI 1640 medium within the 96 well microplates with range of 12 tests was used to determine the MIC50 , MIC90 and MFC of the drug. Results: The obtained MIC50, MIC90 and MFC for ketoconazole at these conditions (T=35ºC and pH=7.2 were 0.25 to 1 µg/ml, 1 to 4 µg/ml and 64 to ≥ 512 µg/ml respectively, while these values at 27ºC, pH 5.5 were 1 to 8 µg/ml, 8 to 64 µg/ml and 512 to ≥ 512 µg/ml, at 35ºC and pH 5.5 the values were 1 to 8 µg/ml, 4 to 32 µg/ml, 256 to ≥ 512 µg/ml, while at 27ºC and pH 7.2 the values were 1 to 2 µg/ml, 8 to 32 µg/ml, 128 to ≥ 512 µg/ml, respectively. Conclusion: The obtained results confirmed that conditions with temperature of 35ºC and pH 7.2 resulted in better treatment outcomes than other conditions.

  1. Incubation as a form of psychotherapy in the care of patients in ancient and modern Greece.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papageorgiou, M G

    1975-01-01

    Incubation or temple sleep in sanctuaries of Aesculapius, Amphiaraos, Trophonios, etc., for the care of patients was practised even in the older times of ancient Greece and may be viewed as a form of psychotherapy and especially as 'dream-psychotherapy'. In Greek antiquity, as it is known, dreams were considered as a way of communication between gods and men. Survival of the custom of incubation exists even in our times in modern Greece, but are disappearing slowly. An attempt is made to find an explanation, if any, of those miraculous cures in accordance with the scientific thought of today.

  2. Optimization of cell adhesion on mg based implant materials by pre-incubation under cell culture conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willumeit, Regine; Möhring, Anneke; Feyerabend, Frank

    2014-05-05

    Magnesium based implants could revolutionize applications where orthopedic implants such as nails, screws or bone plates are used because they are load bearing and degrade over time. This prevents a second surgery to remove conventional implants. To improve the biocompatibility we studied here if and for how long a pre-incubation of the material under cell culture conditions is favorable for cell attachment and proliferation. For two materials, Mg and Mg10Gd1Nd, we could show that 6 h pre-incubation are already enough to form a natural protective layer suitable for cell culture.

  3. Optimization of Cell Adhesion on Mg Based Implant Materials by Pre-Incubation under Cell Culture Conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Regine Willumeit

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Magnesium based implants could revolutionize applications where orthopedic implants such as nails, screws or bone plates are used because they are load bearing and degrade over time. This prevents a second surgery to remove conventional implants. To improve the biocompatibility we studied here if and for how long a pre-incubation of the material under cell culture conditions is favorable for cell attachment and proliferation. For two materials, Mg and Mg10Gd1Nd, we could show that 6 h pre-incubation are already enough to form a natural protective layer suitable for cell culture.

  4. Effect of irradiation ad incubation of palm oil empty fruit bunch medium on the Growth of rice mushroom (volvariella volvaceae)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Darmawi; Suwadji, E.

    1998-01-01

    Study on the effect of irradiation and time incubation of composted palm oil empty fruit bunch (EFB) were conducted in growth chamber in the plastic bag as growth medium. Treatments were consisted of sterilization of composted EFB growth medium by autoclave heating were conducted at 2.0 kg/cm 2 for 40 minutes and gamma irradiation at the dose of 0, 15, 30, and 45kGy. After sterilization, EFB medium were inoculated using mushroom seed of V. volvaceae. The time of incubation of EFB medium after inoculation was 2 and 4 weeks before mushroom harvesting. Growth chamber was maintained at 28-35 0 C room temperature and humidity > 80%. Parameters of the experiment were determined on mushroom analysis i.e. fat, protein, and content and weight of mushroom. analysis od EFB medium after incubation were determined i.e. total fiber and percentage of rendement. Results of the experiment showed that dose of 45 kGy effected on mushroom fat content 0.52% which was decreasing regards to the delay of incubation period. Irradiation treatment did not effect EFB fat content compared to non irradiated EFB (0.82%). Irradiation treatment and one.variety produced number of plaincreasing on mushroom protein content. Mushroom starch content was obtained on the dose of 15 kGy and 4 weeks of incubation period 3.09 and 3.13% respectively. The dose of 45 kGy and autoclave heating were decreasing total fiber of EFB medium 29.29 and 28.02% respectively. The dose of 45 kGy on EFB medium with 2 weeks of incubation period produced weight of mushroom 30.92 and 27.73 g/bag respectively. (author)

  5. Relationships among gas production, end products of rumen fermentation and microbial N produced in vitro at two incubation times

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cattani, Mirko; Maccarana, Laura; Hansen, Hanne Helene

    2013-01-01

    at 48 h. At t½, the valerate content in rumen fl uid was negligible. However, relatively large amounts of valerate were measured after 48 h, probably the result of microbial lysis. Results suggest that relationships among end-products of rumen fermentation can be more accurately evaluated at a substrate...... for ammonia N (N-NH3), volatile fatty acids (VFA), residual NDF and N bound to residual NDF (N-NDF). Values of GP were also predicted from VFA. Microbial N (MN) was computed as the difference between N present at the beginning and at the end of incubation. At 48 h, the relationship between GP measured...

  6. A simplified and cost-effective enrichment protocol for the isolation of Campylobacter spp. from retail broiler meat without microaerobic incubation

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Zhou, Ping

    2011-08-03

    Abstract Background To simplify the methodology for the isolation of Campylobacter spp. from retail broiler meat, we evaluated 108 samples (breasts and thighs) using an unpaired sample design. The enrichment broths were incubated under aerobic conditions (subsamples A) and for comparison under microaerobic conditions (subsamples M) as recommended by current reference protocols. Sensors were used to measure the dissolved oxygen (DO) in the broth and the percentage of oxygen (O2) in the head space of the bags used for enrichment. Campylobacter isolates were identified with multiplex PCR assays and typed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Ribosomal intergenic spacer analyses (RISA) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) were used to study the bacterial communities of subsamples M and A after 48 h enrichment. Results The number of Campylobacter positive subsamples were similar for A and M when all samples were combined (P = 0.81) and when samples were analyzed by product (breast: P = 0.75; thigh: P = 1.00). Oxygen sensors showed that DO values in the broth were around 6 ppm and O2 values in the head space were 14-16% throughout incubation. PFGE demonstrated high genomic similarity of isolates in the majority of the samples in which isolates were obtained from subsamples A and M. RISA and DGGE results showed a large variability in the bacterial populations that could be attributed to sample-to-sample variations and not enrichment conditions (aerobic or microaerobic). These data also suggested that current sampling protocols are not optimized to determine the true number of Campylobacter positive samples in retail boiler meat. Conclusions Decreased DO in enrichment broths is naturally achieved. This simplified, cost-effective enrichment protocol with aerobic incubation could be incorporated into reference methods for the isolation of Campylobacter spp. from retail broiler meat.

  7. Drivers of soil organic matter vulnerability to climate change. Part I: Laboratory incubations of Swiss forest soils and radiocarbon analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    González Domínguez, Beatriz; Studer, Mirjam S.; Niklaus, Pascal A.; Haghipour, Negar; McIntyre, Cameron; Wacker, Lukas; Zimmermann, Stephan; Walthert, Lorenz; Hagedorn, Frank; Abiven, Samuel

    2016-04-01

    Given the key role of soil organic carbon (SOC) on climate and greenhouse gas regulation, there is an increasing need to incorporate the carbon (C) feedback between SOC and the atmosphere into earth system models. The evaluation of these models points towards uncertainties on the response of CO2-C fluxes, derived from the decomposition of SOC, to the influence of controls/drivers. SOC vulnerability refers to the likelihood of losing previously stabilized soil organic matter, by the effect of environmental factors. The objective of this study is to produce a SOC vulnerability ranking of soils and to provide new insights into the influence of environmental and soil properties controls. Research on SOC vulnerability tends to focus on climatic controls and neglect the effect of other factors, such as soil geochemistry and mineralogy, on C stabilization/de-stabilization processes. In this work, we hypothesized that climate (mean annual temperature and soil moisture status proxy at the research sites in the period 1981-2010), soil (pH and % clay) and terrain (slope gradient and orientation) characteristics are the main controls of the CO2-C fluxes from SOC. Following a statistics-based approach, we selected 54 forest sites across Switzerland, which cover a broad spectrum of values for the hypothesized controls. Then, we selected the study sites so that the controls are orthogonal to each other; thus, their effect was not confounded. At each site, we collected three non-overlapping topsoil (i.e. 20 cm) composites within 40 x 40 m2 plots. In the laboratory, we sieved fresh soils at 2 mm and run a 2-weeks pre-incubation, before beginning a 6-months aerobic soil incubation under controlled conditions of moisture and temperature. Periodically, we collected NaOH (1M) traps containing the CO2-C derived from microbial heterotrophic respiration. We calculated the cumulative CO2-C respired and the one-pool SOC decomposition rates from the 54 forest sites, and linked these data to

  8. The effect of holding in parent's arms on vital sign of low birth weight infants in incubator

    OpenAIRE

    東, 智恵; 鎌倉, 加奈子; 藤光, 陽理; 中野, 美紀; 村橋, 美也子; 井本, 清美

    1999-01-01

    It is said that carrying a baby is a natural behavior to parents and is effective for making up attachment and increasing self-knowledge as a parent. A baby in our NICU will be started on cot nursing(transfer to cot from incubator) under some standards for weight, post-conceptional age, incubator temperature and calorie intake etc., and then parents will have a time to carry their baby freely. Generally speaking, a baby born at low gestational age and as low birthweight will take many days to...

  9. A qualidade percebida nos serviços de incubação de empresas La calidad percebida en servicios de incubación de empresas Perceived quality in services business incubation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raquel Engelman

    2011-12-01

    the specific needs of each firm are not fully known. With reference to Gap 2 (not defining the service standards correctly, it was concluded that some services and processes need to be adapt to the firms' demands. Regarding to the Gap 3 (not performing the services within the standards established, there are differences between the perceptions of the Incubator and incubated firms on the performance of the services actually provided. In Gap 4 (not fulfilling what was promised, it was found that the communication from the incubator on the services to be provided, since the selection process to the end of incubation period, is consistent with the services actually rendered. The SERVQUAL Model proved useful in evaluating the services provided by the Incubator.

  10. Incubation under Climate Warming Affects Behavioral Lateralisation in Port Jackson Sharks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Catarina Vila Pouca

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Climate change is warming the world’s oceans at an unprecedented rate. Under predicted end-of-century temperatures, many teleosts show impaired development and altered critical behaviors, including behavioral lateralisation. Since laterality is an expression of brain functional asymmetries, changes in the strength and direction of lateralisation suggest that rapid climate warming might impact brain development and function. However, despite the implications for cognitive functions, the potential effects of elevated temperature in lateralisation of elasmobranch fishes are unknown. We incubated and reared Port Jackson sharks at current and projected end-of-century temperatures and measured preferential detour responses to left or right. Sharks incubated at elevated temperature showed stronger absolute laterality and were significantly biased towards the right relative to sharks reared at current temperature. We propose that animals reared under elevated temperatures might have more strongly lateralized brains to cope with deleterious effects of climate change on brain development and growth. However, far more research in elasmobranch lateralisation is needed before the significance of these results can be fully comprehended. This study provides further evidence that elasmobranchs are susceptible to the effects of future ocean warming, though behavioral mechanisms might allow animals to compensate for some of the challenges imposed by climate change.

  11. An Automated, Image Processing System for Concrete Evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baumgart, C.W.; Cave, S.P.; Linder, K.E.

    1998-01-01

    Allied Signal Federal Manufacturing ampersand Technologies (FM ampersand T) was asked to perform a proof-of-concept study for the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department (MHTD), Research Division, in June 1997. The goal of this proof-of-concept study was to ascertain if automated scanning and imaging techniques might be applied effectively to the problem of concrete evaluation. In the current evaluation process, a concrete sample core is manually scanned under a microscope. Voids (or air spaces) within the concrete are then detected visually by a human operator by incrementing the sample under the cross-hairs of a microscope and by counting the number of ''pixels'' which fall within a void. Automation of the scanning and image analysis processes is desired to improve the speed of the scanning process, to improve evaluation consistency, and to reduce operator fatigue. An initial, proof-of-concept image analysis approach was successfully developed and demonstrated using acquired black and white imagery of concrete samples. In this paper, the automated scanning and image capture system currently under development will be described and the image processing approach developed for the proof-of-concept study will be demonstrated. A development update and plans for future enhancements are also presented

  12. Metabolic rate of nocturnal incubation in female great tits, Parus major, in relation to clutch size measured in a natural environment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Heij, Maaike E.; van der Graaf, Alexandra J.; Hafner, Dennis; Tinbergen, Joost M.

    2007-01-01

    To study the energetic costs of incubation in relation to clutch size, clutch sizes were manipulated and the metabolic rate of female great tits, Parus major (Linnaeus), during nocturnal incubation (MRinc) was measured using mobile oxygen analysers. Individuals were measured on consecutive nights

  13. Effect of comfort pads and incubator design on neonatal radiography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiang, Xia; Baad, Michael; Reiser, Ingrid; Feinstein, Kate A.; Lu, Zhengfeng [University of Chicago Medicine, Department of Radiology, Chicago, IL (United States)

    2016-01-15

    There has been increasing interest in patient dose reduction in neonatal intensive care units. Removing comfort pads for radiography has been identified as a potential means to decrease patient dose. To assess the effect of comfort pads and support trays on detector entrance exposure (DEE) and image quality for neonatal radiography, and its implication for patient dose. Comfort pads and support trays from three incubator and warmer systems were examined. The attenuation of the primary beam by these structures was measured using a narrow beam geometry. Their effect on DEE and image quality was then assessed using typical neonatal chest radiography techniques with three configurations: (1) both the comfort pad and support included in the beam, (2) only the support tray included and (3) both the comfort pad and support tray removed. Comfort pads and support trays were found to attenuate the primary beam by 6-15%. Eliminating these structures from the X-ray beam's path was found to increase the detector entrance exposure by 28-36% and increase contrast-to-noise ratio by more than 21%, suggesting room for patient dose reduction when the same image quality is maintained. Comfort pads and tray support devices can have a considerable effect on DEE and image quality, with large variations among different incubator designs. Positioning the image detector directly underneath neonatal patients for radiography is a potential means for patient dose reduction. However, such benefit should be weighed against the risks of moving the patient. (orig.)

  14. Effect of comfort pads and incubator design on neonatal radiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang, Xia; Baad, Michael; Reiser, Ingrid; Feinstein, Kate A.; Lu, Zhengfeng

    2016-01-01

    There has been increasing interest in patient dose reduction in neonatal intensive care units. Removing comfort pads for radiography has been identified as a potential means to decrease patient dose. To assess the effect of comfort pads and support trays on detector entrance exposure (DEE) and image quality for neonatal radiography, and its implication for patient dose. Comfort pads and support trays from three incubator and warmer systems were examined. The attenuation of the primary beam by these structures was measured using a narrow beam geometry. Their effect on DEE and image quality was then assessed using typical neonatal chest radiography techniques with three configurations: (1) both the comfort pad and support included in the beam, (2) only the support tray included and (3) both the comfort pad and support tray removed. Comfort pads and support trays were found to attenuate the primary beam by 6-15%. Eliminating these structures from the X-ray beam's path was found to increase the detector entrance exposure by 28-36% and increase contrast-to-noise ratio by more than 21%, suggesting room for patient dose reduction when the same image quality is maintained. Comfort pads and tray support devices can have a considerable effect on DEE and image quality, with large variations among different incubator designs. Positioning the image detector directly underneath neonatal patients for radiography is a potential means for patient dose reduction. However, such benefit should be weighed against the risks of moving the patient. (orig.)

  15. Using Novel Laboratory Incubations and Field Experiments to Identify the Source and Fate of Reactive Organic Carbon in an Arsenic-contaminated Aquifer System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stahl, M.; Tarek, M. H.; Badruzzaman, B.; Harvey, C. F.

    2017-12-01

    Characterizing the sources and fate of organic matter (OM) within aquifer systems is key to our understanding of both the broader global carbon cycle as well as the quality of our groundwater resources. The linkage between the subsurface carbon cycle and groundwater quality is perhaps nowhere more apparent than in the aquifer systems of South and Southeast Asia, where the contamination of groundwater with geogenic arsenic (As) is widespread and threatens the health of millions of individuals. OM fuels the biogeochemical processes driving As mobilization within these aquifers, however the source (i.e., modern surface-derived or aged sedimentary OM) of the reactive OM is widely debated. To characterize the sources of OM driving aquifer redox processes we tracked DIC and DOC concentrations and isotopes (stable and radiocarbon) along groundwater flow-paths and beneath an instrumented study pond at a field site in Bangladesh. We also conducted a set of novel groundwater incubation experiments, where we carbon-dated the DOC at the start and end of a experiment in order to determine the age of the OM that was mineralized. Our carbon/isotope balance reveals that aquifer recharge introduces a large quantity of young (i.e. near modern) OM that is efficiently mineralized within the upper few meters of the aquifer, effectively limiting this pool of reactive surface-sourced OM from being transported deeper into the aquifer where significant As mobilization takes place. The OM mineralized past the upper few meters is an aged, sedimentary source. Consistent with our field data, our incubation experiments show that past the upper few meters of the aquifer the reactive DOC is significantly older than the bulk DOC and has an age consistent with sedimentary OM. Combining our novel set of incubation experiments and a carbon/isotope balance along groundwater flow-paths and beneath our study pond we have identified the sources of reactive OM across different aquifer depths in a

  16. Degradability of dry matter and crude protein of dry grains and wet grain silages from different processing corn hybrids (Zea mays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wagner dos Reis

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of processing two corn hybrids conserved, dry and humid grains, the dry matter (DM and crude protein (CP degradability in situ. The particle size was determined and difference was verified in MGD (Medium Geometric Diameter of processed ingredients. Three sheep were used with rumen canulated, in a completely randomized design, using a factorial outline 2 x 2 x 3, being two corn hybrid, two conservation methods and three processing forms (whole, coarsely and finely ground, with five times of incubation (3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours. The fraction A in SDC (silage of dent corn of DM was superior to GDC (grain of dent corn in all of the particles size. The ensiling process increased the DM solubility, reducing the fraction B in comparison to dry grain. The values regarding the fractions DP and DE the 5% per hour of the protein, were larger for SDC and GDC, it presents a decreasing when the incubation time advances. The fermentation rate was superior for SDC and GDC. The ensiling process has positive effect in the decreasing of DM and CP in comparison to GDC.

  17. Incubating Isolated Mouse EDL Muscles with Creatine Improves Force Production and Twitch Kinetics in Fatigue Due to Reduction in Ionic Strength

    Science.gov (United States)

    Head, Stewart I.; Greenaway, Bronwen; Chan, Stephen

    2011-01-01

    Background Creatine supplementation can improve performance during high intensity exercise in humans and improve muscle strength in certain myopathies. In this present study, we investigated the direct effects of acute creatine incubation on isolated mouse fast-twitch EDL muscles, and examined how these effects change with fatigue. Methods and Results The extensor digitorum longus muscle from mice aged 12–14 weeks was isolated and stimulated with field electrodes to measure force characteristics in 3 different states: (i) before fatigue; (ii) immediately after a fatigue protocol; and (iii) after recovery. These served as the control measurements for the muscle. The muscle was then incubated in a creatine solution and washed. The measurement of force characteristics in the 3 different states was then repeated. In un-fatigued muscle, creatine incubation increased the maximal tetanic force. In fatigued muscle, creatine treatment increased the force produced at all frequencies of stimulation. Incubation also increased the rate of twitch relaxation and twitch contraction in fatigued muscle. During repetitive fatiguing stimulation, creatine-treated muscles took 55.1±9.5% longer than control muscles to lose half of their original force. Measurement of weight changes showed that creatine incubation increased EDL muscle mass by 7%. Conclusion Acute creatine application improves force production in isolated fast-twitch EDL muscle, and these improvements are particularly apparent when the muscle is fatigued. One likely mechanism for this improvement is an increase in Ca2+ sensitivity of contractile proteins as a result of ionic strength decreases following creatine incubation. PMID:21850234

  18. Incubating isolated mouse EDL muscles with creatine improves force production and twitch kinetics in fatigue due to reduction in ionic strength.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stewart I Head

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Creatine supplementation can improve performance during high intensity exercise in humans and improve muscle strength in certain myopathies. In this present study, we investigated the direct effects of acute creatine incubation on isolated mouse fast-twitch EDL muscles, and examined how these effects change with fatigue. METHODS AND RESULTS: The extensor digitorum longus muscle from mice aged 12-14 weeks was isolated and stimulated with field electrodes to measure force characteristics in 3 different states: (i before fatigue; (ii immediately after a fatigue protocol; and (iii after recovery. These served as the control measurements for the muscle. The muscle was then incubated in a creatine solution and washed. The measurement of force characteristics in the 3 different states was then repeated. In un-fatigued muscle, creatine incubation increased the maximal tetanic force. In fatigued muscle, creatine treatment increased the force produced at all frequencies of stimulation. Incubation also increased the rate of twitch relaxation and twitch contraction in fatigued muscle. During repetitive fatiguing stimulation, creatine-treated muscles took 55.1±9.5% longer than control muscles to lose half of their original force. Measurement of weight changes showed that creatine incubation increased EDL muscle mass by 7%. CONCLUSION: Acute creatine application improves force production in isolated fast-twitch EDL muscle, and these improvements are particularly apparent when the muscle is fatigued. One likely mechanism for this improvement is an increase in Ca(2+ sensitivity of contractile proteins as a result of ionic strength decreases following creatine incubation.

  19. Methodology of evaluation of value created in the productive processes

    OpenAIRE

    M.T. Roszak

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: Of this paper was to present the methodology of analysis of the productive processes with applicationof value analysis and multi-criterion-analysis which allow to evaluate the technology and organization of theproductive processes.Design/methodology/approach: Presented in the paper methodology of evaluation of the productive processesis based on analysis of activities in the productive processes and their characteristics with reference to createdvalue in the productive chain.Findings...

  20. A simplified radioimmunoassay for triiodothyronine (T3) using pre-incubated labelled antigen and antibody

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pillai, M.R.A.; Nagvekar, U.H.; Desai, C.N.; Mani, R.S.

    1986-01-01

    The development of a simplified radioimmunoassay for triiodothyronine (T 3 ) using pre-incubated labelled T 3 and antibody is described. The assay is carried out by adding 50 μl of standard or sample to 0.4 ml of pre-incubated reagent dispensed in assay tubes. The reaction was allowed to proceed for about four hours and the antigen-antibody complex precipitated by the addition of 1 cm 3 of 22% polyethylene glycol solution. Due to the high dissociation constant of T 3 -antibody complex at 37 deg C, the labelled antigen-antibody complex dissociates and thereby the unlabelled antigen binds with the antibody. The sensitivity of this assay is comparable to an assay done by the equilibrium method using the same antibody. Sixty serum samples were analyzed using this method and were compared with the equilibrium assay. (author)