THE HYDROGEN EPOCH OF REIONIZATION ARRAY DISH. I. BEAM PATTERN MEASUREMENTS AND SCIENCE IMPLICATIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neben, Abraham R.; Hewitt, Jacqueline N.; Ewall-Wice, Aaron; Bradley, Richard F.; DeBoer, David R.; Parsons, Aaron R.; Ali, Zaki S.; Cheng, Carina; Patra, Nipanjana; Dillon, Joshua S.; Aguirre, James E.; Kohn, Saul A.; Thyagarajan, Nithyanandan; Bowman, Judd; Jacobs, Daniel C.; Dickenson, Roger; Doolittle, Phillip; Egan, Dennis; Hedrick, Mike; Klima, Patricia J.

2016-01-01

The Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA) is a radio interferometer aiming to detect the power spectrum of 21 cm fluctuations from neutral hydrogen from the epoch of reionization (EOR). Drawing on lessons from the Murchison Widefield Array and the Precision Array for Probing the EOR, HERA is a hexagonal array of large (14 m diameter) dishes with suspended dipole feeds. The dish not only determines overall sensitivity, but also affects the observed frequency structure of foregrounds in the interferometer. This is the first of a series of four papers characterizing the frequency and angular response of the dish with simulations and measurements. In this paper, we focus on the angular response (i.e., power pattern), which sets the relative weighting between sky regions of high and low delay and thus apparent source frequency structure. We measure the angular response at 137 MHz using the ORBCOMM beam mapping system of Neben et al. We measure a collecting area of 93 m 2 in the optimal dish/feed configuration, implying that HERA-320 should detect the EOR power spectrum at z ∼ 9 with a signal-to-noise ratio of 12.7 using a foreground avoidance approach with a single season of observations and 74.3 using a foreground subtraction approach. Finally, we study the impact of these beam measurements on the distribution of foregrounds in Fourier space.

THE HYDROGEN EPOCH OF REIONIZATION ARRAY DISH. I. BEAM PATTERN MEASUREMENTS AND SCIENCE IMPLICATIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neben, Abraham R.; Hewitt, Jacqueline N.; Ewall-Wice, Aaron [MIT Kavli Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Bradley, Richard F. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States); DeBoer, David R.; Parsons, Aaron R.; Ali, Zaki S.; Cheng, Carina; Patra, Nipanjana; Dillon, Joshua S. [Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Aguirre, James E.; Kohn, Saul A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Thyagarajan, Nithyanandan; Bowman, Judd; Jacobs, Daniel C. [Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Tempe, AZ 85287 (United States); Dickenson, Roger; Doolittle, Phillip; Egan, Dennis; Hedrick, Mike; Klima, Patricia J. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA (United States); and others

2016-08-01

The Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA) is a radio interferometer aiming to detect the power spectrum of 21 cm fluctuations from neutral hydrogen from the epoch of reionization (EOR). Drawing on lessons from the Murchison Widefield Array and the Precision Array for Probing the EOR, HERA is a hexagonal array of large (14 m diameter) dishes with suspended dipole feeds. The dish not only determines overall sensitivity, but also affects the observed frequency structure of foregrounds in the interferometer. This is the first of a series of four papers characterizing the frequency and angular response of the dish with simulations and measurements. In this paper, we focus on the angular response (i.e., power pattern), which sets the relative weighting between sky regions of high and low delay and thus apparent source frequency structure. We measure the angular response at 137 MHz using the ORBCOMM beam mapping system of Neben et al. We measure a collecting area of 93 m{sup 2} in the optimal dish/feed configuration, implying that HERA-320 should detect the EOR power spectrum at z ∼ 9 with a signal-to-noise ratio of 12.7 using a foreground avoidance approach with a single season of observations and 74.3 using a foreground subtraction approach. Finally, we study the impact of these beam measurements on the distribution of foregrounds in Fourier space.

Mechanical design of a low cost parabolic solar dish concentrator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamza Hijazi

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The objective of this research was to design a low cost parabolic solar dish concentrator with small-to moderate size for direct electricity generation. Such model can be installed in rural areas which are not connected to governmental grid. Three diameters of the dish; 5, 10 and 20 m are investigated and the focal point to dish diameter ratio is set to be 0.3 in all studied cases. Special attention is given to the selection of the appropriate dimensions of the reflecting surfaces to be cut from the available sheets in the market aiming to reduce both cutting cost and sheets cost. The dimensions of the ribs and rings which support the reflecting surface are optimized in order to minimize the entire weight of the dish while providing the minimum possible total deflection and stresses in the beams. The study applies full stress analysis of the frame of the dish using Autodesk Inventor. The study recommends to use landscape orientation for the reflective facets and increase the ribs angle and the distance between the connecting rings. The methodology presented is robust and can be extended to larger dish diameters.

Solar parabolic dish Stirling engine system design, simulation, and thermal analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hafez, A.Z.; Soliman, Ahmed; El-Metwally, K.A.; Ismail, I.M.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Modeling and simulation for different parabolic dish Stirling engine designs using Matlab®. • The effect of solar dish design features and factors had been taken. • Estimation of output power from the solar dish using Matlab®. • The present analysis provides a theoretical guidance for designing and operating solar parabolic dish system. - Abstract: Modeling and simulation for different parabolic dish Stirling engine designs have been carried out using Matlab®. The effect of solar dish design features and factors such as material of the reflector concentrators, the shape of the reflector concentrators and the receiver, solar radiation at the concentrator, diameter of the parabolic dish concentrator, sizing the aperture area of concentrator, focal Length of the parabolic dish, the focal point diameter, sizing the aperture area of receiver, geometric concentration ratio, and rim angle have been studied. The study provides a theoretical guidance for designing and operating solar parabolic dish Stirling engines system. At Zewail city of Science and Technology, Egypt, for a 10 kW Stirling engine; The maximum solar dish Stirling engine output power estimation is 9707 W at 12:00 PM where the maximum beam solar radiation applied in solar dish concentrator is 990 W/m"2 at 12:00 PM. The performance of engine can be improved by increasing the precision of the engine parts and the heat source efficiency. The engine performance could be further increased if a better receiver working fluid is used. We can conclude that where the best time for heating the fluid and fasting the processing, the time required to heat the receiver to reach the minimum temperature for operating the Solar-powered Stirling engine for different heat transfer fluids; this will lead to more economic solar dish systems. Power output of the solar dish system is one of the most important targets in the design that show effectiveness of the system, and this has achieved when we take

Radiotreatment of dishes cooked : Royal cutlets of chickens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bousselmi, Mehrez

2006-01-01

The cooked dishes often present themselves as the complex products of microbiological, biochemival view point and organoleptic.However, the demand of the local and international market stops showing a tendency toward use increased of these cooked dishes of which problems to get round are very delicate. The ionization can be an alternative of conservation since it is characterized bye one fashion of action fundamentally different of the classic techniques: it is about exposing during a determined length, of the wrapped food commodities or in a jumble to doses of ionising radiance carefully controlled in order to get the sought-after effect. The irradiation showed a big efficiency therefore on the plan microbiology.Indeed the dose 1 KGy destroyed all present microorganisms in dishes cooked pasteurized. whereas, for dishes cooked non pasteurized, a dose of 2 KGy destroyed completely the flora of contamination. Besides, the irradiation entails a light reduction of the biochemical composition, while keeping qualities intact organoleptic for all analyzed samples. As a conclusion, the irradiation increases the length of conservation, what confirms the reliability of such a process, in addition of his/her/its weak energizing cost. (author)

Advancing food, nutrition, and health research in Europe by connecting and building research infrastructures in a DISH-RI: Results of the EuroDISH project

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Snoek, Harriëtte M.; Eijssen, Lars M.T.; Geurts, Marjolein

2018-01-01

more effectively. Approach In the EuroDISH project we mapped existing RIs in the food and health area in Europe, identified outstanding needs, and synthesised this into a conceptual design of a pan-European DISH-RI. The DISH model was used to describe and structure the research area: Determinants...... of food choice, Intake of foods and nutrients, Status and functional markers of nutritional health, and Health and disease risk. Key findings The need to develop RIs in the food and health domain clearly emerged from the EuroDISH project. It showed the necessity for a unique interdisciplinary and multi......Background Research infrastructures (RIs) are essential to advance research on the relationship between food, nutrition, and health. RIs will facilitate innovation and allow insights at the systems level which are required to design (public health) strategies that will address societal challenges...

Design and implementation of a 38 kW dish-Stirling concentrated solar power system

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, J.; Peng, Y. D.; Cheng, Z. R.; Liu, F. M.; Tang, X. H.

2017-11-01

Dish-Stirling concentrated solar power system (DS-CSP) is an important pathway for converting solar energy into electricity at high efficiency. In this study, a rated power 38 kW DS-CSP system was developed (installed in Xiangtan Electric Manufacturing Group). The heat engine adopted the alpha-type four cylinders double-acting Stirling engine (Stirling Biopower Flexgen S260). The absorber flux distribution simulation was conducted using ray tracing method and then the 204 m2 parabolic dish concentrator system (diameter is 17.70 m and focal length is 9.49 m) with single concentrator plus single pillar supporting has been designed and built. A water-cooled disc target and an absorber imitation device were adopted to test the tracking performance of the dish concentrator system, homogeneity of the focal spot and flux distribution of the absorber. Finally, the S260 Stirling engine was installed on the focal position of the dish concentrator and then the net output power date of the 38 kW DS-CSP system was tested. The absorber overheating problem on the DS-CSP system performance was discussed when the DS-CSP system was installed in different locations. The testing result shows that this system achieved the net output power of 38 kW and solar-to-electricity efficiency (SEE) of 25.3% with the direct normal irradiation (DNI) at 750 W/m2. The net output power can further increase to 40.5 kW with the SEE of 26.6% when the DNI reaches up to the maximum of 761 W/m2. The net output power of the 38 kW DS-CSP system has a linear function relationship with the DNI. The fitting function is Net power output=0.1003×DNI－36.129, where DNI is at the range of 460∼761 W/m2. This function could be used to predict the amount of the 38 kW DS-CSP system annual generation power.

Efficient, Low Cost Dish Concentrator for a CPV Based Cogeneration System

Science.gov (United States)

Chayet, Haim; Kost, Ori; Moran, Rani; Lozovsky, Ilan

2011-12-01

Zenith Solar Ltd has developed efficient electricity and heat co-generation system based on segmented-parabolic dish of total aperture area of 11 m2 and water cooled dense array module combined of triple junction cells. Conventional parabolic dishes are inherently inefficient in the sense that the radiant flux distribution is non uniform causing inefficient generation by the PV array. Secondary optics improves uniformity but introduces additional complexity and losses to the system. Zenith's dish is assembled of 1200 flat mirrors of approximately 100 cm2 each. Every mirror facet has a unique shape such that the geometrical projection from each mirror on the focal plane is essentially the same. When perfectly aligned, the projected radiation from all mirrors overlaps uniformly on the PV surface. The low cost construction of the dish utilizes plastic mount supported by a precise metal frame. The precision of the metal frame affects the overall optical efficiency of the mirror and hence the efficiency of the system. State of the art dish of 11 m2 active aperture results in output of 2.25 kWp (900 W/m2) electrical and 5 kWp thermal power from one dish system representing 21% electrical and 50% thermal conversion efficiency adding to 71% overall system efficiency.

An Automatic High Efficient Method for Dish Concentrator Alignment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yong Wang

2014-01-01

for the alignment of faceted solar dish concentrator. The isosceles triangle configuration of facet’s footholds determines a fixed relation between light spot displacements and foothold movements, which allows an automatic determination of the amount of adjustments. Tests on a 25 kW Stirling Energy System dish concentrator verify the feasibility, accuracy, and efficiency of our method.

A review of test results on parabolic dish solar thermal power modules with dish-mounted Rankine engines and for production of process steam

Science.gov (United States)

Jaffe, Leonard D.

1988-11-01

This paper presents results of development testing of various solar thermal parabolic dish modules and assemblies. Most of the tests were at modules and assemblies that used a dish-mounted, organic Rankine cycle turbine for production of electric power. Some tests were also run on equipment for production of process steam or for production of electricity using dish-mounted reciprocating steam engines. These tests indicate that early modules achieve efficiencies of about 18 percent in converting sunlight to electricity (excluding the inverter but including parasitics). A number of malfunctions occurred. The performance measurements, as well as the malfunctions and other operating experience, provided information that should be of value in developing systems with improved performance and reduced maintenance.

Design, Analysis and Optimization of a Solar Dish/Stirling System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seyyed Danial Nazemi

2016-02-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a mathematical model by which the thermal and physical behavior of a solar dish/Stirling system was investigated, then the system was designed, analysed and optimized. In this regard, all of heat losses in a dish/Stirling system were calculated, then, the output net-work of the Stirling engine was computed, and accordingly, the system efficiency was worked out. These heat losses include convection and conduction heat losses, radiation heat losses by emission in the cavity receiver, reflection heat losses of solar energy in the parabolic dish, internal and external conduction heat losses, energy dissipation by pressure drops, and energy losses by shuttle effect in displacer piston in the Stirling engine. All of these heat losses in the parabolic dish, cavity receiver and Stirling engine were calculated using mathematical modeling in MatlabTM software. For validation of the proposed model, a 10 kW solar dish/Stirling system was designed and the simulation results were compared with the Eurodish system data with a reasonable degree of agreement. This model is used to investigate the effect of geometric and thermodynamic parameters including the aperture diameter of the parabolic dish and the cavity receiver, and the pressure of the compression space of the Stirling engine, on the system performance. By using the PSO method, which is an intelligent optimization technique, the total design was optimized and the optimal values of decision-making parameters were determined. The optimization has been done in two scenarios. In the first scenario, the optimal value of each designed parameter has been changed when the other parameters are equal to the designed case study parameters. In the second scenario, all of parameters were assumed in their optimal values. By optimization of the modeled dish/Stirling system, the total efficiency of the system improved to 0.60% in the first scenario and it increased from 21.69% to 22.62% in the second

Healthier side dishes at restaurants: an analysis of children's perspectives, menu content, and energy impacts.

Science.gov (United States)

Anzman-Frasca, Stephanie; Dawes, Franciel; Sliwa, Sarah; Dolan, Peter R; Nelson, Miriam E; Washburn, Kyle; Economos, Christina D

2014-07-04

Children consume restaurant-prepared foods at high rates, suggesting that interventions and policies targeting consumption of these foods have the potential to improve diet quality and attenuate excess energy intake. One approach to encouraging healthier dietary intake in restaurants is to offer fruits and vegetables (FV) as side dishes, as opposed to traditional, energy-dense accompaniments like French fries. The aims of the current study were to examine: children's views about healthier side dishes at restaurants; current side dish offerings on children's menus at leading restaurants; and potential energy reductions when substituting FV side dishes in place of French fries. To investigate children's attitudes, a survey was administered to a nationally representative sample of U.S. 8- to 18-year-olds (n = 1178). To examine current side dish offerings, children's menus from leading quick service (QSR; n = 10) and full service restaurant chains (FSR; n = 10) were analyzed. Energy reductions that could result from substituting commonly-offered FV side dishes for French fries were estimated using nutrition information corresponding to the children's menu items. Two-thirds of children reported that they would not feel negatively about receiving FV sides instead of French fries with kids' meals. Liking/taste was the most common reason that children gave to explain their attitudes about FV side dishes. Nearly all restaurants offered at least 1 FV side dish option, but at most restaurants (60% of QSR; 70% of FSR), FV sides were never served by default. Substituting FV side dishes for French fries yielded an average estimated energy reduction of at least 170 calories. Results highlight some healthy trends in the restaurant context, including the majority of children reporting non-negative attitudes about FV side dishes and the consistent availability of FV side dish options at leading QSR and FSR. Yet the minority of restaurants offer these FV sides by default

Regional food dishes in the Brazilian National School Food Program: Acceptability and nutritional composition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diogo thimoteo da Cunha

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Objective: the objective of this study was to evaluate the nutritional composition and describe the acceptability of regional culinary dishes served to students from public schools of rural and urban areas. Methods: Ten Brazilian regional dishes were evaluated for acceptability and nutritional composition. the survey was conducted in schools located in rural and urban areas of two cities in the state of São Paulo. Dish acceptability was evaluated using leftover analysis and a 5-point facial hedonic scale. the adherence index was calculated and used as an indirect measure of acceptance, and the nutritional composition was calculated based on the technical files of each dish. Results: A total of 2,384 students from 20 schools participated in the study and 1,174 tasted and evaluated the dishes. the test using the 5-point facial hedonic scale demonstrated that five dishes (Caldo verde soup, persimmon jelly, chicken with okra, puréed cornmeal with spinach, and arugula pizza had an acceptability rate above 85.0%. the mean adherence indices were 57.3% and 55.6% in urban and rural environments, respectively. Analysis of the nutritional composition of regional dishes indicates that these dishes can partially meet macronutrient recommendations. Conclusion: the tested dishes can become part of school menus as they were accepted or partly accepted by the students regardless of school location, whether rural or urban. the cultural heritage is an important resource for the food sovereignty of a country and should be constantly encouraged.

Test results on parabolic dish concentrators for solar thermal power systems

Science.gov (United States)

Jaffe, Leonard D.

1989-01-01

This paper presents results of development testing of various solar thermal parabolic dish concentrators. The concentrators were mostly designed for the production of electric power using dish-mounted Rankine, Brayton or Stirling cycle engines, intended to be produced at low cost. Measured performance for various dishes included optical efficiencies ranging from 0.32 to 0.86 at a geometric concentration ratio of 500, and from about 0.09 to 0.85 at a geometric concentration ratio of 3000. Some malfunctions were observed. The tests should provide operating information of value in developing concentrators with improved performance and reduced maintenance.

Overview of software development at the parabolic dish test site

Science.gov (United States)

Miyazono, C. K.

1985-01-01

The development history of the data acquisition and data analysis software is discussed. The software development occurred between 1978 and 1984 in support of solar energy module testing at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Parabolic Dish Test Site, located within Edwards Test Station. The development went through incremental stages, starting with a simple single-user BASIC set of programs, and progressing to the relative complex multi-user FORTRAN system that was used until the termination of the project. Additional software in support of testing is discussed including software in support of a meteorological subsystem and the Test Bed Concentrator Control Console interface. Conclusions and recommendations for further development are discussed.

Fifth parabolic dish solar thermal power program annual review: proceedings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1984-03-01

The primary objective of the Review was to present the results of activities within the Parabolic Dish Technology and Module/Systems Development element of the Department of Energy's Solar Thermal Energy Systems Program. The Review consisted of nine technical sessions covering overall Project and Program aspects, Stirling and Brayton module development, concentrator and engine/receiver development, and associated hardware and test results to date; distributed systems operating experience; international dish development activities; and non-DOE-sponsored domestic dish activities. A panel discussion concerning business views of solar electric generation was held. These Proceedings contain the texts of presentations made at the Review, as submitted by their authors at the beginning of the Review; therefore, they may vary slightly from the actual presentations in the technical sessions.

Artificial neural networks approach on solar parabolic dish cooker

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lokeswaran, S.; Eswaramoorthy, M.

2011-01-01

This paper presents heat transfer analysis of solar parabolic dish cooker using Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The objective of this study to envisage thermal performance parameters such as receiver plate and pot water temperatures of the solar parabolic dish cooker by using the ANN for experimental data. An experiment is conducted under two cases (1) cooker with plain receiver and (2) cooker with porous receiver. The Back Propagation (BP) algorithm is used to train and test networks and ANN predictions are compared with experimental results. Different network configurations are studied by the aid of searching a relatively better network for prediction. The results showed a good regression analysis with the correlation coefficients in the range of 0.9968-0.9992 and mean relative errors (MREs) in the range of 1.2586-4.0346% for the test data set. Thus ANN model can successfully be used for the prediction of the thermal performance parameters of parabolic dish cooker with reasonable degree of accuracy. (authors)

Healthier side dishes at restaurants: an analysis of children’s perspectives, menu content, and energy impacts

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background Children consume restaurant-prepared foods at high rates, suggesting that interventions and policies targeting consumption of these foods have the potential to improve diet quality and attenuate excess energy intake. One approach to encouraging healthier dietary intake in restaurants is to offer fruits and vegetables (FV) as side dishes, as opposed to traditional, energy-dense accompaniments like French fries. The aims of the current study were to examine: children's views about healthier side dishes at restaurants; current side dish offerings on children's menus at leading restaurants; and potential energy reductions when substituting FV side dishes in place of French fries. Methods To investigate children’s attitudes, a survey was administered to a nationally representative sample of U.S. 8- to 18-year-olds (n = 1178). To examine current side dish offerings, children's menus from leading quick service (QSR; n = 10) and full service restaurant chains (FSR; n = 10) were analyzed. Energy reductions that could result from substituting commonly-offered FV side dishes for French fries were estimated using nutrition information corresponding to the children's menu items. Results Two-thirds of children reported that they would not feel negatively about receiving FV sides instead of French fries with kids' meals. Liking/taste was the most common reason that children gave to explain their attitudes about FV side dishes. Nearly all restaurants offered at least 1 FV side dish option, but at most restaurants (60% of QSR; 70% of FSR), FV sides were never served by default. Substituting FV side dishes for French fries yielded an average estimated energy reduction of at least 170 calories. Conclusions Results highlight some healthy trends in the restaurant context, including the majority of children reporting non-negative attitudes about FV side dishes and the consistent availability of FV side dish options at leading QSR and FSR. Yet the minority of

Nutritional composition of the commonly consumed composite dishes for the Barbados National Cancer Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Sangita; Harris, Rachel; Cao, Xia; Hennis, Anselm J M; Leske, M Cristina; Wu, Suh-Yuh

2007-09-01

To provide, for the first time, the calculated nutritional composition of 32 composite dishes commonly consumed in Barbados to enable dietary intake to be calculated from a Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire developed specifically for this population to determine associations between diet and risk of prostate and breast cancer. Weighed recipes were collected in up to six different households for each of the 32 composite dishes. The average nutritional composition for these composite dishes was calculated using the US Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database. One hundred and fifty-two weighed recipes were collected for 32 composite dishes: five were fish based, two were ground beef dishes, two were chicken based, two were offal based, two were lamb dishes, one was pork based, three were rice based, three were commonly consumed home-made drinks, and the remaining were miscellaneous items. A total of 152 weighed recipes were collected and we provide, for the first time, nutritional composition data for 32 commonly consumed food and drink items in Barbados. Such data are essential for assessing nutrient intake and determining associations between diet and prostate and breast cancer in the Barbados National Cancer Study.

Dish-based CPV-T for rooftop generation

Science.gov (United States)

Davila-Peralta, Christian; Hyatt, Justin; Alfred, Dan; Struble, Morgan; Sodari, Frank; Angel, Roger

2017-09-01

Hybrid CPV-T with combined electrical and thermal output is well suited to solar generation from fixed limited areas, such as on the roof of an industrial or commercial facility with need for heat. This application will become especially attractive once overall electrical conversion efficiency of 40% is reached, as is projected for REhnu CPV systems using multijunction cells of 50% efficiency, anticipated in a few years. We outline here a configuration of dish- based CPV trackers optimized for close packing on a flat roof in a triangular grid, with a mirror area-to-ground area ratio of 50%. When the geometry of shadowing averaged over a year is taken into account, 80% of all the sunlight that would strike the rooftop is directed into the receivers. Such an array on a given area of flat roof will generate more electrical energy than would be possible with conventional PV panels, even if covering the entire rooftop, because of silicon's relative inefficiency. For example, in Tucson, the annual average global flux of 5.7 kWh/m2/day on a horizontal surface covered with 22% silicon modules will yield 1.25 kWh/m2/day. We show that a CPV system collecting 80% of all the direct sunlight of 7.0 kWh/m2 and converting it with 40% efficiency will yield 2.24 kWh/m2/day of rooftop area, nearly twice as much4. Thermal power will double again the total energy yield. A dual axis CPV-T tracker designed specifically very close spacing has been built to carry a single dish mirror of the standard type used in REhnu's M-8 generator, described by Stalcup et al in these proceedings1,2. Sunlight is collected and focused by a single square paraboloidal mirror, 1.65 × 1.65 m with focal length of 1.5 m. For closest possible packing without mechanical interference, and for broad distribution of load on a rooftop, the mirror and receiver are mounted to a C-ring structure, configured such that the elevation and azimuth axes intersect at a virtual pivot, at the center of the sphere that just

[Sodium, potassium and calcium content in regional dishes consumed in Sonora, Mexico].

Science.gov (United States)

Grijalva Haro, M I; Valencia, M E; Wyatt, J

1990-06-01

The content of sodium, potassium and calcium was determined in 15 regional dishes, by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The Na:K ratio was high in most of the dishes due to the high sodium content and low content of potassium found. The higher sources of the studied minerals were "tortilla de harina" with 1,372.8 mg/100 g of sodium; "chorizo con papas" with 466 mg/100 g of potassium, and "calabacitas con queso" with 244.1 mg/100 g of calcium. Two of the dishes considered as desserts, "capirotada" and "arroz con leche" showed the lowest Na:K ratio (0.66 and 0.81, respectively).

Transfer of fibroblast sheets cultured on thermoresponsive dishes with membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawecki, Marek; Kraut, Małgorzata; Klama-Baryła, Agnieszka; Łabuś, Wojciech; Kitala, Diana; Nowak, Mariusz; Glik, Justyna; Sieroń, Aleksander L; Utrata-Wesołek, Alicja; Trzebicka, Barbara; Dworak, Andrzej; Szweda, Dawid

2016-06-01

In cell or tissue engineering, it is essential to develop a support for cell-to-cell adhesion, which leads to the generation of cell sheets connected by extracellular matrix. Such supports must be hydrophobic and should result in a detachable cell sheet. A thermoresponsive support that enables the cultured cell sheet to detach using only a change in temperature could be an interesting alternative in regenerative medicine. The aim of this study was to evaluate plates covered with thermoresponsive polymers as supports for the formation of fibroblast sheets and to develop a damage-free procedure for cell sheet transfer with the use of membranes as transfer tools. Human skin fibroblasts were seeded on supports coated with a thermoresponsive polymer: commercial UpCell™ dishes (NUNC™) coated with thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and dishes coated with thermoresponsive poly(tri(ethylene glycol) monoethyl ether methacrylate) (P(TEGMA-EE)). Confluent fibroblast sheets were effectively cultured and harvested from both commercial PNIPAM-coated dishes and laboratory P(TEGMA-EE)-coated dishes. To transfer a detached cell sheet, two membranes, Immobilon-P(®) and SUPRATHEL(®), were examined. The use of SUPRATHEL for relocating the cell sheets opens a new possibility for the clinical treatment of wounds. This study established the background for implementing thermoresponsive supports for transplanting in vitro cultured fibroblasts.

Temperature Performance Evaluation of Parabolic Dishes Covered ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Aweda

The parabolic dish with glass material gave the highest temperature of .... 3: Second day variation temperature and time using different materials. 8. 10 .... the sun rays at that particular time. ... especially between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm when.

Optical analysis and performance evaluation of a solar parabolic dish concentrator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavlović Saša R.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, the optical design of a solar parabolic dish concentrator is presented. The parabolic dish concentrator consists from 11 curvilinear trapezoidal reflective petals made of polymethyl methacrylate with special reflective coating. The dish diameter is equal to 3.8 m and the theoretical focal point distance is 2.26 m. Numerical simulations are made with the commercial software TracePro from Lambda Research, USA, and the final optimum position between absorber and reflector was calculated to 2.075 m; lower than focus distance. This paper presents results for the optimum position and the optimum diameter of the receiver. The decision for selecting these parameters is based on the calculation of the total flux over the flat and corrugated pipe receiver surface; in its central region and in the peripheral region. The simulation results could be useful reference for designing and optimizing of solar parabolic dish concentrators as for as for CFD analysis, heat transfer and fluid flow analysis in corrugated spiral heat absorbers. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III42006: Research and development of energy and environmentally highly effective polygeneration systems based on renewable energy resources i br. III45016: Fabrication and characterization of nanophotonic functional structures in biomedicine and informatics

Performance comparisons of dish type solar concentrator with mirror arrangements and receiver shapes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seo, Joo Hyun; Kim, Yong; Ma, Dae Sung; Seo, Tae Beom [Graduate School, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Inha Univ., Inchon (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Yong Heack [Korea Inst. of Energy Research, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2008-07-01

The performance comparisons of dish type solar concentrators are numerically investigated. The dish type solar concentrator considered in this paper consists of a receiver and multi-faceted mirrors. In order to investigate the performance comparisons of dish type solar concentrators, six different mirror arrangements and four different receivers are considered. A parabolic-shaped perfect mirror of which diameter is 1.40 m is considered as the reference for the mirror arrangements. The other mirror arrangements consist of twelve identical parabolic-shaped mirror facets of which diameter are 0.405 m. Their total collecting areas, which are 1.545 m{sup 2}, are the same. Four different solar receiver shapes are a conical, a dome, a cylindrical, and a unicorn type. In order to investigate the thermal performance of the dish type solar concentrator, the radiative heat loss in the receiver should be calculated. For calculation, the net radiation method and the Monte-Carlo method are used. Also, because the thermal performance of the dish type solar concentrator can vary as the receiver surface temperature, the various surface temperatures are considered. Based on the calculation, the unicorn type has the best performance in receiver shapes and the STAR has the best performance in mirror arrangements except the perfect mirror. (orig.)

Metagenomic data of fungal internal transcribed spacer from serofluid dish, a traditional Chinese fermented food

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peng Chen

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Serofluid dish (or Jiangshui, in Chinese, a traditional food in the Chinese culture for thousands of years, is made from vegetables by fermentation. In this work, microorganism community of the fermented serofluid dish was investigated by the culture-independent method. The metagenomic data in this article contains the sequences of fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS regions of rRNA genes from 12 different serofluid dish samples. The metagenome comprised of 50,865 average raw reads with an average of 8,958,220 bp and G + C content is 45.62%. This is the first report on metagenomic data of fungal ITS from serofluid dish employing Illumina platform to profile the fungal communities of this little known fermented food from Gansu Province, China. The Metagenomic data of fungal internal transcribed spacer can be accessed at NCBI, SRA database accession no. SRP067411. Keywords: Serofluid dish, Jiangshui, Fungal ITS, Cultivation-independent, Microbial diversity

Wind load design methods for ground-based heliostats and parabolic dish collectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peterka, J A; Derickson, R G [Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO (United States). Fluid Dynamics and Diffusion Lab.

1992-09-01

The purpose of this design method is to define wind loads on flat heliostat and parabolic dish collectors in a simplified form. Wind loads are defined for both mean and peak loads accounting for the protective influence of upwind collectors, wind protective fences, or other wind-blockage elements. The method used to define wind loads was to generalize wind load data obtained during tests on model collectors, heliostats or parabolic dishes, placed in a modeled atmospheric wind in a boundary-layer wind-tunnel at Colorado State University. For both heliostats and parabolic dishes, loads are reported for solitary collectors and for collectors as elements of a field. All collectors were solid with negligible porosity; thus the effects of porosity in the collectors is not addressed.

Temperature Performance Evaluation of Parabolic Dishes Covered ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Solar radiation reaching the earth is considered to be affected by some parameters like diffusion. This radiation is reflected or scattered by air molecules, cloud and aerosols (dust). Parabolic dishes made of different materials (glass, foil and painted surface) were used to concentrate energy on a copper calorimeter filled with ...

Feasibility study of dish/stirling power systems in Turkey

Science.gov (United States)

Zilanlı, Gülin Acarol; Eray, Aynur

2017-06-01

In this study, two different commercial dish/stirling systems, SES (Stirling Energy Systems) and WGA-ADDS (WGAssociates - Advanced Dish Development System), are modeled using the "System Advisor Model" (SAM) modeling software in designated settlement areas. Both systems are modeled for the US state of Albuquerque, where they were designed, and Turkish provinces of Ankara, Van, Muğla, Mersin, Urfa and Konya. At first, the dish/stirling system is optimized according to the power output values and the system loss parameters. Then, the layout of the solar field is designed with an installed capacity of 600kW both of SES and WGA-ADDS systems, Upon securing the most suitable layout, the system is modeled for the aforementioned settlements using the optimum output values gathered from the parametric analysis. As a result of the simulation studies, the applicability of this model is discussed according to the power output and the efficiency. Although Turkey is located in an area called "the sun belt" where solar energy technologies can be used, there is no advanced application of these systems. This study aims to discuss the application of these systems in detail and to pave the way for future studies in this field.

Preparation of contemporary dishes and a functional drink using Japan's heirloom vegetable, Katsura-uri

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azusa Sasaki

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Background: The fruit of Katsura-uri, traditionally used in the preparation of pickles in Japan, is facing an extinction crisis. In addition to the traditional dishes prepared from Katsura-uri, alternative dishes using the fruit should be devised to increase consumer demands for the protection of the heirloom vegetable. We attempted designing new Katsura-uri contemporary dishes and assessed the application of Katsura-uri juice as a functional drink without raising blood glucose levels. Methods: Cooking experiments were conducted with Katsura-uri in its ripening stages, based on the advice from a licensed chef and a registered dietitian in Japan. In the questionnaire-based sensory evaluation, consumer acceptability of Katsura-uri juice was assessed. The blood glucose levels were measured after healthy volunteers consumed the juice. Results: We demonstrated six new Katsura-uri dishes. In the questionnaire-based sensory evaluation of Katsura-uri juice, the assessment values for taste and fragrance were high. In human trials, the levels of incremental area under the curve and glucose spike were significantly lower after consumption of Katsura-uri juice, as compared to those after consumption of muskmelon juice. Conclusion: Katsura-uri-containing contemporary dishes and juice would help continue the consumption of the vegetable. Based on the results of the questionnaire, we also concluded that the use of Katsura-uri as a functional drink without raising blood glucose levels is superior to its use as contemporary dishes. These findings provide useful strategies to protect Katsura-uri from extinction. Keywords: Blood glucose, Diabetes, Functional food, Heirloom vegetable, Traditional customs

Modeling the small-scale dish-mounted solar thermal Brayton cycle

Science.gov (United States)

Le Roux, Willem G.; Meyer, Josua P.

2016-05-01

The small-scale dish-mounted solar thermal Brayton cycle (STBC) makes use of a sun-tracking dish reflector, solar receiver, recuperator and micro-turbine to generate power in the range of 1-20 kW. The modeling of such a system, using a turbocharger as micro-turbine, is required so that optimisation and further development of an experimental setup can be done. As a validation, an analytical model of the small-scale STBC in Matlab, where the net power output is determined from an exergy analysis, is compared with Flownex, an integrated systems CFD code. A 4.8 m diameter parabolic dish with open-cavity tubular receiver and plate-type counterflow recuperator is considered, based on previous work. A dish optical error of 10 mrad, a tracking error of 1° and a receiver aperture area of 0.25 m × 0.25 m are considered. Since the recuperator operates at a very high average temperature, the recuperator is modeled using an updated ɛ-NTU method which takes heat loss to the environment into consideration. Compressor and turbine maps from standard off-the-shelf Garrett turbochargers are used. The results show that for the calculation of the steady-state temperatures and pressures, there is good comparison between the Matlab and Flownex results (within 8%) except for the recuperator outlet temperature, which is due to the use of different ɛ-NTU methods. With the use of Matlab and Flownex, it is shown that the small-scale open STBC with an existing off-the-shelf turbocharger could generate a positive net power output with solar-to-mechanical efficiency of up to 12%, with much room for improvement.

Numerical and experimental dosimetry of petri dish exposure setups

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burkhardt, M.; Pokovic, K.; Gnos, M.; Schmid, T.; Kuster, N. [Swiss Federal Inst. of Tech., Zurich (Switzerland)

1996-12-31

Crawford TEM cells are often used to exposure cell cultures or small animals in order to study the effects caused by high-frequency fields. They are self-contained, easy-to-use setups that provide a rather homogeneous field distribution in a large area around its center, corresponding approximately to far-field conditions. However, a number of conditions must be met if such TEM cells are intended to be used for in vitro experiments. For instance, poor interaction with the incident field must be maintained to avoid significant field disturbances in the TEM cell. This is best achieved with E-polarization, i.e., when the E-field vector is normal to the investigated cell layer lining the bottom of a synthetic Petri dish. In addition, E-polarization provides the most homogeneous field distribution of all polarizations within the entire layer of cells. In this paper, the authors present a detailed dosimetric assessment for 60 and 100 mm Petri dishes as well as for a 48-well titer plate at 835 MHz. The dosimetry was performed by using numerical computations. The modeling and the simplifications are validated by a second numerical technique and by experimental measurements. For thin liquid layers, an approximation formula is provided with which the induced field strength for many other experiments conducted in Petri dishes can be assessed reliably.

Immobilization of sericin molecules via amorphous carbon plasma modified-polystyrene dish for serum-free culture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tunma, Somruthai; Song, Doo-Hoon; Kim, Si-Eun; Kim, Kyoung-Nam; Han, Jeon-Geon; Boonyawan, Dheerawan

2013-01-01

In this study, we focused on sericin hydrolysates, originating from silkworm used in serum-free human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) culture. We reported the effect of a covalent linkage between a bioactive protein molecule and polystyrene dish surface via a carbon intermediate layer which can slow down the release rate of protein compounds into the phosphate buffer saline (PBS) solution. Films of amorphous carbon (a-C) and functionalized-carbon were deposited on PS culture dish surfaces by using a DC magnetron sputtering system and RF PECVD system. We found that a-C based-films can increase the hydrophilicity and biocompatibility of polystyrene (PS) dishes, especially a-C films and a-C:N 2 films showed good attachment of hBM-MSCs at 24 h. However, in the case of silica surface (a-C:SiO x films), the cells showed a ragged and unattached boundary resulting from the presence of surface silanol groups. For the UV–vis absorbance, all carbon modified-PS dishes showed a lower release rate of sericin molecules into PBS solution than PS control. This revealed that the functionalized carbon could be enhanced by specific binding properties with given molecules. The carbon-coated PS dishes grafting with sericin protein were used in a serum-free condition. We also found that hBM-MSCs have higher percentage of proliferated cells at day 7 for the modified dishes with carbon films and coated with sericin than the PS control coated with sericin. The physical film properties were measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and contact angle measurement. The presence of -NH 2 groups of sericin compounds on the PS dish was revealed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The stability of covalent bonds of sericin molecules after washing out ungrafted sericin was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

Immobilization of sericin molecules via amorphous carbon plasma modified-polystyrene dish for serum-free culture

Science.gov (United States)

Tunma, Somruthai; Song, Doo-Hoon; Kim, Si-Eun; Kim, Kyoung-Nam; Han, Jeon-Geon; Boonyawan, Dheerawan

2013-10-01

In this study, we focused on sericin hydrolysates, originating from silkworm used in serum-free human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) culture. We reported the effect of a covalent linkage between a bioactive protein molecule and polystyrene dish surface via a carbon intermediate layer which can slow down the release rate of protein compounds into the phosphate buffer saline (PBS) solution. Films of amorphous carbon (a-C) and functionalized-carbon were deposited on PS culture dish surfaces by using a DC magnetron sputtering system and RF PECVD system. We found that a-C based-films can increase the hydrophilicity and biocompatibility of polystyrene (PS) dishes, especially a-C films and a-C:N2 films showed good attachment of hBM-MSCs at 24 h. However, in the case of silica surface (a-C:SiOx films), the cells showed a ragged and unattached boundary resulting from the presence of surface silanol groups. For the UV-vis absorbance, all carbon modified-PS dishes showed a lower release rate of sericin molecules into PBS solution than PS control. This revealed that the functionalized carbon could be enhanced by specific binding properties with given molecules. The carbon-coated PS dishes grafting with sericin protein were used in a serum-free condition. We also found that hBM-MSCs have higher percentage of proliferated cells at day 7 for the modified dishes with carbon films and coated with sericin than the PS control coated with sericin. The physical film properties were measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and contact angle measurement. The presence of sbnd NH2 groups of sericin compounds on the PS dish was revealed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The stability of covalent bonds of sericin molecules after washing out ungrafted sericin was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

On the evolution, over four generations of paraboloidal dish solar thermal electric power systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaneff, S.

1993-01-01

After a decade of supplying useful power, the White Cliffs Paraboloidal Dish Solar Thermal Power Station (1100 km west of Sydney) is still operational and has provided major lessons and experience for subsequent developments; particularly for the Molokai/Alburquerque unit built jointly with Power Kinetics Inc (of Troy, USA) for the US Department of Energy. This has, in turn, given valuable guidance for the third generation system now nearing completion in Canberra and employing new collector concepts refined for commercial production and viability. Unlike much dish-oriented R and D, we consider systems of dish arrays supplying central plant as a more attractive proposition than assemblies of dish/engine units, for all but very small systems (<2 MWe). Development has recently commerce on the fourth generation technology which result in a 2 MWe dish system within 2 years, expected to be followed closely by a system of 10 to 20 MWe, preparatory to still larger systems, as the technology evolves and experience is gained. The rationale in this progression in based on the achievement of commercial cost-effectiveness in competition with other energy sources. The direction of evolution is becoming clear and application of the technology to broader spheres than electricity generation is likely. Because of the nature of production methods employed and the ease of installation, system implementation can be rapid. (Author) 29 refs

Hygienic status assessment of dish washing waters, utensils, hands ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Hygienic status assessment of dish washing waters, utensils, hands and pieces of money from street food processing sites in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). N Barro, AR Bello, A Savadogo, CAT Ouattara, AJ Iiboudo, AS Traoré ...

MODELLING OF AN INEXPENSIVE 9M SATELLITE DISH FROM 3D POINT CLOUDS CAPTURED BY TERRESTRIAL LASER SCANNERS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Belton

2012-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the use of Terrestrial laser scanners (TLS to model the surface of satellite dish. In this case, the dish was an inexpensive 9m parabolic satellite dish with a mesh surface, and was to be utilised in radio astronomy. The aim of the modelling process was to determine the deviation of the surface away from its true parabolic shape, in order to estimate the surface efficiency with respect to its principal receiving frequency. The main mathematical problems were the optimal and unbiased estimation the orientation of the dish and the fitting of a parabola to the local orientation or coordinate system, which were done by both orthogonal and algebraic minimization using the least-squares method. Due to the mesh structure of the dish, a classification method was also applied to filter out erroneous points being influenced by the supporting structure behind the dish. Finally, a comparison is performed between the ideal parabolic shape, and the data collected from three different temporal intervals.

Differences in nutrient and energy content of commonly-consumed dishes prepared in restaurants vs. at home in Hunan province, China

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Xiaofang; Liu, Jiawu; Chen, Bo; Jin, Donghui; Fu, Zhongxi; Liu, Huilin; Du, Shufa; Popkin, Barry M.; Mendez, Michelle A.

2017-01-01

Objective Eating away from home is associated with poor diet quality, in part due to less healthy food choices and larger portions. However, few studies take into account the potential additional contribution of differences in food composition between restaurant- and home-prepared dishes. This study aimed to investigate differences in nutrients of dishes prepared in restaurants vs. at home. Design Eight commonly consumed dishes were collected in 20 of each of the following types of locations: small and large restaurants, and urban and rural households. In addition, two fast-food items were collected from 10 KFC’s, McDonald’s, and food stalls. Five samples per dish were randomly pooled from every location. Nutrients were analyzed and energy was calculated in composite samples. Differences in nutrients of dishes by preparation location were determined. Setting Urban and rural. Subjects Sodium, potassium, protein, total fat, fatty acids, carbohydrate, and energy in dishes. Results On average, both the absolute and relative fat content, saturated fatty acid (SFA) and sodium/potassium ratio were higher in dishes prepared in restaurants than households (Prestaurants (P restaurant preparation was consistently negatively associated with protein and positively associated with the percentage energy from fat in all dishes. Moreover, restaurant preparation also positively influenced the SFA content in dishes, except at the highest quantiles. Conclusions These findings suggest that compared to home preparation, dishes prepared in restaurants in China may differ in concentrations of total fat, SFA, protein, and sodium/potassium ratio, which may further contribute, beyond food choices, to less healthy nutrient intake linked to eating away from home. PMID:29306339

Negative-ion beam surface modification of tissue-culture polystyrene dishes for changing hydrophilic and cell-attachment properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuji, H.; Satoh, H.; Ikeda, S.; Ikemura, S.; Gotoh, Y.; Ishikawa, J.

1999-01-01

Negative-silver-ion implantation into tissue-culture polystyrene (TCPS) dishes was investigated and it was found to modify hydrophilic and cell attachment properties of the dishes. Negative-ion implantation has an advantage of being almost free of surface charging, and is a suitable method for implantation into insulators such as polymers. Negative silver ions are used due to the antibacterial property of silver. Ag-implanted TCPS dishes had a contact angle larger than the normal value of 66 deg. of unimplanted dishes. The contact angle of water had a strong dependence on the ion energy rather than the dose. As a cell-culture experiment, human umbilical vascular endothelial cell (HUVEC) was used in unimplanted and Ag-implanted TCPS dishes, the implantation removed the cell-attachment property of the surface. In implantation with a mask with a striped pattern, most attached cells of HUVEC were in the unimplanted region aligned along a stripe direction

Differences in nutrient and energy contents of commonly consumed dishes prepared in restaurants v. at home in Hunan Province, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Xiaofang; Liu, Jiawu; Chen, Bo; Jin, Donghui; Fu, Zhongxi; Liu, Huilin; Du, Shufa; Popkin, Barry M; Mendez, Michelle A

2018-05-01

Eating away from home is associated with poor diet quality, in part due to less healthy food choices and larger portions. However, few studies account for the potential additional contribution of differences in food composition between restaurant- and home-prepared dishes. The present study aimed to investigate differences in nutrients of dishes prepared in restaurants v. at home. Eight commonly consumed dishes were collected in twenty of each of the following types of locations: small and large restaurants, and urban and rural households. In addition, two fast-food items were collected from ten KFC, McDonald's and food stalls. Five samples per dish were randomly pooled from every location. Nutrients were analysed and energy was calculated in composite samples. Differences in nutrients of dishes by preparation location were determined. Hunan Province, China. Na, K, protein, total fat, fatty acids, carbohydrate and energy in dishes. On average, both the absolute and relative fat contents, SFA and Na:K ratio were higher in dishes prepared in restaurants than households (P < 0·05). Protein was 15 % higher in animal food-based dishes prepared in households than restaurants (P<0·05). Quantile regression models found that, at the 90th quantile, restaurant preparation was consistently negatively associated with protein and positively associated with the percentage of energy from fat in all dishes. Moreover, restaurant preparation also positively influenced the SFA content in dishes, except at the highest quantiles. These findings suggest that compared with home preparation, dishes prepared in restaurants in China may differ in concentrations of total fat, SFA, protein and Na:K ratio, which may further contribute, beyond food choices, to less healthy nutrient intakes linked to eating away from home.

Development status of the PDC-1 Parabolic Dish Concentrator

Science.gov (United States)

Thostesen, T.; Soczak, I. F.; Pons, R. L.

1982-01-01

The status of development of the 12 m diameter parabolic dish concentrator which is planned for use with the Small Community Solar Thermal Power System. The PDC-1 unit features the use of plastic reflector film bonded to structural plastic gores supported by front-bracing steel ribs. An elevation-over-azimuth mount arrangement is employed, with a conventional wheel-and-track arrangement; outboard trunnions permit the dish to be stored in the face down position, with the added advantage of easy access to the power conversion assembly. The control system is comprised of a central computer (LSI 1123), a manual control panel, a concentrator control unit, two motor controllers, a Sun sensor, and two angular position resolvers. The system is designed for the simultaneous control of several concentrators. The optical testing of reflective panels is described.

Immobilization of sericin molecules via amorphous carbon plasma modified-polystyrene dish for serum-free culture

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tunma, Somruthai [The Graduate School, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Muang District, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Thailand Center of Excellence in Physics (ThEP), 239 Huay Kaew Road, Muang District, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Song, Doo-Hoon [Research Center for Orofacial Hard Tissue Regeneration, College of Dentistry, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-752 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Si-Eun; Kim, Kyoung-Nam [Research Center for Orofacial Hard Tissue Regeneration, College of Dentistry, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-752 (Korea, Republic of); Department and Research Institute of Dental Biomaterials and Bioengineering, College of Dentistry, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-752 (Korea, Republic of); Han, Jeon-Geon [Center for Advanced Plasma Surface Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, 300 Chunchun-dong, Jangan-gu, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Boonyawan, Dheerawan [Thailand Center of Excellence in Physics (ThEP), 239 Huay Kaew Road, Muang District, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Department of Physics and Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, 239 Huay Kaew Road, Muang District, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand)

2013-10-15

In this study, we focused on sericin hydrolysates, originating from silkworm used in serum-free human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) culture. We reported the effect of a covalent linkage between a bioactive protein molecule and polystyrene dish surface via a carbon intermediate layer which can slow down the release rate of protein compounds into the phosphate buffer saline (PBS) solution. Films of amorphous carbon (a-C) and functionalized-carbon were deposited on PS culture dish surfaces by using a DC magnetron sputtering system and RF PECVD system. We found that a-C based-films can increase the hydrophilicity and biocompatibility of polystyrene (PS) dishes, especially a-C films and a-C:N{sub 2} films showed good attachment of hBM-MSCs at 24 h. However, in the case of silica surface (a-C:SiO{sub x} films), the cells showed a ragged and unattached boundary resulting from the presence of surface silanol groups. For the UV–vis absorbance, all carbon modified-PS dishes showed a lower release rate of sericin molecules into PBS solution than PS control. This revealed that the functionalized carbon could be enhanced by specific binding properties with given molecules. The carbon-coated PS dishes grafting with sericin protein were used in a serum-free condition. We also found that hBM-MSCs have higher percentage of proliferated cells at day 7 for the modified dishes with carbon films and coated with sericin than the PS control coated with sericin. The physical film properties were measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and contact angle measurement. The presence of -NH{sub 2} groups of sericin compounds on the PS dish was revealed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The stability of covalent bonds of sericin molecules after washing out ungrafted sericin was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

Corned Beef: an Enigmatic Irish Dish

OpenAIRE

Mac Con Iomaire, Máirtín; Gallagher, Pádraic Óg

2011-01-01

Corned beef and cabbage, which is consumed in America in large quantities each Saint Patrick’s Day (17th March), is considered by most Americans to be the ultimate Irish dish. However, corned beef and cabbage is seldom eaten in modern day Ireland. It is widely reported that Irish immigrants replaced their beloved bacon and cabbage with corned beef and cabbage when they arrived in America, drawing on the corned beef supplied by their neighbouring Jewish butchers, but not all commentators beli...

Dish concentrators for solar thermal energy - Status and technology development

Science.gov (United States)

Jaffe, L. D.

1981-01-01

Comparisons are presented of point-focusing, or 'dish' solar concentrator system features, development status, and performance levels demonstrated to date. In addition to the requirements of good optical efficiency and high geometric concentration ratios, the most important future consideration in solar thermal energy dish concentrator design will be the reduction of installed and lifetime costs, as well as the materials and labor costs of production. It is determined that technology development initiatives are needed in such areas as optical materials, design wind speeds and wind loads, structural configuration and materials resistance to prolonged exposure, and the maintenance of optical surfaces. The testing of complete concentrator systems, with energy-converting receivers and controls, is also necessary. Both reflector and Fresnel lens concentrator systems are considered.

On-sun performance of an improved dish-based HCPV system

Science.gov (United States)

Stalcup, Thomas; Angel, Roger P.; Coughenour, Blake; Wheelwright, Brian; Connors, Tom; Davison, Warren; Lesser, David; Elliott, Justin; Schaefer, John

2012-10-01

The University of Arizona has developed a new dish-based High Concentration Photovoltaic (HCPV) system which is in the process of being commercialized by REhnu, Inc. The basic unit uses a paraboloidal glass reflector 3.1 m x 3.1 m square to bring sunlight to a high power point focus at a concentration of ~20,000x. A unique optical system at the focus reformats the concentrated sunlight so as to uniformly illuminate 36 triple junction cells at 1200x geometric concentration1. The relay optics and cells are integrated with an active cooling system in a self-contained Power Conversion Unit (PCU) suspended above the dish reflector. Only electrical connections are made to the PCU as the active cooling system within is completely sealed. Eight of these reflector/PCU units can be mounted on a single two axis tracking structure2. Our 1st generation prototype reflector/PCU unit consistently generated 2.2 kW of power normalized to 1kW/m2 DNI in over 200 hours of on-sun testing in 20113. Here, we present on-sun performance results for our 2nd generation prototype reflector/PCU unit, which has been in operation since June 2012. This improved system consistently generates 2.7 kW of power normalized to 1kW/m2 DNI and has logged over 100 hours of on-sun testing. This system is currently operating at28% DC net system efficiency with an operating cell temperature of only 20°C above ambient. Having proven this system concept, work on our 3rd generation prototype is underway with a focus on manufacturability, lower cost, and DC efficiency target of 32% or better.

High Efficiency, Low Cost Parabolic Dish System for Cogeneration of Electricity and Heat

Science.gov (United States)

Chayet, Haim; Lozovsky, Ilan; Kost, Ori; Loeckenhoff, Ruediger; Rasch, Klaus-Dieter

2010-10-01

Highly efficient combined heat and power generating system based on CPV technology using unique dish design consisting of multiple simple flat mirrors mounted on a plastic parabolic surface. The dish of total aperture area of 11 m2 focuses 10.3 kWp onto a heat and electricity generating receiver. The receiver comprises a water cooled, dense triple junction cell array of 176 cm2 aperture area. A unique arrangement of the cells compensates for the non-uniformity of the reflected flux. Depending on the flow rate, the temperature of the hot water can be adjusted to suit from temperatures for domestic use, to temperatures suited for process heat. The output of 2.3 kWp electrical and 5.5 kWp thermal power from one dish system represent 20 to 21% electrical and 50% thermal conversion efficiency adding to 70% overall system efficiency.

Motives for dish choices during home meal preparation: results from a large sample of the NutriNet-Santé study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ducrot, Pauline; Méjean, Caroline; Allès, Benjamin; Fassier, Philippine; Hercberg, Serge; Péneau, Sandrine

2015-09-30

Although culinary practices have strongly evolved over time, few data are available on contemporary dish choices during meal preparation. We therefore sought to determine individual motives when choosing dishes to be prepared during weekdays and on weekends. The importance of 27 criteria related to dish choices was assessed in 53,025 participants in the NutriNet-Santé study. Dimensions of dish choice motives were investigated using exploratory factor analysis. Mean ratings of motives during weekdays and on weekends were compared using Student's t-test. Association between socio-demographic and cooking practice characteristics, and dish choice motives were evaluated using logistic regression models. Five dimensions of dish choice motives emerged: healthy diet (explained variance: 48.3%), constraints (19.0%), pleasure (12.1%), specific diets (11.0%) and organization (9.6%). The healthy diet factor was the most important on weekdays (mean rating 3.93) and weekends (3.90). Pleasure (3.61) had a higher score than constraints (3.54) on weekends (p < 0.0001) while the opposite was observed on weekdays (3.42 vs 3.77, respectively) (p < 0.0001). Organization was more important on weekdays (2.89) than on weekends (2.75) (p < 0.0001). Dish choice motives appeared to be significantly associated with socio-demographic and cooking practice characteristics. This study highlighted factors involved in dish choices in meal preparation on weekdays and weekends, as well as individual characteristics which determine motives for dish choices. From a public health perspective, these findings might help to develop appropriate strategies for promoting home meal preparation.

Risk factors for contamination of ready-to-eat street-vended poultry dishes in Dakar, Senegal.

Science.gov (United States)

Cardinale, E; Perrier Gros-Claude, J D; Tall, F; Guèye, E F; Salvat, G

2005-08-25

Our objective was to investigate the Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination of traditional ready-to-eat street-vended poultry dishes and to assess the association of some restaurant characteristics and cooking practices with the contamination of these meals. One hundred and forty-eight street-restaurants were studied from January 2003 to April 2004 in Dakar. A questionnaire was submitted to the managers, and samples of ready-to-eat poultry dishes were taken. Salmonella spp. was isolated in 20.1% of the 148 street-restaurants studied and in 10.1% samples of poultry dishes. The most prevalent serovars isolated were Salmonella hadar, Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella brancaster. Campylobacter jejuni was detected in only 3 restaurants and 3 poultry dishes. Not peeling and not cleaning vegetables and other ingredients during meal preparation (OR=3.58), dirty clothing for restaurant employees (OR=4.65), reheating previously cooked foods (OR=5.2), and no kitchen and utensils disinfection (OR=3.47) were associated with an increasing risk of Salmonella contamination. Adequate cooking procedures decreased the risk of Salmonella contamination (OR=0.15).

Nano Petri dishes: a new polystyrene platform for studying cell-nanoengineered surface interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cha, Kyoung Je; Na, Moon-Hee; Kim, Hyung Woo; Kim, Dong Sung

2014-01-01

In this study, we fabricated and fully characterized a new type of polystyrene (PS) cell-culture platform containing nanoengineered surfaces (NES), referred to as a nano Petri dish, which can be used at the transition stage of basic cell–NES interaction studies for clinical applications. Nano-injection molding in this study was used for the mass production of the nano Petri dish having nanopore arrays. The effects of processing parameters of the injection molding on the replication quality of the nanopore arrays were quantitatively evaluated by means of design of experiments based on the Taguchi method. This allowed efficient and reliable cell culture studies by providing large numbers of the same dishes, in addition to removing the fixation step of the NES plates inside the cell-culture container. Physical, chemical and mechanical properties of the NES, as well as cell behavior including attachment and proliferation of human osteosarcoma MG-63 cells on the NES, were then characterized, with and without the oxygen plasma surface treatment. (paper)

Nano Petri dishes: a new polystyrene platform for studying cell-nanoengineered surface interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Cha, Kyoung Je; Na, Moon-Hee; Kim, Hyung Woo; Kim, Dong Sung

2014-05-01

In this study, we fabricated and fully characterized a new type of polystyrene (PS) cell-culture platform containing nanoengineered surfaces (NES), referred to as a nano Petri dish, which can be used at the transition stage of basic cell-NES interaction studies for clinical applications. Nano-injection molding in this study was used for the mass production of the nano Petri dish having nanopore arrays. The effects of processing parameters of the injection molding on the replication quality of the nanopore arrays were quantitatively evaluated by means of design of experiments based on the Taguchi method. This allowed efficient and reliable cell culture studies by providing large numbers of the same dishes, in addition to removing the fixation step of the NES plates inside the cell-culture container. Physical, chemical and mechanical properties of the NES, as well as cell behavior including attachment and proliferation of human osteosarcoma MG-63 cells on the NES, were then characterized, with and without the oxygen plasma surface treatment.

Detail design of a 10.4-m stretched-membrane dish. Phase 2, Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-01-01

This report describes efforts conducted under Tasks 3 and 4 of the second phase of the project to develop a single-element stretched-membrane dish concept to reduce the cost of a high-performance concentrating solar collector. We completed the detailed design for such a collector suitable to drive a 25-kWe Stirling motor generator. The design includes the collectors, optical element, the drive, and support systems. The aperture of the optical element was sized to provide the required energy to the engine based on test data and analytical models of the concentrator receiver, and engine. The design of the optical element was improved based on experience gained from the design, fabrication, and testing of several prototypes.

Cultivation-independent comprehensive investigations on bacterial communities in serofluid dish, a traditional Chinese fermented food

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peng Chen

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Serofluid dish (or Jiangshui, in Chinese, a traditional food in the Chinese culture, is made from vegetables by fermentation. In this study, bacterial community of the fermented serofluid dish was assessed by Illumina amplicon sequencing. The metagenome comprised of 49,589 average raw reads with an average 11,497,917 bp and G+C content is 52.46%. This is the first report on V4 hyper-variable region of the 16S rRNA metagenome sequence employing Illumina platform to profile the microbial community of this little known fermented food from Gansu Province, China. The metagenome sequence can be accessed at NCBI, SRA database accession no. SRP065370. Keywords: Serofluid dish, Jiangshui, 16S rRNA, Cultivation-independent, Microbial diversity

Association between Motives for Dish Choices during Home Meal Preparation and Weight Status in the NutriNet-Santé Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ducrot, Pauline; Fassier, Philippine; Méjean, Caroline; Allès, Benjamin; Hercberg, Serge; Péneau, Sandrine

2016-07-05

Although home cooking has been associated with a lower body mass index in a few studies, no data exists on the motives behind food dish choices during home meal preparation and on their association with overweight. This study aimed to evaluate this association in 50,003 participants from the NutriNet-Santé cohort. Dimensions underlying the importance of 27 criteria possibly influencing dish choices were determined using an exploratory factor analysis. The association between dish choice motives and overweight (including obesity) was estimated using logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics. Five dimensions of dishes choice motives emerged: healthy diet (e.g., "nutritional balance of the dish"), constraints (e.g., "my cooking skills"), pleasure (e.g., "originality of the dish"), specific diets (e.g., "my health status"), and organization (e.g., "what I planned to eat"). A negative association was observed between the healthy diet factor and being overweight (OR = 0.65 (95% CI (confidence interval): 0.62-0.67)), whereas a positive association appeared for factors regarding pleasure (OR = 1.14 (95% CI: 1.10-1.19)) and specific diets (OR = 1.19 (95% CI: 1.17-1.22)). No significant associations were observed for constraints and organization. The significant associations between dish choice motives and overweight suggested the interest of focusing on these motives in order to promote healthier food choices during home cooking.

Theoretical modelling of solar dish concentrator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yaaseen Rafeeu; Mohd Zainal Abidin Abdul Kadir; Senan Mohamed Abdulla; Nor Mariah Adam

2009-01-01

Full text: Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies could be one of the major contributor to worlds future energy needs and which would be cheap and clean sources of energy. This would improve energy utilization, higher conversion efficiency with reliable and affordable supply of electricity to the public. The proposed approach is using different size and depth of solar dish concentrators to improve solar fraction using the aluminium foil as reflector. In this paper, different measurement of solar concentrators is investigated and aims to aims to introducing an improved methodology for solar fraction on incoming solar energy in wet climate. (author)

Effect of Tracking Error of Double-Axis Tracking Device on the Optical Performance of Solar Dish Concentrator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jian Yan

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a flux distribution model of the focal plane in dish concentrator system has been established based on ray tracking method. This model was adopted for researching the influence of the mirror slope error, solar direct normal irradiance, and tracking error of elevation-azimuth tracking device (EATD on the focal spot characteristics (i.e., flux distribution, geometrical shape, centroid position, and intercept factor. The tracking error transmission law of the EATD transferred to dish concentrator was also studied. The results show that the azimuth tracking error of the concentrator decreases with the increase of the concentrator elevation angle and it decreases to 0 mrad when the elevation angle is 90°. The centroid position of focal spot along x-axis and y-axis has linear relationship with azimuth and elevation tracking error of EATD, respectively, which could be used to evaluate and calibrate the tracking error of the dish concentrator. Finally, the transmission law of the EATD azimuth tracking error in solar heliostats is analyzed, and a dish concentrator using a spin-elevation tracking device is proposed, which can reduce the effect of spin tracking error on the dish concentrator. This work could provide fundamental for manufacturing precision allocation of tracking devices and developing a new type of tracking device.

Ankylosant spondylitis association and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Medina, Yimi; Restrepo Suarez, Jose Felix; Calvo Paramo, Enrique

2000-01-01

We are presenting a 66 year-old patient complaining of low back pain for the last 3 months and cervical pain for the last 45 days, Review of systems showed long standing lumbar and cervical stiffness, Radiological studies were compatible with ankylosing spondylitis and DISH (Diffuse idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis). Associations of those diseases are uncommon and reported only few times in the literature

Flavor Enhancer From Catfish (Clarias batrachus) Bekasam Powder and Angiotensin-I-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitory Activity in Various Dishes

Science.gov (United States)

Lestari, Yanesti N.; Murwani, Retno; Agustini, Tri W.

2018-02-01

Flavor enhancer is characterized by high glutamic acid content and it can be obtained from fermented food such as Bekasam. Fermented food had inhibitory effect on Angiotensin-I-Converting Enzyme (ACE) activity which is advantageous for hypertension. However, such activity was not known to sustain in food system. The aim of this research was to study addition of flavour enhancer from Catfish Bekasam Powder (CBP) in various food systems and to determine the ACE inhibitory (ACEI) activity in the food system. Four food system consisted of carrot, champignon, and chicken meat dishes were boiled in water and added with CBP or MSG. Each food system was added with graded level of CBP (0%; 0.5%; 0.8%; 1.1%; and 1,4%) and for control monosodium glutamate (MSG) was used. ACEI activity in each food system and organoleptic test using multiple comparison differentiation on 15 semi-trained panellists were determined. The results showed that there were fluctuation of ACEI activity in the carrot, champignon, and chicken meat dishes (p=0.017; 0.043; and 0.032). The MSG containing dishes showed the lowest ACEI activity. Addition of graded level of CBP on carrot, champignon, and chicken meat dishes were directly proportional to glutamic acid content but inversely proportional to ACEI activity (pacid content but reduced ACE-inhibitory activity significantly (p<0.05). Comparing CBP to MSG addition in champignon dish revealed that increasing level of CBP increased the flavour preference of the panellists. On the contrary the higher the addition CBP in noodle and chicken meat dishes the worse were the flavour score (p<0.05). It can be concluded that the addition of CBP as flavour enhancer on various dishes can deliver better flavour and ACE-inhibitory activity than the addition of commercial MSG.

Recipes and nutritional value of dishes prepared from green-leafy vegetables in an urban district of Antananarivo (Madagascar).

Science.gov (United States)

Randrianatoandro, Verohanitra Annie; Avallone, Sylvie; Picq, Christian; Ralison, Charlotte; Trèche, Serge

2010-06-01

The recipes of 50 multi-ingredient dishes consumed by the population in an urban district were noted down. The nutritional value was determined as well as the cook value of the dishes in order to evaluate the severity of the thermal treatment. The recipes were simple and involved steps such as boiling, mixing, and cutting. Fibre contents were rather low except when the leaf stems were included. All the dishes had very high beta-carotene content (15.8-25.0 mg/100 g dry matter) and retinol activity equivalent (RAE) (1.3-2.3 mg RAE/100 g dry matter) because of the high proportion of fresh leafy vegetables (from 41.2% to 58.8% of the total dry matter of the ingredients). When meat was added to the preparation, the micronutrient content (iron, zinc, and retinol) was not increased significantly. In three dishes, a positive correlation was found between the thermal treatment severity and the 13-cis-beta-carotene amount.

Phytate/calcium molar ratio does not predict accessibility of calcium in ready-to-eat dishes.

Science.gov (United States)

Erba, Daniela; Manini, Federica; Meroni, Erika; Casiraghi, Maria C

2017-08-01

Phytic acid (PA), a naturally occurring compound of plant food, is generally considered to affect mineral bioavailability. The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of the PA/calcium molar ratio as a predictive factor of calcium accessibility in composed dishes and their ingredients. Dishes were chosen whose ingredients were rich in Ca (milk or cheese) or in PA (whole-wheat cereals) in order to consider a range of PA/Ca ratios (from 0 to 2.4) and measure Ca solubility using an in vitro approach. The amounts of soluble Ca in composed dishes were consistent with the sum of soluble Ca from ingredients (three out of five meals) or higher. Among whole-wheat products, bread showed higher Ca accessibility (71%, PA/Ca = 1.1) than biscuits (23%, PA/Ca = 0.9) and pasta (15%, PA/Ca = 1.5), and among Ca-rich ingredients, semi-skimmed milk displayed higher Ca accessibility (64%) than sliced cheese (50%) and Parmesan (38%). No significant correlation between the PA/Ca ratio and Ca accessibility was found (P = 0.077). The reliability of the PA/Ca ratio for predicting the availability of calcium in composed dishes is unsatisfactory; data emphasized the importance of the overall food matrix influence on mineral accessibility. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Fort Huachuca to Benefit from New Solar Technology: Dish-Stirling System Couples Solar Power with Engine to Generate Electricity

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1995-01-01

... in partnership with industry. A prototype dish-Stirling solar system, which consists of a large dish of solar concentrators and a Stirling heat engine, will be installed at Fort Huachuca in July and should be in operation about two weeks later...

Cascade system using both trough system and dish system for power generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Cheng; Zhang, Yanping; Arauzo, Inmaculada; Gao, Wei; Zou, Chongzhe

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A novel solar cascade system using both trough and dish collectors is proposed. • Heat rejected by the Stirling engines is collected by the condensed water. • The directions to increase the efficiency improvement has been pointed out • Influence of flow type of heating/cooling fluids of Stirling engines is considered. - Abstract: This paper represents a novel solar thermal cascade system using both trough and dish systems for power generation. An effective structure using the condensed fluid of Rankine cycle to cool the Stirling engines to use the heat released by Stirling engines was proposed. The cascade system model with different fluid circuits was developed. The models of some important components of the system, such as dish collector, trough collector and Stirling engine array, are presented with detail explanation in this paper. Corresponding stand-alone systems were also developed for comparison. Simulations were conducted with the models to find out efficiency difference between cascade system and corresponding stand-alone systems. The directions to increase the efficiency difference were also considered. Results show that the cascade system can achieve a higher efficiency with a high solar irradiance (>550 W/m"2). The flow type of fluids between heating and cooling Stirling engine array is also required to concern on designing a cascade system with Stirling engine array.

Finite time thermodynamic analysis and optimization of solar-dish Stirling heat engine with regenerative losses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sharma Arjun

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The present study investigates the performance of the solar-driven Stirling engine system to maximize the power output and thermal efficiency using the non-linearized heat loss model of the solar dish collector and the irreversible cycle model of the Stirling engine. Finite time thermodynamic analysis has been done for combined system to calculate the finite-rate heat transfer, internal heat losses in the regenerator, conductive thermal bridging losses and finite regeneration process time. The results indicate that exergy efficiency of dish system increases as the effectiveness of regenerator increases but decreases with increase in regenerative time coefficient. It is also found that optimal range of collector temperature and corresponding concentrating ratio are 1000 K~1400 K and 1100~1400, respectively in order to get maximum value of exergy efficiency. It is reported that the exergy efficiency of this dish system can reach the maximum value when operating temperature and concentrating ratio are 1150 K and 1300, respectively.

Nutritional Quality of School Meals in France: Impact of Guidelines and the Role of Protein Dishes.

Science.gov (United States)

Vieux, Florent; Dubois, Christophe; Duchêne, Christelle; Darmon, Nicole

2018-02-13

In France, school meals must comply with 15 frequency criteria (FC) expressed as nutritional requirements (e.g., "starters containing more than 15% fat served no more than four times out of 20") in a series of 20 consecutive meals. The objective was to assess, for the first time, the nutritional impact of complying with French school food FC. Based on 40 series of meals actually served in primary schools ("observed series"), several scenarios (1600 series per scenario) of compliance or non-compliance with FC were simulated, and nutritional quality was assessed via the mean adequacy ratio (MAR/2000 kcal). In the observed series, only 9.7 FC on average (range 4-14) were fulfilled. In the simulated series: (i) MAR was positively associated with FC compliance level, with the highest MAR obtained with complete compliance; (ii) MAR decreased when meat or fish-based dishes were replaced by dishes without meat or fish; and (iii) removing the protein dish without replacement led to the lowest MAR. This study demonstrates that French school food guidelines ensure good nutritional quality of food services. It also shows that generalizing the service of meals without meat or fish would deteriorate overall nutritional quality, highlighting the need to define the composition of vegetarian dishes and their frequency of service to children.

Mount for continuously orienting a collector dish in a system adapted to perform both diurnal and seasonal solar tracking

Science.gov (United States)

Brantley, L. W., Jr.; Lawson, B. D. (Inventor)

1977-01-01

A collector dish is continuously oriented toward the sun in a system adapted to perform both diurnal and seasonal solar tracking. The mount is characterized by a rigid, angulated axle having a linear midportion supporting a collector dish, and oppositely extended end portions normally related to the midportion of the axle and received in spaced journals. The longitudinal axis of symmetry for the midportion of the axle is coincident with a seasonal axis while the axes of the journals are coincident with a diurnal axis paralleling the earth's polar axis. Drive means are provided for periodically displacing the axle about the diurnal axis at a substantially constant rate, while other drive means are provided for periodically indexing the dish through 1 deg about the seasonal axis whereby the position of the dish relative to the axle is varied for accommodating seasonal tracking as changes in the angle of inclination of the polar axis occurs.

Nutritional Quality of School Meals in France: Impact of Guidelines and the Role of Protein Dishes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florent Vieux

2018-02-01

Full Text Available In France, school meals must comply with 15 frequency criteria (FC expressed as nutritional requirements (e.g., “starters containing more than 15% fat served no more than four times out of 20” in a series of 20 consecutive meals. The objective was to assess, for the first time, the nutritional impact of complying with French school food FC. Based on 40 series of meals actually served in primary schools (“observed series”, several scenarios (1600 series per scenario of compliance or non-compliance with FC were simulated, and nutritional quality was assessed via the mean adequacy ratio (MAR/2000 kcal. In the observed series, only 9.7 FC on average (range 4–14 were fulfilled. In the simulated series: (i MAR was positively associated with FC compliance level, with the highest MAR obtained with complete compliance; (ii MAR decreased when meat or fish-based dishes were replaced by dishes without meat or fish; and (iii removing the protein dish without replacement led to the lowest MAR. This study demonstrates that French school food guidelines ensure good nutritional quality of food services. It also shows that generalizing the service of meals without meat or fish would deteriorate overall nutritional quality, highlighting the need to define the composition of vegetarian dishes and their frequency of service to children.

Performance tests and efficiency analysis of Solar Invictus 53S - A parabolic dish solar collector for direct steam generation

Science.gov (United States)

Jamil, Umer; Ali, Wajahat

2016-05-01

This paper presents the results of performance tests conducted on Solar Invictus 53S `system'; an economically effective solar steam generation solution designed and developed by ZED Solar Ltd. The system consists of a dual axis tracking parabolic solar dish and bespoke cavity type receiver, which works as a Once Through Solar Steam Generator `OTSSG' mounted at the focal point of the dish. The overall performance and efficiency of the system depends primarily on the optical efficiency of the solar dish and thermal efficiency of the OTSSG. Optical testing performed include `on sun' tests using CCD camera images and `burn plate' testing to evaluate the sunspot for size and quality. The intercept factor was calculated using a colour look-back method to determine the percentage of solar rays focused into the receiver. Solar dish tracking stability tests were carried out at different times of day to account for varying dish elevation angles and positions, movement of the sunspot centroid was recorded and logged using a CCD camera. Finally the overall performance and net solar to steam efficiency of the system was calculated by experimentally measuring the output steam parameters at varying Direct Normal Insolation (DNI) levels at ZED Solar's test facility in Lahore, Pakistan. Thermal losses from OTSSG were calculated using the known optical efficiency and measured changes in output steam enthalpy.

Spondyloarthritis, diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) and chondrocalcinosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Armas, Jácome Brugues; Couto, Ana Rita; Bettencourt, Bruno Filipe

2009-01-01

The authors describe the main clinical and radiological findings of common enthesopathic disorders-spondylarthritis (SpA), chondrocalcinosis/calcium pyrophosphate dehydrate crystal deposition disease (CPPD CDD) and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH), stressing similarities and differences which may help in the differential diagnosis. They emphasize the clinical presentation of the "pseudoankylosing spondylitis" forms of CPPD CDD. They also review the most relevant genes and molecular mechanisms associated with these conditions and with another enthesopathic disorder with high prevalence in the Japanese population-ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL).

ALMA observing strategies

OpenAIRE

Biggs, Andy

2018-01-01

The ALMA Observing Tool (OT) is a Java-based tool used to prepare ALMA observations. In this talk, I highlight the particular features relevant to setting up single dish observations when these are needed to observe sources where the largest angular scale requires the addition of the total power antennas.

ALMA Observing Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Biggs, Andy

2018-03-01

The ALMA Observing Tool (OT) is a Java-based tool used to prepare ALMA observations. In this talk, I highlight the particular features relevant to setting up single dish observations when these are needed to observe sources where the largest angular scale requires the addition of the total power antennas.

Exergy Analysis of a Pilot Parabolic Solar Dish-Stirling System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ehsan Gholamalizadeh

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Energy and exergy analyses were carried out for a pilot parabolic solar dish-Stirling System. The system was set up at a site at Kerman City, located in a sunny desert area of Iran. Variations in energy and exergy efficiency were considered during the daytime hours of the average day of each month in a year. A maximum collector energy efficiency and total energy efficiency of 54% and 12.2%, respectively, were predicted in July, while during the period between November and February the efficiency values were extremely low. The maximum collector exergy efficiency was 41.5% in July, while the maximum total exergy efficiency reached 13.2%. The values of energy losses as a percentage of the total losses of the main parts of the system were also reported. Results showed that the major energy and exergy losses occurred in the receiver. The second biggest portion of energy losses occurred in the Stirling engine, while the portion of exergy loss in the concentrator was higher compared to the Stirling engine. Finally, the performance of the Kerman pilot was compared to that of the EuroDish project.

Occurrence of heterocyclic amines in several home-cooked meat dishes of the Spanish diet.

Science.gov (United States)

Busquets, R; Bordas, M; Toribio, F; Puignou, L; Galceran, M T

2004-03-25

Heterocyclic amines (HAs) were determined in several of the most frequently eaten meat dishes in Spain such as fried beef hamburger, fried pork loin, fried chicken breast, fried pork sausages, griddled chicken breast, griddled lamb steak and griddled beef steak. All of the products tested were household cooked. The HAs were analysed in the selected meat dishes using an analytical method based on solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. DMIP, MeIQx, 4,8-DiMeIQx, Norharman, Harman, PhIP, Trp-P-1, AalphaC and MeAalphaC were the amines most frequently found at concentrations of up to 47 ng g(-1) of cooked meat. Glu-P-2, IQ, MeIQ, Glu-P-1, 7,8-DiMeIQx and Trp-P-2 were only found in a few of the meat dishes and their concentrations were lower than 1 ng g(-1) of cooked meat. The highest amounts of HAs, especially PhIP and DMIP, were formed in fried chicken breast and the lowest were formed in fried beef hamburger and in fried pork sausages. Daily intake of HAs in Spain was estimated at 606 ng of mutagenic HAs per capita and day, DMIP and PhIP being the main contributors.

White Paper on Dish Stirling Technology: Path Toward Commercial Deployment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andraka, Charles E. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Concentrating Solar Power Dept.; Stechel, Ellen [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Concentrating Solar Power Dept.; Becker, Peter [Stirling Energy Systems, Scottsdale, AZ (United States); Messick, Brian [Stirling Energy Systems, Scottsdale, AZ (United States)

2016-07-01

Dish Stirling energy systems have been developed for distributed and large-scale utility deployment. This report summarizes the state of the technology in a joint project between Stirling Energy Systems, Sandia National Laboratories, and the Department of Energy in 2011. It then lays out a feasible path to large scale deployment, including development needs and anticipated cost reduction paths that will make a viable deployment product.

Modelling dishes and exploring culinary 'precisions': the two issues of molecular gastronomy.

Science.gov (United States)

This, Hervé

2005-04-01

The scientific strategy of molecular gastronomy includes modelling 'culinary definitions' and experimental explorations of 'culinary precisions'. A formalism that describes complex dispersed systems leads to a physical classification of classical sauces, as well as to the invention of an infinite number of new dishes.

Combined approach for finding susceptibility genes in DISH/chondrocalcinosis families: whole-genome-wide linkage and IBS/IBD studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Couto, Ana Rita; Parreira, Bruna; Thomson, Russell; Soares, Marta; Power, Deborah M; Stankovich, Jim; Armas, Jácome Bruges; Brown, Matthew A

2017-01-01

Twelve families with exuberant and early-onset calcium pyrophosphate dehydrate chondrocalcinosis (CC) and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH), hereafter designated DISH/CC, were identified in Terceira Island, the Azores, Portugal. Ninety-two (92) individuals from these families were selected for whole-genome-wide linkage analysis. An identity-by-descent (IBD) analysis was performed in 10 individuals from 5 of the investigated pedigrees. The chromosome area with the maximal logarithm of the odds score (1.32; P =0.007) was not identified using the IBD/identity-by-state (IBS) analysis; therefore, it was not investigated further. From the IBD/IBS analysis, two candidate genes, LEMD3 and RSPO4 , were identified and sequenced. Nine genetic variants were identified in the RSPO4 gene; one regulatory variant (rs146447064) was significantly more frequent in control individuals than in DISH/CC patients ( P =0.03). Four variants were identified in LEMD3 , and the rs201930700 variant was further investigated using segregation analysis. None of the genetic variants in RSPO4 or LEMD3 segregated within the studied families. Therefore, although a major genetic effect was shown to determine DISH/CC occurrence within these families, the specific genetic variants involved were not identified.

Summary assessment of solar thermal parabolic dish technology for electrical power generation

Science.gov (United States)

Penda, P. L.; Fujita, T.; Lucas, J. W.

1985-01-01

An assessment is provided of solar thermal parabolic dish technology for electrical power generation. The assessment is based on the development program undertaken by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy and covers the period from the initiation of the program in 1976 through mid-1984. The program was founded on developing components and subsystems that are integrated into parabolic dish power modules for test and evaluation. The status of the project is summarized in terms of results obtained through testing of modules, and the implications of these findings are assessed in terms of techno-economic projections and market potential. The techno-economic projections are based on continuation of an evolutionary technological development program and are related to the accomplishments of the program as of mid-1984. The accomplishments of the development effort are summarized for each major subsystem including concentrators, receivers, and engines. The ramifications of these accomplishments are assessed in the context of developmental objectives and strategies.

Association between Motives for Dish Choices during Home Meal Preparation and Weight Status in the NutriNet-Santé Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pauline Ducrot

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Although home cooking has been associated with a lower body mass index in a few studies, no data exists on the motives behind food dish choices during home meal preparation and on their association with overweight. This study aimed to evaluate this association in 50,003 participants from the NutriNet-Santé cohort. Dimensions underlying the importance of 27 criteria possibly influencing dish choices were determined using an exploratory factor analysis. The association between dish choice motives and overweight (including obesity was estimated using logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics. Five dimensions of dishes choice motives emerged: healthy diet (e.g., “nutritional balance of the dish”, constraints (e.g., “my cooking skills”, pleasure (e.g., “originality of the dish”, specific diets (e.g., “my health status”, and organization (e.g., “what I planned to eat”. A negative association was observed between the healthy diet factor and being overweight (OR = 0.65 (95% CI (confidence interval: 0.62–0.67, whereas a positive association appeared for factors regarding pleasure (OR = 1.14 (95% CI: 1.10–1.19 and specific diets (OR = 1.19 (95% CI: 1.17–1.22. No significant associations were observed for constraints and organization. The significant associations between dish choice motives and overweight suggested the interest of focusing on these motives in order to promote healthier food choices during home cooking.

Evaluation of the comprehensive palatability of Japanese sake paired with dishes by multiple regression analysis based on subdomains.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamura, Ryo; Nakano, Kumiko; Tamura, Hiroyasu; Mizunuma, Masaki; Fushiki, Tohru; Hirata, Dai

2017-08-01

Many factors contribute to palatability. In order to evaluate the palatability of Japanese alcohol sake paired with certain dishes by integrating multiple factors, here we applied an evaluation method previously reported for palatability of cheese by multiple regression analysis based on 3 subdomain factors (rewarding, cultural, and informational). We asked 94 Japanese participants/subjects to evaluate the palatability of sake (1st evaluation/E1 for the first cup, 2nd/E2 and 3rd/E3 for the palatability with aftertaste/afterglow of certain dishes) and to respond to a questionnaire related to 3 subdomains. In E1, 3 factors were extracted by a factor analysis, and the subsequent multiple regression analyses indicated that the palatability of sake was interpreted by mainly the rewarding. Further, the results of attribution-dissections in E1 indicated that 2 factors (rewarding and informational) contributed to the palatability. Finally, our results indicated that the palatability of sake was influenced by the dish eaten just before drinking.

Facet development for a faceted stretched-membrane dish by Solar Kinetics, Inc

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schertz, P.T.; Brown, D.C.; Konnerth, A. III (Solar Kinetics, Inc., Dallas, TX (United States))

1991-07-01

A 3.6-meter diameter stretched-membrane optical facet for a parabolic dish has been successfully designed and demonstrated under contract with Sandia National Laboratories. Twelve facets identical to them will be used to make the lightweight reflector of the dish. The project goal of 2.5-mrad surface accuracy was met with each of the two full-sized prototypes, and accuracies of as low as 1.1 mrad were achieved. The facet weight is 11.7 kg/m{sup 2} (2.4lbs/ft{sup 2}). The facet is similar in construction to the successful stretched-membrane heliostat; it has two thin metal membranes attached to a ring. However, the front membrane for this facet is plastically formed at the factor in order to achieve a shorter facet f/D (approximately 3.0). A passive tether restrains the from membrane when not in operation, that is, when the stabilizing vacuum is off. The optical surface is achieved with a silvered-acrylic film laminated to the metal membrane. The facet is expected to cost $55.40/m{sup 2} at a production rate of 10,000 facets per year and $115, 000/m{sup 2}-at a production rate of 500 facets a year. Several key issues have been resolved. Stress concentrations due to seams in the reflective laminate did not cause membrane rupture during forming as they have for dishes with lower focal length-to-diameter ratios. The laminate survived the forming process and simulated operation without deterioration. The optical effect of the tether on the membrane was tested and found to be very small. Most important, highly accurate shapes were obtained using a simple forming procedure. Additional tests are needed to demonstrate process repeatablility and facet performance in typical operating conditions. 18 refs., 36 figs., 11 tabs.

Sizing a solar dish Stirling micro-CHP system for residential application in diverse climatic conditions based on 3E analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moghadam, Ramin Shabanpour; Sayyaadi, Hoseyn; Hosseinzade, Hadi

2013-01-01

Highlights: • 3E analysis was performed on solar CHP systems. • Significant primary energy saving and greenhouse gas reduction were obtained. • The engine was sized so that it had the best economic sound. • Various criteria at different weathers were used for sizing the engine. - Abstract: A solar dish Stirling cogeneration system is considered to provide energy demands of a residential building. As energy demands of the building and output power of the engine are functions of weather condition and solar irradiation flux, the benchmark building was considered to be located in five different cities in Iran with diverse climatic and solar irradiation conditions. The proposed solar dish Stirling micro-CHP system was analyzed based on 3E analysis. The 3E analysis evaluated primary energy saving analysis (energy analysis), carbon dioxide emission reduction (environmental analysis) and payback period for return of investment (economic analysis) and was compared to a reference building that utilized primary energy carriers for its demands. Three scenarios were considered for assessment and sizing the solar dish Stirling engine. In the first scenario, size of the solar dish Stirling engine was selected based on the lowest annual electric power demand while, in second, the highest annual electric power consumption was considered to specify size of the engine. In the third scenario, a solar dish Stirling engine with constant output capacity was considered for the five locations. It was shown that implementing the solar dish Stirling micro-CHP system had good potential in primary energy saving and carbon dioxide emission reduction in all scenarios and acceptable payback period for return of the investment in some scenarios. Finally, the best scenario for selecting size of the engine in each city was introduced using the TOPSIS decision making method. It was demonstrated that, for dry weather, the first scenario was the best while, for hot and humid cities and

The Flexitarian Flip™ : Testing the Modalities of Flavor as Sensory Strategies to Accomplish the Shift from Meat-Centered to Vegetable-Forward Mixed Dishes.

Science.gov (United States)

Spencer, Molly; Guinard, Jean-Xavier

2018-01-01

The American diet is lacking in plant-based foods and vegetables, higher in protein than necessary, and too centered on meat and poultry. Two major dietary shifts recommended by the 2015-2020 U.S. Dietary Guidelines are to increase vegetable intake and to increase the variety of protein food sources. One suggested strategy for doing this is to partially replace meat and poultry with vegetables and plant-based ingredients in mixed dishes. This research tested the potential of flavor modalities (taste, aroma, trigeminal, and their combination) as strategies to increase the sensory appeal of plant-forward dishes. Consumer testing (n = 141) was conducted in a cross-sectional design in a laboratory setting on 24 recipe variations. Three factors were tested: cuisine (Latin American, Mediterranean, and Asian), meat proportion (high-meat/low-vegetable versus low-meat/high-vegetable), and flavor strategy (taste, aroma, trigeminal, and a reduced-intensity trimodal combination). Statistical analysis was performed in R and XLSTAT-Sensory ® 2017. Four consumer preference segments were uncovered. The low-meat dishes achieved parity or higher in consumer acceptance across all recipes and flavor strategies. The taste and trigeminal strategies both had higher overall acceptability scores than the aroma strategy, and the differences were significant (P meat with vegetables in mixed dishes. The trigeminal and trimodal combination strategies were found to be the most promising flavor modalities to use to implement this shift. There is little knowledge of American consumer preferences regarding vegetables in mixed dishes. Mixed dishes are a strategy recommended by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines to increase vegetable consumption and variety of protein sources. This research explores various flavor and culinary strategies with which to carry out the mixed dish meat-vegetable swap and to test the potential of the Flexitarian Flip ™ (the shift from meat-centric to plant-centric diets

A microfluidic-based lid device for conventional cell culture dishes to automatically control oxygen level.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Seung Yeob; Yang, Sung

2018-04-25

Most conventional hypoxic cell culture systems undergo reoxygenation during experimental manipulations, resulting in undesirable effects including the reduction of cell viability. A lid device was developed herein for conventional cell culture dishes to resolve this limitation. The integration of multilayered microfluidic channels inside a thin membrane was designed to prevent the reoxygenation caused by reagent infusion and automatically control the oxygen level. The experimental data clearly show the reducibility of the dissolved oxygen in the infusing reagent and the controllability of the oxygen level inside the dish. The feasibility of the device for hypoxia studies was confirmed by HIF-1α experiments. Therefore, the device could be used as a compact and convenient hypoxic cell culture system to prevent reoxygenation-related issues.

Nutritional value of traditional Italian meat-based dishes: influence of cooking methods and recipe formulation.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Evoli, L; Salvatore, P; Lucarini, M; Nicoli, S; Aguzzi, A; Gabrielli, P; Lombardi-Boccia, G

2009-01-01

The present study provides a picture of the compositional figure and nutritive value of meat-based dishes typical of Italian culinary tradition. Recipes specific for a bovine meat cut (top-side) were selected among the most widespread ones in Italy: in pan, pizzaiola, cutlet, meat ball, and escalope. The total fat and cholesterol content varied depending on the ingredients utilized (extra-virgin olive oil, parmesan, egg). Meat-based dishes that utilized extra-virgin olive oil showed a significant reduction in palmitic and stearic acids and a parallel increase in oleic acid compared with raw meat; furthermore, the ratio among saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids shifted in favour of monounsaturated fatty acids. B vitamins were affected at different extent by heating; by contrast, vitamin E content increased because of the new sources of this vitamin, which masked losses due to heating. Ingredients (parmesan, discretionary salt) induced significant increases in the calcium and sodium concentrations compared with raw meat. The total iron content did not show marked differences in most of the meat-based dishes compared with raw meat; by contrast, losses in the heme-iron concentration were detected depending on the severity of heating treatments. Our findings suggest that heme iron, because of its important health aspects, might be a useful index of the nutritional quality of cooked meats.

A review of test results on solar thermal power modules with dish-mounted Stirling and Brayton cycle engines

Science.gov (United States)

Jaffe, Leonard D.

1988-01-01

This paper presents results of development tests of various solar thermal parabolic dish modules and assemblies that used dish-mounted Brayton or Stirling cycle engines for production of electric power. These tests indicate that early modules achieve net efficiencies up to 29 percent in converting sunlight to electricity, as delivered to the grid. Various equipment deficiencies were observed and a number of malfunctions occurred. The performance measurements, as well as the malfunctions and other test experience, provided information that should be of value in developing systems with improved performance and reduced maintenance.

A review of test results on solar thermal power modules with dish-mounted Stirling and Brayton cycle engines

Science.gov (United States)

Jaffe, Leonard D.

1988-11-01

This paper presents results of development tests of various solar thermal parabolic dish modules and assemblies that used dish-mounted Brayton or Stirling cycle engines for production of electric power. These tests indicate that early modules achieve net efficiencies up to 29 percent in converting sunlight to electricity, as delivered to the grid. Various equipment deficiencies were observed and a number of malfunctions occurred. The performance measurements, as well as the malfunctions and other test experience, provided information that should be of value in developing systems with improved performance and reduced maintenance.

Food Safety: Recommendations for Determining Doneness in Consumer Egg Dish Recipes and Measurement of Endpoint Temperatures When Recipes Are Followed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandria Godwin

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Many consumers do not follow recommended food safety practices for cooking egg dishes, such as pies, quiches, and casseroles, potentially leading to foodborne illnesses such as Salmonellosis. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA recommends cooking egg mixtures until the center reaches 71 °C (160 °F. The objectives of this study were to determine what endpoint temperature information consumers receive from egg dish recipes, and if recipes would lead to safe temperatures when followed. Egg dish recipes (n = 226 from 65 websites, 50 cookbooks, and nine magazine titles (multiple issues of each were analyzed. Time was the most frequently used indicator, given in 92% of the recipes, with 15% using only time. Other indicators included: set (89, browned (76, clean toothpick/knife (60, puffed (27, and jiggled (13. Only two recipes indicated final endpoint temperatures. Three recipes (a pie, a quiche, and an egg casserole were chosen and prepared in triplicate to see if they would reach recommended temperatures. The pie and quiche were still liquid at 71 °C, and were well over the recommended temperature when cooked according to instructions, but the egg casserole was not consistently above 71 °C, when the recipe instructions indicated it was done and the center was light brown and “jiggled” This research indicates that consumers are not receiving information on endpoint temperatures in egg recipes, but the likelihood of foodborne illness is low since most dishes probably be cooked past the recommended temperature before the consumer considers them done unless there are many inclusions that may absorb liquid and reduce the appearance of liquid in the dish.

Food Safety: Recommendations for Determining Doneness in Consumer Egg Dish Recipes and Measurement of Endpoint Temperatures When Recipes Are Followed

Science.gov (United States)

Godwin, Sandria; Maughan, Curtis; Chambers, Edgar

2016-01-01

Many consumers do not follow recommended food safety practices for cooking egg dishes, such as pies, quiches, and casseroles, potentially leading to foodborne illnesses such as Salmonellosis. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends cooking egg mixtures until the center reaches 71 °C (160 °F). The objectives of this study were to determine what endpoint temperature information consumers receive from egg dish recipes, and if recipes would lead to safe temperatures when followed. Egg dish recipes (n = 226) from 65 websites, 50 cookbooks, and nine magazine titles (multiple issues of each) were analyzed. Time was the most frequently used indicator, given in 92% of the recipes, with 15% using only time. Other indicators included: set (89), browned (76), clean toothpick/knife (60), puffed (27), and jiggled (13). Only two recipes indicated final endpoint temperatures. Three recipes (a pie, a quiche, and an egg casserole) were chosen and prepared in triplicate to see if they would reach recommended temperatures. The pie and quiche were still liquid at 71 °C, and were well over the recommended temperature when cooked according to instructions, but the egg casserole was not consistently above 71 °C, when the recipe instructions indicated it was done and the center was light brown and “jiggled” This research indicates that consumers are not receiving information on endpoint temperatures in egg recipes, but the likelihood of foodborne illness is low since most dishes probably be cooked past the recommended temperature before the consumer considers them done unless there are many inclusions that may absorb liquid and reduce the appearance of liquid in the dish. PMID:28231140

Food Safety: Recommendations for Determining Doneness in Consumer Egg Dish Recipes and Measurement of Endpoint Temperatures When Recipes Are Followed.

Science.gov (United States)

Godwin, Sandria; Maughan, Curtis; Chambers, Edgar

2016-06-23

Many consumers do not follow recommended food safety practices for cooking egg dishes, such as pies, quiches, and casseroles, potentially leading to foodborne illnesses such as Salmonellosis. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends cooking egg mixtures until the center reaches 71 °C (160 °F). The objectives of this study were to determine what endpoint temperature information consumers receive from egg dish recipes, and if recipes would lead to safe temperatures when followed. Egg dish recipes ( n = 226) from 65 websites, 50 cookbooks, and nine magazine titles (multiple issues of each) were analyzed. Time was the most frequently used indicator, given in 92% of the recipes, with 15% using only time. Other indicators included: set (89), browned (76), clean toothpick/knife (60), puffed (27), and jiggled (13). Only two recipes indicated final endpoint temperatures. Three recipes (a pie, a quiche, and an egg casserole) were chosen and prepared in triplicate to see if they would reach recommended temperatures. The pie and quiche were still liquid at 71 °C, and were well over the recommended temperature when cooked according to instructions, but the egg casserole was not consistently above 71 °C, when the recipe instructions indicated it was done and the center was light brown and "jiggled" This research indicates that consumers are not receiving information on endpoint temperatures in egg recipes, but the likelihood of foodborne illness is low since most dishes probably be cooked past the recommended temperature before the consumer considers them done unless there are many inclusions that may absorb liquid and reduce the appearance of liquid in the dish.

Prevalence of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) of the whole spine and its association with lumbar spondylosis and knee osteoarthritis: the ROAD study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kagotani, Ryohei; Yoshida, Munehito; Muraki, Shigeyuki; Oka, Hiroyuki; Hashizume, Hiroshi; Yamada, Hiroshi; Enyo, Yoshio; Nagata, Keiji; Ishimoto, Yuyu; Teraguchi, Masatoshi; Tanaka, Sakae; Nakamura, Kozo; Kawaguchi, Hiroshi; Akune, Toru; Yoshimura, Noriko

2015-03-01

We aimed to assess the prevalence of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) and its association with lumbar spondylosis (LS) and knee osteoarthritis (KOA) using a population-based cohort study entitled Research on Osteoarthritis/osteoporosis Against Disability (ROAD). In the baseline ROAD study, which was performed between 2005 and 2007, 1,690 participants in mountainous and coastal areas underwent anthropometric measurements and radiographic examinations of the whole spine (cervical, thoracic, and lumbar) and both knees. They also completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Presence of DISH was diagnosed according to Resnick criteria, and LS and KOA were defined as Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grade ≥3. Among the 1,690 participants, whole-spine radiographs of 1,647 individuals (97.5%; 573 men, 1,074 women; mean age, 65.3 years) were evaluated. Prevalence of DISH was 10.8% (men 22.0%, women 4.8%), and was significantly higher in older participants (presence of DISH 72.3 years, absence of DISH 64.4 years) and mainly distributed at the thoracic spine (88.7%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that presence of DISH was significantly associated with older age [+1 year, odds ratio (OR): 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03-1.14], male sex (OR: 5.55, 95% CI: 3.57-8.63), higher body mass index (+1 kg/m(2), OR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.02-1.14), presence of LS (KL2 vs KL0: 1, OR: 5.50, 95% CI: 2.81-10.8) (KL ≥3 vs KL0: 1, OR: 4.09, 95% CI: 2.08-8.03), and presence of KOA (KL ≥3 vs KL0: 1, OR: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.14-3.10) after adjusting for smoking, alcohol consumption, and residential area (mountainous vs coastal). This cross-sectional population-based study clarified the prevalence of DISH in general inhabitants and its significant association with LS and severe KOA.

Combined Heat & Power Using the Infinia Concentrated Solar CHP PowerDish System

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-01

Executive Orders FOB - Forward Operating Base FPSE - Free Piston Stirling Engine GHG - Greenhouse Gas ICC - International Code Council IMA... Stirling Engine (FPSE) for military, commercial, and space applications for almost 30 years. These developments have included multiple fuel types...product for its Free Piston Stirling Engine operating on solar energy for electricity production, called the PowerDishTM, a reasonable extension for

Thermo-economic multi-objective optimization of solar dish-Stirling engine by implementing evolutionary algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmadi, Mohammad H.; Sayyaadi, Hoseyn; Mohammadi, Amir H.; Barranco-Jimenez, Marco A.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Thermo-economic multi-objective optimization of solar dish-Stirling engine is studied. • Application of the evolutionary algorithm is investigated. • Error analysis is done to find out the error through investigation. - Abstract: In the recent years, remarkable attention is drawn to Stirling engine due to noticeable advantages, for instance a lot of resources such as biomass, fossil fuels and solar energy can be applied as heat source. Great number of studies are conducted on Stirling engine and finite time thermo-economic is one of them. In the present study, the dimensionless thermo-economic objective function, thermal efficiency and dimensionless power output are optimized for a dish-Stirling system using finite time thermo-economic analysis and NSGA-II algorithm. Optimized answers are chosen from the results using three decision-making methods. Error analysis is done to find out the error through investigation

Child and parent perspectives on healthier side dishes and beverages in restaurant kids' meals: results from a national survey in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Shonkoff, Eleanor T; Anzman-Frasca, Stephanie; Lynskey, Vanessa M; Chan, Grace; Glenn, Meaghan E; Economos, Christina D

2017-07-25

Children frequently consume foods from restaurants; considering the quick-service sector alone, 1/3 of children eat food from these restaurants on a given day, and among these consumers, 1/3 of their daily calories come from fast food. Restaurant foods and beverages are second only to grocery store foods and beverages in their contribution to total energy intake of U.S. 4- to 11-year-olds. Shifting their restaurant consumption in healthier directions could have a positive impact on child health. In 2014 this study examined self-reported child receptivity and parent awareness of child receptivity to ordering a fruit or vegetable side dish instead of French fries; and milk, water, or flavored water instead of soda/pop with a kids' meal when eating out. Child receptivity to side dishes was compared between 2010 and 2014. An online survey was administered by Nielsen via their Harris Poll Online to a national panel of 711 parents and their 8- to 12-year-old child, as part of a larger study. Frequencies, logistic regressions, t-tests, chi-square tests, and percent agreement were used to evaluate child likelihood of ordering certain side dishes; receptivity to healthier side dish and beverage alternatives; changes in receptivity to healthier sides across years; and parent awareness. A majority of children said they were likely to order a meal with a vegetable (60%), fruit (78%), or French fry (93%) side dish. They were receptive to receiving a fruit or vegetable (FV) side dish instead of French fries (68%); or milk, water, or flavored water instead of soda (81%) with their restaurant kids' meal. Liking/taste was the most common reason for children's feelings. Child receptivity to a FV side dish instead of French fries was high in both years and significantly higher in 2014 (t = -2.12, p = 0.034). The majority of parent and child reports of child receptivity were concordant (85%). These national survey results indicate that children are receptive to FV side dishes and

Child and parent perspectives on healthier side dishes and beverages in restaurant kids’ meals: results from a national survey in the United States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eleanor T. Shonkoff

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Children frequently consume foods from restaurants; considering the quick-service sector alone, 1/3 of children eat food from these restaurants on a given day, and among these consumers, 1/3 of their daily calories come from fast food. Restaurant foods and beverages are second only to grocery store foods and beverages in their contribution to total energy intake of U.S. 4- to 11-year-olds. Shifting their restaurant consumption in healthier directions could have a positive impact on child health. In 2014 this study examined self-reported child receptivity and parent awareness of child receptivity to ordering a fruit or vegetable side dish instead of French fries; and milk, water, or flavored water instead of soda/pop with a kids’ meal when eating out. Child receptivity to side dishes was compared between 2010 and 2014. Methods An online survey was administered by Nielsen via their Harris Poll Online to a national panel of 711 parents and their 8- to 12-year-old child, as part of a larger study. Frequencies, logistic regressions, t-tests, chi-square tests, and percent agreement were used to evaluate child likelihood of ordering certain side dishes; receptivity to healthier side dish and beverage alternatives; changes in receptivity to healthier sides across years; and parent awareness. Results A majority of children said they were likely to order a meal with a vegetable (60%, fruit (78%, or French fry (93% side dish. They were receptive to receiving a fruit or vegetable (FV side dish instead of French fries (68%; or milk, water, or flavored water instead of soda (81% with their restaurant kids’ meal. Liking/taste was the most common reason for children’s feelings. Child receptivity to a FV side dish instead of French fries was high in both years and significantly higher in 2014 (t = −2.12, p = 0.034. The majority of parent and child reports of child receptivity were concordant (85%. Conclusions These national survey

Analysis of solar water heater with parabolic dish concentrator and conical absorber

Science.gov (United States)

Rajamohan, G.; Kumar, P.; Anwar, M.; Mohanraj, T.

2017-06-01

This research focuses on developing novel technique for a solar water heating system. The novel solar system comprises a parabolic dish concentrator, conical absorber and water heater. In this system, the conical absorber tube directly absorbs solar radiation from the sun and the parabolic dish concentrator reflects the solar radiations towards the conical absorber tube from all directions, therefore both radiations would significantly improve the thermal collector efficiency. The working fluid water is stored at the bottom of the absorber tubes. The absorber tubes get heated and increases the temperature of the working fluid inside of the absorber tube and causes the working fluid to partially evaporate. The partially vaporized working fluid moves in the upward direction due to buoyancy effect and enters the heat exchanger. When fresh water passes through the heat exchanger, temperature of the vapour decreases through heat exchange. This leads to condensation of the vapour and forms liquid phase. The working fluid returns to the bottom of the collector absorber tube by gravity. Hence, this will continue as a cyclic process inside the system. The proposed investigation shows an improvement of collector efficiency, enhanced heat transfer and a quality water heating system.

Isotopic examination of links between diet, social differentiation, and DISH at the post-medieval Carmelite Friary of Aalst, Belgium.

Science.gov (United States)

Quintelier, Kim; Ervynck, Anton; Müldner, Gundula; Van Neer, Wim; Richards, Michael P; Fuller, Benjamin T

2014-02-01

Stable isotope ratios (δ(13) C and δ(15) N) were measured in human burials from the post-medieval (16th-18th c. AD) Carmelite friary burial grounds at Aalst, a town in Flanders, Belgium. Dietary patterns of 39 adult individuals were analyzed, from a mixed monastic and lay population buried in three different locations, reflecting groups with differing social status. The data show significant variation in the consumption of perhaps meat, but certainly also marine protein between females and males. This result represents a remarkable continuity with medieval dietary patterns, suggesting that the social and economic changes of the early modern period had a limited effect on everyday life. When both sexes were examined together, individuals buried in the cloister garth consumed significantly less marine protein compared to people buried in the church, likely reflecting social stratification. No statistical differences were observed between isotopic values from the church and the cloister alley, suggesting a similarly diverse diet of the monastic part of the buried population and that of the richer lay population. Finally, the hypothesis that diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is linked to a diet rich in animal protein was tested. No systematic or statistically significant differences between pathological and non-pathological bones from the same individuals affected with DISH were observed, and no statistical differences were found between individuals with DISH and individuals without DISH. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Modification of parabolic dish antenna pattern using two symmetrically placed circular flat plates

Science.gov (United States)

Thorpe, Glen C.

1987-12-01

This study aims to formulate a method of predicting the far field pattern of a parabolic dish antenna with two moveable flat plates mounted symmetrically on either side of the feed horn. The approach taken has been to first analyze the radiation pattern of the antenna with the disks at certain heights out from the surface of the dish. To do this the near-field radiation in amplitude and phase was measured over a plane surface in the near-field and the values were then transformed into the far field using a Fast Fourier Transform. Far field pattern values of the antenna were directly measured for each setting of the plates. The results obtained from the Fast Fourier Transform of the near field data were in good agreement with the values obtained by measurement. Finally, an approximate model of the antenna was developed and implemented as a computer program. This model, while relatively unsophisticated, provided some insights into the changes in the near field phase distribution caused by the moveable circular flat plates.

Thermal Model of a Dish Stirling Cavity-Receiver

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rubén Gil

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a thermal model for a dish Stirling cavity based on the finite differences method. This model is a theoretical tool to optimize the cavity in terms of thermal efficiency. One of the main outcomes of this work is the evaluation of radiative exchange using the radiosity method; for that purpose, the view factors of all surfaces involved have been accurately calculated. Moreover, this model enables the variation of the cavity and receiver dimensions and the materials to determine the optimal cavity design. The tool has been used to study the cavity optimization regarding geometry parameters and material properties. Receiver absorptivity has been identified as the most influential property of the materials. The optimal aperture height depends on the minimum focal space.

Operational data and thermodynamic modeling of a Stirling-dish demonstration installation in desert conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Nilsson, Martin; Jamot, Jakob; Malm, Tommy

2017-06-01

To field test its Stirling-dish unit, Cleanergy AB of Sweden in Q1 2015 built a ten unit demo park in Dubai. The first STE (Solar Thermal Energy) generation of its Stirling genset, the C11S, had at its core an 11 kWel Stirling engine/generator combination. The genset was mated with a parabolic concentrator developed for the genset by a supplier. Local weather conditions in Dubai provide opportunities to test performance in an environment with high insolation and high ambient temperature. In addition, the conditions in Dubai are windy, salty, humid and dusty, historically challenging for solar technologies [1]. In Q1 2016 one of the C11S Stirling-dish units was replaced by the first prototype of Cleanergy's second generation Stirling genset, the Sunbox, and an in-house developed parabolic concentrator. Operational data from field testing during the spring of 2016 are presented and discussed and show the large performance improvement achieved with the Sunbox unit.

A Dish-based Semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire for Assessment of Dietary Intakes in Epidemiologic Studies in Iran: Design and Development.

Science.gov (United States)

Keshteli, Ah; Esmaillzadeh, Ahmad; Rajaie, Somayeh; Askari, Gholamreza; Feinle-Bisset, Christine; Adibi, Peyman

2014-01-01

Earlier forms of food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) used in Iran have extensive lists of foods, traditional categories and food-based design, mostly with the interviewer-administered approach. The aim of the current paper is to describe the development of a dish-based, machine-readable, semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (DFQ). Within the framework of the Study on the Epidemiology of Psychological, Alimentary Health and Nutrition project, we created a novel FFQ using Harvard FFQ as a model. THE FOLLOWING STEPS WERE TAKEN TO DEVELOP THE QUESTIONNAIRE: Construction of a list of commonly consumed Iranian foods, definition of portion sizes, design of response options for consumption frequency of each food item and finally a pilot test of the preliminary DFQ. From a comprehensive list of foods and mixed dishes, we included those that were nutrient-rich, consumed reasonably often or contributed to between-person variations. We focused on mixed dishes, rather than their ingredients, along with foods. To shorten the list, the related food items or mixed dishes were categorized together in one food group. These exclusions resulted in a list of 106 foods or dishes in the questionnaire. The portion sizes used in the FFQ were obtained from our earlier studies that used dietary recalls and food records. The frequency response options for the food list varied from 6-9 choices from "never or less than once a month" to "12 or more times per day". The DFQ could be a reasonable dietary assessment tool for future epidemiological studies in the country. Validation studies are required to assess the validity and reliability of this newly developed questionnaire.

A Dish-based Semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire for assessment of dietary intakes in epidemiologic studies in Iran: Design and development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ammar Hassanzadeh Keshteli

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Earlier forms of food frequency questionnaire (FFQ used in Iran have extensive lists of foods, traditional categories and food-based design, mostly with the interviewer-administered approach. The aim of the current paper is to describe the development of a dish-based, machine-readable, semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (DFQ. Methods: Within the framework of the Study on the Epidemiology of Psychological, Alimentary Health and Nutrition project, we created a novel FFQ using Harvard FFQ as a model. Results: The following steps were taken to develop the questionnaire: Construction of a list of commonly consumed Iranian foods, definition of portion sizes, design of response options for consumption frequency of each food item and finally a pilot test of the preliminary DFQ. From a comprehensive list of foods and mixed dishes, we included those that were nutrient-rich, consumed reasonably often or contributed to between-person variations. We focused on mixed dishes, rather than their ingredients, along with foods. To shorten the list, the related food items or mixed dishes were categorized together in one food group. These exclusions resulted in a list of 106 foods or dishes in the questionnaire. The portion sizes used in the FFQ were obtained from our earlier studies that used dietary recalls and food records. The frequency response options for the food list varied from 6-9 choices from "never or less than once a month" to "12 or more times per day". Conclusions: The DFQ could be a reasonable dietary assessment tool for future epidemiological studies in the country. Validation studies are required to assess the validity and reliability of this newly developed questionnaire.

Assessing intake of spices by pattern of spice use, frequency of consumption and portion size of spices consumed from routinely prepared dishes in southern India.

Science.gov (United States)

Siruguri, Vasanthi; Bhat, Ramesh V

2015-01-11

Measurement of dietary intake of spices is gaining significance because of recognition of their health promoting benefits as well as its use for risk assessment of contaminant exposures. Estimating intake of spices at the individual level, presents several challenges since various spices are used as an integrated part of a prepared food and consumed in amounts much smaller than other dietary components. The objective of the present study is to assess intake of spices at the household and individual level on the basis of pattern of spice use and portion size of spice consumed from routinely prepared dishes in Hyderabad city in Southern India. The study was conducted in 100 households in urban areas of Hyderabad city in India with the help of a spice intake questionnaire that was prepared to collect information on the pattern of spice use, frequency, and quantity of spice consumption of 17 spices routinely used in Indian cuisine. The quantity of spice intake was assessed by measuring portion size of spice consumed from the quantity of i) spices added in routinely prepared dishes and ii) the prepared dish consumed by an individual. Based on the type of dish prepared and frequency of preparing the dishes, 11 out of 17 spices were found to be consumed by more than 50% of the households. Maximum number of spices was consumed at weekly frequencies. Red chillies and turmeric were the most frequently consumed spices by 100% of the households. The mean total intake of spices was observed to be higher through dishes consumed daily (10.4 g/portion) than from those consumed at weekly or monthly frequencies. Highest portion size intake was observed for chillies (mean 3.0 g; range 0.05-20.2 g) and lowest for nutmeg (mean 0.14 g; range 0.02-0.64 g) and mace (mean 0.21 g; range: 0.02-0.6 g). The study suggested that assessment of intake of spices varies with frequency of use of spices and type of dish consumed. Portion size estimations of spices consumed and the frequency of

Mobile Satellite Reception with a Virtual Satellite Dish based on a Reconfigurable Multi-Processor Architecture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Burgwal, M.D.; Rovers, K.C.; Blom, K.C.H.; Kokkeler, Andre B.J.; Smit, Gerardus Johannes Maria

2011-01-01

Traditionally, mechanically steered dishes or analog phased array beamforming systems have been used for radio frequency receivers, where strong directivity and high performance were much more important than low-cost requirements. Real-time controlled digital phased array beamforming could not be

Validation of a Dish-Based Semiquantitative Food Questionnaire in Rural Bangladesh

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Pi-I. D. Lin

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A locally validated tool was needed to evaluate long-term dietary intake in rural Bangladesh. We assessed the validity of a 42-item dish-based semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ using two 3-day food diaries (FDs. We selected a random subset of 47 families (190 participants from a longitudinal arsenic biomonitoring study in Bangladesh to administer the FFQ. Two 3-day FDs were completed by the female head of the households and we used an adult male equivalent method to estimate the FD for the other participants. Food and nutrient intakes measured by FFQ and FD were compared using Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation, paired t-test, percent difference, cross-classification, weighted Kappa, and Bland–Altman analysis. Results showed good validity for total energy intake (paired t-test, p < 0.05; percent difference <10%, with no presence of proportional bias (Bland–Altman correlation, p > 0.05. After energy-adjustment and de-attenuation for within-person variation, macronutrient intakes had excellent correlations ranging from 0.55 to 0.70. Validity for micronutrients was mixed. High intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs were found for most nutrients between the two seasons, except vitamin A. This dish-based FFQ provided adequate validity to assess and rank long-term dietary intake in rural Bangladesh for most food groups and nutrients, and should be useful for studying dietary-disease relationships.

A long-baseline interferometer employing single-mode fiber optics

Science.gov (United States)

Shaklan, Stuart

The idea of the Fiber-Linked Optical Array Telescope proposed by Connes (1987) is to mount several small optical telescopes around the perimeter of a radio dish or other large steerable structure, couple the light into single-mode (SM) fibers, and use the fibers to coherently combine the beams at the output. This paper examines the important properties of SM fibers and then discusses the whole system in general terms, starting with the telescopes and following the light through to the detectors, along with the results of laboratory experiments evaluating the performance of SM fibers. The imaging capabilities of the array were simulated, and it was found that, using 10 telescopes on a 440-m dish, the array obtains images with resolution of the order of 2 milliarc seconds in the visible range.

Recent developments: PKI square dish for the Soleras Project

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, W. E.

1984-03-01

The Square Dish solar collectors are subjected to rigorous design attention regarding corrosion at the site, and certification of the collector structure. The microprocessor controls and tracking mechanisms are improved in the areas of fail safe operations, durability, and low parasitic power requirements. Prototype testing demonstrates performance efficiency of approximately 72% at 730 F outlet temperature. Studies are conducted that include developing formal engineering design studies, developing formal engineering design drawing and fabrication details, establishing subcontracts for fabrication of major components, and developing a rigorous quality control system. The improved design is more cost effective to product and the extensive manuals developed for assembly and operation/maintenance result in faster field assembly and ease of operation.

Economic performance of the SCE Stirling dish

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stone, K.W.; Lopez, C.W.; McAlister, R.E.

1993-01-01

In 1982 McDonnell Douglas Aerospace Space System (MDA-SS) and United Stirling AB of Sweden formed a joint venture to develop and market a solar Stirling dish unit. Eight modules were built and extensively tested from 1984 to 1988. Power production and daily energy-conversion efficiency as determined by field testing have been characterized and modeled in a computer program. Included in this simulation are models of mirror soiling rate, wind spillage loss, mirror washing and other maintenance outage time, operation and maintenance (O and M) costs and other cost models. An economic model of a hybrid (combustion) receiver has been included in the simulation for illustrating the value of using solar energy when available and other fuels such as methane, natural gas, hydrogen, etc. when solar energy is not available or adequate. This paper describes the simulation and presents comparisons of the simulation to test data. The simulation also estimates both the O and M expenses and levelized energy costs for different production volumes

Economic performance of the SCE Stirling dish

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stone, K.W.; Lopez, C.W.; McAlister, R.E.

1995-01-01

In 1982 McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (MDA) and United Stirling AB (USAB) of Sweden formed a joint venture to develop and market a solar Stirling dish system. Eight modules were built and extensively tested from 1984 to 1988. Power production and daily energy-conversion efficiency as determined by field testing were characterized and modeled into a computer program. Included in this simulation are models of mirror soiling rate, wind spillage loss, mirror washing, and other maintenance outage time, operation and maintenance (O and M) costs, and equipment purchase cost. An economic model of a hybrid (combustion) receiver has been included in the simulation for illustrating the value of using solar energy when available and other fuels such as methane, natural gas, hydrogen, etc. when solar energy is not available or adequate. This paper describes the simulation and presents comparisons of the simulation to test data. The simulation also estimates both the O and M expenses and levelized energy costs for different production volumes

Variations in Nutrients Composition of Most Commonly Consumed Cassava (Manihot esculenta Mixed Dishes in South-Eastern Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. I. Davidson

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Variations in nutrient composition of most commonly consumed cassava (Manihot esculenta mixed dishes in South-eastern Nigeria were determined. Four communities were randomly selected from each of the five states in the South-east. Focus group discussions (FGD were conducted in each of the communities to determine commonly consumed foods and variations in recipes. 24-Hour dietary recall was conducted using 50 randomly selected households in those communities. Recipes collected during the FGD were standardized, prepared, and chemically analysed using standard methods. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Cassava-based dishes were the most commonly consumed in South-eastern Nigeria. Ninety-two percent of the study population ate cassava either in form of “fufu” (fermented cassava meal/garri (fermented and roasted cassava meal with soup or as “abacha” (tapioca salad. Commonly consumed soups were melon (Citrullus vulgaris seeds, “ora” (Pterocarpus soyauxii, and vegetable soups. Seven melon seed, six “ora,” and four vegetable soups and five “abacha” variations were identified. Except for vegetable soup, coefficient of variation for moisture was <10%, while large variations (19–71% were observed for energy and nutrients. These variations in cassava-based dishes need to be reflected in the country-specific food composition database to enable nutrient intake assessment or provision of dietary guidance using such food composition database as a reference material to be more effective.

Gods, Germs, and Petri Dishes: Toward a Nonsecular Medical Anthropology.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Elizabeth F S

2016-01-01

This commentary calls on medical anthropology to become programmatically non-secular. Despite recent anthropological critiques of secularity, within and outside of anthropology, most contemporary medical anthropologists continue to leave deities and religiosity out of their examinations of healing practices, especially in their accounts of biomedicine. Through a critical, relational constructionist lens, which traces how all entities are both constructed and real, a non-secular medical anthropology would insist that when deities are part of medical practice, they are integral to analysis. Importantly then, within the symmetrical nature of this same constructionist lens, biomedical entities like germs and petri dishes need to be accounted for just as much as deities.

Experimental studies on solar parabolic dish cooker with porous medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lokeswaran, S.; Eswaramoorthy, M.

2012-01-01

The solar cooking is the alternate method of cooking to reduce consumptions of fossil fuels. An affordable, energy efficient solar cooking technology is much need due to the fossil fuels increasing cost and it is the hottest research topic in all over the world. This paper presents an experimental analysis of the heat transfer enhancement of solar parabolic dish cookers by a porous medium made of scrap material. Using the stagnation temperature test and water boiling test are conducted on the cooking vessel with and without porous medium. Experimental results are compared for both cases in terms of thermal performance, optical efficiency, heat loss factor and cooking power. (authors)

78 FR 59633 - Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Opens Docket To Seek Comment on DISH Network Corporation's...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-27

... 9, 2013, the DISH Network Corporation, on behalf of its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Gamma Acquisition... held by its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Gamma Acquisition LLC (Call Signs T060430001-T060430176) and New... Commission's Secretary must be delivered to FCC Headquarters at 445 12th Street SW., Room TW-A325, Washington...

A small scale cell culture system to analyze mechanobiology using reporter gene constructs and polyurethane dishes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seefried, Lothar; Mueller-Deubert, Sigrid; Wentzer, Thomas Schwarz

2010-01-01

of mechanotransduction and its crosstalk with biochemically induced signal transduction, AP1 and SP1 luciferase reporter gene constructs were cloned and transfected into various cell lines and primary cells. A newly developed bioreactor and small-scale 24-well polyurethane dishes were used to apply cyclic stretching...

Design, simulation and optimization of a solar dish collector with spiral-coil thermal absorber

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavlović Saša R.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The efficient conversion of solar radiation into heat at high temperature levels requires the use of concentrating solar collectors. The goal of this paper is to present the optical and the thermal analysis of a parabolic dish concentrator with a spiral coil receiver. The parabolic dish reflector consists of 11 curvilinear trapezoidal reflective petals constructed by PMMA with silvered mirror layer and has a diameter of 3.8 m, while its focal distance is 2.26m. This collector is designed with commercial software SolidWorks and simulated, optically and thermally in its Flow Simulation Studio. The optical analysis proved that the ideal position of the absorber is at 2.1m from the reflector in order to maximize the optical efficiency and to create a relative uniform heat flux over the absorber. In thermal part of the analysis, the energetic efficiency was calculated approximately 65%, while the exergetic efficiency is varied from 4% to 15% according to the water inlet temperature. Moreover, other important parameters as the heat flux and temperature distribution over the absorber are presented. The pressure drop of the absorber coil is calculated at 0.07bar, an acceptable value.

Application of the monazite radiation source to the petri dish-type cloud chamber and the influence of several factors on occurrence of tracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayakawa, Issei; Sago, Yutaka; Mori, Chizuo

2012-01-01

Monazite radiation source (2.5 mmΦ) proved to be useful as a radiation source of cloud chamber without the dispersion of powder or its adhesion because of a sintered body. After the track appeared within one minute after having put the petri dish on the dry ice, the number increased rapidly followed by the tendency to decrease gradually after that. The tracks can be observed for about 20 minutes after cooled with dry ice. The size of dry ice should be chosen to enter the inside of the bottom edge of the petri dish. The same number of tracks as using conventional mantle radiation source was obtained by utilizing 3 pieces of monazite sintered body separated mutually by about 7.5 mm. Hence the petri dish-type cloud chamber with the monazite sintered body as radiation source revealed to make the observation of track easy and prompt. (author)

Performance evaluation of a stand-alone solar dish Stirling system for power generation suitable for off-grid rural electrification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kadri, Y.; Hadj Abdallah, H.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Estimation of the output temperature reached by 2 m parabolic dish. • Output power estimation for uncontrollable load was done using Matlab®. • Validation of the proposed system under Tunisian conditions for rural electrification. - Abstract: The development of green power generation such as solar systems that have become a great interest for several countries especially for Tunisia as it presents a significant solar potential. For this purpose, this research has investigated the feasibility and the performance of standalone solar dish/Stirling micro generation plant for rural electrification. The considered hybrid system includes solar dish/Stirling engine, permanent magnet synchronous generator and a storage battery. To start with, thermal modeling and simulation have been carried out using Matlab® for the solar-driven Stirling heat engine system composed of an Alpha Stirling engine, a solar collector and a receiver, in which the radiation, convection, conduction and radiation heat loss have been taken into consideration for the selected design. For numerical validation of the receiver’s thermal model, simulation results were compared with experimental measurements reported for the EURODISH system with a reasonable degree of agreement. Second, the generated torque driving the generator has been estimated by the Adiabatic model of URIELI based on the classical fourth-order Runge-Kutta. In order for an autonomous control, the dish generator is connected to the load via power electronic converters where the bidirectional power flow is possible by the use of two voltage source converters in a back-to-back configuration. They are referred to as Stirling/generator side converter and load side inverter, both are oriented control by space vector pulse width modulation. In this context, the Stirling side converter is used to adjust the synchronous generator while the inverter controls the power flow between the direct current bus and the

Loy Yang A - Australia's largest privatisation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yenckin, C.

1997-01-01

The recent A$4,746 million privatisation of the 2000MW Loy Yang A power station and the Loy Yang coal mine by the Victorian Government is Australia's largest privatisation and one of 1997's largest project financing deals. (author)

Using Telepresence to Connect and Engage Classes and the Public in the Exploration of Tamu Massif, the World's Largest Single Volcano

Science.gov (United States)

Nanez-James, S. E.; Sager, W.

2016-02-01

Research published in 2013 showed that TAMU Massif, the largest mountain in the Shatsky Rise oceanic plateau, located approximately 1500 kilometers east of Japan, is the "World's Largest Single Volcano." This claim garnered widespread public interest and wonder concerning how something so big could remain so mysterious in the 21st century. This disconnect highlights the fact that oceans are still widely unexplored, especially the middle of the deep ocean. Because there is so much interest in TAMU Massif, a diverse outreach team lead by chief scientist Dr. William Sager from the University of Houston in partnership with the Texas State Aquarium and the Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI) conducted a multifaceted ship-to-shore outreach project that included secondary school students, formal and informal educators, university students and professors, the aquarium and museum audience, and the general public. The objective was to work in conjunction with SOI and various other partners, including the Texas Regional Collaborative, the Aquarium of the Pacific, and the Houston Museum of Natural Science, to promote science and ocean literacy while inspiring future scientists - especially those from underserved and underrepresented groups - through ocean connections. Participants were connected through live ship-to-shore distance learning broadcasts of ongoing marine research and discovery of TAMU Massif aboard the R/V Falkor, allowing audiences to participate in real-time research and apply real world science to curriculum in the classrooms. These ship-to-shore presentations connected to existing curriculums and standards, lessons, and career interests of the students and educators with special teacher events and professional development workshops conducted from aboard the R/V Falkor.

Largest case series of Latin American eyelid tumors over 13-Years from a single center in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jéssica Carolinne Damasceno

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Purpose: Malignant lesions of the eyelid are the most common eye cancers. Although rarely lethal, late diagnosis can lead to serious visual morbidity. Definitive diagnosis of neoplastic lesions is pathological. Indications and types of eyelid lesions in a single high-volume ophthalmic reference center in Sao Paulo, Brazil, were analyzed. Methods: The surgical pathological reports of patients who underwent eye removal procedures between January 2000 and December 2012 were retrieved from the electronic database of the Ophthalmology Department and retrospectively reviewed. Data regarding the final anatomopathological diagnosis, sex, and age were analyzed via the χ2 test with Yates' correction. Results: Of the 1,113 eyelid tumors resected over the 13-year study period, 324 (29% lesions were malignant. The most prevalent lesions were basal cell, squamous cell, and sebaceous gland carcinomas. The median ages of patients (females, n=165, 51%; males, n=159, 49% with a diagnosis of basal cell, squamous cell, and sebaceous gland carcinomas were 65, 75, and 70 years, respectively. Conclusion: This is the largest retrospective cohort analysis of eyelid tumors in a Latin American population. These findings are in agreement with those from large centers in other countries and regions.

Effect of radiation on preservation of convenient dish 'bowl-shape packed pig elbow'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Keqin; Chen Jingping; Li Wenge; Peng Weizheng

2005-01-01

The suitable parameters for radiation processing were investiqated by analyzing the microload of material and product, and radiation effect on the preservation of convenient dish 'bowl-shape packed pig elbow'. The results showed the store period of the product could be extended 2-6 month by 4.0-6.0 kGy radiation at different storage temperature. The sensory, physical and chemical index of the products met the requirement of relevant national standard of food hygiene. (authors)

Water Content in the SW USA Mantle Lithosphere: FTIR Analysis of Dish Hill and Kilbourne Hole Pyroxenites

Science.gov (United States)

Gibler, Robert; Peslier, Anne H.; Schaffer, Lillian Aurora; Brandon, Alan D.

2014-01-01

Kilbourne Hole (NM, USA) and Dish Hill (CA, USA) mantle xenoliths sample continental mantle in two different tectonic settings. Kilbourne Hole (KH) is located in the Rio Grande rift. Dish Hill (DH) is located in the southern Mojave province, an area potentially affected by subduction of the Farallon plate beneath North America. FTIR analyses were obtained on well characterized pyroxenite, dunite and wehrlite xenoliths, thought to represent crystallized melts at mantle depths. PUM normalized REE patterns of the KH bulk-rocks are slightly LREE enriched and consistent with those of liquids generated by 6% melting of a spinel peridotite source. Pyroxenite pyroxenes have no detectable water but one DH wehrlite, which bulk-rock is LREE enriched, has 4 ppm H2O in orthopyroxene and 2 Ga. The Farallon subduction appears to have enriched in water the southwestern United States lithospheric mantle further east than DH, beneath the Colorado plateau.

Metabolic Profiling Directly from the Petri Dish Using Nanospray Desorption Electrospray Ionization Imaging Mass Spectrometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Watrous, Jeramie D.; Roach, Patrick J.; Heath, Brandi S.; Alexandrov, Theodore; Laskin, Julia; Dorrestein, Pieter C.

2013-11-05

Understanding molecular interaction pathways in complex biological systems constitutes a treasure trove of knowledge that might facilitate the specific, chemical manipulation of the countless microbiological systems that occur throughout our world. However, there is a lack of methodologies that allow the direct investigation of chemical gradients and interactions in living biological systems, in real time. Here, we report the use of nanospray desorption electrospray ionization (nanoDESI) imaging mass spectrometry for in vivo metabolic profiling of living bacterial colonies directly from the Petri dish with absolutely no sample preparation needed. Using this technique, we investigated single colonies of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, Bacillus subtilis 3610, and Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) as well as a mixed biofilm of S. oneidensis MR-1 and B. subtilis 3610. Data from B. subtilis 3610 and S. coelicolor A3(2) provided a means of validation for the method while data from S. oneidensis MR-1 and the mixed biofilm showed a wide range of compounds that this bacterium uses for the dissimilatory reduction of extracellular metal oxides, including riboflavin, iron-bound heme and heme biosynthetic intermediates, and the siderophore putrebactin.

Mouthwatering but erosive? A preliminary assessment of the acidity of a basic sauce used in many Indian dishes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghai, Nandini; Burke, F J Trevor

2012-12-01

The aim of this study was to assess whether some types of Indian cuisine may contain erosive components. Indian dishes were prepared by a previously published method and their pH measured using a pH probe. The results indicated: (i) that some components of Indian cooking, such as tomatoes and red chilli powder, had the potential to erode enamel; (ii) that the pH of some foods was reduced with increasing temperature; and (iii) that all the basic masalas made and tested had a pH of less than 4.5. Within the limitations of the study, it may be concluded that the basic sauce/masala used in north Indian dishes may have erosive potential. This information could be considered useful when advising patients who eat Indian curries about causes of acid erosion of their teeth.

Primary Beam and Dish Surface Characterization at the Allen Telescope Array by Radio Holography

Science.gov (United States)

Harp, G. R.; Ackermann, R. F.; Nadler, Z. J.; Blair, Samantha K.; Davis, M. M.; Wright, M. C. H.; Forster, J. R.; Deboer, D. R.; Welch, W. J.; Atkinson, Shannon; Backer, D. C.; Backus, P. R.; Barott, William; Bauermeister, Amber; Blitz, Leo; Bock, D. C.-J.; Bower, Geoffrey C.; Bradford, Tucker; Cheng, Calvin; Croft, Steve; Dexter, Matt; Dreher, John; Engargiola, Greg; Fields, E. D.; Heiles, Carl; Helfer, Tamara; Jordan, Jane; Jorgensen, Susan; Kilsdonk, Tom; Gutierrez-Kraybill, Colby; Keating, Garrett; Law, Casey; Lugten, John; MacMahon, D. H. E.; McMahon, Peter; Milgrome, Oren; Siemion, Andrew; Smolek, Ken; Thornton, Douglas; Pierson, Tom; Randall, Karen; Ross, John; Shostak, Seth; Tarter, J. C.; Urry, Lynn; Werthimer, Dan; Williams, Peter K. G.; Whysong, David

2011-06-01

The Allen Telescope Array (ATA) is a cm-wave interferometer in California, comprising 42 antenna elements with 6-m diameter dishes. We characterize the antenna optical accuracy using two-antenna interferometry and radio holography. The distortion of each telescope relative to the average is small, with RMS differences of 1% of beam peak value. Holography provides images of dish illumination, characterizing as-built mirror surfaces. Maximal distortions across ~ 2 meter lengths appear to result from mounting stresses or solar radiation. Experimental RMS errors are 0.7 mm at night and 3 mm under worst-case solar illumination. For frequencies 4, 10, and 15 GHz, the nighttime values indicate sensitivity losses of 1, 10 and 20%, respectively. ATA's wide-bandwidth receiver permits observations over a continuous range 0.5-11.2 GHz. We probe the antenna optical gain and beam pattern stability as a function of focus position and observation frequency, concluding that ATA can produce high fidelity images over a decade of simultaneous observation frequencies. We quantify solar heating effects on antenna sensitivity and pointing accuracy. We find that during the day, observations >=5 GHz will suffer some sensitivity loss and it may be necessary to make antenna pointing corrections on a 1-2 hourly basis.

The Comparison of Photovoltaic with Small Solar Dish Stirling for Solar Home System 50 W{sub p} in Thailand, Medium Insolation Nature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Snidvongs, E. S.; Jindaruj, S.

2006-07-01

The Thai government initiated a project entitled Solar Home System which involved the provision of standalone Photovoltaic 50 Wp for houses without transmission lines in remote areas, 300,000 units. These units are provided at a low price with the government supporting half of the cost and the rest paid by the owners in installments. So far, more than 150,000 units have been installed and it is expected that the whole project would be completed by the end of the year 2005. A purpose of this research is to compare the original Thai government's Solar Home PV System with the new 50 Wp Small Solar Thermal Dish Stirling System in terms of their advantages and disadvantages for Thailand. The result of this would serve as a guide for the users to select the most suitable system in terms of price, maintenance, cost, economy, performance, reliability, and efficiency. Such comparison will be presented in the form of descriptive, photographs, statistics, and tables. As for the data involved, part of this is based on active fact such as construction cost, material cost, labor cost, rate of inflation, rate of interest. While some of these derives from the experience of researcher as well as facts and figures from Thai governments publications such as operation and maintenance cost. In addition to that some data are taken from basic experiments conducted either by the various universities and the researcher own laboratory. These include solar insolation, PV data and Stirling engine test with electric heater. And, of course, some data are based on simple estimation and prediction. Thailand is a country of 550 w/m2 with high humidity, soft-land and medium insolation. It locates near the equator at latitude 5 12 N, longitude 96 106 E. By using a parabolic shape satellite dish with solar tracker and a 60 W Four Cylinders gamma type Stirling engine with sinusoidal gear linear link, low offset space, and solid thermal storage to act as buffer between the solar energy and the

Phage-mediated counting by the naked eye of miRNA molecules at attomolar concentrations in a Petri dish

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xin; Cao, Peng; Zhu, Ye; Lu, Wuguang; Gu, Ning; Mao, Chuanbin

2015-10-01

The ability to count biomolecules such as cancer-biomarker miRNAs with the naked eye is seemingly impossible in molecular diagnostics. Here, we show an ultrasensitive naked-eye-counting strategy for quantifying miRNAs by employing T7 phage--a bacteria-specific virus nanoparticle--as a surrogate. The phage is genetically engineered to become fluorescent and capable of binding a miRNA-capturing gold nanoparticle (GNP) in a one-to-one manner. Target miRNAs crosslink the resultant phage-GNP couple and miRNA-capturing magnetic microparticles, forming a sandwich complex containing equimolar phage and miRNA. The phage is then released from the complex and developed into one macroscopic fluorescent plaque in a Petri dish by plating it in a host bacterial medium. Counting the plaques by the naked eye enables the quantification of miRNAs with detection limits of ~3 and ~5 aM for single-target and two-target miRNAs, respectively. This approach offers ultrasensitive and convenient quantification of disease biomarkers by the naked eye.

Vegetables and Mixed Dishes Are Top Contributors to Phylloquinone Intake in US Adults: Data from the 2011-2012 NHANES.

Science.gov (United States)

Harshman, Stephanie G; Finnan, Emily G; Barger, Kathryn J; Bailey, Regan L; Haytowitz, David B; Gilhooly, Cheryl H; Booth, Sarah L

2017-07-01

Background: Phylloquinone is the most abundant form of vitamin K in US diets. Green vegetables are considered the predominant dietary source of phylloquinone. As our food supply diversifies and expands, the food groups that contribute to phylloquinone intake are also changing, which may change absolute intakes. Thus, it is important to identify the contributors to dietary vitamin K estimates to guide recommendations on intakes and food sources. Objective: The purpose of this study was to estimate 1 ) the amount of phylloquinone consumed in the diet of US adults, 2 ) to estimate the contribution of different food groups to phylloquinone intake in individuals with a high or low vegetable intake (≥2 or vegetables/d), and 3 ) to characterize the contribution of different mixed dishes to phylloquinone intake. Methods: Usual phylloquinone intake was determined from NHANES 2011-2012 (≥20 y old; 2092 men and 2214 women) and the National Cancer Institute Method by utilizing a complex, stratified, multistage probability-cluster sampling design. Results: On average, 43.0% of men and 62.5% of women met the adequate intake (120 and 90 μg/d, respectively) for phylloquinone, with the lowest self-reported intakes noted among men, especially in the older age groups (51-70 and ≥71 y). Vegetables were the highest contributor to phylloquinone intake, contributing 60.0% in the high-vegetable-intake group and 36.1% in the low-vegetable-intake group. Mixed dishes were the second-highest contributor to phylloquinone intake, contributing 16.0% in the high-vegetable-intake group and 28.0% in the low-vegetable-intake group. Conclusion: Self-reported phylloquinone intakes from updated food composition data applied to NHANES 2011-2012 reveal that fewer men than women are meeting the current adequate intake. Application of current food composition data confirms that vegetables continue to be the primary dietary source of phylloquinone in the US diet. However, mixed dishes and convenience

Design and Development of a Solar Thermal Collector with Single Axis Solar Tracking Mechanism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Theebhan Mogana

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The solar energy is a source of energy that is abundant in Malaysia and can be easily harvested. However, because of the rotation of the Earth about its axis, it is impossible to harvest the solar energy to the maximum capacity if the solar thermal collector is placed fix to a certain angle. In this research, a solar thermal dish with single axis solar tracking mechanism that will rotate the dish according to the position of the sun in the sky is designed and developed, so that more solar rays can be reflected to a focal point and solar thermal energy can be harvested from the focal point. Data were collected for different weather conditions and performance of the solar thermal collector with a solar tracker were studied and compared with stationary solar thermal collector.

Analysis of ewe’s milk by FT Near Infrared spectroscopy: measurement of samples on Petri dishes in reflectance mode

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Květoslava Šustová

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Our work deals with a possibility of determination of basic composition (dry matter, fat, protein, casein, lactose and urea nitrogen of ewe’s milk and colostrum by FT NIR spectroscopy. Samples of milk were warmed to 40 °C, agitated, cooled to 20 °C, transferred into Petri dishes and analysed by reference methods and by FT NIR in reflectance mode. The measured area was spaced by a metallic mirror. Statistically significant differences between the reference values and the calculated values of NIR were not found (p=0.05. Results of calibration for ewe’s milk determined the highest correlation coefficients: dry matter 0.983, fat 0.989, true protein 0.997, casein 0.977, lactose 0.980 and urea nitrogen 0.973. The study showed that NIRS method, when samples of milk are measured on Petri dishes, is a useful technique for the prediction of dry matter, fat, protein and casein in ewe’s milk.

Associations between motives for dish choice during home-meal preparation and diet quality in French adults: findings from the NutriNet-Santé study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ducrot, Pauline; Méjean, Caroline; Fassier, Philippine; Allès, Benjamin; Hercberg, Serge; Péneau, Sandrine

2017-03-01

A number of motives such as constraints or pleasure have been suggested to influence dish choices during home-meal preparation. However, no study has evaluated how the importance conferred to these motives potentially influence diet quality. The present study aims at investigating the difference in diet quality according to the importance attached by individuals to various dish choice motives. The importance of twenty-seven criteria related to dish choices on weekdays was evaluated among 48 010 French adults from the NutriNet-Santé study. ANCOVA and logistic regression models, adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, were used to evaluate the association between the importance attached to dish choice motives (yes v. no) and energy and food group intakes, as well as adherence to French nutritional guidelines (modified Programme National Nutrition Santé-Guideline Score (mPNNS-GS)). A higher adherence to nutritional guidelines was observed in individuals attaching importance to a healthy diet (mPNNS-GS score 7·87 (sd 0·09) v. 7·39 (sd 0·09)) and specific diets (mPNNS-GS score 7·73 (sd 0·09) v. 7·53 (sd 0·09)), compared with those who attached little/no importance (all Pfoods compared with their respective counterparts (all Pmotives, that is, constraints, pleasure and organisation, only small differences were observed. The main difference in diet quality was related to the importance placed on a healthy diet. Although a causal link should be demonstrated, our findings suggested that strategies aiming at enabling people to take into account diet quality during home-meal preparation might be effective levers to promote healthy eating.

Differences in nutrient composition and choice of side dishes between red meat and fish dinners in Norwegian adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jannicke Borch Myhre

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Food-based dietary guidelines often recommend increased consumption of fish and reduced intake of red and processed meat. However, little is known about how changing the main protein source from red meat to fish may influence the choice of side dishes. Objective: To investigate whether side dish choices differed between red meat and fish dinners. Moreover, to compare intakes of macronutrients and selected micronutrients in red meat and fish dinners and to see whether whole-day intakes of these nutrients differed between days with red meat dinners and days with fish dinners. Design: Data were collected in a cross-sectional nationwide Norwegian dietary survey using two non-consecutive telephone-administered 24-h recalls. The recalls were conducted approximately 4 weeks apart. In total, 2,277 dinners from 1,517 participants aged 18–70 were included in the analyses. Results: Fish dinners were more likely to include potatoes and carrots than red meat dinners, whereas red meat dinners more often contained bread, tomato sauce, and cheese. Red meat dinners contained more energy and iron; had higher percentages of energy (E% from fat, saturated fat, and monounsaturated fat; and a lower E% from protein and polyunsaturated fat than fish dinners. Fish dinners contained more vitamin D, β-carotene, and folate than red meat dinners. Similar differences were found when comparing whole-day intakes of the same nutrients on days with red meat versus fish dinners. Conclusion: Fish dinners were accompanied by different side dishes than red meat dinners. With regard to nutrient content, fish dinners generally had a healthier profile than red meat dinners. However, iron intake was higher for red meat dinners. Information about associated foods will be useful both for developing public health guidelines and when studying associations between dietary factors and health outcomes.

Distance distribution of bystander effects in alpha-particle irradiated cell populations using a CR-39-based culture dish

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaillard, S.; Pusset, D.; Toledo, S.M. de; Azzam, E.I.; Fromm, M.

2008-01-01

Propagation of induced biological effects from irradiated to non-irradiated cells is known to occur in cell cultures exposed to low fluences of charged particles. These bystander effects are currently investigated using microbeam or non-microbeam (broad beams) irradiation techniques. Identification of the targeted and non-targeted bystander cells is critical to our understanding of mechanisms underlying such effects. We developed a novel cell culture dish where the base consists of a thin CR-39 sheet grafted on a thin polyethylene terephthalate (PET) foil. The validity of this device in identifying not only irradiated cells, but also the cellular compartment traversed by the particle track is described. We have optimized track etch parameters that do not interfere with measurement of induced biological endpoints under normal incident irradiation. Thus the culture dishes can be used to determine distance distributions for the propagation of induced biological effects from a hit cell to bystander cells. We describe the computer code developed to determine the distance distributions of propagated biological stress responses in normal human fibroblast cells exposed to very low fluences of alpha particles

Indonesian consumers' perception of tempe in a restaurant setting traditional and modern tempe version in traditional and innovative dishes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fibri, Dwi Larasatie Nur; Frøst, Michael Bom

by introducing local bean tempe in fine dining. The objective of this research was to study how different raw materials, dishes and gastronomic style affect the perception and appreciation of the food. A restaurant experiment (n=208) was carried out. Three different types of tempe (local soybean tempe, imported...

Embryo density may affect embryo quality during in vitro culture in a microwell group culture dish.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehner, Adam; Kaszas, Zita; Murber, Akos; Rigo, Janos; Urbancsek, Janos; Fancsovits, Peter

2017-08-01

Culturing embryos in groups is a common practice in mammalian embryology. Since the introduction of different microwell dishes, it is possible to identify oocytes or embryos individually. As embryo density (embryo-to-volume ratio) may affect the development and viability of the embryos, the purpose of this study was to assess the effect of different embryo densities on embryo quality. Data of 1337 embryos from 228 in vitro fertilization treatment cycles were retrospectively analyzed. Embryos were cultured in a 25 μl microdrop in a microwell group culture dish containing 9 microwells. Three density groups were defined: Group 1 with 2-4 (6.3-12.5 μl/embryo), Group 2 with 5-6 (4.2-5.0 μl/embryo), and Group 3 with 7-9 (2.8-3.6 μl/embryo) embryos. Proportion of good quality embryos was higher in Group 2 on both days (D2: 18.9 vs. 31.5 vs. 24.7%; p Culturing 5-6 embryos together in a culture volume of 25 μl may benefit embryo quality. As low egg number, position, and distance of the embryos may influence embryo quality, results should be interpreted with caution.

Integration of single oocyte trapping, in vitro fertilization and embryo culture in a microwell-structured microfluidic device.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Chao; Zhang, Qiufang; Ma, Rui; Xie, Lan; Qiu, Tian; Wang, Lei; Mitchelson, Keith; Wang, Jundong; Huang, Guoliang; Qiao, Jie; Cheng, Jing

2010-11-07

In vitro fertilization (IVF) therapy is an important treatment for human infertility. However, the methods for clinical IVF have only changed slightly over decades: culture medium is held in oil-covered drops in Petri dishes and manipulation occurs by manual pipetting. Here we report a novel microwell-structured microfluidic device that integrates single oocyte trapping, fertilization and subsequent embryo culture. A microwell array was used to capture and hold individual oocytes during the flow-through process of oocyte and sperm loading, medium substitution and debris cleaning. Different microwell depths were compared by computational modeling and flow washing experiments for their effectiveness in oocyte trapping and debris removal. Fertilization was achieved in the microfluidic devices with similar fertilization rates to standard oil-covered drops in Petri dishes. Embryos could be cultured to blastocyst stages in our devices with developmental status individually monitored and tracked. The results suggest that the microfluidic device may bring several advantages to IVF practices by simplifying oocyte handling and manipulation, allowing rapid and convenient medium changing, and enabling automated tracking of any single embryo development.

Who should do the dishes now? exploring gender and housework in contemporary urban South Wales

OpenAIRE

Mannay, Dawn

2014-01-01

This paper revisits Jane Pilcher’s (1994) seminal chapter from Our Sisters’ Land: The Changing Identities of Women in Wales - ‘Who should do the dishes? Three generations of Welsh women talking about men and housework’. Two decades on from the original study, the paper explores this question in contemporary south Wales by drawing upon data generated in a study of mothers and daughters residing in a Welsh, marginalised, urban housing area. Mothers of daughters in the two eldest groups tended t...

Who should do the dishes now? Revisiting gender and housework in contemporary urban South Wales

OpenAIRE

Mannay, Dawn

2016-01-01

This chapter revisits Jane Pilcher’s (1994) seminal work ‘Who should do the dishes? Three generations of Welsh women talking about men and housework’, which was originally published in Our Sister’s Land: the changing identities of women in Wales. As discussed in the introductory chapter, I began revisiting classic Welsh studies as part of my doctoral study Mothers and daughters on the margins: gender, generation and education (Mannay, 2012); this lead to the later publication of a revisiting ...

Capsicum annum

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Nowadays, it is almost impossible to imagine the dishes of Asia and Pacific region ... In addition to having major role in Ethiopians daily dish, it also plays an important role in ... oleoresin, is exported to different countries and the spiced ground is .... Island (the largest of Spain's seven Canary Islands) were reported to be ...

Largest College Endowments, 2011

Science.gov (United States)

Chronicle of Higher Education, 2012

2012-01-01

Of all endowments valued at more than $250-million, the UCLA Foundation had the highest rate of growth over the previous year, at 49 percent. This article presents a table of the largest college endowments in 2011. The table covers the "rank," "institution," "market value as of June 30, 2011," and "1-year change" of institutions participating in…

Characteristics and Sampling Efficiencies of Two Impactor Bioaerosol Samplers: MAS-100(Registered) (Microbial Air Monitoring System) and Single-Stage Andersen Viable Microbial Samplers

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hottell, K

2004-01-01

.... A petri dish with agar is used as the impaction surface for these samplers. The MAS-l00 is a single-stage impactor that aspirates air through a 400-hole perforated entry plate onto an agar plate at an airflow rate of 100 L/min...

Largest particle detector nearing completion

CERN Multimedia

2006-01-01

"Construction of another part of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the worl's largest particle accelerator at CERN in Switzerland, is nearing completion. The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) is oner of the LHC project's four large particle detectors. (1/2 page)

Chefs move to schools. A pilot examination of how chef-created dishes can increase school lunch participation and fruit and vegetable intake.

Science.gov (United States)

Just, David R; Wansink, Brian; Hanks, Andrew S

2014-12-01

To demonstrate the feasibility of introducing a main dish designed by a professional chef in the National School Lunch Program and to document the impact on child participation, a chef was recruited to design pizza to be served in an upstate New York school district. The pizza was designed to meet both the cost and ingredient requirements of the NSLP. High school students were significantly more likely to select the pizza prepared by the chef. While the chef had no significant impact on main dish consumption given selection, more students took a vegetable and vegetable consumption increased by 16.5%. This pilot study demonstrates the plausibility of using chefs to boost participation in the school lunch program, and potentially increase nutrition through side selection, among high school students. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Large-area, high-intensity PV arrays for systems using dish concentrating optics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ward, J.S.; Duda, A.; Zweibel, K.; Coutts, T.J. [National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States)

1998-09-01

In this paper, the authors report on efforts to fabricate monolithic interconnected modules (MIMs) using III-V semiconductors with bandgaps appropriate for the terrestrial solar spectrum. The small size of the component cells comprising the MIM allows for operation at extremely high flux densities and relaxes the requirement for a small spot size to be generated by the optics. This makes possible a PV option for the large dish concentrator systems that have been developed by the solar thermal community for use with Stirling engines. Additionally, the highly effective back-surface reflector integrated into the MIM design is an effective tool for thermal management of the array. Development of this technology would radically alter the projections for PV manufacturing capacity because of the potential for extremely high power generation per unit area of semiconductor material.

Single Particle Entropy in Heated Nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guttormsen, M.; Chankova, R.; Hjorth-Jensen, M.; Rekstad, J.; Siem, S.; Sunde, A. C.; Syed, N. U. H.; Agvaanluvsan, U.; Schiller, A.; Voinov, A.

2006-01-01

The thermal motion of single particles represents the largest contribution to level density (or entropy) in atomic nuclei. The concept of single particle entropy is presented and shown to be an approximate extensive (additive) quantity for mid-shell nuclei. A few applications of single particle entropy are demonstrated

The kinematic Stirling engine as an energy conversion subsystem for paraboloidal dish solar thermal plants

Science.gov (United States)

Bowyer, J. M.

1984-01-01

The potential of a suitably designed and economically manufactured Stirling engine as the energy conversion subsystem of a paraboloidal dish-Stirling solar thermal power module was estimated. Results obtained by elementary cycle analyses were shown to match quite well the performance characteristics of an advanced kinematic Stirling engine, the United Stirling P-40, as established by current prototypes of the engine and by a more sophisticated analytic model of its advanced derivative. In addition to performance, brief consideration was given to other Stirling engine criteria such as durability, reliability, and serviceability. Production costs were not considered here.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: America's Largest Home Runs on Biodiesel in

Science.gov (United States)

North Carolina America's Largest Home Runs on Biodiesel in North Carolina to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: America's Largest Home Runs on Biodiesel in North Carolina on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: America's Largest Home Runs on Biodiesel in North

Flexible Sheet-Type Sensor for Noninvasive Measurement of Cellular Oxygen Metabolism on a Culture Dish.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mari Kojima

Full Text Available A novel flexible sensor was developed for the noninvasive oxygen metabolism measurement of cultivated cells and tissues. This device is composed of a transparent double-layered polymer sheet of ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH and poly(dimethylsiloxane (PDMS having an array of microhole structures of 90 μm diameter and 50 μm depth on its surface. All the microhole structures were equipped with a 1-μm-thick optical chemical sensing layer of platinum porphyrin-fluoropolymer on their bottom. The three-dimensional microstructures of the sensor were fabricated by a newly developed simple and low-cost production method named self-aligned hot embossing. The device was designed to be attached slightly above the cells cultivated on a dish to form a temporarily closed microspace over the target cells during measurement. Since the change in oxygen concentration is relatively fast in the microcompartmentalized culture medium, a rapid evaluation of the oxygen consumption rate is possible by measuring the phosphorescence lifetime of the platinum porphyrin-fluoropolymer. The combined use of the device and an automated optical measurement system enabled the high-throughput sensing of cellular oxygen consumption (100 points/min. We monitored the oxygen metabolism of the human breast cancer cell line MCF7 on a Petri dish and evaluated the oxygen consumption rate to be 0.72 ± 0.12 fmol/min/cell. Furthermore, to demonstrate the utility of the developed sensing system, we demonstrated the mapping of the oxygen consumption rate of rat brain slices and succeeded in visualizing a clear difference among the layer structures of the hippocampus, i.e., the cornu ammonis (CA1 and CA3 and dentate gyrus (DG.

Thermal modeling of a pressurized air cavity receiver for solar dish Stirling system

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Chongzhe; Zhang, Yanping; Falcoz, Quentin; Neveu, Pierre; Li, Jianlan; Zhang, Cheng

2017-06-01

A solar cavity receiver model for the dish collector system is designed in response to growing demand of renewable energy. In the present research field, no investigations into the geometric parameters of a cavity receiver have been performed. The cylindrical receiver in this study is composed of an enclosed bottom at the back, an aperture at the front, a helical pipe inside the cavity and an insulation layer on the external surface of the cavity. The influence of several critical receiver parameters on the thermal efficiency is analyzed in this paper: cavity inner diameter and cavity length. The thermal model in this paper is solved considering the cavity dimensions as variables. Implementing the model into EES, each parameter influence is separately investigated, and a preliminary optimization method is proposed.

Identifying the node spreading influence with largest k-core values

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Jian-Hong; Guo, Qiang; Dong, Wen-Zhao; Tang, Li-Ying; Liu, Jian-Guo

2014-01-01

Identifying the nodes with largest spreading influence of complex networks is one of the most promising domains. By taking into account the neighbors' k-core values, we present an improved neighbors' k-core (INK) method which is the sum of the neighbors' k-core values with a tunable parameter α to evaluate the node spreading influence with largest k-core values. Comparing with the Susceptible–Infected–Recovered (SIR) results for four real networks, the INK method could identify the node spreading influence with largest k-core values more accurately than the ones generated by the degree k, closeness C, betweenness B and coreness centrality method. - Highlights: • We present an improved neighbors' k-core (INK) method to evaluate the node spreading influence with largest k-core values. • The INK method could identify the node spreading influence with largest k-core values more accurately. • Kendall's tau τ of INK method with α=1 are highly identical to rank the node influence

Observational constraints on the physical nature of submillimetre source multiplicity: chance projections are common

Science.gov (United States)

Hayward, Christopher C.; Chapman, Scott C.; Steidel, Charles C.; Golob, Anneya; Casey, Caitlin M.; Smith, Daniel J. B.; Zitrin, Adi; Blain, Andrew W.; Bremer, Malcolm N.; Chen, Chian-Chou; Coppin, Kristen E. K.; Farrah, Duncan; Ibar, Eduardo; Michałowski, Michał J.; Sawicki, Marcin; Scott, Douglas; van der Werf, Paul; Fazio, Giovanni G.; Geach, James E.; Gurwell, Mark; Petitpas, Glen; Wilner, David J.

2018-05-01

Interferometric observations have demonstrated that a significant fraction of single-dish submillimetre (submm) sources are blends of multiple submm galaxies (SMGs), but the nature of this multiplicity, i.e. whether the galaxies are physically associated or chance projections, has not been determined. We performed spectroscopy of 11 SMGs in six multicomponent submm sources, obtaining spectroscopic redshifts for nine of them. For an additional two component SMGs, we detected continuum emission but no obvious features. We supplement our observed sources with four single-dish submm sources from the literature. This sample allows us to statistically constrain the physical nature of single-dish submm source multiplicity for the first time. In three (3/7, { or} 43^{+39 }_{ -33} {per cent at 95 {per cent} confidence}) of the single-dish sources for which the nature of the blending is unambiguous, the components for which spectroscopic redshifts are available are physically associated, whereas 4/7 (57^{+33 }_{ -39} per cent) have at least one unassociated component. When components whose spectra exhibit continuum but no features and for which the photometric redshift is significantly different from the spectroscopic redshift of the other component are also considered, 6/9 (67^{+26 }_{ -37} per cent) of the single-dish sources are comprised of at least one unassociated component SMG. The nature of the multiplicity of one single-dish source is ambiguous. We conclude that physically associated systems and chance projections both contribute to the multicomponent single-dish submm source population. This result contradicts the conventional wisdom that bright submm sources are solely a result of merger-induced starbursts, as blending of unassociated galaxies is also important.

Association between the frequency of meals combining "Shushoku, Shusai, and Hukusai" (Staple food, main dish, and side dish) and intake of nutrients and food groups among Japanese young adults aged 18-24 years: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kakutani, Yuya; Kamiya, Saori; Omi, Naomi

2015-01-01

"Shushoku," "Shusai," and "Hukusai" are staple food, main dish, and side dish, respectively. The recommended meal in Japan is a combination of "Shushoku," "Shusai," and "Hukusai"; however, it remains unclear whether there is an association between the frequency of these meals and intake of nutrients and food groups. This cross-sectional study examined the association between the frequency of meals combining "Shushoku, Shusai, and Hukusai" and intake of nutrients and food groups among 664 Japanese young adults aged 18-24 y. The dietary habits of the subjects during the preceding month were assessed using a validated brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire. The frequency of meals combining "Shushoku, Shusai, and Hukusai" was self-reported according to four categories: "less than 1 d or 1 d/wk," "2 or 3 d/wk," "4 or 5 d/wk," and "every day." In both women and men, there was an association between the higher frequency of these meals and higher intake of the following food groups: pulses, green and yellow vegetables, other vegetables, mushrooms, seaweeds, fish and shellfish, and eggs. Moreover, there was an association with higher intake of protein, polyunsaturated fat, n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fat, total dietary fiber, soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, β-carotene, α-tocopherol, vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, pantothenic acid, vitamin C, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and copper, and lower intake of carbohydrate in both women and men. Our findings support the hypothesis that the meals combining "Shushoku, Shusai, and Hukusai" may be associated with intake of many food groups and nutrients among Japanese young adults.

Effect of soil-structure interaction on the seismic behaviour of pedestal-structure system in large dish antennas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bahador Pourhatami

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Regarding the progressive improvement in the territory of Space Technology in all developed countries and consequently developing countries including Islamic Republic of Iran, the optimization of design and utilization of the communication equipment has been paid more attention today. For instance, considering recent highly innovative methods, specifically in communication field, developed for design, manufacturing and exploiting dish antenna for specific cases, cooperation of other science and technology experts, like civil engineers, is also necessary. In this way, more delicate design procedure in order to satisfy communication requirement, is achieved. So far, no specific investigation about aforementioned subject, especially the effect of soil-structure interaction (SSI in analysing the seismic behaviour of communication large dish antennas has been conducted in Iran. In this paper, with the aim of investigating the effect of SSI on seismic behavior of pedestal, first an acceptable range for antenna displacement – as the most important parameter in pedestal structure for antenna – in both operational and survival states, has been calculated numerically based on generic formula. Secondly, the modelling of the whole pedestal-structure system has been modelled subjected to the associated loads and other primary conditions. This procedure has been performed once without considering the SSI and once more with it. Comparison of the obtained results shows that considering the SSI would impress the output results with a difference rate more than 50% and 600% respectively at survival and operational condition.

CERN tests largest superconducting solenoid magnet

CERN Multimedia

2006-01-01

"CERN's Compacts Muon Solenoid (CMS) - the world's largest superconducting solenoid magnet - has reached full field in testing. The instrument is part of the proton-proton Large Hadron Collider (LHC) project, located in a giant subterranean chamber at Cessy on the Franco-Swiss border." (1 page)

Preference and intake frequency of high sodium foods and dishes and their correlations with anthropometric measurements among Malaysian subjects

OpenAIRE

Choong, Stella Sinn-Yee; Balan, Sumitha Nair; Chua, Leong-Siong; Say, Yee-How

2012-01-01

This study investigated the preference and intake frequency of a list of 15 commonly available high sodium Malaysian foods/dishes, discretionary salt use, and their possible association with demographics, blood pressures and anthropometric measurements among 300 Malaysian university students (114 males, 186 females; 259 ethnic Chinese, 41 Indians; 220 lean, 80 overweight). French fries and instant soup noodle were found to be the most preferred and most frequently consumed salty food, respect...

Analysis of Human Standing Balance by Largest Lyapunov Exponent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kun Liu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to analyse the relationship between nonlinear dynamic character and individuals’ standing balance by the largest Lyapunov exponent, which is regarded as a metric for assessing standing balance. According to previous study, the largest Lyapunov exponent from centre of pressure time series could not well quantify the human balance ability. In this research, two improvements were made. Firstly, an external stimulus was applied to feet in the form of continuous horizontal sinusoidal motion by a moving platform. Secondly, a multiaccelerometer subsystem was adopted. Twenty healthy volunteers participated in this experiment. A new metric, coordinated largest Lyapunov exponent was proposed, which reflected the relationship of body segments by integrating multidimensional largest Lyapunov exponent values. By using this metric in actual standing performance under sinusoidal stimulus, an obvious relationship between the new metric and the actual balance ability was found in the majority of the subjects. These results show that the sinusoidal stimulus can make human balance characteristics more obvious, which is beneficial to assess balance, and balance is determined by the ability of coordinating all body segments.

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.

broken magnet highlights largest collider's engineering challenges

CERN Multimedia

Inman, Mason

2007-01-01

"Even at the world's soon-to-be largest particle accelerator - a device that promises to push the boundaries of physics - scientists need to be mindful of one of the most fundamental laws in the universe: Murphy's Law. (2 pages)

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."

Software used with the flux mapper at the solar parabolic dish test site

Science.gov (United States)

Miyazono, C.

1984-01-01

Software for data archiving and data display was developed for use on a Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) PDP-11/34A minicomputer for use with the JPL-designed flux mapper. The flux mapper is a two-dimensional, high radiant energy scanning device designed to measure radiant flux energies expected at the focal point of solar parabolic dish concentrators. Interfacing to the DEC equipment was accomplished by standard RS-232C serial lines. The design of the software was dicated by design constraints of the flux-mapper controller. Early attemps at data acquisition from the flux-mapper controller were not without difficulty. Time and personnel limitations result in an alternative method of data recording at the test site with subsequent analysis accomplished at a data evaluation location at some later time. Software for plotting was also written to better visualize the flux patterns. Recommendations for future alternative development are discussed. A listing of the programs used in the anaysis is included in an appendix.

A Dish-based Semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire for assessment of dietary intakes in epidemiologic studies in Iran: Design and development

OpenAIRE

Ammar Hassanzadeh Keshteli; Ahmad Esmaillzadeh; Somayeh Rajaie; Gholamreza Askari; Christine Feinle-Bisset; Peyman Adibi

2014-01-01

Background: Earlier forms of food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) used in Iran have extensive lists of foods, traditional categories and food-based design, mostly with the interviewer-administered approach. The aim of the current paper is to describe the development of a dish-based, machine-readable, semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (DFQ). Methods: Within the framework of the Study on the Epidemiology of Psychological, Alimentary Health and Nutrition project, we created a nove...

Joint Asymptotic Distributions of Smallest and Largest Insurance Claims

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hansjörg Albrecher

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Assume that claims in a portfolio of insurance contracts are described by independent and identically distributed random variables with regularly varying tails and occur according to a near mixed Poisson process. We provide a collection of results pertaining to the joint asymptotic Laplace transforms of the normalised sums of the smallest and largest claims, when the length of the considered time interval tends to infinity. The results crucially depend on the value of the tail index of the claim distribution, as well as on the number of largest claims under consideration.

Optical characterization of nonimaging dish concentrator for the application of dense-array concentrator photovoltaic system.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Ming-Hui; Chong, Kok-Keong; Wong, Chee-Woon

2014-01-20

Optimization of the design of a nonimaging dish concentrator (NIDC) for a dense-array concentrator photovoltaic system is presented. A new algorithm has been developed to determine configuration of facet mirrors in a NIDC. Analytical formulas were derived to analyze the optical performance of a NIDC and then compared with a simulated result obtained from a numerical method. Comprehensive analysis of optical performance via analytical method has been carried out based on facet dimension and focal distance of the concentrator with a total reflective area of 120 m2. The result shows that a facet dimension of 49.8 cm, focal distance of 8 m, and solar concentration ratio of 411.8 suns is the most optimized design for the lowest cost-per-output power, which is US$1.93 per watt.

Enumeration of Salmonellae in Table Eggs, Pasteurized Egg Products, and Egg-Containing Dishes by Using Quantitative Real-Time PCR

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakočiūnė, Džiuginta; Pasquali, Frédérique; da Silva, Cristiana Soares

2014-01-01

PCR) was employed for enumeration of salmonellae in different matrices: table eggs, pasteurized egg products, and egg-containing dishes. Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis and S. enterica serovar Tennessee were used to artificially contaminate these matrices. The results showed a linear regression between...... the numbers of salmonellae and the quantification cycle (Cq) values for all matrices used, with the exception of pasteurized egg white. Standard curves were constructed by using both stationary-phase cells and heat-stressed cells, with similar results. Finally, this method was used to evaluate the fate...

Thin films of single-walled carbon nanotubes promote human osteoblastic cells (Saos-2) proliferation in low serum concentrations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akasaka, Tsukasa; Yokoyama, Atsuro; Matsuoka, Makoto; Hashimoto, Takeshi; Watari, Fumio

2010-01-01

One strategy used for the regeneration of bone is the development of cell culture substrates and scaffolds that can control osteoblast proliferation and differentiation. In recent investigations, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been utilized as scaffolds for osteoblastic cell cultures; however, there are only a few reports describing the proliferation of osteoblastic cells on thin CNT films; in particular, the effects of serum concentration on cell proliferation have not been studied. In the present study, we prepared culture dishes with homogeneous thin or thick films of non-modified CNTs and examined the effect of serum concentrations on human osteoblastic cells (Saos-2) proliferation in these culture dishes. We demonstrated that the ratio of cell proliferation was strongly affected by the concentration of serum. Interestingly, single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) thin films were found to be the most effective substrate for the proliferation of Saos-2 cells in low concentrations of serum. Thus, thin SWNT films may be used as an effective biomaterial for the culture of Saos-2 cells in low serum concentrations.

Dispersed solar thermal generation employing parabolic dish-electric transport with field modulated generator systems

Science.gov (United States)

Ramakumar, R.; Bahrami, K.

1981-01-01

This paper discusses the application of field modulated generator systems (FMGS) to dispersed solar-thermal-electric generation from a parabolic dish field with electric transport. Each solar generation unit is rated at 15 kWe and the power generated by an array of such units is electrically collected for insertion into an existing utility grid. Such an approach appears to be most suitable when the heat engine rotational speeds are high (greater than 6000 r/min) and, in particular, if they are operated in the variable speed mode and if utility-grade a.c. is required for direct insertion into the grid without an intermediate electric energy storage and reconversion system. Predictions of overall efficiencies based on conservative efficiency figures for the FMGS are in the range of 25 per cent and should be encouraging to those involved in the development of cost-effective dispersed solar thermal power systems.

Guaranteeing uptime at worl's largest particle physics lab

CERN Multimedia

Brodkin, Jon

2007-01-01

"As the European agency CERN was gearing up to build the world's largest particle accelerator, officials there knew they could not afford to have problems in their technical infrastructure cause any downtime." (1 page)

Near-IR laser-triggered target cell collection using a carbon nanotube-based cell-cultured substrate.

Science.gov (United States)

Sada, Takao; Fujigaya, Tsuyohiko; Niidome, Yasuro; Nakazawa, Kohji; Nakashima, Naotoshi

2011-06-28

Unique near-IR optical properties of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNTs) are of interest in many biological applications. Here we describe the selective cell detachment and collection from an SWNT-coated cell-culture dish triggered by near-IR pulse laser irradiation. First, HeLa cells were cultured on an SWNT-coated dish prepared by a spraying of an aqueous SWNT dispersion on a glass dish. The SWNT-coated dish was found to show a good cell adhesion behavior as well as a cellular proliferation rate similar to a conventional glass dish. We discovered, by near-IR pulse laser irradiation (at the laser power over 25 mW) to the cell under optical microscopic observation, a quick single-cell detachment from the SWNT-coated surface. Shockwave generation from the irradiated SWNTs is expected to play an important role for the cell detachment. Moreover, we have succeeded in catapulting the target single cell from the cultured medium when the depth of the medium was below 150 μm and the laser power was stronger than 40 mW. The captured cell maintained its original shape. The retention of the genetic information of the cell was confirmed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. A target single-cell collection from a culture medium under optical microscopic observation is significant in wide fields of single-cell studies in biological areas.

The world's largest LNG producer's next market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuller, R.; Isworo Suharno; Simandjuntak, W.M.P.

1996-01-01

The development of the domestic gas market in Indonesia, the world's largest liquefied natural gas producing country, is described as part of the overall impact of the country's oil and gas production. The first large scale use of natural gas in Indonesia was established in 1968 when a fertiliser plant using gas as the feedstock was built. Ultimately, through increased yields, this has enabled Indonesia to be self-sufficient in rice and an exporter of fertiliser. Problems which stand in the way of further developments include: capital, though Pertamina and PGN are perceived as attractive for foreign investment; the lack of a regulatory framework for gas; geographical constraints, among them the fact that the gas deposits are remote from the largest population concentrations; lack of infrastructure. There are nevertheless plans for expansion and the provision of an integrated gas pipeline system. Pertamina, which has responsibility for all oil and gas developments, and PGN, whose primary role has been as a manufacturer and distributor of gas, are now working together in the coordination of all gas activities. (10 figures). (UK)

THE HYDROGEN EPOCH OF REIONIZATION ARRAY DISH. II. CHARACTERIZATION OF SPECTRAL STRUCTURE WITH ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATIONS AND ITS SCIENCE IMPLICATIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ewall-Wice, Aaron; Hewitt, Jacqueline; Neben, Abraham R.; Bradley, Richard; Dickenson, Roger; Doolittle, Phillip; Egan, Dennis; Hedrick, Mike; Klima, Patricia; Deboer, David; Parsons, Aaron; Ali, Zaki S.; Cheng, Carina; Patra, Nipanjana; Dillon, Joshua S.; Aguirre, James; Bowman, Judd; Thyagarajan, Nithyanandan; Venter, Mariet; Acedo, Eloy de Lera

2016-01-01

We use time-domain electromagnetic simulations to determine the spectral characteristics of the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Arrays (HERA) antenna. These simulations are part of a multi-faceted campaign to determine the effectiveness of the dish’s design for obtaining a detection of redshifted 21 cm emission from the epoch of reionization. Our simulations show the existence of reflections between HERA’s suspended feed and its parabolic dish reflector that fall below -40 dB at 150 ns and, for reasonable impedance matches, have a negligible impact on HERA’s ability to constrain EoR parameters. It follows that despite the reflections they introduce, dishes are effective for increasing the sensitivity of EoR experiments at a relatively low cost. We find that electromagnetic resonances in the HERA feed’s cylindrical skirt, which is intended to reduce cross coupling and beam ellipticity, introduces significant power at large delays (-40 dB at 200 ns), which can lead to some loss of measurable Fourier modes and a modest reduction in sensitivity. Even in the presence of this structure, we find that the spectral response of the antenna is sufficiently smooth for delay filtering to contain foreground emission at line-of-sight wave numbers below k ∥ ≲ 0.2 h Mpc -1 , in the region where the current PAPER experiment operates. Incorporating these results into a Fisher Matrix analysis, we find that the spectral structure observed in our simulations has only a small effect on the tight constraints HERA can achieve on parameters associated with the astrophysics of reionization.

THE HYDROGEN EPOCH OF REIONIZATION ARRAY DISH. II. CHARACTERIZATION OF SPECTRAL STRUCTURE WITH ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATIONS AND ITS SCIENCE IMPLICATIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ewall-Wice, Aaron; Hewitt, Jacqueline; Neben, Abraham R. [MIT Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, Cambridge, MA, 02139 (United States); Bradley, Richard; Dickenson, Roger; Doolittle, Phillip; Egan, Dennis; Hedrick, Mike; Klima, Patricia [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA (United States); Deboer, David; Parsons, Aaron; Ali, Zaki S.; Cheng, Carina; Patra, Nipanjana; Dillon, Joshua S. [Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Aguirre, James [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Bowman, Judd; Thyagarajan, Nithyanandan [Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Tempe, AZ 85287 (United States); Venter, Mariet [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, SA (South Africa); Acedo, Eloy de Lera [Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge (United Kingdom); and others

2016-11-10

We use time-domain electromagnetic simulations to determine the spectral characteristics of the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Arrays (HERA) antenna. These simulations are part of a multi-faceted campaign to determine the effectiveness of the dish’s design for obtaining a detection of redshifted 21 cm emission from the epoch of reionization. Our simulations show the existence of reflections between HERA’s suspended feed and its parabolic dish reflector that fall below -40 dB at 150 ns and, for reasonable impedance matches, have a negligible impact on HERA’s ability to constrain EoR parameters. It follows that despite the reflections they introduce, dishes are effective for increasing the sensitivity of EoR experiments at a relatively low cost. We find that electromagnetic resonances in the HERA feed’s cylindrical skirt, which is intended to reduce cross coupling and beam ellipticity, introduces significant power at large delays (-40 dB at 200 ns), which can lead to some loss of measurable Fourier modes and a modest reduction in sensitivity. Even in the presence of this structure, we find that the spectral response of the antenna is sufficiently smooth for delay filtering to contain foreground emission at line-of-sight wave numbers below k {sub ∥} ≲ 0.2 h Mpc{sup -1}, in the region where the current PAPER experiment operates. Incorporating these results into a Fisher Matrix analysis, we find that the spectral structure observed in our simulations has only a small effect on the tight constraints HERA can achieve on parameters associated with the astrophysics of reionization.

Manufacturing cost analysis of a parabolic dish concentrator (General Electric design) for solar thermal electric power systems in selected production volumes

Science.gov (United States)

1981-01-01

The manufacturing cost of a General Electric 12 meter diameter concentrator was estimated. This parabolic dish concentrator for solar thermal system was costed in annual production volumes of 100 - 1,000 - 5,000 - 10,000 - 50,000 100,000 - 400,000 and 1,000,000 units. Presented for each volume are the costs of direct labor, material, burden, tooling, capital equipment and buildings. Also presented is the direct labor personnel and factory space requirements. All costs are based on early 1981 economics.

A PDMS Device Coupled with Culture Dish for In Vitro Cell Migration Assay.

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Xiaoqing; Geng, Zhaoxin; Fan, Zhiyuan; Wang, Shicai; Pei, WeiHua; Chen, Hongda

2018-04-30

Cell migration and invasion are important factors during tumor progression and metastasis. Wound-healing assay and the Boyden chamber assay are efficient tools to investigate tumor development because both of them could be applied to measure cell migration rate. Therefore, a simple and integrated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) device was developed for cell migration assay, which could perform quantitative evaluation of cell migration behaviors, especially for the wound-healing assay. The integrated device was composed of three units, which included cell culture dish, PDMS chamber, and wound generation mold. The PDMS chamber was integrated with cell culture chamber and could perform six experiments under different conditions of stimuli simultaneously. To verify the function of this device, it was utilized to explore the tumor cell migration behaviors under different concentrations of fetal bovine serum (FBS) and transforming growth factor (TGF-β) at different time points. This device has the unique capability to create the "wound" area in parallel during cell migration assay and provides a simple and efficient platform for investigating cell migration assay in biomedical application.

Worlds Largest Wave Energy Project 2007 in Wales

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Lars; Friis-Madsen, Erik; Kofoed, Jens Peter

2006-01-01

This paper introduces world largest wave energy project being developed in Wales and based on one of the leading wave energy technologies. The background for the development of wave energy, the total resource ands its distribution around the world is described. In contrast to wind energy turbines...... Dragon has to be scaled in accordance with the wave climate at the deployment site, which makes the Welch demonstrator device the worlds largest WEC so far with a total width of 300 meters. The project budget, the construction methods and the deployment site are also given....... a large number of fundamentally different technologies are utilised to harvest wave energy. The Wave Dragon belongs to the wave overtopping class of converters and the paper describes the fundamentals and the technical solutions used in this wave energy converter. An offshore floating WEC like the Wave...

First Experience from the World Largest fully commercial Solar Heating Plant

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heller, Alfred; Furbo, Simon

1997-01-01

The first experience from the largest solar heating plant in the world is given. The plant is situated in Marstal and is has a total area of 8000 square m.......The first experience from the largest solar heating plant in the world is given. The plant is situated in Marstal and is has a total area of 8000 square m....

Fifteen Years of Operation at NASA's National Transonic Facility with the World's Largest Adjustable Speed Drive

Science.gov (United States)

Sydnor, George H.; Bhatia, Ram; Krattiger, Hansueli; Mylius, Justus; Schafer, D.

2012-01-01

In September 1995, a project was initiated to replace the existing drive line at NASA's most unique transonic wind tunnel, the National Transonic Facility (NTF), with a single 101 MW synchronous motor driven by a Load Commutated Inverter (LCI). This Adjustable Speed Drive (ASD) system also included a custom four-winding transformer, harmonic filter, exciter, switch gear, control system, and feeder cable. The complete system requirements and design details have previously been presented and published [1], as well as the commissioning and acceptance test results [2]. The NTF was returned to service in December 1997 with the new drive system powering the fan. Today, this installation still represents the world s largest horizontal single motor/drive combination. This paper describes some significant events that occurred with the drive system during the first 15 years of service. These noteworthy issues are analyzed and root causes presented. Improvements that have substantially increased the long term viability of the system are given.

Challenges with the largest commercial hydrogen station in the world

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Charbonneau, Thomas; Gauthier, Pierre [Air Liquide Canada (Canada)

2010-07-01

This abstract's objective is to share with the participants the story of the largest hydrogen fueling station made to this date and to kick-start the story, we will cover the challenges; first the technical ones; the operational ones; the distribution ones and; the financial ones. We will then move on to review the logistic (geographic) issues raised by the project and conclude our presentation by sharing the output values of the largest fueling station built so far in the world. (orig.)

Open-Ended Waveguide Measurement and Numerical Simulation of the Reflectivity of Petri Dish Supported Skin Cell Monolayers in the mm-wave Range

Science.gov (United States)

Beneduci, Amerigo; Chidichimo, Giuseppe

2012-05-01

Open-ended waveguide reflectometry is a promising tool for permittivity and other material properties calculation at mm-waves (30-300 GHz). Measurement of the reflection coefficient does not require sample manipulation, allowing in vivo and in vitro non destructive studies on cells. Here we used this technique for measuring the power reflection coefficient (reflectivity) of water and Petri dish supported human skin melanoma and keratinocyte cell cultures, in the 53-72 GHz frequency range. The dependence of the reflectivity on polystyrene or glass thickness of the Petri base plate and on the cell layer thickness was analyzed. Permittivity data were then easily retrieved by using a plane wave-dominant mode approach for formulating the reflectivity at the aperture of the flange-mounted open-ended rectangular waveguide probe. Limits and validity of such an approximate approach were analyzed and compared with full-wave near field formulations for which magnitude and phase of the reflection coefficient must be measured and solved using complicated systems of integral equations and extensive numerical calculation. Finally, Petri dish reflectivity measured by the open-ended waveguide method was compared with that numerically simulated under far-field exposure conditions used in a large number of in vitro studies. Such an analysis showed that, under certain conditions, open-ended reflectivity values approach the far field ones.

Directed midbrain and spinal cord neurogenesis from pluripotent stem cells to model development and disease in a dish.

Science.gov (United States)

Allodi, Ilary; Hedlund, Eva

2014-01-01

Induction of specific neuronal fates is restricted in time and space in the developing CNS through integration of extrinsic morphogen signals and intrinsic determinants. Morphogens impose regional characteristics on neural progenitors and establish distinct progenitor domains. Such domains are defined by unique expression patterns of fate determining transcription factors. These processes of neuronal fate specification can be recapitulated in vitro using pluripotent stem cells. In this review, we focus on the generation of dopamine neurons and motor neurons, which are induced at ventral positions of the neural tube through Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling, and defined at anteroposterior positions by fibroblast growth factor (Fgf) 8, Wnt1, and retinoic acid (RA). In vitro utilization of these morphogenic signals typically results in the generation of multiple neuronal cell types, which are defined at the intersection of these signals. If the purpose of in vitro neurogenesis is to generate one cell type only, further lineage restriction can be accomplished by forced expression of specific transcription factors in a permissive environment. Alternatively, cell-sorting strategies allow for selection of neuronal progenitors or mature neurons. However, modeling development, disease and prospective therapies in a dish could benefit from structured heterogeneity, where desired neurons are appropriately synaptically connected and thus better reflect the three-dimensional structure of that region. By modulating the extrinsic environment to direct sequential generation of neural progenitors within a domain, followed by self-organization and synaptic establishment, a reductionist model of that brain region could be created. Here we review recent advances in neuronal fate induction in vitro, with a focus on the interplay between cell intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and discuss the implications for studying development and disease in a dish.

Enthesopathic reactions at the wrist in psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis. Results of low-kV radiographs in three views

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, E.

1989-01-01

Twenty-six sites of muscle and ligament attachment around the wrist were evaluated for enthesopathic proliferative bone changes in psoriatic arthritis (PA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH). Proliferations were found to be most frequent, most irregular, and largest in PA, followed in declining order by RA and DISH. In PA only, the bony proliferations and the underlying bone often had the appearance of mineralized woven bone, though smooth proliferations with a regular bone structure do occur in PA as well as in RA. The entheses of the trapezium, scaphoid and the radial styloid process are most frequently affected, followed by the bases of the first and fifth metacarpals and the pisiform. It is exceptional for huge bony proliferations to be observed at the entheses in DISH. (orig.) [de

Microbeam facility extension for single-cell irradiation experiments. Investigations about bystander effect and reactive oxygen species impact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanot, M.; Khodja, H.; Daudin, L.; Hoarau, J.; Carriere, M.; Gouget, B.

2006-01-01

The LPS microbeam facility is based on a KN3750 Van de Graaff accelerator devoted to microbeam analysis [1]. It is equipped with two horizontal microbeam lines used in various fields such as material science, geological science, nuclear material science and biology. Since two years, a single ion hit device is being developed at the LPS. The setup is dedicated to the study of ionizing radiation effects on living cells by performing single ion irradiation at controlled doses and locations. This study will complete current researches conducted on uranium chemical toxicity on renal an d osteoblastic cells. After ingestion, most uranium is excreted from the body within a few days except small fraction that is absorbed into the blood-stream (0.2 to 5%) and then deposit and preferentially in kidneys and bones, where it can remain for many years. Uranium is a heavy metal and a primarily alpha emitter. It can lead to bone cancer as a result of the ionizing radiation associated with the radioactive decay products. The study of the response to an exposure to alpha particles will permit to distinguish radiotoxicity and chemical toxicity of uranium bone cells with a special emphasis or the bystander effect at low dose.All the beam lines at the LPS nuclear microprobe are horizontal and under vacuum. A dedicated deflecting magnet was inserted in one of the two available beam lines of the facility. The ion beam is extracted to air using a 100 nm thick silicon nitride membrane, thin enough to induce negligible effects on the ions in terms of energy loss and spatial resolution. By this way, we believe that we minimize the experimental setup impact on the living cells easing the detection of low irradiation dose impact. The atmosphere around the samples is also important to guaranty low stressed cell culture conditions. A temperature, hygrometry and CO 2 controlled atmosphere device will be implanted in the future. The irradiation microbeam is produced using a fused silica capillary

Building Earth's Largest Library: Driving into the Future.

Science.gov (United States)

Coffman, Steve

1999-01-01

Examines the Amazon.com online bookstore as a blueprint for designing the world's largest library. Topics include selection; accessibility and convenience; quality of Web sites and search tools; personalized service; library collection development, including interlibrary loan; library catalogs and catalog records; a circulation system; costs;…

Toward sustainable harvesting of Africa's largest medicinal plant ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Global demand for treating prostate disorders with Prunus africana bark extract has made P. africana Africa's largest medicinal plant export. Unsustainable harvesting practices can lead to local extirpations of this multipurpose tree. Survey research targeting P. africana harvesters in a Tanzania forest reserve revealed that ...

Kabob report. Pt. 3. Chevron plant largest in Canada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1971-01-18

Canada's largest fully integrated primary natural- gas processing and sulfur recovery plant is heading for physical completion by mid-summer of 1971. The Ralph M. Parsons Construction Co. of Canada Ltd., contractor for the S. Kaybob Beaverhill Lake Unit No. 3 gas-processing plant, to be operated by Chevron Standard Ltd., estimates completion by June 30. After that the $80 million complex will have tests and running in time. With any reasonable luck, it should be fully on stream by late summer. Preliminary construction on the 200-acre site started in Jan. 1969 with clearing and contouring of the main plant and sulfur storage sites. Initial rough grading started in the early summer, after spring breakup was over. Delivery of most of the big items was made by rail because the local secondary roads were inadequate for them. Concrete has been a large item. The contractor has its own batch plant on the site for the estimated 28,000 cu yd which will be needed for the whole job. Dominating the construction site from the start has been the high sulfur plant stack, first of the major items to be finished. It will serve to dispose of effluent from the largest sulfur recovery unit in Canada. It is 465 ft high, one of the largest in Alberta, and a significant contribution to pollution control and environmental protection.

FUNDAMENTAL ASPECTS OF EPISODIC ACCRETION CHEMISTRY EXPLORED WITH SINGLE-POINT MODELS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Visser, Ruud; Bergin, Edwin A.

2012-01-01

We explore a set of single-point chemical models to study the fundamental chemical aspects of episodic accretion in low-mass embedded protostars. Our goal is twofold: (1) to understand how the repeated heating and cooling of the envelope affects the abundances of CO and related species; and (2) to identify chemical tracers that can be used as a novel probe of the timescales and other physical aspects of episodic accretion. We develop a set of single-point models that serve as a general prescription for how the chemical composition of a protostellar envelope is altered by episodic accretion. The main effect of each accretion burst is to drive CO ice off the grains in part of the envelope. The duration of the subsequent quiescent stage (before the next burst hits) is similar to or shorter than the freeze-out timescale of CO, allowing the chemical effects of a burst to linger long after the burst has ended. We predict that the resulting excess of gas-phase CO can be observed with single-dish or interferometer facilities as evidence of an accretion burst in the past 10 3 -10 4 yr.

Modelling resource consumption for laundry and dish treatment in individual households for various consumer segments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stamminger, R. [Institute for Agricultural Engineering, Household and Appliance Technology Section, University of Bonn, Nussallee 5, 53115 Bonn (Germany)

2011-11-15

Recent research allocates up to 80% of environmental impact in energy and CO2 terms to direct and indirect consumer activities. Various models discussed how this impact can be assigned to specific lifestyles, production and consumption systems, and psychological motives in order to be able to predict and influence these effects. In this work, another approach is followed by showing on the example of laundry and dish washing how well-known factors of the technical status, consumer practices and demographic data allow building up a model to predict the energy and water consumption for these processes. The results show a variation of a factor of 5 between a more sustainable and a more careless behaviour and allow thus to identify levers to influence it. As results can also be easily transformed into monetary values, this may allow influencing the consumer via this channel as he/she can easily understand what may need to be changed.

Upgrade and modernization of the six largest HPPs in Macedonia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hadzievska, M.

2002-01-01

In 1998, Electric Power Company of Macedonia and the International Bank for Development and Reconstruction, started the Power System Improvement Project a part of which is the Project for rehabilitation of the six largest Hydro Power Plants (HPPs) in the Republic of Macedonia. The six largest Hydro Power Plants (HPP Vrutok, HPP Raven, HPP Globocica, HPP Tikves and HPP Spilje and HPP Vrben) represent 91% of the country's hydropower capacity. The rehabilitation program is divided in five parts (contracts) and covers the refurbishment of: turbine runners, turbine and generator bearings, governors, inlet valves; butterfly valves, including accessories and control systems; generators, excitation system and voltage regulation; control system, protection and LV auxiliaries; switch gears and control gears in 220 kV, 110 kV and 35 kV substations. At the moment, only the implementation of switch gears has started, the first phase is already finished, and 50 % of the rehabilitation works for HPP Vrutok, the largest HPP, has been finished. With the realization of this project, greater hydropower production is expected. It also expected that HPPs will become a more vital part of the Macedonian power system

Application of Geodetic VLBI Data to Obtaining Long-Term Light Curves for Astrophysics

Science.gov (United States)

Kijima, Masachika

2010-01-01

The long-term light curve is important to research on binary black holes and disk instability in AGNs. The light curves have been drawn mainly using single dish data provided by the University of Michigan Radio Observatory and the Metsahovi Radio Observatory. Hence, thus far, we have to research on limited sources. I attempt to draw light curves using VLBI data for those sources that have not been monitored by any observatories with single dish. I developed software, analyzed all geodetic VLBI data available at the IVS Data Centers, and drew the light curves at 8 GHz. In this report, I show the tentative results for two AGNs. I compared two light curves of 4C39.25, which were drawn based on single dish data and on VLBI data. I confirmed that the two light curves were consistent. Furthermore, I succeeded in drawing the light curve of 0454-234 with VLBI data, which has not been monitored by any observatory with single dish. In this report, I suggest that the geodetic VLBI archive data is useful to obtain the long-term light curves at radio bands for astrophysics.

World's third-largest producer of nuclear power. Japan in need of energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2008-01-01

Japan is the third largest oil consumer in the world behind the United States and China, and the second largest net importer of oil. Japan boasts one of the largest economies in the world. The country continues to experience a moderate economic recovery that began in 2003, following a decade of economic stagnation. Japan's real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 2.5% in 2005 and 2.3% in 2004. The modest upturn over the last few years reflects higher business confidence in Japan, a surge in export demand led by exports to China, and robust consumer spending. Unemployment in Japan fell to 4.4% in 2005, down from an early 2003 peak of 5.5%. Japan has virtually no domestic oil or natural gas reserves, and in 2005 was the second largest net importer of crude oil in the world. Despite the country's dearth of hydrocarbon resources, Japanese companies have actively pursued upstream oil and natural gas projects overseas. Japan remains one of the major exporters of energy-sector capital equipment, and Japanese companies provide engineering, construction, and project management services for energy projects. (orig.)

Preference and intake frequency of high sodium foods and dishes and their correlations with anthropometric measurements among Malaysian subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Choong, Stella Sinn-Yee; Balan, Sumitha Nair; Chua, Leong-Siong; Say, Yee-How

2012-06-01

This study investigated the preference and intake frequency of a list of 15 commonly available high sodium Malaysian foods/dishes, discretionary salt use, and their possible association with demographics, blood pressures and anthropometric measurements among 300 Malaysian university students (114 males, 186 females; 259 ethnic Chinese, 41 Indians; 220 lean, 80 overweight). French fries and instant soup noodle were found to be the most preferred and most frequently consumed salty food, respectively, while salted fish was least preferred and least frequently consumed. Males had a significantly higher intake frequency of at least 6 of the salty foods, but the preference of most salty foods was not significantly different between genders. Ethnic Chinese significantly preferred more and took more frequently traditional and conventional Malaysian foods like asam laksa (a Malaysian salty-sour-spicy noodle in fish stock), salted biscuits and salted vegetable, while Indians have more affinity and frequency towards eating salty Western foods. Body Mass Index was significantly negatively correlated with the intake frequency of canned/packet soup and salted fish while waist circumference was significantly positively correlated with the preference of instant noodle. Also, an increased preference of potato chips and intake frequency of salted biscuits seemed to lead to a decreased WHR. Other than these, all the other overweight/obesity indicators did not seem to fully correlate with the salty food preference and intake frequency. Nevertheless, the preference and intake frequency of asam laksa seemed to be significant negative predictors for blood pressures. Finally, increased preference and intake frequency of high sodium shrimp paste (belacan)-based foods like asam laksa and belacan fried rice seemed to discourage discretionary salt use. In conclusion, the preference and intake frequency of the high sodium belacan-based dish asam laksa seems to be a good predictor for ethnic

Preference and intake frequency of high sodium foods and dishes and their correlations with anthropometric measurements among Malaysian subjects

Science.gov (United States)

Choong, Stella Sinn-Yee; Balan, Sumitha Nair; Chua, Leong-Siong

2012-01-01

This study investigated the preference and intake frequency of a list of 15 commonly available high sodium Malaysian foods/dishes, discretionary salt use, and their possible association with demographics, blood pressures and anthropometric measurements among 300 Malaysian university students (114 males, 186 females; 259 ethnic Chinese, 41 Indians; 220 lean, 80 overweight). French fries and instant soup noodle were found to be the most preferred and most frequently consumed salty food, respectively, while salted fish was least preferred and least frequently consumed. Males had a significantly higher intake frequency of at least 6 of the salty foods, but the preference of most salty foods was not significantly different between genders. Ethnic Chinese significantly preferred more and took more frequently traditional and conventional Malaysian foods like asam laksa (a Malaysian salty-sour-spicy noodle in fish stock), salted biscuits and salted vegetable, while Indians have more affinity and frequency towards eating salty Western foods. Body Mass Index was significantly negatively correlated with the intake frequency of canned/packet soup and salted fish while waist circumference was significantly positively correlated with the preference of instant noodle. Also, an increased preference of potato chips and intake frequency of salted biscuits seemed to lead to a decreased WHR. Other than these, all the other overweight/obesity indicators did not seem to fully correlate with the salty food preference and intake frequency. Nevertheless, the preference and intake frequency of asam laksa seemed to be significant negative predictors for blood pressures. Finally, increased preference and intake frequency of high sodium shrimp paste (belacan)-based foods like asam laksa and belacan fried rice seemed to discourage discretionary salt use. In conclusion, the preference and intake frequency of the high sodium belacan-based dish asam laksa seems to be a good predictor for ethnic

Study on the radiation flux and temperature distributions of the concentrator-receiver system in a solar dish/Stirling power facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Zhigang; Tang Dawei; Du Jinglong; Li Tie

2011-01-01

Uniform heater temperature and high optical-thermal efficiency are crucial for the reliable and economical operation of a Solar Dish/Stirling engine facility. The Monte-Carlo ray-tracing method is utilized to predict the radiation flux distributions of the concentrator-receiver system. The ray-tracing method is first validated by experiment, then the radiation flux profiles on the solar receiver surface for faceted real concentrator and ideal paraboloidal concentrator, irradiated by Xe-arc lamps and real sun, for different aperture positions and receiver shapes are analyzed, respectively. The resulted radiation flux profiles are subsequently transferred to a CFD code as boundary conditions to numerically simulate the fluid flow and conjugate heat transfer in the receiver cavity by coupling the radiation, natural convection and heat conduction together, and the CFD method is also validated through experiment. The results indicate that a faceted concentrator in combination with a solar simulator composed of 12 Xe-arc lamps is advantageous to drive the solar Stirling engine for all-weather indoor tests. Based on the simulation results, a solar receiver-Stirling heater configuration is designed to achieve a considerably uniform temperature distribution on the heater head tubes while maintaining a high efficiency of 60.7%. - Highlights: → Radiation flux in Dish/Stirling system is analyzed by validated ray-tracing method. → Temperature field on the solar receiver is analyzed by a validated CFD method. → Effects of Xe-arc lamp solar simulator and faceted real concentrator are analyzed. → Effects of different receiver positions and receiver shapes are investigated. → A Stirling heater configuration is presented with uniform temperature field.

NAFTA: The World's Largest Trading Zone Turns 20

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrarini, Tawni Hunt; Day, Stephen

2014-01-01

Everyone under the age of 20 who has grown up in North America has lived in the common market created by NAFTA--the North American Free Trade Agreement. In a zone linking the United States, Canada, and Mexico, most goods and investments flow freely across borders to users, consumers, and investors. In 1994, NAFTA created the largest relatively…

Observation of Galactic Sources of Very High Energy γ-RAYS with the Magic Telescope

Science.gov (United States)

Bartko, H.

The MAGIC telescope with its 17m diameter mirror is today the largest operating single-dish Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescope (IACT). It is located on the Canary Island La Palma, at an altitude of 2200 m above sea level, as part of the Roque de los Muchachos European Northern Observatory. The MAGIC telescope detects celestial very high energy γ-radiation in the energy band between about 50 GeV and 10 TeV. Since the autumn of 2004 MAGIC has been taking data routinely, observing various objects, like supernova remnants (SNRs), γ-ray binaries, Pulsars, Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and Gamma-ray Bursts (GRB). We briefly describe the observational strategy, the procedure implemented for the data analysis, and discuss the results of observations of Galactic Sources.

The Environmental Responsibility of the World’s Largest Banks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ryszawska Bożena

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Sustainability transition is changing the role and function of banks, specially their products and services also in relation to stakeholders. Banks are one of the main actors supporting the transition to sustainable economy. The purpose of this study is to emphasise the role of world’s largest banks in that process. Banks are slowly responding to the new demand of sustainability and responsibility, and they try to align with it. The paper is based on an overview of the world’s five largest banks that employ corporate social responsibility (CSR reporting standards, together with detailed enumeration of pro-environmental activities included in the reports. The first section of this paper presents the most popular approaches to the problem at hand, as reported in professional literature. Section two presents the characteristics of the CSR actions in banks. The third section discusses the environmental actions of the biggest banks in Global Reporting Initiative (GRI reporting the most popular standard for reporting non-financial information. And the last part of the paper presents the conclusions resulting from the article. The research was conducted using a variety of sources, such as scientific articles, statistical data, CSR reports of the world’s largest banks, as well reporting principles and standard disclosures. The basic method used in the process of writing was a critical analysis of literature and reports concerning the CSR reporting standards, environmental responsibilities of different kinds of entities, as well as own observations based on special reports of banks. In the article, also the analysis of financial market data, induction method and comparison method have been used. The main conclusions of the analysis of the CSR reports disclosed by the world’s largest banks confirm all three of the theses presented in the article. The findings suggest that the banks under study can be regarded as environmentally responsible

Oceans of Opportunity. Harnessing Europe's largest domestic energy resource

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fichaux, N.; Wilkes, J.

2009-09-01

Europe's offshore wind potential is enormous and able to power Europe seven times over. Over 100 GW of offshore wind projects are already in various stages of planning. If realised, these projects would produce 10% of the EU's electricity whilst avoiding 200 million tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. EWEA has a target of 40 GW of offshore wind in the EU by 2020, implying an average annual market growth of 28% over the coming 12 years. The EU market for onshore wind grew by an average 32% per year in the 12-year period from 1992-2004 - what the wind energy industry has achieved on land can be repeated at sea. EWEA's proposed offshore grid builds on the 11 offshore grids currently operating and 21 offshore grids currently being considered by the grid operators in the Baltic and North Seas to give Europe a truly pan-European electricity super highway. Strong political support and action from Europe's policy-makers will allow a new, multi-billion euro industry to be built. This new industry will deliver thousands of green collar jobs and a new renewable energy economy and establish Europe as world leader in offshore wind power technology. A single European electricity market with large amounts of wind power will bring affordable electricity to consumers, reduce import dependence, cut CO2 emissions and allow Europe to access its largest domestic energy source.

Statistics of the largest sunspot and facular areas per solar cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Willis, D.M.; Kabasakal Tulunay, Y.

1979-01-01

The statistics of extreme values is used to investigate the statistical properties of the largest areas sunspots and photospheric faculae per solar cycle. The largest values of the synodic-solar-rotation mean areas of umbrae, whole spots and faculae, which have been recorded for nine solar cycles, are each shown to comply with the general form of the extreme value probability function. Empirical expressions are derived for the three extreme value populations from which the characteristic statistical parameters, namely the mode, median, mean and standard deviation, can be calculated for each population. These three extreme value populations are also used to find the expected ranges of the extreme areas in a group of solar cycles as a function of the number of cycles in the group. The extreme areas of umbrae and whole spots have a dispersion comparable to that found by Siscoe for the extreme values of sunspot number, whereas the extreme areas of faculae have a smaller dispersion which is comparable to that found by Siscoe for the largest geomagnetic storm per solar cycle. The expected range of the largest sunspot area per solar cycle for a group of one hundred cycles appears to be inconsistent with the existence of the prolonged periods of sunspot minima that have been inferred from the historical information on solar variability. This inconsistency supports the contention that there are temporal changes of solar-cycle statistics during protracted periods of sunspot minima (or maxima). Indeed, without such temporal changes, photospheric faculae should have been continually observable throughout the lifetime of the Sun. (orig.)

Fishing down the largest coral reef fish species.

Science.gov (United States)

Fenner, Douglas

2014-07-15

Studies on remote, uninhabited, near-pristine reefs have revealed surprisingly large populations of large reef fish. Locations such as the northwestern Hawaiian Islands, northern Marianas Islands, Line Islands, U.S. remote Pacific Islands, Cocos-Keeling Atoll and Chagos archipelago have much higher reef fish biomass than islands and reefs near people. Much of the high biomass of most remote reef fish communities lies in the largest species, such as sharks, bumphead parrots, giant trevally, and humphead wrasse. Some, such as sharks and giant trevally, are apex predators, but others such as bumphead parrots and humphead wrasse, are not. At many locations, decreases in large reef fish species have been attributed to fishing. Fishing is well known to remove the largest fish first, and a quantitative measure of vulnerability to fishing indicates that large reef fish species are much more vulnerable to fishing than small fish. The removal of large reef fish by fishing parallels the extinction of terrestrial megafauna by early humans. However large reef fish have great value for various ecological roles and for reef tourism. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Multivariate Largest Lyapunov Exponent as an Age-Related Metric of Quiet Standing Balance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kun Liu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The largest Lyapunov exponent has been researched as a metric of the balance ability during human quiet standing. However, the sensitivity and accuracy of this measurement method are not good enough for clinical use. The present research proposes a metric of the human body’s standing balance ability based on the multivariate largest Lyapunov exponent which can quantify the human standing balance. The dynamic multivariate time series of ankle, knee, and hip were measured by multiple electrical goniometers. Thirty-six normal people of different ages participated in the test. With acquired data, the multivariate largest Lyapunov exponent was calculated. Finally, the results of the proposed approach were analysed and compared with the traditional method, for which the largest Lyapunov exponent and power spectral density from the centre of pressure were also calculated. The following conclusions can be obtained. The multivariate largest Lyapunov exponent has a higher degree of differentiation in differentiating balance in eyes-closed conditions. The MLLE value reflects the overall coordination between multisegment movements. Individuals of different ages can be distinguished by their MLLE values. The standing stability of human is reduced with the increment of age.

Crash testing the largest experiment on Earth

OpenAIRE

Cauchi, Marija

2015-01-01

Under Europe lies a 27 km tunnel that is both the coldest and hottest place on Earth. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has already found out what gives mass to all the matter in the Universe. It is now trying to go even deeper into what makes up everything we see around us. Dr Marija Cauchi writes about her research that helped protect this atom smasher from itself. Photography by Jean Claude Vancell. http://www.um.edu.mt/think/crash-testing-the-largest-experiment-on-earth/

Book Review: It's Not You, It's the Dishes: How to Minimize Conflict and Maximize Happiness in Your Relationship

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Derek Lawson

2014-08-01

Full Text Available It’s Not You, It’s The Dishes brings economic principles and theory into the married life of couples. The authors simplify economics by providing fundamental concepts while removing technical jargon in a funny, yet intuitive way. Readers are introduced to the basics of comparative advantage, game theory, and eight other economic principles, all while learning lessons on how to resourcefully allocate their limited units of time, money, and energy to yield a better return on their biggest investment of their lives, their marriage. At its core, this is a self-help book aimed at married couples. Nevertheless, financial professionals and academics may benefit from reading the book, particularly because it may be beneficial helping to brainstorm potential solutions with their clients or as “homework” for client couples.

Predicting Traffic Flow in Local Area Networks by the Largest Lyapunov Exponent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Liu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The dynamics of network traffic are complex and nonlinear, and chaotic behaviors and their prediction, which play an important role in local area networks (LANs, are studied in detail, using the largest Lyapunov exponent. With the introduction of phase space reconstruction based on the time sequence, the high-dimensional traffic is projected onto the low dimension reconstructed phase space, and a reduced dynamic system is obtained from the dynamic system viewpoint. Then, a numerical method for computing the largest Lyapunov exponent of the low-dimensional dynamic system is presented. Further, the longest predictable time, which is related to chaotic behaviors in the system, is studied using the largest Lyapunov exponent, and the Wolf method is used to predict the evolution of the traffic in a local area network by both Dot and Interval predictions, and a reliable result is obtained by the presented method. As the conclusion, the results show that the largest Lyapunov exponent can be used to describe the sensitivity of the trajectory in the reconstructed phase space to the initial values. Moreover, Dot Prediction can effectively predict the flow burst. The numerical simulation also shows that the presented method is feasible and efficient for predicting the complex dynamic behaviors in LAN traffic, especially for congestion and attack in networks, which are the main two complex phenomena behaving as chaos in networks.

Invertebrate population genetics across Earth's largest habitat: The deep-sea floor.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, M L; Roterman, C N

2017-10-01

Despite the deep sea being the largest habitat on Earth, there are just 77 population genetic studies of invertebrates (115 species) inhabiting non-chemosynthetic ecosystems on the deep-sea floor (below 200 m depth). We review and synthesize the results of these papers. Studies reveal levels of genetic diversity comparable to shallow-water species. Generally, populations at similar depths were well connected over 100s-1,000s km, but studies that sampled across depth ranges reveal population structure at much smaller scales (100s-1,000s m) consistent with isolation by adaptation across environmental gradients, or the existence of physical barriers to connectivity with depth. Few studies were ocean-wide (under 4%), and 48% were Atlantic-focused. There is strong emphasis on megafauna and commercial species with research into meiofauna, "ecosystem engineers" and other ecologically important species lacking. Only nine papers account for ~50% of the planet's surface (depths below 3,500 m). Just two species were studied below 5,000 m, a quarter of Earth's seafloor. Most studies used single-locus mitochondrial genes revealing a common pattern of non-neutrality, consistent with demographic instability or selective sweeps; similar to deep-sea hydrothermal vent fauna. The absence of a clear difference between vent and non-vent could signify that demographic instability is common in the deep sea, or that selective sweeps render single-locus mitochondrial studies demographically uninformative. The number of population genetics studies to date is miniscule in relation to the size of the deep sea. The paucity of studies constrains meta-analyses where broad inferences about deep-sea ecology could be made. © 2017 The Authors. Molecular Ecology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Lagisza, world's largest CFB boiler, begins commercial operation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nuortimo, K. [Foster Wheeler, Varkaus (Finland)

2010-04-15

Early operating experience with the Lagisza circulating fluidised bed (CFB) boiler in Poland - the world's largest such boiler to date, and also the first one with supercritical steam conditions - has been positive. 3 figs., 4 tabs.

Temporal properties of seismicity and largest earthquakes in SE Carpathians

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Byrdina

2006-01-01

Full Text Available In order to estimate the hazard rate distribution of the largest seismic events in Vrancea, South-Eastern Carpathians, we study temporal properties of historical and instrumental catalogues of seismicity. First, on the basis of Generalized Extreme Value theory we estimate the average return period of the largest events. Then, following Bak et al. (2002 and Corral (2005a, we study scaling properties of recurrence times between earthquakes in appropriate spatial volumes. We come to the conclusion that the seismicity is temporally clustered, and that the distribution of recurrence times is significantly different from a Poisson process even for times largely exceeding corresponding periods of foreshock and aftershock activity. Modeling the recurrence times by a gamma distributed variable, we finally estimate hazard rates with respect to the time elapsed from the last large earthquake.

PNNL supercomputer to become largest computing resource on the Grid

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

Hewlett Packard announced that the US DOE Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will connect a 9.3-teraflop HP supercomputer to the DOE Science Grid. This will be the largest supercomputer attached to a computer grid anywhere in the world (1 page).

Worlds largest particle physics laboratory selects Proxim Wireless Mesh

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

"Proxim Wireless has announced that the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the world's largest particle physics laboratory and the birthplace of the World Wide Web, is using it's ORiNOCO AP-4000 mesh access points to extend the range of the laboratory's Wi-Fi network and to provide continuous monitoring of the lab's calorimeters" (1/2 page)

Discovery of the largest orbweaving spider species: the evolution of gigantism in Nephila.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuntner, Matjaz; Coddington, Jonathan A

2009-10-21

More than 41,000 spider species are known with about 400-500 added each year, but for some well-known groups, such as the giant golden orbweavers, Nephila, the last valid described species dates from the 19(th) century. Nephila are renowned for being the largest web-spinning spiders, making the largest orb webs, and are model organisms for the study of extreme sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and sexual biology. Here, we report on the discovery of a new, giant Nephila species from Africa and Madagascar, and review size evolution and SSD in Nephilidae. We formally describe N. komaci sp. nov., the largest web spinning species known, and place the species in phylogenetic context to reconstruct the evolution of mean size (via squared change parsimony). We then test female and male mean size correlation using phylogenetically independent contrasts, and simulate nephilid body size evolution using Monte Carlo statistics. Nephila females increased in size almost monotonically to establish a mostly African clade of true giants. In contrast, Nephila male size is effectively decoupled and hovers around values roughly one fifth of female size. Although N. komaci females are the largest Nephila yet discovered, the males are also large and thus their SSD is not exceptional.

Discovery of the largest orbweaving spider species: the evolution of gigantism in Nephila.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matjaz Kuntner

2009-10-01

Full Text Available More than 41,000 spider species are known with about 400-500 added each year, but for some well-known groups, such as the giant golden orbweavers, Nephila, the last valid described species dates from the 19(th century. Nephila are renowned for being the largest web-spinning spiders, making the largest orb webs, and are model organisms for the study of extreme sexual size dimorphism (SSD and sexual biology. Here, we report on the discovery of a new, giant Nephila species from Africa and Madagascar, and review size evolution and SSD in Nephilidae.We formally describe N. komaci sp. nov., the largest web spinning species known, and place the species in phylogenetic context to reconstruct the evolution of mean size (via squared change parsimony. We then test female and male mean size correlation using phylogenetically independent contrasts, and simulate nephilid body size evolution using Monte Carlo statistics.Nephila females increased in size almost monotonically to establish a mostly African clade of true giants. In contrast, Nephila male size is effectively decoupled and hovers around values roughly one fifth of female size. Although N. komaci females are the largest Nephila yet discovered, the males are also large and thus their SSD is not exceptional.

On the statistics of the largest geomagnetic storms per solar cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siscoe, G.L.

1976-01-01

The theory of extreme value statistics is applied to the first, second, and third largest geomagnetic storms in nine solar cycles measured by the average half-daily aa indices compiled by Mayaud. Analytic expressions giving the probability of the extremes per solar cycle as a contour function of storm magnitude are obtained by least squares fitting of the observations to the appropriate theoretical extreme value probability functions. The results are used to obtain the statistical characteristics (mode, median, mean, and standard deviation) for the extreme values. The results are applied to find the expected range of extreme values in a set as a function of the number of solar cycles in the set. We find that the expected range of the largest storm is quite narrow and is larger for the second and third largest storms. The observed range of the extreme half-daily aa index for the nine solar cycles is 354--546 γ. In a set of 100 cycles the range is expanded esentially to 311--680γ, an increase of only 39% in the range. The result supports the argument for a change in solar cycle statistics in the latter part of the Seventeenth Century (the Maunder minimum)

Observations of VHE γ-Ray Sources with the MAGIC Telescope

Science.gov (United States)

Bartko, H.

2008-10-01

The MAGIC telescope with its 17m diameter mirror is today the largest operating single-dish Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescope (IACT). It is located on the Canary Island La Palma, at an altitude of 2200m above sea level, as part of the Roque de los Muchachos European Northern Observatory. The MAGIC telescope detects celestial very high energy γ-radiation in the energy band between about 50 GeV and 10 TeV. Since Autumn of 2004 MAGIC has been taking data routinely, observing various objects like supernova remnants (SNRs), γ-ray binaries, Pulsars, Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and Gamma-ray Bursts (GRB). We briefly describe the observational strategy, the procedure implemented for the data analysis, and discuss the results for individual sources. An outlook to the construction of the second MAGIC telescope is given.

Efficacy of 1.5% Dish Washing Solution and 95% Lemon Water in Substituting Perilous Xylene as a Deparaffinizing Agent for Routine H and E Staining Procedure: A Short Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anuradha Ananthaneni

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Aim. To assess the efficacy of dish washing solution and diluted lemon water in deparaffinizing sections during conventional hematoxylin and eosin staining technique. Objective. The objective is to utilize eco-friendly economical substitute for xylene. Materials and Methods. Using twenty paraffin embedded tissue blocks, three sections each were prepared. One section was stained with conventional H and E method (Group A and the other two sections with xylene-free (XF H and E (Groups B and C. Staining characteristics were compared with xylene and scoring was given. Total score of 3–5 was regarded as adequate for diagnosis and less than that inadequate for diagnosis. Statistical Analysis. Chi-square test, Kruskal Wallis ANOVA test, and Mann-Whitney U test were used. Results. Adequacy of nuclear staining, crispness, and staining for diagnosis were greater in both Groups A and C (100% than Group B (95%. Adequacy of cytoplasmic staining was similar in all the three groups (100%. Group B showed comparatively superior uniform staining and less retention of wax. Conclusion. Dish washing solution or diluted lemon water can be replaced for xylene as deparaffinizing agent in hematoxylin and eosin procedure.

Radio Band Observations of Blazar Variability Margo F. Aller , Hugh ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

gle dish monitoring and spatial resolution from VLBA imaging. Such measurements now available in all four ... linear-to-circular mode conversion in a region that is at least partially self- absorbed. Detailed analysis of ... Single dish monitoring observations from Metsähovi, Michigan (hereafter. UMRAO), and recently from the ...

Revisiting the phylogeny of Ocellularieae, the second largest tribe within Graphidaceae (lichenized Ascomycota: Ostropales)

Science.gov (United States)

Ekaphan Kraichak; Sittiporn Parnmen; Robert Lücking; Eimy Rivas Plata; Andre Aptroot; Marcela E.S. Caceres; Damien Ertz; Armin Mangold; Joel A. Mercado-Diaz; Khwanruan Papong; Dries Van der Broeck; Gothamie Weerakoon; H. Thorsten. Lumbsch; NO-VALUE

2014-01-01

We present an updated 3-locus molecular phylogeny of tribe Ocellularieae, the second largest tribe within subfamily Graphidoideae in the Graphidaceae. Adding 165 newly generated sequences from the mitochondrial small subunit rDNA (mtSSU), the nuclear large subunit rDNA (nuLSU), and the second largest subunit of the DNA-directed RNA polymerase II (RPB2), we currently...

A method for autoradiographic studies of single clones of plaque forming cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersen, V.; Lefkovits, I.; Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen

1977-01-01

By limiting dilution of B lymphocytes from spleens of immunized mice, microcultures were obtained that contained only one clone of plaque forming cells (PFC). The cultured cells were labelled with [ 14 C]thymidine for varying period of time. Plaques were obtained in monolayers of sheep erythrocytes in plastic dishes. After fixation with glutaraldehyde, the bottoms of the dishes were stripped off and autoradiograms prepared. By this method, it is possible to determine the proportion of labelled PFC within a given clone and to quantitate the incorporation of label. The method described can be applied to study the incorporation of other labelled molecules and for cytochemical investigations

CERN, World's largest particle physics lab, selects Progress SonicMQ

CERN Document Server

2007-01-01

"Progress Software Corporation (NADAQ: PRGS), a global supplier of application insfrastructure software used to develop, deploy, integrate and manage business applications, today announced that CERN the world's largest physis laboratory and particle accelerator, has chosen Progress® SonicMQ® for mission-critical message delivery." (1 page)

Synchrotron Emission on the Largest Scales: Radio Detection of the ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. Shocks and turbulence generated during large-scale structure formation are predicted to produce large-scale, low surface-brightness synchrotron emission. On the largest scales, this emission is globally correlated with the thermal baryon distribution, and constitutes the 'syn- chrotron cosmic-web'. I present the ...

Distribution of the Largest Eigenvalues of the Levi-Smirnov Ensemble

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wieczorek, W.

2004-01-01

We calculate the distribution of the k-th largest eigenvalue in the random matrix Levi - Smirnov Ensemble (LSE), using the spectral dualism between LSE and chiral Gaussian Unitary Ensemble (GUE). Then we reconstruct universal spectral oscillations and we investigate an asymptotic behavior of the spectral distribution. (author)

Dish/Stirling Hybrid-Receiver Sub-Scale Tests and Full-Scale Design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andraka, Charles; Bohn, Mark S.; Corey, John; Mehos, Mark; Moreno, James; Rawlinson, Scott

1999-01-01

We have designed and tested a prototype dish/Stirling hybrid-receiver combustion system. The system consists of a pre-mixed natural-gas burner heating a pin-finned sodium heat pipe. The design emphasizes simplicity, low cost, and ruggedness. Our test was on a 1/6 th -scale device, with a nominal firing rate of 18kWt, a power throughput of 13kWt, and a sodium vapor temperature of 750 ampersand deg;C. The air/fuel mixture was electrically preheated to 640 ampersand deg;C to simulate recuperation. The test rig was instrumented for temperatures, pressures, flow rates, overall leak rate, and exhaust emissions. The data verify our burner and heat-transfer models. Performance and post-test examinations validate our choice of materials and fabrication methods. Based on the 1/6 th -scale results, we are designing a till-scale hybrid receiver. This is a fully-integrated system, including burner, pin-fin primary heat exchanger, recuperator (in place of the electrical pre-heater used in the prototype system), solar absorber, and sodium heat pipe. The major challenges of the design are to avoid pre-ignition, achieve robust heat-pipe performance, and attain long life of the burner matrix, recuperator, and flue-gas seals. We have used computational fluid dynamics extensively in designing to avoid pre-ignition and for designing the heat-pipe wick, and we have used individual component tests and results of the 1/6 th -scale test to optimize for long life. In this paper, we present our design philosophy and basic details of our design. We describe the sub-scale test rig and compare test results with predictions. Finally, we outline the evolution of our full-scale design, and present its current status

Health insurance premium increases for the 5 largest school districts in the United States, 2004-2008.

Science.gov (United States)

Cantillo, John R

2010-03-01

Local school districts are often one of the largest, if not the largest, employers in their respective communities. Like many large employers, school districts offer health insurance to their employees. There is a lack of information about the rate of health insurance premiums in US school districts relative to other employers. To assess the change in the costs of healthcare insurance in the 5 largest public school districts in the United States, between 2004 and 2008, as representative of large public employers in the country. Data for this study were drawn exclusively from a survey sent to the 5 largest public school districts in the United States. The survey requested responses on 3 data elements for each benefit plan offered from 2004 through 2008; these included enrollment, employee costs, and employer costs. The premium growth for the 5 largest school districts has slowed down and is consistent with other purchasers-Kaiser/Health Research & Educational Trust and the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program. The average increase in health insurance premium for the schools was 5.9% in 2008, and the average annual growth rate over the study period was 7.5%. For family coverage, these schools provide the most generous employer contribution (80.8%) compared with the employer contribution reported by other employers (73.5%) for 2008. Often the largest employers in their communities, school districts demonstrate a commitment to provide choice of benefits and affordability for employees and their families. Despite constraints typical of public employers, the 5 largest school districts in the United States have decelerated in premium growth consistent with other purchasers, albeit at a slower pace.

The largest subsea hot tap (future tap flange) at Angel Field, Australia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lad, Deepak; Drysdale, Colin [T.D. Williamson (United States); Naidoo, Sashie [T.D. Williamson (Australia)

2008-07-01

A subsea hot tap was conducted near the gas production platforms in Angel Field, Australia in September 2007 and verified as the largest no. 900 subsea hot tap by Australian authorities. This paper outlines the subsea tapping process, risks and safety issues in deep water environment, including the need to ensure 100% system accuracy and that the machine fluids used to operate the subsea tapping machines were environmentally friendly. The testing phase included land and water testing. In the land tests, issues relating to metal hardness, temperature, pressure and ocean currents that affected machine stability, torque and cutting rate were considered. All preliminary design and testing focused on being able to mount the tapping machine to a pre-existing hot-tap flange and conduct the tapping operation, start to finish, preferably without changing the cutter. The water depth tests took place inside a pressurized, underwater hyperbaric chamber. The equipment repeated the land testing process in conditions duplicating that of the actual project site. Timing was also measured in multiple climatic conditions (except water depth) to obtain an estimation of various scenarios. The field tapping process was conducted without problems in over six hours with a single cutter and without any stalls. (author)

Discovery of the Largest Orbweaving Spider Species: The Evolution of Gigantism in Nephila

OpenAIRE

Kuntner, Matja?; Coddington, Jonathan A.

2009-01-01

Background More than 41,000 spider species are known with about 400?500 added each year, but for some well-known groups, such as the giant golden orbweavers, Nephila, the last valid described species dates from the 19th century. Nephila are renowned for being the largest web-spinning spiders, making the largest orb webs, and are model organisms for the study of extreme sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and sexual biology. Here, we report on the discovery of a new, giant Nephila species from Africa...

THE CHALLENGE OF THE LARGEST STRUCTURES IN THE UNIVERSE TO COSMOLOGY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Changbom; Choi, Yun-Young; Kim, Sungsoo S.; Kim, Kap-Sung; Kim, Juhan; Gott III, J. Richard

2012-01-01

Large galaxy redshift surveys have long been used to constrain cosmological models and structure formation scenarios. In particular, the largest structures discovered observationally are thought to carry critical information on the amplitude of large-scale density fluctuations or homogeneity of the universe, and have often challenged the standard cosmological framework. The Sloan Great Wall (SGW) recently found in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) region casts doubt on the concordance cosmological model with a cosmological constant (i.e., the flat ΛCDM model). Here we show that the existence of the SGW is perfectly consistent with the ΛCDM model, a result that only our very large cosmological N-body simulation (the Horizon Run 2, HR2) could supply. In addition, we report on the discovery of a void complex in the SDSS much larger than the SGW, and show that such size of the largest void is also predicted in the ΛCDM paradigm. Our results demonstrate that an initially homogeneous isotropic universe with primordial Gaussian random phase density fluctuations growing in accordance with the general relativity can explain the richness and size of the observed large-scale structures in the SDSS. Using the HR2 simulation we predict that a future galaxy redshift survey about four times deeper or with 3 mag fainter limit than the SDSS should reveal a largest structure of bright galaxies about twice as big as the SGW.

“A por gauchos in chiripá...”. Expresiones criollistas en el teatro ídish argentino (1910-1930

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susana Skura

2014-06-01

Full Text Available En Argentina, entre 1890 y 1920, se desarrolló el fenómeno criollista, consistente en la difusión del gusto por lo gaucho como moda popular de consumos y usos culturales. Coincidió con el auge del proceso inmigratorio y atravesó los debates sobre el primer nacionalismo cultural y los festejos del centenario patrio. A partir del reciente hallazgo de una colección de textos dramáticos escritos en ídish con abundantes préstamos del español rioplatense trasliterados, y reunidos por la Fundación Iwo de Buenos Aires, se explora la inclusión de prácticas y terminología de la cultura dominante en un teatro escrito y actuado en la lengua de inmigración, como un aspecto del proceso de transculturación de los inmigrantes ashkenazíes y de las primeras generaciones nacidas en las colonias agrícolas judías argentinas.

Prospects for the synthesis of large single-crystal diamonds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khmelnitskiy, R A

2015-01-01

The unique properties of diamond have stimulated the study of and search for its applications in many fields, including optics, optoelectronics, electronics, biology, and electrochemistry. Whereas chemical vapor deposition allows the growth of polycrystalline diamond plates more than 200 mm in diameter, most current diamond application technologies require large-size (25 mm and more) single-crystal diamond substrates or films suitable for the photolithography process. This is quite a challenge, because the largest diamond crystals currently available are 10 mm or less in size. This review examines three promising approaches to fabricating large-size diamond single crystals: growing large-size single crystals, the deposition of heteroepitaxial diamond films on single-crystal substrates, and the preparation of composite diamond substrates. (reviews of topical problems)

Long-term outcomes after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for metachromatic leukodystrophy: the largest single-institution cohort report

OpenAIRE

Boucher, Alexander A.; Miller, Weston; Shanley, Ryan; Ziegler, Richard; Lund, Troy; Raymond, Gerald; Orchard, Paul J.

2015-01-01

Background Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD) is a rare, fatal demyelinating disorder with limited treatment options. Published outcomes after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are scant and mixed. We report survival and function following HSCT for a large, single-center MLD cohort. Methods Transplant-related data, survival and serial measures (brain MRI, nerve conduction velocity (NCV), neurologic and neuropsychology evaluations) were reviewed. When possible, parental interviews...

Studying effects of Magnolol on alpha-particle induced bystander effects using PADC-film based dishes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wong, T.P.W. [Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong (Hong Kong); Tse, A.K.W.; Fong, W.F. [Research and Development Division, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Baptist University Road, Kowloon Tong (Hong Kong); Yu, K.N., E-mail: peter.yu@cityu.edu.h [Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong (Hong Kong)

2009-10-15

Radiation-induced bystander effect refers to the biological response found in cells (called bystander cells) which are not irradiated directly by ionizing radiation but are next to cells irradiated directly by ionizing radiation. In the present paper, the effects of Magnolol, an extract from the bark of Magnolia officinalis which is used as a traditional Chinese medicine, were studied on alpha-particle induced bystander effects. In our experiments, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were cultured in PADC-film based dishes and were irradiated with low fluences of alpha particles passing through the PADC films. The precise number of cells traversed or missed by alpha particles could be determined by studying the alpha-particle tracks developed on the PADC films upon subsequent chemical etching. TdT-mediated dUTP Nick-End Labeling (TUNEL) assay was employed to analyze the biological response of bystander cells in terms of DNA strand breaks. With the pretreatment of Magnolol, the DNA strand breaks in bystander cells were reduced, which showed that the alpha-particle induced bystander effects were suppressed with the presence of Magnolol. Since Magnolol is an antioxidant which can scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS), our results give support to that ROS play a role in the bystander signal transmission in our experiments.

Studying effects of Magnolol on alpha-particle induced bystander effects using PADC-film based dishes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, T.P.W.; Tse, A.K.W.; Fong, W.F.; Yu, K.N.

2009-01-01

Radiation-induced bystander effect refers to the biological response found in cells (called bystander cells) which are not irradiated directly by ionizing radiation but are next to cells irradiated directly by ionizing radiation. In the present paper, the effects of Magnolol, an extract from the bark of Magnolia officinalis which is used as a traditional Chinese medicine, were studied on alpha-particle induced bystander effects. In our experiments, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were cultured in PADC-film based dishes and were irradiated with low fluences of alpha particles passing through the PADC films. The precise number of cells traversed or missed by alpha particles could be determined by studying the alpha-particle tracks developed on the PADC films upon subsequent chemical etching. TdT-mediated dUTP Nick-End Labeling (TUNEL) assay was employed to analyze the biological response of bystander cells in terms of DNA strand breaks. With the pretreatment of Magnolol, the DNA strand breaks in bystander cells were reduced, which showed that the alpha-particle induced bystander effects were suppressed with the presence of Magnolol. Since Magnolol is an antioxidant which can scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS), our results give support to that ROS play a role in the bystander signal transmission in our experiments.

Mass balance of Greenland's three largest outlet glaciers - 2000–2010

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Howat, I.M.; Ahn, Y.; Joughin, I.; van den Broeke, M.R.; Lenaerts, J.T.M.; Smith, B.

2011-01-01

Acceleration of Greenland's three largest outlet glaciers, Helheim, Kangerdlugssuaq and Jakobshavn Isbræ, accounted for a substantial portion of the ice sheet's mass loss over the past decade. Rapid changes in their discharge, however, make their cumulative mass-change uncertain. We derive monthly

The Single-Phase ProtoDUNE Technical Design Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abi, B. [Univ. of Padova (Italy); et al.

2017-06-21

ProtoDUNE-SP is the single-phase DUNE Far Detector prototype that is under construction and will be operated at the CERN Neutrino Platform (NP) starting in 2018. ProtoDUNE-SP, a crucial part of the DUNE effort towards the construction of the first DUNE 10-kt fiducial mass far detector module (17 kt total LAr mass), is a significant experiment in its own right. With a total liquid argon (LAr) mass of 0.77 kt, it represents the largest monolithic single-phase LArTPC detector to be built to date. It's technical design is given in this report.

Health Insurance Premium Increases for the 5 Largest School Districts in the United States, 2004–2008

Science.gov (United States)

Cantillo, John R.

2010-01-01

Background Local school districts are often one of the largest, if not the largest, employers in their respective communities. Like many large employers, school districts offer health insurance to their employees. There is a lack of information about the rate of health insurance premiums in US school districts relative to other employers. Objective To assess the change in the costs of healthcare insurance in the 5 largest public school districts in the United States, between 2004 and 2008, as representative of large public employers in the country. Methods Data for this study were drawn exclusively from a survey sent to the 5 largest public school districts in the United States. The survey requested responses on 3 data elements for each benefit plan offered from 2004 through 2008; these included enrollment, employee costs, and employer costs. Results The premium growth for the 5 largest school districts has slowed down and is consistent with other purchasers—Kaiser/Health Research & Educational Trust and the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program. The average increase in health insurance premium for the schools was 5.9% in 2008, and the average annual growth rate over the study period was 7.5%. For family coverage, these schools provide the most generous employer contribution (80.8%) compared with the employer contribution reported by other employers (73.5%) for 2008. Conclusions Often the largest employers in their communities, school districts demonstrate a commitment to provide choice of benefits and affordability for employees and their families. Despite constraints typical of public employers, the 5 largest school districts in the United States have decelerated in premium growth consistent with other purchasers, albeit at a slower pace. PMID:25126311

Innovative Application of Maintenance-Free Phase-Change Thermal Energy Storage for Dish-Engine Solar Power Generation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qui, Songgang [Temple University; Galbraith, Ross [Infinia

2013-01-23

This final report summarizes the final results of the Phase II Innovative Application of Maintenance-Free Phase-Change Thermal Energy Storage for Dish-Engine Solar Power Generation project being performed by Infinia Corporation for the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE-FC36-08GO18157 during the project period of September 1, 2009 - August 30, 2012. The primary objective of this project is to demonstrate the practicality of integrating thermal energy storage (TES) modules, using a suitable thermal salt phase-change material (PCM) as its medium, with a dish/Stirling engine; enabling the system to operate during cloud transients and to provide dispatchable power for 4 to 6 hours after sunset. A laboratory prototype designed to provide 3 kW-h of net electrical output was constructed and tested at Infinia's Ogden Headquarters. In the course of the testing, it was determined that the system's heat pipe network - used to transfer incoming heat from the solar receiver to both the Stirling generator heater head and to the phase change salt - did not perform to expectations. The heat pipes had limited capacity to deliver sufficient heat energy to the generator and salt mass while in a charging mode, which was highly dependent on the orientation of the device (vertical versus horizontal). In addition, the TES system was only able to extract about 30 to 40% of the expected amount of energy from the phase change salt once it was fully molten. However, the use of heat pipes to transfer heat energy to and from a thermal energy storage medium is a key technical innovation, and the project team feels that the limitations of the current device could be greatly improved with further development. A detailed study of manufacturing costs using the prototype TES module as a basis indicates that meeting DOE LCOE goals with this hardware requires significant efforts. Improvement can be made by implementing aggressive cost-down initiatives in design and materials

Considering dominance in reduced single-step genomic evaluations.

Science.gov (United States)

Ertl, J; Edel, C; Pimentel, E C G; Emmerling, R; Götz, K-U

2018-06-01

Single-step models including dominance can be an enormous computational task and can even be prohibitive for practical application. In this study, we try to answer the question whether a reduced single-step model is able to estimate breeding values of bulls and breeding values, dominance deviations and total genetic values of cows with acceptable quality. Genetic values and phenotypes were simulated (500 repetitions) for a small Fleckvieh pedigree consisting of 371 bulls (180 thereof genotyped) and 553 cows (40 thereof genotyped). This pedigree was virtually extended for 2,407 non-genotyped daughters. Genetic values were estimated with the single-step model and with different reduced single-step models. Including more relatives of genotyped cows in the reduced single-step model resulted in a better agreement of results with the single-step model. Accuracies of genetic values were largest with single-step and smallest with reduced single-step when only the cows genotyped were modelled. The results indicate that a reduced single-step model is suitable to estimate breeding values of bulls and breeding values, dominance deviations and total genetic values of cows with acceptable quality. © 2018 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

The largest glitch observed in the Crab pulsar

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, B.; Lyne, A. G.; Stappers, B. W.; Weltevrede, P.; Bassa, C. G.; Lien, A. Y.; Mickaliger, M. B.; Breton, R. P.; Jordan, C. A.; Keith, M. J.; Krimm, H. A.

2018-05-01

We have observed a large glitch in the Crab pulsar (PSR B0531+21). The glitch occurred around MJD 58064 (2017 November 8) when the pulsar underwent an increase in the rotation rate of Δν = 1.530 × 10-5 Hz, corresponding to a fractional increase of Δν/ν = 0.516 × 10-6 making this event the largest glitch ever observed in this source. Due to our high-cadence and long-dwell time observations of the Crab pulsar we are able to partially resolve a fraction of the total spin-up of the star. This delayed spin-up occurred over a timescale of ˜1.7 days and is similar to the behaviour seen in the 1989 and 1996 large Crab pulsar glitches. The spin-down rate also increased at the glitch epoch by Δ \\dot{ν } / \\dot{ν } = 7 × 10^{-3}. In addition to being the largest such event observed in the Crab, the glitch occurred after the longest period of glitch inactivity since at least 1984 and we discuss a possible relationship between glitch size and waiting time. No changes to the shape of the pulse profile were observed near the glitch epoch at 610 MHz or 1520 MHz, nor did we identify any changes in the X-ray flux from the pulsar. The long-term recovery from the glitch continues to progress as \\dot{ν } slowly rises towards pre-glitch values. In line with other large Crab glitches, we expect there to be a persistent change to \\dot{ν }. We continue to monitor the long-term recovery with frequent, high quality observations.

Researchers propose single grade rule for evaluating hardwood pallet cants

Science.gov (United States)

Hal Mitchell; Marshall White; Philip Araman; Peter Hamner

2008-01-01

In "price taker" markets, successful businesses are the low cost producers, and pallet manufacturers are no exception. The single largest cost component of pallet manufacturing is raw material costs. Cants and lumber typically account for over 60% of operating costs. In the last three decades, cants have replaced lumber as the primary raw...

Longevity in Calumma parsonii, the World's largest chameleon.

Science.gov (United States)

Tessa, Giulia; Glaw, Frank; Andreone, Franco

2017-03-01

Large body size of ectothermic species can be correlated with high life expectancy. We assessed the longevity of the World's largest chameleon, the Parson's chameleon Calumma parsonii from Madagascar by using skeletochronology of phalanges taken from preserved specimens held in European natural history museums. Due to the high bone resorption we can provide only the minimum age of each specimen. The highest minimum age detected was nine years for a male and eight years for a female, confirming that this species is considerably long living among chameleons. Our data also show a strong correlation between snout-vent length and estimated age. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analytic approximation to the largest eigenvalue distribution of a white Wishart matrix

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Vlok, JD

2012-08-14

Full Text Available offers largely simplified computation and provides statistics such as the mean value and region of support of the largest eigenvalue distribution. Numeric results from the literature are compared with the approximation and Monte Carlo simulation results...

Effect of the phase change material in a solar receiver on thermal performance of parabolic dish collector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Senthil Ramalingam

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In this work, the use of phase change material in the circular tank solar receiver is proposed for a 16 m2 Scheffler parabolic dish solar concentrator to improve the heat transfer in the receiver. Magnesium chloride hexahydrate with melting temperature of 117°C is selected as the phase change material in the annular space of the receiver with rectangular fins inside the phase change material. Experimental work is carried out to analyze heat transfer from the receiver to heat transfer fluid with and without phase change material in the inner periphery. Energy and exergy efficiency are determined from the measurements of solar radiation intensity, receiver temperature, surroundings temperature, heat transfer fluid inlet and outlet temperatures, storage tank temperature, and wind speed. The experiments were conducted in SRM University, Chennai, India (latitude: 13° 5′ N, longitude: 80°16′ E in April 2014. Use of phase change material in receiver periphery increased energy efficiency by 5.62%, exergy efficiency by 12.8% and decreased time to reach the boiling point of water by 20% when compared with the receiver without phase change material.

Performance and cost of energy transport and storage systems for dish applications using reversible chemical reactions

Science.gov (United States)

Schredder, J. M.; Fujita, T.

1984-01-01

The use of reversible chemical reactions for energy transport and storage for parabolic dish networks is considered. Performance and cost characteristics are estimated for systems using three reactions (sulfur-trioxide decomposition, steam reforming of methane, and carbon-dioxide reforming of methane). Systems are considered with and without storage, and in several energy-delivery configurations that give different profiles of energy delivered versus temperature. Cost estimates are derived assuming the use of metal components and of advanced ceramics. (The latter reduces the costs by three- to five-fold). The process that led to the selection of the three reactions is described, and the effects of varying temperatures, pressures, and heat exchanger sizes are addressed. A state-of-the-art survey was performed as part of this study. As a result of this survey, it appears that formidable technical risks exist for any attempt to implement the systems analyzed in this study, especially in the area of reactor design and performance. The behavior of all components and complete systems under thermal energy transients is very poorly understood. This study indicates that thermochemical storage systems that store reactants as liquids have efficiencies below 60%, which is in agreement with the findings of earlier investigators.

A dominant mutation in mediator of paramutation2, one of three second-largest subunits of a plant-specific RNA polymerase, disrupts multiple siRNA silencing processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Sidorenko, Lyudmila; Dorweiler, Jane E; Cigan, A Mark; Arteaga-Vazquez, Mario; Vyas, Meenal; Kermicle, Jerry; Jurcin, Diane; Brzeski, Jan; Cai, Yu; Chandler, Vicki L

2009-11-01

Paramutation involves homologous sequence communication that leads to meiotically heritable transcriptional silencing. We demonstrate that mop2 (mediator of paramutation2), which alters paramutation at multiple loci, encodes a gene similar to Arabidopsis NRPD2/E2, the second-largest subunit of plant-specific RNA polymerases IV and V. In Arabidopsis, Pol-IV and Pol-V play major roles in RNA-mediated silencing and a single second-largest subunit is shared between Pol-IV and Pol-V. Maize encodes three second-largest subunit genes: all three genes potentially encode full length proteins with highly conserved polymerase domains, and each are expressed in multiple overlapping tissues. The isolation of a recessive paramutation mutation in mop2 from a forward genetic screen suggests limited or no functional redundancy of these three genes. Potential alternative Pol-IV/Pol-V-like complexes could provide maize with a greater diversification of RNA-mediated transcriptional silencing machinery relative to Arabidopsis. Mop2-1 disrupts paramutation at multiple loci when heterozygous, whereas previously silenced alleles are only up-regulated when Mop2-1 is homozygous. The dramatic reduction in b1 tandem repeat siRNAs, but no disruption of silencing in Mop2-1 heterozygotes, suggests the major role for tandem repeat siRNAs is not to maintain silencing. Instead, we hypothesize the tandem repeat siRNAs mediate the establishment of the heritable silent state-a process fully disrupted in Mop2-1 heterozygotes. The dominant Mop2-1 mutation, which has a single nucleotide change in a domain highly conserved among all polymerases (E. coli to eukaryotes), disrupts both siRNA biogenesis (Pol-IV-like) and potentially processes downstream (Pol-V-like). These results suggest either the wild-type protein is a subunit in both complexes or the dominant mutant protein disrupts both complexes. Dominant mutations in the same domain in E. coli RNA polymerase suggest a model for Mop2-1 dominance

Switzerland's largest wood-pellet factory in Balsthal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stohler, F.

2004-01-01

This article describes how a small Swiss electricity utility has broken out of its traditional role in power generation and the distribution of electricity and gone into the production of wood pellets. The pellets, which are made from waste wood (sawdust) available from wood processing companies, are produced on a large scale in one of Europe's largest pellets production facilities. The boom in the use of wood pellets for heating purposes is discussed. The article discusses this unusual approach for a Swiss power utility, which also operates a wood-fired power station and is even involved in an incineration plant for household wastes. The markets being aimed for in Switzerland and in Europe are described, including modern low-energy-consumption housing projects. A further project is described that is to use waste wood available from a large wood processing facility planned in the utility's own region

The global diversion of pharmaceutical drugs. India: the third largest illicit opium producer?

Science.gov (United States)

Paoli, Letizia; Greenfield, Victoria A; Charles, Molly; Reuter, Peter

2009-03-01

This paper explores India's role in the world illicit opiate market, particularly its role as a producer. India, a major illicit opiate consumer, is also the sole licensed exporter of raw opium: this unique status may be enabling substantial diversion to the illicit market. Participant observation and interviews were carried out at eight different sites. Information was also drawn from all standard secondary sources and the analysis of about 180 drug-related criminal proceedings reviewed by Indian High Courts and the Supreme Court from 1985 to 2001. Diversion from licit opium production takes place on such a large scale that India may be the third largest illicit opium producer after Afghanistan and Burma. With the possible exceptions of 2005 and 2006, 200-300 tons of India's opium may be diverted yearly. After estimating India's opiate consumption on the basis of UN-reported prevalence estimates, we find that diversion from licit production might have satisfied a quarter to more than a third of India's illicit opiate demand to 2004. India is not only among the world's largest consumer of illicit opiates but also one of the largest illicit opium producers. In contrast to all other illicit producers, India owes the latter distinction not to blatantly illicit cultivation but to diversion from licit cultivation. India's experience suggests the difficulty of preventing substantial leakage, even in a relatively well-governed nation.

BALU: Largest autoclave research facility in the world

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hakan Ucan

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Among the large-scale facilities operated at the Center for Lightweight-Production-Technology of the German Aerospace Center in Stade BALU is the world's largest research autoclave. With a loading length of 20m and a loading diameter of 5.8 m the main objective of the facility is the optimization of the curing process operated by components made of carbon fiber on an industrial scale. For this reason, a novel dynamic autoclaving control has been developed that is characterized by peripheral devices to expend the performance of the facility for differential applications, by sensing systems to detect the component state throughout the curing process and by a feedback system, which is capable to intervene into the running autoclave process.

DISCOVERY OF THE LARGEST KNOWN LENSED IMAGES FORMED BY A CRITICALLY CONVERGENT LENSING CLUSTER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zitrin, Adi; Broadhurst, Tom

2009-01-01

We identify the largest known lensed images of a single spiral galaxy, lying close to the center of the distant cluster MACS J1149.5+2223 (z = 0.544). These images cover a total area of ≅150 mbox '' and are magnified ≅200 times. Unusually, there is very little image distortion, implying that the central mass distribution is almost uniform over a wide area (r ≅ 200 kpc) with a surface density equal to the critical density for lensing, corresponding to maximal lens magnification. Many fainter multiply lensed galaxies are also uncovered by our model, outlining a very large tangential critical curve, of radius r ≅ 170 kpc, posing a potential challenge for the standard LCDM cosmology. Because of the uniform central mass distribution, a particularly clean measurement of the mass of the brightest cluster galaxy is possible here, for which we infer stars contribute most of the mass within a limiting radius of ≅30 kpc, with a mass-to-light ratio of M/L B ≅ 4.5(M/L) sun . This cluster with its uniform and central mass distribution acts analogously to a regular magnifying glass, converging light without distorting the images, resulting in the most powerful lens yet discovered for accessing the faint high-z universe.

Single Top quark production cross section using ATLAS detector at the LHC

CERN Document Server

Estrada Pastor, Oscar; The ATLAS collaboration

2018-01-01

Measurements of single top-quark production in proton-proton collisions are presented based on the 8 TeV and 13 TeV ATLAS datasets. In the leading order process, a W boson is exchanged in the t-channel. The cross-section for the production of single top-quarks and single anti-top-quarks, their ratio, as well as differential cross-section measurements are also reported. These analyses include limits on anomalous contributions to the Wtb vertex and measurement of the top quark polarization. Measurements of the inclusive and differential cross-sections for the production of a single top quark in association with a W boson, the second largest single-top production mode, are also presented. Finally, evidence for s-channel single-top production in the 8 TeV ATLAS dataset is presented. All measurements are compared to state-of-the-art theoretical calculations.

Canada's largest co-gen project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salaff, S.

2000-01-01

In November 2000, the TransAlta Energy Corp. began construction on its $400 million natural gas fuelled cogeneration project in Sarnia Ontario. The Sarnia Regional Cogeneration Project (SRCP) is designed to integrate a new 440 MW cogeneration facility to be built at the Sarnia Division of Dow Chemicals Canada Inc. with nearby existing generators totaling 210 MW at Dow and Bayer Inc. At 650 MW, the new facility will rank as Canada's largest cogeneration installation. Commercial operation is scheduled for October 2002. TransAlta owns three natural gas fuelled cogeneration facilities in Ontario (in Ottawa, Mississauga and Windsor) totaling 250 MW. The cost of electric power in Ontario is currently controlled by rising natural gas prices and the supply demand imbalance. This balance will be significantly affected by the possible return to service of 2000 MW of nuclear generating capacity. The SRCP project was announced just prior to the Ontario Energy Competition Act of October 1998 which committed the province to introduce competition to the electricity sector and which created major uncertainties in the electricity market. Some of the small, 25 MW projects which survived the market uncertainty included the Toronto-based Toromont Energy Ltd. project involving gas fuelled cogeneration and methane gas generation from landfill projects in Sudbury and Waterloo. It was emphasized that cogeneration and combined heat and power projects have significant environmental advantages over large combined cycle facilities. The Ontario Energy Board is currently considering an application from TransAlta to link the SRCP facility to Ontario's Hydro One Network Inc.'s transmission grid. 1 fig

Foreign exchange risk management : how are the largest non-financial companies in Norway managing their foreign exchange rate exposure?

OpenAIRE

Eriksen, Krister; Wedøe, Ola

2010-01-01

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how the largest non-financial companies in Norway manage their foreign exchange rate exposure. This is investigated through the use of a survey distributed to a sample the largest non-financial firms in Norway. According to our results, the largest non-financial companies in Norway have a predefined strategy for managing foreign exchange risk, which is defined by the board of directors or by the management in the organisation. The companies’ mai...

New Chicago-Indiana computer network will handle dataflow from world's largest scientific experiment

CERN Multimedia

2006-01-01

"Massive quantities of data will soon begin flowing from the largest scientific instrument ever built into an international netword of computer centers, including one operated jointly by the University of Chicago and Indiana University." (1,5 page)

Performance analysis of dish solar stirling power system; Stirling engine wo mochiita taiyonetsu hatsuden system no seino yosoku

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsuchiya, K; Yamaguchi, I [Meiji University, Tokyo (Japan); Naito, Y; Momose, Y [Aisin Seiki Co. Ltd., Aichi (Japan)

1996-10-27

In order to estimate the performance of the dish solar Stirling power system, matching and control of each component system were studied, and the performance of the 25kWe class power system was estimated on the basis of direct solar radiation measured in Miyako island, Okinawa. Application of a Stirling engine to solar heat power generation is highly effective in spite of its small scale. The total system is composed of a converging system, heat receiver, engine/generator system and control system. As the simulation result, the generator output is nearly proportional to direct solar radiation, and the system efficiency approaches to a certain constant value with an increase in direct solar radiation. As accumulated solar radiation is large, the influence of slope error of the converging mirror is comparatively small. The optimum aperture opening ratio of the heat receiver determined on the basis of mean direct solar radiation (accumulated solar radiation/{Delta}t (simulated operation time of the system)), corresponds to the primary approximation of the opening ratio for a maximum total generated output under variable direct solar radiation. 6 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.

Disease-in-a-dish: the contribution of patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell technology to regenerative rehabilitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mack, David L; Guan, Xuan; Wagoner, Ashley; Walker, Stephen J; Childers, Martin K

2014-11-01

Advances in regenerative medicine technologies will lead to dramatic changes in how patients in rehabilitation medicine clinics are treated in the upcoming decades. The multidisciplinary field of regenerative medicine is developing new tools for disease modeling and drug discovery based on induced pluripotent stem cells. This approach capitalizes on the idea of personalized medicine by using the patient's own cells to discover new drugs, increasing the likelihood of a favorable outcome. The search for compounds that can correct disease defects in the culture dish is a conceptual departure from how drug screens were done in the past. This system proposes a closed loop from sample collection from the diseased patient, to in vitro disease model, to drug discovery and Food and Drug Administration approval, to delivering that drug back to the same patient. Here, recent progress in patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell derivation, directed differentiation toward diseased cell types, and how those cells can be used for high-throughput drug screens are reviewed. Given that restoration of normal function is a driving force in rehabilitation medicine, the authors believe that this drug discovery platform focusing on phenotypic rescue will become a key contributor to therapeutic compounds in regenerative rehabilitation.

Effects of biaxial oscillatory shear stress on endothelial cell proliferation and morphology.

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty, Amlan; Chakraborty, Sutirtha; Jala, Venkatakrishna R; Haribabu, Bodduluri; Sharp, M Keith; Berson, R Eric

2012-03-01

Wall shear stress (WSS) on anchored cells affects their responses, including cell proliferation and morphology. In this study, the effects of the directionality of pulsatile WSS on endothelial cell proliferation and morphology were investigated for cells grown in a Petri dish orbiting on a shaker platform. Time and location dependent WSS was determined by computational fluid dynamics (CFD). At low orbital speed (50 rpm), WSS was shown to be uniform (0-1 dyne/cm(2)) across the bottom of the dish, while at higher orbital speed (100 and 150 rpm), WSS remained fairly uniform near the center and fluctuated significantly (0-9 dyne/cm(2)) near the side walls of the dish. Since WSS on the bottom of the dish is two-dimensional, a new directional oscillatory shear index (DOSI) was developed to quantify the directionality of oscillating shear. DOSI approached zero for biaxial oscillatory shear of equal magnitudes near the center and approached one for uniaxial pulsatile shear near the wall, where large tangential WSS dominated a much smaller radial component. Near the center (low DOSI), more, smaller and less elongated cells grew, whereas larger cells with greater elongation were observed in the more uniaxial oscillatory shear (high DOSI) near the periphery of the dish. Further, cells aligned with the direction of the largest component of shear but were randomly oriented in low magnitude biaxial shear. Statistical analyses of the individual and interacting effects of multiple factors (DOSI, shear magnitudes and orbital speeds) showed that DOSI significantly affected all the responses, indicating that directionality is an important determinant of cellular responses. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Relationship between the adaptive response and bystander effect produced by single cell irradiation using a focused ultrasoft x-ray microbeam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, L.; Schettino, G.; Folkard, M.; Yu, Z.; Prise, K.; Michael, B.; Wang, Y.

2003-01-01

Full text: Using the cell killing method and our newly developed focused carbon-K ultrasoft X-rays, we tested for an interaction between bystander responses and adaptive responses by irradiating only one V79 cell in a population with a dose of 0.2 or 1Gy, combined with a conventional 240kVp X irradiation (0, 0.01, 0.05, 0.2 or 1Gy) 2 hours before or after bystander treatment. The clonogenic survival of V79 cells was precisely measured by a single cell revisiting assay after incubation for 3 days. Our results clearly showed that the cell killing by the bystander treatment could be reduced by about 5% if we treated the cells with a very low dose of conventional 240kVp X-rays of 0.01 or 0.05Gy (at which dose they only kill 1 or 2% cells in a population), whether the conventional dose was given before or after bystander irradiation. When the conventional dose was increased to 0.2 or 1Gy (at which dose they could kill about 10 or 25% V79 cells), no adaptive response was found if we treated the cells with conventional irradiation first and bystander irradiation afterwards. However, the adaptive responses observed when we irradiated a single cell within the whole cell population before 0.2 or 1Gy conventional irradiation was given. This showed that the bystander-mediated adaptive response could increase the cell survival by 5 or 8% respectively compared with the cell killing by conventional irradiation of 0.2 or 1Gy only. We also tested the distribution of dead clones in the microbeam dishes either for bystander irradiation only or combined with conventional X-rays. We did not find any distance relationship between the irradiated cell and non-irradiated cells, which was consistent with our previous bystander irradiation studies showing an equal probability of finding damaged clones any where in the scanned area of the dish

Opportunities for biodiversity gains under the world’s largest reforestation programme

OpenAIRE

Hua, Fangyuan; Wang, Xiaoyang; Zheng, Xinlei; Fisher, Brendan; Wang, Lin; Zhu, Jianguo; Tang, Ya; Yu, Douglas W.; Wilcove, David S.

2016-01-01

Reforestation is a critical means of addressing the environmental and social problems of deforestation. China’s Grain-for-Green Program (GFGP) is the world’s largest reforestation scheme. Here we provide the first nationwide assessment of the tree composition of GFGP forests and the first combined ecological and economic study aimed at understanding GFGP’s biodiversity implications. Across China, GFGP forests are overwhelmingly monocultures or compositionally simple mixed forests. Focusing on...

Rehabilitation of the 6 largest hydropower plants in the Republic of Macedonia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chingoski, Vlatko; Savevski, Vasil

2004-01-01

In 1998, ESM (Electric Power Co. of Macedonia) received a loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD - The World bank) for the cost of the Power System Improvement Project, major part of which is the partial rehabilitation of the six largest HPPs in the Republic of Macedonia. Rehabilitation and life extension of these six largest hydro power plants is given the highest priority in the whole Power System Improvement Project mainly because these HPPs are, in general, fairly old, older than most of the thermal generation capacity and because a significant part of their equipment is wearing out, or is now obsolete with spare parts difficult to obtain. Furthermore, these plants play a vital role in the Macedonian Power System, providing peaking capacity, reserve capacity and frequency control. With the realization of this project, greater hydropower production is expected. It is also expected that HPPs will become a more vital part of the Macedonian Power System, which is also beneficial from an environmental aspect, due to greater usage of renewable energy resources in the country. (Original)

Tunneling spin injection into single layer graphene.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Wei; Pi, K; McCreary, K M; Li, Yan; Wong, Jared J I; Swartz, A G; Kawakami, R K

2010-10-15

We achieve tunneling spin injection from Co into single layer graphene (SLG) using TiO₂ seeded MgO barriers. A nonlocal magnetoresistance (ΔR(NL)) of 130  Ω is observed at room temperature, which is the largest value observed in any material. Investigating ΔR(NL) vs SLG conductivity from the transparent to the tunneling contact regimes demonstrates the contrasting behaviors predicted by the drift-diffusion theory of spin transport. Furthermore, tunnel barriers reduce the contact-induced spin relaxation and are therefore important for future investigations of spin relaxation in graphene.

Ownership, financing, and management strategies of the ten largest for-profit nursing home chains in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrington, Charlene; Hauser, Clarilee; Olney, Brian; Rosenau, Pauline Vaillancourt

2011-01-01

This study examined the ownership, financing, and management strategies of the 10 largest for-profit nursing home chains in the United States, including the four largest chains purchased by private equity corporations. Descriptive data were collected from Internet searches, company reports, and other sources for the decade 1998-2008. Since 1998, the largest chains have made many changes in their ownership and structure, and some have converted from publicly traded companies to private ownership. This study shows the increasing complexity of corporate nursing home ownership and the lack of public information about ownership and financial status. The chains have used strategies to maximize shareholder and investor value that include increasing Medicare revenues, occupancy rates, and company diversification, establishing multiple layers of corporate ownership, developing real estate investment trusts, and creating limited liability companies. These strategies enhance shareholder and investor profits, reduce corporate taxes, and reduce liability risk. There is a need for greater transparency in ownership and financial reporting and for more government oversight of the largest for-profit chains, including those owned by private equity companies.

SSC RIAR is the largest centre of research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalygin, V.V.

1997-01-01

The State Scientific Centre (SSC) ''Research Institute of Atomic Reactors'' (RIAR) is situated 100 km to the south-east from Moscow, in Dimitrovgrad, the Volga Region of the Russian Federation. SSC RIAR is the largest centre of research reactors in Russia. At present there are 5 types of reactor facilities in operation, including two NPP. One of the main tasks the Centre is the investigations on safety increase for power reactors. Broad international connections are available at the Institute. On the basis of the SSC RIAR during 3 years work has been done on the development of the branch training centre (TC) for the training of operation personnel of research and pilot reactors in Russia. (author). 3 tabs

SSC RIAR is the largest centre of research reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kalygin, V V [State Scientific Centre, Research Inst. of Atomic Reactors (Russian Federation)

1997-10-01

The State Scientific Centre (SSC) ``Research Institute of Atomic Reactors`` (RIAR) is situated 100 km to the south-east from Moscow, in Dimitrovgrad, the Volga Region of the Russian Federation. SSC RIAR is the largest centre of research reactors in Russia. At present there are 5 types of reactor facilities in operation, including two NPP. One of the main tasks the Centre is the investigations on safety increase for power reactors. Broad international connections are available at the Institute. On the basis of the SSC RIAR during 3 years work has been done on the development of the branch training centre (TC) for the training of operation personnel of research and pilot reactors in Russia. (author). 3 tabs.

Hospital Prices Increase in California, Especially Among Hospitals in the Largest Multi-hospital Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Glenn A. Melnick PhD

2016-06-01

Full Text Available A surge in hospital consolidation is fueling formation of ever larger multi-hospital systems throughout the United States. This article examines hospital prices in California over time with a focus on hospitals in the largest multi-hospital systems. Our data show that hospital prices in California grew substantially (+76% per hospital admission across all hospitals and all services between 2004 and 2013 and that prices at hospitals that are members of the largest, multi-hospital systems grew substantially more (113% than prices paid to all other California hospitals (70%. Prices were similar in both groups at the start of the period (approximately $9200 per admission. By the end of the period, prices at hospitals in the largest systems exceeded prices at other California hospitals by almost $4000 per patient admission. Our study findings are potentially useful to policy makers across the country for several reasons. Our data measure actual prices for a large sample of hospitals over a long period of time in California. California experienced its wave of consolidation much earlier than the rest of the country and as such our findings may provide some insights into what may happen across the United States from hospital consolidation including growth of large, multi-hospital systems now forming in the rest of the rest of the country.

A marine heatwave drives massive losses from the world’s largest seagrass carbon stocks

KAUST Repository

Arias-Ortiz, Ariane; Serrano, Oscar; Masqué , Pere; Lavery, P. S.; Mueller, U.; Kendrick, G. A.; Rozaimi, M.; Esteban, A.; Fourqurean, J. W.; Marbà , N.; Mateo, M. A.; Murray, K.; Rule, M. J.; Duarte, Carlos M.

2018-01-01

Seagrass ecosystems contain globally significant organic carbon (C) stocks. However, climate change and increasing frequency of extreme events threaten their preservation. Shark Bay, Western Australia, has the largest C stock reported for a seagrass

The largest Silurian vertebrate and its palaeoecological implications

Science.gov (United States)

Choo, Brian; Zhu, Min; Zhao, Wenjin; Jia, Liaotao; Zhu, You'an

2014-01-01

An apparent absence of Silurian fishes more than half-a-metre in length has been viewed as evidence that gnathostomes were restricted in size and diversity prior to the Devonian. Here we describe the largest pre-Devonian vertebrate (Megamastax amblyodus gen. et sp. nov.), a predatory marine osteichthyan from the Silurian Kuanti Formation (late Ludlow, ~423 million years ago) of Yunnan, China, with an estimated length of about 1 meter. The unusual dentition of the new form suggests a durophagous diet which, combined with its large size, indicates a considerable degree of trophic specialisation among early osteichthyans. The lack of large Silurian vertebrates has recently been used as constraint in palaeoatmospheric modelling, with purported lower oxygen levels imposing a physiological size limit. Regardless of the exact causal relationship between oxygen availability and evolutionary success, this finding refutes the assumption that pre-Emsian vertebrates were restricted to small body sizes. PMID:24921626

THE MASS OF (4) VESTA DERIVED FROM ITS LARGEST GRAVITATIONAL EFFECTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuzmanoski, Mike; Novakovic, Bojan; Apostolovska, Gordana

2010-01-01

In this paper, we present a recalculated value of the mass of (4) Vesta, derived from its largest gravitational perturbations on selected asteroids during their mutual close encounters. This was done by using a new method for mass determination, which is based on the linking of pre-encounter observations to the orbit determined from post-encounter ones. The estimated weighted mean of the mass of (4) Vesta is (1.300 ± 0.001) x 10 -10 M sun .

Enhancing economic competiveness of dish Stirling technology through production volume and localization: Case study for Morocco

Science.gov (United States)

Larchet, Kevin; Guédez, Rafael; Topel, Monika; Gustavsson, Lars; Machirant, Andrew; Hedlund, Maria-Lina; Laumert, Björn

2017-06-01

The present study quantifies the reduction in the levelized cost of electricity (LCoE) and capital expenditure (CAPEX) of a dish Stirling power plant (DSPP) through an increase in localization and unit production volume. Furthermore, the localization value of the plant is examined to determine how much investment is brought into the local economy. Ouarzazate, Morocco, was chosen as the location of the study due to the country's favorable regulatory framework with regards to solar power technologies and its established industry in the concentrating solar power (CSP) field. A detailed techno-economic model of a DSPP was developed using KTH's in-house modelling tool DYESOPT, which allows power plant evaluation by means of technical and economic performance indicators. Results on the basis of LCoE and CAPEX were compared between two different cases of production volume, examining both a minimum and maximum level of localization. Thereafter, the DSPP LCoE and localization value were compared against competing solar technologies to evaluate its competitiveness. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was conducted around key design parameters. The study confirms that the LCoE of a DSPP can be reduced to values similar to solar photovoltaic (PV) and lower than other CSP technologies. Furthermore, the investment in the local economy is far greater when compared to PV and of the same magnitude to other CSP technologies. The competiveness of a DSPP has the potential to increase further when coupled with thermal energy storage (TES), which is currently under development.

Key U.S.-built part fails during testing for world's largest particle collider

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

"Scientists are scrambling to redesign a key U.S.-built part that broke "with a loud bang and a cloud of dust" during a high-pressure test for the world's largest particle physics collider that is supposed to start up in November, officials sais Tuesday." (1,5 page)

Continuum and Line Emission Simulation of Star-Forming Galaxies and Development of a New Sub-mm Inte

Science.gov (United States)

Lagache, Guilaine

2018-01-01

Nowadays, most of the constraints on the dusty star formation at high z comes from deep continuum surveys. We developed a new simulation of the dusty extragalactic sky with a realistic clustering. The comparison between single-dish and interferometric data showed that the clustering inside the beam of a single-dish instrument can seriously bias their measurements. Fortunately, these simulations also show that the beam of a >30-meter dish in the mm should not be affected by serious multiplicity effects. We will give predictions for important characteristics of future AtLAST surveys (as confusion limit, number of detections, properties of detected galaxies). These simulations can also include line emission to prepare a future sub-mm low-resolution spectroscopic survey at high z with AtLAST. Such a survey could be built on the legacy of the CONCERTO survey, that will map the fluctuations of the CII line intensity in the reionisation and post-reionisation epoch. A "super-CONCERTO" instrument on AtLAST would be a perfect first-light instrument to unveil the gigantic potential of this telescope.

Single Top quark production cross-section measurements using the ATLAS detector at the LHC

CERN Document Server

Jimenez Pena, Javier; The ATLAS collaboration

2018-01-01

Measurements of single top-quark production in proton-proton collisions are presented based on the 13 TeV and 8 TeV ATLAS datasets. In the leading order process, a W-boson is exchanged in the t-channel. The cross-section for the production of single top-quarks and single antitop-quarks, their ratio, as well as differential cross-section measurements are also reported. Measurements of the inclusive and differential cross-sections for the production of a single top quark in association with a W-boson, the second largest single top production mode are also presented. Evidence for the s-channel single top-quark production in the 8 TeV dataset is presented. Finally, the first measurement of the tZq electroweak production is presented. All measurements are compared to state-of-the art theoretical calculations. (On behalf of the ATLAS collaboration)

Constraining the magnitude of the largest event in a foreshock-main shock-aftershock sequence

Science.gov (United States)

Shcherbakov, Robert; Zhuang, Jiancang; Ogata, Yosihiko

2018-01-01

Extreme value statistics and Bayesian methods are used to constrain the magnitudes of the largest expected earthquakes in a sequence governed by the parametric time-dependent occurrence rate and frequency-magnitude statistics. The Bayesian predictive distribution for the magnitude of the largest event in a sequence is derived. Two types of sequences are considered, that is, the classical aftershock sequences generated by large main shocks and the aftershocks generated by large foreshocks preceding a main shock. For the former sequences, the early aftershocks during a training time interval are used to constrain the magnitude of the future extreme event during the forecasting time interval. For the latter sequences, the earthquakes preceding the main shock are used to constrain the magnitudes of the subsequent extreme events including the main shock. The analysis is applied retrospectively to past prominent earthquake sequences.

Evolution of the Largest Mammalian Genome.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Ben J; Upham, Nathan S; Golding, Goeffrey B; Ojeda, Ricardo A; Ojeda, Agustina A

2017-06-01

The genome of the red vizcacha rat (Rodentia, Octodontidae, Tympanoctomys barrerae) is the largest of all mammals, and about double the size of their close relative, the mountain vizcacha rat Octomys mimax, even though the lineages that gave rise to these species diverged from each other only about 5 Ma. The mechanism for this rapid genome expansion is controversial, and hypothesized to be a consequence of whole genome duplication or accumulation of repetitive elements. To test these alternative but nonexclusive hypotheses, we gathered and evaluated evidence from whole transcriptome and whole genome sequences of T. barrerae and O. mimax. We recovered support for genome expansion due to accumulation of a diverse assemblage of repetitive elements, which represent about one half and one fifth of the genomes of T. barrerae and O. mimax, respectively, but we found no strong signal of whole genome duplication. In both species, repetitive sequences were rare in transcribed regions as compared with the rest of the genome, and mostly had no close match to annotated repetitive sequences from other rodents. These findings raise new questions about the genomic dynamics of these repetitive elements, their connection to widespread chromosomal fissions that occurred in the T. barrerae ancestor, and their fitness effects-including during the evolution of hypersaline dietary tolerance in T. barrerae. ©The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Single-port laparoscopic myomectomy using a new single-port transumbilical morcellation system: initial clinical study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yong-Wook; Park, Byung-Joon; Ro, Duck-Yeong; Kim, Tae-Eung

2010-01-01

To evaluate the feasibility of single-port laparoscopic myomectomy with transumbilical morcellation and suturing. Continuing prospective study (Canadian Task Force classification II-3). University hospital. Fifteen patients who underwent single-port laparoscopic myomectomy between September 2008 and October 2009 to remove single or multiple uterine myomas, at least 1 in each patient measuring greater than 4 cm in diameter. All single-port laparoscopic myomectomy procedures were performed by a single surgeon (Dr. Y.W. Kim). Myomas were extracted transumbilically by cutting the myomas into smaller pieces with a knife or a conventional electromechanical morcellator. After making a single 1.5- to 2.0-cm umbilical incision, the single-port system, created with a wound retractor and a surgical glove, was inserted. All operations were performed using conventional rigid straight laparoscopic instruments. Laparoscopic suturing was performed in intramural myomas and some subserosal myomas. Patient mean (SD; range) age was 38.3 (5.6; 29-49) years. The number of myomas per patient was 1.6 (1.4; 1-6). The diameter of the largest myomas was 6.1 (1.5; 4.2-9.6) cm. In 4 patients, only a knife was required for transumbilical extraction of myomas, and in 11 patients, transumbilical morcellation with an electromechanical morcellator with or without a knife was used. Transumbilical drainage tubes were inserted into the pelvic cavity in 11 of 15 patients. Operative time was 96.7 (33.8; 35-150) minutes. The decrease in postoperative hemoglobin concentration was 1.8 (1.2; 0.4-3.6) g/dL. During the operations, no patients required blood transfusion. No patients developed postoperative fever. Neither bowel injury nor urinary tract injury occurred in any patient. The postoperative hospital stay was 3.1 (0.8; 2-4) days. Single-port transumbilical morcellation using a conventional electromechanical morcellator with or without a knife is feasible. Single-port laparoscopic myomectomy is an

Largest US oil and gas fields, August 1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-08-06

The Largest US Oil and Gas Fields is a technical report and part of an Energy Information Administration (EIA) series presenting distributions of US crude oil and natural gas resources, developed using field-level data collected by EIA`s annual survey of oil and gas proved reserves. The series` objective is to provide useful information beyond that routinely presented in the EIA annual report on crude oil and natural gas reserves. These special reports also will provide oil and gas resource analysts with a fuller understanding of the nature of US crude oil and natural gas occurrence, both at the macro level and with respect to the specific subjects addressed. The series` approach is to integrate EIA`s crude oil and natural gas survey data with related data obtained from other authoritative sources, and then to present illustrations and analyses of interest to a broad spectrum of energy information users ranging from the general public to oil and gas industry personnel.

Largest US oil and gas fields, August 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The Largest US Oil and Gas Fields is a technical report and part of an Energy Information Administration (EIA) series presenting distributions of US crude oil and natural gas resources, developed using field-level data collected by EIA's annual survey of oil and gas proved reserves. The series' objective is to provide useful information beyond that routinely presented in the EIA annual report on crude oil and natural gas reserves. These special reports also will provide oil and gas resource analysts with a fuller understanding of the nature of US crude oil and natural gas occurrence, both at the macro level and with respect to the specific subjects addressed. The series' approach is to integrate EIA's crude oil and natural gas survey data with related data obtained from other authoritative sources, and then to present illustrations and analyses of interest to a broad spectrum of energy information users ranging from the general public to oil and gas industry personnel

How the largest electric and gas utility companies administer public relations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bogart, J.D.

1979-04-12

This article describes the findings of a survey conducted by the author in the second half of 1978 to determine the sizes of the public relations staffs of the nation's largest operating electric and gas utilities, their budgets, organizational differences, and specific functions. Common public relations issues and major public relations problems of the utilities are identified, as well as recent trends or changes in budgeting and organization. Some functional variations of public relations departments among utility companies were detected and described.

Mini-guts in a dish: Perspectives of adult Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients and parents of young CF patients on organoid technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Boers, Sarah N; de Winter-de Groot, Karin M; Noordhoek, Jacquelien; Gulmans, Vincent; van der Ent, Cornelis K; van Delden, Johannes J M; Bredenoord, Annelien L

2018-03-06

Organoid technology enables the cultivation of human tissues in a dish. Its precision medicine potential could revolutionize the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) field. We provide a first thematic exploration of the patient perspective on organoid technology to set the further research agenda, which is necessary for responsible development of this ethically challenging technology. 23 semi-structured qualitative interviews with 14 Dutch adult CF patients and 12 parents of young CF patients to examine their experiences, opinions, and attitudes regarding organoid technology. Four themes emerged: (1) Respondents express a close as well as a distant relationship to organoids; (2) the open-endedness of organoid technology sparks hopes and concerns, (3) commercial use evokes cautiousness. (4) Respondents mention the importance of sound consent procedures, long-term patient engagement, responsible stewardship, and stringent conditions for commercial use. The precision medicine potential of organoid technology can only be realized if the patient perspective is taken adequately into account. Copyright © 2018 European Cystic Fibrosis Society. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Environmental isotope signatures of the largest freshwater lake in Kerala

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Unnikrishnan Warrier, C.

2007-01-01

Sasthamkotta lake, the largest freshwater lake in Kerala, serves as a source for drinking water for more than half a million people. Environmental 137 Cs analysis done on undisturbed sediment core samples reveals that the recent rate of sedimentation is not uniform in the lake. The useful life of lake is estimated as about 800 years. The δD and δ 18 O values of the lake waters indicate that the lake is well mixed with a slight variation horizontally. The stable isotope studies on well waters from the catchment indicate hydraulic communication with the lake and lake groundwater system is flow-through type. Analytical model also supports this view. (author)

CERN: Digital image analysis in the world's largest research center for particle physics

CERN Multimedia

2005-01-01

Those interested in researching into the smallest building blocks that matter is made up of need the largest instruments. CERN, near Geneva, Switzerland is where the most powerful circular accelerator in the world is being built: the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) for proton collisions. It has a circumference of 26.7 km (4 pages)

Single top quark production cross section using the ATLAS detector at the LHC

CERN Document Server

Cioara, Irina Antonela; The ATLAS collaboration

2017-01-01

Measurements of single top-quark production in proton-proton collisions are presented based on the 8 TeV and 13 TeV ATLAS datasets. In the leading order process, a W boson is exchanged in the t-channel. The cross-section for the production of single top-quarks and single anti-top-quarks total production cross sections, their ratio, as well as a measurement of the inclusive production cross section is presented. At 8 TeV, differential cross-section measurements of the t-channel process are also reported, these analyses include limits on anomalous contributions to the Wtb vertex and measurement of the top quark polarization. A measurement of the production cross section of a single top quark in association with a W boson, the second largest single-top production mode, is also presented. Finally, evidence for s-channel single-top production in the 8 TeV ATLAS dataset is presented. All measurements are compared to state-of-the-art theoretical calculations.

Collaborative spectrum sensing based on the ratio between largest eigenvalue and Geometric mean of eigenvalues

KAUST Repository

Shakir, Muhammad

2011-12-01

In this paper, we introduce a new detector referred to as Geometric mean detector (GEMD) which is based on the ratio of the largest eigenvalue to the Geometric mean of the eigenvalues for collaborative spectrum sensing. The decision threshold has been derived by employing Gaussian approximation approach. In this approach, the two random variables, i.e. The largest eigenvalue and the Geometric mean of the eigenvalues are considered as independent Gaussian random variables such that their cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) are approximated by a univariate Gaussian distribution function for any number of cooperating secondary users and received samples. The approximation approach is based on the calculation of exact analytical moments of the largest eigenvalue and the Geometric mean of the eigenvalues of the received covariance matrix. The decision threshold has been calculated by exploiting the CDF of the ratio of two Gaussian distributed random variables. In this context, we exchange the analytical moments of the two random variables with the moments of the Gaussian distribution function. The performance of the detector is compared with the performance of the energy detector and eigenvalue ratio detector. Analytical and simulation results show that our newly proposed detector yields considerable performance advantage in realistic spectrum sensing scenarios. Moreover, our results based on proposed approximation approach are in perfect agreement with the empirical results. © 2011 IEEE.

Energy scavenging based on a single-crystal PMN-PT nanobelt

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Fan; Cai, Wei; Yeh, Yao-Wen; Xu, Shiyou; Yao, Nan

2016-03-01

Self-powered nanodevices scavenging mechanical energy require piezoelectric nanostructures with high piezoelectric coefficients. Here we report the fabrication of a single-crystal (1 - x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 - xPbTiO3 (PMN-PT) nanobelt with a superior piezoelectric constant (d33 = ~550 pm/V), which is approximately ~150%, 430%, and 2100% of the largest reported values for previous PMN-PT, PZT and ZnO nanostructures, respectively. The high d33 of the single-crystalline PMN-PT nanobelt results from the precise orientation control during its fabrication. As a demonstration of its application in energy scavenging, a piezoelectric nanogenerator (PNG) is built on the single PMN-PT nanobelt, generating a maximum output voltage of ~1.2 V. This value is ~4 times higher than that of a single-CdTe PNG, ~13 times higher than that of a single-ZnSnO3 PNG, and ~26 times higher than that of a single-ZnO PNG. The profoundly increased output voltage of a lateral PNG built on a single PMN-PT nanobelt demonstrates the potential application of PMN-PT nanostructures in energy harvesting, thus enriching the material choices for PNGs.

The SCSE Organic Rankine engine

Science.gov (United States)

Boda, F. P.

1981-05-01

The engine is the heart of a Power Conversion Subsystem (PCS) located at the focal point of a sun-tracking parabolic dish concentrator. The ORC engine employs a single-stage axial-flow turbine driving a high speed alternator to produce up to 25 kW electrical output at the focus of each dish. The organic working fluid is toluene, circulating in a closed-loop system at temperatures up to 400 C (750 F). Design parameters, system description, predicted performance and program status are described.

Microstructural evolution of reduced-activation martensitic steel under single and sequential ion irradiations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luo, Fengfeng [Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education, Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory and School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Guo, Liping, E-mail: guolp@whu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education, Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory and School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Jin, Shuoxue; Li, Tiecheng; Zheng, Zhongcheng [Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education, Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory and School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Yang, Feng; Xiong, Xuesong; Suo, Jinping [State Key Laboratory of Mould Technology, Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China)

2013-07-15

Microstructural evolution of super-clean reduced-activation martensitic steels irradiated with single-beam (Fe{sup +}) and sequential-beam (Fe{sup +} plus He{sup +}) at 350 °C and 550 °C was studied. Sequential-beam irradiation induced smaller size and larger number density of precipitates compared to single-beam irradiation at 350 °C. The largest size of cavities was observed after sequential-beam irradiation at 550 °C. The segregation of Cr and W and depletion of Fe in carbides were observed, and the maximum depletion of Fe and enrichment of Cr occurred under irradiation at 350 °C.

Analysis of Multiple Structural Changes in Financial Contagion Based on the Largest Lyapunov Exponents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rui Wang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A modified multiple structural changes model is built to test structural breaks of the financial system based on calculating the largest Lyapunov exponents of the financial time series. Afterwards, the Lorenz system is used as a simulation example to inspect the new model. As the Lorenz system has strong nonlinearity, the verification results show that the new model has good capability in both finding the breakpoint and revealing the changes in nonlinear characteristics of the time series. The empirical study based on the model used daily data from the S&P 500 stock index during the global financial crisis from 2005 to 2012. The results provide four breakpoints of the period, which divide the contagion into four stages: stationary, local outbreak, global outbreak, and recovery period. An additional significant result is the obvious chaos characteristic difference in the largest Lyapunov exponents and the standard deviation at various stages, particularly at the local outbreak stage.

Liquid dish washing soap: An excellent substitute for xylene and alcohol in hematoxylin and eosin staining procedure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Surekha Ramulu

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Aims: Liquid dish washing solution (DWS was used as a substitute for xylene to dewax tissue sections during hematoxylin and eosin (H and E staining. The aim was to test and compare the hypothesis that xylene-ethanol free (XEF sections deparaffinized with diluted DWS are better than or at par with the conventional H and E sections. Materials and Methods: Fifty paraffin-embedded tissue blocks was included. One section was stained with conventional HandE (group A and the other with XEF HandE (group B staining method. Slides were scored for parameters: nuclear, cytoplasmic, clarity, uniformity, and crispness of staining. Z test was used for statistical analysis. For accuracy of diagnosis, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were tested. Results: Adequate nuclear staining was noted in 94% in group A and 96% in group B, -adequate cytoplasmic staining in 92% in group A and 86% in group B, clarity in 94% of group A and 96% of group B sections, uniform staining in 92% of group A and 80% of group B sections, crisp stain in 96% of group A and 88% of group B sections, and 94% of group A sections stained adequately for diagnosis as compared with 90% in group B sections. Conclusion: Liquid DWS can be used as an alternative and effective substitute to xylene and ethanol in routine HandE staining procedure.

Formation of dish-like holes and a channel structure in electrodeposition of copper under hydrogen co-deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nikolic, N.D.; Pavlovic, Lj.J.; Pavlovic, M.G.; Popov, K.I.

2007-01-01

Copper electrodeposition from acid sulfate solutions at an overpotential of 1000 mV, which is about 250 mV outside the plateau of the limiting diffusion current density, was examined by the determination of the average current efficiency of hydrogen evolution and by the scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis of the morphology of the formed copper deposits. Craters or holes formed due to the attachment hydrogen bubbles were the dominant morphological forms of copper deposits obtained at this overpotential. In dependence of the concentration of Cu (II) ions in the plating solution, the two types of holes or craters were formed. One type of holes is obtained by electrodeposition from a solution with a concentration of Cu (II) ions of 0.075 M CuSO 4 in 0.50 M H 2 SO 4 , and a honeycomb-like structure was formed from these holes. The other types of holes are formed from a solution with a higher concentration of Cu (II) ions (0.60 M CuSO 4 in 0.50 M H 2 SO 4 ) and the formed holes were dish-like. A mixture of both types of holes was obtained by electrodeposition from 0.30 M CuSO 4 in 0.50 M H 2 SO 4 . The obtained morphologies of copper deposits are discussed in terms of the effect of hydrogen evolution on the hydrodynamic conditions in the plating solution

World's largest off-road tires to be recycled

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

2005-07-01

Suncor Energy is the first company in Canada to use a new technology designed uniquely for tire recycling at oil sand facilities. The technology is owned by CuttingEdge Tire Recycling, a partnership between Denesoline Environmental Limited Partnership and Beaver Environmental Rubber Technologies Limited. Suncor has supported the development of this Aboriginal-owned and operated business by offering land, electricity, diesel fuel and stockpiles of used truck tires from its oil sand mining activities. These tires are the largest off-road tires in the world. In this new technology, tires that are worn-out through oil sand mining are shredded in a portable shredder before being recycled for subsequent use by the Alberta Recycling Management Association. 1 fig.

Design optimization of single-main-amplifier KrF laser-fusion systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, D.B.; Pendergrass, J.H.

1985-01-01

KrF lasers appear to be a very promising laser fusion driver for commercial applications. The Large Amplifier Module for the Aurora Laser System at Los Alamos is the largest KrF laser in the world and is currently operating at 5 kJ with 10 to 15 kJ eventually expected. The next generation system is anticipated to be a single-main-amplifier system that generates approximately 100 kJ. This paper examines the cost and efficiency tradeoffs for a complete single-main-amplifier KrF laser fusion experimental facility. It has been found that a 7% efficient $310/joule complete laser-fusion system is possible by using large amplifier modules and high optical fluences

Dissolved Oxygen Dynamics in Backwaters of North America's Largest River Swamp

Science.gov (United States)

Bueche, S. M.; Xu, Y. J.; Reiman, J. H.

2017-12-01

The Atchafalaya River (AR) is the largest distributary of the Mississippi River flowing through south-central Louisiana, creating North America's largest river swamp basin - the Atchafalaya River Basin (ARB). Prior to human settlement, the AR's main channel was highly connected to this large wetland ecosystem. However, due to constructed levee systems and other human modifications, much of the ARB is now hydrologically disconnected from the AR's main channel except during high flow events. This lack of regular inputs of fresh, oxygenated water to these wetlands, paired with high levels of organic matter decomposition in wetlands, has caused low oxygen-deprived hypoxic conditions in the ARB's back waters. In addition, due to the incredibly nutrient-rich and warm nature of the ARB, microbial decomposition in backwater areas with limited flow often results in potentially stressful, if not lethal, levels of DO for organisms during and after flood pulses. This study aims to investigate dynamics of dissolved oxygen in backwaters of the Atchafalaya River Basin, intending to answer a crucial question about hydrological and water quality connectivity between the river's mainstem and its floodplain. Specifically, the study will 1) conduct field water quality measurements, 2) collect composite water samples for chemical analysis of nutrients and carbon, 3) investigate DO dynamics over different seasons for one year, and 4) determine the major factors that affect DO dynamics in this unique swamp ecosystem. The study is currently underway; therefore, in this presentation we will share the major findings gained in the past several months and discuss backwater effects on river chemistry.

Ownership structure and economic and socio-environmental disclosure in the largest Brazilian companies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tatiana Aquino Almeida

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The disclosure of sustainable practices has become important in the search for competitive advantage, so as to meet the expectations of the various stakeholders. Thus, the study aims to investigate the relationship between the ownership structure and the economic and environmental voluntary disclosure in the largest Brazilian companies, analyzing ownership concentration and the identity of the controlling shareholder. For the analysis, we considered the economic, social and environmental perspectives, addressed both individually and jointly. The sample consists of 47 companies from the 100 largest public companies listed on BM&FBOVESPA, according to the magazine Exame Biggest and Best, edition 2013. The research is descriptive and quantitative, using Multiple Linear Regression for statistical analysis. The descriptive analysis of the prospects of (economic, social, environmental and sustainability disclosure showed lower average disclosure for the environmental aspect. The state control organizations stood out with the highest average in three of the four levels of disclosure: economic, social and sustainability. As regards the application of statistical analysis, the regression models were not statistically significant, indicating that, for the companies in the sample, the ownership structure does not influence the economic and socio-environmental disclosure.

OBJECT TRACKING WITH ROTATION-INVARIANT LARGEST DIFFERENCE INDEXED LOCAL TERNARY PATTERN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J Shajeena

2017-02-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an ideal method for object tracking directly in the compressed domain in video sequences. An enhanced rotation-invariant image operator called Largest Difference Indexed Local Ternary Pattern (LDILTP has been proposed. The Local Ternary Pattern which worked very well in texture classification and face recognition is now extended for rotation invariant object tracking. Histogramming the LTP code makes the descriptor resistant to translation. The histogram intersection is used to find the similarity measure. This method is robust to noise and retain contrast details. The proposed scheme has been verified on various datasets and shows a commendable performance.

PENTINGNYA VARIASI HIDANGAN BREAKFST DALAM MENINGKATKAN KEPUASAN TAMU HORISON ULTIMA MALANG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Estikowati Estikowati

2017-07-01

would receive and the part of visitors. Importance of Variation dish can also work to improve the satisfaction of hotel guests in the hotel because of the diversity of food provided and available for visitors to be good and satisfactory, if the role of variations of the dish is not considered good will affect the satisfaction of the end of the hotel. Satisfying customer needs is the desire of every company. In addition to the factors important for the survival of the company, to satisfy the needs of consumers can increase competitive advantage. Consumers who are satisfied with the products and services are likely to buy back the products and reuse services at the same time needs to reappear later.This means satisfaction is a key factor for consumers to make repeat purchases which represent the largest portion of the company's sales volume.

Discrimination of communication vocalizations by single neurons and groups of neurons in the auditory midbrain.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, David M; Woolley, Sarah M N

2010-06-01

Many social animals including songbirds use communication vocalizations for individual recognition. The perception of vocalizations depends on the encoding of complex sounds by neurons in the ascending auditory system, each of which is tuned to a particular subset of acoustic features. Here, we examined how well the responses of single auditory neurons could be used to discriminate among bird songs and we compared discriminability to spectrotemporal tuning. We then used biologically realistic models of pooled neural responses to test whether the responses of groups of neurons discriminated among songs better than the responses of single neurons and whether discrimination by groups of neurons was related to spectrotemporal tuning and trial-to-trial response variability. The responses of single auditory midbrain neurons could be used to discriminate among vocalizations with a wide range of abilities, ranging from chance to 100%. The ability to discriminate among songs using single neuron responses was not correlated with spectrotemporal tuning. Pooling the responses of pairs of neurons generally led to better discrimination than the average of the two inputs and the most discriminating input. Pooling the responses of three to five single neurons continued to improve neural discrimination. The increase in discriminability was largest for groups of neurons with similar spectrotemporal tuning. Further, we found that groups of neurons with correlated spike trains achieved the largest gains in discriminability. We simulated neurons with varying levels of temporal precision and measured the discriminability of responses from single simulated neurons and groups of simulated neurons. Simulated neurons with biologically observed levels of temporal precision benefited more from pooling correlated inputs than did neurons with highly precise or imprecise spike trains. These findings suggest that pooling correlated neural responses with the levels of precision observed in the

The CARMA-NRO Orion Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Shuo; Arce, Héctor G.; Feddersen, Jesse R.; Carpenter, John M.; Nakamura, Fumitaka; Shimajiri, Yoshito; Isella, Andrea; Ossenkopf-Okada, Volker; Sargent, Anneila I.; Sánchez-Monge, Álvaro; Suri, Sümeyye T.; Kauffmann, Jens; Pillai, Thushara; Pineda, Jaime E.; Koda, Jin; Bally, John; Lis, Dariusz C.; Padoan, Paolo; Klessen, Ralf; Mairs, Steve; Goodman, Alyssa; Goldsmith, Paul; McGehee, Peregrine; Schilke, Peter; Teuben, Peter J.; José Maureira, María; Hara, Chihomi; Ginsburg, Adam; Burkhart, Blakesley; Smith, Rowan J.; Schmiedeke, Anika; Pineda, Jorge L.; Ishii, Shun; Sasaki, Kazushige; Kawabe, Ryohei; Urasawa, Yumiko; Oyamada, Shuri; Tanabe, Yoshihiro

2018-06-01

We present the first results from a new, high-resolution 12CO(1–0), 13CO(1–0), and C18O(1–0) molecular-line survey of the Orion A cloud, hereafter referred to as the CARMA-NRO Orion Survey. CARMA observations have been combined with single-dish data from the Nobeyama 45 m telescope to provide extended images at about 0.01 pc resolution, with a dynamic range of approximately 1200 in spatial scale. Here we describe the practical details of the data combination in uv space, including flux scale matching, the conversion of single-dish data to visibilities, and joint deconvolution of single-dish and interferometric data. A Δ-variance analysis indicates that no artifacts are caused by combining data from the two instruments. Initial analysis of the data cubes, including moment maps, average spectra, channel maps, position–velocity diagrams, excitation temperature, column density, and line ratio maps, provides evidence of complex and interesting structures such as filaments, bipolar outflows, shells, bubbles, and photo-eroded pillars. The implications for star formation processes are profound, and follow-up scientific studies by the CARMA-NRO Orion team are now underway. We plan to make all the data products described here generally accessible; some are already available at https://dataverse.harvard.edu/dataverse/CARMA-NRO-Orion.

Differential genome-wide gene expression profiling of bovine largest and second-largest follicles: identification of genes associated with growth of dominant follicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takahashi Toru

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Bovine follicular development is regulated by numerous molecular mechanisms and biological pathways. In this study, we tried to identify differentially expressed genes between largest (F1 and second-largest follicles (F2, and classify them by global gene expression profiling using a combination of microarray and quantitative real-time PCR (QPCR analysis. The follicular status of F1 and F2 were further evaluated in terms of healthy and atretic conditions by investigating mRNA localization of identified genes. Methods Global gene expression profiles of F1 (10.7 +/- 0.7 mm and F2 (7.8 +/- 0.2 mm were analyzed by hierarchical cluster analysis and expression profiles of 16 representative genes were confirmed by QPCR analysis. In addition, localization of six identified transcripts was investigated in healthy and atretic follicles using in situ hybridization. The healthy or atretic condition of examined follicles was classified by progesterone and estradiol concentrations in follicular fluid. Results Hierarchical cluster analysis of microarray data classified the follicles into two clusters. Cluster A was composed of only F2 and was characterized by high expression of 31 genes including IGFBP5, whereas cluster B contained only F1 and predominantly expressed 45 genes including CYP19 and FSHR. QPCR analysis confirmed AMH, CYP19, FSHR, GPX3, PlGF, PLA2G1B, SCD and TRB2 were greater in F1 than F2, while CCL2, GADD45A, IGFBP5, PLAUR, SELP, SPP1, TIMP1 and TSP2 were greater in F2 than in F1. In situ hybridization showed that AMH and CYP19 were detected in granulosa cells (GC of healthy as well as atretic follicles. PlGF was localized in GC and in the theca layer (TL of healthy follicles. IGFBP5 was detected in both GC and TL of atretic follicles. GADD45A and TSP2 were localized in both GC and TL of atretic follicles, whereas healthy follicles expressed them only in GC. Conclusion We demonstrated that global gene expression profiling of F

Method for planning extensive energy renovation of detached single-family houses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grøn Bjørneboe, Matilde

, and 22% occurs in single-family houses, making this the largest single contributor to the total consumption after road transport (DEA, 2015a). There is a large potential for achieving energy savings in this sector, especially among the large number of single-family houses built in the 1960s and 1970s...... that the use of this approach produced a better renovation with a larger energy saving. The initial evaluation helped the house owners identify a maintenance backlog, and the use of an independent advisor helped ensure quality throughout the process. Renovations are too often carried out for just one purpose......: maintenance, to update functions or to reduce energy consumption. But a lot can be gained by combining these efforts, which can reduce expenses for planning and execution and avoid doing things twice. Research for this thesis demonstrated this approach by carrying out a renovation based on maintenance...

High-resolution SMA imaging of bright submillimetre sources from the SCUBA-2 Cosmology Legacy Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Ryley; Chapman, Scott C.; Scott, Douglas; Petitpas, Glen; Smail, Ian; Chapin, Edward L.; Gurwell, Mark A.; Perry, Ryan; Blain, Andrew W.; Bremer, Malcolm N.; Chen, Chian-Chou; Dunlop, James S.; Farrah, Duncan; Fazio, Giovanni G.; Geach, James E.; Howson, Paul; Ivison, R. J.; Lacaille, Kevin; Michałowski, Michał J.; Simpson, James M.; Swinbank, A. M.; van der Werf, Paul P.; Wilner, David J.

2018-06-01

We have used the Submillimeter Array (SMA) at 860 μm to observe the brightest sources in the Submillimeter Common User Bolometer Array-2 (SCUBA-2) Cosmology Legacy Survey (S2CLS). The goal of this survey is to exploit the large field of the S2CLS along with the resolution and sensitivity of the SMA to construct a large sample of these rare sources and to study their statistical properties. We have targeted 70 of the brightest single-dish SCUBA-2 850 μm sources down to S850 ≈ 8 mJy, achieving an average synthesized beam of 2.4 arcsec and an average rms of σ860 = 1.5 mJy beam-1 in our primary beam-corrected maps. We searched our SMA maps for 4σ peaks, corresponding to S860 ≳ 6 mJy sources, and detected 62, galaxies, including three pairs. We include in our study 35 archival observations, bringing our sample size to 105 bright single-dish submillimetre sources with interferometric follow-up. We compute the cumulative and differential number counts, finding them to overlap with previous single-dish survey number counts within the uncertainties, although our cumulative number count is systematically lower than the parent S2CLS cumulative number count by 14 ± 6 per cent between 11 and 15 mJy. We estimate the probability that a ≳10 mJy single-dish submillimetre source resolves into two or more galaxies with similar flux densities to be less than 15 per cent. Assuming the remaining 85 per cent of the targets are ultraluminous starburst galaxies between z = 2 and 3, we find a likely volume density of ≳400 M⊙ yr-1 sources to be {˜ } 3^{+0.7}_{-0.6} {× } 10^{-7} Mpc-3. We show that the descendants of these galaxies could be ≳4 × 1011 M⊙ local quiescent galaxies, and that about 10 per cent of their total stellar mass would have formed during these short bursts of star formation.

Single-phase ProtoDUNE, the Prototype of a Single-Phase Liquid Argon TPC for DUNE at the CERN Neutrino Platform

CERN Document Server

Cavanna, F; Touramanis, C

2017-01-01

ProtoDUNE-SP is the single-phase DUNE Far Detector prototype that is under construction and will be operated at the CERN Neutrino Platform (NP) starting in 2018. It was proposed to the CERN SPSC in June 2015 (SPSC-P-351) and was approved in December 2015 as experiment NP04 (ProtoDUNE). ProtoDUNE-SP, a crucial part of the DUNE effort towards the construction of the first DUNE 10-kt fiducial mass far detector module (17 kt total LAr mass), is a significant experiment in its own right. With a total liquid argon (LAr) mass of 0.77 kt, it represents the largest monolithic single phase LArTPC detector to be built to date. It is housed in an extension to the EHN1 hall in the North Area, where the CERN NP is providing a new dedicated charged-particle test beamline. ProtoDUNE-SP aims to take its first beam data before the LHC long shutdown (LS2) at the end of 2018. ProtoDUNE-SP prototypes the designs of most of the single-phase DUNE far detector module (DUNE-SP) components at a 1:1 scale, with an extrapolation of abo...

The 10 largest public and philanthropic funders of health research in the world: what they fund and how they distribute their funds.

Science.gov (United States)

Viergever, Roderik F; Hendriks, Thom C C

2016-02-18

Little is known about who the main public and philanthropic funders of health research are globally, what they fund and how they decide what gets funded. This study aims to identify the 10 largest public and philanthropic health research funding organizations in the world, to report on what they fund, and on how they distribute their funds. The world's key health research funding organizations were identified through a search strategy aimed at identifying different types of funding organizations. Organizations were ranked by their reported total annual health research expenditures. For the 10 largest funding organizations, data were collected on (1) funding amounts allocated towards 20 health areas, and (2) schemes employed for distributing funding (intramural/extramural, project/'people'/organizational and targeted/untargeted funding). Data collection consisted of a review of reports and websites and interviews with representatives of funding organizations. Data collection was challenging; data were often not reported or reported using different classification systems. Overall, 55 key health research funding organizations were identified. The 10 largest funding organizations together funded research for $37.1 billion, constituting 40% of all public and philanthropic health research spending globally. The largest funder was the United States National Institutes of Health ($26.1 billion), followed by the European Commission ($3.7 billion), and the United Kingdom Medical Research Council ($1.3 billion). The largest philanthropic funder was the Wellcome Trust ($909.1 million), the largest funder of health research through official development assistance was USAID ($186.4 million), and the largest multilateral funder was the World Health Organization ($135.0 million). Funding distribution mechanisms and funding patterns varied substantially between the 10 largest funders. There is a need for increased transparency about who the main funders of health research are

Phase space reconstruction and estimation of the largest Lyapunov exponent for gait kinematic data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Josiński, Henryk [Silesian University of Technology, Akademicka 16, 44-100 Gliwice (Poland); Świtoński, Adam [Polish-Japanese Institute of Information Technology, Aleja Legionów 2, 41-902 Bytom (Poland); Silesian University of Technology, Akademicka 16, 44-100 Gliwice (Poland); Michalczuk, Agnieszka; Wojciechowski, Konrad [Polish-Japanese Institute of Information Technology, Aleja Legionów 2, 41-902 Bytom (Poland)

2015-03-10

The authors describe an example of application of nonlinear time series analysis directed at identifying the presence of deterministic chaos in human motion data by means of the largest Lyapunov exponent. The method was previously verified on the basis of a time series constructed from the numerical solutions of both the Lorenz and the Rössler nonlinear dynamical systems.

Carbon and energy fluxes from China's largest freshwater lake

Science.gov (United States)

Gan, G.; LIU, Y.

2017-12-01

Carbon and energy fluxes between lakes and the atmosphere are important aspects of hydrology, limnology, and ecology studies. China's largest freshwater lake, the Poyang lake experiences tremendous water-land transitions periodically throughout the year, which provides natural experimental settings for the study of carbon and energy fluxes. In this study, we use the eddy covariance technique to explore the seasonal and diurnal variation patterns of sensible and latent heat fluxes of Poyang lake during its high-water and low-water periods, when the lake is covered by water and mudflat, respectively. We also determine the annual NEE of Poyang lake and the variations of NEE's components: Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) and Ecosystem Respiration (Re). Controlling factors of seasonal and diurnal variations of carbon and energy fluxes are analyzed, and land cover impacts on the variation patterns are also studied. Finally, the coupling between the carbon and energy fluxes are analyzed under different atmospheric, boundary stability and land cover conditions.

Single top-quark production cross section measurements using the ATLAS detector at the LHC

CERN Document Server

Rieck, Patrick; The ATLAS collaboration

2016-01-01

Measurements of single top­quark production in proton proton collisions are presented. The measurements include the first such measurements from the 13 TeV ATLAS dataset. In the leading order process, a W boson is exchanged in the t­channel. The single top­quark and anti­top total production cross sections, their ratio, as well as a measurement of the inclusive production cross section is presented. At 8 TeV, differential cross­section measurements of the t­channel process are also presented, these measurements include limits on anomalous contributions to the Wtb vertex. A measurement of the production cross section of a single top quark in association with a W boson, the second largest single­top production mode, is also presented. Finally, evidence for single­top production in the 8 TeV ATLAS dataset is presented. All measurements are compared to state­of­ the­art theoretical calculations.

Solar reforming of methane in a direct absorption catalytic reactor on a parabolic dish. 2: Modeling and analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Skocypec, Russell D.; Hogan, Roy E., Jr.; Muir, James F.

1991-01-01

The catalytically enhanced solar absorption receiver (CAESAR) experiment was conducted to determine the thermal, chemical, and mechanical performance of a commercial-scale, dish-mounted, direct catalytic absorption receiver (DCAR) reactor over a range of steady state and transient (cloud) operating conditions. The focus of the experiment is on global performance such as receiver efficiencies and overall methane conversion; it was not intended to provide data for code validation. A numerical model was previously developed to provide guidance in the design of the absorber. The one-dimensional, planar and steady-state model incorporates, the following energy transfer mechanisms: solar and infrared radiation, heterogeneous chemical reaction, conduction in the solid phase, and convection between the fluid and solid phases. A number of upgrades to the model and improved property values are presented here. Model predictions are shown to bound the experimental axial thermocouple data when experimental uncertainties are included. Global predictions are made using a technique in which the incident solar flux distribution is subdivided into flux contour bands. Model predictions for each band are then spatially integrated to provide global predictions such as reactor efficiencies and methane conversions. Global predictions are shown to compare well with experimental data. Reactor predictions for anticipated operating conditions suggest a further decrease in optical density at the front of the absorber inner disk may be beneficial. The need to conduct code-validation experiments is identified as being essential in improving the confidence in the capability to predict large-scale reactor operation.

THE FLUENCE AND DISTANCE DISTRIBUTIONS OF FAST RADIO BURSTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vedantham, H. K.; Ravi, V.; Hallinan, G.; Shannon, R. M.

2016-01-01

Fast radio bursts (FRB) are millisecond-duration radio pulses with apparent extragalactic origins. All but two of the FRBs have been discovered using the Parkes dish, which employs multiple beams formed by an array of feed horns on its focal plane. In this paper, we show that (i) the preponderance of multiple-beam detections and (ii) the detection rates for varying dish diameters can be used to infer the index α of the cumulative fluence distribution function (the log N –log F function: α = 1.5 for a non-evolving population in a Euclidean universe). If all detected FRBs arise from a single progenitor population, multiple-beam FRB detection rates from the Parkes telescope yield the constraint 0.52 < α < 1.0 with 90% confidence. Searches at other facilities with different dish sizes refine the constraint to 0.5 < α < 0.9. Our results favor FRB searches with smaller dishes, because for α < 1 the gain in field of view for a smaller dish is more important than the reduction in sensitivity. Further, our results suggest that (i) FRBs are not standard candles, and (ii) the distribution of distances to the detected FRBs is weighted toward larger distances. If FRBs are extragalactic, these results are consistent with a cosmological population, which would make FRBs excellent probes of the baryonic content and geometry of the universe.

Trend of CO2 emissions of the 30 largest power plants in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermann, Hauke

2014-01-01

The brochure on the trend of CO 2 emissions of the 30 largest power plants in Germany includes tables of the emissions of these power plants. The CO 2 emissions of these power plants in 2013 (25% of the total German greenhouse gas emissions) have increased by 5% compared to 2012. The total CO 2 emission sin Germany increased by 1.5%. The differences between brown coal and black coal fired power plants are discussed.

Reproduction in a gecko assemblage (Squamata: Phyllodactylidae in the Marañon Region (Peru and comments on the largest gecko in the New World

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janina Aurich

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Reproduction is described for four phyllodactylid geckos, Phyllopezus maranjonensis, Phyllodactylus delsolari, P. thompsoni and P. reissii from the upper Marañon Valley, Peru. Observations were made between March and May 2010 and voucher specimens, already housed in the Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK, were X-rayed to check for gravid females. Gravid female P. maranjonensis, P. delsolari and P. reissii contain two eggs, whereas P. thompsoni produces a single egg that is deposited in leaf litter or crevices of stone walls. It is likely that females of all of these species produce multiple clutches in one year; the reproductive period seems to be extended in at least two species. Furthermore, measurements of numerous specimens of all four species are presented herein, revealing that Phyllopezus maranjonensis is the largest species of New World geckos.

In vitro development of donated frozen-thawed human embryos in a prototype static microfluidic device: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Kieslinger, Dorit C; Hao, Zhenxia; Vergouw, Carlijn G; Kostelijk, Elisabeth H; Lambalk, Cornelis B; Le Gac, Séverine

2015-03-01

To compare the development of human embryos in microfluidic devices with culture in standard microdrop dishes, both under static conditions. Prospective randomized controlled trial. In vitro fertilization laboratory. One hundred eighteen donated frozen-thawed human day-4 embryos. Random allocation of embryos that fulfilled the inclusion criteria to single-embryo culture in a microfluidics device (n = 58) or standard microdrop dish (n = 60). Blastocyst formation rate and quality after 24, 28, 48, and 72 hours of culture. The percentage of frozen-thawed day-4 embryos that developed to the blastocyst stage did not differ significantly in the standard microdrop dishes and microfluidic devices after 28 hours of culture (53.3% vs. 58.6%) or at any of the other time points. The proportion of embryos that would have been suitable for embryo transfer was comparable after 28 hours of culture in the control dishes and microfluidic devices (90.0% vs. 93.1%). Furthermore, blastocyst quality was similar in the two study groups. This study shows that a microfluidic device can successfully support human blastocyst development in vitro under static culture conditions. Future studies need to clarify whether earlier stage embryos will benefit from the culture in microfluidic devices more than the tested day-4 embryos because many important steps in the development of human embryos already take place before day 4. Further improvements of the microfluidic device will include parallel culture of single embryos, application of medium refreshment, and built-in sensors. NTR3867. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of Large-Scale Single-Crystalline Monolayer WS2 Using a Semi-Sealed Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Feifei Lan

2018-02-01

Full Text Available As a two-dimensional semiconductor, WS2 has attracted great attention due to its rich physical properties and potential applications. However, it is still difficult to synthesize monolayer single-crystalline WS2 at larger scale. Here, we report the growth of large-scale triangular single-crystalline WS2 with a semi-sealed installation by chemical vapor deposition (CVD. Through this method, triangular single-crystalline WS2 with an average length of more than 300 µm was obtained. The largest one was about 405 μm in length. WS2 triangles with different sizes and thicknesses were analyzed by optical microscope and atomic force microscope (AFM. Their optical properties were evaluated by Raman and photoluminescence (PL spectra. This report paves the way to fabricating large-scale single-crystalline monolayer WS2, which is useful for the growth of high-quality WS2 and its potential applications in the future.

Paired single cell co-culture microenvironments isolated by two-phase flow with continuous nutrient renewal.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yu-Chih; Cheng, Yu-Heng; Kim, Hong Sun; Ingram, Patrick N; Nor, Jacques E; Yoon, Euisik

2014-08-21

Cancer-stromal cell interactions are a critical process in tumorigenesis. Conventional dish-based assays, which simply mix two cell types, have limitations in three aspects: 1) limited control of the cell microenvironment; 2) inability to study cell behavior in a single-cell manner; and 3) have difficulties in characterizing single cell behavior within a highly heterogeneous cell population (e.g. tumor). An innovative use of microfluidic technology is for improving the spatial resolution for single cell assays. However, it is challenging to isolate the paired interacting cells while maintaining nutrient renewal. In this work, two-phase flow was used as a simple isolation method, separating the microenvironment of each individual chamber. As nutrients in an isolated chamber are consumed by cells, media exchange is required. To connect the cell culture chamber to the media exchange layer, we demonstrated a 3D microsystem integration technique using vertical connections fabricated by deep reactive-ion etching (DRIE). Compared to previous approaches, the presented process allows area reduction of vertical connections by an order of magnitude, enabling compact 3D integration. A semi-permeable membrane was sandwiched between the cell culture layer and the media exchange layer. The selectivity of the semi-permeable membrane results in the retention of the signaling proteins within the chamber while allowing free diffusion of nutrients (e.g., glucose and amino acids). Thus, paracrine signals are accumulated inside the chamber without cross-talk between cells in other chambers. Utilizing these innovations, we co-cultured UM-SCC-1 (head and neck squamous cell carcinoma) cells and endothelial cells to simulate tumor proliferation enhancement in the vascular endothelial niche.

Comparison of whole genome amplification techniques for human single cell exome sequencing.

Science.gov (United States)

Borgström, Erik; Paterlini, Marta; Mold, Jeff E; Frisen, Jonas; Lundeberg, Joakim

2017-01-01

Whole genome amplification (WGA) is currently a prerequisite for single cell whole genome or exome sequencing. Depending on the method used the rate of artifact formation, allelic dropout and sequence coverage over the genome may differ significantly. The largest difference between the evaluated protocols was observed when analyzing the target coverage and read depth distribution. These differences also had impact on the downstream variant calling. Conclusively, the products from the AMPLI1 and MALBAC kits were shown to be most similar to the bulk samples and are therefore recommended for WGA of single cells. In this study four commercial kits for WGA (AMPLI1, MALBAC, Repli-G and PicoPlex) were used to amplify human single cells. The WGA products were exome sequenced together with non-amplified bulk samples from the same source. The resulting data was evaluated in terms of genomic coverage, allelic dropout and SNP calling.

Quicksort, largest bucket, and min-wise hashing with limited independence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, Mathias Bæk Tejs; Stöckel, Morten

2015-01-01

Randomized algorithms and data structures are often analyzed under the assumption of access to a perfect source of randomness. The most fundamental metric used to measure how “random” a hash function or a random number generator is, is its independence: a sequence of random variables is said...... to be k-independent if every variable is uniform and every size k subset is independent. In this paper we consider three classic algorithms under limited independence. Besides the theoretical interest in removing the unrealistic assumption of full independence, the work is motivated by lower independence...... being more practical. We provide new bounds for randomized quicksort, min-wise hashing and largest bucket size under limited independence. Our results can be summarized as follows. Randomized Quicksort. When pivot elements are computed using a 5-independent hash function, Karloff and Raghavan, J.ACM’93...

Current rectification in a single molecule diode: the role of electrode coupling.

Science.gov (United States)

Sherif, Siya; Rubio-Bollinger, Gabino; Pinilla-Cienfuegos, Elena; Coronado, Eugenio; Cuevas, Juan Carlos; Agraït, Nicolás

2015-07-24

We demonstrate large rectification ratios (> 100) in single-molecule junctions based on a metal-oxide cluster (polyoxometalate), using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) both at ambient conditions and at low temperature. These rectification ratios are the largest ever observed in a single-molecule junction, and in addition these junctions sustain current densities larger than 10(5) A cm(-2). By following the variation of the I-V characteristics with tip-molecule separation we demonstrate unambiguously that rectification is due to asymmetric coupling to the electrodes of a molecule with an asymmetric level structure. This mechanism can be implemented in other type of molecular junctions using both organic and inorganic molecules and provides a simple strategy for the rational design of molecular diodes.

Localization of multilayer networks by optimized single-layer rewiring.

Science.gov (United States)

Jalan, Sarika; Pradhan, Priodyuti

2018-04-01

We study localization properties of principal eigenvectors (PEVs) of multilayer networks (MNs). Starting with a multilayer network corresponding to a delocalized PEV, we rewire the network edges using an optimization technique such that the PEV of the rewired multilayer network becomes more localized. The framework allows us to scrutinize structural and spectral properties of the networks at various localization points during the rewiring process. We show that rewiring only one layer is enough to attain a MN having a highly localized PEV. Our investigation reveals that a single edge rewiring of the optimized MN can lead to the complete delocalization of a highly localized PEV. This sensitivity in the localization behavior of PEVs is accompanied with the second largest eigenvalue lying very close to the largest one. This observation opens an avenue to gain a deeper insight into the origin of PEV localization of networks. Furthermore, analysis of multilayer networks constructed using real-world social and biological data shows that the localization properties of these real-world multilayer networks are in good agreement with the simulation results for the model multilayer network. This paper is relevant to applications that require understanding propagation of perturbation in multilayer networks.

Single Sex Mathematics Classes: A Critical Analysis of the Impact at a Secondary School

OpenAIRE

Seifert, Angelique; Pugalee, David K.

2012-01-01

Single sex classes have recently been emphasized as an effective way to promote mathematics learning. Despite their popularity, the research on the effectiveness of such programs is mixed underscoring the need for additional research and discussion. This research is set in one of the twenty-five largest public school systems in the United States, where schools have recently been allowed to begin instructional initiatives with same sex classes in mathematics. Preliminary data on the effecti...

Haven't We Been Here Before? Some Comments on Steve Coffman's Proposal for "Earth's Largest Library".

Science.gov (United States)

McGervey, Teresa

2000-01-01

Discusses the concept of Earth's Largest Library (ELL), a mega-virtual library based on the Amazon.com model. Topics include who will be included; privacy; censorship; scope of the collection; costs; legal aspects; collection development; personnel management; access; the concept of community; public service; lending policies; technical…

The first educational interferometer in Mexico (FEYMANS): A novel project

Science.gov (United States)

Villicana Pedraza, Ilhuiyolitzin; Guesten, Rolf; Saucedo Morales, Julio Cesar; Carreto, Francisco; Valdes Estrada, Erik; Wendolyn Blanco Cardenas, Monica; Rodríguez Garza, Carolina B.; Pech Castillo, Gerardo A.; Ángel Vaquerizo, Juan

2016-07-01

An interferometer is composed of several radio telescopes (dishes) separated by a defined distance and used in synchrony. This kind of array produces a superior angular resolution, better than the resolution achieved by a single dish of the same combined area. In this work we propose the First Educational Youth Mexican Array North South, FEYMANS. It consists of an educational interferometer with initially four dishes. This array harvests Mexico's geography by locating each dish at the periphery of the country; creating new scientific links of provincial populations with the capital. The FEYMANS project focus in high school students and their projects on physics, chemistry and astronomy as a final project. Also, it can be used for bachelor theses. The initial and central dish-node is planed to be in Mexico City. After its construction, the efforts will focus to build subsequent nodes, on the Northwest region, Northeast, or Southeast. Region Northwest will give service to Baja California, Sonora and Chihuahua states. Region Northeast will cover Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas. Finally, region Southeast will give access to Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco and Chiapas. This project has been conceived by young professional astronomers and Mexican experts that will operate each node. Also, we have the technical support of the "Max Planck Institute fuer Radioastronomy in Bonn Germany" and the educational model of the "PARTNeR" project in Spain. This interferometer will be financed by Mexico's Federal Congress and by Mexico City's Legislative Assembly (ALDF).

Is Kasei Valles (Mars) the largest volcanic channel in the solar system?

Science.gov (United States)

Leverington, David W.

2018-02-01

With a length of more than 2000 km and widths of up to several hundred kilometers, Kasei Valles is the largest outflow system on Mars. Superficially, the scabland-like character of Kasei Valles is evocative of terrestrial systems carved by catastrophic aqueous floods, and the system is widely interpreted as a product of outbursts from aquifers. However, as at other Martian outflow channels, clear examples of fluvial sedimentary deposits have proven difficult to identify here. Though Kasei Valles lacks several key properties expected of aqueous systems, its basic morphological and contextual properties are aligned with those of ancient volcanic channels on Venus, the Moon, Mercury, and Earth. There is abundant evidence that voluminous effusions of low-viscosity magmas occurred at the head of Kasei Valles, the channel system acted as a conduit for associated flows, and mare-style volcanic plains developed within its terminal basin. Combined mechanical and thermal incision rates of at least several meters per day are estimated to have been readily achieved at Kasei Valles by 20-m-deep magmas flowing with viscosities of 1 Pa s across low topographic slopes underlain by bedrock. If Kasei Valles formed through incision by magma, it would be the largest known volcanic channel in the solar system. The total volume of magma erupted at Kasei Valles is estimated here to have possibly reached or exceeded ∼5 × 106 km3, a volume comparable in magnitude to those that characterize individual Large Igneous Provinces on Earth. Development of other large outflow systems on Mars is expected to have similarly involved eruption of up to millions of cubic kilometers of magma.

Evolution of the large Deep Space Network antennas

Science.gov (United States)

Imbriale, William A.

1991-12-01

The evolution of the largest antenna of the US NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) is described. The design, performance analysis, and measurement techniques, beginning with its initial 64-m operation at S-band (2295 MHz) in 1966 and continuing through the present ka-band (32-GHz) operation at 70 m, is described. Although their diameters and mountings differ, these parabolic antennas all employ a Cassegrainian feed system, and each antenna dish surface is constructed of precision-shaped perforated-aluminum panels that are secured to an open steel framework

Time compression of soil erosion by the effect of largest daily event. A regional analysis of USLE database.

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez-Hidalgo, J. C.; Batalla, R.; Cerda, A.; de Luis, M.

2009-04-01

When Thornes and Brunsden wrote in 1977 "How often one hears the researcher (and no less the undergraduate) complain that after weeks of observation "nothing happened" only to learn that, the day after his departure, a flood caused unprecedent erosion and channel changes!" (Thornes and Brunsden, 1977, p. 57), they focussed on two different problems in geomorphological research: the effects of extreme events and the temporal compression of geomorphological processes. The time compression is one of the main characteristic of erosion processes. It means that an important amount of the total soil eroded is produced in very short temporal intervals, i.e. few events mostly related to extreme events. From magnitude-frequency analysis we know that few events, not necessarily extreme by magnitude, produce high amount of geomorphological work. Last but not least, extreme isolated events are a classical issue in geomorphology by their specific effects, and they are receiving permanent attention, increased at present because of scenarios of global change. Notwithstanding, the time compression of geomorphological processes could be focused not only on the analysis of extreme events and the traditional magnitude-frequency approach, but on new complementary approach based on the effects of largest events. The classical approach define extreme event as a rare event (identified by its magnitude and quantified by some deviation from central value), while we define largest events by the rank, whatever their magnitude. In a previous research on time compression of soil erosion, using USLE soil erosion database (Gonzalez-Hidalgo et al., EGU 2007), we described a relationship between the total amount of daily erosive events recorded by plot and the percentage contribution to total soil erosion of n-largest aggregated daily events. Now we offer a further refined analysis comparing different agricultural regions in USA. To do that we have analyzed data from 594 erosion plots from USLE

Quasi-single helicity spectra in the Madison Symmetric Torus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marrelli, L.; Martin, P.; Spizzo, G.; Franz, P.; Chapman, B.E.; Craig, D.; Sarff, J.S.; Biewer, T.M.; Prager, S.C.; Reardon, J.C.

2002-01-01

Evidence of a self-organized collapse towards a narrow spectrum of magnetic instabilities in the Madison Symmetric Torus [R. N. Dexter, D. W. Kerst, T. W. Lovell, S. C. Prager, and J. C. Sprott, Fusion Technol. 19, 131 (1991)] reversed field pinch device is presented. In this collapsed state, dubbed quasi-single helicity (QSH), the spectrum of magnetic modes condenses spontaneously to one dominant mode more completely than ever before observed. The amplitudes of all but the largest of the m=1 modes decrease in QSH states. New results about thermal features of QSH spectra and the identification of global control parameters for their onset are also discussed

Natural radionuclides in soil profiles surrounding the largest coal-fired power plant in Serbia

OpenAIRE

Tanić Milan N.; Janković-Mandić Ljiljana J.; Gajić Boško A.; Daković Marko Z.; Dragović Snežana D.; Bačić Goran G.

2016-01-01

This study evaluates the influence of the largest Serbian coal-fired power plant on radionuclide concentrations in soil profiles up to 50 cm in depth. Thirty soil profiles were sampled from the plant surroundings (up to 10 km distance) and analyzed using standard methods for soil physicochemical properties and gamma ray spectrometry for specific activities of natural radionuclides (40K, 226Ra and 232Th). Spatial and vertical distribution of radionuclides wa...

Spall behaviour of single crystal aluminium at three principal orientations

Science.gov (United States)

Owen, G. D.; Chapman, D. J.; Whiteman, G.; Stirk, S. M.; Millett, J. C. F.; Johnson, S.

2017-10-01

A series of plate impact experiments have been conducted to study the spall strength of the three principal crystallographic orientations of single crystal aluminium ([100], [110] and, [111]) and ultra-pure polycrystalline aluminium. The samples have been shock loaded at two impact stresses (4 GPa and 10 GPa). Significant differences have been observed in the elastic behaviour, the pullback velocities, and the general shape of the wave profiles, which can be accounted for by considerations of the microscale homogeneity, the dislocation density, and the absence of grain boundaries in the single crystal materials. The data have shown that there is a consistent order of spall strength measured for the four sample materials. The [111] orientation has the largest spall strength and elastic limit, followed closely by [110], [100], and then the polycrystalline material. This order is consistent with both quasi-static data and geometrical consideration of Schmid factors.

Steady-state crack growth in single crystals under Mode I loading

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Juul, Kristian Jørgensen; Nielsen, Kim Lau; Niordson, Christian Frithiof

2017-01-01

The active plastic zone that surrounds the tip of a sharp crack growing under plane strain Mode I loading conditions at a constant velocity in a single crystal is studied. Both the characteristics of the plastic zone and its effect on the macroscopic toughness is investigated in terms of crack tip...... that the largest shielding effect develops in HCP crystals, while the lowest shielding exists for FCC crystals. Rate-sensitivity is found to affect the plastic zone size, but the characteristics overall remain similar for each individual crystal structure. An increasing rate-sensitivity at low crack velocities...... shielding due to plasticity (quantified by employing the Suo, Shih, and Varias set-up). Three single crystals (FCC, BCC, HCP) are modelled in a steady-state elastic visco-plastic framework, with emphasis on the influence of rate-sensitivity and crystal structures. Distinct velocity discontinuities...

Opportunities for biodiversity gains under the world's largest reforestation programme

Science.gov (United States)

Hua, Fangyuan; Wang, Xiaoyang; Zheng, Xinlei; Fisher, Brendan; Wang, Lin; Zhu, Jianguo; Tang, Ya; Yu, Douglas W.; Wilcove, David S.

2016-01-01

Reforestation is a critical means of addressing the environmental and social problems of deforestation. China's Grain-for-Green Program (GFGP) is the world's largest reforestation scheme. Here we provide the first nationwide assessment of the tree composition of GFGP forests and the first combined ecological and economic study aimed at understanding GFGP's biodiversity implications. Across China, GFGP forests are overwhelmingly monocultures or compositionally simple mixed forests. Focusing on birds and bees in Sichuan Province, we find that GFGP reforestation results in modest gains (via mixed forest) and losses (via monocultures) of bird diversity, along with major losses of bee diversity. Moreover, all current modes of GFGP reforestation fall short of restoring biodiversity to levels approximating native forests. However, even within existing modes of reforestation, GFGP can achieve greater biodiversity gains by promoting mixed forests over monocultures; doing so is unlikely to entail major opportunity costs or pose unforeseen economic risks to households. PMID:27598524

El Paso natural gas nearing completion of system's largest expansion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

El Paso Natural Gas Co.'s largest expansion program in its 64-year history will be completed along its northern system this spring or early summer. According to the company, the three-tiered, $241.5 million expansion program will increase El Paso's gas-transport capacity by 835 MMcfd to 2.5 bcfd of conventional and coal-seam gas from the San Juan basin in northwestern New Mexico. That's enough natural gas, says the company, to supply the needs of a city of more than 800,000 residents. This paper reports that the expansion involves the San Juan Triangle system, the company's northern main line, and the Permian-San Juan crossover line. The company also filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in October 1991 to construct a new $15.2 million compressor station, Rio Vista, south of Bloomfield, N.M. The station would be used to move additional gas to the main line

Properties of the probability distribution associated with the largest event in an earthquake cluster and their implications to foreshocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhuang Jiancang; Ogata, Yosihiko

2006-01-01

The space-time epidemic-type aftershock sequence model is a stochastic branching process in which earthquake activity is classified into background and clustering components and each earthquake triggers other earthquakes independently according to certain rules. This paper gives the probability distributions associated with the largest event in a cluster and their properties for all three cases when the process is subcritical, critical, and supercritical. One of the direct uses of these probability distributions is to evaluate the probability of an earthquake to be a foreshock, and magnitude distributions of foreshocks and nonforeshock earthquakes. To verify these theoretical results, the Japan Meteorological Agency earthquake catalog is analyzed. The proportion of events that have 1 or more larger descendants in total events is found to be as high as about 15%. When the differences between background events and triggered event in the behavior of triggering children are considered, a background event has a probability about 8% to be a foreshock. This probability decreases when the magnitude of the background event increases. These results, obtained from a complicated clustering model, where the characteristics of background events and triggered events are different, are consistent with the results obtained in [Ogata et al., Geophys. J. Int. 127, 17 (1996)] by using the conventional single-linked cluster declustering method

Properties of the probability distribution associated with the largest event in an earthquake cluster and their implications to foreshocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhuang, Jiancang; Ogata, Yosihiko

2006-04-01

The space-time epidemic-type aftershock sequence model is a stochastic branching process in which earthquake activity is classified into background and clustering components and each earthquake triggers other earthquakes independently according to certain rules. This paper gives the probability distributions associated with the largest event in a cluster and their properties for all three cases when the process is subcritical, critical, and supercritical. One of the direct uses of these probability distributions is to evaluate the probability of an earthquake to be a foreshock, and magnitude distributions of foreshocks and nonforeshock earthquakes. To verify these theoretical results, the Japan Meteorological Agency earthquake catalog is analyzed. The proportion of events that have 1 or more larger descendants in total events is found to be as high as about 15%. When the differences between background events and triggered event in the behavior of triggering children are considered, a background event has a probability about 8% to be a foreshock. This probability decreases when the magnitude of the background event increases. These results, obtained from a complicated clustering model, where the characteristics of background events and triggered events are different, are consistent with the results obtained in [Ogata, Geophys. J. Int. 127, 17 (1996)] by using the conventional single-linked cluster declustering method.

Trends in single women with malignancy of the uterine cervix in United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Machida, Hiroko; Blake, Erin A; Eckhardt, Sarah E; Takiuchi, Tsuyoshi; Grubbs, Brendan H; Mikami, Mikio; Roman, Lynda D; Matsuo, Koji

2018-03-01

To examine trends and characteristics of single women with malignancy of the uterine cervix. This is a retrospective observational study examining the United States population-based tumor registry (the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program). Time-specific trends in single marital status were examined in 3,294,208 women among 12 common female malignancies including 87,151 women with uterine cervical malignancy between 1973 and 2013. While the proportion of single women in the majority of malignancies increased during the study time, the proportion of single women with cervical malignancy significantly increased more than in other malignancies (29.3% in 2013 from 6.3% in 1973). There was a surge in the proportion of single women with cervical malignancy starting in the early 1990s, exhibiting the largest annual percentage rate change (APC) among all examined malignancies (1.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.6, 2.0; pwomen aged single women aged ≥40 years increased significantly during the time (APC, 2.7%; 95% CI=2.3, 3.2; psingle women with malignancy of the uterine cervix has significantly increased in the past 4 decades. This increase was most dramatic in single women aged ≥40 years. Improving screening strategies in single women aged ≥40 years may help reduce the incidence of this malignancy. Copyright © 2018. Asian Society of Gynecologic Oncology, Korean Society of Gynecologic Oncology

Contamination Control Assessment of the World's Largest Space Environment Simulation Chamber

Science.gov (United States)

Snyder, Aaron; Henry, Michael W.; Grisnik, Stanley P.; Sinclair, Stephen M.

2012-01-01

The Space Power Facility s thermal vacuum test chamber is the largest chamber in the world capable of providing an environment for space simulation. To improve performance and meet stringent requirements of a wide customer base, significant modifications were made to the vacuum chamber. These include major changes to the vacuum system and numerous enhancements to the chamber s unique polar crane, with a goal of providing high cleanliness levels. The significance of these changes and modifications are discussed in this paper. In addition, the composition and arrangement of the pumping system and its impact on molecular back-streaming are discussed in detail. Molecular contamination measurements obtained with a TQCM and witness wafers during two recent integrated system tests of the chamber are presented and discussed. Finally, a concluding remarks section is presented.

One last boom : Alberta's rapidly expanding oil mines may be the largest and messiest industrial projects in Canadian history

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laird, G.

2001-01-01

The bitumen deposits of Alberta, 2.5 trillion barrels of oil, of which 300 billion are considered recoverable, represent the greatest single petroleum resources of the world, based on surface and subsurface calculations. Four deposits, covering an area the size of New Brunswick, are located in the area stretching from Cold Lake to Lloydminster (east of Edmonton), the upper reaches of the Athabasca River east to the Peace River. The largest by far is the Athabasca deposit in the vicinity of Fort McMurray, spread over 4.3 million hectares. The deposit is at the centre of the biggest industrial expansion witnessed by the province. Since 1996, 38 billion dollars worth of new projects have been announced. It is estimated that by 2025, the bulk of the national oil production will originate from open-pit mines and underground wells around Fort McMurray. This oil boom has economic benefits for the population, from welders to real estate agents to stakeholders. The environmental effects are not as beneficial. Huge strip mines are being carved next to the Athabasca River, with great amounts of greenhouse gases emissions. The Suncor and Syncrude oil-sands plants combined represent the fourth largest carbon dioxide emission source in Canada. The development of these projects dramatically affects global warming. The nitrogen and sulphur emissions could also acidify lakes and soil in the region. The Suncor mine resulted from the first boom to hit Fort McMurray in 1964. The Syncrude mine is the result of the second boom which took place in 1973. In 1996, Suncor installed a sulphur scrubber system that removes 95 per cent of sulphur dioxide from the electricity and steam-generation plant. Suncor also invested in various projects, such as wind-power, rainforest cultivation and biomass generation. The volume of pollution increases as the operations expand, even if operations are cleaner. If no new gains in pollution control are achieved, it is expected that by 2015, the total

German Migrant Teachers in Australia: Insights into the Largest Cohort of Non-English Speaking Background Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Bense, Katharina

2015-01-01

The research reported in this paper investigates the situation of German migrant teachers in Australia. Although German born teachers represent the largest group of non-English speaking background teachers in Australia, there is no study of the circumstances and experiences of these teachers in Australia. This study aims to fill this gap. It…

Customized overhead cranes for installation of India's largest 3.6m optical telescope at Devasthal, Nainital, India

Science.gov (United States)

Bangia, Tarun; Yadava, Shobhit; Kumar, Brijesh; Ghanti, A. S.; Hardikar, P. M.

2016-07-01

India's largest 3.6 m aperture optical telescope facility has been recently established at Devasthal site by Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observation Sciences (ARIES), an autonomous Institute under Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. The telescope is equipped with active optics and it is designed to be used for seeinglimited observations at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. A steel building with rotating cylindrical steel Dome was erected to house 3.6m telescope and its accessories at hilltop of Devasthal site. Customized cranes were essentially required inside the building as there were space constraints around the telescope building for operating big external heavy duty cranes from outside, transportation constraints in route for bringing heavy weight cranes, altitude of observatory, and sharp bends etc. to site. To meet the challenge of telescope installation from inside the telescope building by lifting components through its hatch, two Single Girder cranes and two Under Slung cranes of 10 MT capacity each were specifically designed and developed. All the four overhead cranes were custom built to achieve the goal of handling telescope mirror and its various components during installation and assembly. Overhead cranes were installed in limited available space inside the building and tested as per IS 3177. Cranes were equipped with many features like VVVFD compatibility, provision for tandem operation, digital load display, anti-collision mechanism, electrical interlocks, radio remote, low hook height and compact carriage etc. for telescope integration at site.

Revisiting the impacts of oil price increases on monetary policy implementation in the largest oil importers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nurtac Yildirim

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to test the impacts of oil price increases on monetary policy implementation in the largest oil importers. For that purpose, we estimate structural vector error correction (SVEC models to show the impacts of oil price increases on industrial production, consumer prices and immediate interest rates which are the elements of Taylor rule for the four largest oil importers (the USA, the EU, China and Japan. Our results indicate that oil price increases transmit to output and inflation and lead to fluctuations in industrial production, consumer prices and immediate interest rates which in turn influence the monetary policy stance in the following periods. The basic conclusion of research is that the channels through which oil prices affect output, inflation and interest rates should be identified by the monetary policy authorities of the USA, the EU, China and Japan. We also emphasize the importance of the determination of the optimal monetary policy framework to eliminate the negative consequences of oil price increases.

The largest deep-ocean silicic volcanic eruption of the past century.

Science.gov (United States)

Carey, Rebecca; Soule, S Adam; Manga, Michael; White, James; McPhie, Jocelyn; Wysoczanski, Richard; Jutzeler, Martin; Tani, Kenichiro; Yoerger, Dana; Fornari, Daniel; Caratori-Tontini, Fabio; Houghton, Bruce; Mitchell, Samuel; Ikegami, Fumihiko; Conway, Chris; Murch, Arran; Fauria, Kristen; Jones, Meghan; Cahalan, Ryan; McKenzie, Warren

2018-01-01

The 2012 submarine eruption of Havre volcano in the Kermadec arc, New Zealand, is the largest deep-ocean eruption in history and one of very few recorded submarine eruptions involving rhyolite magma. It was recognized from a gigantic 400-km 2 pumice raft seen in satellite imagery, but the complexity of this event was concealed beneath the sea surface. Mapping, observations, and sampling by submersibles have provided an exceptionally high fidelity record of the seafloor products, which included lava sourced from 14 vents at water depths of 900 to 1220 m, and fragmental deposits including giant pumice clasts up to 9 m in diameter. Most (>75%) of the total erupted volume was partitioned into the pumice raft and transported far from the volcano. The geological record on submarine volcanic edifices in volcanic arcs does not faithfully archive eruption size or magma production.

Molecular clouds in the Carina arm - the largest objects, associated regions of star formation, and the Carina arm in the Galaxy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grabelsky, D.A.; Cohen, R.S.; Bronfman, L.; Thaddeus, P.

1988-01-01

The Columbia CO survey of the southern Galactic plane is used to identify giant molecular clouds and cloud complexes in the Vela-Carina-Centaurus section of the Galaxy. Twenty-seven giant molecular clouds between l = 270 and 300 deg are catalogued and their heliocentric distances given. In addition, 16 clouds at l greater than 300 deg beyond the solar circle extend the catalog to include the very distant portion of the Carina arm. The most massive clouds in the catalog trace the Carina arm over 23 kpc in the plane of the Galaxy. The average mass of these objects is 1.4 x 10 to the 6th solar, and their average spacing along the arm is 700 pc. The composite distribution projected onto the Galactic plane of the largest molecular clouds in the Carina arm and of similarly massive clouds in the first and second quadrants strongly suggests that the Carina and Sagittarius arms form a single spiral arm about 40 kpc in length wrapping two-thirds of the way around the Galaxy. Descriptions of each cloud, including identification of associated star-forming regions, are presented in an appendix. 76 references

Numerical study of the influence of applied voltage on the current balance factor of single layer organic light-emitting diodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Fei-ping; Liu, Xiao-bin; Xing, Yong-zhong

2014-01-01

Current balance factor (CBF) value, the ratio of the recombination current density and the total current density of a device, has an important function in fluorescence-based organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), as well as in the performance of the organic electrophosphorescent devices. This paper investigates the influence of the applied voltage of a device on the CBF value of single layer OLED based on the numerical model of a bipolar single layer OLED with organic layer trap free and without doping. Results show that the largest CBF value can be achieved when the electron injection barrier (ϕ n ) is equal to the hole injection barrier (ϕ p ) in the lower voltage region at any instance. The largest CBF in the higher voltage region can be achieved in the case of ϕ n  > ϕ p under the condition of electron mobility (μ 0n ) > hole mobility (μ 0p ), whereas the result for the case of μ 0n   0p , is opposite. The largest CBF when μ 0n  = μ 0p can be achieved in the case of ϕ n  = ϕ p in the entire region of the applied voltage. In addition, the CBF value of the device increases with increasing applied voltage. The results obtained in this paper can present an in-depth understanding of the OLED working mechanism and help in the future fabrication of high efficiency OLEDs

Characterization of the Ecosole HCPV tracker and single module inverter

Science.gov (United States)

Carpanelli, Maurizio; Borelli, Gianni; Verdilio, Daniele; De Nardis, Davide; Migali, Fabrizio; Cancro, Carmine; Graditi, Giorgio

2015-09-01

BECAR, the Beghelli group's R&D company, is leading ECOSOLE (Elevated COncentration SOlar Energy), one of the largest European Demonstration projects in solar photovoltaic. ECOSOLE, started in 2012, is focused on the study, design, and realization of new HCPV generator made of high efficiency PV modules equipped with SoG (Silicone on Glass) fresnel lenses and III-V solar cells, and a low cost matched solar tracker with distributed inverters approach. The project also regards the study and demonstration of new high throughput methods for the industrial large scale productions, at very low manufacturing costs. This work reports the description of the characterization of the tracker and single module.

Synchronization of hyperchaotic oscillators via single unidirectional chaotic-coupling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zou Yanli; Zhu Jie; Chen Guanrong; Luo Xiaoshu

2005-01-01

In this paper, synchronization of two hyperchaotic oscillators via a single variable's unidirectional coupling is studied. First, the synchronizability of the coupled hyperchaotic oscillators is proved mathematically. Then, the convergence speed of this synchronization scheme is analyzed. In order to speed up the response with a relatively large coupling strength, two kinds of chaotic coupling synchronization schemes are proposed. In terms of numerical simulations and the numerical calculation of the largest conditional Lyapunov exponent, it is shown that in a given range of coupling strengths, chaotic-coupling synchronization is quicker than the typical continuous-coupling synchronization. Furthermore, A circuit realization based on the chaotic synchronization scheme is designed and Pspice circuit simulation validates the simulated hyperchaos synchronization mechanism

Positive ion irradiation facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braby, L.A.

1985-01-01

Many questions about the mechanisms of the response of cells to ionizing radiation can best be investigated using monoenergetic heavy charged particle beams. Questions of the role of different types of damage in the LET effect, for example, are being answered by comparing repair kinetics for damage induced by electrons with that produced by helium ions. However, as the models become more sophicated, the differences between models can be detected only with more precise measurements, or by combining high- and low-LET irradiations in split-dose experiments. The design of the authors present cell irradiation beam line has limited the authors to irradiating cells in a partial vacuum. A new way to mount the dishes and bring the beam to the cells was required. Several means of irradiating cells in mylar-bottom dishes have been used at other laboratories. For example at the RARAF Facility, the dual ion experiments are done with the dish bottom serving as the beam exit window but the cells are in a partial vacuum to prevent breaking the window. These researchers have chosen instead to use the dish bottom as the beam window and to irradiate the entire dish in a single exposure. A special, very fast pumping system will be installed at the end of the beam line. This system will make it possible to irradiate cells within two minutes of installing them in the irradiation chamber. In this way, the interaction of electron and ion-induced damage in Chlamydomonas can be studied with time between doses as short as 5 minutes

Benchmark Testing of the Largest Titanium Aluminide Sheet Subelement Conducted

Science.gov (United States)

Bartolotta, Paul A.; Krause, David L.

2000-01-01

To evaluate wrought titanium aluminide (gamma TiAl) as a viable candidate material for the High-Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) exhaust nozzle, an international team led by the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field successfully fabricated and tested the largest gamma TiAl sheet structure ever manufactured. The gamma TiAl sheet structure, a 56-percent subscale divergent flap subelement, was fabricated for benchmark testing in three-point bending. Overall, the subelement was 84-cm (33-in.) long by 13-cm (5-in.) wide by 8-cm (3-in.) deep. Incorporated into the subelement were features that might be used in the fabrication of a full-scale divergent flap. These features include the use of: (1) gamma TiAl shear clips to join together sections of corrugations, (2) multiple gamma TiAl face sheets, (3) double hot-formed gamma TiAl corrugations, and (4) brazed joints. The structural integrity of the gamma TiAl sheet subelement was evaluated by conducting a room-temperature three-point static bend test.

LHC : The World's Largest Vacuum Systems being commissioned at CERN

CERN Document Server

Jiménez, J M

2008-01-01

When it switches on in 2008, the 26.7 km Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, will have the world's largest vacuum system operating over a wide range of pressures and employing an impressive array of vacuum technologies. This system is composed by 54 km of UHV vacuum for the circulating beams and 50 km of insulation vacuum around the cryogenic magnets and the liquid helium transfer lines. Over the 54 km of UHV beam vacuum, 48 km of this are at cryogenic temperature (1.9 K). The remaining 6 km of beam vacuum containing the insertions for "cleaning" the proton beams, radiofrequency cavities for accelerating the protons as well as beam-monitoring equipment is at ambient temperature and uses non-evaporable getter (NEG) coatings - a vacuum technology that was born and industrialized at CERN. The pumping scheme is completed using 780 ion pumps to remove noble gases and to provide pressure interlocks to the 303 vacuum safety valves. Pressure readings are provided by 170 Bayard-Alpert gauges and 1084 gauges (Pirani a...

The largest forest fires in Portugal: the constraints of burned area size on the comprehension of fire severity.

Science.gov (United States)

Tedim, Fantina; Remelgado, Ruben; Martins, João; Carvalho, Salete

2015-01-01

Portugal is a European country with highest forest fires density and burned area. Since beginning of official forest fires database in 1980, an increase in number of fires and burned area as well as appearance of large and catastrophic fires have characterized fire activity in Portugal. In 1980s, the largest fires were just a little bit over 10,000 ha. However, in the beginning of 21st century several fires occurred with a burned area over 20,000 ha. Some of these events can be classified as mega-fires due to their ecological and socioeconomic severity. The present study aimed to discuss the characterization of large forest fires trend, in order to understand if the largest fires that occurred in Portugal were exceptional events or evidences of a new trend, and the constraints of fire size to characterize fire effects because, usually, it is assumed that larger the fire higher the damages. Using Portuguese forest fire database and satellite imagery, the present study showed that the largest fires could be seen at the same time as exceptional events and as evidence of a new fire regime. It highlighted the importance of size and patterns of unburned patches within fire perimeter as well as heterogeneity of fire ecological severity, usually not included in fire regime description, which are critical to fire management and research. The findings of this research can be used in forest risk reduction and suppression planning.

Drilling the Bushveld Complex- the world's largest layered mafic intrusion

Science.gov (United States)

Ashwal, L. D.; Webb, S. J.; Trumbull, R. B.

2013-12-01

The fact that surprising new discoveries can be made in layered mafic intrusions (e.g., subtle 100-150 m cyclicity in apparently homogeneous cumulates over 1000s of m) means that we are still in the first-order characterization phase of understanding these objects. Accordingly, we have secured funding from ICDP for a planning workshop to be held in Johannesburg in early 2014, aimed at scientific drilling of the Bushveld Complex, the world's largest layered mafic intrusion. Science objectives include, but are not limited to: 1. Magma chamber processes & melt evolution. How many melts/magmas/mushes were involved, what were their compositions and how did they interact? What, if anything, is missing from the Complex, and where did it go? Did Bushveld magmatism have an effect upon Earth's atmosphere at 2 Ga? 2. Crust-mantle interactions & origin of Bushveld granitoids. Are Bushveld granites & rhyolites crustal melts, differentiates from the mafic magmas or products of immiscibility? How can the evolved isotopic signatures in the mafic rocks (e.g., epsilon Nd to -8) be understood? 3. Origin of ore deposits. What were the relative roles of gravity settling, magma mixing, immiscibility and hydrothermal fluid transport in producing the PGE, Cr and V deposits? We have identified 3 potential drilling targets representing a total of ~12 km of drill core. Exact locations of drill sites are to be discussed at the workshop. Target A- East-Central Bushveld Complex. We propose 3 overlapping 3 km boreholes that will provide the first roof-to-floor continuous coverage of the Rustenburg Layered Suite. These boreholes will represent a curated, internationally available reference collection of Bushveld material for present and future research. Target B- Southeastern Bushveld Complex. We propose a single borehole of ~2 km depth, collared in Rooiberg felsite, and positioned to intersect the Roof Zone, Upper Zone, Main Zone and floor of the Complex. Amongst other things, this site will

Effects of irradiation distance on supply of reactive oxygen species to the bottom of a Petri dish filled with liquid by an atmospheric O{sub 2}/He plasma jet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kawasaki, Toshiyuki, E-mail: kawasaki@nbu.ac.jp; Kusumegi, Shota; Kudo, Akihiro; Sakanoshita, Tomohiro; Tsurumaru, Takuya; Sato, Akihiro [Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nippon Bunri University, Oita, Oita 870-0397 (Japan); Uchida, Giichiro [Joining and Welding Research Institute, Osaka University, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0047 (Japan); Koga, Kazunori; Shiratani, Masaharu [Graduate School of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 819-0395 (Japan)

2016-05-07

The impact of irradiation distances on plasma jet-induced specific effects on the supply of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to the bottom of a Petri dish filled with liquid was investigated using a KI-starch gel reagent that can be employed as a ROS indicator even in water. O{sub 3} exposure experiments without plasma irradiation were also performed to elucidate the specific effects of the plasma jet. Relative concentrations of ROS transported to the bottom were evaluated using absorbance measurements. The results indicated that ROS supply to the bottom is markedly enhanced by the plasma jet irradiation at shorter irradiation distances, whereas similar results could not be obtained for the O{sub 3} exposure. In these cases, the liquid mixing in the depth direction was also enhanced by the plasma jet irradiation only, and the supply of reactive atomic oxygen to the liquid surface was markedly increased as well.

Long-term outcomes after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for metachromatic leukodystrophy: the largest single-institution cohort report.

Science.gov (United States)

Boucher, Alexander A; Miller, Weston; Shanley, Ryan; Ziegler, Richard; Lund, Troy; Raymond, Gerald; Orchard, Paul J

2015-08-07

Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD) is a rare, fatal demyelinating disorder with limited treatment options. Published outcomes after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are scant and mixed. We report survival and function following HSCT for a large, single-center MLD cohort. Transplant-related data, survival and serial measures (brain MRI, nerve conduction velocity (NCV), neurologic and neuropsychology evaluations) were reviewed. When possible, parental interviews informed current neurologic status, quality-of-life, and adaptive functioning. Gross motor and expressive functions for late-infantile (LI-MLD) and juvenile (J-MLD) patients were described using previously reported, MLD-specific scales. Forty patients with confirmed MLD have undergone HSCT at our center. Twenty-one (53 %) survive at a median 12 years post-HSCT. Most deaths (n = 17) were treatment-related; two died from disease progression. Survival did not depend upon MLD subtype or symptom status at transplant. LI-MLD patients survive beyond reported life expectancy in untreated disease. Abnormal brain MRI and peripheral nerve conduction velocities (NCV) were common before HSCT. Following transplant, fewer patients experienced MRI progression compared to NCV deterioration. Sixteen LI-MLD and J-MLD survivors were evaluable for long-term gross motor and/or expressive language functioning using existing MLD clinical scoring systems. While most J-MLD patients regressed, the aggregate cohort demonstrated superior retention of function compared to published natural history. Seventeen LI-MLD, J-MLD and adult subtype (A-MLD) survivors were evaluable for long-term adaptive functioning, activities of daily living, and/or cognition. Relative cognitive sparing was observed despite overall global decline. Five sibling pairs (one LI-MLD and four J-MLD), in which at least one underwent transplant in our cohort, were evaluable. Within each familial dyad, survival or function was superior for the treated

WISMUT AG: Past, present and future of the largest uranium producer in Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madel, J.

1990-01-01

The author gives a brief summary of WISMUT AG the largest uranium producer operating in Europe. The jointly owned German-Soviet company operates its production facilities in the southern part of the former German Democratic Republic. Given the new political and economic frame in Germany and the Soviet Union WISMUT AG will receive due recognition. Uranium exploration, mining, and milling activities are summarized from 1946-1989, and a summary of present activities and projections of future activities in the area of decontamination, restoration, and recultivation of present and abandoned mining and milling sites are noted. A statement of WISMUT AG's projected role in the international nuclear fuels market is made

THE EVOLUTION OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST AUTOMAKERS IN THE PERIOD 2013-2014

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sorin-George TOMA

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The automotive industry has always represented an economic engine for many countries. It is dealing with the design, development, manufacture, marketing, and sale of the motor vehicles. Nowadays, this industry is full of intense competition between big auto groups fighting for higher profits and larger market shares. The key players in the automotive market are operating at a global scale in a highly competitive environment. In the last years, Toyota Motor and Volkswagen Group have proved to be the main competitors. The aim of our paper is to analyze the evolution of the world’s largest automakers in the period 2013-2014. The research type is literature review.

Interferometric Imaging of Geostationary Satellites: Signal-to-Noise Considerations

Science.gov (United States)

Jorgensen, A.; Schmitt, H.; Mozurkewich, D.; Armstrong, J.; Restaino, S.; Hindsley, R.

2011-09-01

Geostationary satellites are generally too small to image at high resolution with conventional single-dish telescopes. Obtaining many resolution elements across a typical geostationary satellite body requires a single-dish telescope with a diameter of 10’s of m or more, with a good adaptive optics system. An alternative is to use an optical/infrared interferometer consisting of multiple smaller telescopes in an array configuration. In this paper and companion papers1, 2 we discuss the performance of a common-mount 30-element interferometer. The instrument design is presented by Mozurkewich et al.,1 and imaging performance is presented by Schmitt et al.2 In this paper we discuss signal-to-noise ratio for both fringe-tracking and imaging. We conclude that the common-mount interferometer is sufficiently sensitive to track fringes on the majority of geostationary satellites. We also find that high-fidelity images can be obtained after a short integration time of a few minutes to a few tens of minutes.

An analysis of audit committee effectiveness at the largest listed companies in South Africa from a CFO and audit committee perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ben Marx

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate and analyse the effective functioning of audit committees at the largest listed companies in South Africa. Problem investigated: The modern audit committee is often seen as the panacea of the corporate world and as such is looked upon to cure all the financial reporting and control-related problems of entities. Audit committees are, however, not always as effective as they are held to be, as is evidenced by the many well-known corporate scandals and business failures that occurred where audit committees existed and fraudulent financial reporting, audit failures, internal control breakdowns and other irregularities prevailed. The modern audit committee will be of value only if it is properly constituted, is functioning effectively and if its role is clearly understood by all the parties concerned. The research problem investigated stems precisely from this issue, and the paper therefore aims to analyse the effective functioning of the audit committees at the largest listed companies in South Africa. Methodology: The study empirically tested the audit committee practices at the largest listed companies in South Africa. This was done through questionnaires addressed to the CFOs and audit committee chairs. Findings: The study found that audit committees at the largest listed companies in South Africa are well established, properly constituted, have the authority and resources to effectively discharge their responsibilities and consist of members who act independently and who have the right mix of appropriate experience, financial literacy and financial expertise amongst their members. The audit committee's role was found to be generally well understood and supported by the board and the Chief Financial Officers. It was further found that the audit committees are effective in discharging their oversight responsibilities on the board's behalf, with the only real exception being their effectiveness

The largest Fresco in Europe on cooling tower of nuclear power station of Cruas Meysse in Ardeche, France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Di Mayo, J.L.

1993-01-01

The Nuclear Power Station Cruas Meysse is on the most important communication way of France, in the Rhone Valley, between the Rhin and the Mediterranean Sea. In the South of the Rhone Valley, the Nuclear Power Plant is situated near the very important site of 'Tricastin', the largest nuclear area in France. Cruas Meysse has a very good integration to the economy, social, and cultural scheme ; that's why EDF and the Ardeche Department had enter into partnership to associate art and technology of our time, and offer a work for everybody - 'Le Verseau' is the largest fresco in Europe - It gives a gigantic signalling system to the Ardeche Department, because the Nuclear Power Station has a very interesting position, close the motor way A7, the National 7 road, and the way of high speed train (TGV) an another symbol of the high French technology

Approaching the largest ‘API’: extracting information from the Internet with Python

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonathan E. Germann

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This article explores the need for libraries to algorithmically access and manipulate the world’s largest API: the Internet. The billions of pages on the ‘Internet API’ (HTTP, HTML, CSS, XPath, DOM, etc. are easily accessible and manipulable. Libraries can assist in creating meaning through the datafication of information on the world wide web. Because most information is created for human consumption, some programming is required for automated extraction. Python is an easy-to-learn programming language with extensive packages and community support for web page automation. Four packages (Urllib, Selenium, BeautifulSoup, Scrapy in Python can automate almost any web page for all sized projects. An example warrant data project is explained to illustrate how well Python packages can manipulate web pages to create meaning through assembling custom datasets.

Significance of single lung transplantation in the current situation of severe donor shortage in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Miyoshi, Ryo; Chen-Yoshikawa, Toyofumi F; Hijiya, Kyoko; Motoyama, Hideki; Aoyama, Akihiro; Menju, Toshi; Sato, Toshihiko; Sonobe, Makoto; Date, Hiroshi

2016-02-01

Although bilateral lung transplantation is the procedure of choice internationally, single lung transplantation is preferred in Japan because of the severe donor shortage except in cases of contraindications to single lung transplantation. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics of single lung transplant recipients and outcomes of this procedure at one of the largest lung transplant centers in Japan. Between April 2002 and May 2015, 57 cadaveric lung transplantations (33 single and 24 bilateral) were performed in Kyoto University Hospital. The clinical characteristics of the lung transplant recipients and outcomes of these procedures, including overall survival and postoperative complications, were investigated. Overall, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 86, 77, and 72 %, respectively, with a median follow-up period of 1.9 years. There was no significant difference in survival between patients who underwent single lung transplantations and those who underwent bilateral lung transplantations (p = 0.92). The median waiting time was significantly shorter for single lung transplant patients than for bilateral lung transplant patients (p = 0.02). Native lung complications were seen in 14 out of 33 patients (42 %) who underwent single lung transplantation. There was no significant difference in survival between patients with and without postoperative native lung complications. Single lung transplantation has been performed with acceptable outcomes in our institution. In the current situation of severe donor shortage in Japan, single lung transplantation can remain the first choice of treatment except in cases of contraindications to single lung transplantation.

Giant negative photoresistance of ZnO single crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barzola-Quiquia, Jose; Esquinazi, Pablo [Division of Superconductivity and Magnetism, University of Leipzig (Germany); Heluani, Silvia [Laboratorio de Fisica del Solido, FCEyT, Universidad Nacional de Tucuman, 4000 S. M. de Tucuman (Argentina); Villafuerte, Manuel [Dept. de Fisica, FCEyT, Universidad Nacional de Tucuman (Argentina); CONICET, Tucuman (Argentina); Poeppl, Andreas [Division of Magnetic Resonance of Complex Quantum Solids, University of Leipzig, D-04103 Leipzig (Germany)

2011-07-01

ZnO is a wide band gap semiconductor exhibiting the largest charge-carrier mobility among oxides. ZnO is a material with potential applications for short-wavelength optoelectronic devices, as a blue light emitting diodes and in spintronics. In this contribution we have measured the temperature dependence (30 K < T < 300 K) of the electrical resistance of ZnO single crystals prepared by hydrothermal method in darkness and under the influence of light in the ultraviolet range. The resistance decreases several orders of magnitude at temperatures T < 200 K after illumination. Electron paramagnetic resonance studies under illumination reveal that the excitation of Li acceptor impurities is the origin for the giant negative photoresistance effect. Permanent photoresistance effect is also observed, which remains many hours after leaving the crystal in darkness.

Effect of lime juice on Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Salmonella enterica inactivation during the preparation of the raw fish dish ceviche.

Science.gov (United States)

Mathurand, Prateek; Schaffner, Donald W

2013-06-01

Ceviche is a raw fish dish common in Peru and other Latin American counties. The most characteristic feature of ceviche is the use of lime juice for marinating or "cooking" the raw fish. Confirmed cases of cholera in Peru, New Jersey, and Florida have been associated with ceviche. Although the effect of organic acids on pathogenic bacteria has been well characterized, few data exist on the effect of these acids in seafood systems. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of lime juice marination on pathogens likely to be present in ceviche. Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fillet pieces were inoculated with Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Salmonella enterica (>7 log CFU/g) and incubated at 25 and 4°C for 30 or 120 min in the presence of fresh lime juice at concentrations typical for the preparation of ceviche. Similar levels of cells were also inoculated into fresh lime juice without tilapia. Surviving cells were enumerated on selective (xylose lysine Tergitol 4 and thiosulfate-bile-citrate-sucrose) and nonselective (tryptic soy agar) media. V. parahaemolyticus levels were reduced to below detection limits (∼5-log reduction) under all conditions studied. Salmonella strains on tilapia were much more resistant to inactivation and were only slightly reduced (∼1- to 2-log reduction). Salmonella and V. parahaemolyticus inoculated directly into lime juice without tilapia were all reduced to below detection limits (∼5-log reduction). A typical ceviche recipe reduces V. parahaemolyticus risk significantly but is less effective for control of S. enterica.

Numerical study of the influence of applied voltage on the current balance factor of single layer organic light-emitting diodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Fei-ping, E-mail: lufp-sysu@163.com; Liu, Xiao-bin; Xing, Yong-zhong [College of Physics and Information Science, Tianshui Normal University, Tianshui 741001 (China)

2014-04-28

Current balance factor (CBF) value, the ratio of the recombination current density and the total current density of a device, has an important function in fluorescence-based organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), as well as in the performance of the organic electrophosphorescent devices. This paper investigates the influence of the applied voltage of a device on the CBF value of single layer OLED based on the numerical model of a bipolar single layer OLED with organic layer trap free and without doping. Results show that the largest CBF value can be achieved when the electron injection barrier (ϕ{sub n}) is equal to the hole injection barrier (ϕ{sub p}) in the lower voltage region at any instance. The largest CBF in the higher voltage region can be achieved in the case of ϕ{sub n} > ϕ{sub p} under the condition of electron mobility (μ{sub 0n}) > hole mobility (μ{sub 0p}), whereas the result for the case of μ{sub 0n} < μ{sub 0p}, is opposite. The largest CBF when μ{sub 0n} = μ{sub 0p} can be achieved in the case of ϕ{sub n} = ϕ{sub p} in the entire region of the applied voltage. In addition, the CBF value of the device increases with increasing applied voltage. The results obtained in this paper can present an in-depth understanding of the OLED working mechanism and help in the future fabrication of high efficiency OLEDs.

National impacts of the Weatherization Assistance Program in single-family and small multifamily dwellings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, M.A.; Berry, L.G.; Balzer, R.A.; Faby, E.

1993-05-01

Since 1976, the US Department of Energy (DOE) has operated one of the largest energy conservation programs in the nation -- the low-income Weatherization Assistance Program. The program strives to increase the energy efficiency of dwellings occupied by low-income persons in order to reduce their energy consumption, lower their fuel bills, increase the comfort of their homes, and safeguard their health. It targets vulnerable groups including the elderly, people with disabilities, and families with children. The most recent national evaluation of the impacts of the Program was completed in 1984 based on energy consumption data for households weatherized in 1981. DOE Program regulations and operations have changed substantially since then: new funding sources, management principles, diagnostic procedures, and weatherization technologies have been incorporated. Many of these new features have been studied in isolation or at a local level; however, no recent evaluation has assessed their combined, nationwide impacts to date or their potential for the future. In 1990, DOE initiated such an evaluation. This evaluation is comprised of three ``impact`` studies (the Single-Family Study, High-Density Multifamily Study, and Fuel-Oil Study) and two ``policy`` studies. Altogether, these five studies will provide a comprehensive national assessment of the Weatherization Assistance Program as it existed in the 1989 Program Year (PY 1989). This report presents the results of the first phase of the Single-Family Study. It evaluates the energy savings and cost effectiveness of the Program as it has been applied to the largest portion of its client base -- low-income households that occupy single-family dwellings, mobile homes, and small (2- to 4-unit) multifamily dwellings. It is based upon a representative national sample that covers the full range of conditions under which the program was implemented in PY 1989.

Characterization of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells in suspension

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Introduction Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) are a heterogeneous population of postnatal precursor cells with the capacity of adhering to culture dishes generating colony-forming unit-fibroblasts (CFU-F). Here we identify a new subset of BMMSCs that fail to adhere to plastic culture dishes and remain in culture suspension (S-BMMSCs). Methods To catch S-BMMSCs, we used BMMSCs-produced extracellular cell matrix (ECM)-coated dishes. Isolated S-BMMSCs were analyzed by in vitro stem cell analysis approaches, including flow cytometry, inductive multiple differentiation, western blot and in vivo implantation to assess the bone regeneration ability of S-BMMSCs. Furthermore, we performed systemic S-BMMSCs transplantation to treat systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-like MRL/lpr mice. Results S-BMMSCs are capable of adhering to ECM-coated dishes and showing mesenchymal stem cell characteristics with distinction from hematopoietic cells as evidenced by co-expression of CD73 or Oct-4 with CD34, forming a single colony cluster on ECM, and failure to differentiate into hematopoietic cell lineage. Moreover, we found that culture-expanded S-BMMSCs exhibited significantly increased immunomodulatory capacities in vitro and an efficacious treatment for SLE-like MRL/lpr mice by rebalancing regulatory T cells (Tregs) and T helper 17 cells (Th17) through high NO production. Conclusions These data suggest that it is feasible to improve immunotherapy by identifying a new subset BMMSCs. PMID:23083975

Mauna Loa--history, hazards and risk of living with the world's largest volcano

Science.gov (United States)

Trusdell, Frank A.

2012-01-01

Mauna Loa on the Island Hawaiʻi is the world’s largest volcano. People residing on its flanks face many hazards that come with living on or near an active volcano, including lava flows, explosive eruptions, volcanic smog, damaging earthquakes, and local tsunami (giant seawaves). The County of Hawaiʻi (Island of Hawaiʻi) is the fastest growing County in the State of Hawaii. Its expanding population and increasing development mean that risk from volcano hazards will continue to grow. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) closely monitor and study Mauna Loa Volcano to enable timely warning of hazardous activity and help protect lives and property.

Co-seismic slip, post-seismic slip, and largest aftershock associated with the 1994 Sanriku-haruka-oki, Japan, earthquake

Science.gov (United States)

Yagi, Yuji; Kikuchi, Masayuki; Nishimura, Takuya

2003-11-01

We analyzed continuous GPS data to investigate the spatio-temporal distribution of co-seismic slip, post-seismic slip, and largest aftershock associated with the 1994 Sanriku-haruka-oki, Japan, earthquake (Mw = 7.7). To get better resolution for co-seismic and post-seismic slip distribution, we imposed a weak constraint as a priori information of the co-seismic slip determined by seismic wave analyses. We found that the post-seismic slip during 100 days following the main-shock amount to as much moment release as the main-shock, and that the sites of co-seismic slip and post-seismic slip are partitioning on a plate boundary region in complimentary fashion. The major post-seismic slip was triggered by the mainshock in western side of the co-seismic slip, and the extent of the post-seismic slip is almost unchanged with time. It rapidly developed a shear stress concentration ahead of the slip area, and triggered the largest aftershock.

EFFECTS OF INTERMITTENT EMISSION: NOISE INVENTORY FOR THE SCINTILLATING PULSAR B0834+06

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gwinn, C. R.; Johnson, M. D.; Smirnova, T. V.; Stinebring, D. R.

2011-01-01

We compare signal and noise for observations of the scintillating pulsar B0834+06, using very long baseline interferometry and a single-dish spectrometer. Comparisons between instruments and with models suggest that amplitude variations of the pulsar strongly affect the amount and distribution of self-noise. We show that noise follows a quadratic polynomial with flux density, in spectral observations. Constant coefficients, indicative of background noise, agree well with expectation; whereas second-order coefficients, indicative of self-noise, are ∼3 times values expected for a pulsar with constant on-pulse flux density. We show that variations in flux density during the 10 s integration accounts for the discrepancy. In the secondary spectrum, ∼97% of spectral power lies within the pulsar's typical scintillation bandwidth and timescale; an extended scintillation arc contains ∼3%. For a pulsar with constant on-pulse flux density, noise in the dynamic spectrum will appear as a uniformly distributed background in the secondary spectrum. We find that this uniform noise background contains 95% of noise in the dynamic spectrum for interferometric observations; but only 35% of noise in the dynamic spectrum for single-dish observations. Receiver and sky dominate noise for our interferometric observations, whereas self-noise dominates for single-dish. We suggest that intermittent emission by the pulsar, on timescales <300 μs, concentrates self-noise near the origin in the secondary spectrum, by correlating noise over the dynamic spectrum. We suggest that intermittency sets fundamental limits on pulsar astrometry or timing. Accounting of noise may provide means for detection of intermittent sources, when effects of propagation are unknown or impractical to invert.

The Milky Way above La Silla

Science.gov (United States)

2004-09-01

Anybody who visits a high-altitude astronomical observatory at this time of the year will be impressed by the beauty of the Milky Way band that stretches across the sky. Compared to the poor views from cities and other human conglomerations, the dark and bright nebulae come into view together with an astonishing palette of clear stellar colours. This view above the ESO La Silla Observatory in the southernmost part of the Atacama desert was obtained some evenings ago by ESO Software Engineer Nico Housen. Normally stationed at the Paranal Observatory, he seized the opportunity of a visit to ESO's other observatory site to produce this amazing vista of the early evening scenery. To the left is the decommisioned 15-metre dish of the Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope (SEST), and on the right in the background is the dome of the ESO 3.6-metre telescope, at the highest point of the mountain. The southern Milky Way is seen along the right border of the SEST and above the 3.6 metre telescope. There is an upside-down reflection of the sky and the horizon behind the photographer in the highly polished antenna dish of the SEST. Besides the reflection of the horizon (the darker part in the top of the dish) and the Milky Way (which runs as a thin cloud from the bottom of the dish up to the horizon) there is also a yellow area of light to the right. This is the reflection of the city lights of the city of La Serena, about 100 km away and too faint to disturb observations of celestial objects high above La Silla. The 3.6-m telescope began operations in 1976 and was ESO's largest telescope until the advent of the VLT at Paranal. Never endowed with a fancy name like the VLT Unit telescopes, the "3.6-m" houses several state-of-the-art astronomical instruments, including the ultra-precise HARPS facility that is used to hunt for exoplanets, cf. ESO PR 22/04. The SEST was for a long time the only instrument of its kind in the southern hemisphere. With it, ESO gained invaluable

Investigation of Science Faculty with Education Specialties within the Largest University System in the United States

OpenAIRE

Bush, Seth D; Pelaez, Nancy; Rudd, James A, II; Stevens, Michael T; Tanner, Kimberly D; Williams, Kathy, PhD

2011-01-01

Efforts to improve science education include university science departments hiring Science Faculty with Education Specialties (SFES), scientists who take on specialized roles in science education within their discipline. Although these positions have existed for decades and may be growing more common, few reports have investigated the SFES approach to improving science education. We present comprehensive data on the SFES in the California State University (CSU) system, the largest university ...

Mapping Dynamics of Inundation Patterns of Two Largest River-Connected Lakes in China: A Comparative Study

OpenAIRE

Guiping Wu; Yuanbo Liu

2016-01-01

Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake are the two largest freshwater lakes in China. The lakes are located approximately 300 km apart on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and are differently connected through their respective tributary systems, which will lead to different river–lake water exchanges and discharges. Thus, differences in their morphological and hydrological conditions should induce individual lake spatio-temporal inundation patterns. Quantitative comparative analyses of the dynam...

Prostate Cancer Screening in Jamaica: Results of the Largest National Screening Clinic Prostate Cancer Screening in Jamaica: Results of the Largest National Screening Clinic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morrison, B. F.; Aiken, W.; Mayhew, R.; Gordon, Y.; Reid, M.

2016-01-01

Prostate cancer is highly prevalent in Jamaica and is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Our aim was to evaluate the patterns of screening in the largest organized screening clinic in Jamaica at the Jamaica Cancer Society. A retrospective analysis of all men presenting for screening at the Jamaica Cancer Society from 1995 to 2005 was done. All patients had digital rectal examinations (DRE) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests done. Results of prostate biopsies were noted. 1117 men of mean age 59.9 ± 8.2 years presented for screening. The median documented PSA was 1.6 ng/mL (maximum of 5170 ng/mL). Most patients presented for only 1 screen. There was a gradual reduction in the mean age of presentation for screening over the period. Prostate biopsies were requested on 11% of screening visits; however, only 59% of these were done. 5.6% of all persons screened were found to have cancer. Of the cancers diagnosed, Gleason 6 adenocarcinoma was the commonest grade and median PSA was 8.9 ng/mL (range 1.5-1059 ng/mL). Older men tend to screen for prostate cancer in Jamaica. However, compliance with regular maintenance visits and requests for confirmatory biopsies are poor. Screening needs intervention in the Jamaican population.

The Determinants of Bank Internationalisation in Times of Financial Globalisation: Evidence from the World's Largest Banks (1980-2007)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Westerhuis, Gerarda; Mulder, Arjen

2015-01-01

This article analyses the determinants of bank internationalisation, of the world's largest banks from the period 1980–2007. The purpose of the article is twofold. First, we show how a mixed-methods research design, in which we combine a variables-based research with three case studies, can

Micromechanical Behavior of Single-Crystal Superalloy with Different Crystal Orientations by Microindentation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinghui Li

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In order to investigate the anisotropic micromechanical properties of single-crystal nickel-based superalloy DD99 of four crystallographic orientations, (001, (215, (405, and (605, microindentation test (MIT was conducted with different loads and loading velocities by a sharp Berkovich indenter. Some material parameters reflecting the micromechanical behavior of DD99, such as microhardness H, Young’s modulus E, yield stress σy, strain hardening component n, and tensile strength σb, can be obtained from load-displacement relations. H and E of four different crystal planes evidently decrease with the increase of h. The reduction of H is due to dislocation hardening while E is related to interplanar spacing and crystal variable. σy of (215 is the largest among four crystal planes, followed by (605, and (001 has the lowest value. n of (215 is the lowest, followed by (605, and that of (001 is the largest. Subsequently, a simplified elastic-plastic material model was employed for 3D microindentation simulation of DD99 with various crystal orientations. The simulation results agreed well with experimental, which confirmed the accuracy of the simplified material model.

Tank characterization report for Single-Shell Tank 241-BX-107

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raphael, G.F.

1994-09-01

This study examined and assessed the status, safety issues, composition, and distribution of the wastes contained in the tank 241-BX-107. Historical and most recent information, ranging from engineering structural assessment experiments, process history, monitoring and remediation activities, to analytical core sample data, were compiled and interpreted in an effort to develop a realistic, contemporary profile for the tank BX-107 contents. The results of this is study revealed that tank BX-107, a 2,006,050 L (530,000 gal) cylindrical single-shell, dished-bottom carbon-steel tank in the 200 East Area of the Hanford Site, was classified as sound. It has been interim stabilized and thus contains less than 189,250 L (50,000 gal) of interstitial liquid, and less than 18,925 L (5,000 gal) of supernatant. It has also been partially interim isolated, whereby all inlets to the tank are sealed to prevent inadvertent addition of liquid. At a residual waste level of ∼3.07 m (120.7 ± 2 in. from sidewall bottom or ∼132.9 in. from center bottom), it is estimated that the tank BX-107 contents are equivalent to 1,305,825 L (345,000 gal). The vapor space pressure is at atmospheric. The latest temperature readings, which were taken in July 1994, show a moderate temperature value of 19 degrees C (66 degrees F). Two supernatant samples were collected in 1974 and 1990, prior to interim stabilization. Sludge core samples were obtained in 1979 and 1992

Future Directions for Transuranic Single Molecule Magnets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicola Magnani

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Single Molecule Magnets (SMMs based on transition metals and rare earths have been the object of considerable attention for the past 25 years. These systems exhibit slow relaxation of the magnetization, arising from a sizeable anisotropy barrier, and magnetic hysteresis of purely molecular origin below a given blocking temperature. Despite initial predictions that SMMs based on 5f-block elements could outperform most others, the results obtained so far have not met expectations. Exploiting the versatile chemistry of actinides and their favorable intrinsic magnetic properties proved, indeed, to be more difficult than assumed. However, the large majority of studies reported so far have been dedicated to uranium molecules, thus leaving the largest part of the 5f-block practically unexplored. Here, we present a short review of the progress achieved up to now and discuss some options for a possible way forward.

Materials process and applications of single grain (RE)-Ba-Cu-O bulk high-temperature superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li Beizhan; Zhou Difan; Xu Kun; Hara, Shogo; Tsuzuki, Keita; Miki, Motohiro; Felder, Brice; Deng Zigang [Laboratory of Applied Physics, Department of Marine Electronics and Mechanical Engineering, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (TUMSAT), 2-1-6, Etchu-jima, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8533 (Japan); Izumi, Mitsuru, E-mail: izumi@kaiyodai.ac.jp [Laboratory of Applied Physics, Department of Marine Electronics and Mechanical Engineering, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (TUMSAT), 2-1-6, Etchu-jima, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8533 (Japan)

2012-11-20

This paper reviews recent advances in the melt process of (RE)-Ba-Cu-O [(RE)BCO, where RE represents a rare earth element] single grain high-temperature superconductors (HTSs), bulks and its applications. The efforts on the improvement of the magnetic flux pinning with employing the top-seeded melt-growth process technique and using a seeded infiltration and growth process are discussed. Which including various chemical doping strategies and controlled pushing effect based on the peritectic reaction of (RE)BCO. The typical experiment results, such as the largest single domain bulk, the clear TEM observations and the significant critical current density, are summarized together with the magnetization techniques. Finally, we highlight the recent prominent progress of HTS bulk applications, including Maglev, flywheel, power device, magnetic drug delivery system and magnetic resonance devices.

Materials process and applications of single grain (RE)-Ba-Cu-O bulk high-temperature superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Beizhan; Zhou, Difan; Xu, Kun; Hara, Shogo; Tsuzuki, Keita; Miki, Motohiro; Felder, Brice; Deng, Zigang; Izumi, Mitsuru

2012-11-01

This paper reviews recent advances in the melt process of (RE)-Ba-Cu-O [(RE)BCO, where RE represents a rare earth element] single grain high-temperature superconductors (HTSs), bulks and its applications. The efforts on the improvement of the magnetic flux pinning with employing the top-seeded melt-growth process technique and using a seeded infiltration and growth process are discussed. Which including various chemical doping strategies and controlled pushing effect based on the peritectic reaction of (RE)BCO. The typical experiment results, such as the largest single domain bulk, the clear TEM observations and the significant critical current density, are summarized together with the magnetization techniques. Finally, we highlight the recent prominent progress of HTS bulk applications, including Maglev, flywheel, power device, magnetic drug delivery system and magnetic resonance devices.

A comparative study to evaluate liquid dish washing soap as an alternative to xylene and alcohol in deparaffinization and hematoxylin and eosin staining.

Science.gov (United States)

Pandey, Pinki; Dixit, Alok; Tanwar, Aparna; Sharma, Anuradha; Mittal, Sanjeev

2014-07-01

Our study presents a new deparaffinizing and hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) staining method that involves the use of easily available, nontoxic and eco-friendly liquid diluted dish washing soap (DWS) by completely eliminating expensive and hazardous xylene and alcohol from deparaffinizing and rehydration prior to staining, staining and from dehydration prior to mounting. The aim was to evaluate and compare the quality of liquid DWS treated xylene and alcohol free (XAF) sections with that of the conventional H and E sections. A total of 100 paraffin embedded tissue blocks from different tissues were included. From each tissue block, one section was stained with conventional H and E (normal sections) and the other with XAF H and E (soapy sections) staining method. Slides were scored using five parameters: Nuclear, cytoplasmic, clarity, uniformity, and crispness of staining. Z-test was used for statistical analysis. Soapy sections scored better for cytoplasmic (90%) and crisp staining (95%) with a statistically significant difference. Whereas for uniformity of staining, normal sections (88%) scored over soapy sections (72%) (Z = 2.82, P 0.05). Liquid DWS is a safe and efficient alternative to xylene and alcohol in deparaffinization and routine H and E staining procedure. We are documenting this project that can be used as a model for other histology laboratories.

Estimating the recreational value of Pakistan's largest freshwater lake to support sustainable tourism management using a travel cost model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mangan, T.; Brouwer, R.; Lohano, H.; Nagraj, G.M.

2013-01-01

Keenjhar Lake, Pakistan's largest freshwater lake and an important Ramsar site, provides habitat for internationally important water birds. Annually, 385,000 people visit the lake. The lake is threatened by a variety of causes, including industrial and agricultural pollution. To support its

Distribution of the largest aftershocks in branching models of triggered seismicity: Theory of the universal Baath law

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saichev, A.; Sornette, D.

2005-01-01

Using the epidemic-type aftershock sequence (ETAS) branching model of triggered seismicity, we apply the formalism of generating probability functions to calculate exactly the average difference between the magnitude of a mainshock and the magnitude of its largest aftershock over all generations. This average magnitude difference is found empirically to be independent of the mainshock magnitude and equal to 1.2, a universal behavior known as Baath's law. Our theory shows that Baath's law holds only sufficiently close to the critical regime of the ETAS branching process. Allowing for error bars ±0.1 for Baath's constant value around 1.2, our exact analytical treatment of Baath's law provides new constraints on the productivity exponent α and the branching ratio n: 0.9 < or approx. α≤1 and 0.8 < or approx. n≤1. We propose a method for measuring α based on the predicted renormalization of the Gutenberg-Richter distribution of the magnitudes of the largest aftershock. We also introduce the 'second Baath law for foreshocks': the probability that a main earthquake turns out to be the foreshock does not depend on its magnitude ρ

State-owned companies dominate list of largest non-U.S. producers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beck, R.J.; Williamson, M.

1994-01-01

Because state-owned oil and gas companies dominate Oil and Gas Journal's list of largest non-US producers, data aren't fully comparable with those of the OGJ300. Many state companies report only production and reserves, with little or no financial data. Companies on the OGJ100, therefore, cannot be ranked by assets or revenues. Instead, they are listed by regions, based on location of corporate headquarters. There was no change in makeup of the top 20 holders of crude oil reserves. These companies' reserves totaled 872.3 billion bbl in 1993. The top 20 non-US companies now control 87.3 % of total world crude oil reserves, according to OGJ estimates. This is up marginally from 87.2 % of total world oil reserves in 1992. The top 20 had 87.7 % of total world reserves in 1991 and 85.5 % in 1990. The table lists company name, total assets, revenues, net income, capital and exploratory expenditures, worldwide oil production, gas production, oil and gas reserves worldwide

Single particle composition measurements of artificial Calcium Carbonate aerosols

Science.gov (United States)

Zorn, S. R.; Mentel, T. F.; Schwinger, T.; Croteau, P. L.; Jayne, J.; Worsnop, D. R.; Trimborn, A.

2012-12-01

Mineral dust, with an estimated total source from natural and anthropogenic emissions of up to 2800 Tg/yr, is one of the two largest contributors to total aerosol mass, with only Sea salt having a similar source strength (up to 2600 Tg/yr). The composition of dust particles varies strongly depending on the production process and, most importantly, the source location. Therefore, the composition of single dust particles can be used both to trace source regions of air masses as well as to identify chemical aging processes. Here we present results of laboratory studies on generating artificial calcium carbonate (CaCO3) particles, a model compound for carbonaceous mineral dust particles. Particles were generated by atomizing an aqueous hydrogen carbonate solution. Water was removed using a silica diffusion dryer., then the particles were processed in an oven at temperatures up to 900°C, converting the hydrogen carbonate to its anhydrous form. The resulting aerosol was analyzed using an on-line single particle laser ablation aerosol particle time-of-flight mass spectrometer (LAAPTOF). The results confirm the conversion to calcium carbonate, and validate that the produced particles indeed can be used as a model compound for carbonaceous dust aerosols.

Line Balancing Using Largest Candidate Rule Algorithm In A Garment Industry: A Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. P.Jaganathan

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The emergence of fast changes in fashion has given rise to the need to shorten production cycle times in the garment industry. As effective usage of resources has a significant effect on the productivity and efficiency of production operations, garment manufacturers are urged to utilize their resources effectively in order to meet dynamic customer demand. This paper focuses specifically on line balancing and layout modification. The aim of assembly line balance in sewing lines is to assign tasks to the workstations, so that the machines of the workstation can perform the assigned tasks with a balanced loading. Largest Candidate Rule Algorithm (LCR has been deployed in this paper.

Steady-State Crack Growth in Rate-Sensitive Single Crystals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Juul, Kristian Jørgensen; Nielsen, Kim Lau; Niordson, Christian Frithiof

2016-01-01

The characteristics of the active plastic zone surrounding a crack growingin a single crystal (FCC, BCC, and HCP) at constant velocity is investigated for ModeI loading under plane strain assumptions. The framework builds upon a steady-state relation bringing the desired solution out in a frame...... translating with the crack tip. In the study, the shielding of the crack tip that follows from plastic slip is investigated by adopting the SSV-model. High resolution plots of the plastic zones are obtained and a detailed study confirms the existence of analytically determined velocity discontinuities from...... the literature. The plastic zone is found to be smallest for the FCC structure andlargest for the HCP structure, which is also reected in the shielding ratio, where FCC crystals show the smallest shielding and HCP the largest shielding....

Single-dish and VLBI observations of Cygnus X-3 during the 2016 giant flare episode

Science.gov (United States)

Egron, E.; Pellizzoni, A.; Giroletti, M.; Righini, S.; Stagni, M.; Orlati, A.; Migoni, C.; Melis, A.; Concu, R.; Barbas, L.; Buttaccio, S.; Cassaro, P.; De Vicente, P.; Gawroński, M. P.; Lindqvist, M.; Maccaferri, G.; Stanghellini, C.; Wolak, P.; Yang, J.; Navarrini, A.; Loru, S.; Pilia, M.; Bachetti, M.; Iacolina, M. N.; Buttu, M.; Corbel, S.; Rodriguez, J.; Markoff, S.; Wilms, J.; Pottschmidt, K.; Cadolle Bel, M.; Kalemci, E.; Belloni, T.; Grinberg, V.; Marongiu, M.; Vargiu, G. P.; Trois, A.

2017-11-01

In 2016 September, the microquasar Cygnus X-3 underwent a giant radio flare, which was monitored for 6 d with the Medicina Radio Astronomical Station and the Sardinia Radio Telescope. Long observations were performed in order to follow the evolution of the flare on an hourly scale, covering six frequency ranges from 1.5 to 25.6 GHz. The radio emission reached a maximum of 13.2 ± 0.7 Jy at 7.2 GHz and 10 ± 1 Jy at 18.6 GHz. Rapid flux variations were observed at high radio frequencies at the peak of the flare, together with rapid evolution of the spectral index: α steepened from 0.3 to 0.6 (with Sν ∝ ν-α) within 5 h. This is the first time that such fast variations are observed, giving support to the evolution from optically thick to optically thin plasmons in expansion moving outward from the core. Based on the Italian network (Noto, Medicina and SRT) and extended to the European antennas (Torun, Yebes, Onsala), very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations were triggered at 22 GHz on five different occasions, four times prior to the giant flare, and once during its decay phase. Flux variations of 2 h duration were recorded during the first session. They correspond to a mini-flare that occurred close to the core 10 d before the onset of the giant flare. From the latest VLBI observation we infer that 4 d after the flare peak the jet emission was extended over 30 mas.

Water-saturated systems of the largest gas and gas-condensate deposits of the USSR. Vodonapornye sistemy krupneishikh gazovykh i gazokondensatnykh mestorozhdenii sssr

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kortsenshtein, V.N.

1977-01-01

A description is given of water-pressure systems in a number of the largest gas and gas-condensate fields of the Soviet Union, whose industrial reserves exceed 500 billion cubic meters. These include fields located in the concluding stage of development with sharply reduced recovery (Shebelinsk), fields that have just begun to operate and are characterized by increasing production (Vuktyl, Medved, Orenburg, Shatlyk, Urengoisk), and fields that are not yet developed (Yamburg and Zapolyar). Problems in the theory and practice of studying water-pressure systems of the largest gas and gas-condensate fields are analyzed primarily in connection with conditions required for their rational development which would provide for a maximum extraction of hydrocarbons from the interior. Importance is also given to the hydrogeological aspects of the formation of large hydrocarbon deposits and their distribution in the earth's crust. The most reliable factual materials on hydrogeology are utilized. The book is designed for personnel in the gas and oil industries, hydrogeologists, and scientists interested in problems of the formation, survey, and development of the largest hydrocarbon deposits. 92 references, 65 figures, 71 tables.

The effects of natural biofilms on the reattachment of young adult zebra mussels to artificial substrata.

Science.gov (United States)

Kavouras, Jerry H; Maki, James S

2003-08-01

This laboratory study examined the effects of natural biofilms on the reattachment of young adult zebra mussels, Dreissena polymorpha, in Petri dishes. Natural biofilms were developed in glass and polystyrene Petri dishes using water samples collected at various times of the year. Biofilms were developed over 1, 3, 8, and 14 d. Controls were clean glass and polystyrene Petri dishes. Zebra mussels collected from the field (Zebra mussels reattached to the dish surface or the shells of other mussels in the dish, or remained unattached. The data indicate that reattachment to clean glass was greater than to clean polystyrene (p Zebra mussels in control and filmed glass dishes reattached in higher percentages to the dish surface compared to the shells of other mussels (p mussel of reattachment between the dish surface and the shells of other mussels in most control polystyrene dishes (p > 0.05, ANOVA), whereas in filmed polystyrene the percentage of reattachment to the dish surface was greater than to the shells of other mussels (p zebra mussels.

Deep radio synthesis images of globular clusters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kulkarni, S.R.; Goss, W.M.; Wolszczan, A.; Middleditch, J.

1990-01-01

Results are reported from a program of high-resolution and high-sensitivity imaging of globular clusters at 20 cm. The findings indicate that there is not a large number of pulsars in compact binaries which have escaped detection in single-dish pulse searches. Such binaries have been postulated to result from tidal captures of single main-sequence stars. It is suggested that most tidal captures involving neutron stars ultimately result in the formation of a spun-up single pulsar and the complete disruption of the main-sequence star. 27 refs

Burst of virus infection and a possibly largest epidemic threshold of non-Markovian susceptible-infected-susceptible processes on networks

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Qiang; Van Mieghem, Piet

2018-02-01

Since a real epidemic process is not necessarily Markovian, the epidemic threshold obtained under the Markovian assumption may be not realistic. To understand general non-Markovian epidemic processes on networks, we study the Weibullian susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) process in which the infection process is a renewal process with a Weibull time distribution. We find that, if the infection rate exceeds 1 /ln(λ1+1 ) , where λ1 is the largest eigenvalue of the network's adjacency matrix, then the infection will persist on the network under the mean-field approximation. Thus, 1 /ln(λ1+1 ) is possibly the largest epidemic threshold for a general non-Markovian SIS process with a Poisson curing process under the mean-field approximation. Furthermore, non-Markovian SIS processes may result in a multimodal prevalence. As a byproduct, we show that a limiting Weibullian SIS process has the potential to model bursts of a synchronized infection.

Pay less, take more: the myth of quality of life at the Brazil’s largest drugstore chain counter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

André Luiz Maranhão de Souza Leão

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Considering the role of cultural transformer that the brandoccupies in the contemporary and seeking to delineate the role played bymyth in this construction, we look at Pague Menos, the largest pharmacyretail network in the country, through a qualitative study based on Barthesiansemiology. Our results showed six myths, whose relationships reveal ametanarrative: the quality of life.

Largest solar installation on a hotel in Switzerland; Groesste Hotel-Solaranlage der Schweiz

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stadelmann, M.

2008-07-01

This article describes the solar thermal installation on the Hotel Europa in St. Moritz-Champfer, Switzerland. The installation provides heat energy for domestic hot water preparation and for the heating of the hotel's indoor swimming pool. A thirty-percent reduction of heating oil consumption has been obtained. The system, which is based on the 'low-flow' principle, provides the highest possible temperature difference while using low pumping energy. The hotel's hot-water circulation system, which ensures fast availability of hot water at the taps, is also discussed. This largest hotel solar installation is designed to meet heating and hot-water requirements during the summer season. The high requirements placed on the materials used are discussed. Schematics are provided and first operational experience is briefly discussed.

A general scaling law reveals why the largest animals are not the fastest.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirt, Myriam R; Jetz, Walter; Rall, Björn C; Brose, Ulrich

2017-08-01

Speed is the fundamental constraint on animal movement, yet there is no general consensus on the determinants of maximum speed itself. Here, we provide a general scaling model of maximum speed with body mass, which holds across locomotion modes, ecosystem types and taxonomic groups. In contrast to traditional power-law scaling, we predict a hump-shaped relationship resulting from a finite acceleration time for animals, which explains why the largest animals are not the fastest. This model is strongly supported by extensive empirical data (474 species, with body masses ranging from 30 μg to 100 tonnes) from terrestrial as well as aquatic ecosystems. Our approach unravels a fundamental constraint on the upper limit of animal movement, thus enabling a better understanding of realized movement patterns in nature and their multifold ecological consequences.

Evaluation of world's largest social welfare scheme: An assessment using non-parametric approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Sanjeet

2016-08-01

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is the world's largest social welfare scheme in India for the poverty alleviation through rural employment generation. This paper aims to evaluate and rank the performance of the states in India under MGNREGA scheme. A non-parametric approach, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is used to calculate the overall technical, pure technical, and scale efficiencies of states in India. The sample data is drawn from the annual official reports published by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. Based on three selected input parameters (expenditure indicators) and five output parameters (employment generation indicators), I apply both input and output oriented DEA models to estimate how well the states utilize their resources and generate outputs during the financial year 2013-14. The relative performance evaluation has been made under the assumption of constant returns and also under variable returns to scale to assess the impact of scale on performance. The results indicate that the main source of inefficiency is both technical and managerial practices adopted. 11 states are overall technically efficient and operate at the optimum scale whereas 18 states are pure technical or managerially efficient. It has been found that for some states it necessary to alter scheme size to perform at par with the best performing states. For inefficient states optimal input and output targets along with the resource savings and output gains are calculated. Analysis shows that if all inefficient states operate at optimal input and output levels, on an average 17.89% of total expenditure and a total amount of $780million could have been saved in a single year. Most of the inefficient states perform poorly when it comes to the participation of women and disadvantaged sections (SC&ST) in the scheme. In order to catch up with the performance of best performing states, inefficient states on an average need to enhance

Single-incision laparoscopic surgery through an ostomy site: a natural approach by an unnatural orifice.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez, Nicole E; Peterson, Carrie Y; Ramamoorthy, Sonia L; McLemore, Elisabeth C; Sedrak, Michael F; Lowy, Andrew M; Horgan, Santiago; Talamini, Mark A; Sicklick, Jason K

2015-02-01

Single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) is gaining popularity for a wide variety of surgical operations and capitalizes on the benefits of traditional laparoscopic surgery without incurring multiple incision sites. Traditionally, SILS is performed by a midline periumbilical approach. However, such a minimally invasive approach may be utilized in patients who already have an abdominal incision. Our series retrospectively reviews 7 cases in which we utilized the fascial defect at the time of after ostomy reversal as our SILS incision site. In turn, we performed a variety of concurrent intra-abdominal procedures with excellent technical success and outcomes. Our study is the largest single-institution case series of this novel approach and suggests that utilizing an existing ostomy-site abdominal incision is a safe and effective location for SILS port placement and should be considered in patients undergoing concurrent procedures.

SDSS-II SUPERNOVA SURVEY: AN ANALYSIS OF THE LARGEST SAMPLE OF TYPE IA SUPERNOVAE AND CORRELATIONS WITH HOST-GALAXY SPECTRAL PROPERTIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolf, Rachel C.; Gupta, Ravi R.; Sako, Masao; Fischer, John A.; March, Marisa C.; Fischer, Johanna-Laina; D’Andrea, Chris B.; Smith, Mathew; Kessler, Rick; Scolnic, Daniel M.; Jha, Saurabh W.; Campbell, Heather; Nichol, Robert C.; Olmstead, Matthew D.; Richmond, Michael; Schneider, Donald P.

2016-01-01

Using the largest single-survey sample of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) to date, we study the relationship between properties of SNe Ia and those of their host galaxies, focusing primarily on correlations with Hubble residuals (HRs). Our sample consists of 345 photometrically classified or spectroscopically confirmed SNe Ia discovered as part of the SDSS-II Supernova Survey (SDSS-SNS). This analysis utilizes host-galaxy spectroscopy obtained during the SDSS-I/II spectroscopic survey and from an ancillary program on the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey that obtained spectra for nearly all host galaxies of SDSS-II SN candidates. In addition, we use photometric host-galaxy properties from the SDSS-SNS data release such as host stellar mass and star formation rate. We confirm the well-known relation between HR and host-galaxy mass and find a 3.6 σ significance of a nonzero linear slope. We also recover correlations between HR and host-galaxy gas-phase metallicity and specific star formation rate as they are reported in the literature. With our large data set, we examine correlations between HR and multiple host-galaxy properties simultaneously and find no evidence of a significant correlation. We also independently analyze our spectroscopically confirmed and photometrically classified SNe Ia and comment on the significance of similar combined data sets for future surveys.

Proliferation of Genetically Modified Human Cells on Electrospun Nanofiber Scaffolds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mandula Borjigin

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Gene editing is a process by which single base mutations can be corrected, in the context of the chromosome, using single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides (ssODNs. The survival and proliferation of the corrected cells bearing modified genes, however, are impeded by a phenomenon known as reduced proliferation phenotype (RPP; this is a barrier to practical implementation. To overcome the RPP problem, we utilized nanofiber scaffolds as templates on which modified cells were allowed to recover, grow, and expand after gene editing. Here, we present evidence that some HCT116-19, bearing an integrated, mutated enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP gene and corrected by gene editing, proliferate on polylysine or fibronectin-coated polycaprolactone (PCL nanofiber scaffolds. In contrast, no cells from the same reaction protocol plated on both regular dish surfaces and polylysine (or fibronectin-coated dish surfaces proliferate. Therefore, growing genetically modified (edited cells on electrospun nanofiber scaffolds promotes the reversal of the RPP and increases the potential of gene editing as an ex vivo gene therapy application.

Bystander effect studies using heavy-ion microbeam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kobayashi, Yasuhiko; Funayama, Tomoo; Sakashita, Tetsuya; Wada, Seiichi; Yokota, Yuichiro; Kakizaki, Takehiko; Hamada, Nobuyuki; Hara, Takamitsu; Fukamoto, Kana; Suzuki, Michiyo; Ni, M.; Furusawa, Yoshiya

2007-01-01

We have established a single cell irradiation system, which allows selected cells to be individually hit with defined number of heavy charged particles, using a collimated heavy-ion microbeam apparatus at JAEA-Takasaki. This system has been developed to study radiobiological processes in hit cells and bystander cells exposed to low dose and low dose-rate high-LET radiations, in ways that cannot be achieved using conventional broad-field exposures. Individual cultured cells grown in special dishes were irradiated in the atmosphere with a single or defined numbers of 18.3 MeV/amu 12 C, 13.0 or 17.5 MeV/amu 20 Ne, and 11.5 MeV/amu 40 Ar ions. Targeting and irradiation of the cells were performed automatically according to the positional data of the target cells microscopically obtained before irradiation. The actual number of particle tracks that pass through target cells was detected with prompt etching of the bottom of the cell dish made of ion track detector TNF-1 (modified CR-39). (author)

Estimate of the largest Lyapunov characteristic exponent of a high dimensional atmospheric global circulation model: a sensitivity analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guerrieri, A.

2009-01-01

In this report the largest Lyapunov characteristic exponent of a high dimensional atmospheric global circulation model of intermediate complexity has been estimated numerically. A sensitivity analysis has been carried out by varying the equator-to-pole temperature difference, the space resolution and the value of some parameters employed by the model. Chaotic and non-chaotic regimes of circulation have been found. [it

When clusters collide: constraints on antimatter on the largest scales

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steigman, Gary

2008-01-01

Observations have ruled out the presence of significant amounts of antimatter in the Universe on scales ranging from the solar system, to the Galaxy, to groups and clusters of galaxies, and even to distances comparable to the scale of the present horizon. Except for the model-dependent constraints on the largest scales, the most significant upper limits to diffuse antimatter in the Universe are those on the ∼Mpc scale of clusters of galaxies provided by the EGRET upper bounds to annihilation gamma rays from galaxy clusters whose intracluster gas is revealed through its x-ray emission. On the scale of individual clusters of galaxies the upper bounds to the fraction of mixed matter and antimatter for the 55 clusters from a flux-limited x-ray survey range from 5 × 10 −9 to −6 , strongly suggesting that individual clusters of galaxies are made entirely of matter or of antimatter. X-ray and gamma-ray observations of colliding clusters of galaxies, such as the Bullet Cluster, permit these constraints to be extended to even larger scales. If the observations of the Bullet Cluster, where the upper bound to the antimatter fraction is found to be −6 , can be generalized to other colliding clusters of galaxies, cosmologically significant amounts of antimatter will be excluded on scales of order ∼20 Mpc (M∼5×10 15 M sun )

Activity of gypsy moth dorsolateral neurosecretory neurons under increased rearing density

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mrdaković Marija

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Lymantria dispar caterpillars were reared under two different rearing densities for the first three days of the 4th larval instar: 5 larvae that were kept in a Petri dish (V = 80 ml belonged to the intense stress (D1 group; 5 larvae that were kept in a plastic cup (V = 300ml belonged to the group exposed to less intense stress (D2 group. In the control group, single larvae were reared in a Petri dish. Morphometric changes in L1, L2 and L2’ dorsolateral neurosecretory neurons (nsn were analyzed. After keeping 5 larvae in a Petri dish, the size of L2 neurosecretory neurons (nsn significantly increased. Rearing 5 larvae in a plastic cup significantly increased the size of L1 nsn nuclei and the number of L2’nsn. A decrease in relative band densities in the region of molecular masses (11-15 kD that correspond to prothoracicotropic hormones in the gypsy moth was observed in the electrophoretic profiles that were obtained after both treatments in comparison to the control group. [Acknowledgments. This study was supported by the Serbian Ministry of Education and Science (Grant No. 173027.

Design of the support structure, drive pedestal, and controls for a solar concentrator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goldberg, V.R.; Ford, J.L.; Anderson, A.E. (WG Associates, Dallas, TX (United States))

1991-08-01

The glass/metal McDonnell-Douglas dish is the state-of-the-art of parabolic dish concentrators. Because of the perceived high production cost of this concentrator, the Department of Energy's Solar Thermal Program is developing stretch-membrane technology for large (75 kWt) solar concentrators for integration with receivers and engines in 25 kWe dish-Stirling systems. The objective of this development effort is to reduce the cost of the concentrator while maintaining the high levels of performance characteristic of glass-metal dishes. Under contract to Sandia National Laboratories, Science Applications International Corporation, Solar Kinetics Inc. and WG Associates are developing a faceted stretched-membrane heliostat technology. This design will result in a low-risk, near-term concentrator for dish-Stirling systems. WG Associates has designed the support structure, drives and tracking controls for this dish. The structure is configured to support 12 stretched-membrane, 3.5-meter diameter facets in a shaped dish configuration. The dish design is sized to power a dish-Stirling system capable of producing 25 kW (electric). In the design of the structure, trade-off studies were conducted to determine the best'' facet arrangement, dish contour, dish focal length, tracking control and walk-off protection. As part of the design, in-depth analyses were performed to evaluate pointing accuracy, compliance with AISC steel design codes, and the economics of fabrication and installation. Detailed fabrication and installation drawings were produced, and initial production cost estimates for the dish were developed. These issues, and the final dish design, are presented in this report. 7 refs., 33 figs., 18 tabs.

Spatial and temporal activity patterns of the free-living giant mole-rat (Fukomys mechowii, the largest social bathyergid.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matěj Lövy

Full Text Available Despite the considerable attention devoted to the biology of social species of African mole-rats (Bathyergidae, Rodentia, knowledge is lacking about their behaviour under natural conditions. We studied activity of the largest social bathyergid, the giant mole-rat Fukomys mechowii, in its natural habitat in Zambia using radio-telemetry. We radio-tracked six individuals during three continuous 72-h sessions. Five of these individuals, including a breeding male, belonged to a single family group; the remaining female was probably a solitary disperser. The non-breeders of the family were active (i.e. outside the nest 5.8 hours per 24h-day with the activity split into 6.5 short bouts. The activity was more concentrated in the night hours, when the animals also travelled longer distances from the nest. The breeding male spent only 3.2 hours per day outside the nest, utilizing less than 20% of the whole family home range. The dispersing female displayed a much different activity pattern than the family members. Her 8.0 hours of outside-nest activity per day were split into 4.6 bouts which were twice as long as in the family non-breeders. Her activity peak in the late afternoon coincided with the temperature maximum in the depth of 10 cm (roughly the depth of the foraging tunnels. Our results suggest that the breeding individuals (at least males contribute very little to the work of the family group. Nevertheless, the amount of an individual's activity and its daily pattern are probably flexible in this species and can be modified in response to actual environmental and social conditions.

From Pushing Paper to Pushing Dirt - Canada's Largest LLRW Cleanup Gets Underway - 13111

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veen, Walter van; Lawrence, Dave

2013-01-01

The Port Hope Project is the larger of the two projects in the Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI), Canada's largest low level radioactive waste (LLRW) cleanup. With a budget of approximately $1 billion, the Port Hope Project includes a broad and complex range of remedial elements from a state of the art water treatment plant, an engineered waste management facility, municipal solid waste removal, remediation of 18 major sites within the Municipality of Port Hope (MPH), sediment dredging and dewatering, an investigation of 4,800 properties (many of these homes) to identify LLRW and remediation of approximately 450 of these properties. This paper discusses the status of the Port Hope Project in terms of designs completed and regulatory approvals received, and sets out the scope and schedule for the remaining studies, engineering designs and remediation contracts. (authors)

Reach and messages of the world's largest ivory burn.

Science.gov (United States)

Braczkowski, Alexander; Holden, Matthew H; O'Bryan, Christopher; Choi, Chi-Yeung; Gan, Xiaojing; Beesley, Nicholas; Gao, Yufang; Allan, James; Tyrrell, Peter; Stiles, Daniel; Brehony, Peadar; Meney, Revocatus; Brink, Henry; Takashina, Nao; Lin, Ming-Ching; Lin, Hsien-Yung; Rust, Niki; Salmo, Severino G; Watson, James Em; Kahumbu, Paula; Maron, Martine; Possingham, Hugh P; Biggs, Duan

2018-03-01

Recent increases in ivory poaching have depressed African elephant populations. Successful enforcement has led to ivory being stockpiled. Stockpile destruction is becoming increasingly popular, and most destruction has occurred in the last five years. Ivory destruction is intended to send a strong message against ivory consumption, both in promoting a taboo on ivory use and catalyzing policy change. However, there has been no effort to establish the distribution and extent of media reporting on ivory destruction events globally. We analyze media coverage across eleven important nation states of the largest ivory destruction event in history (Kenya, 30 April 2016). We used a well-accepted online media crawling tool and key language translations to search online and print newspapers. We found most online news on the ivory burn came from the US (81% of articles), while print news was dominated by Kenya (61% of articles). We subjected online articles from five key countries and territories to content analysis and found 86-97% of all online articles reported the burn as a positive conservation action, while between 4-50% discussed ivory burning as having a negative impact on elephant conservation. Most articles discussed law enforcement and trade bans as effective for elephant conservation. There was more relative search interest globally on the 2016 Kenyan ivory burn than any other in five years. Our study is the first attempt to track the spread of media around an ivory burn and is a case study in tracking the effects of a conservation-marketing event. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... in which fertilization occurs outside of the body. First, egg cells are harvested and transferred to a special media in a laboratory dish. Within a few hours, a single sperm is injected through a fine needle into the center of an egg cell to aid in the process of fertilization. If successful, the ...

CCS Observations of the Protostellar Envelope of B335

Science.gov (United States)

Velusamy, T.; Kuiper, T. B. H.; Langer, W. D.

1995-01-01

Knowledge of the density, velocity and chemical profiles around protostars is of fundamental importance for testing dynamical models of protostar evolution and understanding the nature of the material falling onto circumstellar disks. Presented are single dish and interferometric spectral line observations of CCS towards the core of B335, a classic example of a young, low mass stellar object.

Histological characteristics of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuperus, JS; Westerveld, L Anneloes; Rutges, Joost A; Alblas, Jacqueline; van Rijen, Mattie H; Bleys, Ronald L A W; Oner, F Cumhur; Verlaan, JJ

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is a predominantly radiographic diagnosis and histological knowledge of DISH is limited. The aim of this study was to describe the histological characteristics of DISH in the spinal column and to study the relation between DISH and intervertebral disc

Effect of temporal distribution of dose on oncogenic transformation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, R.C.; Brenner, D.J.; Geard, C.R.; Marino, S.A.; Hall, E.J.

1988-01-01

Risk estimates for neutron hazards are of considerable social and economic importance. Effectiveness per unit dose of X or γ rays (low-LET radiations) has been consistently observed to be dependent on the temporal distribution of dose. In a series of comparisons, 0.5 Gy of single or fractionated (five fractions in 8 h), neutrons of 0.23, 0.35, 0.45, 5.9, or 13.7 MeV were delivered to a synchronous C3H 10T1/2 cells. Transformation frequencies per surviving cell are shown. Cells exposed to one energy (5.9 MeV) show a significant enhancement at the 95% level due to fractionated exposures, and at the 85% confidence level the 0.35- and 0.45-MeV fractionated exposures additionally result in significantly greater transformation frequencies. The frequencies of surviving cells per dish between a single or fractionated exposure vary by less than 10%. In three of five pairwise comparisons, fractionated exposures result in statistically greater frequencies of transformants per dish, and are in complete agreement with the results when induction is expressed as transformants per surviving cell. However, after 0.23-MeV neutron irradiation, the single dose resulted in a greater incidence of transformed foci than the fractionated dose

Production of single cell protein (SCP) from food and agricultural waste by using Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Science.gov (United States)

Gervasi, Teresa; Pellizzeri, Vito; Calabrese, Giorgio; Di Bella, Giuseppa; Cicero, Nicola; Dugo, Giacomo

2018-03-01

Food waste is the single-largest component of the waste stream, in order to protect and safeguard the public health, useful and innovative recycling methods are investigated. The conversion of food wastes in value-added products is becoming a more economically viable and interesting practice. Food waste, collected in the distribution sector and citrus industries, was characterised for its potential as a raw material to use in fermentation processes. In this study, the production of single-cell protein (SCP) using food waste as a substrate was investigated. The purpose of this study has been to produce SCP from mixtures of food waste using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The main fermentation test was carried out using a 25 l bioreactor. The utilisation of food waste can allow us to not only to reduce environmental pollution, but also to obtain value-added products such as protein supply for animal feed.

Characterization of the largest effector gene cluster of Ustilago maydis.

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Thomas Brefort

2014-07-01

Full Text Available In the genome of the biotrophic plant pathogen Ustilago maydis, many of the genes coding for secreted protein effectors modulating virulence are arranged in gene clusters. The vast majority of these genes encode novel proteins whose expression is coupled to plant colonization. The largest of these gene clusters, cluster 19A, encodes 24 secreted effectors. Deletion of the entire cluster results in severe attenuation of virulence. Here we present the functional analysis of this genomic region. We show that a 19A deletion mutant behaves like an endophyte, i.e. is still able to colonize plants and complete the infection cycle. However, tumors, the most conspicuous symptoms of maize smut disease, are only rarely formed and fungal biomass in infected tissue is significantly reduced. The generation and analysis of strains carrying sub-deletions identified several genes significantly contributing to tumor formation after seedling infection. Another of the effectors could be linked specifically to anthocyanin induction in the infected tissue. As the individual contributions of these genes to tumor formation were small, we studied the response of maize plants to the whole cluster mutant as well as to several individual mutants by array analysis. This revealed distinct plant responses, demonstrating that the respective effectors have discrete plant targets. We propose that the analysis of plant responses to effector mutant strains that lack a strong virulence phenotype may be a general way to visualize differences in effector function.

Dynamic strength of rock with single planar joint under various loading rates at various angles of loads applied

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pei-Yun Shu

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Intact rock-like specimens and specimens that include a single, smooth planar joint at various angles are prepared for split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB testing. A buffer pad between the striker bar and the incident bar of an SHPB apparatus is used to absorb some of the shock energy. This can generate loading rates of 20.2–4627.3 GPa/s, enabling dynamic peak stresses/strengths and associated failure patterns of the specimens to be investigated. The effects of the loading rate and angle of load applied on the dynamic peak stresses/strengths of the specimens are examined. Relevant experimental results demonstrate that the failure pattern of each specimen can be classified as four types: Type A, integrated with or without tiny flake-off; Type B, slide failure; Type C, fracture failure; and Type D, crushing failure. The dynamic peak stresses/strengths of the specimens that have similar failure patterns increase linearly with the loading rate, yielding high correlations that are evident on semi-logarithmic plots. The slope of the failure envelope is the smallest for slide failure, followed by crushing failure, and that of fracture failure is the largest. The magnitude of the plot slope of the dynamic peak stress against the loading rate for the specimens that are still integrated after testing is between that of slide failure and crushing failure. The angle of application has a limited effect on the dynamic peak stresses/strengths of the specimens regardless of the failure pattern, but it affects the bounds of the loading rates that yield each failure pattern, and thus influences the dynamic responses of the single jointed specimen. Slide failure occurs at the lowest loading rate of any failure, but can only occur in single jointed specimen that allows sliding. Crushing failure is typically associated with the largest loading rate, and fracture failure may occur when the loading rate is between the boundaries for slide failure and crushing

Adsorption of metal adatoms on single-layer phosphorene.

Science.gov (United States)

Kulish, Vadym V; Malyi, Oleksandr I; Persson, Clas; Wu, Ping

2015-01-14

Single- or few-layer phosphorene is a novel two-dimensional direct-bandgap nanomaterial. Based on first-principles calculations, we present a systematic study on the binding energy, geometry, magnetic moment and electronic structure of 20 different adatoms adsorbed on phosphorene. The adatoms cover a wide range of valences, including s and p valence metals, 3d transition metals, noble metals, semiconductors, hydrogen and oxygen. We find that adsorbed adatoms produce a rich diversity of structural, electronic and magnetic properties. Our work demonstrates that phosphorene forms strong bonds with all studied adatoms while still preserving its structural integrity. The adsorption energies of adatoms on phosphorene are more than twice higher than on graphene, while the largest distortions of phosphorene are only ∼0.1-0.2 Å. The charge carrier type in phosphorene can be widely tuned by adatom adsorption. The unique combination of high reactivity with good structural stability is very promising for potential applications of phosphorene.

North Andean origin and diversification of the largest ithomiine butterfly genus

Science.gov (United States)

Lisa De-Silva, Donna; Mota, Luísa L.; Chazot, Nicolas; Mallarino, Ricardo; Silva-Brandão, Karina L.; Piñerez, Luz Miryam Gómez; Freitas, André V.L.; Lamas, Gerardo; Joron, Mathieu; Mallet, James; Giraldo, Carlos E.; Uribe, Sandra; Särkinen, Tiina; Knapp, Sandra; Jiggins, Chris D.; Willmott, Keith R.; Elias, Marianne

2017-01-01

The Neotropics harbour the most diverse flora and fauna on Earth. The Andes are a major centre of diversification and source of diversity for adjacent areas in plants and vertebrates, but studies on insects remain scarce, even though they constitute the largest fraction of terrestrial biodiversity. Here, we combine molecular and morphological characters to generate a dated phylogeny of the butterfly genus Pteronymia (Nymphalidae: Danainae), which we use to infer spatial, elevational and temporal diversification patterns. We first propose six taxonomic changes that raise the generic species total to 53, making Pteronymia the most diverse genus of the tribe Ithomiini. Our biogeographic reconstruction shows that Pteronymia originated in the Northern Andes, where it diversified extensively. Some lineages colonized lowlands and adjacent montane areas, but diversification in those areas remained scarce. The recent colonization of lowland areas was reflected by an increase in the rate of evolution of species’ elevational ranges towards present. By contrast, speciation rate decelerated with time, with no extinction. The geological history of the Andes and adjacent regions have likely contributed to Pteronymia diversification by providing compartmentalized habitats and an array of biotic and abiotic conditions, and by limiting dispersal between some areas while promoting interchange across others. PMID:28387233

Mapping Biomass for REDD in the Largest Forest of Central Africa: the Democratic Republic of Congo

Science.gov (United States)

Shapiro, Aurelie; Saatchi, Sassan

2014-05-01

With the support of the International Climate Initiative (ICI) of the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Nuclear Security, the implementation of the German Development Bank KfW, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Germany, the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and local DRC partners will produce a national scale biomass map for the entire forest coverage of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) along with feasibility assessments of different forest protection measures within a framework of a REDD+ model project. The « Carbon Map and Model (CO2M&M) » project will produce a national forest biomass map for the DRC, which will enable quantitative assessments of carbon stocks and emissions in the largest forest of the Congo Basin. This effort will support the national REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) program in DRC, which plays a major role in sustainable development and poverty alleviation. This map will be developed from field data, complemented by airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and aerial photos, systematically sampled throughout the forests of the DRC and up-scaled to satellite images to accurately estimate carbon content in all forested areas. The second component of the project is to develop specific approaches for model REDD projects in key landscapes. This project represents the largest LiDAR-derived mapping effort in Africa, under unprecedented logistical constraints, which will provide one of the poorest nations in the world with the richest airborne and satellites derived datasets for analyzing forest structure, biomass and biodiversity.

EVALUATION OF E-RECRUITMENT LEVEL AMONG THE LARGEST COMPANIES IN POLAND - PROJECT OF RESEARCH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dorota Buchnowska

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The changes taking place in the labor market cause that it is increasingly difficult to recruit employees with the right skills and competencies to companies. To reach the right candidates, they use modern IT solutions, such as ATS (Applicant Tracking System, which are supporting the processes of recruitment. Among others, they enable the publication of job offers on the Internet - on corporate websites, job portals and business social networking services - and apply for jobs online through these channels. This article pre-sents the evolution of the use of the Internet, and particularly the social media, in the recruitment process and presents a projekt of comprehensive research, which aims is to analyze and evaluate of the level of development of e-recruitment in Poland among largest companies.

Monitoring the performance of single and triple junction amorphous silicon modules in two building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) installations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eke, Rustu; Senturk, Ali

2013-01-01

Highlights: • The first and the largest BIPV of Turkey were installed. • Single and triple junction amorphous module performances in BIPV applications are analyzed. • Total generated electricity of the BIPV system is measured as 103,702 kW h for 36 months of operation. • Annual energy rating is calculated as 856 kW h/kWp for a non-optimally oriented plant. • The PR of the system is found 0.74 and 0.81 for PV systems on towers and facade respectively. - Abstract: Mugla is located in south west Turkey at 37°13′N latitude and 28°36′E longitude with yearly sum of horizontal global irradiation exceeding 1700 kW h per square meter. Mugla has a Mediterranean Climate which is characterized by long, hot and dry summers with cool and wet winters. Mugla Sıtkı Kocman University is the largest “PV Park” in Turkey consisting of 100 kWp installed Photovoltaic Power Systems (PVPSs) with different PV applications. The 40 kWp building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system which is the first and largest in Turkey was installed on the façade and the two towers of the “Staff Block of the Education Faculty’s Building” of Mugla Sıtkı Kocman University in February 2008. Triple junction amorphous silicon photovoltaic modules are used on the façade and single junction amorphous silicon PV modules are used on the East and West towers of the building. In this paper, the 40 kWp BIPV system in Mugla, Turkey is presented, and its performance is evaluated. Energy rating (kW h/kWp energy yield), efficiencies and performance ratios of both applications are also evaluated for 36 months of operation. Daily, monthly and seasonal variations in performance parameters of the BIPV system in relation to solar data and meteorological parameters and outdoor performance of two reference modules (representing the modules on façade and towers) in a summer and a winter day are also investigated

The Process of Leadership and the Organizational Knowledge Management: the practicy of the largest industries of Santa Catarina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dante Marciano Girardi

2012-04-01

Full Text Available DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-8077.2012v14n32p65 The aim of this article is to introduce the practices of leadership in the largest industries of Santa Catarina and their contribution to the Knowledge Management. The organization competitiveness is related to the people and to the capacity of the companies to improve the constant development of knowledge. Using the leadership, the managers and the People Management have created compromise and improved the results of the organizations. The adopted methodology followed the qualitative methodology, descriptive and applied research. There were interviewed the seven largest industries of the state of Santa Catarina, in number of collaborators. The data were analyzed by the technique of analysis of content. It has been observed that the leadership is present in the most of the studied companies, by the use of formal programs of development of leaders or of actions related to leadership. It is concluded that the companies have the focus in the people and in the knowledge, in bigger or smaller degree, but some of them are in phase of transition and revision of programs towards the development of their talents and of the Knowledge Management.

Microcavity single virus detection and sizing with molecular sensitivity

Science.gov (United States)

Dantham, V. R.; Holler, S.; Kolchenko, V.; Wan, Z.; Arnold, S.

2013-02-01

We report the label-free detection and sizing of the smallest individual RNA virus, MS2 by a spherical microcavity. Mass of this virus is ~6 ag and produces a theoretical resonance shift ~0.25 fm upon adsorbing an individual virus at the equator of the bare microcavity, which is well below the r.m.s background noise of 2 fm. However, detection was accomplished with ease (S/N = 8, Q = 4x105) using a single dipole stimulated plasmonic-nanoshell as a microcavity wavelength shift enhancer. Analytical expressions based on the "reactive sensing principle" are developed to extract the radius of the virus from the measured signals. Estimated limit of detection for these experiments was ~0.4 ag or 240 kDa below the size of all known viruses, largest globular and elongated proteins [Phosphofructokinase (345 kDa) and Fibrinogen (390 kDa), respectively].

Female urethral diverticulum presenting with acute urinary retention: Reporting the largest diverticulum with review of literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manas Ranjan Pradhan

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Female urethral diverticulum is a rare entity with diverse spectrum of clinical manifestations. It is a very rare cause of bladder outlet obstruction and should be considered as a differential diagnosis in females presenting with acute urinary retention associated with a vaginal mass. Strong clinical suspicion combined with thorough physical examination and focused radiological investigations are vital for its diagnosis. Herein we report a case of giant urethral diverticulum presenting with acute urinary retention in a young female. It was managed by excision and urethral closure, and is the largest urethral diverticulum reported till date in the literature.

Europe's largest solar thermal power plant. [200 kw thermal output supplemented by two 10-kw windmills

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bossel, U

1976-03-01

An overview is given over the solar heating plant which has recently been commissioned in the Camargue (France). This is the largest plant in Europe, with a mean heat output of about 200 kW, for the production of thermal energy from solar energy. The plant consists of 108 parabolic collectors (200 sq. metres) and 48 flat collectors (110 sq. metres). Two windmills with outputs of 10 kW each complete the system. The heat energy produced by the solar collectors is given up to 3 different stores, which in turn are connected to various consumers.

Large multistate outbreak of norovirus gastroenteritis associated with frozen strawberries, Germany, 2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernard, H; Faber, M; Wilking, H; Haller, S; Höhle, M; Schielke, A; Ducomble, T; Siffczyk, C; Merbecks, S S; Fricke, G; Hamouda, O; Stark, K; Werber, D

2014-02-27

From 20 September through 5 October 2012, the largest recorded food-borne outbreak in Germany occurred. Norovirus was identified as the causative agent. We conducted four analytical epidemiological studies, two case–control studies and two surveys (in total 150 cases) in secondary schools in three different federal states. Overall, 390 institutions in five federal states reported nearly 11,000 cases of gastroenteritis. They were predominantly schools and childcare facilities and were supplied almost exclusively by one large catering company. The analytical epidemiological studies consistently identified dishes containing strawberries as the most likely vehicle, with estimated odds ratios ranging from 2.6 to 45.4. The dishes had been prepared in different regional kitchens of the catering company and were served in the schools two days before the peaks of the respective outbreaks. All affected institutions had received strawberries of one lot, imported frozen from China. The outbreak vehicle was identified within a week, which led to a timely recall and prevented more than half of the lot from reaching the consumer. This outbreak exemplifies the risk of large outbreaks in the era of global food trade. It underlines the importance of timely surveillance and epidemiological outbreak investigations for food safety.

Transcriptome Sequencing and Analysis for Culm Elongation of the World's Largest Bamboo (Dendrocalamus sinicus.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kai Cui

Full Text Available Dendrocalamus sinicus is the world's largest bamboo species with strong woody culms, and known for its fast-growing culms. As an economic bamboo species, it was popularized for multi-functional applications including furniture, construction, and industrial paper pulp. To comprehensively elucidate the molecular processes involved in its culm elongation, Illumina paired-end sequencing was conducted. About 65.08 million high-quality reads were produced, and assembled into 81,744 unigenes with an average length of 723 bp. A total of 64,338 (79% unigenes were annotated for their functions, of which, 56,587 were annotated in the NCBI non-redundant protein database and 35,262 were annotated in the Swiss-Prot database. Also, 42,508 and 21,009 annotated unigenes were allocated to gene ontology (GO categories and clusters of orthologous groups (COG, respectively. By searching against the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Pathway database (KEGG, 33,920 unigenes were assigned to 128 KEGG pathways. Meanwhile, 8,553 simple sequence repeats (SSRs and 81,534 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs were identified, respectively. Additionally, 388 transcripts encoding lignin biosynthesis were detected, among which, 27 transcripts encoding Shikimate O-hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (HCT specifically expressed in D. sinicus when compared to other bamboo species and rice. The phylogenetic relationship between D. sinicus and other plants was analyzed, suggesting functional diversity of HCT unigenes in D. sinicus. We conjectured that HCT might lead to the high lignin content and giant culm. Given that the leaves are not yet formed and culm is covered with sheaths during culm elongation, the existence of photosynthesis of bamboo culm is usually neglected. Surprisedly, 109 transcripts encoding photosynthesis were identified, including photosystem I and II, cytochrome b6/f complex, photosynthetic electron transport and F-type ATPase, and 24 transcripts were characterized

Transcriptome Sequencing and Analysis for Culm Elongation of the World's Largest Bamboo (Dendrocalamus sinicus).

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Kai; Wang, Haiying; Liao, Shengxi; Tang, Qi; Li, Li; Cui, Yongzhong; He, Yuan

2016-01-01

Dendrocalamus sinicus is the world's largest bamboo species with strong woody culms, and known for its fast-growing culms. As an economic bamboo species, it was popularized for multi-functional applications including furniture, construction, and industrial paper pulp. To comprehensively elucidate the molecular processes involved in its culm elongation, Illumina paired-end sequencing was conducted. About 65.08 million high-quality reads were produced, and assembled into 81,744 unigenes with an average length of 723 bp. A total of 64,338 (79%) unigenes were annotated for their functions, of which, 56,587 were annotated in the NCBI non-redundant protein database and 35,262 were annotated in the Swiss-Prot database. Also, 42,508 and 21,009 annotated unigenes were allocated to gene ontology (GO) categories and clusters of orthologous groups (COG), respectively. By searching against the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Pathway database (KEGG), 33,920 unigenes were assigned to 128 KEGG pathways. Meanwhile, 8,553 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and 81,534 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) were identified, respectively. Additionally, 388 transcripts encoding lignin biosynthesis were detected, among which, 27 transcripts encoding Shikimate O-hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (HCT) specifically expressed in D. sinicus when compared to other bamboo species and rice. The phylogenetic relationship between D. sinicus and other plants was analyzed, suggesting functional diversity of HCT unigenes in D. sinicus. We conjectured that HCT might lead to the high lignin content and giant culm. Given that the leaves are not yet formed and culm is covered with sheaths during culm elongation, the existence of photosynthesis of bamboo culm is usually neglected. Surprisedly, 109 transcripts encoding photosynthesis were identified, including photosystem I and II, cytochrome b6/f complex, photosynthetic electron transport and F-type ATPase, and 24 transcripts were characterized as antenna

Rewriting the Landform History of One of Africa's Three Largest Basins

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkinson, Justin

2014-01-01

The Kalahari Basin in southern Africa - one of the largest basins in Africa, along with the Congo and Chad basins - has attracted attention since David Livingstone traveled through the area in the 1840s. It is a semiarid desert with a large freshwater swampland known as the Okavango Swamp (150 km radius). This prominent megafan (a fan with radii >100 km), with its fingers of dark green forests projecting into the dun colors of the dunes of the Kalahari semi-desert, has been well photographed by astronauts over the years. The study area in the northern Kalahari basin is centered on the Okavango megafan of northwest Botswana, whose swampland has become well known as an African wildlife preserve of importance to biology and tourism alike. The Okavango River is unusual because it has deposited not one but two megafans along its course: the Okavango megafan and the Cubango megafan. The Okavango megafan is one of only three well-known megafans in Africa. Megafans on Earth were once thought to be rare, but recent research has documented 68 in Africa alone. Eleven megafans, plus three more candidates, have been documented in the area immediately surrounding the Okavango feature. These 11 megafans occupy the flattest and smoothest terrains adjacent to the neighboring upland and stand out as the darkest areas in the roughness map of the area. Megafan terrains occupy at least 200,000 sq km of the study area. The roughness map shown is based on an algorithm used first on Mars to quantify topographic roughness. Research of Earth's flattest terrains is just beginning with the aid of such maps, and it appears that these terrains are analogous to the flattest regions of Mars. Implications: 1. The variability in depositional style in each subbasin may apply Africa-wide: rift megafan length is dominated by rift width, whereas Owambo subbasin megafans are probably controlled by upland basin size; Zambezi subbasin megafans appear more like foreland basin types, with the position of

Field Note: Threatening Tonle Sap: Challenges for Southeast-Asia’s largest Freshwater Lake

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuenzer, Claudia

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The Tonle Sap ecosystem in Cambodia is Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake; strongly impacted by the Mekong river flood pulse. The lake is home to exceptional biodiversity, and rural communities living in free floating villages on the lake and on its shores. The fragile niche ecosystems as well as the rural livelihoods of Tonle Sap are under severe threat. Overfishing, illegal wood harvesting, further resource exploitation, and water quality deterioration all impact the stability of the socio-ecological system of Tonle Sap. At the same time, expected flood pulse changes due to regulatory measures in the context of hydropower development upstream on the Mekong are a severe threat for Tonle Sap’s ecosystem stability. The area needs to shift into the focus of attention of national and international re-searchers, stakeholders, and decision makers, to find suitable pathways for a future sustainable development of this unique and pristine region.

Level of patient and operator dose in the largest cardiac centre in Greece

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsapaki, V.; Patsilinakos, S.; Voudris, V.; Magginas, A.; Pavlidis, S.; Maounis, T.; Theodorakis, G.; Koutelou, M.; Vrantza, T.; Nearchou, M.; Nikolaki, N.; Kollaros, N.; Kyrozi, E.; Kottou, S.; Karaiskos, P.; Neofotistou, E.; Cokkinos, D.

2008-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the patient and staff doses in the most frequent interventional cardiology (IC) procedures performed in Onassio, the largest Cardiac Centre in Greece. Data were collected from three digital X-ray systems for 212 coronary angiographies, 203 percutaneous transluminal coronary angio-plasties (PTCA) and 134 various electrophysiological studies. Patient skin dose was measured using suitably calibrated slow radiotherapy films and cardiologist dose using suitably calibrated thermoluminescent dosemeters placed on left arm, hand and foot. Patient median dose area product (DAP) (all examinations) ranged between 6.7 and 83.5 Gy cm 2 . Patient median skin dose in PTCA was 799 mGy (320-1660 mGy) and in RF ablation 160 mGy (35-1920 mGy). Median arm, hand and foot dose to the cardiologist were 12.6, 27 and 13 μSv, respectively, per procedure. The great range of radiation doses received by both patients and operators confirms the need for continuous monitoring of all IC techniques. (authors)

Using largest Lyapunov exponent to confirm the intrinsic stability of boiling water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gavilian-Moreno, Carlos; Espinosa-Paredes, Gilberto

2016-01-01

The aim of this paper is the study of instability state of boiling water reactors with a method based in largest Lyapunov exponents (LLEs). Detecting the presence of chaos in a dynamical system is an important problem that is solved by measuring the LLE. Lyapunov exponents quantify the exponential divergence of initially close state-space trajectories and estimate the amount of chaos in a system. This method was applied to a set of signals from several nuclear power plant (NPP) reactors under commercial operating conditions that experienced instabilities events, apparently each of a different nature. Laguna Verde and Forsmark NPPs with in-phase instabilities, and Cofrentes NPP with out-of-phases instability. This study presents the results of intrinsic instability in the boiling water reactors of three NPPs. In the analyzed cases the limit cycle was not reached, which implies that the point of equilibrium exerts influence and attraction on system evolution

Using largest Lyapunov exponent to confirm the intrinsic stability of boiling water reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gavilian-Moreno, Carlos [Iberdrola Generacion, S.A., Cofrentes Nuclear Power Plant, Project Engineering Department, Paraje le Plano S/N, Valencia (Spain); Espinosa-Paredes, Gilberto [Area de ingeniera en Recursos Energeticos, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Mexico city (Mexico)

2016-04-15

The aim of this paper is the study of instability state of boiling water reactors with a method based in largest Lyapunov exponents (LLEs). Detecting the presence of chaos in a dynamical system is an important problem that is solved by measuring the LLE. Lyapunov exponents quantify the exponential divergence of initially close state-space trajectories and estimate the amount of chaos in a system. This method was applied to a set of signals from several nuclear power plant (NPP) reactors under commercial operating conditions that experienced instabilities events, apparently each of a different nature. Laguna Verde and Forsmark NPPs with in-phase instabilities, and Cofrentes NPP with out-of-phases instability. This study presents the results of intrinsic instability in the boiling water reactors of three NPPs. In the analyzed cases the limit cycle was not reached, which implies that the point of equilibrium exerts influence and attraction on system evolution.

Estimation of the largest enterprises’ impact on the socio-economic development of territories

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ekaterina Dmitrievna Razgulina

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The key basic trends of modern society development are associated with the transfer of some government functions to big business. Thus, scientific and public circles argue about social partnership between government, business and employees and offer different variants of the corporate social responsibility concept. The article presents the experience to assess social responsibility of business on the example of the largest chemical enterprises located in the Vologda and Novgorod oblasts. The evaluation results have revealed a number of problems hindering the formation of socially responsible behavior of enterprises, particularly the lack of standardized reporting on corporate social responsibility; provision of formal corporate social responsibility report; business’ non-system participation in social and economic development of territories. According to the authors, the development of a special model to regulate participants’ mutual relations can increase social responsibility of Russian business. Unified interests and resources of business and government promote the development of an agreed strategy in the field of regional social-economic development

Using Largest Lyapunov Exponent to Confirm the Intrinsic Stability of Boiling Water Reactors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos J. Gavilán-Moreno

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is the study of instability state of boiling water reactors with a method based in largest Lyapunov exponents (LLEs. Detecting the presence of chaos in a dynamical system is an important problem that is solved by measuring the LLE. Lyapunov exponents quantify the exponential divergence of initially close state-space trajectories and estimate the amount of chaos in a system. This method was applied to a set of signals from several nuclear power plant (NPP reactors under commercial operating conditions that experienced instabilities events, apparently each of a different nature. Laguna Verde and Forsmark NPPs with in-phase instabilities, and Cofrentes NPP with out-of-phases instability. This study presents the results of intrinsic instability in the boiling water reactors of three NPPs. In the analyzed cases the limit cycle was not reached, which implies that the point of equilibrium exerts influence and attraction on system evolution.

A marine heatwave drives massive losses from the world's largest seagrass carbon stocks

Science.gov (United States)

Arias-Ortiz, A.; Serrano, O.; Masqué, P.; Lavery, P. S.; Mueller, U.; Kendrick, G. A.; Rozaimi, M.; Esteban, A.; Fourqurean, J. W.; Marbà, N.; Mateo, M. A.; Murray, K.; Rule, M. J.; Duarte, C. M.

2018-04-01

Seagrass ecosystems contain globally significant organic carbon (C) stocks. However, climate change and increasing frequency of extreme events threaten their preservation. Shark Bay, Western Australia, has the largest C stock reported for a seagrass ecosystem, containing up to 1.3% of the total C stored within the top metre of seagrass sediments worldwide. On the basis of field studies and satellite imagery, we estimate that 36% of Shark Bay's seagrass meadows were damaged following a marine heatwave in 2010/2011. Assuming that 10 to 50% of the seagrass sediment C stock was exposed to oxic conditions after disturbance, between 2 and 9 Tg CO2 could have been released to the atmosphere during the following three years, increasing emissions from land-use change in Australia by 4-21% per annum. With heatwaves predicted to increase with further climate warming, conservation of seagrass ecosystems is essential to avoid adverse feedbacks on the climate system.

Effects of Indole-3-Acetic Acid on Germination in Lead Polluted Petri Dish of Citrullus lanatus (Thunberg Matsumura and Nakai, Cucurbitaceae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew Chidozie Ogwu

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Watermelon, Citrullus lanatus (Thunberg Matsumura and Nakai is a tropical fruit vegetable. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA is a popular phytohormone while lead (Pb is a common environmental pollutant in urban and sub-urban centers. C. lanatus were obtained from Benin City with a view to study the effects of IAA on their germination in Pb polluted environment.  Germination percentage without IAA and Pb treatment in petri dish was significant after ten days. Hastened germination was observed when IAA and lead were used. About 100 % germination was recorded after seven days. This suggests that water melon seeds can initiate growth even in lead polluted environment. Optimum level of 5 ppm IAA with the different levels of lead treatments may be recommended. Most important was that higher concentrations of Pb in the control (without IAA did not inhibit seedling shoot nor root growth. Longest seedling shoot length (cm was 10.33 ± 1.24 and 12.13 ± 2.06 on the seventh and eighth day respectively with the combined treatment levels of 1 ppm IAA and 15 ppm Pb. On the ninth day, 15.27 ± 0.96 was obtained from 1 ppm IAA and 20 ppm Pb. Longest seedling root length (cm values were recorded from the combined treatment levels of 0 ppm IAA and 10 ppm Pb for the seventh (9.10 ± 0.47 and ninth (10.37 ± 1.81 day respectively and 0 ppm and 15 ppm Pb on the eighth (9.37 ± 0.84 day. Significant means were also obtained with the treatment level of 0 and 20 ppm IAA. This present study suggest the germination of C. lanatus under Pb polluted environment may be rescued with optimum IAA.

Relationship between diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis, abdominal aortic calcification and associated metabolic disorders: Data from the Camargo Cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Pariente-Rodrigo, Emilio; Sgaramella, Giusi Alessia; Olmos-Martínez, José Manuel; Pini-Valdivieso, Stefanie Francesca; Landeras-Alvaro, Rosa; Hernández-Hernández, José Luis

2017-09-08

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) and abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) are related to an increased cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study was to analyse a possible relationship between both entities and also the association between metabolic disorders and DISH. Analytic cross-sectional study in a population-based cohort. DISH (with Resnick-Niwayama criteria) and AAC (with AAC-24 scale) were assessed on plain x-ray images. Interaction terms between DISH and forty clinical covariates were also investigated, through correlation analysis and multivariate regression. Nine hundred eighty-seven males aged≥50 years, with a mean age=65,5±9 years, were evaluated. Prevalence rates of DISH and AAC were 21.6% and 58.7%, respectively. DISH+ subjects were older (68.1±9 vs. 63.8±9 years; P=.0001) and more likely to be affected by metabolic syndrome (MS) (55.6% vs. 36.6%; P=.0001). In DISH+ subjects, the AAC was 3.7±5 points, whereas in DISH- subjects it was 3.3±5 (P=.25). AAC was associated with an increased risk of prevalent DISH (unadjusted OR=1.4 [CI95%: 1.01-1.9]; P=.04), that disappeared when it was adjusted for age (adjusted OR=1.1 [CI95%: 0.8-1.5];P=.47]. No association was found between DISH and hypertension, diabetes or dyslipidaemia; however, age (OR=2.2 [CI95%: 1.6-3]; P=.0001), BMI (OR=1.5 [CI95%: 1.1-2]; P=.007), waist circumference (OR=1.5 [CI95%: 1.04-2,3]; P=.03) and MS (OR=1.7 [CI95%: 1.1-2.4]; P=.005) showed a significant relationship with DISH after adjusting for confounders. The study was not able to demonstrate a consistent association between DISH and AAC, proving only a weak and age-dependent relationship between them. DISH proved to be significantly associated with age, BMI, waist circumference and MS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Design and manufacture of large lightweight composite reflectors for microwave testing

Science.gov (United States)

Towers, P.

The installation of the largest compact microwave test range constructed to date prompted the design and manufacture of a 250-sq ft parabolic reflector supported by a lightweight, dimensionally stable structure that could be produced at relatively low cost to high tolerances. These tolerances had, moreover, to be maintained during transport and erection in an indoor test range that was remote from the manufacturing site. The dish designed to meet these requirements consisted of an 'egg box' structure with epoxy/glass composite skin-aluminum honeycomb core sandwich construction. Tiles of this same material formed the substrate for a strickled syntactic-filled epoxy resin grout that was subsequently machined to form the silver-coated reflector surface.

Single-Dish Radio Polarimetry in the F-GAMMA Program with the Effelsberg 100-m Radio Telescope

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beuchert Tobias

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Studying the variability of polarized AGN jet emission in the radio band is crucial for understanding the dynamics of moving shocks as well as the structure of the underlying magnetic field. The 100-m Effelsberg Telescope is a high-quality instrument for studying the long-term variability of both total and polarized intensity as well as the electric-vector position angle. Since 2007, the F-GAMMA program has been monitoring the linear polarized emission of roughly 60 blazars at 11 frequencies between 2.7 and 43 GHz. Here, we describe the calibration of the polarimetric data at 5 and 10 GHz and the resulting F-GAMMA full-Stokes light curves for the exemplary case of the radio galaxy 3C 111.

Observing the Sun with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA): Fast-Scan Single-Dish Mapping

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

White, S.M.; Iwai, N.; Phillips, N.; Hills, R.E.; Hirota, A.; Yagoubov, P.; Siringo, G.; Shimojo, M.; Bastian, T.S.; Hales, A.S.; Sawada, T.; Asayama, S.; Sugimoto, M.; Marson, R.; Kawasaki, W.; Muller, E.; Nakazato, T.; Sugimoto, K.; Brajsa, R.; Skokić, Ivica; Bárta, Miroslav; Kim, S.; Remijan, A.; de Gregorio, I.; Corder, S.; Hudson, H. S.; Loukitcheva, M.; Chen, B.; de Pontieu, B.; Fleishmann, G. D.; Gary, D. E.; Kobelski, A.; Wedemeyer, S.; Yan, Y.

2017-01-01

Roč. 292, č. 7 (2017), 88/1-88/28 ISSN 0038-0938 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LM2015067 Institutional support: RVO:67985815 Keywords : millimeter wavelengths * solar atmosphere * radiometric standard Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics OBOR OECD: Astronomy (including astrophysics,space science) Impact factor: 2.682, year: 2016

Phosphorus Loadings to the World's Largest Lakes: Sources and Trends

Science.gov (United States)

Fink, Gabriel; Alcamo, Joseph; Flörke, Martina; Reder, Klara

2018-04-01

Eutrophication is a major water quality issue in lakes worldwide and is principally caused by the loadings of phosphorus from catchment areas. It follows that to develop strategies to mitigate eutrophication, we must have a good understanding of the amount, sources, and trends of phosphorus pollution. This paper provides the first consistent and harmonious estimates of current phosphorus loadings to the world's largest 100 lakes, along with the sources of these loadings and their trends. These estimates provide a perspective on the extent of lake eutrophication worldwide, as well as potential input to the evaluation and management of eutrophication in these lakes. We take a modeling approach and apply the WorldQual model for these estimates. The advantage of this approach is that it allows us to fill in large gaps in observational data. From the analysis, we find that about 66 of the 100 lakes are located in developing countries and their catchments have a much larger average phosphorus yield than the lake catchments in developed countries (11.1 versus 0.7 kg TP km-2 year-1). Second, the main source of phosphorus to the examined lakes is inorganic fertilizer (47% of total). Third, between 2005-2010 and 1990-1994, phosphorus pollution increased at 50 out of 100 lakes. Sixty percent of lakes with increasing pollution are in developing countries. P pollution changed primarily due to changing P fertilizer use. In conclusion, we show that the risk of P-stimulated eutrophication is higher in developing countries.

Application of the largest Lyapunov exponent and non-linear fractal extrapolation algorithm to short-term load forecasting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Jianzhou; Jia Ruiling; Zhao Weigang; Wu Jie; Dong Yao

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► The maximal predictive step size is determined by the largest Lyapunov exponent. ► A proper forecasting step size is applied to load demand forecasting. ► The improved approach is validated by the actual load demand data. ► Non-linear fractal extrapolation method is compared with three forecasting models. ► Performance of the models is evaluated by three different error measures. - Abstract: Precise short-term load forecasting (STLF) plays a key role in unit commitment, maintenance and economic dispatch problems. Employing a subjective and arbitrary predictive step size is one of the most important factors causing the low forecasting accuracy. To solve this problem, the largest Lyapunov exponent is adopted to estimate the maximal predictive step size so that the step size in the forecasting is no more than this maximal one. In addition, in this paper a seldom used forecasting model, which is based on the non-linear fractal extrapolation (NLFE) algorithm, is considered to develop the accuracy of predictions. The suitability and superiority of the two solutions are illustrated through an application to real load forecasting using New South Wales electricity load data from the Australian National Electricity Market. Meanwhile, three forecasting models: the gray model, the seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average approach and the support vector machine method, which received high approval in STLF, are selected to compare with the NLFE algorithm. Comparison results also show that the NLFE model is outstanding, effective, practical and feasible.

The occurrence of Salmonella in airline meals.

Science.gov (United States)

Hatakka, M; Asplund, K

1993-01-01

The occurrence of Salmonella in airline meals was studied in 1989-1992. Samples were collected from flight kitchens in 29 countries. The material consisted of 400 cold dishes and 1,288 hot dishes as well as salads, cheese plates and deserts. Total number of samples was 2211. Salmonella spp. were isolated from 6 samples; 1 contaminated sample was a cold dish prepared in Bangkok, 1 was a hot dish prepared in Mombasa and the remaining 4 contaminated samples were hot dishes prepared within one week in Beijing. The isolated serotypes were S. ohio, S. manchester and S. braenderup. The contaminated cold dish prepared by a flight kitchen in Bangkok was found to be connected with a Salmonella outbreak which occurred in Finland in 1990. Cold airline dishes containing food of animal origin seems to be more risky as a source of Salmonella infections among airline passengers.

Single Fraction Versus Fractionated Linac-Based Stereotactic Radiotherapy for Vestibular Schwannoma: A Single-Institution Experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Collen, Christine, E-mail: ccollen@uzbrussel.be [Department of Radiation Oncology, UZ Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Laarbeeklaan 101, 1090 Brussels (Belgium); Ampe, Ben [Department of Neurosurgery, UZ Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Laarbeeklaan 101, 1090 Brussels (Belgium); Gevaert, Thierry [Department of Radiation Oncology, UZ Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Laarbeeklaan 101, 1090 Brussels (Belgium); Moens, Maarten [Department of Neurosurgery, UZ Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Laarbeeklaan 101, 1090 Brussels (Belgium); Linthout, Nadine; De Ridder, Mark; Verellen, Dirk [Department of Radiation Oncology, UZ Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Laarbeeklaan 101, 1090 Brussels (Belgium); D' Haens, Jean [Department of Neurosurgery, UZ Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Laarbeeklaan 101, 1090 Brussels (Belgium); Storme, Guy [Department of Radiation Oncology, UZ Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Laarbeeklaan 101, 1090 Brussels (Belgium)

2011-11-15

Purpose: To evaluate and compare outcomes for patients with vestibular schwannoma (VS) treated in a single institution with linac-based stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) or by fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT). Methods and Materials: One hundred and nineteen patients (SRS = 78, SRT = 41) were treated. For both SRS and SRT, beam shaping is performed by a mini-multileaf collimator. For SRS, a median single dose of 12.5 Gy (range, 11-14 Gy), prescribed to the 80% isodose line encompassing the target, was applied. Of the 42 SRT treatments, 32 treatments consisted of 10 fractions of 3-4 Gy, and 10 patients received 25 sessions of 2 Gy, prescribed to the 100% with the 95% isodose line encompassing the planning target volume. Mean largest tumor diameter was 16.6 mm in the SRS and 24.6 mm in the SRT group. Local tumor control, cranial nerve toxicity, and preservation of useful hearing were recorded. Any new treatment-induced cranial nerve neuropathy was scored as a complication. Results: Median follow-up was 62 months (range, 6-136 months), 5 patients progressed, resulting in an overall 5-year local tumor control of 95%. The overall 5-year facial nerve preservation probability was 88% and facial nerve neuropathy was statistically significantly higher after SRS, after prior surgery, for larger tumors, and in Koos Grade {>=}3. The overall 5-year trigeminal nerve preservation probability was 96%, not significantly influenced by any of the risk factors. The overall 4-year probability of preservation of useful hearing (Gardner-Robertson score 1 or 2) was 68%, not significantly different between SRS or SRT (59% vs. 82%, p = 0.089, log rank). Conclusion: Linac-based RT results in good local control and acceptable clinical outcome in small to medium-sized vestibular schwannomas (VSs). Radiosurgery for large VSs (Koos Grade {>=}3) remains a challenge because of increased facial nerve neuropathy.

The role and attributes of entrepreneurs at South Africa´s largest arts festival

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Jonker

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (KKNK in Oudtshoorn, South Africa, is the largest arts festival in South Africa. The purpose of this research was to determine the attributes and role of the entrepreneurs at the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival. This was done by means of a questionnaire survey (N=249. After data capturing was completed, two factor analyses were conducted. The first factor analysis revealed six factors (entrepreneurial attributes, namely organisational skills, resourcefulness, self-edification, explorative, acquired skill and drive, of which resourcefulness had the highest mean value. The second factor analysis identified the role of entrepreneurs at KKNK and revealed three primary roles, namely festival promotion, product promotion and income generation, of which product promotion had the highest mean value. This is the first time that the roles of entrepreneurs at festivals were investigated in South Africa.

Damage and protection cost curves for coastal floods within the 600 largest European cities

Science.gov (United States)

Prahl, Boris F.; Boettle, Markus; Costa, Luís; Kropp, Jürgen P.; Rybski, Diego

2018-01-01

The economic assessment of the impacts of storm surges and sea-level rise in coastal cities requires high-level information on the damage and protection costs associated with varying flood heights. We provide a systematically and consistently calculated dataset of macroscale damage and protection cost curves for the 600 largest European coastal cities opening the perspective for a wide range of applications. Offering the first comprehensive dataset to include the costs of dike protection, we provide the underpinning information to run comparative assessments of costs and benefits of coastal adaptation. Aggregate cost curves for coastal flooding at the city-level are commonly regarded as by-products of impact assessments and are generally not published as a standalone dataset. Hence, our work also aims at initiating a more critical discussion on the availability and derivation of cost curves. PMID:29557944

Damage and protection cost curves for coastal floods within the 600 largest European cities

Science.gov (United States)

Prahl, Boris F.; Boettle, Markus; Costa, Luís; Kropp, Jürgen P.; Rybski, Diego

2018-03-01

The economic assessment of the impacts of storm surges and sea-level rise in coastal cities requires high-level information on the damage and protection costs associated with varying flood heights. We provide a systematically and consistently calculated dataset of macroscale damage and protection cost curves for the 600 largest European coastal cities opening the perspective for a wide range of applications. Offering the first comprehensive dataset to include the costs of dike protection, we provide the underpinning information to run comparative assessments of costs and benefits of coastal adaptation. Aggregate cost curves for coastal flooding at the city-level are commonly regarded as by-products of impact assessments and are generally not published as a standalone dataset. Hence, our work also aims at initiating a more critical discussion on the availability and derivation of cost curves.

Percolation under noise: Detecting explosive percolation using the second-largest component

Science.gov (United States)

Viles, Wes; Ginestet, Cedric E.; Tang, Ariana; Kramer, Mark A.; Kolaczyk, Eric D.

2016-05-01

We consider the problem of distinguishing between different rates of percolation under noise. A statistical model of percolation is constructed allowing for the birth and death of edges as well as the presence of noise in the observations. This graph-valued stochastic process is composed of a latent and an observed nonstationary process, where the observed graph process is corrupted by type-I and type-II errors. This produces a hidden Markov graph model. We show that for certain choices of parameters controlling the noise, the classical (Erdős-Rényi) percolation is visually indistinguishable from a more rapid form of percolation. In this setting, we compare two different criteria for discriminating between these two percolation models, based on the interquartile range (IQR) of the first component's size, and on the maximal size of the second-largest component. We show through data simulations that this second criterion outperforms the IQR of the first component's size, in terms of discriminatory power. The maximal size of the second component therefore provides a useful statistic for distinguishing between different rates of percolation, under physically motivated conditions for the birth and death of edges, and under noise. The potential application of the proposed criteria for the detection of clinically relevant percolation in the context of applied neuroscience is also discussed.

Fast Fourier transform telescope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tegmark, Max; Zaldarriaga, Matias

2009-01-01

We propose an all-digital telescope for 21 cm tomography, which combines key advantages of both single dishes and interferometers. The electric field is digitized by antennas on a rectangular grid, after which a series of fast Fourier transforms recovers simultaneous multifrequency images of up to half the sky. Thanks to Moore's law, the bandwidth up to which this is feasible has now reached about 1 GHz, and will likely continue doubling every couple of years. The main advantages over a single dish telescope are cost and orders of magnitude larger field-of-view, translating into dramatically better sensitivity for large-area surveys. The key advantages over traditional interferometers are cost (the correlator computational cost for an N-element array scales as Nlog 2 N rather than N 2 ) and a compact synthesized beam. We argue that 21 cm tomography could be an ideal first application of a very large fast Fourier transform telescope, which would provide both massive sensitivity improvements per dollar and mitigate the off-beam point source foreground problem with its clean beam. Another potentially interesting application is cosmic microwave background polarization.

The Best of Two Worlds: ALMA + IRAM30M Observations of the Orion Integral Shape Filament

Science.gov (United States)

Hacar Gonzalez, Alvaro

2018-01-01

We have investigated the internal gas structure of the Orion Integral Shape filament using two large-scale, 150-pointing ALMA-12m mosaics and previous IRAM30m single-dish (SD) observations. From the combination of both single-dish and interferometric data we have produced a high-dynamic range and high-sensitivity map describing the internal gas structure of this filament at scales between 2 pc and 2000 AU (Hacar et al, submitted to A&A). In a series of individual CASA reductions (w/o SD data + w/o feathering), we have investigated the impact of the different uv-coverages on both the total flux and line velocity structure of our ALMA maps. Our analysis highlights the critical role played by the zero-spacing data at the different stages of the cleaning process. The results of these ALMA+IRAM30m experiments emphasize the need of high-sensitivity SD observations for the analysis of large-scale interferometric maps. During my talk, I will discuss the implications of these experiments on the dawn of the ALMA era and in the context of the new AtLAST telescope.

Astronomer's new guide to the galaxy: largest map of cold dust revealed

Science.gov (United States)

2009-07-01

Astronomers have unveiled an unprecedented new atlas of the inner regions of the Milky Way, our home galaxy, peppered with thousands of previously undiscovered dense knots of cold cosmic dust -- the potential birthplaces of new stars. Made using observations from the APEX telescope in Chile, this survey is the largest map of cold dust so far, and will prove an invaluable map for observations made with the forthcoming ALMA telescope, as well as the recently launched ESA Herschel space telescope. ESO PR Photo 24a/09 View of the Galactic Plane from the ATLASGAL survey (annotated and in five sections) ESO PR Photo 24b/09 View of the Galactic Plane from the ATLASGAL survey (annotated) ESO PR Photo 24c/09 View of the Galactic Plane from the ATLASGAL survey (in five sections) ESO PR Photo 24d/09 View of the Galactic Plane from the ATLASGAL survey ESO PR Photo 24e/09 The Galactic Centre and Sagittarius B2 ESO PR Photo 24f/09 The NGC 6357 and NGC 6334 nebulae ESO PR Photo 24g/09 The RCW120 nebula ESO PR Video 24a/09 Annotated pan as seen by the ATLASGAL survey This new guide for astronomers, known as the APEX Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy (ATLASGAL) shows the Milky Way in submillimetre-wavelength light (between infrared light and radio waves [1]). Images of the cosmos at these wavelengths are vital for studying the birthplaces of new stars and the structure of the crowded galactic core. "ATLASGAL gives us a new look at the Milky Way. Not only will it help us investigate how massive stars form, but it will also give us an overview of the larger-scale structure of our galaxy", said Frederic Schuller from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, leader of the ATLASGAL team. The area of the new submillimetre map is approximately 95 square degrees, covering a very long and narrow strip along the galactic plane two degrees wide (four times the width of the full Moon) and over 40 degrees long. The 16 000 pixel-long map was made with the LABOCA submillimetre

Survival of Extremely Premature Infants at the Largest MOH Referral Hospital in UAE: Comparable Results to Developed Countries

OpenAIRE

YASEEN, Hakam; YASEEN, Hoda

2010-01-01

Objective: to investigate the survival rate of extreme premature infants born between 2000 and 2008 at AL Qassimi hospital that is the largest Ministry of Health (MOH) referral hospital in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).Methods: This was an institutional review board approved retrospective study of the outcomes of pregnancies in women who were in labor and delivered between 23 and 25 weeks' completed gestation at Al Qassimi Hospital in the Emirate of Sharjah between January 1,2000 and De...

Surface characterization of III-V MOCVD films from heterocyclic single-source precursors; Oberflaechencharakterisierung von III-V MOCVD-Filmen aus heterozyklischen Single Source Precursoren

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seemayer, Andreas

2009-07-13

In the present thesis the sublimation and evaporation properties of heterocyclic gallium and antimony containing single-source precursors as well as the chemical composition and morphology of the films fabricated from this were studied. The single-source precursors available by a new synthesis route were characterized concerning their evaporation properties and the obtained films studied surface-physically. By this way the process parameters were optimized and the applicability of the single-source precursors in HV-MOCVD processes studied. By evaporation experiments in the UHV it could be shown that thereby lighter ligands like ethyl- and methyl-groups lead to a lower contamination of the reaction space with carbon containing molecules. Furthermore it was expected that the 6-rings synthetized with short ligands exhibit a high stability. This however could not be confirmed. By unwanted parasitary reactions in the gaseous phase respectively dissociative sublimation in the gaseous phase a deposition of GaSb with these precursors was not possible. The 4-ring stabilized with tertiary-butyl and ethyl-groups caused in the evaporation the largest contamination of the gaseous phase, becauselonger-chain hydrocarbons exhibil only a bad pump cross section. By parasitary reactions originating elementary antimony is detectable in the gaseous phase. The films were studied concerning their chemical composition and their transport- respectively storage-conditioned surface contamination. Furthermore it has become clear that not only a purely synthetized precursor substance but also the reactor design is deciding for a successful deposition and a high film quality. First by successive optimization of the evaporation geometry it was possible to reduce the roughness of the produced GaSb films down to about 10 nm-30 nm.

Techniques and processes for the measurement of the resonances of small single crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Migliori, A.; Stekel, A.; Sarrao, J.L.; Visscher, W.M.; Bell, T.; Lei, M.

1991-01-01

The mechanical resonances of small oriented single crystals of materials of interest to basic science and engineering can be used to determine all the elastic moduli and the ultrasonic attenuation of these materials. To measure the resonances of the samples without introducing the resonances of the measuring system requires that the transducers be non-resonant at the frequencies of interest, and that they be well isolated from their mounts. However, for samples near 1 mm in the largest dimension, the transducer design problem becomes sever, and the signals become weak. In addition, no resonances can be missed, and, often, the symmetry class of the resonances must be known. We outline here appropriate transducer, electronics, and system designs to circumvent these problems. 10 refs., 4 figs

Characterization of the largest relic Eurasian wild grapevine reservoir in Southern Iberian Peninsula

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arroyo-García, R.; Cantos, M.; Lara, M.; López, M.A.; Gallardo, A.; Ocete, C.A.; Pérez, A.; Bánáti, B.; García, J.L.; Ocete, R.

2016-11-01

Wild grapevine is becoming a threatened species in the Iberian Peninsula due to human impacts. The aim of this work was to carry out a holistic study for six years of the largest wild grapevine population found up to date in SW Iberian Peninsula. This population has 115 vines. Ampelographic and soil characteristics have been studied. Evaluation of its environment has also been studied by describing the main parasitic species and natural enemies of pests. The ability of this plant material for its micropropagation and storage in slow-growth conditions has been tested. Microvinification resulted in a wine with good acidity and medium color intensity, two interesting characteristics under a warm climatology. Finally, the identification of private alleles in this wild population, absent in other locations from the Northern and Southern Iberian territories, is a very valuable feature and confirms the importance of establishing conservation programs. The population here studied is genetically unique and potentially useful for commercial rootstocks and cultivars breeding that would improve viticulture and enology. (Author)

Optimization of mass spectrometric parameters improve the identification performance of capillary zone electrophoresis for single-shot bottom-up proteomics analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhenbin; Dovichi, Norman J

2018-02-25

The effects of MS1 injection time, MS2 injection time, dynamic exclusion time, intensity threshold, and isolation width were investigated on the numbers of peptide and protein identifications for single-shot bottom-up proteomics analysis using CZE-MS/MS analysis of a Xenopus laevis tryptic digest. An electrokinetically pumped nanospray interface was used to couple a linear-polyacrylamide coated capillary to a Q Exactive HF mass spectrometer. A sensitive method that used a 1.4 Th isolation width, 60,000 MS2 resolution, 110 ms MS2 injection time, and a top 7 fragmentation produced the largest number of identifications when the CZE loading amount was less than 100 ng. A programmable autogain control method (pAGC) that used a 1.4 Th isolation width, 15,000 MS2 resolution, 110 ms MS2 injection time, and top 10 fragmentation produced the largest number of identifications for CZE loading amounts greater than 100 ng; 7218 unique peptides and 1653 protein groups were identified from 200 ng by using the pAGC method. The effect of mass spectrometer conditions on the performance of UPLC-MS/MS was also investigated. A fast method that used a 1.4 Th isolation width, 30,000 MS2 resolution, 45 ms MS2 injection time, and top 12 fragmentation produced the largest number of identifications for 200 ng UPLC loading amount (6025 unique peptides and 1501 protein groups). This is the first report where the identification number for CZE surpasses that of the UPLC at the 200 ng loading level. However, more peptides (11476) and protein groups (2378) were identified by using UPLC-MS/MS when the sample loading amount was increased to 2 μg with the fast method. To exploit the fast scan speed of the Q-Exactive HF mass spectrometer, higher sample loading amounts are required for single-shot bottom-up proteomics analysis using CZE-MS/MS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

New alkali-metal- and 2-phenethylamine-intercalated superconductors Ax(C8H11N)yFe1-zSe (A = Li, Na) with the largest interlayer spacings and Tc ∼ 40 K

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hatakeda, Takehiro; Noji, Takashi; Sato, Kazuki; Kawamata, Takayuki; Kato, Masatsune; Koike, Yoji

2016-01-01

New FeSe-based intercalation superconductors, A x (C 8 H 11 N) y Fe 1-z Se (A = Li, Na), with T c = 39-44 K have been successfully synthesized via the intercalation of alkali metals and 2-phenethylamine into FeSe. The interlayer spacings, namely, the distances between neighboring Fe layers, d, of A x (C 8 H 11 N) y Fe 1-z Se (A = Li, Na) are 19.04(6) and 18.0(1) Å, respectively. These d values are the largest among those of the FeSe-based intercalation compounds and are understood to be due to the intercalation of two molecules of 2-phenethylamine in series perpendicular to the FeSe layers. It appears that the relationship between T c and d in the FeSe-based intercalation superconductors is not domic but T c is saturated at ∼45 K, which is comparable to the T c values of single-layer FeSe films, for d ≥ 9 Å. (author)

Distribution and Modeled Transport of Plastic Pollution in the Great Lakes, the World's Largest Freshwater Resource

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel N. Cable

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Most plastic pollution originates on land. As such, freshwater bodies serve as conduits for the transport of plastic litter to the ocean. Understanding the concentrations and fluxes of plastic litter in freshwater ecosystems is critical to our understanding of the global plastic litter budget and underpins the success of future management strategies. We conducted a replicated field survey of surface plastic concentrations in four lakes in the North American Great Lakes system, the largest contiguous freshwater system on the planet. We then modeled plastic transport to resolve spatial and temporal variability of plastic distribution in one of the Great Lakes, Lake Erie. Triplicate surface samples were collected at 38 stations in mid-summer of 2014. Plastic particles >106 μm in size were quantified. Concentrations were highest near populated urban areas and their water infrastructure. In the highest concentration trawl, nearly 2 million fragments km−2 were found in the Detroit River—dwarfing previous reports of Great Lakes plastic abundances by over 4-fold. Yet, the accuracy of single trawl counts was challenged: within-station plastic abundances varied 0- to 3-fold between replicate trawls. In the smallest size class (106–1,000 μm, false positive rates of 12–24% were determined analytically for plastic vs. non-plastic, while false negative rates averaged ~18%. Though predicted to form in summer by the existing Lake Erie circulation model, our transport model did not predict a permanent surface “Lake Erie Garbage Patch” in its central basin—a trend supported by field survey data. Rather, general eastward transport with recirculation in the major basins was predicted. Further, modeled plastic residence times were drastically influenced by plastic buoyancy. Neutrally buoyant plastics—those with the same density as the ambient water—were flushed several times slower than plastics floating at the water's surface and exceeded the

Single-shot echo-planar imaging of multiple sclerosis: effects of varying echo time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolansky, L.J.; Chong, S.; Liu, W.C.; Kang, E.; Simpson, S.W.; Karimi, S.; Akbari, H.

1999-01-01

Our aim was to determine the relative merits of short and long echo times (TE) with single-shot echo-planar imaging for imaging cerebral lesions such as multiple sclerosis. We examined seven patients with clinically definite multiple sclerosis were imaged at 1.5 T. Patients were scanned with spin-echo, single-shot echo-planar imaging, using TEs of 45, 75, 105, and 135 ms. Region of interest (ROI) measurements were performed on 36 lesions at or above the level of the corona radiata. The mean image contrast (IC) was highest (231.1) for a TE of 45 ms, followed by 75 ms (218.9), 105 ms (217.9), and 135 ms (191.6). When mean contrast-to-noise ratios (C/N) were compared, the value was again highest (29.7) for TE 45 ms, followed by 75 ms (28.9), 105 ms (28.5), and 135 ms (26.3). In a lesion-by-lesion comparison, TE 45 ms had the highest IC and C/N in the largest number of cases (50 % and 47.2 %, respectively). IC and C/N for TE 45 ms were superior to those of 75 ms in 64 % and 58 %, respectively. These results support the use of relatively short TEs for single-shot echo-planar imaging in the setting of cerebral lesions such as multiple sclerosis. (orig.) (orig.)

HIDE & SEEK: End-to-end packages to simulate and process radio survey data

Science.gov (United States)

Akeret, J.; Seehars, S.; Chang, C.; Monstein, C.; Amara, A.; Refregier, A.

2017-01-01

As several large single-dish radio surveys begin operation within the coming decade, a wealth of radio data will become available and provide a new window to the Universe. In order to fully exploit the potential of these datasets, it is important to understand the systematic effects associated with the instrument and the analysis pipeline. A common approach to tackle this is to forward-model the entire system-from the hardware to the analysis of the data products. For this purpose, we introduce two newly developed, open-source Python packages: the HI Data Emulator (HIDE) and the Signal Extraction and Emission Kartographer (SEEK) for simulating and processing single-dish radio survey data. HIDE forward-models the process of collecting astronomical radio signals in a single-dish radio telescope instrument and outputs pixel-level time-ordered-data. SEEK processes the time-ordered-data, removes artifacts from Radio Frequency Interference (RFI), automatically applies flux calibration, and aims to recover the astronomical radio signal. The two packages can be used separately or together depending on the application. Their modular and flexible nature allows easy adaptation to other instruments and datasets. We describe the basic architecture of the two packages and examine in detail the noise and RFI modeling in HIDE, as well as the implementation of gain calibration and RFI mitigation in SEEK. We then apply HIDE &SEEK to forward-model a Galactic survey in the frequency range 990-1260 MHz based on data taken at the Bleien Observatory. For this survey, we expect to cover 70% of the full sky and achieve a median signal-to-noise ratio of approximately 5-6 in the cleanest channels including systematic uncertainties. However, we also point out the potential challenges of high RFI contamination and baseline removal when examining the early data from the Bleien Observatory. The fully documented HIDE &SEEK packages are available at http://hideseek.phys.ethz.ch/ and are published

Fluctuations in the size of the largest projectile fragment produced in 1 GeV/nucleon Au + C collisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warren, P.; Elliott, J.B.; Gilkes, M.L.; Hauger, A.; Hirsch, A.S.

1993-01-01

Large fluctuations in quantities such as density are characteristic of critical phenomena in the neighborhood of the critical point. Using the EOS apparatus at the Bevalac, we have performed an exclusive experiment in which the size of the largest projectile fragment produced in 1 GeV/nucleon Au+C collisions is studied as a function of the charged multiplicity of the event. A peak in the fluctuations is expected at the critical multiplicity. The data are compared to a percolation model and a statistical multifragmentation model

Genome of Phaeocystis globosa virus PgV-16T highlights the common ancestry of the largest known DNA viruses infecting eukaryotes

Science.gov (United States)

Santini, Sebastien; Jeudy, Sandra; Bartoli, Julia; Poirot, Olivier; Lescot, Magali; Abergel, Chantal; Barbe, Valérie; Wommack, K. Eric; Noordeloos, Anna A. M.; Brussaard, Corina P. D.; Claverie, Jean-Michel

2013-01-01

Large dsDNA viruses are involved in the population control of many globally distributed species of eukaryotic phytoplankton and have a prominent role in bloom termination. The genus Phaeocystis (Haptophyta, Prymnesiophyceae) includes several high-biomass-forming phytoplankton species, such as Phaeocystis globosa, the blooms of which occur mostly in the coastal zone of the North Atlantic and the North Sea. Here, we report the 459,984-bp-long genome sequence of P. globosa virus strain PgV-16T, encoding 434 proteins and eight tRNAs and, thus, the largest fully sequenced genome to date among viruses infecting algae. Surprisingly, PgV-16T exhibits no phylogenetic affinity with other viruses infecting microalgae (e.g., phycodnaviruses), including those infecting Emiliania huxleyi, another ubiquitous bloom-forming haptophyte. Rather, PgV-16T belongs to an emerging clade (the Megaviridae) clustering the viruses endowed with the largest known genomes, including Megavirus, Mimivirus (both infecting acanthamoeba), and a virus infecting the marine microflagellate grazer Cafeteria roenbergensis. Seventy-five percent of the best matches of PgV-16T–predicted proteins correspond to two viruses [Organic Lake phycodnavirus (OLPV)1 and OLPV2] from a hypersaline lake in Antarctica (Organic Lake), the hosts of which are unknown. As for OLPVs and other Megaviridae, the PgV-16T sequence data revealed the presence of a virophage-like genome. However, no virophage particle was detected in infected P. globosa cultures. The presence of many genes found only in Megaviridae in its genome and the presence of an associated virophage strongly suggest that PgV-16T shares a common ancestry with the largest known dsDNA viruses, the host range of which already encompasses the earliest diverging branches of domain Eukarya. PMID:23754393

Enhanced natural radiation exposure enhanced by human activity: the largest contributor to the Chinese population dose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan Ziqiang; Liu Yanyang

2011-01-01

For the radiation exposure caused by human activities, the enhanced natural radiation exposure is the largest contributor to Chinese population dose. This problem has attracted social attention in recent years. Efforts have been made in several fields, such as radon indoors and in workplace, environmental problems associated with NORMs, occupational radiation hazards of non-uranium mine, and radiation dose evaluation for energy chain, but there are still many problems to be solved. In order to protect the health of workers and the public, while ensuring industrial production and economic development, it is also necessary to continue to strengthen research in all aspects above mentioned, and gradually promote the control of natural radiation exposure enhanced by human activities. (authors)

Sex- and age-related differences in half-marathon performance and competitiveness in the world's largest half-marathon - the GöteborgsVarvet.

Science.gov (United States)

Knechtle, B; Nikolaidis, P T

2018-01-01

In road runners, the age-related performance decline has been well investigated for marathoners, but little is known for half-marathoners. We analysed data from 138,616 runners (48,148 women and 90,469 men) competing between 2014 and 2016 in GöteborgsVarvet, the world's largest half-marathon. The men-to-women ratio in participants increased with age, the fastest race times were observed in age groups ˂35 and 35-39 years in women and in age group 35-39 years in men, the main effect of sex and the sex × age group interaction on race time were trivial, and the competitiveness was denser in men and in the younger age groups. In summary, in half-marathon running in the largest half-marathon in the world, the GöteborgsVarvet, women achieved the fastest race time at an earlier age compared to men where the fastest race times were observed in women in age groups ˂35 and 35-39 years and in men in age group 35-39 years.

Bedrock Canyons Carved by the Largest Known Floods on Earth and Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Lamb, M. P.; Lapôtre, M. G. A.; Larsen, I. J.; Williams, R. M. E.

2017-12-01

The surface of Earth is a dynamic and permeable interface where the rocky crust is sculpted by ice, wind and water resulting in spectacular mountain ranges, vast depositional basins and environments that support life. These landforms and deposits contain a rich, yet incomplete, record of Earth history that we are just beginning to understand. Some of the most dramatic landforms are the huge bedrock canyons carved by catastrophic floods. On Mars, similar bedrock canyons, known as Outflow Channels, are the most important indicators of large volumes of surface water in the past. Despite their importance and now decades of observations of canyon morphology, we lack a basic understanding of how the canyons formed, which limits our ability to reconstruct flood discharge, duration and water volume. In this presentation I will summarize recent work - using mechanistic numerical models and field observations - that suggests that bedrock canyons carved by megafloods rapidly evolve to a size and shape such that boundary shear stresses just exceed that required to entrain fractured blocks of rock. The threshold shear stress constraint allows for quantitative reconstruction of the largest known floods on Earth and Mars, and implies far smaller discharges than previous methods that assume flood waters fully filled the canyons to high water marks.

Single-particle characterization of the high-Arctic summertime aerosol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Sierau

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Single-particle mass-spectrometric measurements were carried out in the high Arctic north of 80° during summer 2008. The campaign took place onboard the icebreaker Oden and was part of the Arctic Summer Cloud Ocean Study (ASCOS. The instrument deployed was an aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS that provides information on the chemical composition of individual particles and their mixing state in real time. Aerosols were sampled in the marine boundary layer at stations in the open ocean, in the marginal ice zone, and in the pack ice region. The largest fraction of particles detected for subsequent analysis in the size range of the ATOFMS between approximately 200 and 3000 nm in diameter showed mass-spectrometric patterns, indicating an internal mixing state and a biomass burning and/or biofuel source. The majority of these particles were connected to an air mass layer of elevated particle concentration mixed into the surface mixed layer from the upper part of the marine boundary layer. The second largest fraction was represented by sea salt particles. The chemical analysis of the over-ice sea salt aerosol revealed tracer compounds that reflect chemical aging of the particles during their long-range advection from the marginal ice zone, or open waters south thereof prior to detection at the ship. From our findings we conclude that long-range transport of particles is one source of aerosols in the high Arctic. To assess the importance of long-range particle sources for aerosol–cloud interactions over the inner Arctic in comparison to local and regional biogenic primary aerosol sources, the chemical composition of the detected particles was analyzed for indicators of marine biological origin. Only a minor fraction showed chemical signatures of potentially ocean-derived primary particles of that kind. However, a chemical bias in the ATOFMS's detection capabilities observed during ASCOS might suggest the presence of a particle type of

Single-particle characterization of the high-Arctic summertime aerosol

Science.gov (United States)

Sierau, B.; Chang, R. Y.-W.; Leck, C.; Paatero, J.; Lohmann, U.

2014-07-01

Single-particle mass-spectrometric measurements were carried out in the high Arctic north of 80° during summer 2008. The campaign took place onboard the icebreaker Oden and was part of the Arctic Summer Cloud Ocean Study (ASCOS). The instrument deployed was an aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS) that provides information on the chemical composition of individual particles and their mixing state in real time. Aerosols were sampled in the marine boundary layer at stations in the open ocean, in the marginal ice zone, and in the pack ice region. The largest fraction of particles detected for subsequent analysis in the size range of the ATOFMS between approximately 200 and 3000 nm in diameter showed mass-spectrometric patterns, indicating an internal mixing state and a biomass burning and/or biofuel source. The majority of these particles were connected to an air mass layer of elevated particle concentration mixed into the surface mixed layer from the upper part of the marine boundary layer. The second largest fraction was represented by sea salt particles. The chemical analysis of the over-ice sea salt aerosol revealed tracer compounds that reflect chemical aging of the particles during their long-range advection from the marginal ice zone, or open waters south thereof prior to detection at the ship. From our findings we conclude that long-range transport of particles is one source of aerosols in the high Arctic. To assess the importance of long-range particle sources for aerosol-cloud interactions over the inner Arctic in comparison to local and regional biogenic primary aerosol sources, the chemical composition of the detected particles was analyzed for indicators of marine biological origin. Only a minor fraction showed chemical signatures of potentially ocean-derived primary particles of that kind. However, a chemical bias in the ATOFMS's detection capabilities observed during ASCOS might suggest the presence of a particle type of unknown composition

Single-particle characterization of the High Arctic summertime aerosol

Science.gov (United States)

Sierau, B.; Chang, R. Y.-W.; Leck, C.; Paatero, J.; Lohmann, U.

2014-01-01

Single-particle mass spectrometric measurements were carried out in the High Arctic north of 80° during summer 2008. The campaign took place onboard the icebreaker Oden and was part of the Arctic Summer Cloud Ocean Study (ASCOS). The instrument deployed was an Aerosol Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (ATOFMS) that provides information on the chemical composition of individual particles and their mixing state in real-time. Aerosols were sampled in the marine boundary layer at stations in the open ocean, in the marginal ice zone, and in the pack ice region. The largest fraction of particles detected for subsequent analysis in the size range of the ATOFMS between approximately 200 nm to 3000 nm in diameter showed mass spectrometric patterns indicating an internal mixing state and a biomass burning and/or biofuel source. The majority of these particles were connected to an air mass layer of elevated particle concentration mixed into the surface mixed layer from the upper part of the marine boundary layer. The second largest fraction was represented by sea salt particles. The chemical analysis of the over-ice sea salt aerosol revealed tracer compounds that reflect chemical aging of the particles during their long-range advection from the marginal ice zone, or open waters south thereof prior to detection at the ship. From our findings we conclude that long-range transport of particles is one source of aerosols in the High Arctic. To assess the importance of long-range particle sources for aerosol-cloud interactions over the inner Arctic in comparison to local and regional biogenic primary aerosol sources, the chemical composition of the detected particles was analyzed for indicators of marine biological origin. Only a~minor fraction showed chemical signatures of potentially ocean-derived primary particles of that kind. However, a chemical bias in the ATOFMS's detection capabilities observed during ASCOS might suggest a presence of a particle type of unknown composition

The 10 largest public and philanthropic funders of health research in the world: what they fund and how they distribute their funds

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Viergever, R.F.; Hendriks, T.C.

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: Little is known about who the main public and philanthropic funders of health research are globally, what they fund and how they decide what gets funded. This study aims to identify the 10 largest public and philanthropic health research funding organizations in the world, to report on

Development of the Aquarius Antenna Deployment Mechanisms and Spring/Damper Actuator

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Joel A.

2008-01-01

The Aquarius Instrument s large radar reflector dish needed to be stowed for launch, and then deployed on-orbit. The Deployment Subsystem consisted of a cantilevered boom structure and two single-axis hinge mechanisms to accurately deploy and position the reflector dish relative to the radar feed horns. The cantilevered design demanded high stiffness and accuracy from the deployment mechanism at the root of the boom. A preload-generating end-of-travel latch was also required. To largely eliminate the need for control systems, each deployment mechanism was actuated by a passive spring motor with viscous-fluid damping. Tough requirements and adaptation of a heritage actuator to the new application resulted in numerous challenges. Fabrication, assembly, and testing encountered additional problems, though ultimately the system was demonstrated very successfully. This paper revisits the development to highlight which design concepts worked and the many important lessons learned.

Reconstructing the population history of the largest tribe of India: the Dravidian speaking Gond.

Science.gov (United States)

Chaubey, Gyaneshwer; Tamang, Rakesh; Pennarun, Erwan; Dubey, Pavan; Rai, Niraj; Upadhyay, Rakesh Kumar; Meena, Rajendra Prasad; Patel, Jayanti R; van Driem, George; Thangaraj, Kumarasamy; Metspalu, Mait; Villems, Richard

2017-04-01

The Gond comprise the largest tribal group of India with a population exceeding 12 million. Linguistically, the Gond belong to the Gondi-Manda subgroup of the South Central branch of the Dravidian language family. Ethnographers, anthropologists and linguists entertain mutually incompatible hypotheses on their origin. Genetic studies of these people have thus far suffered from the low resolution of the genetic data or the limited number of samples. Therefore, to gain a more comprehensive view on ancient ancestry and genetic affinities of the Gond with the neighbouring populations speaking Indo-European, Dravidian and Austroasiatic languages, we have studied four geographically distinct groups of Gond using high-resolution data. All the Gond groups share a common ancestry with a certain degree of isolation and differentiation. Our allele frequency and haplotype-based analyses reveal that the Gond share substantial genetic ancestry with the Indian Austroasiatic (ie, Munda) groups, rather than with the other Dravidian groups to whom they are most closely related linguistically.

A marine heatwave drives massive losses from the world’s largest seagrass carbon stocks

KAUST Repository

Arias-Ortiz, A.

2018-03-29

Seagrass ecosystems contain globally significant organic carbon (C) stocks. However, climate change and increasing frequency of extreme events threaten their preservation. Shark Bay, Western Australia, has the largest C stock reported for a seagrass ecosystem, containing up to 1.3% of the total C stored within the top metre of seagrass sediments worldwide. On the basis of field studies and satellite imagery, we estimate that 36% of Shark Bay’s seagrass meadows were damaged following a marine heatwave in 2010/2011. Assuming that 10 to 50% of the seagrass sediment C stock was exposed to oxic conditions after disturbance, between 2 and 9 Tg CO could have been released to the atmosphere during the following three years, increasing emissions from land-use change in Australia by 4–21% per annum. With heatwaves predicted to increase with further climate warming, conservation of seagrass ecosystems is essential to avoid adverse feedbacks on the climate system.

Invasive fish species in the largest lakes of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England: the collective U.K. experience

OpenAIRE

Winfield, I.J.; Fletcher, J.M.; James, J.B.

2011-01-01

An invasive species is defined as an alien (or introduced or non-native) species whose establishment and spread threaten ecosystems, habitats or species with harm. Such threats to UK lake fish communities have long been appreciated and this review assembles case histories, including new data, from the largest lakes of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England to examine the hypothesis that at least some of these introductions have become invasive. Loch Lomond in Scotland has experienced s...

Psychiatry in a Dish

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ilieva, Mirolyba; Fex Svenningsen, Åsa; Thorsen, Morten

2018-01-01

, disturbances in cell-cell communication, and an unbalanced ratio between certain neuronal populations. All those processes are highly dependent on the interconnectivity and three-dimensional organizations of the brain. Moreover, in order to gain a deeper understanding of the complex neurobiology of autism......Autism spectrum disorders are a group of pervasive neurodevelopmental conditions with heterogeneous etiology, characterized by deficits in social cognition, communication, and behavioral flexibility. Despite an increasing scientific effort to find the pathophysiological explanations for the disease...

From soil to dish

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Preuthun, J.; Brink, M.; Rantavaara, A.; Runolfsson, H.; Salbu, B.

1997-12-01

EKO-3,4 is the first step towards a regular Nordic cooperation within nuclear emergency preparedness in the area of agriculture and foodstuffs. A collective Nordic handbook concerning limitation of nuclear release consequences in agriculture and food products is in preparation. Maximum permissible doses in foodstuffs, administrative procedures in case of a nuclear accident, the communication system among the respective national emergency centers, are a few examples of problems the handbook would cover. (EG)

Dish/stirling hybrid-receiver

Science.gov (United States)

Mehos, Mark S.; Anselmo, Kenneth M.; Moreno, James B.; Andraka, Charles E.; Rawlinson, K. Scott; Corey, John; Bohn, Mark S.

2002-01-01

A hybrid high-temperature solar receiver is provided which comprises a solar heat-pipe-receiver including a front dome having a solar absorber surface for receiving concentrated solar energy, a heat pipe wick, a rear dome, a sidewall joining the front and the rear dome, and a vapor and a return liquid tube connecting to an engine, and a fossil fuel fired combustion system in radial integration with the sidewall for simultaneous operation with the solar heat pipe receiver, the combustion system comprising an air and fuel pre-mixer, an outer cooling jacket for tangentially introducing and cooling the mixture, a recuperator for preheating the mixture, a burner plenum having an inner and an outer wall, a porous cylindrical metal matrix burner firing radially inward facing a sodium vapor sink, the mixture ignited downstream of the matrix forming combustion products, an exhaust plenum, a fossil-fuel heat-input surface having an outer surface covered with a pin-fin array, the combustion products flowing through the array to give up additional heat to the receiver, and an inner surface covered with an extension of the heat-pipe wick, a pin-fin shroud sealed to the burner and exhaust plenums, an end seal, a flue-gas diversion tube and a flue-gas valve for use at off-design conditions to limit the temperature of the pre-heated air and fuel mixture, preventing pre-ignition.

Study of the temperature evolution of defect agglomerates in neutron irradiated molybdenum single crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lambri, O.A.; Zelada-Lambri, G.I.; Cuello, G.J.; Bozzano, P.B.; Garcia, J.A.

2009-01-01

Small angle neutron scattering as a function of temperature, differential thermal analysis, electrical resistivity and transmission electron microscopy studies have been performed in low rate neutron irradiated single crystalline molybdenum, at room temperature, for checking the evolution of the defects agglomerates in the temperature interval between room temperature and 1200 K. The onset of vacancies mobility was found to happen in temperatures within the stage III of recovery. At around 550 K, the agglomerates of vacancies achieve the largest size, as determined from the Guinier approximation for spherical particles. In addition, the decrease of the vacancy concentration together with the dissolution of the agglomerates at temperatures higher than around 920 K was observed, which produce the release of internal stresses in the structure.

Study of the temperature evolution of defect agglomerates in neutron irradiated molybdenum single crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lambri, O.A. [Instituto de Fisica Rosario. Member of the CONICET' s Research Staff, Avda. Pellegrini 250, (2000) Rosario, Santa Fe (Argentina); Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Ingenieria y Agrimensura, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Laboratorio de Materiales, Escuela de Ingenieria Electrica, Avda. Pellegrini 250, (2000) Rosario, Santa Fe (Argentina)], E-mail: olambri@fceia.unr.edu.ar; Zelada-Lambri, G.I. [Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Ingenieria y Agrimensura, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Laboratorio de Materiales, Escuela de Ingenieria Electrica, Avda. Pellegrini 250, (2000) Rosario, Santa Fe (Argentina); Cuello, G.J. [Institut Laue Langevin, 6, rue Jules Horowitz, BP 156, 38042 Grenoble (France); Departamento de Fisica Aplicada II, Facultad de Ciencias y Tecnologia, Universidad del Pais Vasco, Apdo. 644, 48080 Bilbao, Pais Vasco (Spain); Bozzano, P.B. [Laboratorio de Microscopia Electronica. Unidad de Actividad Materiales, Centro Atomico Constituyentes, Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, Avda. Gral. Paz 1499, (1650) San Martin (Argentina); Garcia, J.A. [Departamento de Fisica Aplicada II, Facultad de Ciencias y Tecnologia, Universidad del Pais Vasco, Apdo. 644, 48080 Bilbao, Pais Vasco (Spain)

2009-04-15

Small angle neutron scattering as a function of temperature, differential thermal analysis, electrical resistivity and transmission electron microscopy studies have been performed in low rate neutron irradiated single crystalline molybdenum, at room temperature, for checking the evolution of the defects agglomerates in the temperature interval between room temperature and 1200 K. The onset of vacancies mobility was found to happen in temperatures within the stage III of recovery. At around 550 K, the agglomerates of vacancies achieve the largest size, as determined from the Guinier approximation for spherical particles. In addition, the decrease of the vacancy concentration together with the dissolution of the agglomerates at temperatures higher than around 920 K was observed, which produce the release of internal stresses in the structure.

The value of blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD MR imaging in differentiation of renal solid mass and grading of renal cell carcinoma (RCC: analysis based on the largest cross-sectional area versus the entire whole tumour.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guang-Yu Wu

Full Text Available To study the value of assessing renal masses using different methods in parameter approaches and to determine whether BOLD MRI is helpful in differentiating RCC from benign renal masses, differentiating clear-cell RCC from renal masses other than clear-cell RCC and determining the tumour grade.Ninety-five patients with 139 renal masses (93 malignant and 46 benign who underwent abdominal BOLD MRI were enrolled. R2* values were derived from the largest cross-section (R2*largest and from the whole tumour (R2*whole. Intra-observer and inter-observer agreements were analysed based on two measurements by the same observer and the first measurement from each observer, respectively, and these agreements are reported with intra-class correlation coefficients and 95% confidence intervals. The diagnostic value of the R2* value in the evaluation was assessed with receiver-operating characteristic analysis.The intra-observer agreement was very good for R2*largest and R2*whole (all > 0.8. The inter-observer agreement of R2*whole (0.75, 95% confidence interval: 0.69~0.79 was good and was significantly improved compared with the R2*largest (0.61, 95% confidence interval: 0.52~0.68, as there was no overlap in the 95% confidence interval of the intra-class correlation coefficients. The diagnostic value in differentiating renal cell carcinoma from benign lesions with R2*whole (AUC=0.79/0.78[observer1/observer2] and R2*largest (AUC=0.75[observer1] was good and significantly higher (p=0.01 for R2*largest[observer2] vs R2*whole[observer2], p 0.7 and were not significantly different (p=0.89/0.93 for R2*largest vs R2*whole[observer1/observer2], 0.96 for R2*whole[observer1] vs R2*largest[observer2] and 0.96 for R2*whole [observer2] vs R2*largest[observer1].BOLD MRI could provide a feasible parameter for differentiating renal cell carcinoma from benign renal masses and for predicting clear-cell renal cell carcinoma grading. Compared with the largest cross

Getting the Big Picture: Design Considerations for a ngVLA Short Spacing Array

Science.gov (United States)

Mason, Brian Scott; Cotton, William; Condon, James; Kepley, Amanda; Selina, Rob; Murphy, Eric Joseph

2018-01-01

The Next Generation VLA (ngVLA) aims to provide a revolutionary increase in cm-wavelength collecting area and sensitivity while at the same time providing excellent image fidelity for a broad spectrum of science cases. Likely ngVLA configurations currently envisioned provide sensitivity over a very wide range of spatial scales. The antenna diameter (notionally 18 meters) fundamentally limits the largest angular scales that can be reached. One simple and powerful way to image larger angular scales is to build a complementary interferometer comprising a smaller number of smaller-diameter dishes.We have investigated the requirements that such an array would need to meet in order to usefully scientifically complement the ngVLA; this poster presents the results of our investigation.

Ketupat as traditional food of Indonesian culture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angelina Rianti

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Indonesia has very diverse cultures and traditions. The majority of Indonesians are Muslims; therefore, Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. Cultures are strongly associated with religion; one of them is the Indonesian tradition of eating ketupat during Eid Al-Fitr. Ketupat is a dish made from rice and is wrapped in young coconut leaves woven in a diamond shape. Ketupat was first introduced by an Indonesian theologian named Sunan Kalijaga who was an important figure for Muslims in Java. But, eventually, the culture of consuming ketupat only during the Eid Al-Fitr is no longer prevalent. Every region in Indonesia began to have its own distinctive culture in preparing and serving ketupat. Keywords: Culture, Eid, Indonesian, ketupat, Muslim

Eating out

Science.gov (United States)

... dishes that are steamed without added oil or sugar. Limit dishes made with sweet and sour, hoisin, gravy, or other heavy sauces. Choose low-fat dishes that are lightly stir-fried, such as brown rice and Chinese vegetables with seafood, chicken, or ...

Does gender affect funding success at the peer-to-peer credit markets? Evidence from the largest German lending platform

OpenAIRE

Barasinska, Nataliya; Schäfer, Dorothea

2010-01-01

Studies of peer-to-peer lending in the USA find that female borrowers have better chances of getting funds than males. Is differential treatment of borrowers of different sexes a common feature of peer-to-peer lendingmarkets or is it subject to specific businessmodels, ways of fixing loan contracts and even national financial systems? We aim at answering this question by providing evidence on loan procurement at the largest German peer-to-peer lending platform Smava.de. Our results show that ...

X-ray tube incorporating a rotating anode with magnetic bearings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

This patent describes an X-ray tube incorporating a rotating anode. The rotor consists of a single, soft-magnetic dish which is fixed on the axis and which seals the magnetic yoke of the stator. Looking in the direction of the axis, one side is equipped with two circular pole surfaces, one at least of which is provided with circular pole-shoes, separated from one another by concentric grooves. (T.P.)

Bubble nucleation in simple and molecular liquids via the largest spherical cavity method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez, Miguel A.; Abascal, José L. F.; Valeriani, Chantal; Bresme, Fernando

2015-01-01

In this work, we propose a methodology to compute bubble nucleation free energy barriers using trajectories generated via molecular dynamics simulations. We follow the bubble nucleation process by means of a local order parameter, defined by the volume of the largest spherical cavity (LSC) formed in the nucleating trajectories. This order parameter simplifies considerably the monitoring of the nucleation events, as compared with the previous approaches which require ad hoc criteria to classify the atoms and molecules as liquid or vapor. The combination of the LSC and the mean first passage time technique can then be used to obtain the free energy curves. Upon computation of the cavity distribution function the nucleation rate and free-energy barrier can then be computed. We test our method against recent computations of bubble nucleation in simple liquids and water at negative pressures. We obtain free-energy barriers in good agreement with the previous works. The LSC method provides a versatile and computationally efficient route to estimate the volume of critical bubbles the nucleation rate and to compute bubble nucleation free-energies in both simple and molecular liquids

'BioQuaRT' project: design of a novel in situ protocol for the simultaneous visualisation of chromosomal aberrations and micronuclei after irradiation at microbeam facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patrono, C.; Testa, A.; Monteiro Gil, O.; Giesen, U.; Langner, F.; Rabus, H.; Pinto, M.

2015-01-01

The aim of the 'BioQuaRT' (Biologically weighted Quantities in Radiotherapy) project is to develop measurement techniques for characterising charged particle track structure on different length scales, and to correlate at the cellular level the track structure properties with the biological effects of radiation. This multi-scale approach will allow characterisation of the radiation qualities used in radiotherapy and the related biological effects. Charged-particle microbeam facilities were chosen as the platforms for all radiobiology experiments in the 'BioQuaRT' project, because they allow targeting single cells (or compartments of a cell) with a predefined number of ionising particles and correlating the cell-by-cell induced damage with type and energy of the radiation and with the number of ions per cell. Within this project, a novel in situ protocol was developed for the analysis of the mis-repaired and/or unrepaired chromosome damage induced by charged-particle irradiations at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) ion microbeam facility. Among the cytogenetic biomarkers to detect and estimate radiation-induced DNA damage in radiobiology, chromosomal aberrations and micronuclei were chosen. The characteristics of the PTB irradiation system required the design of a special in situ assay: specific irradiation dishes with a base made from a bio-foil 25-μm thick and only 3000-4000 cells seeded and irradiated per dish. This method was developed on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, one of the most commonly used cell lines in radiobiology in vitro experiments. The present protocol allows the simultaneous scoring of chromosome aberrations and micronuclei on the same irradiated dish. Thanks to its versatility, this method could also be extended to other radiobiological applications besides the single-ion microbeam irradiations. (authors)

Enhanced migration of murine fibroblast-like 3T3-L1 preadipocytes on type I collagen-coated dish is reversed by silibinin treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiaoling; Xu, Qian; Liu, Weiwei; Yao, Guodong; Zhao, Yeli; Xu, Fanxing; Hayashi, Toshihiko; Fujisaki, Hitomi; Hattori, Shunji; Tashiro, Shin-Ichi; Onodera, Satoshi; Yamato, Masayuki; Ikejima, Takashi

2018-04-01

Migration of fibroblast-like preadipocytes is important for the development of adipose tissue, whereas excessive migration is often responsible for impaired adipose tissue related with obesity and fibrotic diseases. Type I collagen (collagen I) is the most abundant component of extracellular matrix and has been shown to regulate fibroblast migration in vitro, but its role in adipose tissue is not known. Silibinin is a bioactive natural flavonoid with antioxidant and antimetastasis activities. In this study, we found that type I collagen coating promoted the proliferation and migration of murine 3T3-L1 preadipocytes in a dose-dependent manner, implying that collagen I could be an extracellular signal. Regarding the mechanisms of collagen I-stimulated 3T3-L1 migration, we found that NF-κB p65 is activated, including the increased nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 as well as the upregulation of NF-κB p65 phosphorylation and acetylation, accompanied by the increased expressions of proinflammatory factors and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Reduction of collagen I-enhanced migration of cells by treatment with silibinin was associated with suppression of NF-κB p65 activity and ROS generation, and negatively correlated with the increasing sirt1 expression. Taken together, the enhanced migration of 3T3-L1 cells induced on collagen I-coated dish is mediated by the activation of NF-κB p65 function and ROS generation that can be alleviated with silibinin by upregulation of sirt1, leading to the repression of NF-κB p65 function and ROS generation.

Demand and supply of labour in the housing sector

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dol, C.P.; Doling, J.; Elsinga, M.; Horsewood, N.; Meijer, F.M.; Visscher, H.J.

2015-01-01

The housing sector is large and significant in all aspects of human life, making the task of the policy-maker especially complex. Homes constitute the largest single land use in the ‘built environment’, they are generally the largest single item of expenditure in household budgets and the largest

KEPLER-1647B: THE LARGEST AND LONGEST-PERIOD KEPLER TRANSITING CIRCUMBINARY PLANET

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kostov, Veselin B. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Mail Code 665, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Orosz, Jerome A.; Welsh, William F.; Short, Donald R. [Department of Astronomy, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182 (United States); Doyle, Laurance R. [SETI Institute, 189 Bernardo Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94043 (United States); Principia College, IMoP, One Maybeck Place, Elsah, IL 62028 (United States); Fabrycky, Daniel C. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago, 5640 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States); Haghighipour, Nader [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii-Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States); Quarles, Billy [Department of Physics and Physical Science, The University of Nebraska at Kearney, Kearney, NE 68849 (United States); Cochran, William D.; Endl, Michael [McDonald Observatory, The University of Texas as Austin, Austin, TX 78712-0259 (United States); Ford, Eric B. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, 428A Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Gregorio, Joao [Atalaia Group and Crow-Observatory, Portalegre (Portugal); Hinse, Tobias C. [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), Advanced Astronomy and Space Science Division, Daejeon 305-348 (Korea, Republic of); Isaacson, Howard [Department of Astronomy, University of California Berkeley, 501 Campbell Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Jenkins, Jon M. [NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States); Jensen, Eric L. N. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081 (United States); Kane, Stephen [Department of Physics and Astronomy, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132 (United States); Kull, Ilya, E-mail: veselin.b.kostov@nasa.gov [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv (Israel); and others

2016-08-10

We report the discovery of a new Kepler transiting circumbinary planet (CBP). This latest addition to the still-small family of CBPs defies the current trend of known short-period planets orbiting near the stability limit of binary stars. Unlike the previous discoveries, the planet revolving around the eclipsing binary system Kepler-1647 has a very long orbital period (∼1100 days) and was at conjunction only twice during the Kepler mission lifetime. Due to the singular configuration of the system, Kepler-1647b is not only the longest-period transiting CBP at the time of writing, but also one of the longest-period transiting planets. With a radius of 1.06 ± 0.01 R {sub Jup}, it is also the largest CBP to date. The planet produced three transits in the light curve of Kepler-1647 (one of them during an eclipse, creating a syzygy) and measurably perturbed the times of the stellar eclipses, allowing us to measure its mass, 1.52 ± 0.65 M {sub Jup}. The planet revolves around an 11-day period eclipsing binary consisting of two solar-mass stars on a slightly inclined, mildly eccentric ( e {sub bin} = 0.16), spin-synchronized orbit. Despite having an orbital period three times longer than Earth’s, Kepler-1647b is in the conservative habitable zone of the binary star throughout its orbit.

Monitoring coastal pollution associated with the largest oil refinery complex of Venezuela

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aldo Croquer

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This study evaluated pollution levels in water and sediments of Península de Paraguaná and related these levels with benthic macrofauna along a coastal area where the largest Venezuelan oil refineries have operated over the past 60 years. For this, the concentration of heavy metals, of hydrocarbon compounds and the community structure of the macrobenthos were examined at 20 sites distributed along 40 km of coastline for six consecutive years, which included windy and calm seasons. The spatial variability of organic and inorganic compounds showed considerably high coastal pollution along the study area, across both years and seasons. The southern sites, closest to the refineries, had consistently higher concentrations of heavy metals and organic compounds in water and sediments when compared to those in the north. The benthic community was dominated by polychaetes at all sites, seasons and years, and their abundance and distribution were significantly correlated with physical and chemical characteristics of the sediments. Sites close to the oil refineries were consistently dominated by families known to tolerate xenobiotics, such as Capitellidae and Spionidae. The results from this study highlight the importance of continuing long-term environmental monitoring programs to assess the impact of effluent discharge and spill events from the oil refineries that operate in the western coast of Paraguaná, Venezuela.

KEPLER-1647B: THE LARGEST AND LONGEST-PERIOD KEPLER TRANSITING CIRCUMBINARY PLANET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kostov, Veselin B.; Orosz, Jerome A.; Welsh, William F.; Short, Donald R.; Doyle, Laurance R.; Fabrycky, Daniel C.; Haghighipour, Nader; Quarles, Billy; Cochran, William D.; Endl, Michael; Ford, Eric B.; Gregorio, Joao; Hinse, Tobias C.; Isaacson, Howard; Jenkins, Jon M.; Jensen, Eric L. N.; Kane, Stephen; Kull, Ilya

2016-01-01

We report the discovery of a new Kepler transiting circumbinary planet (CBP). This latest addition to the still-small family of CBPs defies the current trend of known short-period planets orbiting near the stability limit of binary stars. Unlike the previous discoveries, the planet revolving around the eclipsing binary system Kepler-1647 has a very long orbital period (∼1100 days) and was at conjunction only twice during the Kepler mission lifetime. Due to the singular configuration of the system, Kepler-1647b is not only the longest-period transiting CBP at the time of writing, but also one of the longest-period transiting planets. With a radius of 1.06 ± 0.01 R Jup , it is also the largest CBP to date. The planet produced three transits in the light curve of Kepler-1647 (one of them during an eclipse, creating a syzygy) and measurably perturbed the times of the stellar eclipses, allowing us to measure its mass, 1.52 ± 0.65 M Jup . The planet revolves around an 11-day period eclipsing binary consisting of two solar-mass stars on a slightly inclined, mildly eccentric ( e bin = 0.16), spin-synchronized orbit. Despite having an orbital period three times longer than Earth’s, Kepler-1647b is in the conservative habitable zone of the binary star throughout its orbit.

De Hass-van Alphen and magnetoresistance reveal predominantly single-band transport behavior in PdTe2.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yongjian; Zhang, Jinglei; Zhu, Wenka; Zou, Youming; Xi, Chuanying; Ma, Long; Han, Tao; Yang, Jun; Wang, Jingrong; Xu, Junmin; Zhang, Lei; Pi, Li; Zhang, Changjin; Zhang, Yuheng

2016-08-12

Research on two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) has grown rapidly over the past several years, from fundamental studies to the development of next generation technologies. Recently, it has been reported that the MX2-type PdTe2 exhibits superconductivity with topological surface state, making this compound a promising candidate for investigating possible topological superconductivity. However, due to the multi-band feature of most of TMDs, the investigating of magnetoresistance and quantum oscillations of these TMDs proves to be quite complicated. Here we report a combined de Hass-van Alphen effect and magnetoresistance studies on the PdTe2 single crystal. Our high-field de Hass-van Alphen data measured at different temperature and different tilting angle suggest that though these is a well-defined multi-band feature, a predominant oscillation frequency has the largest oscillation magnitude in the fast Fourier transformation spectra, which is at least one order of magnitude larger than other oscillation frequencies. Thus it is likely that the transport behavior in PdTe2 system can be simplified into a single-band model. Meanwhile, the magnetoresistance results of the PdTe2 sample can be well-fitted according to the single-band models. The present results could be important in further investigation of the transport behaviors of two-dimensional TMDs.

A single incision transaxillary thoracoscopic sympathectomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marić Nebojša

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background/Aim. Primary hyperhidrosis causes are unknown. The disorder begins in early childhood. It intensifies in puberty and maturity. It is equally present in both sexes. The symptoms exacerbate when the body temperature rises and due to emotional stimuli affecting the sympathetic nerve system. The aim of this study was to demonstrate that videoassisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS sympathectomy is a method for primary focal hyperhidrosis permanent treatment. The single incision method in properly selected patients maximizes the intervention effectiveness and minimizes aesthetic side effects. Methods. This prospective study analysed the findings in patients who had been operated on due to primary focal hyperhidrosis (face, palms, and armpits using a single small transaxilarry incision in the third inter-rib space at the level of the anterior axillary line with two 5 mm flexible ports. All the patients, with T2-T5 thoracoscopic sympathectomy of the sympathetic chain using a single small incision in the third inter-rib space in the anterior axillary line, were analysed in the period from September 2009 to November 2010 regarding the postoperative morbidity and outcomes of the operation (clinical evaluation and visual analogue scale with a view to assessing the effectiveness of the surgery conducted in this manner. Results. A total of 47 patients (18 men, 29 women, 18 to 48 years old (29 on average had underwent 94 bilateral video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomies. The sympathectomy was indicated in cases of facial blushing and sweating (6.38%, palmary sweating (34.04%, axillary sweating (14.89% or both palmary and axillary sweating (44.68%. The largest percentage of patients (98.6% had left the hospital the following day. The postoperative 30 day’s mortality was 0 and the conversion into open surgery was not necessary. As for complications, there had been an occurrence of partial pneumothorax in two patients treated by means of

Review of the Design, Construction, and Coming Scientific Capabilities of the New Arecibo HF Facility

Science.gov (United States)

Sulzer, M. P.

2010-12-01

The design of the new Arecibo HF facility gives efficient illumination of the 305 meter dish without compromising the use of other feeds. When complete, it will provide 83 dbW at 8.175 MHz, and 80 dbW at 5.1 MHz. Illumination of the 305 meter dish uses dipoles near the surface of the dish transmitting upward to a sub-reflector that illuminates the main dish. There are three crossed dipoles for each of the two frequencies. Each dipole section is fed from one of six 100KW transmitters The sub-reflector will consist of a metal mesh with five foot openings, shaped approximately as a catenary rotated about a vertical axis, but actually hexagonal rather than circular at the top. It is held by cables from the three main towers. The dipoles will be supported on towers mounted on concrete pads underneath the dish. The dipole elements can be stowed along the tower sides between operational campaigns. The six towers, three for each frequency, pass through the surface of the dish, requiring the removal of two panels for each. Each dipole element is connected to a transmitter through a three inch coax line. The six transmitters are located in a steel building located several hundred feet from the 305 meter dish. The electrical substation that provides power to the transmitters and the heat exchangers which provide cooling are located outside this building. At this time, the six transmitters in the building are ready for the final wiring. The duct work for the air cooling is complete the the blowers are installed. The pipes for the water cooling are in place and connection to the pump located with the heat exchangers is underway. The trays for the coax lines have been installed from the transmitter building to underneath the dish. One line has been installed in order to verify that this can be done easily. The others will be installed when the civil work underneath the dish is complete. Four one MW generators are on site and being installed. These will provide a flexible and

Watching the Creation of Southern California's Largest Reservoir

Science.gov (United States)

2001-01-01

The new Diamond Valley Lake Reservoir near the city of Hemet in Riverside County is billed as the largest earthworks construction project in U.S.history. Construction began in 1995 and involved 31 million cubic meters of foundation excavation and 84 million cubic meters of embankment construction. This set of MISR images captures the most recent phase in the reservoir's activation. At the upper left is a natural-color view acquired by the instrument's vertical-viewing (nadir) camera on March 14, 2000 (Terra orbit 1273), shortly after the Metropolitan Water District began filling the reservoir with water from the Colorado River and Northern California. Water appears darker than the surrounding land. The image at the upper right was acquired nearly one year later on March 1, 2001 (Terra orbit 6399), and shows a clear increase in the reservoir's water content. When full, the lake will hold nearly a trillion liters of water.According to the Metropolitan Water District, the 7 kilometer x 3 kilometer reservoir nearly doubles Southern California's above-groundwater storage capacity. In addition to routine water management, Diamond Valley Lake is designed to provide protection against drought and a six-month emergency supply in the event of earthquake damage to a major aqueduct. In the face of electrical power shortages, it is also expected to reduce dependence on the pumping of water from northern mountains during the high-demand summer months. An unexpected result of site excavation was the uncovering of mastodon and mammoth skeletons along with bones from extinct species not previously thought to have been indigenous to the area, such as the giant long-horned bison and North American lion. A museum and interpretive center is being built to protect these finds.The lower MISR image, from May 20, 2001 (Terra orbit 7564), is a false-color view combining data from the instrument's 26-degree forward view (displayed as blue) with data from the 26-degree backward view

First observation of spin flips with a single proton stored in a cryogenic Penning trap

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ulmer, Stefan

2011-01-01

In this thesis the very first observation of spin transitions of a single proton stored in a cryogenic double-Penning trap is presented. The experimental observation of spin transitions is based on the continuous Stern-Gerlach effect, which couples the spin of the single trapped proton to its axial eigenfrequency, by means of an inhomogeneous magnetic field. A spin transition causes a change of the axial frequency, which can be measured non-destructively. Due to the tiny magnetic moment of the proton, the direct detection of proton spin-flips is an exceeding challenge. To achieve spin-flip resolution, the proton was stored in the largest magnetic field inhomogeneity, which has ever been superimposed to a Penning trap, and its axial frequency was detected non-destructively. Therefore, superconducting detection systems with ultrahigh-sensitivity were developed, allowing the direct observation of the single trapped proton, as well as the high-precision determination of its eigenfrequencies. Based on novel experimental methods, which were developed in the framework of this thesis, the axial frequency of the particle was stabilized to a level, where the observation of single-proton spin-flips is possible, which was demonstrated. This experimental success is one of the most important steps towards the high-precision determination of the magnetic moment of the free proton. With the very first observation of spin transitions with a single trapped proton, a highly exciting perspective opens. All experimental techniques which were developed in this thesis can be directly applied to the antiproton. Thus, the first high-precision measurement of the magnetic moment of the antiproton becomes possible. This will provide a new high-precision test of the matterantimatter symmetry. (orig.)

A study on the regionalization of tornadogenesis for the domestic largest scale of tornado

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugimoto, Soichiro; Nohara, Daisuke; Hirakuchi, Hiromaru

2014-01-01

A new regulatory guide has been issued by the Nuclear Regulation Authority of Japan since the last year. According to this guide, electric power companies have to assess the influence of tornadoes on their nuclear power plants for operation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the likelihood of the occurrence of F3 tornadoes, which are the largest encountered in Japan, and to consider the possibility of the regionalization of the maximum wind speed. Then, mesoscale analysis with a numerical meteorological model and re-analysis data is performed along with synoptic scale analysis. Especially, tornado parameters such as SReH (Storm Relative Helicity) and CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy) are used for evaluating the potential tornadogenesis of F3 tornado. Both analyses indicate that favorable meteorological condition tends to occur in the coastal zones in the Pacific side west of Ibaraki and around Kyushu island. The frequency in these zones is different from the one in the other area in the order of 1 or 2, which is large enough for regionalization. (author)