Retratos da metrópole parisiense

OpenAIRE

Saint-Julien, Thérèse; Goix, Renaud Le

2009-01-01

« La métropole parisienne, centralité, inégalité, proximité » propõe uma leitura e uma interpretação das tendências do território da Île de France (a região que inclui Paris e sete outros départements), ou seja, uma grande metrópole mundial de cerca de 11,3 milhões de habitantes em 2004, ligada às redes da globalização e da metropolização. O livro esboça os traços principais de suas estruturas territoriais emergentes, sublinha os desafios, o alcance dos mesmos e as contradições. Sem pretensão...

Retratos da metrópole parisiense

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thérèse Saint-Julien

2009-07-01

Full Text Available « La métropole parisienne, centralité, inégalité, proximité » propõe uma leitura e uma interpretação das tendências do território da Île de France (a região que inclui Paris e sete outros départements, ou seja, uma grande metrópole mundial de cerca de 11,3 milhões de habitantes em 2004, ligada às redes da globalização e da metropolização. O livro esboça os traços principais de suas estruturas territoriais emergentes, sublinha os desafios, o alcance dos mesmos e as contradições. Sem pretensão...

Finding the Density of a Liquid Using a Metre Rule

Science.gov (United States)

Chattopadhyay, K. N.

2008-01-01

A simple method, which is based on the principle of moment of forces only, is described for the determination of the density of liquids without measuring the mass and volume. At first, an empty test tube and a solid substance, which are hung on each side of a metre rule, are balanced and the moment arm of the test tube is measured. Keeping the…

Validity of 20-metre multi stage shuttle run test for estimation of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Validity of 20-metre multi stage shuttle run test for estimation of maximum oxygen uptake in indian male university students. P Chatterjee, AK Banerjee, P Debnath, P Bas, B Chatterjee. Abstract. No Abstract. South African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and DanceVol. 12(4) 2006: pp. 461-467. Full Text:.

Experimental study on hard X-rays emitted from metre-scale negative discharges in air

NARCIS (Netherlands)

P.O. Kochkin (Pavlo); A. van Deursen (Arie); U. M. Ebert (Ute)

2015-01-01

htmlabstractWe investigate the development of metre long negative discharges and focus on their x-ray emissions. We describe appearance, timing and spatial distribution of the x-rays. They appear in bursts of nanosecond duration mostly in the cathode area. The spectrum can be characterized by an

Adrenomedullin is a key Protein Mediating Rotary Cell Culture System that Induces the Effects of Simulated Microgravity on Human Breast Cancer Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Li; Yang, Xi; Cui, Xiang; Jiang, Minmin; Gui, Yu; Zhang, Yanni; Luo, Xiangdong

2015-11-01

Microgravity or simulated microgravity promotes stem cell proliferation and inhibits differentiation. But, researchers have not yet been able to understand the underlying mechanism through which microgravity or simulated microgravity brings about stem cell proliferation and inhibition of differentiation. In this study, we investigated the effect of simulated microgravity (SMG) on MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 human breast cancer cells using rotary cell culture system (RCCS). SMG induced a significant accumulation of these cancer cells in S phase of the cell cycle. But, compared with the static group, there was no effect on the overall growth rate of cells in the RCCS group. Furthermore, the expression of cyclin D1 was inhibited in the RCCS group, indicating that RCCS induced cell cycle arrest. In addition, RCCS also induced glycolytic metabolism by increasing the expression of adrenomedullin (ADM), but not HIF1 a. The addition of ADM further enhanced the effects of SMG, which was induced by RCCS. But, the addition of adrenomedullin antagonist (AMA) reversed these effects of SMG. Finally, our results proved that RCCS, which induced cells cycle arrest of breast cancer cells, enhanced glycolysis and upregulated the expression of ADM. But, this did not lead to an increase in hypoxia-inducible factor-1 a (HIF1 a) expression. Thus, we have uncovered a new mechanism for understanding the Warburg effect in breast cancer cells, this mechanism is not the same as hypoxia induced glycolysis.

Bogotá: metrópoli de conflictos

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Adriana Patricia López Velázquez

2009-01-01

Full Text Available En este ensayo se presentan dos aspectos de Bogotá. Por un lado, la metrópoli que está creciendo y que reporta cifras positivas en la tendencia del periodo analizado, en referencia a indicadores como el de las necesidades básicas insatisfechas (NBI, el índice de desarrollo humano (IDH, y la inversión extranjera directa. Es la Bogotá que disfruta de la exigencia y el acceso a los mercados más dinámicos y en general a la globalización. Por otro lado, la Bogotá de los que no tienen empleo, cuya capacidad de pago es bastante limitada, y viven en el sobresalto de la inseguridad. Este trabajo pretende mostrar –desde una perspectiva holística– que en el mismo espacio existen dos comunidades mutuamente complementarias y funcionales que, dentro del articulado teórico general del proyecto de investigación de Sanabria y López (2008, se conjugan para organizar los elementos comprensivos de la calidad de la vida.

Renal Cell Carcinoma Perfusion before and after Radiofrequency Ablation Measured with Dynamic Contrast Enhanced MRI: A Pilot Study

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Tze Min Wah

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Aim: To investigate if the early treatment effects of radiofrequency ablation (RFA on renal cell carcinoma (RCC can be detected with dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE-MRI and to correlate RCC perfusion with RFA treatment time. Materials and methods: 20 patients undergoing RFA of their 21 RCCs were evaluated with DCE-MRI before and at one month after RFA treatment. Perfusion was estimated using the maximum slope technique at two independent sittings. Total RCC blood flow was correlated with total RFA treatment time, tumour location, size and histology. Results: DCE-MRI examinations were successfully evaluated for 21 RCCs (size from 1.3 to 4 cm. Perfusion of the RCCs decreased significantly (p < 0.0001 from a mean of 203 (±80 mL/min/100 mL before RFA to 8.1 (±3.1 mL/min/100 mL after RFA with low intra-observer variability (r ≥ 0.99, p < 0.0001. There was an excellent correlation (r = 0.95 between time to complete ablation and pre-treatment total RCC blood flow. Tumours with an exophytic location exhibit the lowest mean RFA treatment time. Conclusion: DCE-MRI can detect early treatment effects by measuring RCC perfusion before and after RFA. Perfusion significantly decreases in the zone of ablation, suggesting that it may be useful for the assessment of treatment efficacy. Pre-RFA RCC blood flow may be used to predict RFA treatment time.

Triphasic and epithelioid minimal fat renal angiomyolipoma and clear cell renal cell carcinoma: qualitative and quantitative CEUS characteristics and distinguishing features.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Qing; Li, Cui-xian; Huang, Bei-jian; Xue, Li-yun; Wang, Wen-ping

2015-02-01

To determine the contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) characteristics of minimal fat renal angiomyolipoma (AML) (triphasic and epithelioid) and compare them to each other and to clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) to explore their differential diagnostic clue. Qualitative and quantitative CEUS analyses were retrospectively conducted for epithelioid renal AMLs (EAMLs) (n = 15), triphasic minimal fat AMLs (TAMLs) (n = 25), and ccRCCs (n = 113). Enhancement patterns and features with CEUS were qualitatively evaluated. As for the quantitative parameters, rise times (RT), time to peak (TTP), and tumor-to-cortex enhancement ratio (TOC ratio) were compared among these renal tumor histotypes. No significant differences were detected on conventional ultrasound in the three histotypes of renal tumor. On qualitative CEUS analysis, centripetal enhancement in cortical phase (73.3% in EAMLs, 84.0% in TAMLs vs. 18.6% in ccRCCs, p qualitative and quantitative characteristics made no significant difference between EAMLs and TAMLs. In the differential diagnosis of EAMLs from TAMLs, pseudocapsule sign was valuable (40.0% in EAMLs vs. 0.0% in TAMLs, p 97.34% as the criteria to differentiate ccRCCs and EAMLs from TAMLs, the sensitivity and specificity were 80.0% and 87.5%, respectively. Qualitative and quantitative CEUS analyses are helpful in the differential diagnosis of ccRCCs, EAMLs, and TAMLs.

Humans and Machines in the subway Humanos e máquinas no metrô

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Janice Caiafa

2011-07-01

Full Text Available In this work we analyze the repercussions that the recent implementation of an electronic fare collection system - with smart cards – has brought to everyday life of subway riders in Rio de Janeiro. The adoption of a fare collection system involves the choice of a technology and the stipulation of a charging system. By following this technological evolution in Rio de Janeiro’s subway, we explore how its riders learn to approach the new interfaces with the automatic machines and to cope with the payment conditions, which are at the same time imposed. We note, in this context, how the technological devices are coupled to human actions regarding the construction of a new fare collection system as well as the sociability that is developed in the subway technological space.Resumo: Neste trabalho analisamos as repercussões que a recente implementação de um novo sistema de bilhetagem eletrônica trouxe para o quotidiano dos usuários do metrô do Rio de Janeiro. A adoção de um sistema de bilhetagem envolve a escolha de uma tecnologia e a estipulação de um regime de cobrança. Ao acompanhar essa evolução tecnológia no metrô do Rio de Janeiro, exploramos como os usuários têm aprendido a abordar as novas interfaces com as máquinas automáticas e enfrentado as condições de pagamento que no mesmo golpe são impostas. Observamos como as ferramentas tecnológicas se acoplam a ações humanas tanto no que diz respeito à própria construção do novo sistema quanto à sociabilidade que se desenvolve no espaço tecnológico do metrô. Palavras-Chave: Tecnologia; Metrô (Rio de Janeiro; Sociabilidade Abstract: In this work we analyze the repercussions of the recently implemented fare collection system with smart cards in the Rio de Janeiro subway. The implementation of a fare collection system involves opting for a certain technology as well as stipulating a regime of fare charging. As we follow this technological evolution in the Rio

Dinámica de una metrópoli periférica en Brasil

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Inaiá Maria Moreira de Carvalho

2010-01-01

Full Text Available En este artículo se analiza la evolución reciente de la segregación socioespacial y la de la conformación urbana en la ciudad de Salvador, a la luz del debate sobre las transformaciones de las metrópolis dentro del capital globalizado. Si bien se reconoce que todas las grandes ciudades terminan siendo alcanzadas por la globalización, en el texto se resalta, sin embargo, que los efectos de ese proceso no son uniformes ni convergen en un modelo único de ciudad. Es necesario considerar la conformación histórica de cada una de ellas, sus instituciones, actores y decisiones políticas locales dentro de una dinámica definida por la continuidad/transformación, donde lo que ya existía condiciona la irrupción de lo nuevo, que en muchos casos ya había comenzado a delinearse en el pasado. Mediante la demostración de la conformación de una metrópoli extremadamente desigual y segregada y la medida en que las transformaciones han agravado tales alteraciones al paso de los últimos años, esta revisión del caso de Salvador se propone exponer algunas reflexiones para entender mejor los efectos del proceso de globalización sobre las grandes ciudades de América Latina.

A New Metre for Cheap, Quick, Reliable and Simple Thermal Transmittance (U-Value) Measurements in Buildings.

Science.gov (United States)

Andújar Márquez, José Manuel; Martínez Bohórquez, Miguel Ángel; Gómez Melgar, Sergio

2017-09-03

This paper deals with the thermal transmittance measurement focused on buildings and specifically in building energy retrofitting. Today, if many thermal transmittance measurements in a short time are needed, the current devices, based on the measurement of the heat flow through the wall, cannot carry out them, except if a great amount of devices are used at once along with intensive and tedious post-processing and analysis work. In this paper, from well-known physical laws, authors develop a methodology based on three temperatures measurements, which is implemented by a novel thermal transmittance metre. The paper shows its development step by step. As a result the developed device is modular, scalable, and fully wireless; it is capable of taking as many measurements at once as user needs. The developed system is compared working together on a same test to the currently used one based on heat flow. The results show that the developed metre allows carrying out thermal transmittance measurements in buildings in a cheap, quick, reliable and simple way.

Metrópole, legislação e desigualdade

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Maricato Ermínia

2003-08-01

Full Text Available O processo de urbanização brasileiro deu-se praticamente no século XX. No entanto, ao contrário da expectativa de muitos, o universo urbano não superou algumas características dos períodos colonial e imperial, marcados pela concentração de terra, renda e poder, pelo exercício do coronelismo ou política do favor e pela aplicação arbitrária da lei. Este texto tem como objetivo fazer uma leitura da metrópole brasileira do final do século XX destacando a relação entre desigualdade social, segregação territorial e meio ambiente, tendo como pano de fundo alguns autores que refletiram sobre a "formação" da sociedade brasileira, em especial sobre a marca da modernização com desenvolvimento do atraso. Para tanto, destaca-se o papel da aplicação da lei para manutenção de poder concentrado e de privilégios nas cidades, o qual reflete - e ao mesmo tempo promove - a desigualdade social no território urbano.The brazilian urbanization process happened in practical terms in the XX century. Nevertless, contrary to the expectation of many, the urban universe didn't overcome some characteristics of the colonial and imperial periods marked by land, income and power concentration, by the action of "colonels" or the policy of favoritism and by an arbitrary law deployment. This paper has the objective to address the Brazilian metropolis by the end of the XX century making evident the relationship about social inequality, territorial segregation and environment, having as a reference some authors whose work reflected the Brazilian society "building", specially the mark of modernization with the development of the tardiness. In doing so, a great relevance is given to the role of the law in keeping concentrated power and privileges in the cities, which reflects - and at the same time enhances - the urban territory social inequality.

Use of a temperature-initiated passive cooling system (TIPACS) for the modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactor cavity cooling system (RCCS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsberg, C.W.; Conklin, J.; Reich, W.J.

1994-04-01

A new type of passive cooling system has been invented (Forsberg 1993): the Temperature-Initiated Passive Cooling System (TIPACS). The characteristics of the TIPACS potentially match requirements for an improved reactor-cavity-cooling system (RCCS) for the modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (MHTGR). This report is an initial evaluation of the TIPACS for the MHTGR with a Rankines (steam) power conversion cycle. Limited evaluations were made of applying the TIPACS to MHTGRs with reactor pressure vessel temperatures up to 450 C. These temperatures may occur in designs of Brayton cycle (gas turbine) and process heat MHTGRs. The report is structured as follows. Section 2 describes the containment cooling issues associated with the MHTGR and the requirements for such a cooling system. Section 3 describes TIPACS in nonmathematical terms. Section 4 describes TIPACS's heat-removal capabilities. Section 5 analyzes the operation of the temperature-control mechanism that determines under what conditions the TIPACS rejects heat to the environment. Section 6 addresses other design and operational issues. Section 7 identifies uncertainties, and Section 8 provides conclusions. The appendixes provide the detailed data and models used in the analysis

Use of a temperature-initiated passive cooling system (TIPACS) for the modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactor cavity cooling system (RCCS)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Forsberg, C.W.; Conklin, J.; Reich, W.J.

1994-04-01

A new type of passive cooling system has been invented (Forsberg 1993): the Temperature-Initiated Passive Cooling System (TIPACS). The characteristics of the TIPACS potentially match requirements for an improved reactor-cavity-cooling system (RCCS) for the modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (MHTGR). This report is an initial evaluation of the TIPACS for the MHTGR with a Rankines (steam) power conversion cycle. Limited evaluations were made of applying the TIPACS to MHTGRs with reactor pressure vessel temperatures up to 450 C. These temperatures may occur in designs of Brayton cycle (gas turbine) and process heat MHTGRs. The report is structured as follows. Section 2 describes the containment cooling issues associated with the MHTGR and the requirements for such a cooling system. Section 3 describes TIPACS in nonmathematical terms. Section 4 describes TIPACS`s heat-removal capabilities. Section 5 analyzes the operation of the temperature-control mechanism that determines under what conditions the TIPACS rejects heat to the environment. Section 6 addresses other design and operational issues. Section 7 identifies uncertainties, and Section 8 provides conclusions. The appendixes provide the detailed data and models used in the analysis.

A antropologia urbana e os desafios da metrópole

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José Guilherme Cantor Magnani

2003-04-01

Full Text Available O texto analisa a situação da disciplina antropologia urbana no campo das ciências sociais e sua contribuição para o estudo e a compreensão do fenômeno urbano, principalmente no caso das grandes metrópoles contemporâneas. O eixo da argumentação é o de que, para realizar essa tarefa, a antropologia urbana tem à sua disposição o método etnográfico, porém o desafio é aplicar essa abordagem sem cair na "tentação da aldeia", isto é, a de buscar na heterogênea realidade das grandes cidades as condições da aldeia - pequenos grupos, contextos limitados - supostamente identificadas com o enfoque etnográfico. Vários exemplos de pesquisas recentes sobre a cidade de São Paulo, realizados no Núcleo de Antropologia Urbana (NAU e no Departamento de Antropologia da USP são apresentados para mostrar as potencialidades da aplicação de conceitos, técnicas e métodos desenvolvidos na antropologia e, em particular, na antropologia urbana, para o estudo de formas de sociabilidade e práticas culturais na escala da metrópole.State of the art of urban anthropology as a subject in the field of social sciences and its contribution to the study and understanding of the urban phenomenon, mainly in the case of great contemporary metropolises. Urban anthropology has at its disposal the ethnographic method but the challenge is to apply this approach without falling into the ' village temptation', i.e., that of looking at the heterogeneous reality of the big cities for the village conditions - small groups, limited contexts - which are supposedly identified by the ethnographic approach. Various examples of recent researches on the city of São Paulo, undertaken in the Urban Anthropology Nucleus (NAU and in the Department of Anthropology of USP, are presented to show the potentiality of the application of concepts, techniques and methods developed in anthropology, and in particular, in urban anthropology, for the study of forms of sociability

Design Report for the ½ Scale Air-Cooled RCCS Tests in the Natural convection Shutdown heat removal Test Facility (NSTF)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lisowski, D. D. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Farmer, M. T. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Lomperski, S. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Kilsdonk, D. J. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Bremer, N. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Aeschlimann, R. W. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2014-06-01

The Natural convection Shutdown heat removal Test Facility (NSTF) is a large scale thermal hydraulics test facility that has been built at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). The facility was constructed in order to carry out highly instrumented experiments that can be used to validate the performance of passive safety systems for advanced reactor designs. The facility has principally been designed for testing of Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) concepts that rely on natural convection cooling for either air or water-based systems. Standing 25-m in height, the facility is able to supply up to 220 kW at 21 kW/m² to accurately simulate the heat fluxes at the walls of a reactor pressure vessel. A suite of nearly 400 data acquisition channels, including a sophisticated fiber optic system for high density temperature measurements, guides test operations and provides data to support scaling analysis and modeling efforts. Measurements of system mass flow rate, air and surface temperatures, heat flux, humidity, and pressure differentials, among others; are part of this total generated data set. The following report provides an introduction to the top level-objectives of the program related to passively safe decay heat removal, a detailed description of the engineering specifications, design features, and dimensions of the test facility at Argonne. Specifications of the sensors and their placement on the test facility will be provided, along with a complete channel listing of the data acquisition system.

Observed metre scale horizontal variability of elemental carbon in surface snow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Svensson, J; Lihavainen, H; Ström, J; Hansson, M; Kerminen, V-M

2013-01-01

Surface snow investigated for its elemental carbon (EC) concentration, based on a thermal–optical method, at two different sites during winter and spring of 2010 demonstrates metre scale horizontal variability in concentration. Based on the two sites sampled, a clean and a polluted site, the clean site (Arctic Finland) presents the greatest variability. In side-by-side ratios between neighbouring samples, 5 m apart, a ratio of around two was observed for the clean site. The median for the polluted site had a ratio of 1.2 between neighbouring samples. The results suggest that regions exposed to snowdrift may be more sensitive to horizontal variability in EC concentration. Furthermore, these results highlight the importance of carefully choosing sampling sites and timing, as each parameter will have some effect on EC variability. They also emphasize the importance of gathering multiple samples from a site to obtain a representative value for the area. (letter)

Discovery Mondays - 'The civil engineering genius of the 100-metre deep underground caverns'

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

CERN is first and foremost a place where physicists study particle collisions. But to be able to observe the infinitely small, they need huge pieces of equipment, the accelerators and detectors, whose construction, some 100 metres below the earth's surface, calls on the services of other fascinating disciplines. Take civil engineering, for example. At the next Discovery Monday, come and find out about the machines involved in the large-scale excavation and concreting work. Everyone is welcome at Microcosm, which will be specially transformed into a worksite for the occasion! Come along to Microcosm (Reception Building 33, Meyrin site) on Monday 6 September from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Entrance Free http://www.cern.ch/microcosm

Saúde nas metrópoles - Doenças infecciosas

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Aluisio Cotrim Segurado

2016-04-01

Full Text Available A urbanização é um processo irreversível em escala mundial e estima-se que o número de pessoas que vivem em cidades deverá atingir 67% da população do planeta até 2050. Os países de baixa ou média renda, por sua vez, possuem 30% a 40% da população urbana vivendo atualmente em favelas, em situação de risco para diversos agravos de saúde. No Brasil, embora 84,3% da população residissem em áreas urbanas já em 2010, não se verificam no momento ações consistentes voltadas ao enfrentamento das questões de saúde urbana. Neste artigo discute-se a situação epidemiológica de agravos infecciosos de interesse para a saúde pública (dengue, infecção por HIV/aids, leptospirose, hanseníase e tuberculose a partir do ano 2000 nas 17 metrópoles do país, de modo a esclarecer o papel atual das doenças infecciosas no contexto da saúde urbana brasileira.

Metrópole digital: o jovem aprendiz na educação tecnológica

OpenAIRE

Assunção, Zoraia da Silva

2014-01-01

Elaborada no cenário do Instituto Metrópole Digital (IMD) – unidade suplementar da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte que atua na formação de pessoal com cursos de nível técnico e superior, sendo a formação de nível técnico, associada a um processo de inclusão digital, com o propósito de atrair jovens para a área de TI, com ênfases em Desenvolvimento de Software e Hardware –, esta Tese objetiva Investigar a mudança cognitiva de jovem aprendiz da Educação Tecnológica e ...

De la autoformación como práctica instituyente en las metrópolis postfordistas

OpenAIRE

Miquel Bartual, María José

2013-01-01

A través de un recorrido teórico- práctico, nos proponemos investigar cómo, en el contexto de las metrópolis postfordistas, determinados procesos de autoformación pueden llevar a transformaciones sociales en el ámbito político. En esta premisa, analizaremos previamente si la autoformación constituye en sí un cuestionamiento de los lugares asignados en la redistribución de los saberes, vinculada a procesos de cooperación social y resistencia, así como a la generación de instituciones del comú...

The fluid flow consequences of CO2 migration from 1000 to 600 metres upon passing the critical conditions of CO2

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meer, L.G.H.; Hofstee, C.; Orlic, B.

2009-01-01

The minimum injection depth for the storage of CO2 is normally set at 800 metres. At and beyond this depth in the subsurface conditions exist where CO2 is in a so-called critical state. The supercritical CO2 has a viscosity comparable to that of a normal gas and a liquid-like density, Due to the

Cuerpos-Espacios sonoros: Disonancias en la metrópolis comunicacional

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Massimo Canevacci

2008-01-01

Full Text Available El artículo se concentra en el cambio de la ciudad industrial a la metrópolis comunicacional y en el consecuente cambio de sus habitantes que se adaptan y renuevan a las nuevas condiciones. Este proceso favorece el surgir de un nuevo sujeto (multividuo que cambia su visión del mundo y transforma los escenarios urbanos en lugares fragmentarios y musicales (soundscape. Este cambio es posible sólo gracias a la reapropiación performática de algunos espacios urbanos por parte de artistas y públicos dispuestos a profanar algunos escenarios destinados a fines institucionales o funcionales al desarrollo de la ciudad. En estos espacios el soundscape y el bodyscape interactúan desarrollando nuevos significados y nuevos sentidos en política. En Roma diferentes lugares han sido usadas en años recientes para poner en escena estas performances que se conectan con el cambio urbano y la consecuente modificación de la experiencia sensorial. Tales espacios son utilizados para poner en escena perfomances que resignifican contextos urbanos. En el ensayo se analizarán tres eventos romanos: Disonanze del 2006, La notte bianca del 2006 y la presentación del grupo finlandés Pan Sonic, escogida como una zona de grafitti.

Del funcionalismo industrial al de servicios: ¿la nueva utopía de la metrópoli postindustrial del valle de México?

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Blanca Ramírez

2006-05-01

Full Text Available El objetivo de este ensayo es responder algunas preguntas que han sido parte de viejas y nuevas reflexiones sobre la Metrópoli del Valle de México, y descubrir las nuevas tendencias que percibimos en su desarrollo. Partimos de suponer que hay confusión en la forma como se le nombra y que la visión de futuro sobre su transformación en el mediano y largo plazo pasa por un cambio importante de la función industrializadora que el modelo de sustitución de importaciones impuso a la ciudad, por otro de servicios y patrimonialista que le impone la visión postindustrial en que se ve inmersa en la actualidad. En esta transformación resalta la importancia de la periferia, dada la ubicación privilegiada que tiene en cuanto al patrimonio natural y cultural que le es propio, posibilitando así su contribución para alcanzar la sustentabilidad de la metrópoli

Aspectos ergonômicos e estatísticos no projeto de um carro do metrô

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Costa Neto Pedro Luiz de Oliveira

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Este artigo descreve experimentos realizados como parte de um trabalho envolvendo aspectos do projeto de um carro para uma nova linha do Metrô de São Paulo. Nele são considerados aspectos ergonômicos relacionados com a posição de barras de segurança e assentos, bem como aspectos estatísticos relacionados com o fluxo de passageiros entrando e saindo do carro na estação. Nesse estudo, é de particular interesse o uso da técnica do quadrado latino na análise de regressão múltipla, como forma de reduzir o porte do experimento.

Hacia la gestión ambiental de residuos sólidos en las metrópolis de América Latina

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Luz Ángela Rodríguez Escobar

2002-11-01

Full Text Available La contaminación generada por la acumulación de residuos sólidos está presente en todas las metrópolis de América Latina, afectando el ecosistema. Dicha contaminación es causada por la población y su aglomeración en zonas urbanas. Los datos estadísticos de las metrópolis latinoamericanas permiten establecer una relación directa entre población y acumulación de residuos sólidos y también entre nivel de ingresos y generación de residuos, mostrando que la relación población-residuos sólidos está mediada por variables económicas y culturales. La información de generación de basura por persona y su respectivo nivel socioeconómico permite establecer diferencias de cantidad y calidad de los residuos generados por individuos de distinto nivel socioeconómico, que a su vez se asocian a diferentes estilos de vida y patrones de consumo. Así, la producción de basura es potenciada por la dinámica de producción y consumo y por la dinámica demográfica, siendo un efecto no esperado de ambas, que convierte los residuos sólidos en un subproducto del modelo de desarrollo y la dinámica demográfica. En el escenario planteado, el problema ambiental de los residuos sólidos en .las metrópolis de América Latina aparece como irresoluto y la decisión de resolverlo de manera fundamental pasa por cambiar el modelo de desarrollo y el comportamiento de la sociedad. Una solución menos extrema consiste en hacer un manejo integral de los residuos sólidos a través de políticas de gestión integral.

Nicolau Sevcenko, Orfeo extático en la metrópolis: San Pablo, sociedad y cultura en los febriles años veinte

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Hernán Morales

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Reseña bibliográfica del libro de Nicolau Sevcenko, Orfeo extático en la metrópolis: San Pablo, sociedad y cultura en los febriles años veinte Traducción de Ada Solari, Bernal, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, 2013, 417 pp.

Melancholy in Contemporary Irish Poetry: The ‘Metre Generation’ and Mahon

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Ailbhe Darcy

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This article explores the influence of Derek Mahon’s melancholic poetry on a younger generation of Irish poets. Drawing on Peter Schwenger’s 'The Tears of Things: Melancholy and Physical Objects' (2006, it argues that Mahon’s influential early poems deliberately provoke melancholy in order to insist upon the subject’s alienation from the world. It traces how the poets Justin Quinn and David Wheatley take on and reject aspects of Mahon’s influence, with a focus on this melancholy. Quinn rejects Mahon’s melancholy and comes to insist emphatically upon connectedness, resulting in his development of a poetics pledged to traditional forms and full rhymes. Wheatley hews fast to early Mahon’s insistence on a gap between us and the world, inflecting that gap with a keen consciousness of environmental crisis. His trajectory, in contrast with later Mahon, is towards an embrace of disjunctive modernist techniques as a means of acknowledging our disconnectedness from the world. Attending to the ways in which Quinn and Wheatley work with and against Mahon’s influence sheds light on the ‘Metre generation’ as one whose poetic inheritance enables a sophisticated and exciting use of form as a tool with which to think through the individual’s relationship to the world.

Beck x Roberts: Comparativos do Diagrama do Metrô de Londres

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Joaquim Redig

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Este artigo foi originalmente dirigido à disciplina Design e Visualização da Informação, ministrada pelo Prof. André Monat no curso de Doutorado em Design da ESDI-UERJ, Escola Superior de Desenho Industrial da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, em 2013, a partir da proposta do professor de se examinar a pertinência da estrutura radial proposta por Maxwell J. Roberts para o design de mapas de redes de transporte. No artigo, procuro demonstrar que, por ser uma forma padrão pré-convencionada e abstrata, não valorizando a relação visual analógica com o objeto representado – a rede geo-espacial do sistema de transporte, variável para cada cidade – a estrutura radial não facilita a compreensão e o uso da rede, relativamente ao sistema ortogonal/diagonal projetado por Harry Beck para o assim chamado Diagrama do metrô londrino, que, partindo do código mais universal e ancestral de orientação que é a Rosa dos Ventos, se baseia nos eixos dos percursos. Por isso, este sistema se tornou um paradigma mundial no campo do Design de Informação, ainda não superado.

Radiofrequency Ablation Combined with Renal Arterial Embolization for the Treatment of Unresectable Renal Cell Carcinoma Larger Than 3.5 cm: Initial Experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamakado, Koichiro; Nakatsuka, Atsuhiro; Kobayashi, Shigeki; Akeboshi, Masao; Takaki, Haruyuki; Kariya, Zentaro; Kinbara, Hiroyuki; Arima, Kiminobu; Yanagawa, Makoto; Hori, Yasuhide; Kato, Hiromi; Sugimura, Yoshiki; Takeda, Kan

2006-01-01

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and therapeutic effects of the combination of renal arterial embolization and radiofrequency (RF) ablation to reinforce the anticancer effect on renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) measuring 3.5 cm or larger. This study was undertaken to evaluate this combined therapy on large RCCs-based tumor geometry. Eleven patients with 12 RCCs 3.5 cm or larger in diameter (3.5-9.0 cm) underwent combined therapy. Two were exophytic tumors, and the remaining 10 tumors had components extending into the renal sinus fat. Tumor vessels were selectively embolized in nine patients and the renal artery was completely embolized in two patients with polyvinyl alcohol or ethanol mixed with iodized oil. RF ablation was percutaneously done under the computed tomographic (CT)-fluoroscopic guidance. Response to treatment was evaluated by dynamic contrast-enhanced CT and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Tumor enhancement was eliminated after a single RF session in nine tumors (75%), after two sessions in two tumors (17%), and after four sessions in one tumor (8%). Both exophytic tumors (100%) and 7 of 10 tumors having components in the renal sinus fat (70%) were completely ablated with a single RF session. All tumors remained controlled during a mean follow-up period of 13 months and showed significant reduction in tumor sizes (5.2 ± 1.7 cm to 3.6 ± 1.4 cm, p < 0.001). A delayed abscess developed in the ablated lesion in a patient, which was percutaneously drainaged. Combined therapy as described in this report is a feasible, relatively safe, and promising treatment method for large RCCs regardless of tumor geometry

Design and performance test of a thermal tuning system for the PEFP DTL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Kyung Ryul; Park, Jun; Kim, Hyung Gyun; Kim, Hee Seob; Yoon, Chong Chul; Son, Yoon Gyu; Kwon, Hyeok Jung; Kim, Han Sung; Cho, Yong Sub

2010-01-01

The resonance control cooling system (RCCS) is the thermal tuning system for controlling the resonance frequency, 350 MHz, of the drift tube linac (DTL) in the Proton Engineering Frontier Project (PEFP). The PEFP uses 12 separate RCCS water pumping skids to control the resonance of the 20-MeV DTL (DTL21-24), 100-MeV DTL (DTL101-107) and the radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) accelerating structures. The nominal operating inlet water temperature of the RCCS is 27 .deg. C and should be adjustable depending on the operational RF duty modes (21 to 33 .deg. C) with a stability of less than 0.1 .deg. C. In this work, we completed fabrication of the RCCS22-24 and the RCCS101-103. This paper discusses the fabrication, performance test, and analysis of the RCCS water pumping skids. First, the fabrication of the RCCS for the 20-MeV DTL is discussed. Second, the layout of the water pumping skid, including the selection of piping components, instrumentation and controller hardware and software, is presented. Third, the performance test of the RCCS for the 20-MeV DTL, including the continuous driving test, the function test of each components and temperature control test are achieved. Finally, empirical pressure and flow rate data from the RCCS22 water pumping tests are used to verify the design and numerical modeling of the RCCS101-103.

Desemprego e inatividade nas metrópoles brasileiras: as diferenças entre homens e mulheres

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Pedro Rodrigues de Oliveira

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Analisar a evolução recente da estrutura do desemprego e da inatividade nas metrópoles brasileiras é o objetivo deste trabalho. Além de um panorama geral, foram realizadas análises separadas por gênero. A resposta da inatividade para a variável "número de crianças no domicílio" é a que mais se destaca: há uma relação negativa para os homens, e positiva para as mulheres. Além disso, os padrões observados entre mulheres pobres e não pobres são muito diferenciados – a inatividade para as mulheres de renda baixa é significativamente maior –, refletindo diferenças de escolaridade e, provavelmente, dificuldades de acesso à creche.

Plurinacionalidade e cosmopolitismo: a diversidade cultural das cidades e diversidade comportamental nas metrópoles

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José Luiz Quadros de Magalhães

2009-12-01

Full Text Available O artigo analisa dois fenômenos contemporâneos importantes: a formação do estado plurinacional como ruptura com o estado moderno, nacional e uniformizador e as múltiplas identidades nas metrópoles cosmopolitas contemporâneas. Analisando a formação do estado nacional como uniformizador e não democrático, o texto procura estabelecer uma conexão entre os dois fenômenos e busca uma solução democrática plural que, ao mesmo tempo que reconhece as múltiplas identificações, busca um traço comum de humanidade em cada pessoa, que permita a construção de espaços plurais de dialogo em condição de igualdade na diversidade, contra o risco da fragmentação excessiva de caráter intolerante ou fascista.

Prognostication of patients with clear cell renal cell carcinomas based on quantification of DNA methylation levels of CpG island methylator phenotype marker genes.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Ying; Arai, Eri; Gotoh, Masahiro; Komiyama, Motokiyo; Fujimoto, Hiroyuki; Kanai, Yae

2014-10-20

The CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) of clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs) is characterized by accumulation of DNA methylation at CpG islands and poorer patient outcome. The aim of this study was to establish criteria for prognostication of patients with ccRCCs using the ccRCC-specific CIMP marker genes. DNA methylation levels at 299 CpG sites in the 14 CIMP marker genes were evaluated quantitatively in tissue specimens of 88 CIMP-negative and 14 CIMP-positive ccRCCs in a learning cohort using the MassARRAY system. An additional 100 ccRCCs were also analyzed as a validation cohort. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that area under the curve values for the 23 CpG units including the 32 CpG sites in the 7 CIMP-marker genes, i.e. FAM150A, ZNF540, ZNF671, ZNF154, PRAC, TRH and SLC13A5, for discrimination of CIMP-positive from CIMP-negative ccRCCs were larger than 0.95. Criteria combining the 23 CpG units discriminated CIMP-positive from CIMP-negative ccRCCs with 100% sensitivity and specificity in the learning cohort. Cancer-free and overall survival rates of patients with CIMP-positive ccRCCs diagnosed using the criteria combining the 23 CpG units in a validation cohort were significantly lower than those of patients with CIMP-negative ccRCCs (P = 1.41 × 10-5 and 2.43 × 10-13, respectively). Patients with CIMP-positive ccRCCs in the validation cohort had a higher likelihood of disease-related death (hazard ratio, 75.8; 95% confidence interval, 7.81 to 735; P = 1.89 × 10-4) than those with CIMP-negative ccRCCs. The established criteria are able to reproducibly diagnose CIMP-positive ccRCCs and may be useful for personalized medicine for patients with ccRCCs.

Leituras e leitores de Richard Morse: a trajetória de um livro sobre a formação da metrópole paulista

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Ana Claudia Veiga de Castro

2013-01-01

Full Text Available De comunidade à metrópole: a biografia de São Paulo , was first published in 1954 and then re published in 1970 as Formação histórica de São Paulo: de comunidade à metrópole . Written by a young US researcher fascinated by Latin America, this material was originally submitted as his PhD thesis at Columbia University in 1952. Since then, Rich - ard Morse’s (1922-2001 work has come a long way and is now considered a primary reference in the history of urban development of São Paulo. This article briefly recovers the reader’s response when Morse’s research was first published, and how it ensured the book’s importance in the Brazilian historiography. The aim is to draw a parallel trajectory of the book and its author – the young researcher at Columbia who became a professor of Latin American History at Yale – and to discuss the meanings regarding its importance in São Paulo’s historiography as well as its contribution to a better understanding of the city.

The role of apoptosis repressor with a CARD domain (ARC) in the therapeutic resistance of renal cell carcinoma (RCC): the crucial role of ARC in the inhibition of extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic signalling.

Science.gov (United States)

Toth, Csaba; Funke, Sarah; Nitsche, Vanessa; Liverts, Anna; Zlachevska, Viktoriya; Gasis, Marcia; Wiek, Constanze; Hanenberg, Helmut; Mahotka, Csaba; Schirmacher, Peter; Heikaus, Sebastian

2017-05-02

Renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) display broad resistance against conventional radio- and chemotherapies, which is due at least in part to impairments in both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways. One important anti-apoptotic factor that is strongly overexpressed in RCCs and known to inhibit both apoptotic pathways is ARC (apoptosis repressor with a CARD domain). Expression and subcellular distribution of ARC in RCC tissue samples and RCC cell lines were determined by immunohistochemistry and fluorescent immunohistochemistry, respectively. Extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis signalling were induced by TRAIL (TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand), ABT-263 or topotecan. ARC knock-down was performed in clearCa-12 cells using lentiviral transduction of pGIPZ. shRNAmir constructs. Extrinsic respectively intrinsic apoptosis were induced by TRAIL (TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand), ABT263 or topotecan. Potential synergistic effects were tested by pre-treatment with topotecan and subsequent treatment with ABT263. Activation of different caspases and mitochondrial depolarisation (JC-1 staining) were analysed by flow cytometry. Protein expression of Bcl-2 family members and ARC in RCC cell lines was measured by Western blotting. Statistical analysis was performed by Student's t-test. Regarding the extrinsic pathway, ARC knockdown strongly enhanced TRAIL-induced apoptosis by increasing the activation level of caspase-8. Regarding the intrinsic pathway, ARC, which was only weakly expressed in the nuclei of RCCs in vivo, exerted its anti-apoptotic effect by impairing mitochondrial activation rather than inhibiting p53. Topotecan- and ABT-263-induced apoptosis was strongly enhanced following ARC knockdown in RCC cell lines. In addition, topotecan pre-treatment enhanced ABT-263-induced apoptosis and this effect was amplified in ARC-knockdown cells. Taken together, our results are the first to demonstrate the importance of ARC protein in the inhibition of both the extrinsic

Identification of Molecular Tumor Markers in Renal Cell Carcinomas with TFE3 Protein Expression by RNA Sequencing

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Dorothee Pflueger

2013-11-01

Full Text Available TFE3 translocation renal cell carcinoma (tRCC is defined by chromosomal translocations involving the TFE3 transcription factor at chromosome Xp11.2. Genetically proven TFE3 tRCCs have a broad histologic spectrum with overlapping features to other renal tumor subtypes. In this study,we aimed for characterizing RCC with TFE3 protein expression. Using next-generation whole transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq as a discovery tool, we analyzed fusion transcripts, gene expression profile, and somatic mutations in frozen tissue of one TFE3 tRCC. By applying a computational analysis developed to call chimeric RNA molecules from paired-end RNA-Seq data, we confirmed the known TFE3 translocation. Its fusion partner SFPQ has already been described as fusion partner in tRCCs. In addition, an RNAread-through chimera between TMED6 and COG8 as well as MET and KDR (VEGFR2 point mutations were identified. An EGFR mutation, but no chromosomal rearrangements, was identified in a control group of five clear cell RCCs (ccRCCs. The TFE3 tRCC could be clearly distinguished from the ccRCCs by RNA-Seq gene expression measurements using a previously reported tRCC gene signature. In validation experiments using reverse transcription-PCR, TMED6-COG8 chimera expression was significantly higher in nine TFE3 translocated and six TFE3-expressing/non-translocated RCCs than in 24 ccRCCs (P<.001 and 22 papillaryRCCs (P<.05-.07. Immunohistochemical analysis of selected genes from the tRCC gene signature showed significantly higher eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 alpha 2 (EEF1A2 and Contactin 3 (CNTN3 expression in 16 TFE3 translocated and six TFE3-expressing/non-translocated RCCs than in over 200 ccRCCs (P < .0001, both.

Assessment of risks and costs associated with transportation of US Department of Energy radioactively contaminated carbon steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, S.-Y.; Arnish, J.J.; Nieves, L.A.; Folga, S.M.

1996-09-01

This report provides a preliminary assessment of potential human health risks and develops unit risks and costs for transporting radioactively contaminated carbon steel (RCCS) scrap between U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sites. The RCCS would be generated from DOE activities (current or future) and from decontamination and decommissioning of DOE facilities. The estimates of transportation system risk reflect preliminary information regarding the quantities of RCCS at some sites and the spectrum of activity in RCCS at various types of DOE facilities

Clinical and radiological findings of incidental Rathke's cleft cysts in children and adolescents

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Yeon Joung Oh

2014-03-01

Full Text Available PurposeIn the pediatric population, Rathke's cleft cysts (RCCs are known to be an infrequent cause of headaches, visual disturbances, and pituitary dysfunction. We investigated the clinical characteristics of children in whom RCCs were incidentally discovered and evaluated whether RCCs influence the treatment response of patients with proven endocrinopathy.MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted in 34 patients with RCCs who were diagnosed between 2006 and 2013 at Hallym University Medical Center. Their clinical, hormonal, and imaging findings were reviewed. We evaluated the clinical outcomes of the patients with concomitant RCCs and endocrinopathy compared to matched controls.ResultsTwenty-six of 34 patients with radiologically proven RCCs had endocrine disorders. They were 9 boys and 17 girls, with ages ranging from 4.8 to 17.4 years at the time of the diagnosis. Of these, 7 (27% had idiopathic short stature, 7 (27% had growth hormone deficiency (GHD, and 12 (46% had central precocious puberty (CPP. Nineteen of 26 patients (73.1% showed low signal intensities on T1-weighted images (T1WI and high signal intensities on T2-weighted images. The incidence of hypointensity on T1WI was higher in the patients with RCCs accompanied by endocrinopathy than in those without endocrinopathy (P=0.033. The treatment outcomes of the patients with CPP and GHD with and without RCCs were similar.ConclusionCPP and GHD patients with a small RCC (less than 20 mm expressing cystic magnetic resonance intensity can be managed with medical treatment, although the RCCs need to be closely monitored in radiological studies to observe their growth.

Lo cyborg en Metrópolis: apuntes sobre el paisaje filosófico de la distopía.

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Gerardo Vázquez Rodríguez

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Resumen. Muchas son las revisiones y lo escrito sobre la película Metrópoli, se acrecentó a través de los años el valor del film en gran medida por la interpretación que hace de un futuro colectivo y de amplia empatía con los momentos sociales y personajes que se evidenciaron a los largo del siglo xx y hasta la fecha. La película promulgo discursos que se volvieron pertinaces para la ciencia ficción y para la proyección de una estética de modernidad a futuro. El presente documento no intenta acrecentar el muy explorado imaginario cinematográfico y estilístico de Metrópoli,  la distinción de la película en el articulo es un pretexto intencionado para articular un escenario que incluya personajes insustanciales en la colectividad y su inconsciente, intentamos qué por medio de los arquetipos expuestos en el film se pueda esclarecer de alguna manera la relación prevista entre los paisajes cyborg y entre quienes lo construyen, lo jerarquizan, lo observan y lo viven; como ruta para conseguir esté cometido se empezaría desde las primeras líneas del presente texto una disertación de conceptos sobre la utopía y la distopía, recorriendo sus matices y utilizándolos como enfoques que nos intentan dar panorama al tema. No obstante que partimos de un análisis neutral sobre la utopía el presente documento se decanta sobre la distinción de la distopía y su funcionalidad para explicar una visión colectiva de la sociedad underground. Esta misma visión albergada en la masividad y no en el individuo nos servirá  como hilo conductor para acrecentar la parte final del texto que intenta postular la creciente y pronosticada relación entre humanidad y maquina.

Thermal-Hydraulic Analysis of an Experimental Reactor Cavity Cooling System with Air. Part I: Experiments; Part II: Separate Effects Tests and Modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corradin, Michael; Dominguez, A.; Tokuhiro, Akira; Hamman, K.

2014-01-01

This experimental study investigates the thermal hydraulic behavior and the heat removal performance for a scaled Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) with air. A quarter-scale RCCS facility was designed and built based on a full-scale General Atomics (GA) RCCS design concept for the Modular High Temperature Gas Reactor (MHTGR). The GA RCCS is a passive cooling system that draws in air to use as the cooling fluid to remove heat radiated from the reactor pressure vessel to the air-cooled riser tubes and discharged the heated air into the atmosphere. Scaling laws were used to preserve key aspects and to maintain similarity. The scaled air RCCS facility at UW-Madison is a quarter-scale reduced length experiment housing six riser ducts that represent a 9.5° sector slice of the full-scale GA air RCCS concept. Radiant heaters were used to simulate the heat radiation from the reactor pressure vessel. The maximum power that can be achieved with the radiant heaters is 40 kW with a peak heat flux of 25 kW per meter squared. The quarter-scale RCCS was run under different heat loading cases and operated successfully. Instabilities were observed in some experiments in which one of the two exhaust ducts experienced a flow reversal for a period of time. The data and analysis presented show that the RCCS has promising potential to be a decay heat removal system during an accident scenario.

Thermal-Hydraulic Analysis of an Experimental Reactor Cavity Cooling System with Air. Part I: Experiments; Part II: Separate Effects Tests and Modeling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Corradin, Michael [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States). Dept. of Engineering Physics; Anderson, M. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States). Dept. of Engineering Physics; Muci, M. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States). Dept. of Engineering Physics; Hassan, Yassin [Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); Dominguez, A. [Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); Tokuhiro, Akira [Univ. of Idaho, Moscow, ID (United States); Hamman, K. [Univ. of Idaho, Moscow, ID (United States)

2014-10-15

This experimental study investigates the thermal hydraulic behavior and the heat removal performance for a scaled Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) with air. A quarter-scale RCCS facility was designed and built based on a full-scale General Atomics (GA) RCCS design concept for the Modular High Temperature Gas Reactor (MHTGR). The GA RCCS is a passive cooling system that draws in air to use as the cooling fluid to remove heat radiated from the reactor pressure vessel to the air-cooled riser tubes and discharged the heated air into the atmosphere. Scaling laws were used to preserve key aspects and to maintain similarity. The scaled air RCCS facility at UW-Madison is a quarter-scale reduced length experiment housing six riser ducts that represent a 9.5° sector slice of the full-scale GA air RCCS concept. Radiant heaters were used to simulate the heat radiation from the reactor pressure vessel. The maximum power that can be achieved with the radiant heaters is 40 kW with a peak heat flux of 25 kW per meter squared. The quarter-scale RCCS was run under different heat loading cases and operated successfully. Instabilities were observed in some experiments in which one of the two exhaust ducts experienced a flow reversal for a period of time. The data and analysis presented show that the RCCS has promising potential to be a decay heat removal system during an accident scenario.

Globalização, metrópoles e crise social no Brasil

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Inaiá Maria Moreira de Carvalho

2006-05-01

Full Text Available Este artigo discute como o processo de reestruturação produtiva e a articulação da economia brasileira ao processo de globalização vem impactando sobre as grandes metrópoles do país, onde se concentram as atividades produtivas, a riqueza e o poder, ao lado da população. Para tanto, o texto considera como o processo em apreço tem contribuído para a redefinição de territórios, a conformação de novas arquiteturas produtivas e urbanas e mudanças nas condições ocupacionais e sociais. Assinala, a seguir, como esses fenômenos vem ocorrendo nas áreas metropolitanas brasileiras, com o avanço da segmentação urbana, da precariedade ocupacional, da vulnerabilidade e do desemprego, transformando-as no epicentro da crise social do BrasilThis paper discusses the way in which productive restructuration process and Brazilian economy articulation are impacting the main metropolis of the country, where productive activities, wealth and power are concentrated besides the population. In doing so, the text considers how these processes have contributed to a territorial redefinition, as well as to a conformation of new productive and urban architectures and changes in occupational and social conditions. It is also pointed out how these phenomena are taking place in Brazilian metropolitan areas, with the advance of urban segmentation, labor fragility, vulnerability and unemployment, turning these areas into the core of social crisis in Brazil

Uma Idéia de Metrópole no Século XIX

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Ricardo Marques de Azevedo

1998-01-01

Full Text Available Nos séculos XVII e XVIII consolidam-se as cidades capitais das soberanias absolutistas. Com a Revolução Industrial, a migração de camponeses e as agitações políticas, em fins do século XVIII e inícios do XIX algumas dessas cidades, principalmente Londres e Paris, alçam-se à condição de metrópoles. Este artigo procura mostrar como em Paris _ a mais cosmopolita das cidades na época _ inauguram-se novos comportamentos, modas, modos e até mesmo uma nova gestualidade. Aponta também as representações que na literatura e nas ciências humanas se elaboram sobre esse novo modo de vida no qual certos vanguardistas de inícios deste século vislumbram a germinação de uma nova sensibilidade.In XVII and XVIIIth Century the capital cities of absolutist sovereignities are consolidated. After Industrial Revolution, the countrymen migration and political disturbance, at the end of the XVIII and beggining of XIXth Century some of these cities, specially London and Paris, raise to a metropolis condition. This article attempts to show how in Paris _ the most cosmopolitan city at that time _ new behaviors, fashions, manners and even new gestures emerge. The text also names the representations which in litterature and human sciences are elaborated on this new way of life on which certain avant-gardists from the beggining of this Century glimpse the germination of a new sensibility.

CT and MRI appearances and radiologic staging of pediatric renal cell carcinoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Downey, Ryan T. [University of Michigan Health System, Department of Radiology, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Dillman, Jonathan R.; Ladino-Torres, Maria F.; Strouse, Peter J. [University of Michigan Health System, Section of Pediatric Radiology, C.S. Mott Children' s Hospital, Department of Radiology, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); McHugh, Jonathan B. [University of Michigan Health System, Department of Pathology, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Ehrlich, Peter F. [University of Michigan Health System, Department of Surgery, Section of Pediatric Surgery, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

2012-04-15

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is an uncommon but noteworthy primary pediatric renal malignancy. There is a paucity of published data regarding the CT/MRI appearances and accuracy of pretreatment radiologic staging of this form of cancer in children. To review the various CT/MRI appearances of pediatric RCC and assess the accuracy of pretreatment radiologic staging using these imaging modalities. Institutional Departments of Pathology and Radiology records were searched from 1995 through 2010 for children (younger than 18 years of age) with RCC. Available pretreatment contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic CT and MRI examinations were reviewed by two radiologists. Pertinent imaging findings were documented by consensus, and correlation was made between radiologic and surgicopathological TNM staging. Pretreatment imaging studies from 10 RCCs in nine children (four girls and five boys; mean age 12.9 years) were reviewed. The mean size of the primary tumor was 6.2 cm (range, 1.5-12.6 cm). Ninety percent of RCCs demonstrated heterogeneous postcontrast enhancement. Fifty percent of masses had associated hemorrhage, while 40% contained internal calcification. Regarding TNM staging, N staging was correct for 10 of 10 tumors, while M staging was correct for 10 of 10 tumors. Imaging correctly staged only 4 of 10 tumors with respect to T stage. Radiologic and surgicopathological overall staging were concordant for 8 of 10 tumors. Pediatric RCCs typically present as large, heterogeneous masses, and they commonly hemorrhage and contain internal calcification. Radiologic and surgicopathological overall TNM staging are frequently concordant, although radiologic T staging is often incorrect. (orig.)

Statistical clustering of parametric maps from dynamic contrast enhanced MRI and an associated decision tree model for non-invasive tumour grading of T1b solid clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xi, Yin; Yuan, Qing; Zhang, Yue; Fulkerson, Michael [UT Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Dallas, TX (United States); Madhuranthakam, Ananth J. [UT Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Dallas, TX (United States); UT Southwestern Medical Center, Advanced Imaging Research Center, Dallas, TX (United States); Margulis, Vitaly; Cadeddu, Jeffrey A. [UT Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Urology, Dallas, TX (United States); UT Southwestern Medical Center, Kidney Cancer Program, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dallas, TX (United States); Brugarolas, James [UT Southwestern Medical Center, Kidney Cancer Program, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dallas, TX (United States); UT Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Dallas, TX (United States); Kapur, Payal [UT Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Urology, Dallas, TX (United States); UT Southwestern Medical Center, Kidney Cancer Program, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dallas, TX (United States); UT Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Pathology, Dallas, Texas (United States); Pedrosa, Ivan [UT Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Dallas, TX (United States); UT Southwestern Medical Center, Advanced Imaging Research Center, Dallas, TX (United States); UT Southwestern Medical Center, Kidney Cancer Program, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dallas, TX (United States)

2018-01-15

To apply a statistical clustering algorithm to combine information from dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) into a single tumour map to distinguish high-grade from low-grade T1b clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). This prospective, Institutional Review Board -approved, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act -compliant study included 18 patients with solid T1b ccRCC who underwent pre-surgical DCE MRI. After statistical clustering of the parametric maps of the transfer constant between the intravascular and extravascular space (K{sup trans}), rate constant (K{sub ep}) and initial area under the concentration curve (iAUC) with a fuzzy c-means (FCM) algorithm, each tumour was segmented into three regions (low/medium/high active areas). Percentages of each region and tumour size were compared to tumour grade at histopathology. A decision-tree model was constructed to select the best parameter(s) to predict high-grade ccRCC. Seven high-grade and 11 low-grade T1b ccRCCs were included. High-grade histology was associated with higher percent high active areas (p = 0.0154) and this was the only feature selected by the decision tree model, which had a diagnostic performance of 78% accuracy, 86% sensitivity, 73% specificity, 67% positive predictive value and 89% negative predictive value. The FCM integrates multiple DCE-derived parameter maps and identifies tumour regions with unique pharmacokinetic characteristics. Using this approach, a decision tree model using criteria beyond size to predict tumour grade in T1b ccRCCs is proposed. (orig.)

Statistical clustering of parametric maps from dynamic contrast enhanced MRI and an associated decision tree model for non-invasive tumour grading of T1b solid clear cell renal cell carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xi, Yin; Yuan, Qing; Zhang, Yue; Fulkerson, Michael; Madhuranthakam, Ananth J.; Margulis, Vitaly; Cadeddu, Jeffrey A.; Brugarolas, James; Kapur, Payal; Pedrosa, Ivan

2018-01-01

To apply a statistical clustering algorithm to combine information from dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) into a single tumour map to distinguish high-grade from low-grade T1b clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). This prospective, Institutional Review Board -approved, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act -compliant study included 18 patients with solid T1b ccRCC who underwent pre-surgical DCE MRI. After statistical clustering of the parametric maps of the transfer constant between the intravascular and extravascular space (K trans ), rate constant (K ep ) and initial area under the concentration curve (iAUC) with a fuzzy c-means (FCM) algorithm, each tumour was segmented into three regions (low/medium/high active areas). Percentages of each region and tumour size were compared to tumour grade at histopathology. A decision-tree model was constructed to select the best parameter(s) to predict high-grade ccRCC. Seven high-grade and 11 low-grade T1b ccRCCs were included. High-grade histology was associated with higher percent high active areas (p = 0.0154) and this was the only feature selected by the decision tree model, which had a diagnostic performance of 78% accuracy, 86% sensitivity, 73% specificity, 67% positive predictive value and 89% negative predictive value. The FCM integrates multiple DCE-derived parameter maps and identifies tumour regions with unique pharmacokinetic characteristics. Using this approach, a decision tree model using criteria beyond size to predict tumour grade in T1b ccRCCs is proposed. (orig.)

MiT family translocation renal cell carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Argani, Pedram

2015-03-01

The MiT subfamily of transcription factors includes TFE3, TFEB, TFC, and MiTF. Gene fusions involving two of these transcription factors have been identified in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The Xp11 translocation RCCs were first officially recognized in the 2004 WHO renal tumor classification, and harbor gene fusions involving TFE3. The t(6;11) RCCs harbor a specific Alpha-TFEB gene fusion and were first officially recognized in the 2013 International Society of Urologic Pathology (ISUP) Vancouver classification of renal neoplasia. These two subtypes of translocation RCC have many similarities. Both were initially described in and disproportionately involve young patients, though adult translocation RCC may overall outnumber pediatric cases. Both often have unusual and distinctive morphologies; the Xp11 translocation RCCs frequently have clear cells with papillary architecture and abundant psammomatous bodies, while the t(6;11) RCCs frequently have a biphasic appearance with both large and small epithelioid cells and nodules of basement membrane material. However, the morphology of these two neoplasms can overlap, with one mimicking the other. Both of these RCCs underexpress epithelial immunohistochemical markers like cytokeratin and epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) relative to most other RCCs. Unlike other RCCs, both frequently express the cysteine protease cathepsin k and often express melanocytic markers like HMB45 and Melan A. Finally, TFE3 and TFEB have overlapping functional activity as these two transcription factors frequently heterodimerize and bind to the same targets. Therefore, on the basis of clinical, morphologic, immunohistochemical, and genetic similarities, the 2013 ISUP Vancouver classification of renal neoplasia grouped these two neoplasms together under the heading of "MiT family translocation RCC." This review summarizes our current knowledge of these recently described RCCs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Microwave treatment of renal cell carcinoma adjacent to renal sinus.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Yongyan; Liang, Ping; Yu, Xiaoling; Yu, Jie; Cheng, Zhigang; Han, Zhiyu; Duan, Shaobo; Huang, Hui

2016-11-01

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ultrasound (US)-guided percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) adjacent to renal sinus. This retrospective study included 41 patients who underwent US-guided percutaneous MWA of 41 RCCs adjacent to the renal sinus from April 2006 to December 2015. Contrast-enhanced images of US and computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) imaging were performed at pre-ablation and 1day, 1 month, 3 months, and every 6 months after ablation. Initial ablation success (IAS), disease-free survival (DFS), RCC-related survival (RRS), and overall survival (OS) were recorded at the follow-up visits. IAS was achieved in 92.7% (38/41) of the study subjects. The IAS significantly differed between patients with RCCs ≤4cm (100%, 29/29) and RCCs >4cm (75%, 9/12, p=0.021). During the median follow-up of 37.6 (range, 3.0-97.3) months, the estimated 1-, 3-, and 5-year DFS of patients with an initial tumor of ≤4cm were 100%, 89.7%, and 81.5%, respectively. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year RRS were 100%, 93.3%, and 93.3%, respectively. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS were 97.1%, 87.8%, and 83.6%, respectively. The multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazard model revealed no independent predictor of recurrence among all the variables. There were no MWA-related deaths among the study subjects. One patient developed a retroperitoneal abscess after ablation. US-guided percutaneous MWA appears to be a promising method for RCCs adjacent to renal sinus, especially for tumors ≤4cm. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alternating current losses of a 10 metre long low loss superconducting cable conductor determined from phase sensitive measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Søren Krüger; Kühle (fratrådt), Anders Van Der Aa; Træholt, Chresten

1999-01-01

The ac loss of a superconducting cable conductor carrying an ac current is small. Therefore the ratio between the inductive (out-of-phase) and the resistive (in-phase) voltages over the conductor is correspondingly high. In vectorial representations this results in phase angles between the current......-in amplifiers can be exploited. In this paper we present the results from ac-loss measurements on a low loss 10 metre long high temperature superconducting cable conductor using such a correction scheme. Measurements were carried out with and without a compensation circuit that could reduce-the inductive...... voltage. The 1 mu V cm(-1) critical current of the conductor was 3240 A at 77 K. At an rms current of 2 kA (50 Hz) the ac loss was derived to be 0.6 +/- 0.15 W m(-1). This is, to the best of our knowledge, the lowest value of ac loss of a high temperature superconducting cable conductor reported so far...

Significant Improvement in Chronic Persistent Headaches Caused by Small Rathke Cleft Cysts After Transsphenoidal Surgery

OpenAIRE

Fukui, Issei; Hayashi, Yasuhiko; Kita, Daisuke; Sasagawa, Yasuo; Oishi, Masahiro; Tachibana, Osamu; Nakada, Mitsutoshi

2017-01-01

Purpose Rathke cleft cysts (RCC) usually are asymptomatic and can be observed via the use of conservative methods. Some patients with RCCs, however, have severe headaches even if they are small enough to be confined to the sella, and these small RCCs seldom have been discussed. This study presents an investigation into clinical characteristics of small RCCs associated with severe headaches, demonstrating efficacy and safety of endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery (ETSS) to relieve headaches. Me...

MetrIntSimil—An Accurate and Robust Metric for Comparison of Similarity in Intelligence of Any Number of Cooperative Multiagent Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laszlo Barna Iantovics

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Intelligent cooperative multiagent systems are applied for solving a large range of real-life problems, including in domains like biology and healthcare. There are very few metrics able to make an effective measure of the machine intelligence quotient. The most important drawbacks of the designed metrics presented in the scientific literature consist in the limitation in universality, accuracy, and robustness. In this paper, we propose a novel universal metric called MetrIntSimil capable of making an accurate and robust symmetric comparison of the similarity in intelligence of any number of cooperative multiagent systems specialized in difficult problem solving. The universality is an important necessary property based on the large variety of designed intelligent systems. MetrIntSimil makes a comparison by taking into consideration the variability in intelligence in the problem solving of the compared cooperative multiagent systems. It allows a classification of the cooperative multiagent systems based on their similarity in intelligence. A cooperative multiagent system has variability in the problem solving intelligence, and it can manifest lower or higher intelligence in different problem solving tasks. More cooperative multiagent systems with similar intelligence can be included in the same class. For the evaluation of the proposed metric, we conducted a case study for more intelligent cooperative multiagent systems composed of simple computing agents applied for solving the Symmetric Travelling Salesman Problem (STSP that is a class of NP-hard problems. STSP is the problem of finding the shortest Hamiltonian cycle/tour in a weighted undirected graph that does not have loops or multiple edges. The distance between two cities is the same in each opposite direction. Two classes of similar intelligence denoted IntClassA and IntClassB were identified. The experimental results show that the agent belonging to IntClassA intelligence class is less

Predictions for heat transfer characteristics in a natural draft reactor cooling system using a second moment closure turbulence model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishimura, M.; Maekawa, I.

2004-01-01

A numerical study is performed on the natural draft reactor cavity cooling system (RCCS). In the cooling system, buoyancy driven heated upward flow could be in the mixed convection regime that is accompanied by heat transfer impairment. Also, the heating wall condition is asymmetric with regard to the channel cross section. These flow regime and thermal boundary conditions may invalidate the use of design correlation. To precisely simulate the flow and thermal fields within the RCCS, the second moment closure turbulence model is applied. Two types of the RCCS channel geometry are selected to make a comparison: an annular duct with fins on the outer surface of the inner circular wall, and a multi-rectangular duct. The prediction shows that the local heat transfer coefficient on the RCCS with finned annular duct is less than 1/6 of that estimated with Dittus-Boelter correlation. Much portion of the natural draft airflow does not contribute cooling at all because mainstream escapes from the narrow gaps between the fins. This result and thus the finned annulus design are unacceptable from the viewpoint for structural integrity of the RCCS wall boundary. The performance of the multi-rectangular duct design is acceptable that the RCCS maximum temperature is less than 400 degree centigrade even when the flow rate is halved from the designed condition. (author)

Del funcionalismo industrial al de servicios: ¿la nueva utopía de la metrópoli postindustrial del valle de México?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Blanca Ramírez

2006-05-01

Full Text Available El objetivo de este ensayo es responder algunas preguntas que han sido parte de viejas y nuevas reflexiones sobre la Metrópoli del Valle de México, y descubrir las nuevas tendencias que percibimos en su desarrollo. Partimos de suponer que hay confusión en la forma como se le nombra y que la visión de futuro sobre su transformación en el mediano y largo plazo pasa por un cambio importante de la función industrializadora que el modelo de sustitución de importaciones impuso a la ciudad, por otro de servicios y patrimonialista que le impone la visión postindustrial en que se ve inmersa en la actualidad. En esta transformación resalta la importancia de la periferia, dada la ubicación privilegiada que tiene en cuanto al patrimonio natural y cultural que le es propio, posibilitando así su contribución para alcanzar la sustentabilidad de la metrópoliOld and new reflections regarding Mexico Valley’s Metropolis are questioned, in order to discover new trends in urban development of the city. We assume the way in which we name the metropolis generates confusion. At the same time, there is an important transformation in the activities leading the economic development of the city. Services are taking the place that industrialization took for more than seventy years, currently adopting the leadership in the vision of the future of the postindustrial city. At the same time, natural and historical patrimonies are nowadays the main resources in order to revalue economic activities. Special mention has to be done to urban periphery, the place where growth and resources allow planning the sustainable city of the future

Comparison of biexponential and monoexponential model of diffusion-weighted imaging for distinguishing between common renal cell carcinoma and fat poor angiomyolipoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ding, Yuqin; Zeng, Mengsu; Rao, Shengxiang; Chen, Caizhong [Dept. of Radiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai Institute of Medical Imaging, Shanghai (China); Fu, Caixia [Siemens Shenzhen Magnetic Resonance Ltd., Shenzhen (China)

2016-11-15

To compare the diagnostic accuracy of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM)-derived parameters and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in distinguishing between renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and fat poor angiomyolipoma (AML). Eighty-three patients with pathologically confirmed renal tumors were included in the study. All patients underwent renal 1.5T MRI, including IVIM protocol with 8 b values (0-800 s/mm{sup 2}). The ADC, diffusion coefficient (D), pseudodiffusion coefficient (D*), and perfusion fraction (f) were calculated. One-way ANOVA was used for comparing ADC and IVIM-derived parameters among clear cell RCC (ccRCC), non-ccRCC and fat poor AML. The diagnostic performance of these parameters was evaluated by using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The ADC were significantly greater in ccRCCs than that of non-ccRCCs and fat poor AMLs (each p < 0.010, respectively). The D and D* among the three groups were significantly different (all p < 0.050). The f of non-ccRCCs were less than that of ccRCCs and fat poor AMLs (each p < 0.050, respectively). In ROC analysis, ADC and D showed similar area under the ROC curve (AUC) values (AUC = 0.955 and 0.964, respectively, p = 0.589) in distinguishing between ccRCCs and fat poor AMLs. The combination of D > 0.97 × 10{sup -3} mm{sup 2}/s, D* < 28.03 × 10{sup -3} mm{sup 2}/s, and f < 13.61% maximized the diagnostic sensitivity for distinguishing non-ccRCCs from fat poor AMLs. The final estimates of AUC (95% confidence interval), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy for the entire cohort were 0.875 (0.719-0.962), 100% (23/23), 75% (9/12), 88.5% (23/26), 100% (9/9), and 91.4% (32/35), respectively. The ADC and D showed similar diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing between ccRCCs and fat poor AMLs. The IVIM-derived parameters were better than ADC in discriminating non-ccRCCs from fat poor AMLs.

Alterations of the spindle checkpoint pathway in clinicopathologically aggressive CpG island methylator phenotype clear cell renal cell carcinomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Arai, Eri; Gotoh, Masahiro; Tian, Ying; Sakamoto, Hiromi; Ono, Masaya; Matsuda, Akio; Takahashi, Yoriko; Miyata, Sayaka; Totsuka, Hirohiko; Chiku, Suenori; Komiyama, Motokiyo; Fujimoto, Hiroyuki; Matsumoto, Kenji; Yamada, Tesshi; Yoshida, Teruhiko; Kanai, Yae

2015-12-01

CpG-island methylator phenotype (CIMP)-positive clear cell renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) are characterized by accumulation of DNA hypermethylation of CpG islands, clinicopathological aggressiveness and poor patient outcome. The aim of this study was to clarify the molecular pathways participating in CIMP-positive renal carcinogenesis. Genome (whole-exome and copy number), transcriptome and proteome (two-dimensional image converted analysis of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry) analyses were performed using tissue specimens of 87 CIMP-negative and 14 CIMP-positive clear cell RCCs and corresponding specimens of non-cancerous renal cortex. Genes encoding microtubule-associated proteins, such as DNAH2, DNAH5, DNAH10, RP1 and HAUS8, showed a 10% or higher incidence of genetic aberrations (non-synonymous single-nucleotide mutations and insertions/deletions) in CIMP-positive RCCs, whereas CIMP-negative RCCs lacked distinct genetic characteristics. MetaCore pathway analysis of CIMP-positive RCCs revealed that alterations of mRNA or protein expression were significantly accumulated in six pathways, all participating in the spindle checkpoint, including the "The metaphase checkpoint (p = 1.427 × 10(-6))," "Role of Anaphase Promoting Complex in cell cycle regulation (p = 7.444 × 10(-6))" and "Spindle assembly and chromosome separation (p = 9.260 × 10(-6))" pathways. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that mRNA expression levels for genes included in such pathways, i.e., AURKA, AURKB, BIRC5, BUB1, CDC20, NEK2 and SPC25, were significantly higher in CIMP-positive than in CIMP-negative RCCs. All CIMP-positive RCCs showed overexpression of Aurora kinases, AURKA and AURKB, and this overexpression was mainly attributable to increased copy number. These data suggest that abnormalities of the spindle checkpoint pathway participate in CIMP-positive renal carcinogenesis, and that AURKA and AURKB may be potential therapeutic targets in more aggressive CIMP-positive RCCs. �

Fiftieth Anniversary at the summit : neither fear of heights nor the cold succeeded in cooling the ardour of four brave climbers from CERN who celebrated CERN's 50th Anniversary at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 metres).

CERN Multimedia

2005-01-01

On the way back from the summit, Miguel Cerqueira Bastos (AB/PO), David Collados Polidura (IT/GM), Sandra Sequeira Tavares (PH/CMI) and Daniel Cano Ott (n_TOF) raised the official CERN Jubilee flag at 4750 metres altitude.

On the construction of a 2-metre mirror blank for the universal reflecting telescope in Tautenburg (German Title: Über die Fertigung eines 2-Meter-Spiegelträgers für das Universal-Spiegelteleskop in Tautenburg )

Science.gov (United States)

Lödel, Wolfgang

The astronomers' desire to penetrate deeper into space transforms into a demand for larger telescopes. The primary mirror constitutes the main part of a reflecting telescope, and it determines all subsequent activities. Already in the 1930s activities existed in the Schott company to manufacture mirror blanks up to diameters of 2 metres, which could not be pursued because of political constraints. This ambitious goal was again picked up a few years after the war. At a time when the procurement of raw materials was extremely difficult, the glass workers of Schott in Jena attacked this large project. After some failures, a good mirror blank could be delivered to the Carl Zeiss Company in 1951 for further processing and for the construction of the first 2-metre reflecting telescope. From 1960 to 1986, this mirror made from optical glass ZK7 served its purpose at the Karl Schwarzschild Observatory in Tautenburg. lt was then replaced by a zero expansion glass ceramics mirror.

A regiâo cresce mais que a metrópole

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Santos

1992-01-01

Full Text Available Durante mucho tiempo, las teorías especiales clásicas (polos de desarrollo, teoría del lugar central, rank size rule, polo periferia consideraron a las grandes ciudades como centros de crecimiento, mientras que el resto del país tendría dificultad para despegar. Sin embargo, hoy, si se considera la evolución de varios indicadores económicos y sociales de las diferentes áreas metropolitanas brasileñas en relación con el resto del país, (particularmente las zonas del interior que empiezan a experimentar la modernización, se podría llamar al proceso por el que pasan como involución metropolitana. Esta sería una consecuencia del resultado de la difusión en el territorio de aquello que se ha llamado medio científico–técnico, que es consecuencia de la difusión a escala mundial de las variables que caracterizan el presente periodo histórico. De acuerdo con lo anterior, las transformaciones recientemente ocurridas en la superficie de la tierra en un gran número de lugares, estarían marcadas por las contribuciones de la ciencia y la tecnología, de tal manera que los lugares se caracterizan en función de las diferencias de información que hay entre ellos. Se estaría produciendo, por lo tanto, un cambio fundamental en el medio geográfico, dejando de ser simplemente un medio natural o un medio técnico para transformarse en un medio técnico–científico internacional. Sobre la base de lo anterior la naturaleza de la vida contribuye a la formación de nuevas relaciones sociales que traen consecuencias al proceso de urbanización. En este trabajo se presenta el caso brasileño donde se puede apuntar como resultado de la involución metropolitana antes mencionada, un fenómeno paralelo e interdependiente que es un crecimiento de la región más importante que el de la metrópoli y de una tendencia a tener una calidad de vida mejor en el interior.

NCBI nr-aa BLAST: CBRC-GGAL-04-0030 [SEVENS

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available CBRC-GGAL-04-0030 ref|ZP_01752079.1| hypothetical protein RCCS2_01059 [Roseobacter ...sp. CCS2] gb|EBA11027.1| hypothetical protein RCCS2_01059 [Roseobacter sp. CCS2] ZP_01752079.1 3.9 32% ...

NCBI nr-aa BLAST: CBRC-DNOV-01-2991 [SEVENS

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available CBRC-DNOV-01-2991 ref|ZP_01750834.1| hypothetical protein RCCS2_14464 [Roseobacter ...sp. CCS2] gb|EBA12508.1| hypothetical protein RCCS2_14464 [Roseobacter sp. CCS2] ZP_01750834.1 5.2 26% ...

NCBI nr-aa BLAST: CBRC-CINT-01-0091 [SEVENS

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available CBRC-CINT-01-0091 ref|ZP_01748904.1| hypothetical protein RCCS2_03359 [Roseobacter ...sp. CCS2] gb|EBA12887.1| hypothetical protein RCCS2_03359 [Roseobacter sp. CCS2] ZP_01748904.1 6e-06 43% ...

NCBI nr-aa BLAST: CBRC-HSAP-21-0007 [SEVENS

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available CBRC-HSAP-21-0007 ref|ZP_01748904.1| hypothetical protein RCCS2_03359 [Roseobacter ...sp. CCS2] gb|EBA12887.1| hypothetical protein RCCS2_03359 [Roseobacter sp. CCS2] ZP_01748904.1 1e-21 54% ...

La ciudad central de la Ciudad de México: ¿espacio de oportunidad laboral para la metrópoli?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clara Eugenia Salazar

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Las áreas centrales de las grandes metrópolis han perdido población y transformado sus actividades económicas como respuesta a la redistribución intrametropolitana de la población y los cambios en la demanda ocupacional. ¿Significa que los centros de las ciudades han perdido su centralidad? El concepto de centralidad puede ser abordado desde diferentes perspectivas, pero todas ellas enfatizan la concentración espacial de funciones urbanas y actividades económicas. En este documento se analiza la evolución de la demanda ocupacional en la Zona Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México entre 1980 y 2003, y en particular en su ciudad central. El periodo de estudio se inscribe en un contexto nacional y local de reestructuración económica, e interesa conocer el papel de la ciudad central en el crecimiento económico y en la generación de empleo metropolitano, así como en su transformación económica y ocupacional.

Validation of CFD modeling for VGM loss-of-forced-cooling accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wysocki, Aaron; Ahmed, Bobby; Charmeau, Anne; Anghaie, Samim

2009-01-01

Heat transfer and fluid flow in the VGM reactor cavity cooling system (RCCS) was modeled using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The VGM is a Russian modular-type high temperature helium-cooled reactor. In the reactor cavity, heat is removed from the pressure vessel wall through natural convection and radiative heat transfer to water-cooled vertical pipes lining the outer cavity concrete. The RCCS heat removal capability under normal operation and accident scenarios needs to be assessed. The purpose of the present study is to validate the use of CFD to model heat transfer in the VGM RCCS. Calculations were based on a benchmark problem which defines a two-dimensional temperature distribution on the pressure vessel outer wall for both Depressurized and Pressurized Loss-of-Forced Cooling events. A two-dimensional axisymmetric model was developed to determine the best numerical modeling approach. A grid sensitivity study for the air region showed that a 20 mm mesh size with a boundary layer giving a maximum y+ of 2.0 was optimal. Sensitivity analyses determined that the discrete ordinates radiative model, the k-omega turbulence model, and the ideal gas law gave the best combination for capturing radiation and natural circulation in the air cavity. A maximum RCCS pipe wall temperature of 62degC located 6 m from the top of the cavity was predicted. The model showed good agreement with previous results for both Pressurized and Depressurized Loss-of-Forced-Cooling accidents based on RCCS coolant outlet temperature, relative contributions of radiative and convective heat transfer, and RCCS heat load profiles. (author)

Validation Plan of Turbulence Models for Internal Gas Flow Analysis in a Heated Rectangular Riser Duct

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Sin-Yeob; Shin, Dong-Ho; Park, Goon-Cherl; Cho, Hyoung Kyu [Seoul National Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Chan-Soo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

VHTR being developed at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute adopts an air-cooled Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) incorporating rectangular riser channels to remove the afterheat emitted from the reactor vessel. Because the performance of RCCS is determined by heat removal rate through the RCCS riser, it is important to understand the heat transfer phenomena in the RCCS riser to ensure the safety of the reactor. In the mixed convection, due to the buoyance force induced by temperature and density differences, local flow structure and heat transfer mode near the heated wall have significantly dissimilar characteristics from both forced convection and free convection. In this study, benchmark calculation was conducted to reproduce the previous statements that V2F turbulence model can capture the mixed convection phenomena with the Shehata's experimental data. Then, the necessity of the model validation for the mixed convection phenomena was confirmed with the CFD analyses for the geometry of the prototype RCCS riser. For the purpose of validating the turbulence models for mixed convection phenomena in the heated rectangular riser duct, validation plan with three experimental tests was introduced. Among them, the flow visualization test facility with preserved cross-section geometry was introduced and a preliminary test result was shown.

Pseudotumours in chronic kidney disease: Can diffusion-weighted MRI rule out malignancy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goyal, Ankur; Sharma, Raju; Bhalla, Ashu S.; Gamanagatti, Shivanand; Seth, Amlesh

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Conventional non-contrast MRI is unable to distinguish CKD pseudotumors from RCCs. •Pseudotumours in a background of CKD do not show restricted diffusion. •CKD pseudotumours demonstrate high ADC values whereas RCCs show restricted diffusion. •DW-MRI is reliable in ruling out malignancy incase of pseudotumours found in chronic kidney disease. •DW-MRI may obviate contrast administration and/or tissue sampling in renal pseudotumours and prevent inadvertent surgeries. -- Abstract: Objectives: To evaluate whether diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) can distinguish pseudotumours in chronic kidney disease (CKD pseudotumours) from renal-cell-carcinomas (RCCs) (with or without CKD) and whether it offers additional benefit over conventional MRI. Methods: One-hundred patients underwent MDCT, MRI and DW-MRI (at b-values of 0 and 500 s/mm 2 ) for evaluation of focal renal lesions. Of these, 20 patients with 40 CKD pseudotumours and 36 patients with 40 RCCs were retrospectively analyzed. T1-weighted, T2-weighted, diffusion-weighted images were evaluated, apparent-diffusion-coefficient (ADC) values were compared and receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to establish cut-off ADC-values. Results: 92.5% of CKD pseudotumours remained indeterminate after conventional MRI. On DW-MRI, none of them showed restricted diffusion and thus malignancy could be ruled out in 100% of the lesions. In contrast, all the solid RCCs showed diffusion restriction. Mean ADC-value for CKD pseudotumours was significantly higher than RCCs and surrounding diseased parenchyma [2.50 vs 1.56 (×10 −3 mm 2 /s) (P < 0.0001) and 2.05 (×10 −3 mm 2 /s) (P = 0.0001) respectively]. ROC analysis for differentiating CKD pseudotumours and RCC yielded high sensitivity (91.7%) and specificity (100%) for cut-off ADC-value of 2.04 (×10 −3 mm 2 /s). Conclusions: CKD pseudotumors usually remain indeterminate on conventional non-contrast MRI. DW-MRI can distinguish CKD pseudotumors

Pseudotumours in chronic kidney disease: Can diffusion-weighted MRI rule out malignancy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goyal, Ankur, E-mail: ankurgoyalaiims@gmail.com [Department of Radiodiagnosis, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (A.I.I.M.S.), New Delhi (India); Sharma, Raju, E-mail: raju152@yahoo.com [Department of Radiodiagnosis, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (A.I.I.M.S.), New Delhi (India); Bhalla, Ashu S., E-mail: ashubhalla1@yahoo.com [Department of Radiodiagnosis, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (A.I.I.M.S.), New Delhi (India); Gamanagatti, Shivanand, E-mail: shiv223@rediffmail.com [Department of Radiodiagnosis, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (A.I.I.M.S.), New Delhi (India); Seth, Amlesh, E-mail: amlesh.seth@gmail.com [Department of Urology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (A.I.I.M.S.), New Delhi (India)

2013-11-01

Highlights: •Conventional non-contrast MRI is unable to distinguish CKD pseudotumors from RCCs. •Pseudotumours in a background of CKD do not show restricted diffusion. •CKD pseudotumours demonstrate high ADC values whereas RCCs show restricted diffusion. •DW-MRI is reliable in ruling out malignancy incase of pseudotumours found in chronic kidney disease. •DW-MRI may obviate contrast administration and/or tissue sampling in renal pseudotumours and prevent inadvertent surgeries. -- Abstract: Objectives: To evaluate whether diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) can distinguish pseudotumours in chronic kidney disease (CKD pseudotumours) from renal-cell-carcinomas (RCCs) (with or without CKD) and whether it offers additional benefit over conventional MRI. Methods: One-hundred patients underwent MDCT, MRI and DW-MRI (at b-values of 0 and 500 s/mm{sup 2}) for evaluation of focal renal lesions. Of these, 20 patients with 40 CKD pseudotumours and 36 patients with 40 RCCs were retrospectively analyzed. T1-weighted, T2-weighted, diffusion-weighted images were evaluated, apparent-diffusion-coefficient (ADC) values were compared and receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to establish cut-off ADC-values. Results: 92.5% of CKD pseudotumours remained indeterminate after conventional MRI. On DW-MRI, none of them showed restricted diffusion and thus malignancy could be ruled out in 100% of the lesions. In contrast, all the solid RCCs showed diffusion restriction. Mean ADC-value for CKD pseudotumours was significantly higher than RCCs and surrounding diseased parenchyma [2.50 vs 1.56 (×10{sup −3} mm{sup 2}/s) (P < 0.0001) and 2.05 (×10{sup −3} mm{sup 2}/s) (P = 0.0001) respectively]. ROC analysis for differentiating CKD pseudotumours and RCC yielded high sensitivity (91.7%) and specificity (100%) for cut-off ADC-value of 2.04 (×10{sup −3} mm{sup 2}/s). Conclusions: CKD pseudotumors usually remain indeterminate on conventional non-contrast MRI. DW

Planejamento urbano e redução de trânsito: o caso da estação de metrô da Nossa Senhora da Paz, em Ipanema

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Carlos Emmanuel Joppert Ragazzo

2013-12-01

Full Text Available O objetivo deste artigo é, a partir do exemplo de uma manifestação em Ipanema, bairro nobre do Rio de Janeiro, contra a instalação de estações de metrô, demonstrar o caminho que vem sendo adotado pelas autoridades públicas para enfrentar o problema do transporte urbano. Primeiramente, este artigo tentará identificar se o planejamento urbano pode ser utilizado como uma estratégia efetiva para reduzir o problema dos congestionamentos, identificando seus efetivos resultados e possível aplicabilidade à hipótese da estação no bairro de Ipanema, no Rio de Janeiro. Em seguida, este artigo irá avaliar se a distância é ou não um fator relevante na escolha do modal de transporte, já que a premissa dos investimentos estatais em estações de metrô é justamente a migração dos veículos privados para o transporte público. Subsequentemente, o artigo irá investigar as distâncias que devem ser observadas entre as estações localizadas nas regiões identificadas como prioritárias, para determinar o intervalo de estações. Com isso, será possível concluir se a instalação da estação na Praça Nossa Senhora da Paz (ou em lugar alternativo perto se justifica a partir do interesse público de redução dos congestionamentos nos grandes centros urbanos.

Recapitulation of tumor heterogeneity and molecular signatures in a 3D brain cancer model with decreased sensitivity to histone deacetylase inhibition.

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Stuart J Smith

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Physiologically relevant pre-clinical ex vivo models recapitulating CNS tumor micro-environmental complexity will aid development of biologically-targeted agents. We present comprehensive characterization of tumor aggregates generated using the 3D Rotary Cell Culture System (RCCS. METHODS: CNS cancer cell lines were grown in conventional 2D cultures and the RCCS and comparison with a cohort of 53 pediatric high grade gliomas conducted by genome wide gene expression and microRNA arrays, coupled with immunohistochemistry, ex vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy and drug sensitivity evaluation using the histone deacetylase inhibitor, Vorinostat. RESULTS: Macroscopic RCCS aggregates recapitulated the heterogeneous morphology of brain tumors with a distinct proliferating rim, necrotic core and oxygen tension gradient. Gene expression and microRNA analyses revealed significant differences with 3D expression intermediate to 2D cultures and primary brain tumors. Metabolic profiling revealed differential profiles, with an increase in tumor specific metabolites in 3D. To evaluate the potential of the RCCS as a drug testing tool, we determined the efficacy of Vorinostat against aggregates of U87 and KNS42 glioblastoma cells. Both lines demonstrated markedly reduced sensitivity when assaying in 3D culture conditions compared to classical 2D drug screen approaches. CONCLUSIONS: Our comprehensive characterization demonstrates that 3D RCCS culture of high grade brain tumor cells has profound effects on the genetic, epigenetic and metabolic profiles of cultured cells, with these cells residing as an intermediate phenotype between that of 2D cultures and primary tumors. There is a discrepancy between 2D culture and tumor molecular profiles, and RCCS partially re-capitulates tissue specific features, allowing drug testing in a more relevant ex vivo system.

Frequent mutations of genes encoding ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis pathway components in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guo, Guangwu; Gui, Yaoting; Gao, Shengjie

2012-01-01

We sequenced whole exomes of ten clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs) and performed a screen of similar to 1,100 genes in 88 additional ccRCCs, from which we discovered 12 previously unidentified genes mutated at elevated frequencies in ccRCC. Notably, we detected frequent mutations in the u...

Pediatric symptomatic Rathke cleft cyst compared with cystic craniopharyngioma.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayashi, Yasuhiko; Kita, Daisuke; Fukui, Issei; Sasagawa, Yasuo; Oishi, Masahiro; Okajima, Michiko; Tachibana, Osamu; Nakada, Mitsutoshi

2016-09-01

Symptomatic Rathke cleft cysts (RCCs) are rarely detected in neuroradiological screening and are less commonly found in children than in adults. However, when RCCs are observed in children, it is important to carefully distinguish a RCC from a cystic craniopharyngioma (CP) even if surgically treated or conservatively followed up. We conducted a retrospective review of clinical data from 11 patients with symptomatic RCCs whose ages were under 18 years and compared the data with data from 15 age- and sex-matched patients with cystic CP who were treated at our institute. The mean age of the patients with RCCs was 12.2 years (range, 6-18). There were six males and five females. As initial symptoms, nine patients presented with headache, while two each had impaired visual function, diabetes insipidus, and activity loss. The 14 patients with CP suffered from impaired visual function. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) mainly showed hyperintensity on T1-weighted images (WIs) and hypointensity on T2-WI in patients with RCC. However, patients with CP had characteristic hyperintensity on T2-WI. The average maximum diameter of the RCCs was 19.0 mm on average (range, 8-33 mm). The RCCs were thus significantly smaller than CPs (34.9 mm; range, 21-54 mm). The RCCs were usually oval or dumbbell-shaped and regular in appearance, while the larger CPs were lobular and irregular. A preoperative endocrinological evaluation revealed insufficiencies in four axes in five patients with RCC. Postoperative endocrinological status improved in three patients, remained unchanged in three, and worsened in one. The gonadotropin axis was damaged in a majority (nine) of the patients with CP preoperatively. Postoperative evaluation revealed deficits in five axes in 14 patients with CP, which is a significantly different trend than observed in patients with RCC. Eight patients underwent surgical procedures (transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) in four, craniotomy in four). Two of these patients

Experimental Studies of NGNP Reactor Cavity Cooling System With Water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Corradini, Michael; Anderson, Mark; Hassan, Yassin; Tokuhiro, Akira

2013-01-16

This project will investigate the flow behavior that can occur in the reactor cavity cooling system (RCCS) with water coolant under the passive cooling-mode of operation. The team will conduct separate-effects tests and develop associated scaling analyses, and provide system-level phenomenological and computational models that describe key flow phenomena during RCCS operation, from forced to natural circulation, single-phase flow and two-phase flow and flashing. The project consists of the following tasks: Task 1. Conduct separate-effects, single-phase flow experiments and develop scaling analyses for comparison to system-level computational modeling for the RCCS standpipe design. A transition from forced to natural convection cooling occurs in the standpipe under accident conditions. These tests will measure global flow behavior and local flow velocities, as well as develop instrumentation for use in larger scale tests, thereby providing proper flow distribution among standpipes for decay heat removal. Task 2. Conduct separate-effects experiments for the RCCS standpipe design as two-phase flashing occurs and flow develops. As natural circulation cooling continues without an ultimate heat sink, water within the system will heat to temperatures approaching saturation , at which point two-phase flashing and flow will begin. The focus is to develop a phenomenological model from these tests that will describe the flashing and flow stability phenomena. In addition, one could determine the efficiency of phase separation in the RCCS storage tank as the two-phase flashing phenomena ensues and the storage tank vents the steam produced. Task 3. Develop a system-level computational model that will describe the overall RCCS behavior as it transitions from forced flow to natural circulation and eventual two-phase flow in the passive cooling-mode of operation. This modeling can then be used to test the phenomenological models developed as a function of scale.

Model validation using CFD-grade experimental database for NGNP Reactor Cavity Cooling Systems with water and air

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Manera, Annalisa [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Corradini, Michael [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Petrov, Victor [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Anderson, Mark [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Tompkins, Casey [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Nunez, Daniel [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

2018-02-13

This project has been focused on the experimental and numerical investigations of the water-cooled and air-cooled Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) designs. At this aim, we have leveraged an existing experimental facility at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW), and we have designed and built a separate effect test facility at the University of Michigan. The experimental facility at UW has underwent several upgrades, including the installation of advanced instrumentation (i.e. wire-mesh sensors) built at the University of Michigan. These provides highresolution time-resolved measurements of the void-fraction distribution in the risers of the water-cooled RCCS facility. A phenomenological model has been developed to assess the water cooled RCCS system stability and determine the root cause behind the oscillatory behavior that occurs under normal two-phase operation. Testing under various perturbations to the water-cooled RCCS facility have resulted in changes in the stability of the integral system. In particular, the effects on stability of inlet orifices, water tank volume have and system pressure been investigated. MELCOR was used as a predictive tool when performing inlet orificing tests and was able to capture the Density Wave Oscillations (DWOs) that occurred upon reaching saturation in the risers. The experimental and numerical results have then been used to provide RCCS design recommendations. The experimental facility built at the University of Michigan was aimed at the investigation of mixing in the upper plenum of the air-cooled RCCS design. The facility has been equipped with state-of-theart high-resolution instrumentation to achieve so-called CFD grade experiments, that can be used for the validation of Computational Fluid Dynanmics (CFD) models, both RANS (Reynold-Averaged) and LES (Large Eddy Simulations). The effect of risers penetration in the upper plenum has been investigated as well.

O deslocamento da população brasileira para as metrópoles The displacement of the Brazilian population to the metropolitan areas

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Fausto Brito

2006-08-01

Full Text Available O OBJETIVO deste artigo é analisar a urbanização no Brasil, na segunda metade do século XX, lembrando que somente o Censo de 1970 registrou uma população urbana que superou a rural. Essa recente e acelerada urbanização, em razão da intensa migração interna, fez coincidir a concentração da população urbana nas grandes cidades, assim como nas principais metrópoles brasileiras. Essas últimas, nas duas últimas décadas, têm reduzido as suas taxas de crescimento populacional, não só em razão do declínio generalizado das taxas de fecundidade, mas, principalmente, como conseqüência da redução do número dos seus imigrantes. O saldo migratório negativo do aglomerado metropolitano de São Paulo, entre 1995-2000, é um expressivo exemplo. Contudo, apesar de o país ter se distanciado de uma hipermetroplização, vale a pena sublinhar que, em 2000, mais de 40% da população urbana brasileira ainda residia nessas metrópoles.THE AIM of this article is the analysis of the Brazilian urbanization process during the second half of the 20th century. For this purpose it is important to take note that the 1970 Demographic Census indicated that the urban population had surpassed the rural population for the first time. The rapid contemporary urbanization due to intense internal migration concentrated the urban population in the larger Brazilian cities and metropolitan areas. During the last two decades, however, the growth rates of the larger cities has declined due to lower fertility rates and, more importantly, decreasing number of immigrants. Indeed, the metropolitan area of São Paulo, for example, presented negative net migration for the 1995-2000 period. Although internal migration trends do not point to a process of "hipermetropolitanization", it must be taken into account that as of 2000 40% of the country’s urban population still inhabited the larger metropolitan areas.

Programming Post-Translational Control over the Metabolic Labeling of Cellular Proteins with a Noncanonical Amino Acid.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Emily E; Pandey, Naresh; Knudsen, Sarah; Ball, Zachary T; Silberg, Jonathan J

2017-08-18

Transcriptional control can be used to program cells to label proteins with noncanonical amino acids by regulating the expression of orthogonal aminoacyl tRNA synthetases (aaRSs). However, we cannot yet program cells to control labeling in response to aaRS and ligand binding. To identify aaRSs whose activities can be regulated by interactions with ligands, we used a combinatorial approach to discover fragmented variants of Escherichia coli methionyl tRNA synthetase (MetRS) that require fusion to associating proteins for maximal activity. We found that these split proteins could be leveraged to create ligand-dependent MetRS using two approaches. When a pair of MetRS fragments was fused to FKBP12 and the FKBP-rapamycin binding domain (FRB) of mTOR and mutations were introduced that direct substrate specificity toward azidonorleucine (Anl), Anl metabolic labeling was significantly enhanced in growth medium containing rapamycin, which stabilizes the FKBP12-FRB complex. In addition, fusion of MetRS fragments to the termini of the ligand-binding domain of the estrogen receptor yielded proteins whose Anl metabolic labeling was significantly enhanced when 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-HT) was added to the growth medium. These findings suggest that split MetRS can be fused to a range of ligand-binding proteins to create aaRSs whose metabolic labeling activities depend upon post-translational interactions with ligands.

Significant Improvement in Chronic Persistent Headaches Caused by Small Rathke Cleft Cysts After Transsphenoidal Surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Fukui, Issei; Hayashi, Yasuhiko; Kita, Daisuke; Sasagawa, Yasuo; Oishi, Masahiro; Tachibana, Osamu; Nakada, Mitsutoshi

2017-03-01

Rathke cleft cysts (RCC) usually are asymptomatic and can be observed via the use of conservative methods. Some patients with RCCs, however, have severe headaches even if they are small enough to be confined to the sella, and these small RCCs seldom have been discussed. This study presents an investigation into clinical characteristics of small RCCs associated with severe headaches, demonstrating efficacy and safety of endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery (ETSS) to relieve headaches. In this study, 13 patients with small RCCs (maximum diameter HIT-6) score was calculated both pre- and postoperatively to evaluate headache severity. All patients complained of severe headaches, which disturbed their daily life. Most headaches were nonpulsating and localized in the frontal area. Characteristically, 6 patients (46%) experienced severe headaches with sudden onset that continued chronically. HIT-6 score was 64 on average, meaning headaches affected daily life severely. After surgical decompression of the cyst, headache in all of the patients improved dramatically and HIT-6 score decreased significantly to 37, suggesting that headaches were diminished. No newly developed deficiencies of the anterior pituitary lobe function were detected. Postoperative occurrence of diabetes insipidus was found in 2 patients, both of which were transient. No recurring cysts were found. Severe headaches can develop from small RCCs. In the present study, ETSS was performed on such patients effectively and safely to relieve their headaches. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Alternating current losses of a 10 metre long low loss superconducting cable conductor determined from phase sensitive measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krueger Olsen, S.; Kuehle, A.; Traeholt, C.; C Rasmussen, C.; Toennesen, O.; Daeumling, M.; Rasmussen, C.N.; Willen, D.W.A.

1999-01-01

The ac loss of a superconducting cable conductor carrying an ac current is small. Therefore the ratio between the inductive (out-of-phase) and the resistive (in-phase) voltages over the conductor is correspondingly high. In vectorial representations this results in phase angles between the current and the voltage over the cable close to 90 degrees. This has the effect that the loss cannot be derived directly using most commercial lock-in amplifiers due to their limited absolute accuracy. However, by using two lock-in amplifiers and an appropriate correction scheme the high relative accuracy of such lock-in amplifiers can be exploited. In this paper we present the results from ac-loss measurements on a low loss 10 metre long high temperature superconducting cable conductor using such a correction scheme. Measurements were carried out with and without a compensation circuit that could reduce the inductive voltage. The 1 μV cm -1 critical current of the conductor was 3240 A at 77 K. At an rms current of 2 kA (50 Hz) the ac loss was derived to be 0.6±0.15 W m -1 . This is, to the best of our knowledge, the lowest value of ac loss of a high temperature superconducting cable conductor reported so far at these high currents. (author)

Utilizing natural gas huff and puff to enhance production in heavy oil reservoir

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wenlong, G.; Shuhong, W.; Jian, Z.; Xialin, Z. [Society of Petroleum Engineers, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)]|[PetroChina Co. Ltd., Beijing (China); Jinzhong, L.; Xiao, M. [China Univ. of Petroleum, Beijing (China)

2008-10-15

The L Block in the north structural belt of China's Tuha Basin is a super deep heavy oil reservoir. The gas to oil ratio (GOR) is 12 m{sup 3}/m{sup 3} and the initial bubble point pressure is only 4 MPa. The low production can be attributed to high oil viscosity and low flowability. Although steam injection is the most widely method for heavy oil production in China, it is not suitable for the L Block because of its depth. This paper reviewed pilot tests in which the natural gas huff and puff process was used to enhance production in the L Block. Laboratory experiments that included both conventional and unconventional PVT were conducted to determine the physical property of heavy oil saturated by natural gas. The experiments revealed that the heavy oil can entrap the gas for more than several hours because of its high viscosity. A pseudo bubble point pressure exists much lower than the bubble point pressure in manmade foamy oils, which is relative to the depressurization rate. Elastic energy could be maintained in a wider pressure scope than natural depletion without gas injection. A special experimental apparatus that can stimulate the process of gas huff and puff in the reservoir was also introduced. The foamy oil could be seen during the huff and puff experiment. Most of the oil flowed to the producer in a pseudo single phase, which is among the most important mechanisms for enhancing production. A pilot test of a single well demonstrated that the oil production increased from 1 to 2 cubic metres per day to 5 to 6 cubic metres per day via the natural gas huff and puff process. The stable production period which was 5 to 10 days prior to huff and puff, was prolonged to 91 days in the first cycle and 245 days in the second cycle. 10 refs., 1 tab., 12 figs.

A policy hackathon for analysing impacts and solutions up to 20 metres sea-level rise

Science.gov (United States)

Haasnoot, Marjolijn; Bouwer, Laurens; Kwadijk, Jaap

2017-04-01

We organised a policy hackathon in order to quantify the impacts accelerated and high-end sea-level rise up to 20 metres on the coast of the Netherlands, and develop possible solutions. This was done during one day, with 20 experts that had a wide variety of disciplines, including hydrology, geology, coastal engineering, economics, and public policy. During the process the problem was divided up into several sub-sets of issues that were analysed and solved within small teams of between 4 to 8 people. Both a top-down impact analysis and bottom-up vulnerability analysis was done by answering the questions: What is the impact of sea level rise of x meter?; and How much sea level rise can be accommodated with before transformative actions are needed? Next, adaptation tipping points were identified that describe conditions under which the coastal system starts to perform unacceptably. Reasons for an adaptation tipping point can be technical (technically not possible), economic (cost-benefits are negative), or resources (available space, sand, energy production, financial). The results are presented in a summary document, and through an infographic displaying different adaptation tipping points and milestones that occur when the sea level rises up to 20 m. No technical limitations were found for adaptation, but many important decisions need to be taken. Although accelerated sea level rise seems far away it can have important consequences for short-term decisions that are required for transformative actions. Such extensive actions require more time for implementation. Also, other action may become ineffective before their design life. This hackathon exercise shows that it is possible to map within a short time frame the issues at hand, as well as potentially effective solutions. This can be replicated for other problems, and can be useful for several decision-makers that require quick but in-depth analysis of their long-term planning problems.

Economy, employment and productivity in the metropolis of Mexico / Economía, empleo y productividad en las metrópolis de México

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Edel Cadena Vargas

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This paper analyses the economy, employment, and productivity of 56 metropolitan zones from Mexico. Concludes that, through statistical analysis, this kind of cities keep being a big attraction focus of population, but its economical activities decrease or damages gradually. For that, if this tendency to stagnation continues, in the short term will be a gloomy future to the metropolis for this country. Este artículo analiza la evolución de la economía, empleo y productividad de las 56 zonas metropolitanas de México, de 1989 a 2004. Concluye, a través del análisis estadístico, que este tipo de ciudades siguen siendo un gran foco de atracción de la población, pero sus actividades económicas disminuyen gradualmente o se deterioran. Por ello, de continuar esta tendencia al estancamiento, se vislumbra a corto plazo un futuro sombrío para las metrópolis de este país.

Development of resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naik, P.D.; Upadhyaya, Hari P.; Kumar, Awadhesh; Bajaj, P.N.; Sinha, A.K.; Bhatt, S.; Gupta, M.D.P.

2009-05-01

Radiation and Photochemistry Division has developed a Molecular Beam-Resonance Enhanced Multiphoton Ionization-Time-of-Flight spectrometer, a highly sensitive and selective analytical detection system, for investigation of photodissociation dynamics of isolated molecules. In this system, the molecular beam is intersected in the extraction region of a Wiley-McLaren type Time-of-Flight mass spectrometer by the photolysis laser beam, propagating perpendicular to both the molecular beams and the Time-of-Flight tube. The probe (ionization) laser beam counter propagating to the photolysis beam, ionizes the stable products and the radicals produced on photodissociation. The important features of the system, namely, the resolution and the detection limit, have been determined from the studies of aniline molecular beam, generated by seeding 1% aniline in helium. For the present configuration, using one metre long flight tube, the resolution has been found to be about 400, and detection limit is better than 106 species per cm 3 . The integrity of the set-up is obtained from the photodissociation dynamics studies of bromoform. (author)

Strain elastography in the characterization of renal cell carcinoma and angiomyolipoma

Science.gov (United States)

Keskin, Suat; Güven, Selçuk; Keskin, Zeynep; Özbiner, Hüseyin; Kerimoğlu, Ülkü; Yeşildağ, Ahmet

2015-01-01

Introduction: We evaluate the diagnostic performance of strain elastography to differentiate renal cell carcinoma (RCC) from angiomyolipoma (AML). Methods: Strain elastography was performed in 65 patients (mean age 55.5 years; range: 32–81) who had renal lesions (24 AMLs and 41 RCCs) prospectively. Lesions were classified according to lesion size and histological subtypes. The strain ratios of the RCCs and AMLs were evaluated by a radiologist. The area under the curve and the cut-off point were used to assess diagnostic performance. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were obtained. Results: In assessing the mean strain ratio, we divided the groups in 3 according to size: (1) 40-mm lesions; the respective mean strain ratios were: 1.5 ± 0.5 (range: 0.06–5.92), 2.8 ± 0.4 (range: 0.17–9.92), 2.7 ± 0.3 (range: 0.08–6.15). When RCCs and AMLs were compared, there was a statistically significant difference in the strain ratio among the 3 groups divided per lesion size (p < 0.01). For the strain ratio, the mean ± standard deviation was 1.1 ± 0.1 for AMLs and 3.4 ± 0.3 for RCCs (p < 0.01). When lesion subtypes were compared, there was a statistically significant difference in the strain ratio between the AML and clear cell RCC (p < 0.01). Conclusions: For assessing renal lesions, strain elastography and strain ratio values may be useful in differentiating RCCs from AMLs. PMID:25737764

Comparison of biexponential and monoexponential model of diffusion-weighted imaging for distinguishing between common renal cell carcinoma and fat poor angiomyolipoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding, Yuqin; Zeng, Mengsu; Rao, Shengxiang; Chen, Caizhong; Fu, Caixia

2016-01-01

To compare the diagnostic accuracy of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM)-derived parameters and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in distinguishing between renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and fat poor angiomyolipoma (AML). Eighty-three patients with pathologically confirmed renal tumors were included in the study. All patients underwent renal 1.5T MRI, including IVIM protocol with 8 b values (0-800 s/mm"2). The ADC, diffusion coefficient (D), pseudodiffusion coefficient (D*), and perfusion fraction (f) were calculated. One-way ANOVA was used for comparing ADC and IVIM-derived parameters among clear cell RCC (ccRCC), non-ccRCC and fat poor AML. The diagnostic performance of these parameters was evaluated by using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The ADC were significantly greater in ccRCCs than that of non-ccRCCs and fat poor AMLs (each p 0.97 × 10"-"3 mm"2/s, D* < 28.03 × 10"-"3 mm"2/s, and f < 13.61% maximized the diagnostic sensitivity for distinguishing non-ccRCCs from fat poor AMLs. The final estimates of AUC (95% confidence interval), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy for the entire cohort were 0.875 (0.719-0.962), 100% (23/23), 75% (9/12), 88.5% (23/26), 100% (9/9), and 91.4% (32/35), respectively. The ADC and D showed similar diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing between ccRCCs and fat poor AMLs. The IVIM-derived parameters were better than ADC in discriminating non-ccRCCs from fat poor AMLs

Microwave treatment of renal cell carcinoma adjacent to renal sinus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao, Yongyan; Liang, Ping; Yu, Xiaoling; Yu, Jie; Cheng, Zhigang; Han, Zhiyu; Duan, Shaobo; Huang, Hui

2016-01-01

Highlights: • This study shows US-guided microwave ablation appears to be a promising method to treat renal cell carcinoma adjacent to renal sinus. • The estimated 1-, 3- and 5-year RCC-related survival were 100%, 93.3% and 93.3%, respectively. • The estimated 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival were 97.1%, 87.8%, 83.6%, respectively. • For patients with RCC ≤4 cm, initial ablation success was 100% (29/29) and the estimated 5-year disease-free survival were 81.5%. - Abstract: Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ultrasound (US)-guided percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) adjacent to renal sinus. Materials and methods: This retrospective study included 41 patients who underwent US-guided percutaneous MWA of 41 RCCs adjacent to the renal sinus from April 2006 to December 2015. Contrast-enhanced images of US and computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) imaging were performed at pre-ablation and 1 day, 1 month, 3 months, and every 6 months after ablation. Initial ablation success (IAS), disease-free survival (DFS), RCC-related survival (RRS), and overall survival (OS) were recorded at the follow-up visits. Results: IAS was achieved in 92.7% (38/41) of the study subjects. The IAS significantly differed between patients with RCCs ≤4 cm (100%, 29/29) and RCCs >4 cm (75%, 9/12, p = 0.021). During the median follow-up of 37.6 (range, 3.0–97.3) months, the estimated 1-, 3-, and 5-year DFS of patients with an initial tumor of ≤4 cm were 100%, 89.7%, and 81.5%, respectively. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year RRS were 100%, 93.3%, and 93.3%, respectively. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS were 97.1%, 87.8%, and 83.6%, respectively. The multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazard model revealed no independent predictor of recurrence among all the variables. There were no MWA-related deaths among the study subjects. One patient developed a retroperitoneal abscess after ablation. Conclusion: US-guided percutaneous MWA

Microwave treatment of renal cell carcinoma adjacent to renal sinus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gao, Yongyan, E-mail: gaoyongyan7@163.com [Department of Interventional Ultrasound, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853 (China); Department of Ultrasound, The General Hospital of Chinese People’s Armed Police Forces, 69 Yongding Road, Beijing, 100039 (China); Liang, Ping, E-mail: liangping301@hotmail.com [Department of Interventional Ultrasound, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853 (China); Yu, Xiaoling, E-mail: 784107477@qq.com [Department of Interventional Ultrasound, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853 (China); Yu, Jie, E-mail: 1411495161@qq.com [Department of Interventional Ultrasound, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853 (China); Cheng, Zhigang, E-mail: 13691367317@163.com [Department of Interventional Ultrasound, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853 (China); Han, Zhiyu, E-mail: hanzhiyu122@163.com [Department of Interventional Ultrasound, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853 (China); Duan, Shaobo, E-mail: Dustin2662@163.com [Department of Interventional Ultrasound, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853 (China); Huang, Hui, E-mail: 309hh@sina.com [Department of Interventional Ultrasound, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853 (China)

2016-11-15

Highlights: • This study shows US-guided microwave ablation appears to be a promising method to treat renal cell carcinoma adjacent to renal sinus. • The estimated 1-, 3- and 5-year RCC-related survival were 100%, 93.3% and 93.3%, respectively. • The estimated 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival were 97.1%, 87.8%, 83.6%, respectively. • For patients with RCC ≤4 cm, initial ablation success was 100% (29/29) and the estimated 5-year disease-free survival were 81.5%. - Abstract: Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ultrasound (US)-guided percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) adjacent to renal sinus. Materials and methods: This retrospective study included 41 patients who underwent US-guided percutaneous MWA of 41 RCCs adjacent to the renal sinus from April 2006 to December 2015. Contrast-enhanced images of US and computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) imaging were performed at pre-ablation and 1 day, 1 month, 3 months, and every 6 months after ablation. Initial ablation success (IAS), disease-free survival (DFS), RCC-related survival (RRS), and overall survival (OS) were recorded at the follow-up visits. Results: IAS was achieved in 92.7% (38/41) of the study subjects. The IAS significantly differed between patients with RCCs ≤4 cm (100%, 29/29) and RCCs >4 cm (75%, 9/12, p = 0.021). During the median follow-up of 37.6 (range, 3.0–97.3) months, the estimated 1-, 3-, and 5-year DFS of patients with an initial tumor of ≤4 cm were 100%, 89.7%, and 81.5%, respectively. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year RRS were 100%, 93.3%, and 93.3%, respectively. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS were 97.1%, 87.8%, and 83.6%, respectively. The multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazard model revealed no independent predictor of recurrence among all the variables. There were no MWA-related deaths among the study subjects. One patient developed a retroperitoneal abscess after ablation. Conclusion: US-guided percutaneous MWA

A 500-kiloton airburst over Chelyabinsk and an enhanced hazard from small impactors

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, P. G.; Assink, J. D.; Astiz, L.; Blaauw, R.; Boslough, M. B.; Borovička, J.; Brachet, N.; Brown, D.; Campbell-Brown, M.; Ceranna, L.; Cooke, W.; de Groot-Hedlin, C.; Drob, D. P.; Edwards, W.; Evers, L. G.; Garces, M.; Gill, J.; Hedlin, M.; Kingery, A.; Laske, G.; Le Pichon, A.; Mialle, P.; Moser, D. E.; Saffer, A.; Silber, E.; Smets, P.; Spalding, R. E.; Spurný, P.; Tagliaferri, E.; Uren, D.; Weryk, R. J.; Whitaker, R.; Krzeminski, Z.

2013-11-01

Most large (over a kilometre in diameter) near-Earth asteroids are now known, but recognition that airbursts (or fireballs resulting from nuclear-weapon-sized detonations of meteoroids in the atmosphere) have the potential to do greater damage than previously thought has shifted an increasing portion of the residual impact risk (the risk of impact from an unknown object) to smaller objects. Above the threshold size of impactor at which the atmosphere absorbs sufficient energy to prevent a ground impact, most of the damage is thought to be caused by the airburst shock wave, but owing to lack of observations this is uncertain. Here we report an analysis of the damage from the airburst of an asteroid about 19 metres (17 to 20 metres) in diameter southeast of Chelyabinsk, Russia, on 15 February 2013, estimated to have an energy equivalent of approximately 500 (+/-100) kilotons of trinitrotoluene (TNT, where 1 kiloton of TNT = 4.185×1012 joules). We show that a widely referenced technique of estimating airburst damage does not reproduce the observations, and that the mathematical relations based on the effects of nuclear weapons--almost always used with this technique--overestimate blast damage. This suggests that earlier damage estimates near the threshold impactor size are too high. We performed a global survey of airbursts of a kiloton or more (including Chelyabinsk), and find that the number of impactors with diameters of tens of metres may be an order of magnitude higher than estimates based on other techniques. This suggests a non-equilibrium (if the population were in a long-term collisional steady state the size-frequency distribution would either follow a single power law or there must be a size-dependent bias in other surveys) in the near-Earth asteroid population for objects 10 to 50 metres in diameter, and shifts more of the residual impact risk to these sizes.

Modeling and performance of the MHTGR [Modular High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor] reactor cavity cooling system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conklin, J.C.

1990-04-01

The Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) of the Modular High- Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (MHTGR) proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy is designed to remove the nuclear afterheat passively in the event that neither the heat transport system nor the shutdown cooling circulator subsystem is available. A computer dynamic simulation for the physical and mathematical modeling of and RCCS is described here. Two conclusions can be made form computations performed under the assumption of a uniform reactor vessel temperature. First, the heat transferred across the annulus from the reactor vessel and then to ambient conditions is very dependent on the surface emissivities of the reactor vessel and RCCS panels. These emissivities should be periodically checked to ensure the safety function of the RCCS. Second, the heat transfer from the reactor vessel is reduced by a maximum of 10% by the presence of steam at 1 atm in the reactor cavity annulus for an assumed constant in the transmission of radiant energy across the annulus can be expected to result in an increase in the reactor vessel temperature for the MHTGR. Further investigation of participating radiation media, including small particles, in the reactor cavity annulus is warranted. 26 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab

Tendencias de desarrollo en las metrópolis latinoamericanas en la era de la globalización: los casos de Ciudad de México y Santiago de Chile

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Christof Parnreiter

2005-05-01

Full Text Available En este artículo se presentan resultados de investigaciones sobre los procesos de transformación y globalización que tienen lugar en Latinoamérica, y su repercusión sobre el desarrollo de sus grandes metrópolis. Se consideran tres aspectos centrales. Primero, se analizará el desarrollo de la primacía urbana y los factores responsables de ésta. Se demostrará que no existe un desarrollo homogéneo de la misma, sino que en los diferentes países la primacía urbana puede aumentar o disminuir, dependiendo de las condiciones específicas de globalización. En segundo lugar, se argumentará que las metrópolis latinoamericanas, que han ido asumiendo cada vez más funciones de ciudades globales, fungen como bisagra entre la producción regional y nacional y el mercado internacional. En tercer lugar, se discutirá acerca de la estructura socio-espacial de las grandes ciudades latinoamericanas. Con base en un estudio detallado sobre Ciudad de México, se demostrará que esta ciudad es en extremo heterogénea, siendo así necesario corregir la imagen de polarización que se tiene de ellaIn this article, researches on the impacts of globalization processes on the development of Latin American metropolises are presented. Firstly, as to the increase or reduction of urban primacy, no consistent trend can be observed, obviously urban primacy may rise or fall depending on the specific conditions of globalization. Secondly, research shows that the major cities in Latin America take on global city functions. They increasingly serve as a sort of hinges between regional and national production and the world market. Thirdly, the debate on the socio-spatial structure of Latin American cities is continued. Detailed empirical evidence proves that Mexico City is quite heterogeneous rather than being polarized into rich and poor sectors

The SNS Resonance Control Cooling System Control Valve Upgrade Performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, Derrick C.; Schubert, James Phillip; Tang, Johnny Y.

2008-01-01

The normal-conducting linac of the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) uses 10 separate Resonance Control Cooling System (RCCS) water skids to control the resonance of 6 Drift Tube Linac (DTL) and 4 Coupled Cavity Linac (CCL) accelerating structures. The RCCS water skids use 2 control valves; one to regulate the chilled water flow and the other to bypass water to a chilled water heat exchanger. These valves have hydraulic actuators that provide position and feedback to the control system. Frequency oscillations occur using these hydraulic actuators due to their coarse movement and control of the valves. New pneumatic actuator and control positioners have been installed on the DTL3 RCCS water skid to give finer control and regulation of DTL3 cavity temperature. This paper shows a comparison of resonance control performance for the two valve configurations.

Migrações e a dispersão espacial da população nas regiões de Influência das principais metrópoles Brasileiras

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Carlos Lobo

2011-06-01

Full Text Available A segunda metade do século passado é central na análise da distribuição espacial da população brasileira. Em poucos anos, diante do processo de urbanização e industrialização do país, resultado em boa medida da dinâmica migratória interna, grande parte da população e das atividades econômicas passou a se concentrar nos principais centros urbanos, sobretudo nos grandes aglomerados metropolitanos. Contudo, desde o final da década de 1970, alguns autores já aventavam a hipótese de reversão da polarização no Brasil, tal como formulado pelos modelos aplicados nos países desenvolvidos. Afora as recorrentes controvérsias sobre o tema, que acarretaram a difusão de expressões como "reversão da polarização", "desconcentração concentrada", "desenvolvimento poligonal", entre outras, essa pesquisa tem como objetivo principal avaliar a atual magnitude da dispersão espacial da população brasileira, tendo como base as Regiões de Influência das principais metrópoles do país, conforme recorte proposto pelo IBGE. Para tanto, foram utilizadas as bases referentes aos Censos Demográficos de 1991 e 2000, que possibilitaram identificar os fluxos de população. Mesmo que os resultados não sejam conclusivos para todas as Regiões de Influência, no caso específico de São Paulo os valores para os estoques e fluxos, associados à dimensão distância, indicam a intensificação na ocupação dos espaços fora dos limites das Regiões Metropolitanas. O crescimento da emigração para a Região de Influência da metrópole paulista parece confirmar uma espécie de "dispersão polinucleada", observando-se claros sinais de expansão no interior da Região de Influência, o que sugere o fortalecimento de determinados centros regionais e um maior dinamismo da economia local.

Radiofrequency Ablation Treatment for Renal Cell Carcinoma: Early Clinical Experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Seong Hoon; Yoon, Seong Kuk; Cho, Jin Han; Oh, Jong Young; Nam, Kyung Jin; Kwon, Hee Jin; Kim, Su Yeon; Kang, Myong Jin; Choi, Sun Seob; Sung, Gyung Tak [Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2008-08-15

To evaluate the early clinical experience associated with radiofrequency (RF) ablation in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The RF ablation treatment was performed on 17 tumors from 16 patients (mean age, 60.5 years; range, 43 73 years) with RCC. The treatment indications were localized, solid renal mass, comorbidities, high operation risk, and refusal to perform surgery. All tumors were treated by a percutaneous CT (n = 10), followed by an US-guided (n = 2), laparoscopy-assisted US (n = 2), and an open (n = 2) RF ablation. Furthermore, patients underwent a follow- up CT at one day, one week, one month, three and six months, and then every six months from the onset of treatment. We evaluated the technical success, technical effectiveness, ablation zone, benign periablation enhancement, irregular peripheral enhancement, and complications. All 17 exophytic tumors (mean size, 2.2 cm; range, 1.1 5.0 cm) were completely ablated. Technical success and effectiveness was achieved in all cases and the mean follow-up period was 23.8 months (range, 17 33 months). A local recurrence was not detected in any of the cases; however, five patients developed complications as a result of treatment, including hematuria (n = 2), mild thermal injury of the psoas muscle (n = 1), mild hydronephrosis (n = 1), and fistula formation (n = 1). The RF ablation is an alternative treatment for exophytic RCCs and represents a promising treatment for some patients with small RCCs.

Radiofrequency Ablation Treatment for Renal Cell Carcinoma: Early Clinical Experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Seong Hoon; Yoon, Seong Kuk; Cho, Jin Han; Oh, Jong Young; Nam, Kyung Jin; Kwon, Hee Jin; Kim, Su Yeon; Kang, Myong Jin; Choi, Sun Seob; Sung, Gyung Tak

2008-01-01

To evaluate the early clinical experience associated with radiofrequency (RF) ablation in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The RF ablation treatment was performed on 17 tumors from 16 patients (mean age, 60.5 years; range, 43 73 years) with RCC. The treatment indications were localized, solid renal mass, comorbidities, high operation risk, and refusal to perform surgery. All tumors were treated by a percutaneous CT (n = 10), followed by an US-guided (n = 2), laparoscopy-assisted US (n = 2), and an open (n = 2) RF ablation. Furthermore, patients underwent a follow- up CT at one day, one week, one month, three and six months, and then every six months from the onset of treatment. We evaluated the technical success, technical effectiveness, ablation zone, benign periablation enhancement, irregular peripheral enhancement, and complications. All 17 exophytic tumors (mean size, 2.2 cm; range, 1.1 5.0 cm) were completely ablated. Technical success and effectiveness was achieved in all cases and the mean follow-up period was 23.8 months (range, 17 33 months). A local recurrence was not detected in any of the cases; however, five patients developed complications as a result of treatment, including hematuria (n = 2), mild thermal injury of the psoas muscle (n = 1), mild hydronephrosis (n = 1), and fistula formation (n = 1). The RF ablation is an alternative treatment for exophytic RCCs and represents a promising treatment for some patients with small RCCs

TREM-1 expression in craniopharyngioma and Rathke's cleft cyst: its possible implication for controversial pathology.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yi; Wang, Chao-Hu; Li, Dan-Ling; Zhang, Shi-Chao; Peng, Yu-Ping; Peng, Jun-Xiang; Song, Ye; Qi, Song-Tao; Pan, Jun

2016-08-02

Whether a mixed type of craniopharyngioma (CP) exists and whether papillary craniopharyngioma (pCP) is on a histopathological continuum with Rathke's cleft cyst (RCC) remain controversial. Herein, we examined the expression and localization of β-catenin, BRAF p.V600E (V600E), and triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1) in 58 samples including 20 pCPs, 26 adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas (aCP), and 12 RCCs. Five aCPs were diagnosed with mixed type CPs and the remaining 21 cases were pure aCPs. Four of the 12 RCCs presented with significant squamous epithelium (SE). V600E immunoreactivity was observed in all pCPs in the cytoplasm, but not in the nuclei. aCPs and RCCs, including mixed type CP, did not express V600E. Nuclear β-catenin translocation was detected exclusively in aCPs. TREM-1 was expressed in pCPs. Additionally, TREM-1 expression was detected in the SE of 5 "mixed type" CPs, while it was absent in pure aCPs. TREM-1 was expressed in 4 RCCs with SE, but not in the remaining 8 RCCs. TREM-1 mRNA levels were compared in cultured pCP and aCP cells. TREM-1 mRNA level was significantly (p < 0.001; up to 4.045 fold) higher in pCPs than in aCPs. Western blotting revealed a significantly (p < 0.001; up to 7.19 fold) lower level of TREM-1 expression in aCP cells compared to that in pCP cells. Our findings further supported that RCC and pCP may represent two ends of a morphological spectrum. A variant showing overlapping histological features of aCP and pCP should not be considered as a mixed type.

Performance Optimization of the Water Cooling System for Resonance Frequency Control of the PEFP DTL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, K. Y.; Kim, H. K.; Kim, H. S.; Yoon, J. C.; Sohn, Y. K.; Kweon, S. J.; Park, J.; Kim, K. S.

2010-03-01

The objective of in this research project is prototype cooling water skid of separated closed loop in order to supply and withdraw low conductivity deionized water in drift tube of drift tube linac as core components of proton accelerates. This report is dealt with design specification of J-PARC 400 MeV Linac cooling water system, PEFP DTL cooling system, specification of RCCS21-24, RCCS101 with pump, loss coefficient for DTL2 modeling, pressure drop with flow rate of heat exchanger.

Environmental review of options for managing radioactively contaminated carbon steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-10-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing to develop a strategy for the management of radioactively contaminated carbon steel (RCCS). Currently, most of this material either is placed in special containers and disposed of by shallow land burial in facilities designed for low-level radioactive waste (LLW) or is stored indefinitely pending sufficient funding to support alternative disposition. The growing amount of RCCS with which DOE will have to deal in the foreseeable future, coupled with the continued need to protect the human and natural environment, has led the Department to evaluate other approaches for managing this material. This environmental review (ER) describes the options that could be used for RCCS management and examines the potential environmental consequences of implementing each. Because much of the analysis underlying this document is available from previous studies, wherever possible the ER relies on incorporating the conclusions of those studies as summaries or by reference

Diagnostic potential of PET/CT using a {sup 68}Ga-labelled prostate-specific membrane antigen ligand in whole-body staging of renal cell carcinoma: initial experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sawicki, Lino M.; Buchbender, Christian; Boos, Johannes; Antoch, Gerald [University Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Dusseldorf (Germany); Giessing, Markus [University Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, Department of Urology, Dusseldorf (Germany); Ermert, Johannes [Juelich Research Center, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, INM-5: Nuclear Chemistry, Juelich (Germany); Antke, Christina; Hautzel, Hubertus [University Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Dusseldorf (Germany)

2017-01-15

To evaluate the diagnostic potential of whole-body PET/CT using a {sup 68}Ga-labelled PSMA ligand in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Six patients with histopathologically proven RCC underwent {sup 68}Ga-PSMA PET/CT. Each PET/CT scan was evaluated in relation to lesion count, location and dignity. SUVmax was measured in primary tumours and PET-positive metastases. Tumour-to-background SUVmax ratios (TBR{sub SUVmax}) were calculated for primary RCCs in relation to the surrounding normal renal parenchyma. Metastasis-to-background SUVmax ratios (MBR{sub SUVmax}) were calculated for PET-positive metastases in relation to gluteal muscle. Five primary RCCs and 16 metastases were evaluated. The mean SUVmax of the primary RCCs was 9.9 ± 9.2 (range 1.7 - 27.2). Due to high uptake in the surrounding renal parenchyma, the mean TBR{sub SUVmax} of the primary RCCs was only 0.2 ± 0.3 (range 0.02 - 0.7). Eight metastases showed focal {sup 68}Ga-PSMA uptake (SUVmax 9.9 ± 8.3, range 3.4 - 25.6). The mean MBR{sub SUVmax} of these PET-positive metastases was 11.7 ± 0.2 (range 4.4 - 28.1). All PET-negative metastases were subcentimetre lung metastases. {sup 68}Ga-PSMA PET/CT appears to be a promising method for detecting RCC metastases. However, no additional diagnostic value in assessing the primary tumour was found. (orig.)

Aprovisionamiento eléctrico de Buenos Aires y desigualdades regionales entre la metrópolis y el Noreste argentino

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Silvina Carrizo

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Argentina constituye el segundo mercado eléctrico de América del Sur (100.000 GWh consumidos en 2008, según cifras de la Agencia Internacional de la Energía 2010, después de Brasil. La mayor parte del consumo se concentra en la región metropolitana de Buenos Aires cuyos hogares absorben 40% de la electricidad destinada a fines domésticos y las industrias toman 60% del total. Los altos niveles de demanda de la metrópolis han justificado históricamente inversiones en proyectos energéticos, algunos locales, otros en sitios alejados. Así Buenos Aires genera e importa electricidad para cubrir sus necesidades mientras se observa que las regiones exportadoras a veces carecen de servicios locales suficientes. En la región del Noreste, donde se localiza la mayor represa del país –la represa binacional de Yacyretá- la tasa de cobertura eléctrica es inferior a la media nacional (siendo ellas de 90% y 95% respectivamente. Existen luego desigualdades en disponibilidad de electricidad a nivel nacional. Esta presentación1 busca mostrar en qué forma Buenos Aires se ha abastecido de electricidad y las implicancias que el desarrollo de ese mercado trae para las regiones exportadoras. En particular se estudia el sistema de producción y distribución de una de las mayores centrales hidroeléctricas y se constatan las dificultades y beneficios que ha encontrado la región del Noreste, en la obra de Yacyretá, ya en términos de abastecimiento, ya en términos socioeconómicos.

Chemosensitivity testing of primary human renal cell carcinoma by a tetrazolium based microculture assay (MTT).

Science.gov (United States)

Mickisch, G; Fajta, S; Keilhauer, G; Schlick, E; Tschada, R; Alken, P

1990-01-01

MTT staining procedures have been used in chemosensitivity testing of established cell lines of human and other sources as well as of human leukaemias, but only limited information on its application in primary solid human tumors is presently available. We have evaluated MTT staining in primary human Renal Cell Carcinomas (RCCs), studied various factors interfering with the optimal use, and finally applied it in subsequent chemosensitivity testing. The method depends on the conversion of a water-soluble tetrazolium salt (MTT) to a purple colored formazan precipitate, a reaction effected by enzymes active only in living cells. Single cell suspensions of RCCs were obtained either by enzymatic dispersion or by mechanical dissagregation, filtered through gauze, and purified by Ficoll density centrifugation. Tests were carried out in 96-well microculture plates. 10(4) viable tumor cells per well at 4 h incubation time with 20 micrograms MTT/100 microliters total medium volume yielded best results. Formazan crystals were dissolved with DMSO, and the plates were immediately measured on a microculture plate reader at 540 nm. Under these criteria, linearity of the system could be demonstrated. For chemosensitivity testing, cells were continuously exposed to a number of drugs prior to the MTT staining procedure. Reproducibility of results was assessed and confirmed by culturing RCCs in flasks additionally, resubmitting them after 1, 2, and 4 weeks to the MTT assay. We conclude that the semiautomated MTT assay offers a valid, rapid, reliable and simple method to determine the degree of chemoresistance in primary human RCCs.

The WMO RA VI Regional Climate Centre Network - a support to users in Europe

Science.gov (United States)

Rösner, S.

2012-04-01

Climate, like weather, has no limits. Therefore the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a specialized United Nations organization, has established a three-level infrastructure to better serve its member countries. This structure comprises Global Producing Centres for Long-range Forecasts (GPCs), Regional Climate Centres (RCCs) and National Meteorological or Hydrometeorological Services (NMHSs), in most cases representing their countries in WMO governance bodies. The elements of this infrastructure are also part of and contribute to the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) agreed to be established by World Climate Conference 3 (WCC-3) and last year's Sixteenth World Meteorological Congress (WMO Cg-XVI). RCCs are the core element of this infrastructure at the regional level and are being establish in all WMO Regional Associations (RAs), i.e. Africa (RA I); Asia (II); South America (III); North America, Central America and the Caribbean (IV); South-West Pacific (V); Europe (VI). Addressing inter-regional areas of common interest like the Mediterranean or the Polar Regions may require inter-regional RCCs. For each region the RCCs follow a user driven approach with regard to governance and structure as well as products generated for the users in the respective region. However, there are common guidelines all RCCs do have to follow. This is to make sure that services are provided based on best scientific standards, are routinely and reliably generated and made available in an operational mode. These guidelines are being developed within WMO and make use of decade-long experience gained in the business of operational weather forecast. Based on the requirements of the 50 member countries of WMO RA VI it was agreed to establish the WMO RCC as a network of centres of excellence that create regional products including long-range forecasts that support regional and national climate activities, and thereby strengthen the capacity of WMO Members in the region to

Evaluation and optimization of General Atomics' GT-MHR reactor cavity cooling system using an axiomatic design approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thielman, Jeff; Ge, Ping; Wu, Qiao; Parme, Laurence

2005-01-01

The development of the Generation IV (Gen-IV) nuclear reactors has presented social, technical, and economical challenges to nuclear engineering design and research. To develop a robust, reliable nuclear reactor system with minimal environmental impact and cost, modularity has been gradually accepted as a key concept in designing high-quality nuclear reactor systems. While the establishment and reliability of a nuclear power plant is largely facilitated by the installment of standardized base units, the realization of modularity at the sub-system/sub-unit level in a base unit is still highly heuristic, and lacks consistent, quantifiable measures. In this work, an axiomatic design approach is developed to evaluate and optimize the reactor cavity cooling system (RCCS) of General Atomics' Gas Turbine-Modular Helium Reactor (GT-MHR) nuclear reactor, for the purpose of constructing a quantitative tool that is applicable to Gen-IV systems. According to Suh's axiomatic design theory, modularity is consistently represented by functional independence through the design process. Both qualitative and quantitative measures are developed here to evaluate the modularity of the current RCCS design. Optimization techniques are also used to improve the modularity at both conceptual and parametric level. The preliminary results of this study have demonstrated that the axiomatic design approach has great potential in enhancing modular design, and generating more robust, safer, and less expensive nuclear reactor sub-units

t(6;11) renal cell carcinoma (RCC): expanded immunohistochemical profile emphasizing novel RCC markers and report of 10 new genetically confirmed cases.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Nathaniel E; Illei, Peter B; Allaf, Mohamed; Gonzalez, Nilda; Morris, Kerry; Hicks, Jessica; Demarzo, Angelo; Reuter, Victor E; Amin, Mahul B; Epstein, Jonathan I; Netto, George J; Argani, Pedram

2014-05-01

Renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) harboring the t(6;11)(p21;q12) translocation were first described in 2001 and recently recognized by the 2013 International Society of Urological Pathology Vancouver Classification of Renal Neoplasia. Although these RCCs are known to label for melanocytic markers HMB45 and Melan A and the cysteine protease cathepsin K by immunohistochemistry (IHC), a comprehensive IHC profile has not been reported. We report 10 new t(6;11) RCCs, all confirmed by break-apart TFEB fluorescence in situ hybridization. A tissue microarray containing 6 of these cases and 7 other previously reported t(6;11) RCCs was constructed and immunolabeled for 21 different antigens. Additional whole sections of t(6;11) RCC were labeled with selected IHC markers. t(6;11) RCC labeled diffusely and consistently for cathepsin K and Melan A (13 of 13 cases) and almost always at least focally for HMB45 (12 of 13 cases). They labeled frequently for PAX8 (14 of 23 cases), CD117 (10 of 14 cases), and vimentin (9 of 13 cases). A majority of cases labeled at least focally for cytokeratin Cam5.2 (8 of 13 cases) and CD10 and RCC marker antigen (10 of 14 cases each). In contrast to a prior study's findings, only a minority of cases labeled for Ksp-cadherin (3 of 19 cases). The median H score (product of intensity score and percentage labeling) for phosphorylated S6, a marker of mTOR pathway activation, was 101, which is high relative to most other RCC subtypes. In summary, IHC labeling for PAX8, Cam5.2, CD10, and RCC marker antigen supports classification of the t(6;11) RCC as carcinomas despite frequent negativity for broad-spectrum cytokeratins and EMA. Labeling for PAX8 distinguishes the t(6;11) RCC from epithelioid angiomyolipoma, which otherwise shares a similar immunoprofile. CD117 labeling is more frequent in the t(6;11) RCC compared with the related Xp11 translocation RCC. Increased pS6 expression suggests a possible molecular target for the uncommon t(6;11) RCCs that

t(6;11) Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) Expanded Immunohistochemical Profile Emphasizing Novel RCC Markers and Report of 10 New Genetically Confirmed Cases

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Nathaniel E.; Illei, Peter B.; Allaf, Mohamed; Gonzalez, Nilda; Morris, Kerry; Hicks, Jessica; DeMarzo, Angelo; Reuter, Victor E.; Amin, Mahul B.; Epstein, Jonathan I.; Netto, George J.; Argani, Pedram

2015-01-01

Renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) harboring the t(6;11)(p21;q12) translocation were first described in 2001 and recently recognized by the 2013 International Society of Uro-logical Pathology Vancouver Classification of Renal Neoplasia. Although these RCCs are known to label for melanocytic markers HMB45 and Melan A and the cysteine protease cath-epsin K by immunohistochemistry (IHC), a comprehensive IHC profile has not been reported. We report 10 new t(6;11) RCCs, all confirmed by break-apart TFEB fluorescence in situ hybridization. A tissue microarray containing 6 of these cases and 7 other previously reported t(6;11) RCCs was constructed and immunolabeled for 21 different antigens. Additional whole sections of t(6;11) RCC were labeled with selected IHC markers. t(6;11) RCC labeled diffusely and consistently for cathepsin K and Melan A (13 of 13 cases) and almost always at least focally for HMB45 (12 of 13 cases). They labeled frequently for PAX8 (14 of 23 cases), CD117 (10 of 14 cases), and vimentin (9 of 13 cases). A majority of cases labeled at least focally for cytokeratin Cam5.2 (8 of 13 cases) and CD10 and RCC marker antigen (10 of 14 cases each). In contrast to a prior study's findings, only a minority of cases labeled for Ksp-cadherin (3 of 19 cases). The median H score (product of intensity score and percentage labeling) for phosphorylated S6, a marker of mTOR pathway activation, was 101, which is high relative to most other RCC subtypes. In summary, IHC labeling for PAX8, Cam5.2, CD10, and RCC marker antigen supports classification of the t(6;11) RCC as carcinomas despite frequent negativity for broad-spectrum cytokeratins and EMA. Labeling for PAX8 distinguishes the t(6;11) RCC from epithelioid angiomyolipoma, which otherwise shares a similar immunoprofile. CD117 labeling is more frequent in the t(6;11) RCC compared with the related Xp11 translocation RCC. Increased pS6 expression suggests a possible molecular target for the uncommon t(6;11) RCCs that

The Physical Significance of the Synthetic Running Correlation Coefficient and Its Applications in Oceanic and Atmospheric Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Jinping; Cao, Yong; Wang, Xin

2018-06-01

In order to study the temporal variations of correlations between two time series, a running correlation coefficient (RCC) could be used. An RCC is calculated for a given time window, and the window is then moved sequentially through time. The current calculation method for RCCs is based on the general definition of the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, calculated with the data within the time window, which we call the local running correlation coefficient (LRCC). The LRCC is calculated via the two anomalies corresponding to the two local means, meanwhile, the local means also vary. It is cleared up that the LRCC reflects only the correlation between the two anomalies within the time window but fails to exhibit the contributions of the two varying means. To address this problem, two unchanged means obtained from all available data are adopted to calculate an RCC, which is called the synthetic running correlation coefficient (SRCC). When the anomaly variations are dominant, the two RCCs are similar. However, when the variations of the means are dominant, the difference between the two RCCs becomes obvious. The SRCC reflects the correlations of both the anomaly variations and the variations of the means. Therefore, the SRCCs from different time points are intercomparable. A criterion for the superiority of the RCC algorithm is that the average value of the RCC should be close to the global correlation coefficient calculated using all data. The SRCC always meets this criterion, while the LRCC sometimes fails. Therefore, the SRCC is better than the LRCC for running correlations. We suggest using the SRCC to calculate the RCCs.

Segurança do trabalho no beneficiamento do RCC inerte

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Maria da Paz Medeiros Fernandes

Full Text Available Grande quantidade de resíduos da construção civil (RCCs é gerada nas atividades de construção. O desafio é reduzir esse volume na geração. Para induzir essa mudança na gestão desses resíduos, o Conselho Nacional do Meio Ambiente (Conama publicou as Resoluções nº 307/2002, 348/2004, 431/2011 e 448/2012. Entretanto, aspectos relativos à Segurança e Saúde do Trabalho (SST na manipulação e processamento dos RCCs ainda são olvidados. Com o objetivo de contribuir para enfatizar essa questão e ajudar a superar essa lacuna, esta pesquisa utilizou como método de investigação o estudo de caso através do uso de casos múltiplos, tendo como unidades de análise as três áreas de reciclagem (ARs de Belo Horizonte, municipalidade que apresenta um dos melhores registros na gestão dos RCCs no Brasil. O levantamento de dados foi realizado de 2009 até 2014 através de documentação indireta, com coleta direta de dados em 2011. Após a análise das evidências coletadas, observa-se que elas corroboraram a proposição teórica inicial, de que as ARs estão sujeitas a condições de SST que necessitam ser estudadas, aprimoradas e mais bem controladas. Assim, os resultados podem orientar as propostas de melhorias no gerenciamento dos RCCs em outros municípios, principalmente no que se refere à SST.

O rap, o hip-hop e o funk: a "eróptica" da arte juvenil invade a cena das escolas públicas nas metrópoles brasileiras

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Mônica do Amaral

2011-09-01

Full Text Available A irreverência e a criticidade de alguns rappers e o gingar alegre do corpo erótico proposto pelo funk sugerem um novo cenário para as metrópoles do país, em que a pluralidade da arte juvenil surge como forma de enfrentamento das marcas deixadas por fraturas sociais profundas. Os conceitos de "visão dionisíaca de mundo", "estética extrema" e "transvaloração dos valores", de Nietzsche, e o "erotismo", segundo Bataille, nortearam o método de ruptura de campo, concebido por Herrmann. Este, essencial para se repensar as noções de autoridade e tradição na sociedade contemporânea a partir das ideias veiculadas pelo rap e pelo funk. Consideramos que somente uma etnografia do olhar que apanhe a dimensão erótica e irreverente - a "eróptica", segundo Canevacci - destas manifestações poderia nelas identificar uma estética afirmativa e crítica, como diria Nietzsche, capaz de produzir uma verdadeira reversão dos valores em nossa sociedade e, no caso, no interior da própria escola.

Segurança do trabalho no beneficiamento do RCC inerte

OpenAIRE

Fernandes,Maria da Paz Medeiros; Silva Filho,Luiz Carlos Pinto da

2015-01-01

Grande quantidade de resíduos da construção civil (RCCs) é gerada nas atividades de construção. O desafio é reduzir esse volume na geração. Para induzir essa mudança na gestão desses resíduos, o Conselho Nacional do Meio Ambiente (Conama) publicou as Resoluções nº 307/2002, 348/2004, 431/2011 e 448/2012. Entretanto, aspectos relativos à Segurança e Saúde do Trabalho (SST) na manipulação e processamento dos RCCs ainda são olvidados. Com o objetivo de contribuir para enfatizar essa questão e aj...

Movilidad cotidiana, desigualdad social y segregación residencial en cuatro metrópolis de América Latina

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JORGE RODRÍGUEZ VIGNOLI

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Los censos de la ronda de 2000 de Brasil, México y Chile incluyeron, por primera vez, una consulta sobre lugar de trabajo o estudio. Su procesamiento generó resultados novedosos sobre la segmentación socioeconómica de la movilidad diaria en Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Santiago y Ciudad de México. En estas dos últimas-donde el censo captura mejor la movilidad diaria-, hay un contrapunto entre la situación individual y la geográfica, porque la probabilidad de trabajar en una comuna distinta a la de residencia aumenta con el nivel socioeconómico de las personas, pero los municipios pobres tienden a tener índices de salida de trabajadores superiores. Esto último se explica por la concentración de los empleos en el centro comercial y en el habitat de la élite, normalmente distantes de los municipios pobres, sobre todo en ciudades altamente segregadas. Este hallazgo ensombrece la hipótesis de un futuro policéntrico para las metrópolis latinoamericanas.For the first time in history, the 2000 round of censuses in Brazil, Mexico and Chile asked citizens a question about the location of their places of work or study. Analysis of census data produced new results on how daily commutes in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Santiago and Mexico City vary across socioeconomic groups. In Santiago and Mexico City, where the census question better captures daily commutes, there is an interesting paradox regarding individuals economic status and their geographic location because the likelihood that one's workplace is located in a different municipality from their residence increases as their socioeconomic status rises. However, the poorest municipalities tend to have higher indices of daily commuting This is due to the concentration of employment in the Central Business Districts and wealthy areas, which are usually located far from the poorest municipalities, especially in highly segregated cities. This finding challenges the hypothesis that the Latin

Rapid selection and proliferation of CD133+ cells from cancer cell lines: chemotherapeutic implications.

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Sarah E Kelly

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Cancer stem cells (CSCs are considered a subset of the bulk tumor responsible for initiating and maintaining the disease. Several surface cellular markers have been recently used to identify CSCs. Among those is CD133, which is expressed by hematopoietic progenitor cells as well as embryonic stem cells and various cancers. We have recently isolated and cultured CD133 positive [CD133+] cells from various cancer cell lines using a NASA developed Hydrodynamic Focusing Bioreactor (HFB (Celdyne, Houston, TX. For comparison, another bioreactor, the rotary cell culture system (RCCS manufactured by Synthecon (Houston, TX was used. Both the HFB and the RCCS bioreactors simulate aspects of hypogravity. In our study, the HFB increased CD133+ cell growth from various cell lines compared to the RCCS vessel and to normal gravity control. We observed a +15-fold proliferation of the CD133+ cellular fraction with cancer cells that were cultured for 7-days at optimized conditions. The RCCS vessel instead yielded a (-4.8-fold decrease in the CD133+cellular fraction respect to the HFB after 7-days of culture. Interestingly, we also found that the hypogravity environment of the HFB greatly sensitized the CD133+ cancer cells, which are normally resistant to chemo treatment, to become susceptible to various chemotherapeutic agents, paving the way to less toxic and more effective chemotherapeutic treatment in patients. To be able to test the efficacy of cytotoxic agents in vitro prior to their use in clinical setting on cancer cells as well as on cancer stem cells may pave the way to more effective chemotherapeutic strategies in patients. This could be an important advancement in the therapeutic options of oncologic patients, allowing for more targeted and personalized chemotherapy regimens as well as for higher response rates.

Chemokine-mediated distribution of dendritic cell subsets in renal cell carcinoma

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Meyer Werner

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Renal cell carcinoma (RCC represents one of the most immunoresponsive cancers. Antigen-specific vaccination with dendritic cells (DCs in patients with metastatic RCC has been shown to induce cytotoxic T-cell responses associated with objective clinical responses. Thus, clinical trials utilizing DCs for immunotherapy of advanced RCCs appear to be promising; however, detailed analyses concerning the distribution and function of DC subsets in RCCs are lacking. Methods We characterized the distribution of the different immature and mature myeloid DC subsets in RCC tumour tissue and the corresponding normal kidney tissues. In further analyses, the expression of various chemokines and chemokine receptors controlling the migration of DC subsets was investigated. Results The highest numbers of immature CD1a+ DCs were found within RCC tumour tissue. In contrast, the accumulation of mature CD83+/DC-LAMP+ DCs were restricted to the invasive margin of the RCCs. The mature DCs formed clusters with proliferating T-cells. Furthermore, a close association was observed between MIP-3α-producing tumour cells and immature CCR6+ DC recruitment to the tumour bed. Conversely, MIP-3β and SLC expression was only detected at the tumour border, where CCR7-expressing T-cells and mature DCs formed clusters. Conclusion Increased numbers of immature DCs were observed within the tumour tissue of RCCs, whereas mature DCs were found in increased numbers at the tumour margin. Our results strongly implicate that the distribution of DC subsets is controlled by local lymphoid chemokine expression. Thus, increased expression of MIP-3α favours recruitment of immature DCs to the tumour bed, whereas de novo local expression of SLC and MIP-3β induces accumulation of mature DCs at the tumour margin forming clusters with proliferating T-cells reflecting a local anti-tumour immune response.

Chemokine-mediated distribution of dendritic cell subsets in renal cell carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Middel, Peter; Brauneck, Sven; Meyer, Werner; Radzun, Heinz-Joachim

2010-01-01

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) represents one of the most immunoresponsive cancers. Antigen-specific vaccination with dendritic cells (DCs) in patients with metastatic RCC has been shown to induce cytotoxic T-cell responses associated with objective clinical responses. Thus, clinical trials utilizing DCs for immunotherapy of advanced RCCs appear to be promising; however, detailed analyses concerning the distribution and function of DC subsets in RCCs are lacking. We characterized the distribution of the different immature and mature myeloid DC subsets in RCC tumour tissue and the corresponding normal kidney tissues. In further analyses, the expression of various chemokines and chemokine receptors controlling the migration of DC subsets was investigated. The highest numbers of immature CD1a+ DCs were found within RCC tumour tissue. In contrast, the accumulation of mature CD83+/DC-LAMP+ DCs were restricted to the invasive margin of the RCCs. The mature DCs formed clusters with proliferating T-cells. Furthermore, a close association was observed between MIP-3α-producing tumour cells and immature CCR6+ DC recruitment to the tumour bed. Conversely, MIP-3β and SLC expression was only detected at the tumour border, where CCR7-expressing T-cells and mature DCs formed clusters. Increased numbers of immature DCs were observed within the tumour tissue of RCCs, whereas mature DCs were found in increased numbers at the tumour margin. Our results strongly implicate that the distribution of DC subsets is controlled by local lymphoid chemokine expression. Thus, increased expression of MIP-3α favours recruitment of immature DCs to the tumour bed, whereas de novo local expression of SLC and MIP-3β induces accumulation of mature DCs at the tumour margin forming clusters with proliferating T-cells reflecting a local anti-tumour immune response

Oncofetal Protein IMP3: A Novel Molecular Marker That Predicts Metastasis of Papillary and Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinomas

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Zhong; Lohse, Christine M.; Chu, Peigou G.; Wu, Chin-Lee; Woda, Bruce A.; Rock, Kenneth L.; Kwon, Eugene D.

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND Whether an oncofetal protein, IMP3, can serve as a prognostic biomarker to predict metastasis for patients with localized papillary and chromophobe subtypes of renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) was investigated. METHODS The expression of IMP3 in 334 patients with primary papillary and chromophobe RCC from multiple medical centers was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The 317 patients with localized papillary and chromophobe RCCs were further evaluated for outcome analyses. RESULTS IMP3 was significantly increased in a subset of localized papillary and chromophobe RCCs that subsequently metastasized. Patients with localized IMP3-positive tumors (n = 33; 10%) were over 10 times more likely to metastasize (risk ratio [RR], 11.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.40–23.96; P <.001) and were nearly twice as likely to die (RR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.13–3.22; P =.016) compared with patients with localized IMP3 negative tumors. The 5-year metastasis-free and overall survival rates were 64% and 58% for patients with IMP3-positive localized papillary and chromophobe RCCs compared with 98% and 85% for patients with IMP3 negative tumors, respectively. In multivariable analysis adjusting for the TNM stage and nuclear grade, patients with IMP3-positive tumors were still over 10 times more likely to progress to distant metastasis (RR, 13.45; 95% CI, 6.00–30.14; P <.001) and were still nearly twice as likely die (RR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.15–3.31; P =.013) compared with patients with IMP3-negative tumors. CONCLUSIONS IMP3 is an independent prognostic biomarker that can be used to identify a subgroup of patients with localized papillary and chromophobe RCC who are at high risk for developing distant metastasis. PMID:18412154

Reliability of the Timed Up and Go test and Ten-Metre Timed Walk Test in Pregnant Women with Pelvic Girdle Pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Evensen, Natalie M; Kvåle, Alice; Braekken, Ingeborg H

2015-09-01

There is a lack of functional objective tests available to measure functional status in women with pelvic girdle pain (PGP). The purpose of this study was to establish test-retest and intertester reliability of the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and Ten-metre Timed Walk Test (10mTWT) in pregnant women with PGP. A convenience sample of women was recruited over a 4-month period and tested on two occasions, 1 week apart to determine test-retest reliability. Intertester reliability was established between two assessors at the first testing session. Subjects were instructed to undertake the TUG and 10mTWT at maximum speed. One practise trial and two timed trials for each walking test was undertaken on Day 1 and one practise trial and one timed trial on Day 2. Seventeen women with PGP aged 31.1 years (SD [standard deviation] = 2.3) and 28.7 weeks pregnant (SD = 7.4) completed gait testing. Test-retest reliability using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was excellent for the TUG (0.88) and good for the 10mTWT (0.74). Intertester reliability was determined in the first 13 participants with excellent ICC values being found for both walking tests (TUG: 0.95; 10mTWT: 0.94). This study demonstrated that the TUG and 10mTWT undertaken at fast pace are reliable, objective functional tests in pregnant women with PGP. While both tests are suitable for use in the clinical and research settings, we would recommend the TUG given the findings of higher test-retest reliability and as this test requires less space and time to set up and score. Future studies in a larger sample size are warranted to confirm the results of this study. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Development of a new decay heat removal system for a high temperature gas-cooled reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sim, Yoon Sub; Park, Rae Young; Kim, Seyun

2007-01-01

The heat removal capacity of a RCCS is one of the major parameters limiting the capacity of a HTGR based on a passive safety system. To improve the plant economy of a HTGR, the decay heat removal capacity needs to be improved. For this, a new analysis system of an algebraic method for the performance of various RCCS designs was set up and the heat transfer characteristics and performance of the designs were analyzed. Based on the analysis results, a new passive decay heat removal system with a substantially improved performance, LFDRS was developed. With the new system, one can have an expectation that the heat removal capacity of a HTGR could be doubled

Carbon storage in the Mississippi River delta enhanced by environmental engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Shields, Michael R.; Bianchi, Thomas S.; Mohrig, David; Hutchings, Jack A.; Kenney, William F.; Kolker, Alexander S.; Curtis, Jason H.

2017-11-01

River deltas have contributed to atmospheric carbon regulation throughout Earth history, but functioning in the modern era has been impaired by reduced sediment loads, altered hydrologic regimes, increased global sea-level rise and accelerated subsidence. Delta restoration involves environmental engineering via river diversions, which utilize self-organizing processes to create prograding deltas. Here we analyse sediment cores from Wax Lake delta, a product of environmental engineering, to quantify the burial of organic carbon. We find that, despite relatively low concentrations of organic carbon measured in the cores (about 0.4%), the accumulation of about 3 T m-2 of sediment over the approximate 60 years of delta building resulted in the burial of a significant amount of organic carbon (16 kg m-2). This equates to an apparent organic carbon accumulation rate of 250 +/- 23 g m-2 yr-1, which implicitly includes losses by carbon emissions and erosion. Our estimated accumulation rate for Wax Lake delta is substantially greater than previous estimates based on the top metre of delta sediments and comparable to those of coastal mangrove and marsh habitats. The sedimentation of carbon at the Wax Lake delta demonstrates the capacity of engineered river diversions to enhance both coastal accretion and carbon burial.

Clinical role of early dynamic FDG-PET/CT for the evaluation of renal cell carcinoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakajima, Reiko; Abe, Koichiro; Sakai, Shuji [Tokyo Women' s Medical University, Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Tokyo (Japan); Kondo, Tsunenori; Tanabe, Kazunari [Tokyo Women' s Medical University, Department of Urology, Tokyo (Japan)

2016-06-15

We studied the usefulness of early dynamic (ED) and whole-body (WB) FDG-PET/CT for the evaluation of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). One hundred patients with 107 tumours underwent kidney ED and WB FDG-PET/CT. We visually and semiquantitatively evaluated the FDG accumulation in RCCs in the ED and WB phases, and compared the accumulation values with regard to histological type (clear cell carcinoma [CCC] vs. non-clear cell carcinoma [N-CCC]), the TNM stage (high stage [3-4] vs. low stage [1-2]), the Fuhrman grade (high grade [3-4] vs. low grade [1-2]) and presence versus absence of venous (V) and lymphatic (Ly) invasion. In the ED phase, visual evaluation revealed no significant differences in FDG accumulation in terms of each item. However, the maximum standardized uptake value and tumour-to-normal tissue ratios were significantly higher in the CCCs compared to the N-CCCs (p < 0.001). In the WB phase, in contrast, significantly higher FDG accumulation (p < 0.001) was found in RCCs with a higher TNM stage, higher Furman grade, and the presence of V and Ly invasion in both the visual and the semiquantitative evaluations. ED and WB FDG-PET/CT is a useful tool for the evaluation of RCCs. (orig.)

Volume doubling time and growth rate of renal cell carcinoma determined by helical CT: a single-institution experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Ji Young; Kim, Chan Kyo; Choi, Dongil; Park, Byung Kwan

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the volume doubling time (VDT) and growth rate of renal cell carcinomas (RCC) on a serial computed tomography (CT) scan. Thirty pathologically proven RCCs were reviewed with helical CT. Each tumor underwent at least two CT scans. Tumor volume was determined using an area measuring tool and the summation-of-areas technique. Growth rate was evaluated in terms of diameter and volume changes. VDT and volume growth rate were compared in relation to several factors (initial diameter, initial volume, diameter growth rate, volume growth rate, tumor grade, tumor subtype, sex or age). Mean VDT of RCCs was 505 days. Mean diameter and volume growth rate were 0.59 cm/year and 19.1 cm 3 /year, respectively. For volume and diameter growth rate, tumors ≤4 cm showed lower rates than those >4 cm (P 0.05). Volume growth rate was moderately to strongly positively correlated with initial diameter, initial volume and diameter growth rate (P < 0.05). In conclusion, small RCCs grew at a slow rate both diametrically and volumetrically. More accurate assessment of tumor growth rate and VDT may be helpful to understand the natural history of RCC. (orig.)

Comparisons of RELAP5-3D Analyses to Experimental Data from the Natural Convection Shutdown Heat Removal Test Facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bucknor, Matthew; Hu, Rui; Lisowski, Darius; Kraus, Adam

2016-04-17

The Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) is an important passive safety system being incorporated into the overall safety strategy for high temperature advanced reactor concepts such as the High Temperature Gas- Cooled Reactors (HTGR). The Natural Convection Shutdown Heat Removal Test Facility (NSTF) at Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) reflects a 1/2-scale model of the primary features of one conceptual air-cooled RCCS design. The project conducts ex-vessel, passive heat removal experiments in support of Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy’s Advanced Reactor Technology (ART) program, while also generating data for code validation purposes. While experiments are being conducted at the NSTF to evaluate the feasibility of the passive RCCS, parallel modeling and simulation efforts are ongoing to support the design, fabrication, and operation of these natural convection systems. Both system-level and high fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses were performed to gain a complete understanding of the complex flow and heat transfer phenomena in natural convection systems. This paper provides a summary of the RELAP5-3D NSTF model development efforts and provides comparisons between simulation results and experimental data from the NSTF. Overall, the simulation results compared favorably to the experimental data, however, further analyses need to be conducted to investigate any identified differences.

O ambiente alimentar e o acesso a frutas e hortaliças: “Uma metrópole em perspectiva”

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Aline Cristine Souza Lopes

Full Text Available Resumo Este trabalho objetivou explorar o ambiente alimentar de acordo com o acesso a frutas e hortaliças (FH, a partir da perspectiva de uma grande metrópole brasileira, referência internacional para políticas públicas de segurança alimentar e nutricional (SAN. Procedeu-se à revisão da literatura e de site oficial de divulgação das políticas de SAN e de planejamento urbano de Belo Horizonte (MG, além da construção de mapas. Os programas de SAN no município atendem a mais de um milhão de pessoas por dia, incluindo iniciativas de incentivo à produção de alimentos, defesa e promoção do consumo alimentar, comercialização subsidiada de alimentos e refeições, e capacitação em alimentação. Verificou-se no município a concentração de estabelecimentos comerciais de FH, incluindo aqueles com subsídios públicos (feiras-livres e sacolões públicos, na região mais rica da cidade, com acesso limitado na periferia e territórios de serviços de promoção da saúde (Programa Academia da Saúde. Entretanto, o aumento de unidades de sacolões públicos e privados, feiras-livres e supermercados poderia favorecer o acesso a alimentos saudáveis nos territórios mais vulneráveis. Estes dados revelam a importância do monitoramento das políticas públicas, pela sociedade civil e representantes do governo, visando reduzir as iniquidades e contribuir para melhoria da qualidade de vida e o bem-estar social da população, além de colaborar para sistemas alimentares sustentáveis. Sugere-se que políticas públicas de SAN dialoguem com outras políticas, como as de saúde, planejamento urbano, assistência social, agricultura, dentre outras, de forma a promover a equidade e atender intersetorialmente às necessidades de comunidades mais vulneráveis.

Metre by metre: Advances in drilling technology are unlocking the doors to stubborn reserves

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jaremko, D.

2004-03-01

Advances in drilling technology such as horizontal drilling, controlled pressure drilling, underbalanced or reduced overbalanced drilling, steam assisted cavity drainage, the modified magnetic ranging system and a growing arsenal of on-line controls such as measurement-while drilling (MWD) and logging-while-drilling (LWD) are constantly enlarging the sites to which operators can go, the range of the pay zone that they can conquer, and to design increasingly site-specific approaches to deal with the change of formation characteristics from location to location. This article provides an overview of recent advances, focusing on underbalanced, balanced and reduced overbalanced drilling, and latest versions of data acquisition systems such as MWD and LWD which are capable of operating at twice the speed of conventional systems and provide accurate data even under the extremely difficult conditions found in hostile offshore environment.

¿Metrópolis ingobernables? Experiencias europeas ¿Metrópolis ingobernables? Experiencias europeas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian Lefèvre

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Las áreas metropolitanas se han convertido en lugares en los que tienen lugar algunos de los mayores desafíos para el gobierno de nuestras sociedades (desigualdades sociales y territoriales, desarrollo económico, la diversidad étnica y cultural, la preservación del medio ambiente, etc.. Sin embargo, a pesar de su relevancia como espacios para el tratamiento de estos problemas, las áreas metropolitanas tienen grandes dificultades para transformarse en territorios políticos, es decir, para alcanzar un nivel de agente político suficiente (como actor colectivo para producir políticas adecuadas que aborden estos problemas y produzcan estrategias colectivas que orienten su desarrollo futuro. Para tratar este tema, este artículo se centrará en primer lugar en los principales obstáculos que les impiden alcanzar el nivel de actor político, que son comunes a la mayoría de los países europeos: la resistencia del Estado a otorgar a estos territorios las funciones y recursos adecuados en el proceso de descentralización y su preferencia por el reforzamiento de los niveles de gobierno existentes; la oposición de estos niveles de gobierno y la falta de apoyo de la sociedad civil (actores económicos y población. En un segundo apartado, este artículo presentará diferentes experiencias que han tenido lugar en la última década para superar estos obstáculos. Centrándose en la pacificación de las relaciones de poder a nivel metropolitano mediante conferencias, cartas y pactos metropolitanos y “políticas procedimentales” como la planificación estratégica, el autor considera que estas experiencias no parecen ofrecer potencialidades para la reducción del conflicto político entre actores y concluye con un tono pesimista sobre la gobernabilidad de las áreas metropolitanas.Metropolitan areas have become places where some of the major issues and stakes for the government of our societies are taking place (social and territorial inequalities, economic development, the question of ethnical and cultural diversity, environmental preservation, etc.. However, in spite of their relevance as spaces to address these issues, metropolitan areas have great difficulties to become political territories, that is to reach a sufficient political agency (act as collective actor to produce adequate policies to deal with these issues and to produce collective strategies to orient their future development. To substantiate this statement, the article will first focus on the major obstacles which prevent metropolitan areas to reach agency and which are common to most of European countries: the resistance of the State to grant these territories with adequate competences and resources in the decentralization process and its preference towards the strengthening of existing governmental tiers; the opposition of these governmental tiers along with the lack of support from civil society (economic actors and the inhabitants. In a second section, the article will present the various experiences launched in the last decade to alleviate these obstacles. Focusing on the pacification of power relations at the metropolitan level through metropolitan conferences and metropolitan charters and pacts and on ‘procedural policies’ such as strategic planning, the author estimates that these experiences do not seem to offer the potentialities to reduce political conflicts between actors and concludes with a pessimist tone on the unlikely governability of metropolitan areas.

Uniform Reserve Training and Retirement Category Administration

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Kohner, D

1997-01-01

This Instruction implement policy as provided in DoD Directive 1215.6, assigns responsibilities and prescribes procedures that pertain to the designation and use of uniform Reserve component (RC) categories (RCCs...

Billion-scale production of hepatocyte-like cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamashita, Tomoki; Takayama, Kazuo; Sakurai, Fuminori; Mizuguchi, Hiroyuki

2018-02-19

Human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-derived hepatocyte-like cells are expected to be utilized in drug screening and regenerative medicine. However, hepatocyte-like cells have not been fully used in such applications because it is difficult to produce such cells on a large scale. In this study, we tried to establish a method to mass produce hepatocyte-like cells using a three-dimensional (3D) cell culture bioreactor called the Rotary Cell Culture System (RCCS). RCCS enabled us to obtain homogenous hepatocyte-like cells on a billion scale (>10 9  cells). The gene expression levels of some hepatocyte markers (alpha-1 antitrypsin, cytochrome (CYP) 1A2, CYP2D6, and hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha) were higher in 3D-cultured hepatocyte-like cells than in 2D-cultured hepatocyte-like cells. This result suggests that RCCS could provide more suitable conditions for hepatocyte maturation than the conventional 2D cell culture conditions. In addition, more than 90% of hepatocyte-like cells were positive for albumin and could uptake low-density lipoprotein in the culture medium. We succeeded in the large-scale production of homogenous and functional hepatocyte-like cells from human iPS cells. This technology will be useful in drug screening and regenerative medicine, which require enormous numbers of hepatocyte-like cells. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Arterial spin labelling MRI for detecting pseudocapsule defects and predicting renal capsule invasion in renal cell carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, H; Wu, Y; Xue, W; Zuo, P; Oesingmann, N; Gan, Q; Huang, Z; Wu, M; Hu, F; Kuang, M; Song, B

2017-11-01

To evaluate prospectively the performance of combining morphological and arterial spin labelling (ASL) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detecting pseudocapsule defects in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and to predict renal capsule invasion confirmed histopathologically. Twenty consecutive patients with suspicious renal tumours underwent MRI. Renal ASL imaging was performed and renal blood flow was measured quantitatively. The diagnostic performance of T2-weighted images alone, and a combination of T2-weighted and ASL images for predicting renal capsule invasion were assessed. Twenty renal lesions were evaluated in 20 patients. All lesions were clear cell RCCs (ccRCCs) confirmed at post-surgical histopathology. Fifteen ccRCCs showed pseudocapsule defects on T2-weighted images, of which 12 cases showed existing blood flow in defect areas on perfusion images. To predict renal capsule invasion, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 100%, 71.4%, 86.7%, 100%, respectively, for T2-weighted images alone, and 92.3%, 100%, 100%, 87.5%, respectively, for the combination of T2-weighted and ASL images. ASL images can reflect the perfusion of pseudocapsule defects and as such, the combination of T2-weighted and ASL images produces promising diagnostic accuracy for predicting renal capsule invasion. Copyright © 2017 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

O imobiliário como frente de expansão da metrópole: contradices na produção do espado do Porto das Dunas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Beatriz Rufino

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Este artigo tem como objetivo discutir o imobiliário como frente de desenvolvimento metropolitano a partir da análise da produção do espaçõ no Porto das Dunas, área litorànea na Região Metropolitana de Fortaleza (RMF, que se destaca dentro dessa metrópole como territorio privilegiado de investimentos imobiliários de caráter turístico. A forte concentração de investimentos imobiliários num curto período de tempo reforçõu a produção imobiliária como elemento central na produção desse espado, consolidando uma nova frente ao processo de metropolização da RMF. Em nossa hipótese, o protagonismo do imobiliário na produção desse espaçõ lhe confere feições particulares, que procuramos discutir através da observação dos interesses dos agentes históricamente envolvidos em sua produção. Partindo do conceito de instrumentalização do espaçõ proposto por Lefebvre (2008, procuramos compreender a lógica de produdlo deste espado, marcado por contínua integração metropolitana, intensa valorização imobiliária e negação do urbano como espaçõ de reprodução social.

MODELING THE AMBIENT CONDITION EFFECTS OF AN AIR-COOLED NATURAL CIRCULATION SYSTEM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, Rui; Lisowski, Darius D.; Bucknor, Matthew; Kraus, Adam R.; Lv, Qiuping

2017-07-02

The Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) is a passive safety concept under consideration for the overall safety strategy of advanced reactors such as the High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR). One such variant, air-cooled RCCS, uses natural convection to drive the flow of air from outside the reactor building to remove decay heat during normal operation and accident scenarios. The Natural convection Shutdown heat removal Test Facility (NSTF) at Argonne National Laboratory (“Argonne”) is a half-scale model of the primary features of one conceptual air-cooled RCCS design. The facility was constructed to carry out highly instrumented experiments to study the performance of the RCCS concept for reactor decay heat removal that relies on natural convection cooling. Parallel modeling and simulation efforts were performed to support the design, operation, and analysis of the natural convection system. Throughout the testing program, strong influences of ambient conditions were observed in the experimental data when baseline tests were repeated under the same test procedures. Thus, significant analysis efforts were devoted to gaining a better understanding of these influences and the subsequent response of the NSTF to ambient conditions. It was determined that air humidity had negligible impacts on NSTF system performance and therefore did not warrant consideration in the models. However, temperature differences between the building exterior and interior air, along with the outside wind speed, were shown to be dominant factors. Combining the stack and wind effects together, an empirical model was developed based on theoretical considerations and using experimental data to correlate zero-power system flow rates with ambient meteorological conditions. Some coefficients in the model were obtained based on best fitting the experimental data. The predictive capability of the empirical model was demonstrated by applying it to the new set of experimental data. The

¿Metrópolis dispersas?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Annalisa Giampino

2010-09-01

Urban sprawl has become, today, the topic theme of the speech for anyone who wants to debate the problem of urban growth; a problem on which disciplinary, political and institutional interest has been concerning for long. This interest mostly corresponds with the statistics (EEA, 2006 which confirm that: 75 percent of European people live in urban areas; more than a quarter of European territory is urbanized and, responding to many realistic valutations, in 2020 approximately 80 percent of European people will be living in urban areas. It’s a long, still open range of investigation where this tesis has been placed on, purely occurring in response to the consciousness that knowledge, in urbanism, is a planning and cognitive action at the same time. Therefore, the research deals with the “sprawl problems” within a metropolitan urban ambit, giving answer all the following questions: What is sprawl settlement and, above all, how does it deal with territorial ambit? Is it to consider as a new periphery, or, merely, as a sort of urbanization plan resulting from a limited urbanistic praxis turned to be a pure, building license regularization? Moreover, what kind of instruments and action strategies should have to be provided in order to really answer all the questions about settlement sprawl using within the metropolitan context?

Successive use of vacuum-enhanced extraction, in situ chemical oxidation, bioaugmentation and mathematical modeling for the restoration of impacted soil and groundwater

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morin, A.; Lauzon, J.M. [TechnoRem Inc., Laval, PQ (Canada)

2007-07-01

A leak from an active gasoline service station in northern Quebec was discussed. Leaking petroleum from an underground storage tank (UST) in June 2005 resulted in a 4,000 m{sup 2} light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) plume causing both soil and groundwater contamination. This presentation described the site, environmental issues, selected remedial technologies, worked performed and results. TechnoRem conducted laboratory and bench-scale testing to determine the optimal treatment products and conditions for mitigation. The LNAPL was recovered using vacuum-enhanced extraction (VEE). Chemical oxidation (CO) and bioaugmentation (BA) was also used to restore the site. The soil and groundwater targets for various parameters were tabulated for total petroleum hydrocarbons and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes). It was noted that groundwater was flowing south towards a lake 100 metres downgradient. Schematics of the VEE, CO and BA equipment were presented along with several images of the design, installation, commission and operation of the systems. A total of 128 pumping/injection wells were used to sample soil, groundwater and LNAPL. In November 2006, soil analyses indicated that the total petroleum hydrocarbons and BTEX met the applicable criteria. The contaminated groundwater plume is now minor and in regression. Groundwater monitoring and supply of nutrients and oxygen will be performed for the coming years to allow for enhanced natural attenuation to mitigate the residual contaminants. tabs., figs.

Fenton reaction induced cancer in wild type rats recapitulates genomic alterations observed in human cancer.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shinya Akatsuka

Full Text Available Iron overload has been associated with carcinogenesis in humans. Intraperitoneal administration of ferric nitrilotriacetate initiates a Fenton reaction in renal proximal tubules of rodents that ultimately leads to a high incidence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC after repeated treatments. We performed high-resolution microarray comparative genomic hybridization to identify characteristics in the genomic profiles of this oxidative stress-induced rat RCCs. The results revealed extensive large-scale genomic alterations with a preference for deletions. Deletions and amplifications were numerous and sometimes fragmented, demonstrating that a Fenton reaction is a cause of such genomic alterations in vivo. Frequency plotting indicated that two of the most commonly altered loci corresponded to a Cdkn2a/2b deletion and a Met amplification. Tumor sizes were proportionally associated with Met expression and/or amplification, and clustering analysis confirmed our results. Furthermore, we developed a procedure to compare whole genomic patterns of the copy number alterations among different species based on chromosomal syntenic relationship. Patterns of the rat RCCs showed the strongest similarity to the human RCCs among five types of human cancers, followed by human malignant mesothelioma, an iron overload-associated cancer. Therefore, an iron-dependent Fenton chemical reaction causes large-scale genomic alterations during carcinogenesis, which may result in distinct genomic profiles. Based on the characteristics of extensive genome alterations in human cancer, our results suggest that this chemical reaction may play a major role during human carcinogenesis.

Subtype Differentiation of Small (≤ 4 cm) Solid Renal Mass Using Volumetric Histogram Analysis of DWI at 3-T MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Anqin; Xing, Wei; Li, Haojie; Hu, Yao; Hu, Daoyu; Li, Zhen; Kamel, Ihab R

2018-05-29

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the utility of volumetric histogram analysis of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) derived from reduced-FOV DWI for small (≤ 4 cm) solid renal mass subtypes at 3-T MRI. This retrospective study included 38 clear cell renal cell carcinomas (RCCs), 16 papillary RCCs, 18 chromophobe RCCs, 13 minimal fat angiomyolipomas (AMLs), and seven oncocytomas evaluated with preoperative MRI. Volumetric ADC maps were generated using all slices of the reduced-FOV DW images to obtain histogram parameters, including mean, median, 10th percentile, 25th percentile, 75th percentile, 90th percentile, and SD ADC values, as well as skewness, kurtosis, and entropy. Comparisons of these parameters were made by one-way ANOVA, t test, and ROC curves analysis. ADC histogram parameters differentiated eight of 10 pairs of renal tumors. Three subtype pairs (clear cell RCC vs papillary RCC, clear cell RCC vs chromophobe RCC, and clear cell RCC vs minimal fat AML) were differentiated by mean ADC. However, five other subtype pairs (clear cell RCC vs oncocytoma, papillary RCC vs minimal fat AML, papillary RCC vs oncocytoma, chromophobe RCC vs minimal fat AML, and chromophobe RCC vs oncocytoma) were differentiated by histogram distribution parameters exclusively (all p histogram parameters yielded the highest AUC (0.851; sensitivity, 80.0%; specificity, 86.1%). Quantitative volumetric ADC histogram analysis may help differentiate various subtypes of small solid renal tumors, including benign and malignant lesions.

The new WMO RA VI Regional Climate Centre on Climate Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Rapp, J.; Nitsche, H.

2010-09-01

Regional Climate Centres (RCCs) are institutions with the capacity and mandate by WMO to develop high quality regional-scale products using global products and incorporating regional information. Recently a pilot network of three RCC consortia was established for the WMO region RA VI (Europe and Middle East): • RCC node on climate data, • RCC node on climate monitoring, • RCC node on long-range forecasting. DWD/Germany has taken the responsibility of the RCC node on climate monitoring (RRC-CM). Further consortium members are Armstatehydromet/Armenia, Météo-France/France, KNMI/The Netherlands, RHMS/Serbia, and TSMS/Turkey. RCCs provide online access to their products and services to national meteorological and hydrological services and to other regional users. Vice versa, RCCs receive data, products, know-how and feedbacks from the meteorological services as a main source for regional information. By the same time, they provide regional data, products and feedbacks to Global Production Centres and Lead Centres for respective verification and product optimisation of the global-scale information. The RCC-CM will perform basic functions covering the domain of climate monitoring: • Annual and monthly climate diagnostic bulletins, • Monthly monitoring maps: global, RAVI, Eastern Mediterranean, South Caucasus, • Reference climatologies and trend maps, • RA VI climate monitoring WebPortal, • Climate watches, • Training; Research and Development (R&D). The poster shows the current stage of development of the RCC-CM by means of example products.

MHTGR inherent heat transfer capability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berkoe, J.M.

1992-01-01

This paper reports on the Commercial Modular High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (MHTGR) which achieves improved reactor safety performance and reliability by utilizing a completely passive natural convection cooling system called the RCCS to remove decay heat in the event that all active cooling systems fail to operate. For the highly improbable condition that the RCCS were to become non-functional following a reactor depressurization event, the plant would be forced to rely upon its inherent thermo-physical characteristics to reject decay heat to the surrounding earth and ambient environment. A computational heat transfer model was created to simulate such a scenario. Plant component temperature histories were computed over a period of 20 days into the event. The results clearly demonstrate the capability of the MHTGR to maintain core integrity and provide substantial lead time for taking corrective measures

Enhancement of archaeological heritage. El Risco de las Cuevas at Perales de Tajuña, Madrid (Spain)

Science.gov (United States)

Freire-Lista, David Martin; Alvarez de Buergo, Mónica; Fort, Rafael

2016-04-01

Heritage conservation has a great impact on the economy of a country. The enhancement of archaeological sites is an investment that promotes tourism and culture. The interdisciplinary knowledge of heritage should be the basis of its management. Preventive actions, non-destructive analytical techniques and monitoring for the conservation of these assets should be promoted. "El Risco de las Cuevas" is a highly decayed and nearly vertical gypsum escarpment which contains a series of dwellings excavated during the Chalcolithic and much more recent times. It is located at Perales de Tajuña, 40 km southeast of Madrid, Spain. This monument is approximately 70 metres high and 500 metres wide. It was listed as a cultural and monumental heritage site by the regional government of Madrid in 1998. The gypsum escarpment housing the dwellings forms part of a lower Miocene unit (Madrid Basin). Debris cones with a mixture of debris from the lower, medium and upper units are found at the bottom of the rockwall. The vulnerability of this monument to atmospheric agents has been studied using "in situ" monitoring techniques of humidity, temperature and rate of rockfalls. Drones have been used for aerial photography in the highest areas of the escarpment and have provided an information network of fractures likely to cause rockfall. Gypsum artificial accelerated ageing has been carried out in the laboratory, including freeze/thaw, wet/dry, thermal shock and dissolution tests. To determine the response of these accelerated ageing processes, density, micro-roughness, ultrasound velocities (Vp and Vs), air permeability and microscopy measurements were made before, during and after ageing tests. Geomorphological studies, rates of decay, material characteristics and durability tests indicate that the decay is controlled by the mineralogy, clay content and porosity of the gypsum rock, as well as microclimate, temperature changes and rock fractures. Rockfalls are particularly relevant in the

Lending for Growth? A Granger Causality Analysis of China's Finance-Growth Nexus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Andersson, F.N.G.; Burzynska, K.; Opper, S.

2016-01-01

China’s banking sector is dominated by four distinct organizational forms: policy banks (PBs), state-owned commercial banks (SOCBs), joint stock commercial banks (JSCBs), and rural credit cooperatives (RCCs). Economic analyses have especially focused on the development of bank efficiency and

The folly of using RCCs and RVUs for intermediate product costing.

Science.gov (United States)

Young, David W

2007-04-01

Two measures for computing the cost of intermediate projects--a ratio of cost to charges and relative value units--are highly flawed and can have serious financial implications for the hospitals that use them. Full-cost accounting, using the principles of activity-based costing, enables hospitals to measure their costs more accurately, both for competitive bidding purposes and to manage them more effectively.

Dual-energy CT in assessing therapeutic response to radiofrequency ablation of renal cell carcinomas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Sung Yoon; Kim, Chan Kyo, E-mail: chankyokim@skku.edu; Park, Byung Kwan

2014-02-15

Purpose: To investigate the utility of dual-energy (DE) CT using virtual noncontrast (VNC) and iodine overlay (IO) images to assess therapeutic response to radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for renal cell carcinomas (RCCs). Materials and methods: In this institutional review board-approved study (with waiver of informed consent), 47 patients with RCCs that underwent DECT after RFA were enrolled in this study. DECT protocols included true noncontrast (TNC), linearly blended DE corticomedullary and late nephrographic phase imaging. Two types of VNC and IO images were derived from corticomedullary and late nephrographic phases, respectively. To predict local tumor progression at RFA site, linearly blended and IO images were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) of renal cortex-to-RFA zones were calculated. The overall imaging quality of VNC images was compared with TNC images. Results: The IO images from corticomedullary and late nephrographic phases showed excellent diagnostic performance (each sensitivity 100% and each specificity 91.5%) for predicting local tumor progression. The degree of enhancement of local tumor progression was not significantly different between linearly blended and IO images (P > 0.05). The mean CT numbers were not significantly different between TNC and VNC images (P > 0.05). In renal cortex-to-RFA site, CNR between linearly blended and IO images was not significantly different (P > 0.05). The VNC imaging quality from the two phases was given a good rating. Conclusion: VNC and IO images from DECT may allow acceptable diagnostic performance with less radiation exposure as a follow-up imaging tool after RFA for RCC, compared to the linearly blended CT images.

Dual-energy CT in assessing therapeutic response to radiofrequency ablation of renal cell carcinomas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Sung Yoon; Kim, Chan Kyo; Park, Byung Kwan

2014-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the utility of dual-energy (DE) CT using virtual noncontrast (VNC) and iodine overlay (IO) images to assess therapeutic response to radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for renal cell carcinomas (RCCs). Materials and methods: In this institutional review board-approved study (with waiver of informed consent), 47 patients with RCCs that underwent DECT after RFA were enrolled in this study. DECT protocols included true noncontrast (TNC), linearly blended DE corticomedullary and late nephrographic phase imaging. Two types of VNC and IO images were derived from corticomedullary and late nephrographic phases, respectively. To predict local tumor progression at RFA site, linearly blended and IO images were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) of renal cortex-to-RFA zones were calculated. The overall imaging quality of VNC images was compared with TNC images. Results: The IO images from corticomedullary and late nephrographic phases showed excellent diagnostic performance (each sensitivity 100% and each specificity 91.5%) for predicting local tumor progression. The degree of enhancement of local tumor progression was not significantly different between linearly blended and IO images (P > 0.05). The mean CT numbers were not significantly different between TNC and VNC images (P > 0.05). In renal cortex-to-RFA site, CNR between linearly blended and IO images was not significantly different (P > 0.05). The VNC imaging quality from the two phases was given a good rating. Conclusion: VNC and IO images from DECT may allow acceptable diagnostic performance with less radiation exposure as a follow-up imaging tool after RFA for RCC, compared to the linearly blended CT images

Dual-energy CT in assessing therapeutic response to radiofrequency ablation of renal cell carcinomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Sung Yoon; Kim, Chan Kyo; Park, Byung Kwan

2014-02-01

To investigate the utility of dual-energy (DE) CT using virtual noncontrast (VNC) and iodine overlay (IO) images to assess therapeutic response to radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for renal cell carcinomas (RCCs). In this institutional review board-approved study (with waiver of informed consent), 47 patients with RCCs that underwent DECT after RFA were enrolled in this study. DECT protocols included true noncontrast (TNC), linearly blended DE corticomedullary and late nephrographic phase imaging. Two types of VNC and IO images were derived from corticomedullary and late nephrographic phases, respectively. To predict local tumor progression at RFA site, linearly blended and IO images were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) of renal cortex-to-RFA zones were calculated. The overall imaging quality of VNC images was compared with TNC images. The IO images from corticomedullary and late nephrographic phases showed excellent diagnostic performance (each sensitivity 100% and each specificity 91.5%) for predicting local tumor progression. The degree of enhancement of local tumor progression was not significantly different between linearly blended and IO images (P>0.05). The mean CT numbers were not significantly different between TNC and VNC images (P>0.05). In renal cortex-to-RFA site, CNR between linearly blended and IO images was not significantly different (P>0.05). The VNC imaging quality from the two phases was given a good rating. VNC and IO images from DECT may allow acceptable diagnostic performance with less radiation exposure as a follow-up imaging tool after RFA for RCC, compared to the linearly blended CT images. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flow boiling heat transfer enhancement on copper surface using Fe doped Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} composite coatings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sujith Kumar, C.S., E-mail: sujithdeepam@gmail.com [Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli 620015, Tamil Nadu (India); Suresh, S., E-mail: ssuresh@nitt.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli 620015, Tamil Nadu (India); Aneesh, C.R., E-mail: aneeshcr87@gmail.com [Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli 620015, Tamil Nadu (India); Santhosh Kumar, M.C., E-mail: santhoshmc@nitt.edu [Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli 620015, Tamil Nadu (India); Praveen, A.S., E-mail: praveen_as_1215@yahoo.co.in [Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli 620015, Tamil Nadu (India); Raji, K., E-mail: raji.kochandra@gmail.com [School of Nano Science and Technology, National Institute of Technology, Calicut 673601, Kerala (India)

2015-04-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Fe–Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} composite coatings were coated on the copper using spray pyrolysis. • Effect of Fe doping on porosity was determined using AFM. • Effect of Fe doping on hydrophilicity was determined. • Higher enhancement in CHF was obtained for 7.2 at% Fe doped coated sample. - Abstract: In the present work, flow boiling experiments were conducted to study the effect of spray pyrolyzed Fe doped Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} composite coatings over the copper heater blocks on critical heat flux (CHF) and boiling heat transfer coefficient. Heat transfer studies were conducted in a mini-channel of overall dimension 30 mm × 20 mm × 0.4 mm using de-mineralized water as the working fluid. Each coated sample was tested for two mass fluxes to explore the heat transfer performance. The effect of Fe addition on wettability and porosity of the coated surfaces were measured using the static contact angle metre and the atomic force microscope (AFM), and their effect on flow boiling heat transfer were investigated. A significant enhancement in CHF and boiling heat transfer coefficient were observed on all coated samples compared to sand blasted copper surface. A maximum enhancement of 52.39% and 44.11% in the CHF and heat transfer coefficient were observed for 7.2% Fe doped TiO{sub 2}–Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} for a mass flux of 88 kg/m{sup 2} s.

Genetics of clear cell renal cell carcinoma : new tumor suppressor genes and aberrant chromatin regulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Duns, Gerben

2011-01-01

De korte arm van chromosoom 3 bevat verschillende genen die een rol kunnen spelen bij de ontwikkeling van de meest voorkomende soort nierkanker: heldercellige niercelcarcinomen (ccRCCs). Dat blijkt uit onderzoek van promovendus Gerben Duns. Bij heldercellige niercelcarcinomen is de korte arm van

Novel gene fusion of PRCC-MITF defines a new member of MiT family translocation renal cell carcinoma: clinicopathological analysis and detection of the gene fusion by RNA sequencing and FISH.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Qiu-Yuan; Wang, Xiao-Tong; Ye, Sheng-Bing; Wang, Xuan; Li, Rui; Shi, Shan-Shan; Fang, Ru; Zhang, Ru-Song; Ma, Heng-Hui; Lu, Zhen-Feng; Shen, Qin; Bao, Wei; Zhou, Xiao-Jun; Rao, Qiu

2018-04-01

MITF, TFE3, TFEB and TFEC belong to the same microphthalmia-associated transcription factor family (MiT). Two transcription factors in this family have been identified in two unusual types of renal cell carcinoma (RCC): Xp11 translocation RCC harbouring TFE3 gene fusions and t(6;11) RCC harbouring a MALAT1-TFEB gene fusion. The 2016 World Health Organisation classification of renal neoplasia grouped these two neoplasms together under the category of MiT family translocation RCC. RCCs associated with the other two MiT family members, MITF and TFEC, have rarely been reported. Herein, we identify a case of MITF translocation RCC with the novel PRCC-MITF gene fusion by RNA sequencing. Histological examination of the present tumour showed typical features of MiT family translocation RCCs, overlapping with Xp11 translocation RCC and t(6;11) RCC. However, this tumour showed negative results in TFE3 and TFEB immunochemistry and split fluorescence in-situ hybridisation (FISH) assays. The other MiT family members, MITF and TFEC, were tested further immunochemically and also showed negative results. RNA sequencing and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction confirmed the presence of a PRCC-MITF gene fusion: a fusion of PRCC exon 5 to MITF exon 4. We then developed FISH assays covering MITF break-apart probes and PRCC-MITF fusion probes to detect the MITF gene rearrangement. This study both proves the recurring existence of MITF translocation RCC and expands the genotype spectrum of MiT family translocation RCCs. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Intracellular lipid in papillary renal cell carcinoma (pRCC): T2 weighted (T2W) MRI and pathologic correlation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schieda, Nicola; Van der Pol, Christian B.; Moosavi, Bardia; McInnes, Matthew D.F. [The Ottawa Hospital, The University of Ottawa, Department of Medical Imaging, Ottawa, Ontario (Canada); Mai, Kien T.; Flood, Trevor A. [The Ottawa Hospital, The University of Ottawa, Department of Anatomical Pathology, Ottawa, Ontario (Canada)

2015-07-15

To evaluate if pRCCs demonstrate intracellular lipid (i-lipid) at chemical-shift (CS) MRI, and assess T2W-MRI and pathologic characteristics. Sixty-two patients with a pRCC diagnosis underwent MRI over 11 years (IRB-approved). Two radiologists independently assessed for presence of i-lipid on CS-MRI and homogeneity on T2W-MRI. Inter-observer agreement was assessed via an intraclass correlation and results were compared using the Chi-square test. Discordant cases were reviewed to establish consensus. T2W SI-ratios (SI.tumor/SI.kidney) and CS-SI index were compared using independent t-tests and Spearman correlation. Two pathologists re-evaluated the histopathology. Nine of the 62 pRCCs (14.5 %) demonstrated i-lipid; agreement was moderate (ICC = 0.63). Pathology review depicted clear cells in four tumours and foamy histiocytes in five tumours. 25.8-35.4 % (ICC = 0.65) of tumours were homogeneous on T2W-MRI. No pRCC with i-lipid was considered homogeneous (p = 0.01-0.04). Overall, T2W SI-ratio and CS-SI index were 0.89 (±0.29) and -3.63 % (-7.27 to 11.42). pRCC with i-lipid had significantly higher T2W SI-ratio (p = 0.003). There was a correlation between the CS-SI index and T2W SI-ratio, (r = 0.44, p < 0.001). Intracellular lipid is uncommonly detected in pRCCs due to clear cell changes and foamy histiocytes. These tumours are associated with heterogeneously-increased SI in T2W-MRI. (orig.)

A Critical Analysis of the Actual Role of Minimally Invasive Surgery and Active Surveillance for Kidney Cancer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heuer, Roman; Gill, Inderbir S.; Guazzoni, Giorgio; Kirkali, Ziya; Marberger, Michael; Richie, Jerome P.; de La Rosette, Jean J. M. C. H.

2010-01-01

CONTEXT: The incidence of renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) has increased steadily-most rapidly for small renal masses (SRMs). Paralleling the changing face of RCC in the past 2 decades, new, less invasive surgical options have been developed. Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy (LRN) is an established

The Somatic Genomic Landscape of Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Davis, Caleb F; Ricketts, Christopher J; Wang, Min; Yang, Lixing; Cherniack, Andrew D; Shen, Hui; Buhay, Christian; Kang, Hyojin; Kim, Sang Cheol; Fahey, Catherine C; Hacker, Kathryn E; Bhanot, Gyan; Gordenin, Dmitry A; Chu, Andy; Gunaratne, Preethi H; Biehl, Michael; Seth, Sahil; Kaipparettu, Benny A; Bristow, Christopher A; Donehower, Lawrence A; Wallen, Eric M; Smith, Angela B; Tickoo, Satish K; Tamboli, Pheroze; Reuter, Victor; Schmidt, Laura S; Hsieh, James J; Choueiri, Toni K; Hakimi, A Ari; Chin, Lynda; Meyerson, Matthew; Kucherlapati, Raju; Park, Woong-Yang; Robertson, A Gordon; Laird, Peter W; Henske, Elizabeth P; Kwiatkowski, David J; Park, Peter J; Morgan, Margaret; Shuch, Brian; Muzny, Donna; Wheeler, David A; Linehan, W Marston; Gibbs, Richard A; Rathmell, W Kimryn; Creighton, Chad J

2014-01-01

We describe the landscape of somatic genomic alterations of 66 chromophobe renal cell carcinomas (ChRCCs) on the basis of multidimensional and comprehensive characterization, including mtDNA and whole-genome sequencing. The result is consistent that ChRCC originates from the distal nephron compared

Suppression of mitochondrial respiration with auraptene inhibits the progression of renal cell carcinoma: involvement of HIF-1α degradation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Yunseon; Han, Jeongsu; Kim, Soo Jeong; Kim, Jungim; Lee, Min Joung; Jeong, Soyeon; Ryu, Min Jeong; Seo, Kang-Sik; Choi, Song-Yi; Shong, Minho; Lim, Kyu; Heo, Jun Young; Kweon, Gi Ryang

2015-11-10

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) progression resulting from the uncontrolled migration and enhanced angiogenesis is an obstacle to effective therapeutic intervention. Tumor metabolism has distinctive feature called Warburg effect, which enhances the aerobic glycolysis rapidly supplying the energy for migration of tumor. To manipulate this metabolic change characteristic of aggressive tumors, we utilized the citrus extract, auraptene, known as a mitochondrial inhibitor, testing its anticancer effects against the RCC4 cell line. We found that auraptene impaired RCC4 cell motility through reduction of mitochondrial respiration and glycolytic pathway-related genes. It also strongly disrupted VEGF-induced angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1a (HIF-1a), a key regulator of cancer metabolism, migration and angiogenesis that is stably expressed in RCCs by virtue of a genetic mutation in the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor-suppressor protein, was impeded by auraptene, which blocked HIF-1a translation initiation without causing cytotoxicity. We suggest that blockade HIF-1a and reforming energy metabolism with auraptene is an effective approach for suspension RCC progression.

Cambios de uso del suelo y crecimiento urbano. Estudio de caso en los municipios conurbados de la Mancomunidad Metrópoli de Los Altos, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Héctor Obdulio Alvarado-Quiroa

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Para la planificación estratégica territorial es indispensable elaborar diagnósticos territoriales que develen el comportamiento y las dinámicas, es decir, analizar las relaciones mutuas entre la vocación de uso de la tierra (capacidad de uso y su uso actual. El presente artículo hace un análisis de los cambios de uso y el crecimiento urbano que ha sufrido el territorio de los municipios conurbados de la Metrópoli de Los Altos, en el departamento de Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, como un indicador de la intensidad de uso de territorio. Para ello se determinó en primera instancia la capacidad de uso del suelo, utilizando la metodología del INAB (2000. Al determinar la capacidad de uso y contrastarlo con el uso dado para los años 1964, 1970, 1982, 1990, 2002 y 2006, se explica cómo a partir del año 1990 y hasta 2006 empieza a darse una alta conflictividad (intensidad en el uso del territorio. Con este estudio se demuestra la presión que ha ejercido la expansión urbana sobre los suelos con una alta vocación agrícola y sobre el medio natural, especialmente sobre las áreas protegidas y bosques, debido a la falta de una planificación estratégica territorial. Esto ha provocado un uso espontáneo del territorio y un crecimiento urbano descontrolado con graves repercusiones ambientales. En el estudio también se estima el escenario tendencial, dando como resultado la desaparición de toda el área con alta vocación agrícola para el año 2039.

Haunted Metre: Wordsworth’s Subliminal Lyric

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adrian HARDING

2007-10-01

Full Text Available Given Wordsworth’s condemnation, in the 1800 Preface to the Lyrical Ballads, of the “frantic novels, sickly and stupid German tragedies, and deluges of idle and extravagant stories in verse,” exciting the reading public’s “degrading thirst after outrageous stimulation” (LB 249, it has been customary to approach his relations to the Gothic in terms of readerships, grounded on or eventually grounding a sociology of reception. In this paper I am assuming the transference of the Gothic charge mo...

Spallation Neutron Source Drift Tube Linac Resonance Control Cooling System Modeling

CERN Document Server

Tang, Johnny Y; Champion, Marianne M; Feschenko, Alexander; Gibson, Paul; Kiselev, Yuri; Kovalishin, A S; Kravchuk, Leonid V; Kvasha, Adolf; Schubert, James P

2005-01-01

The Resonance Control Cooling System (RCCS) for the warm linac of the Spallation Neutron Source was designed by Los Alamos National Laboratory. The primary design focus was on water cooling of individual component contributions. The sizing the RCCS water skid was accomplished by means of a specially created SINDA/FLUINT model tailored to these system requirements. A new model was developed in Matlab Simulink and incorporates actual operational values and control valve interactions. Included is the dependence of RF input power on system operation, cavity detuning values during transients, time delays that result from water flows through the heat exchanger, the dynamic process of water warm-up in the cooling system due to dissipated RF power on the cavity surface, differing contributions on the cavity detuning due to drift tube and wall heating, and a dynamic model of the heat exchanger with characteristics in close agreement to the real unit. Because of the Matlab Simulink model, investigation of a wide range ...

Initial VHTR accident scenario classification: models and data.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vilim, R. B.; Feldman, E. E.; Pointer, W. D.; Wei, T. Y. C.; Nuclear Engineering Division

2005-09-30

Nuclear systems codes are being prepared for use as computational tools for conducting performance/safety analyses of the Very High Temperature Reactor. The thermal-hydraulic codes are RELAP5/ATHENA for one-dimensional systems modeling and FLUENT and/or Star-CD for three-dimensional modeling. We describe a formal qualification framework, the development of Phenomena Identification and Ranking Tables (PIRTs), the initial filtering of the experiment databases, and a preliminary screening of these codes for use in the performance/safety analyses. In the second year of this project we focused on development of PIRTS. Two events that result in maximum fuel and vessel temperatures, the Pressurized Conduction Cooldown (PCC) event and the Depressurized Conduction Cooldown (DCC) event, were selected for PIRT generation. A third event that may result in significant thermal stresses, the Load Change event, is also selected for PIRT generation. Gas reactor design experience and engineering judgment were used to identify the important phenomena in the primary system for these events. Sensitivity calculations performed with the RELAP5 code were used as an aid to rank the phenomena in order of importance with respect to the approach of plant response to safety limits. The overall code qualification methodology was illustrated by focusing on the Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS). The mixed convection mode of heat transfer and pressure drop is identified as an important phenomenon for Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) operation. Scaling studies showed that the mixed convection mode is likely to occur in the RCCS air duct during normal operation and during conduction cooldown events. The RELAP5/ATHENA code was found to not adequately treat the mixed convection regime. Readying the code will require adding models for the turbulent mixed convection regime while possibly performing new experiments for the laminar mixed convection regime. Candidate correlations for the turbulent

Site-directed mutagenesis of α-L-rhamnosidase from Alternaria sp. L1 to enhance synthesis yield of reverse hydrolysis based on rational design.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Li; Liu, Xiaohong; Yin, Zhenhao; Liu, Qian; Lu, Lili; Xiao, Min

2016-12-01

The α-L-rhamnosidase catalyzes the hydrolytic release of rhamnose from polysaccharides and glycosides and is widely used due to its applications in a variety of industrial processes. Our previous work reported that a wild-type α-L-rhamnosidase (RhaL1) from Alternaria sp. L1 could synthesize rhamnose-containing chemicals (RCCs) though reverse hydrolysis reaction with inexpensive rhamnose as glycosyl donor. To enhance the yield of reverse hydrolysis reaction and to determine the amino acid residues essential for the catalytic activity of RhaL1, site-directed mutagenesis of 11 residues was performed in this study. Through rationally designed mutations, the critical amino acid residues which may form direct or solvent-mediated hydrogen bonds with donor rhamnose (Asp 252 , Asp 257 , Asp 264 , Glu 530 , Arg 548 , His 553 , and Trp 555 ) and may form the hydrophobic pocket in stabilizing donor (Trp 261 , Tyr 302 , Tyr 316 , and Trp 369 ) in active-site of RhaL1 were analyzed, and three positive mutants (W261Y, Y302F, and Y316F) with improved product yield stood out. From the three positive variants, mutant W261Y accelerated the reverse hydrolysis with a prominent increase (43.7 %) in relative yield compared to the wild-type enzyme. Based on the 3D structural modeling, we supposed that the improved yield of mutant W261Y is due to the adjustment of the spatial position of the putative catalytic acid residue Asp 257 . Mutant W261Y also exhibited a shift in the pH-activity profile in hydrolysis reaction, indicating that introducing of a polar residue in the active site cavity may affect the catalysis behavior of the enzyme.

Impact of radical nephrectomy on renal functional outcome in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

H.H. Qureshi

2015-10-09

Oct 9, 2015 ... Abstract. Introduction: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for 3% of all adult tumors. The mainstay of treatment of. RCCs in the past has remained radical nephrectomy (RN). Studies have found a higher cumulative incidence of development of chronic renal insufficiency in patients undergoing RN for RCC ...

The value of "liver windows" settings in the detection of small renal cell carcinomas on unenhanced computed tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Sahi, Kamal; Jackson, Stuart; Wiebe, Edward; Armstrong, Gavin; Winters, Sean; Moore, Ronald; Low, Gavin

2014-02-01

To assess if "liver window" settings improve the conspicuity of small renal cell carcinomas (RCC). Patients were analysed from our institution's pathology-confirmed RCC database that included the following: (1) stage T1a RCCs, (2) an unenhanced computed tomography (CT) abdomen performed ≤ 6 months before histologic diagnosis, and (3) age ≥ 17 years. Patients with multiple tumours, prior nephrectomy, von Hippel-Lindau disease, and polycystic kidney disease were excluded. The unenhanced CT was analysed, and the tumour locations were confirmed by using corresponding contrast-enhanced CT or magnetic resonance imaging studies. Representative single-slice axial, coronal, and sagittal unenhanced CT images were acquired in "soft tissue windows" (width, 400 Hounsfield unit (HU); level, 40 HU) and liver windows (width, 150 HU; level, 88 HU). In addition, single-slice axial, coronal, and sagittal unenhanced CT images of nontumourous renal tissue (obtained from the same cases) were acquired in soft tissue windows and liver windows. These data sets were randomized, unpaired, and were presented independently to 3 blinded radiologists for analysis. The presence or absence of suspicious findings for tumour was scored on a 5-point confidence scale. Eighty-three of 415 patients met the study criteria. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis, t test analysis, and kappa analysis were used. ROC analysis showed statistically superior diagnostic performance for liver windows compared with soft tissue windows (area under the curve of 0.923 vs 0.879; P = .0002). Kappa statistics showed "good" vs "moderate" agreement between readers for liver windows compared with soft tissue windows. Use of liver windows settings improves the detection of small RCCs on the unenhanced CT. Copyright © 2014 Canadian Association of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the bottom water reservoir VAPEX process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frauenfeld, T.W.J.; Jossy, C.; Kissel, G.A. [Alberta Research Council, Devon, AB (Canada); Rispler, K. [Saskatchewan Research Council, Saskatoon, SK (Canada)

2004-07-01

The mobilization of viscous heavy oil requires the dissolution of solvent vapour into the oil as well as the diffusion of the dissolved solvent into the virgin oil. Vapour extraction (VAPEX) is an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) process which involves injecting a solvent into the reservoir to reduce the viscosity of hydrocarbons. This paper describes the contribution of the Alberta Research Council to solvent-assisted oil recovery technology. The bottom water process was also modelled to determine its feasibility for a field-scale oil recovery scheme. Several experiments were conducted in an acrylic visual model in which Pujol and Boberg scaling were used to produce a lab model scaling a field process. The model simulated a slice of a 30 metre thick reservoir, with a 10 metre thick bottom water zone, containing two horizontal wells (25 metres apart) at the oil water interface. The experimental rates were found to be negatively affected by continuous low permeability layers and by oil with an initial gas content. In order to achieve commercial oil recovery rates, the bottom water process must be used to increase the surface area exposed to solvents. A large oil water interface between the wells provides contact for solvent when injecting gas at the interface. High production rates are therefore possible with appropriate well spacing. 11 refs., 4 tabs., 16 figs.

Semidirect differentiation as a histopathological prognostic parameter in renal cell carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bartos, V.; Zacharova, O.; Pokorny, D.; Mraz, R.; Mikulas, J.; Laurinc, P.

2012-01-01

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is currently one of the most frequent urological malignancies. One of the important histological findings, which reflect biological behaviour of RCC and also provide significant prognostic data are sarcomatoid changes of tumor. In our paper we evaluated the incidence of sarcomatoid changes in renal cell carcinomas and their relationship with other clinico-pathological parameters. A study group consisted of 159 cancers from 157 patients (95 men, 62 women) in the age rage from 18 to 82 years. Out of all cases we found 18 carcinomas (11.3%) having varying degrees of sarcomatoid changes. These tumors were obtained from 18 subjects (11 men, 7 women) between 45 and 82 years of age (mean age 69.1 years). Among them, there were 13 conventional clear cell RCCs, 1 papillary RCC, 2 unclassified RCCs and 2 carcinomas, that entirely consisted of sarcomatoid tissue, were classified as sarcomatoid RCCs. Histologically, sarcomatoid component predominantly composed of spindle cells population with varying degrees of anaplasia and sometimes exhibited rhabdoid features. Six cases corresponded to the pathological stage limited to the kidney (pT1 and pT2) and ten cases were diagnosed in pathological stage with extrarenal propagation (pT3 and pT4). Four patients had metastases in the regional lymph nodes. Almost all cancers showed necrosis. Since sarcomatoid changes in RCC are usually associated with negative prognostic parameters and much less favourable prognosis of disease, if present, pathologist must describe them in a biopsy report. From a clinical point of view, these patients require more careful follow-up, as the literature data indicate the majority of them have metastases at the time of diagnosis. (author)

Investigação sobre a satisfação do usuário dos serviços prestados pelo Metrô de São Paulo: um estudo exploratório, descritivo e ilustrativo com a utilização do modelo de equações estruturais User satisfaction with the Metro of Sao Paulo: an exploratory, descriptive and illustrative study using structural equation modeling

OpenAIRE

André Castilho Ferreira da Costa; Saulo Soares de Souza; Letticia Caruso Thomaz da Silva

2008-01-01

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi discutir a aplicabilidade da metodologia do American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) a situações da realidade brasileira, com base no modelo de equações estruturais. Para tanto, foi realizada uma verificação empírica do comportamento do modelo, aplicando-o à amostra de dados colhida entre usuários dos serviços prestados pela Companhia do Metropolitano de São Paulo - Metrô. Os resultados confirmaram apenas em parte as relações do modelo, sugerindo, principalmen...

Pomegranate extract inhibits EMT in clear cell renal cell carcinoma in a NF-κB and JNK dependent manner

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiabin An

2015-01-01

Conclusion: These findings suggest that PE may mediate inhibition growth of pVHL-deficient ccRCCs and raises the possibility of its use as a dietary adjunct to managing patients with active surveillance for small, localized, incidentally identified renal tumors so as to avoid more invasive procedures such as nephrectomy.

Lessons Learned on Communication and Engagement for Educator Evaluation: Colorado Case Study. Policy-to-Practice Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Behrstock-Sherratt, Ellen; Biggers, Kietha; Fetters, Jenni

2012-01-01

With many efforts underway across the United States, state education agency (SEA) leaders have the opportunity to utilize the expertise of their contacts in other SEAs and regional comprehensive centers (RCCs) in their region and throughout the country to exchange ideas and share the lessons they have learned about involving stakeholders in…

A Line in the Sand a Historical Study of Border Security During Insurgencies and Lessons for the Contemporary Afghan-Pakistan Frontier

Science.gov (United States)

2009-04-03

day, the border force ploughed a ten-metre strip inside the barricade to allow trackers to assess the size of any groups that successfully crossed the...managed to breach the line, but once alerted, the French forces rapidly encircled the insurgents. After a week of fighting, the French killed or...camels in the Western Dhofar. During the next two days, Strikemasters accounted for over two-hundred camels killed .44 From 1974, the SAF enhanced their

Extending 'Contact Tracing' into the Community within a 50-Metre Radius of an Index Tuberculosis Patient Using Xpert MTB/RIF in Urban, Pakistan: Did It Increase Case Detection?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Razia Fatima

Full Text Available Currently, only 62% of incident tuberculosis (TB cases are reported to the national programme in Pakistan. Several innovative interventions are being recommended to detect the remaining 'missed' TB cases. One such intervention involved expanding contact investigation to the community using the Xpert MTB/RIF test.This was a before and after intervention study involving retrospective record review. Passive case finding and household contact investigation was routinely done in the pre-intervention period July 2011-June 2013. Four districts with a high concentration of slums were selected as intervention areas; Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Islamabad. Here, in the intervention period, July 2013-June 2015, contact investigation beyond household was conducted: all people staying within a radius of 50 metres (using Geographical Information System from the household of smear positive TB patients were screened for tuberculosis. Those with presumptive TB were investigated using smear microscopy and the Xpert MTB/RIF test was performed on smear negative patients. All the diagnosed TB patients were linked to TB treatment and care.A total of 783043 contacts were screened for tuberculosis: 23741(3.0% presumptive TB patients were identified of whom, 4710 (19.8% all forms and 4084(17.2% bacteriologically confirmed TB patients were detected. The contribution of Xpert MTB/RIF to bacteriologically confirmed TB patients was 7.6%. The yield among investigated presumptive child TB patients was 5.1%. The overall yield of all forms TB patients among investigated was 22.3% among household and 19.1% in close community. The intervention contributed an increase of case detection of bacteriologically confirmed tuberculosis by 6.8% and all forms TB patients by 7.9%.Community contact investigation beyond household not only detected additional TB patients but also increased TB case detection. However, further long term assessments and cost-effectiveness studies are

Understanding familial and non-familial renal cell cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Bodmer, Daniëlle; van den Hurk, Wilhelmina; van Groningen, Jan J M; Eleveld, Marc J; Martens, Gerard J M; Weterman, Marian A J; van Kessel, Ad Geurts

2002-10-01

Molecular genetic analysis of familial and non-familial cases of conventional renal cell carcinoma (RCC) revealed a critical role(s) for multiple genes on human chromosome 3. For some of these genes, e.g. VHL, such a role has been firmly established, whereas for others, definite confirmation is still pending. Additionally, a novel role for constitutional chromosome 3 translocations as risk factors for conventional RCC development is rapidly emerging. Also, several candidate loci have been mapped to other chromosomes in both familial and non-familial RCCs of distinct histologic subtypes. The MET gene on chromosome 7, for example, was found to be involved in both forms of papillary RCC. A PRCC-TFE3 fusion gene is typically encountered in t(X;1)-positive non-familial papillary RCCs and results in abrogation of the cell cycle mitotic spindle checkpoint in a dominant-negative fashion, thus leading to RCC. Together, these data turn human RCC into a model system in which different aspects of both familial and non-familial syndromes may act as novel paradigms for cancer development.

Evolução dos processos de aprendizagem e das competências tecnológicas das áreas de gestão de projeto, operações e manutenção do metrô de São Paulo de 1968 a 2010

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo Cesso da Silva

2013-01-01

Full Text Available O artigo examina os processos de aprendizagem na acumulação de competências tecnológicas no Metrô SP, desde sua fundação, em 1968, até 2010. Para tal, utilizou-se um modelo teórico (FIGUEIREDO, 2003 adaptado às especificidades da empresa em questão, que divide o aprendizado em etapas de capacitação perceptíveis e sequenciais. Houve duas fases distintas na história da empresa: entre 1968 e 1974, ocorreu o processo de transferência de tecnologia, com intensa aprendizagem, resultando na acumulação de competências rotineiras; entre 1975 e 2010, seguiu-se a acumulação de competências inovadoras. Foi empregado o método do estudo de caso, que incluiu pesquisa bibliográfica e documental e entrevistas com quatro gestores. Os resultados mostram a adequação do modelo utilizado para a mensuração dos diferentes níveis de capacitação tecnológica.

1.4 million cubic metres of achievement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1988-01-01

After five years of civil engineering work, the accent at CERN's 26.7 kilometre LEP electron-positron collider is now on installation. The first 2.8 kilometre section is now virtually complete and awaits the first positron test beam this summer, while the preparations for the four big detectors enter their final phase. (orig./HSI).

Last Few Metres for the Barrel Calorimeter

CERN Multimedia

Nyman, T.

On Friday 4th November, the ATLAS Barrel Calorimeter was moved from its assembly point at the side of the ATLAS cavern to the centre of the toroidal magnet system. The detector was finally aligned, to the precision of within a millimetre, on Wednesday 9th November. The ATLAS installation team, led by Tommi Nyman, after having positioned the Barrel Calorimeter in its final location in the ATLAS experimental cavern UX15. The Barrel Calorimeter which will absorb and measure the energy of photons, electrons and hadrons at the core of the ATLAS detector is 8.6 meters in diameter, 6.8 meters long, and weighs over 1600 Tonnes. It consists of two concentric cylindrical detector elements. The innermost comprises aluminium pressure vessels containing the liquid argon electromagnetic calorimeter and the solenoid magnet. The outermost is an assembly of 64 hadron tile calorimeter sectors. Assembled 18 meters away from its final position, the Barrel Calorimeter was relocated with the help of a railway, which allows ...

Development of a Methodology for VHTR Accident Consequence Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Joeun; Kim, Jintae; Jae, Moosung [Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

The substitution of the VHTR for burning fossil fuels conserves these hydrocarbon resources for other uses and eliminates the emissions of greenhouse. In Korea, for these reasons, constructing the VHTR plan for hydrogen production is in progress. In this study, the consequence analysis for the off-site releases of radioactive materials during severe accidents has been performed using the level 3 PRA technology. The offsite consequence analysis for a VHTR using the MACCS code has been performed. Since the passive system such as the RCCS(Reactor Cavity Cooling System) are equipped, the frequency of occurrence of accidents has been evaluated to be very low. For further study, the assessment for characteristic of VHTR safety system and precise quantification of its accident scenarios is expected to conduct more certain consequence analysis. This methodology shown in this study might contribute to enhancing the safety of VHTR design by utilizing the results having far lower effect on the environment than the LWRs.

Excitation of upper-hybrid waves by a thermal parametric instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, M.C.; Kuo, S.P.

1983-01-01

A purely growing instability characterized by a four-wave interaction is analysed in a uniform, magnetized plasma. Up-shifted and down-shifted upper-hybrid waves and a non-oscillatory mode can be excited by a pump wave of ordinary rather than extraordinary polarization in the case of ionospheric heating. The differential Ohmic heating force dominates over the ponderomotive force as the wave-wave coupling mechanism. The beating current at zero frequency produces a significant stabilizing effect on the excitation of short-scale modes by counterbalancing the destabilizing effect of the differential Ohmic heating. The effect of ionospheric inhomogeneity is estimated, showing a tendency to raise the thresholds of the instability. When applied to ionospheric heating experiments, the present theory can explain the excitation of field-aligned plasma lines and ionospheric irregularities with a continuous spectrum ranging from metre-scale to hundreds of metre-scale. Further, the proposed mechanism may become a competitive process to the parametric decay instability and be responsible for the overshoot phenomena of the plasma line enhancement at Arecibo. (author)

Bamboo structures: evoke the spirit workshop [organisation, facilitation, research] Brescia, Italy; 1-14 July 2009

OpenAIRE

Kolakowski, Marcin M.; Thompson, Alan

2010-01-01

Student workshop run by MM Kolakowski and Alan Thompson for architectural students. Construction of large scale bamboo structures: 18-metre high tower, 9-metre high wheel arches and other bamboo constructions.

The Globe of Innovation takes shape

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

On 18 May, the central vortex of the CERN Globe of Innovation was put into place more than 22 metres above the ground. The central vortex of the Globe of Innovation is a crown measuring 6.15 metres in diameter and 4.5 meters in height. Having been lifted by a crane to a height of over 22 metres, the vortex is placed on a support structure which will be removed once the 36 arcs providing the building's structure have been secured in place. Resting some 22 metres above the ground, the central vortex of the Globe of Innovation is now ready to support the 36 wooden arcs which will provide the building's structure. Work to reassemble the former Palais de l'Equilibre, which was first erected in Neuchâtel for the EXPO.02 exhibition, began on 18 May. The sphere, measuring 40 metres in diameter, has now been renamed the Globe of Innovation. A detachment from the Swiss army is carrying out the work, which will be completed in time for the Organization's official fiftieth anniversary celebrations. The building will be...

2001, the ATLAS Cryostat Odyssey

CERN Multimedia

2001-01-01

After a journey of several thousand kilometres, over sea and land, by canal and highway, the cryogenics barrel of the ATLAS electromagnetic calorimeter finally arrived at CERN last week. Installed in Hall 180, the cryogenics barrel of the ATLAS electromagnetic calorimeter will be fitted out to take the central superconducting solenoid and the electromagnetic calorimeter. On Monday 2 July, different French police units and EDF officials were once again keeping careful watch around the hairpin bends of the road twisting down from the Col de la Faucille: a special load weighing 100 tonnes, 7 metres high, 5.8 metres wide and 7.2 metres long was being brought down into the Pays de Gex to the Meyrin site of CERN. This time the destination was the ATLAS experiment. A huge blue tarpaulin cover concealed the cryogenics barrel of the experiment's liquid argon electromagnetic calorimeter. The cryostat consists of a vacuum chamber, a cylinder that is 5.5 metres in diameter, 7 metres long, and a concentric cold chamber ...

Final storage of radioactive waste in deep boreholes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eichmeyer, H.; Wolff, H.

1985-01-01

The plans of the Danish Atomic Energy Authority expect the storage of 4500 containers with high activity waste each weighing 15 tonnes in deep boreholes in rock salt over a period of 30 years. The Danish plans are concerned with the storage medium salt in one of the many salt mines in North Germany and Denmark with a depth of 1200 metres, because of the high plasticity, good thermal conductivity and non-permeability to liquids and gases. Eight deep boreholes with a diameter of 750 mm are provided in a circle of radius r=250 metres. With a deviation of 0 , the boreholes will be piped down to 1000 metres and after completion, will be filled with clay slurry and barium sulphate. At the start of storage of the waste in containers 6.8 metres long, the clay slurry is replaced by cement slurry with saturated NaCl solution. Another possibility is to fill the borehole volume with saturated NaCl solution, in order to let the convergence act on the annular space between the container and the borehole wall. After filling the borehole, the open borehole should be sealed over a distance of 200 metres with rock salt and over 50 metres with a concrete stopper. It is planned to provide a dense and corrosion-proof seal with bitumen above the concrete. (orig./GB) [de

SNS Resonance Control Cooling Systems and Quadrupole Magnet Cooling Systems DIW Chemistry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Magda, Karoly [ORNL

2018-01-01

This report focuses on control of the water chemistry for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) Resonance Control Cooling System (RCCS)/Quadrupole Magnet Cooling System (QMCS) deionized water (DIW) cooling loops. Data collected from spring 2013 through spring 2016 are discussed, and an operations regime is recommended.It was found that the RCCS operates with an average pH of 7.24 for all lines (from 7.0 to 7.5, slightly alkaline), the average low dissolved oxygen is in the area of < 36 ppb, and the main loop average resistivity of is > 14 MΩ-cm. The QMCS was found to be operating in a similar regime, with a slightly alkaline pH of 7.5 , low dissolved oxygen in the area of < 45 ppb, and main loop resistivity of 10 to 15 MΩ-cm. During data reading, operational corrections were done on the polishing loops to improve the water chemistry regime. Therefore some trends changed over time.It is recommended that the cooling loops operate in a regime in which the water has a resistivity that is as high as achievable, a dissolved oxygen concentration that is as low as achievable, and a neutral or slightly alkaline pH.

Clonal expansion of renal cell carcinoma-infiltrating T lymphocytes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sittig, Simone; Køllgaard, Tania; Grønbæk, Kirsten

2013-01-01

T lymphocytes can mediate the destruction of cancer cells by virtue of their ability to recognize tumor-derived antigenic peptides that are presented on the cell surface in complex with HLA molecules and expand. Thus, the presence of clonally expanded T cells within neoplastic lesions is an indic......T lymphocytes can mediate the destruction of cancer cells by virtue of their ability to recognize tumor-derived antigenic peptides that are presented on the cell surface in complex with HLA molecules and expand. Thus, the presence of clonally expanded T cells within neoplastic lesions...... is an indication of ongoing HLA-restricted T cell-mediated immune responses. Multiple tumors, including renal cell carcinomas (RCCs), are often infiltrated by significant amounts of T cells, the so-called tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). In the present study, we analyzed RCC lesions (n = 13) for the presence...... of expanded T-cell clonotypes using T-cell receptor clonotype mapping. Surprisingly, we found that RCCs comprise relatively low numbers of distinct expanded T-cell clonotypes as compared with melanoma lesions. The numbers of different T-cell clonotypes detected among RCC-infiltrating lymphocytes were...

Center for Hypersonic Combined Cycle Flow Physics

Science.gov (United States)

2015-03-24

LES/RANS, filtered mass density function, reduced chemical kinetics, ignition delay, RCCS, ISAT 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF...PaSR. DISTRIBUTION A: Distribution approved for public release. 18 In-situ adaptive tabulation ( ISAT ) and Rate-Controlled Constrained...tabulation ( ISAT ) in PaSR simulations (Hiremath and Pope, 2011). In the past, the lack of an efficient method of identifying the constraint species in

Fibroblasts maintained in 3 dimensions show a better differentiation state and higher sensitivity to estrogens

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Montani, Claudia [Laboratory of Biotechnology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Civic Hospital of Brescia (Italy); Steimberg, Nathalie; Boniotti, Jennifer [Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, Anatomy and Physiopathology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Brescia (Italy); Biasiotto, Giorgio; Zanella, Isabella [Laboratory of Biotechnology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Civic Hospital of Brescia (Italy); Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia (Italy); Diafera, Giuseppe [Integrated Systems Engineering (ISE), Milan (Italy); Biunno, Ida [IRGB-CNR, Milan (Italy); IRCCS-Multimedica, Milan (Italy); Caimi, Luigi [Laboratory of Biotechnology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Civic Hospital of Brescia (Italy); Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia (Italy); Mazzoleni, Giovanna [Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, Anatomy and Physiopathology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Brescia (Italy); Di Lorenzo, Diego, E-mail: diego.dilorenzo@yahoo.it [Laboratory of Biotechnology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Civic Hospital of Brescia (Italy)

2014-11-01

Cell differentiation and response to hormonal signals were studied in a 3D environment on an in-house generated mouse fibroblast cell line expressing a reporter gene under the control of estrogen responsive sequences (EREs). 3D cell culture conditions were obtained in a Rotary Cell Culture System; (RCCS™), a microgravity based bioreactor that promotes the aggregation of cells into multicellular spheroids (MCS). In this bioreactor the cells maintained a better differentiated phenotype and more closely resembled in vivo tissue. The RCCS™ cultured fibroblasts showed higher expression of genes regulating cell assembly, differentiation and hormonal functions. Microarray analysis showed that genes related to cell cycle, proliferation, cytoskeleton, migration, adhesion and motility were all down-regulated in 3D as compared to 2D conditions, as well as oncogene expression and inflammatory cytokines. Controlled remodeling of ECM, which is an essential aspect of cell organization, homeostasis and tissue was affected by the culture method as assessed by immunolocalization of β-tubulin. Markers of cell organization, homeostasis and tissue repair, metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) and its physiological inhibitor (TIMP4) changed expression in association with the relative formation of cell aggregates. The fibroblasts cultured in the RCCS™ maintain a better responsiveness to estrogens, measured as expression of ERα and regulation of an ERE-dependent reporter and of the endogenous target genes CBP, Rarb, MMP1 and Dbp. Our data highlight the interest of this 3D culture model for its potential application in the field of cell response to hormonal signals and the pharmaco-toxicological analyses of chemicals and natural molecules endowed of estrogenic potential. - Highlights: • We here characterized the first cell line derived from an estrogen reporter mouse. • In the RCCS cells express an immortalized behavior but not a transformed phenotype. • The RCCS provides a system for

Validation and utilization of a TFE3 break-apart FISH assay for Xp11.2 translocation renal cell carcinoma and alveolar soft part sarcoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Pradhan, Dinesh; Roy, Somak; Quiroga-Garza, Gabriela; Cieply, Kathleen; Mahaffey, Alyssa L; Bastacky, Sheldon; Dhir, Rajiv; Parwani, Anil V

2015-09-29

Xp11.2 or TFE3 translocation renal cell carcinomas (RCC) and alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) are characterized by chromosome translocations involving the Xp11.2 breakpoint resulting in transcription factor TFE3 gene fusions. The most common translocations documented in TFE3 RCCs are t(X;1) (p11.2;q21) and t(X;17) (p11.2;q25) which leads to fusion of TFE3 gene on Xp11.2 with PRCC or ASPL respectively. TFE3 immunohistochemistry (IHC) has been inconsistent over time due to background staining problems in part related to fixation issues. Karyotyping to detect TFE3 gene rearrangement requires typically unavailable fresh tissue. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is generally very challenging due to degradation of RNA in archival material. The study objective was to develop and validate a TFE3 break-apart fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay to confirm Xp11 translocation RCCs and ASPS. Representative sections of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks were selected in 40 possible cases. Approximately 60 tumor cells were analyzed in the targeted region. The validation of TFE3 FISH was done with 11 negative and two positive cases. Cut off for a positive result was validated as >7.15 % positive nuclei with any pattern of break-apart signals. FISH evaluation was done blinded of the immunohistochemical or karyotype data. Three out of forty cases were positive for the TFE3 break-apart signals by FISH. The negative cases were reported as clear cell RCC with papillary features (10), clear cell RCC with sarcomatoid areas (2), Papillary RCC with clear cell areas (9), Chromophobe RCC (2), RCC, unclassified type (3) and renal medullary carcinoma (1). 3 of the negative cases were consultation cases for renal tumor with unknown histology. Seven negative cases were soft tissue tumor suspicious for ASPS. Our study validates the utility of TFE3 break-apart FISH on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections for diagnosis and confirmation of

Chemical Clarification Methods for Confined Dredged Material Disposal.

Science.gov (United States)

1983-07-01

foot second per metre cubic yards 0.7645549 cubic metres Farenheit degrees 5/9 Celsius degrees or Kelvins* feet 0.3048 metres feet per minute 0.3048...unknown in freshwater environments, use zero S.G. = specific gravity of solids; use 2.67 if unknown Wt. H20 [(weight of wet sample and dish, g...62.4 lb/ft v = average velocity, ft/sec Ps= absolute viscosity, 2.36 x 10-5 at 60F The duration t of the mixing is determined by t =L (6) v The net

M 87 at metre wavelengths: the LOFAR picture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Gasperin, F.; et al., [Unknown; Alexov, A.; Hessels, J.; Swinbank, J.; van Leeuwen, J.; Wise, M.

2012-01-01

Context.M 87 is a giant elliptical galaxy located in the centre of the Virgo cluster, which harbours a supermassive black hole of mass 6.4 × 109 M⊙, whose activity is responsible for the extended (80 kpc) radio lobes that surround the galaxy. The energy generated by matter falling onto the central

M87 at metre wavelengths: the LOFAR picture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Gasperin, F.; Orrú, E.; Murgia, M.; Merloni, A.; Falcke, H.; Beck, R.; Beswick, R.; Birzan, L.; Bonafede, A.; Brüggen, M.; Brunetti, G.; Chyzy, K.; Conway, J.; Croston, J.H.; Ensslin, T.; Ferrari, C.; Heald, G.; Heidenreich, S.; Jackson, N.; Macario, G.; McKean, J.; Miley, G.; Morganti, R.; Offringa, A.; Pizzo, R.; Rafferty, D.; Röttgering, H.; Shulevski, A.; Steinmetz, M.; Tasse, C.; van der Tol, S.; van Driel, W.; van Weeren, R.J.; van Zwieten, J.E.; Alexov, A.; Anderson, J.; Asgekar, A.; Avruch, M.; Bell, M.; Bell, M.R.; Bentum, M.J.; Bernardi, G.; Best, P.; Breitling, F.; Broderick, J.W.; Butcher, A.; Ciardi, B.; Dettmar, R.J.; Eislöffel, J.; Frieswijk, W.; Gankema, H.; Garrett, M.; Gerbers, M.; Griessmeier, J.M.; Gunst, A.W.; Hassall, T.E.; Hessels, J.; Hoeft, M.; Horneffer, A.; Karastergiou, A.; Köhler, J.; Koopman, Y.; Kuniyoshi, M.; Kuper, G.; Maat, P.; Mann, G.; Mevius, M.; Mulcahy, D.D.; Munk, H.; Nijboer, R.; Noordam, J.; Paas, H.; Pandey, M.; Pandey, V.N.; Polatidis, A.; Reich, W.; Schoenmakers, A.P.; Sluman, J.; Smirnov, O.; Sobey, C.; Stappers, B.; Swinbank, J.; Tagger, M.; Tang, Y.; van Bemmel, I.; van Cappellen, W.; van Duin, A.P.; van Haarlem, M.; van Leeuwen, J.; Vermeulen, R.; Vocks, C.; White, S.; Wise, M.; Wucknitz, O.; Zarka, P.

2012-01-01

Context: M 87 is a giant elliptical galaxy located in the centre of the Virgo cluster, which harbours a supermassive black hole of mass 6.4 × 109 M⊙, whose activity is responsible for the extended (80 kpc) radio lobes that surround the galaxy. The energy generated by matter falling onto the central

M 87 at metre wavelengths : The LOFAR picture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Gasperin, F.; Orru, E.; Murgia, M.; Merloni, A.; Falcke, H.; Beck, R.; Beswick, R.; Birzan, L.; Bonafede, A.; Brueggen, M.; Brunetti, G.; Chyzy, K.; Conway, J.; Croston, J. H.; Ensslin, T.; Ferrari, C.; Heald, G.; Heidenreich, S.; Jackson, N.; Macario, G.; McKean, J.; Miley, G.; Morganti, R.; Offringa, A.; Pizzo, R.; Rafferty, D.; Rottgering, H.; Shulevski, A.; Steinmetz, M.; Tasse, C.; van der Tol, S.; van Driel, W.; van Weeren, R. J.; van Zwieten, J. E.; Alexov, A.; Anderson, J.; Asgekar, A.; Avruch, M.; Bell, M.; Bell, M. R.; Bentum, M.; Bernardi, G.; Best, P.; Breitling, F.; Broderick, J. W.; Butcher, A.; Ciardi, B.; Dettmar, R. J.; Eisloeffel, J.; Frieswijk, W.; Gankema, H.; Garrett, M.; Gerbers, M.; Griessmeier, J. M.; Gunst, A. W.; Hassall, T. E.; Hessels, J.; Hoeft, M.; Horneffer, A.; Karastergiou, A.; Koehler, J.; Koopman, Y.; Kuniyoshi, M.; Kuper, G.; Maat, P.; Mann, G.; Mevius, M.; Mulcahy, D. D.; Munk, H.; Nijboer, R.; Noordam, J.; Paas, Harm; Pandey, M.; Pandey, V. N.; Polatidis, A.; Reich, W.; Schoenmakers, A. P.; Sluman, J.; Smirnov, O.; Sobey, C.; Stappers, B.; Swinbank, J.; Tagger, M.; Tang, Y.; van Bemmel, I.; van Cappellen, W.; van Duin, A. P.; van Haarlem, M.; van Leeuwen, J.; Vermeulen, R.; Vocks, C.; White, S.; Wise, M.; Wucknitz, O.; Zarka, P.

2012-01-01

Context. M87 is a giant elliptical galaxy located in the centre of the Virgo cluster, which harbours a supermassive black hole of mass 6.4x10(9) M-circle dot, whose activity is responsible for the extended (80 kpc) radio lobes that surround the galaxy. The energy generated by matter falling onto the

One cubic metre NIST traceable radon test chamber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kotrappa, P.; Stieff, F.

2008-01-01

With the availability of the National Inst. of Standards and Technology (NIST) Radon Emanation Standard with a content of ∼5000 Bq of 226 Ra, it is possible to build a flow through a practical radon test chamber. A standard glove box with four gloves and a transfer port is used. Air is pumped through a flow integrator, water jar for humidification and NIST source holder, and into the glove box through a manifold. A derived theoretical expression provides the calculated radon concentration inside the chamber. The calculation includes a derived decay correction due to the large volume and low flow rate of the system. Several calibrated continuous radon monitors and passive integrating electret ion chambers tested in the chamber agreed fairly well with the calculated radon concentrations. The chamber is suitable for handling the calibration of several detectors at the same time. (authors)

Ciudad, metrópoli y mundo global/local

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Quintana, Francisco

2004-11-01

Full Text Available The political and economic changes of the 70s, in part to do with the ending of the 'fordist model', decisively affected the structure of cities, especially those which had been significant industrial centers. In the case of Barcelona, the response of institutions and private capital was, through a series of Strategic Plans, to redevelop the city both territorially and economically so as to bring it into the web of global investment capitalism. The approach adopted - the so-called 'Barcelona model' , or 'the model of city as company' - involved (in spite of resistance by residents and by 'okupa' squats re-working the city on the criterion of profit, or financial advantage. The result has been the transformation of Barcelona into a metropolitan space which is both specialized and multi-centered, and wholly integrated into the ebb and flow of multinational capital. Nevertheless, after all the plundering and pillaging, what is clear is that the powers that be have failed in their bid to turn Barcelona into a top-rank global (and local city, the capital of a new southern European macro-region.

Lisboa, Metrópole policêntrica e fragmentada

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teresa Barata Salgueiro

1997-06-01

Full Text Available TRENDS OF POLICENTRISM AND FRAGMENTATION IN LISBON - In this paper, we study the transformations of the spatial organisation of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. The main focus is on the present restructuring dominated by three main processes. Firstly descentralisation of housing and economic activities, secondly development of new centralities, high status areas with very good accessibility and great attractivity, mainly occupied by office buildings or mixed-used developments (offices, retail, hotel, luxury apartments in the inner city or close to new suburban highways; and, finally, selective gentrification and re-use of the central city, either by high income housing or modern services.The evolution outlined can achieve the replacement of a strong centralised metropolis with uequal distribution of employment and services between metropolitan core and suburban rings by a new multicentered structure. This evolution goes along with the transmition from the industrial to the post-industrial city that brings fragmentation of the socio-spatial structure with a juxtaposition of territories. In the economic sense the city loses its functional unity made of interdependent spacialised territories. In the social sense this reflects the rise in the number and differentiation due to the increase of opportunities and choices once the position in the labor market is no more sufficient to define social position and people look for and build their identification through goods, places and their symbols.

New instruments and methods for measuring the concentration of radioactive products in the atmosphere; Appareils recents et methodes nouvelles pour la mesure de la concentration des produits radioactifs dans l'atmosphere

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jehanno, C; Blanc, A; Lallemant, C; Roux, G [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1959-07-01

Different recorders for radioactive aerosols have been developed for measuring the pollution of the atmosphere in laboratories or the external atmosphere. EAR 600. - Allows continuous measurement, instantaneously and 3 to 10 hours after sampling, of concentrations of {alpha} or {beta} emitting aerosols varying between some 10{sup -11} and some 10{sup -8} curie per cubic metre of air. EAR 800. - Allows continuous measurement of concentration of {alpha} emitting aerosols varying between 10{sup -11} and 10{sup -5} curie per cubic metre of air and concentration of {beta} emitting aerosols from 10{sup -11} to 10{sup -1} curie per cubic metre of air. EAR Plutonium. - Allows detection after several minutes of 1000 MPD (2 x 10{sup -9} curie par cubic metre), and after 8 hours 1 MPD (2 x 10{sup -12} curie per cubic metre). Two methods are used to separate the activity due to plutonium from that due to the descendants of radon and thoron: a) by amplitude discrimination, b) by RaC-RaC' and ThC-ThC' ({alpha} {beta} ) coincidences. SP4. This system, mounted on a jeep, allows the measurement of irradiation produced on the ground by the smoke from the piles. The sensitivity is 5{mu}R/h. A.D.I.R. - This autonomous and portable instrument is designed for the instantaneous measurement of the radon content of the atmosphere in mines. It allows the measurement of contents in air varying between 0.4 and 400 x 10{sup -10} curie per litre of air (0.4 and 400 MPD). The measurement of radioactive fall-out is carried out after collection of this activity by a special rain gauge which comprises an adhesive surface and a tube containing ion exchange resins. The radioactivity of the fall-out varies between some 10{sup -9} and some 10{sup -7} curie per square metre per month. Concentrations in fission products of the atmosphere are measured after collecting on filter paper. Concentrations measured in air at ground level vary between 10{sup -13} and 10{sup -12} curie per cubic metre. (author

Androgen receptor (AR) promotes clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) migration and invasion via altering the circHIAT1/miR-195-5p/29a-3p/29c-3p/CDC42 signals.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Kefeng; Sun, Yin; Tao, Wei; Fei, Xiang; Chang, Chawnshang

2017-05-28

Increasing evidence has demonstrated that the androgen receptor (AR) plays important roles to promote the metastasis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). The detailed mechanisms, especially how AR functions via altering the circular RNAs (circRNAs) remain unclear. Here we identified a new circRNA (named as circHIAT1) whose expression was lower in ccRCCs than adjacent normal tissues. Targeting AR could suppress ccRCC cell progression via increasing circHIAT1 expression. ChIP assay and luciferase assay demonstrated that AR suppressed circHIAT1 expression via regulating its host gene, Hippocampus Abundant Transcript 1 (HIAT1) expression at the transcriptional level. The consequences of AR-suppressed circHIAT1 resulted in deregulating miR-195-5p/29a-3p/29c-3p expressions, which increased CDC42 expression to enhance ccRCC cell migration and invasion. Increasing this newly identified signal via circHIAT1 suppressed AR-enhanced ccRCC cell migration and invasion. Together, these results suggested that circHIAT1 functioned as a metastatic inhibitor to suppress AR-enhanced ccRCC cell migration and invasion. Targeting this newly identified AR-circHIAT1-mediated miR-195-5p/29a-3p/29c-3p/CDC42 signals may help us develop potential new therapies to better suppress ccRCC metastasis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The ALEPH Detector (Apparatus for LEp PHysics)

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

ALEPH is a 4$\\pi$ detector designed to give as much detailed information as possible about the complex events produced in high energy $\\mathrm{e}^+\\mathrm{e}^-$ collisions. A superconducting coil 5 metres in diameter and 6 metres long produces a 1.5 Tesla field in the beam direction. Particle detection is accomplished in layers, with each layer performing a particular function.\\\\ \\\\A high resolution vertex detector layers of silicon with double-sided readout provides $r$, $\\phi$ and $z$ coordinates and identifies decay vertices of tau leptons, charm and beauty hadrons. \\\\ \\\\The Inner Tracking Chamber (ITC) is a cylindrical drift chamber with eight axial layers. It gives a high spatial resolution and good track separation, and is also an essential part of the trigger system.\\\\ \\\\The Time Projection Chamber (TPC), 3.6 metres in diameter and 4.4 metres long, measures track momenta and directions. It also provides up to 338 energy loss measurements per track for particle identification. The momentum resolution of...

Design, Construction And Characterization Of A Pyranometer For Measuring Global Solar Radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onah, D.U; Osuji, R.O.

2004-01-01

Due to cost and stringent importation requirement, we have designed and constructed a Pyranometer from locally available materials. The constructed Pyranometer was calibrated against a standard calibrated Eppley pyranometer model PSP17190F3. the two pyranometers were used simultaneously in measuring global solar radiation at Nsukka, Nigeria on latitude 6.8 degree North and longitude 7.35 degree East, located 488m above sea level. The average insolation for each of the two typical clear sky days were 3.221KW per square metre and 3.266KW per square metre. The maximum insolation obtained with the constructed pyranometer was 965.5 W per square metre on 16/1/03. The corresponding insolation obtained with the reference Eppley pyranometre on the same day was 1087.5W per square metre. We are happy to remark that there was not significant difference between the performances of the constructed pyranometer and the standard Eppley pyranometer

A new macrofaunal limit in the deep biosphere revealed by extreme burrow depths in ancient sediments.

Science.gov (United States)

Cobain, S L; Hodgson, D M; Peakall, J; Wignall, P B; Cobain, M R D

2018-01-10

Macrofauna is known to inhabit the top few 10s cm of marine sediments, with rare burrows up to two metres below the seabed. Here, we provide evidence from deep-water Permian strata for a previously unrecognised habitat up to at least 8 metres below the sediment-water interface. Infaunal organisms exploited networks of forcibly injected sand below the seabed, forming living traces and reworking sediment. This is the first record that shows sediment injections are responsible for hosting macrofaunal life metres below the contemporaneous seabed. In addition, given the widespread occurrence of thick sandy successions that accumulate in deep-water settings, macrofauna living in the deep biosphere are likely much more prevalent than considered previously. These findings should influence future sampling strategies to better constrain the depth range of infaunal animals living in modern deep-sea sands. One Sentence Summary: The living depth of infaunal macrofauna is shown to reach at least 8 metres in new habitats associated with sand injections.

Vimentin 3, the New Hope, Differentiating RCC versus Oncocytoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melanie von Brandenstein

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Vimentin is currently used to differentiate between malignant renal carcinomas and benign oncocytomas. Recent reports showing Vimentin positive oncocytomas seriously question the validity of this present diagnostic approach. Vimentin 3 is a spliced variant and ends with a unique C-terminal ending after exon 7 which differentiates it from the full length version that has 9 exons. Therefore, the protein size is different; the full length Vimentin version has a protein size of ~57 kDa and the truncated version of ~47 kDa. We designed an antibody, called Vim3, against the unique C-terminal ending of the Vimentin 3 variant. Using immune histology, immune fluorescence, Western blot, and qRT-PCR analysis, a Vim3 overexpression was detectable exclusively in oncocytoma, making the detection of Vim3 a potential specific marker for benign kidney tumors. This antibody is the first to clearly differentiate benign oncocytoma and the mimicking eosinophilic variants of the RCCs. This differentiation between malignant and benign RCCs is essential for operative planning, follow-up therapy, and patients’ survival. In the future the usage of Vimentin antibodies in routine pathology has to be applied with care. Consideration must be given to Vimentin specific binding epitopes otherwise a misdiagnosis of the patients’ tumor samples may result.

Clinical role of early dynamic FDG-PET/CT for the evaluation of renal cell carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakajima, Reiko; Abe, Koichiro; Kondo, Tsunenori; Tanabe, Kazunari; Sakai, Shuji

2016-06-01

We studied the usefulness of early dynamic (ED) and whole-body (WB) FDG-PET/CT for the evaluation of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). One hundred patients with 107 tumours underwent kidney ED and WB FDG-PET/CT. We visually and semiquantitatively evaluated the FDG accumulation in RCCs in the ED and WB phases, and compared the accumulation values with regard to histological type (clear cell carcinoma [CCC] vs. non-clear cell carcinoma [N-CCC]), the TNM stage (high stage [3-4] vs. low stage [1-2]), the Fuhrman grade (high grade [3-4] vs. low grade [1-2]) and presence versus absence of venous (V) and lymphatic (Ly) invasion. In the ED phase, visual evaluation revealed no significant differences in FDG accumulation in terms of each item. However, the maximum standardized uptake value and tumour-to-normal tissue ratios were significantly higher in the CCCs compared to the N-CCCs (p PET/CT is a useful tool for the evaluation of RCCs. • ED and WB FDG-PET/ CT helps to assess patients with RCC • ED FDG-PET/CT enabled differentiation between CCC and N-CCC • FDG accumulation in the WB phase reflects tumour aggressiveness • Management of RCC is improved by ED and WB FDG-PET/CT.

Use of a total traffic count metric to investigate the impact of roadways on asthma severity: a case-control study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

deVos Annemarie JBM

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background This study had two principal objectives: (i to investigate the relationship between asthma severity and proximity to major roadways in Perth, Western Australia; (ii to demonstrate a more accurate method of exposure assessment for traffic pollutants using an innovative GIS-based measure that fully integrates all traffic densities around subject residences. Methods We conducted a spatial case-control study, in which 'cases' were defined as individuals aged under 19 years of age with more severe asthma (defined here as two or more emergency department contacts with asthma in a defined 5-year period versus age- and gender-matched 'controls' with less severe asthma (defined here as one emergency department contact for asthma. Traffic exposures were measured using a GIS-based approach to determine the lengths of the roads falling within a buffer area, and then multiplying them by their respective traffic counts. Results We examined the spatial relationship between emergency department contacts for asthma at three different buffer sizes: 50 metres, 100 metres and 150 metres. No effect was noted for the 50 metre buffer (OR = 1.07; 95% CI: 0.91-1.26, but elevated odds ratios were observed with for crude (unadjusted estimates OR = 1.21 (95% CI: 1.00-1.46 for 100 metre buffers and OR = 1.25 (95% CI: 1.02-1.54 for 150 metre buffers. For adjusted risk estimates, only the 150 metre buffer yielded a statistically significant finding (OR = 1.24; 95% CI:1.00-1.52. Conclusions Our study revealed a significant 24% increase in the risk of experiencing multiple emergency department contacts for asthma for every log-unit of traffic exposure. This study provides support for the hypothesis that traffic related air pollution increases the frequency of health service contacts for asthma. This study used advanced GIS techniques to establish traffic-weighted buffer zones around the geocoded residential location of subjects to provide an accurate

Life through a lens: visitors to the space centre can see a giant telescope

CERN Multimedia

Dawson, A

2002-01-01

The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council, Great Britain, decided in a meeting in December to join the European Southern Observatory. Membership will give UK astronomers access to the four 8.2-metre and several 1.8-metre telescopes which comprise the Very Large Telescope at Atacama in Chile.

Domfeh et al

African Journals Online (AJOL)

PUBLICATIONS1

2015 Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). Journal of Science and ... metre high, 600-metre long earth-filled dam built across the Offin ... 222.4 masl. Table 1: Reservoir characteristics .... Kumasi Meteorological Station, on the other hand has ... catchment to determine the simulated runoff into the ...

Van de wal in de sloot : een typologisch onderzoek aan makrofaunaprocessen

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beltman, G.H.J.

1983-01-01

Ditches are an important structural feature of the landscape in the holocene part of the Netherlands. Ditches and other water-courses have been dug to improve drainage and make the land suitable for agriculture.
Since ditches are two to six metres wide and are generally less than a metre deep

CT prediction of the Fuhrman grade of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC): towards the development of computer-assisted diagnostic method.

Science.gov (United States)

Huhdanpaa, Hannu; Hwang, Darryl; Cen, Steven; Quinn, Brian; Nayyar, Megha; Zhang, Xuejun; Chen, Frank; Desai, Bhushan; Liang, Gangning; Gill, Inderbir; Duddalwar, Vinay

2015-10-01

There are distinct quantifiable features characterizing renal cell carcinomas on contrast-enhanced CT examinations, such as peak tumor enhancement, tumor heterogeneity, and percent contrast washout. While qualitative visual impressions often suffice for diagnosis, quantitative metrics if developed and validated can add to the information available from standard of care diagnostic imaging. The purpose of this study is to assess the use of quantitative enhancement metrics in predicting the Fuhrman grade of clear cell RCC. 65 multiphase CT examinations with clear cell RCCs were utilized, 44 tumors with Fuhrman grades 1 or 2 and 21 tumors with grades 3 or 4. After tumor segmentation, the following data were extracted: histogram analysis of voxel-based whole lesion attenuation in each phase, enhancement and washout using mean, median, skewness, kurtosis, standard deviation, and interquartile range. Statistically significant difference was observed in 4 measured parameters between grades 1-2 and grades 3-4: interquartile range of nephrographic attenuation values, standard deviation of absolute enhancement, as well as interquartile range and standard deviation of residual nephrographic enhancement. Interquartile range of nephrographic attenuation values was 292.86 HU for grades 1-2 and 241.19 HU for grades 3-4 (p value 0.02). Standard deviation of absolute enhancement was 41.26 HU for grades 1-2 and 34.66 HU for grades 3-4 (p value 0.03). Interquartile range was 297.12 HU for residual nephrographic enhancement for grades 1-2 and 235.57 HU for grades 3-4 (p value 0.02), and standard deviation of the same was 42.45 HU for grades 1-2 and 37.11 for grades 3-4 (p value 0.04). Our results indicate that absolute enhancement is more heterogeneous for lower grade tumors and that attenuation and residual enhancement in nephrographic phase is more heterogeneous for lower grade tumors. This represents an important step in devising a predictive non-invasive model to predict the

Chinese engineers and scientists urge leadership to change Three Gorges Dam operating plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

An appeal to the Chinese Leadership by a group of senior engineers, water management experts and academics about the dire consequences of filling the Three Gorges reservoir on the Yangtze River to 175 metres, is reported. Originally, the plan was to keep water levels behind the Three Gorges Dam at 156 metres for the first ten years of operation, in order to allow for resettlement of people displaced by building the dam, and to evaluate the impact of silt deposits on navigation and ports at the upper end of the reservoir. Plans have changed in 1997; the water level is now scheduled to rise to 175 metres in the sixth year of the dam's operation in order to maximize the dam's power output. The appeal by 53 experts warned the Chinese Government that the filling of the reservoir to 175 metres would displace 1.13 million people and raise the water level in the Yangtze River more than 10 metres at Chongqing City, submerging drainage outlets and backing up the city's sewage, as well as increase silt deposits, blocking shipping traffic along the Yangtze River. A parallel is drawn with the Sanmenxia Dam on the Yellow River. It was completed in 1960; it has proven to be useless for controlling floods while producing only one-third of its expected output due to massive silt build-up in the reservoir

LHC suppliers win Golden Hadron awards : Sandro Ferraris and Guiseppi Ginola from Simic SpA

CERN Multimedia

Maximilien Brice

2004-01-01

Simic SpA (Italy) received its award for manufacturing the vacuum vessels for the superconducting dipoles. The 937 blue cylinders manufactured by Simic will provide the thermal insulation for the magnets. Measuring 15 metres in length and 1 metre in diameter, they are designed to withstand a vacuum of 10-4 Pa.

Grondwaterstroming in komgrond en de bepaling van enige hydrologische grootheden in verband met het ontwateringssysteem

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoorn, van J.W.

1960-01-01

The basin clay soil occupying an extensive area between the great rivers in the Netherlands is characterized by a profile with a highly permeable surface layer (20 cm) over a poorly permeable second layer (50 cm, K = 0.05 metre/ day) and a highly permeable subsoil (KD) = 1 metre 2/day). In this

Up-and-down shift in residence depth of slickheads (Alepocephalidae) revealed by otolith stable oxygen isotopic composition.

Science.gov (United States)

Shiao, J C; Liu, E Y; Sui, T D

2016-03-01

Otolith δ(18)O profiles for four slickhead species (Alepocephalidae) suggested that Alepocephalus umbriceps, Talismania okinawensis and Rouleina watasei migrated hundreds of metres to shallower depths during the juvenile to young stages before returning to their original depth or even deeper waters. Xenodermichthys nodulosus gradually shifted residence depth from shallow to deeper water during their life. These migratory patterns indicated that the slickheads examined had allopatric residence depths at different life stages, which might enhance the pelagic survival and growth rates of the juvenile and young fishes. © 2016 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Pressure vessel for gaseous media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schulten, R; Kugeler, K; Kugeler, M; Petersen, K; von der Decken, C G

1977-07-14

This construction of a container, which is pressure relieved by axial-central tensioning cables or reinforcing cables distributed over the circumference, makes a reduction of the wall thickness for the floor and roof, which was previously 2.5 metres by about 40% possible, and thus reduce manufacturing and cost problems. This is achieved by an appreciable increase of the prestressing exerted by the tensioning cables as this is taken up, not by the elasticity of the roof and floor, but instead by an intermediate part of pressure-resisting material. Such a container consists of a vertical cylindrical jacket of, for example, 20 metres diameter and 18 metres height, of a roof and floor of, for example, 1.50 metres thickness each and the intermediate part, which keeps the spacing of floor and roof as a central piece. This intermediate part which is taken through seals through the container can be imagined as a double tube of outside tube diameter of, for example, 4 metres and inside tube diameter of 2 metres with both tubes having thick walls. 4 tensioning cables displaced vertically by 90/sup 0/ run in the cylindrical annulus between the outer and inner tubes which are brought to the required pretension, e.g. 80,000 tonnes by nuts situated on the outside. The inner tube projects through the floor and roof. Its openings act as manholes and for the introduction of pipelines. These can, for example, carry a cooling medium for a reactor core via further ducts into the inside of the container. Container wall, floor and roof and the intermediate part in the form of a double tube are made up of cast steel segments or sectors in several layers. (RW) 891 RW.

Pressure vessel for nuclear reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schulten, R.; Kugeler, K.; Kugeler, M.; Petersen, K.; Decken, C.B. von der.

1983-01-01

This construction of a container, which is pressure-relieved by axial-central tensioning cables or reinforcing cables distributed over the circumference, makes a reduction of the wall thickness for the floor and roof, which was previously 2.5 metres by about 40% possible, and thus reduce manufacturing and cost problems. This is achieved by an appreciable increase of the prestressing exerted by the tensioning cables as this is taken up, not by the elasticity of the roof and floor, but instead by an intermediate part of pressure-resisting material. Such a container consists of a vertical cylindrical jacket of, for example, 20 metres diameter and 18 metres height, of a roof and floor of, for example, 1.50 metres thickness each and the intermediate part, which keeps the spacing of floor and roof as a central piece. This intermediate part which is taken through seals through the container can be imagined as a double tube of outside tube diameter of, for example, 4 metres and inside tube diameter of 2 metres with both tubes having thick walls. 4 tensioning cables displaced vertically by 900 run in the cylindrical annulus between the outer and inner tubes which are brought to the required pretension, e.g. 80,000 tonnes by nuts situated on the outside. The inner tube projects through the floor and roof. Its openings act as manholes and for the introduction of pipelines. These can, for example, carry a cooling medium for a reactor core via further ducts into the inside of the container. Container wall, floor and roof and the intermediate part in the form of a double tube are made up of cast steel segments or sectors in several layers. (RW)

Pressure vessel for gaseous media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schulten, R.; Kugeler, K.; Kugeler, M.; Petersen, K.; Decken, C.B. von der.

1977-01-01

This construction of a container, which is pressure relieved by axial-central tensioning cables or reinforcing cables distributed over the circumference, makes a reduction of the wall thickness for the floor and roof, which was previously 2.5 metres by about 40% possible, and thus reduce manufacturing and cost problems. This is achieved by an appreciable increase of the prestressing exerted by the tensioning cables as this is taken up, not by the elasticity of the roof and floor, but instead by an intermediate part of pressure-resisting material. Such a container consists of a vertical cylindrical jacket of, for example, 20 metres diameter and 18 metres height, of a roof and floor of, for example, 1.50 metres thickness each and the intermediate part, which keeps the spacing of floor and roof as a central piece. This intermediate part which is taken through seals through the container can be imagined as a double tube of outside tube diameter of, for example, 4 metres and inside tube diameter of 2 metres with both tubes having thick walls. 4 tensioning cables displaced vertically by 90 0 run in the cylindrical annulus between the outer and inner tubes which are brought to the required pretension, e.g. 80,000 tonnes by nuts situated on the outside. The inner tube projects through the floor and roof. Its openings act as manholes and for the introduction of pipelines. These can, for example, carry a cooling medium for a reactor core via further ducts into the inside of the container. Container wall, floor and roof and the intermediate part in the form of a double tube are made up of cast steel segments or sectors in several layers. (RW) 891 RW [de

Manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd of Harima, in Japan, the cryostat of the ATLAS electromagnetic calorimeter barrel underwent very strict cryogenic tests before being shipped to Europe

CERN Multimedia

2001-01-01

The cryostat consists of a vacuum chamber, a cylinder that is 5.5 metres in diameter, 7 metres long, and a concentric cold chamber to be filled with liquid argon that will house the detector. The whole unit is made out of aluminium 5083 and will weigh 210 tonnes when put together with the detector.

Endoscopic Endonasal Approach in the Management of Rathke's Cleft Cysts.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Domenico Solari

Full Text Available Rathke's cleft cysts (RCCs are quite uncommon sellar lesions that can extend or even arise in the suprasellar area. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of both standard and extended endoscopic endonasal approaches in the management of different located RCCs.We retrospectively analyzed a series of 29 patients (9 males, 20 females complaining of a RCC, who underwent a standard or an extended endoscopic transsphenoidal approach at the Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosciences and Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, of the Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II". Data regarding patients' demographics, clinical evaluation, cyst characteristics, surgical treatments, complications and outcomes were extracted from our electronic database (Filemaker Pro 11, File Maker Inc., Santa Clara, California, USA.A standard transsphenoidal approach was used in 19 cases, while the extended variation of the approach in 10 cases (5 purely suprasellar and 5 intra-suprasellar RCC. Cysts contents was fully drained in all the 29 cases, whilst a gross total removal, that accounts on the complete cyst wall removal, was achieved in an overall 55,1% of patients (16/29, specifically 36,8% (7/19 that received standard approach and 90% (9/10 of those that underwent to extended approach. We reported a 56.2% of recovery from headache, 38.5% of complete recovery and 53.8% of improvement from visual field defect and an overall 46.7% of improvement of the endocrine functions. Postoperative permanent DI rate was 10.3%, overall post-operative CSF leak rate 6.9%; recurrence/regrowth occurred in 4 patients (4/29, 13.8%, but only one required a second surgery.The endoscopic transsphenoidal approach for the removal of a symptomatic RCC offers several advantages in terms of visualization of the surgical field during both the exposure and removal of the lesion. The "extended" variation of the endoscopic approach provides a direct access

Bringing Low the Giants

CERN Multimedia

2001-01-01

Their work goes on unseen, because they a hundred metres beneath your feet. But while the race against the clock to build the LHC has begun on the surface, teams underground are feverishly engaged to dismantle LEP and its experiments. Four months after the start of dismantling, the technical coordinators of the different experiments discuss the progress of work. Little men attack the giant ALEPH. The barrel and its two endcaps have been removed to the end of the cavern and stripped of their cables. The breaking up of the detector can now begin. At ALEPH, counting rooms removed all in one go Jean-Paul Fabre, technical coordinator at ALEPH:'After making safe the structure, the first step was to remove the wiring and cables. Some 210 cubic metres were brought out. Then the counting rooms all round the detector were taken out. They were brought up from the cavern all in one go, up through the shaft, which is 10 metres wide and 150 metres deep. They made it with 15 centimetres to spare. They have been emptied of...

Centrifuge modelling - migration of radionuclides from engineered trenches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dean, E.T.R.; Schofield, A.N.

1991-12-01

This report provides an overview of some centrifuge small-scale physical model tests and 1g experimental and theoretical work relating to the sub-surface migration of a model pollutant (sodium chloride) from a notional prototype surface landfill of width 25 metres and depth 3 metres cut into a 20 metre deep layer of nominally uniform soil overlying a more permeable base layer. An introduction is given to the application of geotechnical centrifuge modelling techniques to pollutant migration studies. Experiments performed at 1/100th scale using the Cambridge 10 metre diameter Geotechnical Beam Centrifuge simulating transport through silt over prototype time periods of around 35 years, are summarised. Comparisons of data with calculations using early versions of the POLLUTE and MIGRATE computer codes are presented. An experiment at 1/400th scale using the new Cambridge Geotechnical Drum Centrifuge, involving transport through clay over a prototype time period of around 1000 years, is described. Potential future uses of centrifuge modelling techniques to simulate long-term migration through more complex hydrological environments are also discussed. (author)

Resistivity geo electrical investigation for groundwater resources existence at Cipanas, West Java

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subardjo; Nurdin, M; Slamet-Sudarto; Setya-Darmono

2000-01-01

The ground water resources investigation at Wisma BATAN has been carried out for water supply necessity. At the time being the water used has been supplied from shallow opened well which is dark yellow in colour. The investigation covered is about 2 ha. Lithology of the area consist of a volcanic product of Gunung Gede activity. Resistivity measurement using Wenner configuration by spread 300 metre to gain 100 metre penetration depth. The measurement result at 12 sounding location discovered resistivity value 100 Ω m which is interpreted as an aquifer at 60 - 100 m depth. The drilling test shows that the aquifer was found at 60 - 80 m depth and the thickness is about 20 metres

Hawaii: a picture window on the Universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, I.; Redfern, M.

1987-01-01

The paper concerns the telescopes and associated studies of the astronomical observatory situated on Mauna Kea, Big Island, Hawaii. Mauna Kea is the home for ten telescopes, one of which is the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope used to look at the birth of the stars. The two newest telescopes - the Clerk Maxwell Telescope and the Caltech High Dish will study the birth in even more detail using submillimetre waves. Three more telescopes are planned - the Keck ten-metre telescope is due for completion in 1990, followed by the 7.5 metre Japenese National Large Telescope and then the 15-metre National New Technology Telescope. A brief description of the latter five telescopes is given. (U.K.)

Biostratigraphical correlation of a new interglacial lacustrine deposit from Lind, western Jutland, Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Odgaard, Bent Vad; Krohn, Charlotte Fog; Kronborg, Christian

2008-01-01

and animal macrofossils and two cores were secured from the central part of the basin where the lacustrine deposits have a thickness of about 15 m. The stratigraphy of the deposit can be subdivided into unit A: a lake marl (4 m) superimposed by 3 metres of diatomite and sealed by a thin diamicton. On top...... of unit A follows unit B: 4 metres of gyttja, calcareous at the basal part and sealed by 40 cm of clay. Finally unit C on top of unit B is represented by 1.5 metres of gyttja. The pollen record of unit A can be correlated to the classical Danish record from the nearby Harreskov site (Andersen 1965...

Value of T2-weighted MR imaging in differentiating low-fat renal angiomyolipomas from other renal tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Hyuck Jae; Kim, Jeong Kon; Kim, Mi-Hyun; Cho, Kyoung-Sik; Ahn, Hanjong; Kim, Choung-Soo

2011-01-01

Background: Accurate preoperative diagnosis of fat scanty angiomyolipomas is an important clinical issue. By evaluating the low signal intensity of angiomyolipomas in MR T2-weighted images the diagnostic accuracy can be elevated. Purpose: To retrospectively assess the usefulness of T2-weighted MR imaging for differentiating low-fat angiomyolipomas (AMLs) from other renal tumors. Material and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 71 patients with surgically proven renal masses (10 AMLs, 57 renal cell carcinomas [RCCs], and four oncocytomas), all of which showed no visible fat as well as gradual enhancement patterns on contrast-enhanced CT. Signal intensity was measured in each renal mass and in the spleen on T2-weighted images, and each signal intensity ratio (SIR) was calculated; SIR values were then compared in the AML and non-AML groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the two parameters for differentiating the two groups. Results: The SIR values (77 ± 24% vs. 162 ± 79%, p = 0.002) were significantly lower in the AML than in the non-AML group. The area under the ROC curve was 0.926 for SIR. The sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of AMLs were 90% and 90.2%, using SIR cut-off of 92.5%. Conclusion: Signal intensity measurements on T2-weighted MR images can differentiate AML from non-AML in the kidney

Quantitative computer-aided diagnostic algorithm for automated detection of peak lesion attenuation in differentiating clear cell from papillary and chromophobe renal cell carcinoma, oncocytoma, and fat-poor angiomyolipoma on multiphasic multidetector computed tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Coy, Heidi; Young, Jonathan R; Douek, Michael L; Brown, Matthew S; Sayre, James; Raman, Steven S

2017-07-01

To evaluate the performance of a novel, quantitative computer-aided diagnostic (CAD) algorithm on four-phase multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) to detect peak lesion attenuation to enable differentiation of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) from chromophobe RCC (chRCC), papillary RCC (pRCC), oncocytoma, and fat-poor angiomyolipoma (fp-AML). We queried our clinical databases to obtain a cohort of histologically proven renal masses with preoperative MDCT with four phases [unenhanced (U), corticomedullary (CM), nephrographic (NP), and excretory (E)]. A whole lesion 3D contour was obtained in all four phases. The CAD algorithm determined a region of interest (ROI) of peak lesion attenuation within the 3D lesion contour. For comparison, a manual ROI was separately placed in the most enhancing portion of the lesion by visual inspection for a reference standard, and in uninvolved renal cortex. Relative lesion attenuation for both CAD and manual methods was obtained by normalizing the CAD peak lesion attenuation ROI (and the reference standard manually placed ROI) to uninvolved renal cortex with the formula [(peak lesion attenuation ROI - cortex ROI)/cortex ROI] × 100%. ROC analysis and area under the curve (AUC) were used to assess diagnostic performance. Bland-Altman analysis was used to compare peak ROI between CAD and manual method. The study cohort comprised 200 patients with 200 unique renal masses: 106 (53%) ccRCC, 32 (16%) oncocytomas, 18 (9%) chRCCs, 34 (17%) pRCCs, and 10 (5%) fp-AMLs. In the CM phase, CAD-derived ROI enabled characterization of ccRCC from chRCC, pRCC, oncocytoma, and fp-AML with AUCs of 0.850 (95% CI 0.732-0.968), 0.959 (95% CI 0.930-0.989), 0.792 (95% CI 0.716-0.869), and 0.825 (95% CI 0.703-0.948), respectively. On Bland-Altman analysis, there was excellent agreement of CAD and manual methods with mean differences between 14 and 26 HU in each phase. A novel, quantitative CAD algorithm enabled robust peak HU lesion detection

Chandra's X-ray Vision

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

1999-07-23

Jul 23, 1999 ... CXO is 13.8 metres long and its solar arrays have a wingspan of. 19.5 metres as shown in ... the Universe (for example, coronae of stars, matter ejected from .... The telescope system and the scientific instruments were put through ..... solve the puzzle about the origin of cosmic X-ray background- one of the ...

Solar-assisted district heating systems, state-of-the-art and economic efficiency; Solarunterstuetzte Nahwaermeversorgung Stand der Technik und Wirtschaftlichkeit

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fisch, M.N. [Technische Univ. Braunschweig (Germany). Inst. fuer Gebaeude- und Solartechnik; Kuebler, R. [Steinbeis Transferzentrum Energie-, Gebaeude- und Solartechnik (STZ-IGS), Stuttgart (Germany)

1998-12-31

After the successful testing of smaller solar-assisted district heat supply projects in the first half of the Nineties in Germany (e.g. Ravensburg, Koengen, Neckarsulm, Schwaebisch-Gmuend), the first large-scale plants with long term heat storage started to operate in Hamburg and Friedrichshafen. Thus a target has been reached that had seemed to be an illusion for a long time - the utilisation of solar energy generated in the summer for building heating in wintertime. In Hamburg (collector area = 3,000 square metres) and Friedrichshafen (collector area = 5,600 square metres when finished) buried hot-water storage tanks with a volume of 4,500 cubic metres and 12,000 cubic metres were built; bore-hole heat storage is being tested in a third demonstration project in Neckarsulm. The first part of this plant (collector area = 2,700 square metres, storage capacity approximately 20,000 cubic metres) was put in operation in October 1997. A fourth solar-assisted district heating system with a gravel/water heat storage (volume approximately 8,000 cubic metres) is currently under construction in Chemnitz and supposed to be completed in the second half of 1998. (orig.) [Deutsch] Nach der erfolgreichen Erprobung von kleineren solarunterstuetzten Nahwaermeprojekten in der ersten Haelfte der neunziger Jahre in Deutschland (z.B. Ravensburg, Koengen, Neckarsulm, Schwaebisch-Gmuend) gingen Ende 1996 in Hamburg und Friedrichshafen die ersten solaren Grossanlagen mit Langzeit-Waermespeicher in Betrieb. Damit wurde ein Ziel erreicht, das ueber viele Jahre hinweg utopisch erschienen war - mit der Sonnenenergie aus dem Sommer im Winter die Gebaeude zu beheizen. Waehrend in Hamburg (Kollektorflaeche 3.000 m{sup 2}) und in Friedrichshafen (5.600 m{sup 2} im Endausbau) eingegrabene Heisswasser-Waermespeicher mit einem Volumen von 4.500 m{sup 3} bzw. 12.000 m{sup 3} realisiert wurden, wird in einem dritten Demonstrationsprojekt in Neckarsulm ein Erdsonden-Waermespeicher erprobt. Die erste

Evaluation of the geological, geophysical and hydrogeological conditions at Kamlunge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahlbom, K.; Albino, B.; Carlsson, L.; Danielsson, J.; Nilsson, G.; Olsson, O.; Sehlstedt, S.; Stejskal, V.; Stenberg, L.

1983-05-01

The Kamlunge study site constitutes a 16 km 2 mountain plateau. The topography of the plateau is flat, the soil cover is thin, and in the western part, there is a high percentage of outcrops. The most commonly occurring rock types are gneisses and red granite (Lina granite). A rock type with granodioritic to dioritic composition also occurs. Concentrations of economically valuable minerals are so small that mining operations are not feasible in the area. The rock mass exhibits a fracture frequency of more than 4.0 fractures per metre down to a depth of 200 metres. Below 300 metres, the fracture frequency is approximately 2.0 fractures per metre. The Kamlunge study site is surrounded by regional fracture zones to the north, east and west delimiting a 16 km 2 triangular block. The regional zone to the west of the study site has a width of about 550 m. Only local fracture zones spaced 500-l 500 m. apart occur within the study site. The local fracture zones are generally steeply inclined and strike to the north-west and the north-east. At a depth of 555 m below Kamlungekoelen, a horizontal fracture zone has been encountered in 4 of the deep drill holes. This fracture zone is permeable to water but less crushed and weathered than the steeply inclined fracture zones. Moreover, horizontal fractures of large lateral extent can occur in the upper 100-200 metres. Common fracture minerals in the fracture zones are calcite, chlorite, laumontite, smectite and various types of iron oxides. The hydraulic conductivity of the rock mass decreases markedly with depth. It decreases from about 2 x 10 -9 m/s at a depth of 100 metres to about 10 -11 m/s at a depth of 500 metres. The hydraulic conductivity of the local fracture zones at Kamlunge is 7 x 10 -10 m/s at a depth of 500 m. The hydraulic conductivity decreases with depth more slowly in the fracture zones than in the rock mass. The large hydraulic gradients found on the margins of the Kamlungekoelen do not affect the groundwater

Les politiques territoriales de verdissement des métropoles françaises. Méthode comparative et critique des politiques de «Trame verte et bleue» sur les berges des fleuves de la métropole lilloise et lyonnaise

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laurène Wiesztort

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Las ciudades son actualmente el principal biotopo del Hombre, consumen espacios cada vez másimportantes, son muy artificiales y dejan poco espacio para la naturaleza. Por una preocupaciónambiental y la necesidad experimentada por los ciudadanos, los actores territoriales implementannuevas políticas, estrategias para reintegrar a la naturaleza en las ciudades. El interés es doble: ambiental (calentamiento global, la lucha contra la contaminación y social (ciudades minerales,la fuerte demanda de espacios de ocio. ¿Cómo conciliar estas puestas, la presión de los actores yde la población? En este estudio, vamos a estudiar dos políticas territoriales de grandes metrópolisfrancesas, vamos a analizar y criticar: las metrópolis de Lille y Lyon. Estas dos metrópolis handesarrollado políticas de trama verde y azul (en el sentido del Grenelle del Medio Ambiente yvamos a poner de realce las realizaciones concretas en el terreno muy diversas de estas políticas(parques urbanos, espacios de ocio y de descanso, corredores ecológicos. Nuestro estudio decaso pone en evidencia los resultados matizados. Para la metrópoli de Lille, los objetivos padecenpero las operaciones han sido realizadas en periferia. Para la metrópoli de Lyon, la trama verde yazul es bien en el centro denso de la ciudad pero el aspecto medioambiental ha sido borrado, enprovecho de la demanda social de espacios recreativos.

Chinese engineers and scientists urge leadership to change Three Gorges Dam operating plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-04-26

An appeal to the Chinese Leadership by a group of senior engineers, water management experts and academics about the dire consequences of filling the Three Gorges reservoir on the Yangtze River to 175 metres, is reported. Originally, the plan was to keep water levels behind the Three Gorges Dam at 156 metres for the first ten years of operation, in order to allow for resettlement of people displaced by building the dam, and to evaluate the impact of silt deposits on navigation and ports at the upper end of the reservoir. Plans have changed in 1997; the water level is now scheduled to rise to 175 metres in the sixth year of the dam's operation in order to maximize the dam's power output. The appeal by 53 experts warned the Chinese Government that the filling of the reservoir to 175 metres would displace 1.13 million people and raise the water level in the Yangtze River more than 10 metres at Chongqing City, submerging drainage outlets and backing up the city's sewage, as well as increase silt deposits, blocking shipping traffic along the Yangtze River. A parallel is drawn with the Sanmenxia Dam on the Yellow River. It was completed in 1960; it has proven to be useless for controlling floods while producing only one-third of its expected output due to massive silt build-up in the reservoir.

General conceptual design study for a high level radioactive waste repository in a granite formation. Volume 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-01-01

The object of the general conceptual design study for a repository for disposal of radioactive waste in a granite formation is to ensure that the technology available in 1980 is suitable for the construction of such a repository. The recommended techniques and equipment are suitable for construction of a repository, located at a depth of 1000 metres in a granite batholith, with a capacity of 30,000 AVM canisters, cooled for 30 years on the surface, at a rate of 1,000 canisters per year. The structure consists of six access shafts of 4 and 5 metres diameter, drilled from the surface by the big-hole method, serving a network of 82 parallel galleries, 2,300 metres long, mined by conventional blasting. Shafts 100 metres deep are drilled in the floor of each gallery (74 shafts per gallery), each shaft accommodating five canisters. This represents an aggregate gallery length of 200 kilometres and an aggregate shaft length of 600 kilometres. The cost of the operation is 1.3% of the cost (ex-works) of the energy produced by the power stations generating the waste. Construction, operation and final abandonment will take 81 years. The sensitivity study of the design showed, by varying certain parameters, that location of the repository at a depth of 500 metres is not recommended and that the area covered by the repository of 4 km 2 is halved if the canisters are first cooled for 100 years

Safety in depth for nuclear waste disposal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ringwood, T [Australian National Univ., Canberra. Research School of Earth Sciences

1980-11-27

A nuclear waste disposal strategy is described in which the radionuclides are immobilised in widely-dispersed drill holes in an extremely stable and leach resistant titanate ceramic form (SYNROC) at depths of 1500 to 4000 metres. The advantages of this method over that of burying such wastes in large centralised mined repositories at 500 to 700 metres in suitable geological strata are examined.

EDITORIAL: Nano-enhanced! Nano-enhanced!

Science.gov (United States)

Demming, Anna

2010-08-01

In the early 19th century, a series of engineering and scientific breakthroughs by Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot, James Watt and many others led to the foundations of thermodynamics and a new pedigree of mechanical designs that reset the standards of engineering efficiency. The result was the industrial revolution. In optical- and electronics- based nanotechnology research, a similarly subtle bargain is being made; we cannot alter the fact that systems have a finite response to external excitations, but what we can do is enhance that response. The promising attributes of ZnO have long been recognised; its large band gap and high exciton binding energy lend it to a number of applications from laser diodes, LEDs, optical waveguides and switches, and acousto-optic applications to sun cream. When this material is grown into nanowires and nanorods, the material gains a whole new dimension, as quantum confinement effects come into play. Discovery of the enhanced radiative recombination, which has potential for exploitation in many optical and opto-electronic applications, drove intensive research into investigating these structures and into finding methods to synthesise them with optimised properties. This research revealed further subtleties in the properties of these materials. One example is the work by researchers in the US reporting synthesis procedures that produced a yield—defined as the weight ratio of ZnO nanowires to the original graphite flakes—of 200%, and which also demonstrated, through photoluminescence analysis of nanowires grown on graphite flakes and substrates, that graphite induces oxygen vacancies during annealing, which enhances the deep-level to near-band-edge emission ratio [1]. Other one-dimensional materials that provide field emission enhancements include carbon nanotubes, and work has been performed to find ways of optimising the emission efficiency from these structures, such as through control of the emitter density [2]. One of the

Radio Astronomy and the Giant Metre-Wave Radio Telescope

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

begs the question – why (on earth) would anyone want to do so? .... For example, the Sun's spectrum has a characteristic sharp colour ..... miliar to readers is that blu-ray DVDs which work with shorter wavelength blue light can pack more.

Deepwater drilling; Jakten paa de store dyp

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2003-07-01

Recent technological development has made it possible to drill for oil and gas at the impressive depth of 3000 metres. An increasing part of the world's oil and gas discoveries are made in deep or ultra deep waters. Ultra deep waters are those exceeding 1500 metres. Since drilling at more than 500 metres started at the end of the 1970s, 32 discoveries of about 500 million barrels of extractable oil or gas have been made. These finds amount to almost 60 thousand millions barrels of oil equivalents. Most of the effort has been made in the coasts between Brazil, West Africa and the Gulf of Mexico. Deepwater projects have been a field of priority for Norwegian oil companies in their search for international commissions. It is frequently time-consuming, expensive and technologically challenging to drill at great depths. The article describes the Atlantis concept, which may reduce the complexities and costs of deepwater activities. This involves making an artificial sea bottom, which in the form of an air-filled buoy is anchored at a depth of 200 - 300 metres. Production wells or exploration wells and risers are extended from the real bottom to the artificial one.

Members of the team responsable for the strength test stand on the plug for the main CMS shaft on which 2500 tonnes of steel blocks have been placed

CERN Multimedia

Maximilien Brice

2006-01-01

The plug over the CMS shaft, which will be required to bear the weight of the various detector sub-assemblies when they are lowered into the experiment hall, has just passed a strength test. The plug, a huge 2.2-metre-thick rectangular block of reinforced concrete measuring 15 x 20 metres and weighing 2000 tonnes, underwent its first strength test on 15 May.

Barrios populares y organización del espacio de las metrópolis andinas: ensayo de modelización

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

1988-01-01

ón teórica buscan identificar mecanismos fundamentales y leyes generales que den cuenta de la complejidad de las situaciones observadas. Se trata de revelar estructuras elementales de organización del espacio, y especialmente las que expresan las estrategias de los actores económicos, sociales, políticos. La representación gráfica de cada estructura constituye un modelo espacial elemental, o corema (R. Brunet, 1980, y los diferentes coremas otros tantos signos para una semiología de la organización del espacio con evidente valor heurístico. El método se aplica en este caso al estudio del espacio de las metrópolis en América andina. Se presenta un breve análisis de las condiciones de la producción del espacio residencial popular, para luego identificar un número reducido de coremas, que permiten establecer un modelo teórico de organización del espacio metropolitano. El papel combinado, en la estructuración de la gran ciudad latinoamericana, de las formas de segregación socio-espacial y de la dinámica de expansión de los barrios populares periféricos queda explicitado por el modelo gráfico. Every society organizes its space and the organization of space is one of the conditions to the reproduction of societies. This organization expresses, for a definite time, the society's command over the space it occupies. A method of geographical analysis based on the utilization of space models has been developing some years. Experimental research and theoretical consideration seek to identify fundamental mechanisms and general laws descriptive of the complexity of situations observed. It is a question of showing the basic structures of space organization and specially those which express the strategies of economic, social and political players. The graphic representation of each structure constitutes an elementary space model or choreme (R. Brunet, 1980, and the different choremes represent that many signs for a space organization semiology of a very heuristic

Vital signs: drilling rush accelerates, led by stellar B.C. natural gas discoveries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lunan, D.

2001-01-01

A recent survey of drilling activity in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin provide clear evidence of intensified efforts to match the aggressive forecast of 17,500 well completions in 2001, forecast by the Petroleum Services Association of Canada, or the 18,500 new wells forecast by the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors, and satisfy the expected strong natural gas demand. The rush for drilling properties boosted first-quarter land sale bonus payments by 78 per cent to more than $500 million, or about $356 per hectare from $282 million or $256 per hectare in the first three months of 2000. Land acquisition is most robust in northeastern British Columbia, where a series of 50-million-cubic feet-per-day discoveries in the Ladyfern region has ignited the hottest exploration play of this year, resulting in a 400 per cent increase in first quarter bonus payments to $212 million, or $613 per hectare. Overall Western Canada rig count peaked at 614 active units in late February, declining since to 264 rigs in April, due to the onset of spring breakup. Success rate in the first quarter of 2001 for exploratory drilling peaked at 72 per cent, up from 53 per cent a year ago. Industry-wide success rate jumped to 83 per cent from 75 per cent in 2000. Average depth in BC in the first quarter of 2001 reached 1,700 metres, the highest in Western Canada, compared to about 1,300 metres a year ago. Industry-wide, the average depth slipped from 1,143 metres to 1,134 metres, reflecting the continuing reliance on shallow gas drilling in an effort to attach known reserves as quickly as possible. Offshore drilling on East Coast provides a different picture: drilling depth averages climbed to 10,339 metres from 7,131 metres in 2000. Discovery of the Deep Panuke field by PanCanadian Petroleum is considered partly responsible for the sudden increase in well depth. tabs., 2 photos

Solar energy in the context of energy use, energy transportation and energy storage.

Science.gov (United States)

MacKay, David J C

2013-08-13

Taking the UK as a case study, this paper describes current energy use and a range of sustainable energy options for the future, including solar power and other renewables. I focus on the area involved in collecting, converting and delivering sustainable energy, looking in particular detail at the potential role of solar power. Britain consumes energy at a rate of about 5000 watts per person, and its population density is about 250 people per square kilometre. If we multiply the per capita energy consumption by the population density, then we obtain the average primary energy consumption per unit area, which for the UK is 1.25 watts per square metre. This areal power density is uncomfortably similar to the average power density that could be supplied by many renewables: the gravitational potential energy of rainfall in the Scottish highlands has a raw power per unit area of roughly 0.24 watts per square metre; energy crops in Europe deliver about 0.5 watts per square metre; wind farms deliver roughly 2.5 watts per square metre; solar photovoltaic farms in Bavaria, Germany, and Vermont, USA, deliver 4 watts per square metre; in sunnier locations, solar photovoltaic farms can deliver 10 watts per square metre; concentrating solar power stations in deserts might deliver 20 watts per square metre. In a decarbonized world that is renewable-powered, the land area required to maintain today's British energy consumption would have to be similar to the area of Britain. Several other high-density, high-consuming countries are in the same boat as Britain, and many other countries are rushing to join us. Decarbonizing such countries will only be possible through some combination of the following options: the embracing of country-sized renewable power-generation facilities; large-scale energy imports from country-sized renewable facilities in other countries; population reduction; radical efficiency improvements and lifestyle changes; and the growth of non-renewable low

Solarthermie 2000 - Partial programme 3: Solar district heat - solar campus Juelich, feasibility study of the seasonal heat storage; Solarthermie 2000, Teilprogramm 3: Solare Nahwaerme - Solar-Campus Juelich, Machbarkeitsuntersuchung des saisonalen Waermespeichers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Braxein, A. [Iwu - Ingenieurgesellschaft fuer Wasser und Umwelt mbH, Aachen (Germany); Spaete, F.; Repschlaeger, H. [Solar-Inst. Juelich (Germany); Friedel, J. [Stadtwerke Juelich (Germany)

1998-12-31

The heart of the solar-assisted district heating system for the solar campus Juelich is going to be a seasonal underground store with a capacity of 2,500 cubic metres, e.g. a rather small long-term storage. The aim of the project was to prove the technical and financial feasibility of the underground store by developing a building concept for the storage and to determine whether this concept was also suitable for larger storage facilities. The design of the floating lid and the suitability of various building materials were studied by means of a physical model. The resulting storage concept shows an underground storage pit whose shape is an inverted square pyramid base with a seal of double-layer PP-foil and a thermal insulation of pressure-resistant mineral wool in the upper part. The lid consists of 16 square walk-on floating containers with an edge length of 6.50 metres and a height of 1.0 metre each. Tests and calculations showed that the concept can be realised. The building costs for the small storage with a capacity of 2,500 cubic metres will amount to approx. DM 370 per cubic metre, costs for larger volumes of 25,000 cubic metres will amount to approx. DM 150 DM per cubic metre of water stored. (orig.) [Deutsch] Das Kernstueck der solargestuetzten Nahwaermeversorgung fuer den Solar-Campus Juelich soll ein 2500 m{sup 3} grosser, saisonaler Erdbeckenspeicher bilden, also ein relativ kleiner Langzeitspeicher. Ziel des Vorhabens war, die technische und finanzielle Machbarkeit des geplanten Erdbeckenspeichers durch ein baureifes Speicherkonzept nachzuweisen sowie die Uebertragbarkeit auf grosse saisonale Speicher gleicher Bauart zu untersuchen. Die konstruktive Ausbildung der schwimmenden Deckelkonstruktion sowie die Eignung verschiedener Baumaterialien wurden mit Hilfe eines physikalischen Modells untersucht. Das resultierende Speicherkonzept sieht einen Erdbeckenspeicher in Form eines umgedrehten, quadratischen Pyramidenstumpfes mit einer Abdichtung aus

Precision enhancement of pavement roughness localization with connected vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bridgelall, R; Huang, Y; Zhang, Z; Deng, F

2016-01-01

Transportation agencies rely on the accurate localization and reporting of roadway anomalies that could pose serious hazards to the traveling public. However, the cost and technical limitations of present methods prevent their scaling to all roadways. Connected vehicles with on-board accelerometers and conventional geospatial position receivers offer an attractive alternative because of their potential to monitor all roadways in real-time. The conventional global positioning system is ubiquitous and essentially free to use but it produces impractically large position errors. This study evaluated the improvement in precision achievable by augmenting the conventional geo-fence system with a standard speed bump or an existing anomaly at a pre-determined position to establish a reference inertial marker. The speed sensor subsequently generates position tags for the remaining inertial samples by computing their path distances relative to the reference position. The error model and a case study using smartphones to emulate connected vehicles revealed that the precision in localization improves from tens of metres to sub-centimetre levels, and the accuracy of measuring localized roughness more than doubles. The research results demonstrate that transportation agencies will benefit from using the connected vehicle method to achieve precision and accuracy levels that are comparable to existing laser-based inertial profilers. (paper)

Gd-enhanced MR imaging of the herniated lumbar disc: patterns of enhancement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwag, Hyon Joo; Choi, Hye Young; Kim, Hyae Young; Kim, Yoo Kyung; Kim, Ah Young; Chung, Eun Chul

1995-01-01

The purpose of this study is to describe the patterns of enhancement of the herniated lumbar disc with Gd-DTPA enhanced MR imaging. Out of 65 patients, 103 lumbar discs diagnosed to be herniated by MR image were retrospectively analyzed. The MR imaging was performed with 1.5 T MR unit, using T1-and T2-weighted sagittal and axial spin echo techniques. Contrast-enhanced T1 weighted sagittal and axial images were performed after intravenous injection of Gadopentetate-dimeglumine(Magnevist, Shering) (0.1 mmol/kg). Contrast enhancement was seen in 66 cases(64%). Thirteen cases of bulging disc were not enhanced. Twenty-eight cases of protruded disc showed intraannular enchantment in 23 cases, peripheral linear and irregular enhancement in each of one case, and nonenhancement in three cases. Fifty-seven cases of extruded disc showed irregular enhancement in 14 cases, peripheral linear enhancement in 12 cases, peripheral ring enhancement in five cases and intraannular enhancement in five cases. All five cases of sequestered disc showed peripheral ring enhancement. Protruded discs show intraannular enhancement frequently and sequestered discs usually show peripheral ring enhancement. Enhanced MR imaging may be helpful to evaluate the type of herniated lumbar disc and relationship among disc material, nerve root and thecal sac

The Communication Enhancement through Telecommunication (ComET) project.

Science.gov (United States)

Blake, A

2000-09-01

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) has made strenuous efforts to address communication imperatives for its programme delivery to its member countries. Initially, it used the Internet to assist in programme delivery. However, the low availability and high costs of telecommunications in Noumea and Suva hampered these efforts. The use of PACNET (the communications service of the Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network) was very successful but restricted by communication capabilities and lack of connectivity. In 1998 the capacity was limited to 28.8 kilobytes per second (kbps) in Noumea and 1.9 kbps in Suva with no possibility of obtaining additional capacity at affordable costs through the commercial telecommunications carriers. The ComET project has now installed 7.2 metre antenna and associated equipment at each of the Secretariat's offices in Noumea and Suva. This allows 24 hour per day access to the PAS2 satellite for high speed transmission of voice, data and video traffic. Connection to the Offratel premises in Nouville via the Celeris high speed backbone operated by OPT has linked this to the internet and thereby to member countries and territories, and the rest of the world. The ComET project began transmission in March 2000 and has addressed communication problems, and thereby improved the SPC's programme delivery (examples given in this paper) to it's members at affordable costs within the Secretariats existing budget.

Souris River Basin Project. Saskatchewan, Canada - North Dakota, U.S.A. General Plan Report and Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

Science.gov (United States)

1987-11-01

complete flood protection. 9. Provide guidance and leadership in preventing unwise future development of the floodplain by use of appropriate...actuators. Structures need to be upgraded as a result of problems witn uneven settlement, deterioration of concrete, excessive vegetation growth, and...second (ft/s) ----- 0.3048 ---- metre per second (m/s) Slove foot per mile (ft/mi) ------ 0.1894 ---- metre per kilometre (m/kin) 1 ha = 10,000 m

Tip enhancement

CERN Document Server

Kawata, Satoshi

2007-01-01

This book discusses the recent advances in the area of near-field Raman scattering, mainly focusing on tip-enhanced and surface-enhanced Raman scattering. Some of the key features covered here are the optical structuring and manipulations, single molecule sensitivity, analysis of single-walled carbon nanotubes, and analytic applications in chemistry, biology and material sciences. This book also discusses the plasmonic materials for better enhancement, and optical antennas. Further, near-field microscopy based on second harmonic generation is also discussed. Chapters have been written by some of the leading scientists in this field, who present some of their recent work in this field.·Near-field Raman scattering·Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy·Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy·Nano-photonics·Nanoanalysis of Physical, chemical and biological materials beyond the diffraction limits·Single molecule detection

One- and two-dimensional Stirling machine simulation using experimentally generated reversing flow turbuulence models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldberg, L.F.

1990-08-01

The activities described in this report do not constitute a continuum but rather a series of linked smaller investigations in the general area of one- and two-dimensional Stirling machine simulation. The initial impetus for these investigations was the development and construction of the Mechanical Engineering Test Rig (METR) under a grant awarded by NASA to Dr. Terry Simon at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota. The purpose of the METR is to provide experimental data on oscillating turbulent flows in Stirling machine working fluid flow path components (heater, cooler, regenerator, etc.) with particular emphasis on laminar/turbulent flow transitions. Hence, the initial goals for the grant awarded by NASA were, broadly, to provide computer simulation backup for the design of the METR and to analyze the results produced. This was envisaged in two phases: First, to apply an existing one-dimensional Stirling machine simulation code to the METR and second, to adapt a two-dimensional fluid mechanics code which had been developed for simulating high Rayleigh number buoyant cavity flows to the METR. The key aspect of this latter component was the development of an appropriate turbulence model suitable for generalized application to Stirling simulation. A final-step was then to apply the two-dimensional code to an existing Stirling machine for which adequate experimental data exist. The work described herein was carried out over a period of three years on a part-time basis. Forty percent of the first year's funding was provided as a match to the NASA funds by the Underground Space Center, University of Minnesota, which also made its computing facilities available to the project at no charge

Penitentes as the Origin of the Bladed Terrain of Tartarus Dorsa on Pluto

Science.gov (United States)

Moores, John E.; Smith, Christina L.; Toigo, Anthony D.; Guzewich, Scott D.

2017-01-01

Penitentes are snow and ice features formed by erosion that, on Earth, are characterized by bowl-shaped depressions several tens of centimetres across, whose edges grade into spires up to several metres tall. Penitentes have been suggested as an explanation for anomalous radar data on Europa, but until now no penitentes have been identified conclusively on planetary bodies other than Earth. Regular ridges with spacings of 3,000 to 5,000 metres and depths of about 500 metres with morphologies that resemble penitentes have been observed by the New Horizons spacecraft in the Tartarus Dorsa region of Pluto (220 deg -250 deg E, 0 deg -20 deg N). Here we report simulations, based upon a recent model representing conditions on Pluto in which deepening penitentes reproduce both the tri-modal (north-south, east-west and northeast-southwest) orientation and the spacing of the ridges of this bladed terrain. At present, these penitentes deepen by approximately one centimetre per orbital cycle and grow only during periods of relatively high atmospheric pressure, suggesting a formation timescale of several tens of millions of years, consistent with crater ages. This timescale implies that the penitentes formed from initial topographic variations of no more than a few tens of metres, consistent with Plutos youngest terrains.

Three-dimentional growth of liver / stem cells in vitro under simulated microgravity

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Mei Fu

Liver is a important and largest parenchymatous organ in vivo, and have complex and diverse structures and functions. In the world, there are many peoples suffers from liver injury and dis-ease, especially in Asia, but serious shortage of donor organ, especially for organic pathological changes, is a big problem in the world. Stem cells have the capabilities to self-renew and differ-entiate into multiple lineages, and are very significant in both theoretical research and clinical applications. Compared with traditional cell culture, cells of 3D growth are more close to their situation in vivo. The specific physics environment in space provides a great opportunity for 3D growth of cells and tissues. Due to the chance for entering into the space is so scarce, to mimic microgravity effects using a rotating cell culture system (RCCS) designed by NASA, and some other methods were studied for cellular 3D growth in vitro. Neonatal mouse liver Cells, hepatic progenitor/stem cells from fetal liver and WB-F344 cells were cultured in a 1:1 mixture of DMEM and F-12 supplemented with 10 % FCS and several factors, and seeded into the RCCS, 6-well and 24-well plates. Their growth characteristic, metabolism, differentiation and gene expression were studied by SEM, Histochemistry, Flow Cytometry, RT-PCR and so on. The results showed: 1. Neonatal mouse liver Cells (1day after birth) seem easy to grow for a three-dimentional-like structure, when the cells were cultured in the RCCS, a cell aggregate formed after 1 day of culture and were kept during 10 days culture. The size of aggregate was about 1 2 mm in diameter. 2. Hepatic progenitor/stem cells from fetal liver seem a good cell resource for liver disease'cell therapy. They expressed AFP and CKs, and no mature hepato-cytes marker and bile duct epithelial cells marker were detected. When were transplanted into Nod-Scid mice, they had multi-potential differentiation. 3. WB-F344 cells, a liver epithelial cell line, could grew well on

Going green from Greenfields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Latimer, Cole

2010-01-01

Increasing environmental management concerns has seen a unique approach to coal mine planning in the Hunter region. Added to this is the introduction of more stringent government legislations regarding environmental management. Thermal coal company Wallarah Coal has undertaken a unique and 'environmentally sustainable' venture for its coal project in the very lower fringes of the Hunter Region. The proposed mine is near residential areas, a large body of water with coal depth at 350- 650 metres. They tackled the problem of subsidence firstly by narrowing the long wall and excavating only three metres on what has the potential for being a six metres seam; then only to mine 200 million tonnes at five million tonnes per annum. In short, Wallarah Coal sacrificed quantity for stream and water protection. They are also looking into reuse and recycling of water into the community.

Close in blasting and rock support at the Bhumibol Powerhouse, Thailand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murray, L.

1997-01-01

Blasting-related aspects of constructing a pump turbine unit addition to the Bhumibol hydroelectric power plant in Northwest Thailand as part of a retrofit pump storage scheme was described. The work was of particular interest because blasting frequently had to be carried out within one metre of the operating powerhouse for excavation and demolition of 50,000 cubic metre of rock and 5,000 cubic metre of reinforced concrete. Site conditions, work methods, and results of blast vibration monitoring and blast designs were summarized. Although there were severe constraints on the allowable peak particle velocities at the powerhouse electrical equipment, modern time delay blasting techniques were safely used to produce excellent results in a tightly controlled environment. The powerhouse was fully operational during the entire entire blasting phase of the construction project. 5 refs., 4 tabs., 8 figs

El mercado de trabajo brasileño: nuevos y viejos procesos y la expansión del circuito inferior

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marina Regitz Montenegro

2007-01-01

Full Text Available La intensificación de la participación de Brasil en la división internacional del trabajo implica la presencia cada vez mayor de los agentes de la economía globalizada y de sus actividades modernas en las grandes  metrópolis  del  país,  sobre  todo  en  São  Paulo,  que  se  destaca  en  el  escenario  internacional  como una de las llamadas ciudades “globales”. No obstante, las metrópolis acogen también un enorme abanico de actividades realizadas por la población pobre. Por tanto, estas metrópolis contienen diferentes divisiones del trabajo que coexisten y pueden analizarse como circuitos de la economía urbana (Santos, 1978.

Evaluation of renal cell carcinoma histological subtype and fuhrman grade using {sup 18}F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakajima, Reiko; Nozaki, Sayumi; Abe, Koichiro; Sakai, Shuji [Tokyo Women' s Medical University, Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Tokyo (Japan); Kondo, Tsunenori [Tokyo Women' s Medical University, Department of Urology, Tokyo (Japan); Nagashima, Yoji [Tokyo Women' s Medical University, Department of Surgical Pathology, Tokyo (Japan)

2017-11-15

We evaluated {sup 18}F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake by renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) to determine whether different histological subtypes and Fuhrman grades can be distinguished. We retrospectively reviewed the records and maximum standardised uptake value (SUVmax) of 147 patients with 154 RCCs who underwent FDG-positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) prior to tumour resection. The SUVmax was significantly lower in chromophobe RCC (chRCC) tumours than in clear cell RCC (ccRCC; p = 0.003) and papillary RCC (pRCC; p = 0.034) tumours. The mean tumour SUVmax was 4.58 ± 4.1 (range, 1.29-30.4) for ccRCC, 3.98 ± 1.9 (range, 0.49-6.72) for pRCC, and 1.93 ± 0.9 (range, 0.89-3.41) for chRCC. The SUVmax was not significantly different between the ccRCC and pRCC groups. In ccRCC and pRCC tumours, high-grade tumours had a significantly greater SUVmax (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05) than low-grade tumours by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Mann-Whitney U test. In ccRCC, multivariate regression analysis indicated that the SUVmax was a significant indicator of Fuhrman grade. No significant differences in uptake were observed between high- and low-grade chRCC tumours. The SUVmax obtained using FDG-PET/CT may be an important indicator for predicting tumour grade in ccRCC and pRCC. (orig.)

Selective and Irreversible Induction of Necroptotic Cell Death in Lung Tumorspheres by Short-Term Exposure to Verapamil in Combination with Sorafenib

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Sebastian Yakisich

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The presence of highly resistant cancer cells and the toxicity to normal cells are key factors that limit chemotherapy. Here, we used two models of highly resistant lung cancer cells: (1 adherent cells growing under prolonged periods of serum starvation (PPSS and (2 cells growing as floating tumorspheres (FTs to evaluate the effect of Verapamil (VP in combination with Sorafenib (SF. Compared to cells growing under routine culture conditions (RCCs, PPPS cells or FTs were highly sensitive to short-term exposure (24 h to VP 100 μM + SF 5 μM (VP100 + SF5. Recovery experiments exposing cells to VP100 + SF5 for 24 h followed by incubation in drug-free media for 48 h demonstrated that while PPSS as well as FT cells were unable to recover, cancer cells and the noncancerous cell line Beas-2B growing under RCCs were less sensitive and were also able to recover significantly. VP100 + SF5 induced significant changes in the expression of protein associated with apoptosis, autophagy, and to a lesser extent necroptosis. Coincubation experiments with z-VAD-FMK, necrostatin 1, or chloroquine showed evidence that necroptosis played a central role. Our data demonstrates that highly resistant cancer cells can be selectively eliminated by VP + SF and that necroptosis plays a central role.

Kidney cancer in Lebanon: a specific histological distribution?

Science.gov (United States)

Khafaja, Sarah; Kourie, Hampig Raphael; Matar, Dany; Sader-Ghorra, Claude; Kattan, Joseph

2015-01-01

Kidney cancer is the third most frequent urologic cancer in Lebanon after prostate and bladder cancer, accounting for 1.5% of all diagnosed cancers. In this paper, we report the histologic characteristics and distribution of kidney cancer, never described in Lebanon or the Middle East. Pathology results of operated kidney cancer were collected during a two year period (2010-2011) from two different Lebanese hospitals (Hotel-Dieu de France University Hospital and Saint Joseph Hospital). A total of 124 reports were reviewed and analyzed according to WHO classification of 2009. The 124 patients diagnosed with kidney cancer had a median age of 62.4 [18-86], 75% being men and 25% women. Some 71 % of the lesions were renal cell carcinoma (RCC), 25.8% had a urothelial histology, 1.6% were lymphomas and 1.6% were metastases to the kidney. Patients having RCC had a median age of 60.3 [18-85], 77.3% were men and 22.7% women. Of the RCCs, 59.1% were clear cell carcinoma, 22.7% papillary, 11.4% chromophobic, 3.4% rom the collecting ducts of Bellini and 3.4% were not otherwise classified. Histological distribution of Lebanese kidney cancer seems unusual when compared to the literature. The percentage of urothelial renal pelvis tumors is strikingly high. Moreover, clear cell carcinoma accounts for only 59.1% of RCCS in contrast to the 75% described elsewhere, while papillary carcinoma represents more than 22.7% compared to 10%.

The CNGS underground structures

CERN Multimedia

CERN-AC/DI/MM

2001-01-01

The protons supplied by the SPS will travel along a transfer line some 800 metres in length before entering a 125-m long target chamber, where they will bombard a graphite target. This process will produce pions and kaons, which will decay into muons and muon neutrinos inside the 1000-metre decay tube. The neutrinos will then commence their 730-km journey through the earth's crust to the detectors at the Gran Sasso Laboratory.

Radiation safety in aviation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-06-01

The guide presents the requirements governing radiation safety of aircrews exposed to cosmic radiation and monitoring of such exposure. It applies to enterprises engaged in aviation under a Finnish operating licence and to Finnish military aviation at altitudes exceeding 8,000 metres. The radiation exposure of aircrews at altitudes of less than 8,000 metres is so minimal that no special measures are generally required to investigate or limit exposure to radiation

COMPARISON OF IMAGE ENHANCEMENT METHODS FOR CHROMOSOME KARYOTYPE IMAGE ENHANCEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dewa Made Sri Arsa

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The chromosome is a set of DNA structure that carry information about our life. The information can be obtained through Karyotyping. The process requires a clear image so the chromosome can be evaluate well. Preprocessing have to be done on chromosome images that is image enhancement. The process starts with image background removing. The image will be cleaned background color. The next step is image enhancement. This paper compares several methods for image enhancement. We evaluate some method in image enhancement like Histogram Equalization (HE, Contrast-limiting Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE, Histogram Equalization with 3D Block Matching (HE+BM3D, and basic image enhancement, unsharp masking. We examine and discuss the best method for enhancing chromosome image. Therefore, to evaluate the methods, the original image was manipulated by the addition of some noise and blur. Peak Signal-to-noise Ratio (PSNR and Structural Similarity Index (SSIM are used to examine method performance. The output of enhancement method will be compared with result of Professional software for karyotyping analysis named Ikaros MetasystemT M . Based on experimental results, HE+BM3D method gets a stable result on both scenario noised and blur image.

Subendometrial enhancement and peritumoral enhancement for assessing endometrial cancer on dynamic contrast enhanced MR imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujii, Shinya; Kido, Aki; Baba, Tsukasa; Fujimoto, Koji; Daido, Sayaka; Matsumura, Noriomi; Konishi, Ikuo; Togashi, Kaori

2015-01-01

Highlights: •We have assessed the peritumoral enhancement (PTE), which mimics SEE on DCE. •We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of SEE for the myometrial invasion and the frequency of PTE. •We assessed the relationship between these enhancements and important pathologic factors. •PTE Type 1 is the main factor causing the overestimation of myometrial invasion using SEE on DCE. •PTE Type 2 correlates the myometrial invasion and may play an important role in the diagnosis of LVSI. -- Abstract: Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of subendometrial enhancement (SEE) in assessing the myometrial invasion in endometrial cancer, the frequency and clinical significance of peritumoral enhancement (PTE) on dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) imaging. Materials and methods: MR images of 147 patients with endometrial cancer were retrospectively analyzed for intact SEE and PTEs: Type 1, a focal early enhancement peritumorally, and Type 2, an irregular thin-layered early intense enhancement peritumorally. Two radiologists independently assessed intact SEE and PTEs on DCE imaging and compared the lesions by the presence and depth of myometrial invasion, grade, lymphovascular space involvement (LVSI), and lymph node metastasis. The relationship between SEE, PTEs, and each factor was analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and diagnostic accuracy were calculated for SEE. Results: The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and diagnostic accuracy for myometrial invasion based on SEE disruption on DCE were 96.6%, 32.1–46.4%, 85.8–88.5%, 69.2–76.5%, and 84.4–87.1%. According to multivariate analysis, SEE significantly predicted myometrial invasion (p < 0.0001). PTE Type 2 significantly predicted myometrial invasion presence (p < 0.05) and depth (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Diagnosis of myometrial invasion only by using SEE might be difficult on DCE-MRI due to the

Subendometrial enhancement and peritumoral enhancement for assessing endometrial cancer on dynamic contrast enhanced MR imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fujii, Shinya [Division of Radiology, Department of Pathophysiological and Therapeutic Science, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago (Japan); Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan); Kido, Aki, E-mail: akikido@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp [Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan); Baba, Tsukasa [Departments of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan); Fujimoto, Koji; Daido, Sayaka [Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan); Matsumura, Noriomi; Konishi, Ikuo [Departments of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan); Togashi, Kaori [Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan)

2015-04-15

Highlights: •We have assessed the peritumoral enhancement (PTE), which mimics SEE on DCE. •We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of SEE for the myometrial invasion and the frequency of PTE. •We assessed the relationship between these enhancements and important pathologic factors. •PTE Type 1 is the main factor causing the overestimation of myometrial invasion using SEE on DCE. •PTE Type 2 correlates the myometrial invasion and may play an important role in the diagnosis of LVSI. -- Abstract: Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of subendometrial enhancement (SEE) in assessing the myometrial invasion in endometrial cancer, the frequency and clinical significance of peritumoral enhancement (PTE) on dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) imaging. Materials and methods: MR images of 147 patients with endometrial cancer were retrospectively analyzed for intact SEE and PTEs: Type 1, a focal early enhancement peritumorally, and Type 2, an irregular thin-layered early intense enhancement peritumorally. Two radiologists independently assessed intact SEE and PTEs on DCE imaging and compared the lesions by the presence and depth of myometrial invasion, grade, lymphovascular space involvement (LVSI), and lymph node metastasis. The relationship between SEE, PTEs, and each factor was analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and diagnostic accuracy were calculated for SEE. Results: The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and diagnostic accuracy for myometrial invasion based on SEE disruption on DCE were 96.6%, 32.1–46.4%, 85.8–88.5%, 69.2–76.5%, and 84.4–87.1%. According to multivariate analysis, SEE significantly predicted myometrial invasion (p < 0.0001). PTE Type 2 significantly predicted myometrial invasion presence (p < 0.05) and depth (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Diagnosis of myometrial invasion only by using SEE might be difficult on DCE-MRI due to the

Stage-dependent prognostic impact of molecular signatures in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weber T

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Thomas Weber,1,2 Matthias Meinhardt,3 Stefan Zastrow,1 Andreas Wienke,4 Kati Erdmann,1 Jörg Hofmann,1 Susanne Fuessel,1 Manfred P Wirth11Department of Urology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany; 2Department of Oncology and Hematology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale, Germany; 3Institute of Pathology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany; 4Institute of Medical Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Informatics, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale, GermanyPurpose: To enhance prognostic information of protein biomarkers for clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs, we analyzed them within prognostic groups of ccRCC harboring different tumor characteristics of this clinically and molecularly heterogeneous tumor entity.Methods: Tissue microarrays from 145 patients with primary ccRCC were immunohistochemically analyzed for VHL (von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor, Ki67 (marker of proliferation 1, p53 (tumor protein p53, p21 (cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A, survivin (baculoviral IAP repeat containing 5, and UEA-1 (ulex europaeus agglutinin I to assess microvessel-density.Results: When analyzing all patients, nuclear staining of Ki67 (hazard ratio [HR] 1.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04–1.12 and nuclear survivin (nS; HR 1.04, 95% CI 1.01–1.08 were significantly associated with disease-specific survival (DSS. In the cohort of patients with advanced localized or metastasized ccRCC, high staining of Ki67, p53 and nS predicted shorter DSS (Ki67: HR 1.07, 95% CI 1.02–1.11; p53: HR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01–1.09; nS: HR 1.08, 95% CI 1.02–1.14. In organ-confined ccRCC, patients with high p21-staining had a longer DSS (HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.92–0.99. In a multivariate model with stepwise backward elimination, tumor size and p21-staining showed a significant association with DSS in patients with "organ-confined" ccRCCs. The p21-staining increased the concordance index of tumor size from

Pancultural self-enhancement.

Science.gov (United States)

Sedikides, Constantine; Gaertner, Lowell; Toguchi, Yoshiyasu

2003-01-01

The culture movement challenged the universality of the self-enhancement motive by proposing that the motive is pervasive in individualistic cultures (the West) but absent in collectivistic cultures (the East). The present research posited that Westerners and Easterners use different tactics to achieve the same goal: positive self-regard. Study 1 tested participants from differing cultural backgrounds (the United States vs. Japan), and Study 2 tested participants of differing self-construals (independent vs. interdependent). Americans and independents self-enhanced on individualistic attributes, whereas Japanese and interdependents self-enhanced on collectivistic attributes. Independents regarded individualistic attributes, whereas interdependents regarded collectivistic attributes, as personally important. Attribute importance mediated self-enhancement. Regardless of cultural background or self-construal, people self-enhance on personally important dimensions. Self-enhancement is a universal human motive.

Uncertainty aspects of the digital elevation model for the Forsmark area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stroemgren, Maarten; Brydsten, Lars (Umeaa Univ., Umeaa (Sweden))

2009-10-15

A digital elevation model (DEM) describes the terrain relief. A proper DEM is an important data source for many of the different site description models conducted in the Forsmark region. Input data for the Forsmark DEM is elevation data for both land and sea areas of different origin and quality. No statistical analysis of the error in the Forsmark DEM is so far carried out. However, the Forsmark DEM is part of the quality assessment of the regolith depth model for the Forsmark area since it represents the upper surface of the regolith depth model. The aim of this project was to calculate the errors in different areas in the Forsmark DEM and present them in terms of general descriptive statistics. Measurements have confirmed the knowledge that the 0.25-metre DEM produced from the laser scanning measurements in the Laxemar-Simpevarp area is of very high quality. The 0.25-metre DEM was used to calculate the errors of the 10 and 50-metre DEMs, and the errors for different sea shoreline sources. These error distributions were placed randomly among points for the same data sources in the Forsmark area and used for correction of the original elevation levels. Using the corrected input data for the 10 and 50-metre DEMs and for the sea shoreline, a new DEM was produced. All other input data remained unchanged. The error for the Forsmark DEM was calculated for areas within the data sources corrected from the 0.25-metre DEM. The 0.25-metre DEM from the Laxemar-Simpevarp area was also used for a calculation of how density of input data points used in interpolation affects quality in a 20-metre DEM. Part of the input data was removed in the sea area, new DEMs were produced and compared to the existing Forsmark DEM within the areas of the removed data, to get a measure of the error in these areas of the DEM. In areas of input data for the sea shoreline, the quality of the Forsmark DEM is high. The errors within the SKB 10-metre DEM are slightly less than within the extension

Uncertainty aspects of the digital elevation model for the Forsmark area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stroemgren, Maarten; Brydsten, Lars

2009-10-01

A digital elevation model (DEM) describes the terrain relief. A proper DEM is an important data source for many of the different site description models conducted in the Forsmark region. Input data for the Forsmark DEM is elevation data for both land and sea areas of different origin and quality. No statistical analysis of the error in the Forsmark DEM is so far carried out. However, the Forsmark DEM is part of the quality assessment of the regolith depth model for the Forsmark area since it represents the upper surface of the regolith depth model. The aim of this project was to calculate the errors in different areas in the Forsmark DEM and present them in terms of general descriptive statistics. Measurements have confirmed the knowledge that the 0.25-metre DEM produced from the laser scanning measurements in the Laxemar-Simpevarp area is of very high quality. The 0.25-metre DEM was used to calculate the errors of the 10 and 50-metre DEMs, and the errors for different sea shoreline sources. These error distributions were placed randomly among points for the same data sources in the Forsmark area and used for correction of the original elevation levels. Using the corrected input data for the 10 and 50-metre DEMs and for the sea shoreline, a new DEM was produced. All other input data remained unchanged. The error for the Forsmark DEM was calculated for areas within the data sources corrected from the 0.25-metre DEM. The 0.25-metre DEM from the Laxemar-Simpevarp area was also used for a calculation of how density of input data points used in interpolation affects quality in a 20-metre DEM. Part of the input data was removed in the sea area, new DEMs were produced and compared to the existing Forsmark DEM within the areas of the removed data, to get a measure of the error in these areas of the DEM. In areas of input data for the sea shoreline, the quality of the Forsmark DEM is high. The errors within the SKB 10-metre DEM are slightly less than within the extension

Enhanced MRI in patients with facial palsy; Study of time-related enhancement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yanagida, Masahiro; Kato, Tsutomu; Ushiro, Koichi; Kitajiri, Masanori; Yamashita, Toshio; Kumazawa, Tadami; Tanaka, Yoshimasa (Kansai Medical School, Moriguchi, Osaka (Japan))

1991-03-01

We performed Gd-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations at several stages in 40 patients with peripheral facial nerve palsy (Bell's palsy and Ramsay-Hunt syndrome). In 38 of the 40 patients, one and more enhanced region could be seen in certain portion of the facial nerve in the temporal bone on the affected side, whereas no enhanced regions were seen on the intact side. Correlations between the timing of the MRI examination and the location of the enhanced regions were analysed. In all 6 patients examined by MRI within 5 days after the onset of facial nerve palsy, enhanced regions were present in the meatal portion. In 3 of the 8 patients (38%) examined by MRI 6 to 10 days after the onset of facial palsy, enhanced areas were seen in both the meatal and labyrinthine portions. In 8 of the 9 patients (89%) tested 11 to 20 days after the onset of palsy, the vertical portion was enhanced. In the 12 patients examined by MRI 21 to 40 days after the onset of facial nerve palsy, the meatal portion was not enhanced while the labyrinthine portion, the horizontal portion and the vertical portion were enhanced in 5 (42%), 8 (67%) and 11 (92%), respectively. Enhancement in the vertical portion was observed in all 5 patients examined more than 41 days after the onset of facial palsy. These results suggest that the central portion of the facial nerve in the temporal bone tends to be enhanced in the early stage of facial nerve palsy, while the peripheral portion is enhanced in the late stage. These changes of Gd-DTPA enhanced regions in the facial nerve may suggest dromic degeneration of the facial nerve in peripheral facial nerve palsy. (author).

Energy statistics for one- and two-dwelling buildings in 2007; Energistatistik foer smaahus 2007

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2009-01-15

The survey of energy statistics in 2007 on one- and two-dwelling buildings, including agricultural one- and two-dwelling buildings, is based on a sample of 6,849 buildings. The survey was carried out as a mail survey in June 2007. The non-response rate was 37 percent. The presentation provides data on energy use, number of one- and two-dwelling buildings, and heated floor areas for the total population and for various subdivisions. The use of oil for hot water and heating of one- and two-dwelling buildings has decreased by 23 percent compared to 2006, and by 71 percent the last 5 years. The number of air heat pumps increased by 41 per cent compared to 2006 and the total number of heat pumps increased from over 500 000 to over 650 000. More than 45 percent of the one- and two-dwelling buildings are heated by electricity exclusively, including buildings heated by air heat pump. About 20 percent are heated by a combination of bio fuel and electricity and about 3 percent are heated by oil exclusively. 17,200 kWh electricity per household in one- and two-dwelling buildings heated by direct electricity exclusively and 20,300 kWh in one- and two-dwelling buildings heated by water-borne electricity exclusively or 132 kWh per square metre of heated surface area (incl. electricity for household purposes). 2.8 cubic metres of oil per household in one- and two-dwelling buildings heated by oil exclusively or 19.9 litres of oil per square metre of heated surface area. 13.5 TWh electricity for households in one- and two-dwelling buildings, including the electricity used in combinations with other types of heating, but excluding electricity for household purposes which is estimated to 10,4 TWh. 258,000 cubic metres of oil (about 2.6 TWh) for households in one- and two-dwelling buildings. This includes mixed heating. 6.6 millions cubic metres of firewood in one- and two-dwelling buildings, 975,000 cubic metres of wood chips and 461,000 tons of pellets. This amount corresponds to 11

Excitation enhancement and extraction enhancement with photonic crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Shapira, Ofer; Soljacic, Marin; Zhen, Bo; Chua, Song-Liang; Lee, Jeongwon; Joannopoulos, John

2015-03-03

Disclosed herein is a system for stimulating emission from at least one an emitter, such as a quantum dot or organic molecule, on the surface of a photonic crystal comprising a patterned dielectric substrate. Embodiments of this system include a laser or other source that illuminates the emitter and the photonic crystal, which is characterized by an energy band structure exhibiting a Fano resonance, from a first angle so as to stimulate the emission from the emitter at a second angle. The coupling between the photonic crystal and the emitter may result in spectral and angular enhancement of the emission through excitation and extraction enhancement. These enhancement mechanisms also reduce the emitter's lasing threshold. For instance, these enhancement mechanisms enable lasing of a 100 nm thick layer of diluted organic molecules solution with reduced threshold intensity. This reduction in lasing threshold enables more efficient organic light emitting devices and more sensitive molecular sensing.

Detectability of hepatocellular carcinoma: comparison of Gd-DTPA-enhanced and SPIO-enhanced MR imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwak, Hyo Sung; Lee, Jeong Min; Kim In Hwan; Kim, Chong Soo; Han, Hyeun Young; Yoon, Kwon ha; Shin, Kyung Sook

2000-01-01

To compare the detectability of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO)-enhanced T2-weighted turbo spin echo (TSE), SPIO-enhanced T2-weighted FISP, and dynamic Gd-DTPA-enhanced fast low-angle shot (FLASH) MR images. In order to assess their hepatic lesions, 25 patients (20 men and 5 women) with HCC were enrolled in an MR study in which both gadolinium and Spiro were used. Since the lesions were most conspicuous during the phase of dynamic arterial dominant phase of dynamic gadolinium-enhanced imaging, this was the phase used for analysis. Images were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively, and to compare the diagnostic value of gadolinium-enhanced imaging with that of SPIO-enhanced imaging for the detection of HCCs, a receiver-operated characteristic curve was obtained. Qualitative analysis revealed a significantly higher percentage of signal loss and a higher liver-lesion contrast-to-noise ratio on SPIO-enhanced FISP imaging than on SPIO-enhanced T2-weighted TSE imaging (p less than 0.05). It also showed that the lesions were most clearly visible on SPIO-enhanced FISP imaging (and significantly so), followed by SPIO-enhanced T2-weighted TSE imaging, and dynamic gadolinium-enhanced imaging. Imaging artifacts were more prominent on SPIO-enhanced T2-weighted TSE than on SPIO-enhanced PISF imaging or dynamic gadolinium-enhanced imaging (p less than 0.05). According to ROC analysis, SPIO-enhanced T2-weighted turbo spin echo (TSE) or SPIO-enhanced FISP imaging achieved higher accuracy than did dynamic gadolinium-enhanced FLASH imaging (p less than 0.05). For the detection of hepatocellular carcinomas, SPIO-enhanced MR imaging is better than gadolinium-enhanced FLASH imaging

Rotational seismology

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, William H K.

2016-01-01

Rotational seismology is an emerging study of all aspects of rotational motions induced by earthquakes, explosions, and ambient vibrations. It is of interest to several disciplines, including seismology, earthquake engineering, geodesy, and earth-based detection of Einstein’s gravitation waves.Rotational effects of seismic waves, together with rotations caused by soil–structure interaction, have been observed for centuries (e.g., rotated chimneys, monuments, and tombstones). Figure 1a shows the rotated monument to George Inglis observed after the 1897 Great Shillong earthquake. This monument had the form of an obelisk rising over 19 metres high from a 4 metre base. During the earthquake, the top part broke off and the remnant of some 6 metres rotated about 15° relative to the base. The study of rotational seismology began only recently when sensitive rotational sensors became available due to advances in aeronautical and astronomical instrumentations.

Quantitative analysis of enhanced malignant and benign lesions on contrast-enhanced spectral mammography.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Chih-Ying; Juan, Yu-Hsiang; Cheung, Yun-Chung; Lin, Yu-Ching; Lo, Yung-Feng; Lin, GiGin; Chen, Shin-Cheh; Ng, Shu-Hang

2018-02-27

To retrospectively analyze the quantitative measurement and kinetic enhancement among pathologically proven benign and malignant lesions using contrast-enhanced spectral mammography (CESM). We investigated the differences in enhancement between 44 benign and 108 malignant breast lesions in CESM, quantifying the extent of enhancements and the relative enhancements between early (between 2-3 min after contrast medium injection) and late (3-6 min) phases. The enhancement was statistically stronger in malignancies compared to benign lesions, with good performance by the receiver operating characteristic curve [0.877, 95% confidence interval (0.813-0.941)]. Using optimal cut-off value at 220.94 according to Youden index, the sensitivity was 75.9%, specificity 88.6%, positive likelihood ratio 6.681, negative likelihood ratio 0.272 and accuracy 82.3%. The relative enhancement patterns of benign and malignant lesions, showing 29.92 vs 73.08% in the elevated pattern, 7.14 vs 92.86% in the steady pattern, 5.71 vs 94.29% in the depressed pattern, and 80.00 vs 20.00% in non-enhanced lesions (p < 0.0001), respectively. Despite variations in the degree of tumour angiogenesis, quantitative analysis of the breast lesions on CESM documented the malignancies had distinctive stronger enhancement and depressed relative enhancement patterns than benign lesions. Advances in knowledge: To our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating the feasibility of quantifying lesion enhancement on CESM. The quantities of enhancement were informative for assessing breast lesions in which the malignancies had stronger enhancement and more relative depressed enhancement than the benign lesions.

Enhancement pattern of hilar cholangiocarcinoma: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound versus contrast-enhanced computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Huixiong; Chen Lida; Xie Xiaoyan; Xie Xiaohua; Xu Zuofeng; Liu Guangjian; Lin Manxia; Wang Zhu; Lu Mingde

2010-01-01

Objective: To compare the enhancement pattern of hilar cholangiocarcinoma on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) with that on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT). Methods: Thirty-two consecutive patients with pathologically proven hilar cholangiocarcinomas were evaluated by both low mechanical index CEUS and CECT. The enhancement feature of the tumor, portal vein infiltration, and lesion conspicuity on them was investigated. Results: In the arterial phase, the numbers of the lesions showing hyperenhancement, isoenhancement, and hypoenhancement, were 14 (43.8%), 14 (43.8%), and 4 (12.6%), on CEUS, and 12 (37.5%), 9 (28.1%), and 11 (34.4%), on CECT (P = 0.162). In portal phase, the numbers of the lesions showing hypoenhancement, isoenhancement, and hyperenhancement were 30 (93.8%), 1 (3.1%), and 1 (3.1%), on CEUS, and 23 (71.9%), 8 (25.0%), and 1 (3.1%), on CECT (P = 0.046). The detection rates for portal vein infiltration were 84.2% (16/19) for baseline ultrasound, 89.5% (17/19) for CEUS, and 78.9% (15/19) for CECT (all P > 0.05 between every two groups). CEUS significantly improved the lesion conspicuity in comparison with CECT. CEUS and CECT made correct diagnoses in 30 (93.8%) and 25 (78.1%) lesions prior to pathological examination (P = 0.125). Conclusion: The enhancement pattern of hilar cholangiocarcinoma on CEUS was similar with that on CECT in arterial phase, whereas in portal phase hilar cholangiocarcinoma shows hypoenhancement more likely on CEUS. CEUS and CECT lead to similar results in evaluating portal vein infiltration and diagnosis of this entity.

Enhancement pattern of hilar cholangiocarcinoma: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound versus contrast-enhanced computed tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu Huixiong, E-mail: xuhuixiong@hotmail.co [Department of Medical Ultrasonics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Ultrasound, Sun Yat-Sen University, 58 Zhongshan Road 2, Guangzhou 510080 (China); Chen Lida; Xie Xiaoyan; Xie Xiaohua; Xu Zuofeng; Liu Guangjian; Lin Manxia; Wang Zhu [Department of Medical Ultrasonics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Ultrasound, Sun Yat-Sen University, 58 Zhongshan Road 2, Guangzhou 510080 (China); Lu Mingde, E-mail: lumd@21cn.co [Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, 58 Zhongshan Road 2, Guangzhou 510080 (China)

2010-08-15

Objective: To compare the enhancement pattern of hilar cholangiocarcinoma on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) with that on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT). Methods: Thirty-two consecutive patients with pathologically proven hilar cholangiocarcinomas were evaluated by both low mechanical index CEUS and CECT. The enhancement feature of the tumor, portal vein infiltration, and lesion conspicuity on them was investigated. Results: In the arterial phase, the numbers of the lesions showing hyperenhancement, isoenhancement, and hypoenhancement, were 14 (43.8%), 14 (43.8%), and 4 (12.6%), on CEUS, and 12 (37.5%), 9 (28.1%), and 11 (34.4%), on CECT (P = 0.162). In portal phase, the numbers of the lesions showing hypoenhancement, isoenhancement, and hyperenhancement were 30 (93.8%), 1 (3.1%), and 1 (3.1%), on CEUS, and 23 (71.9%), 8 (25.0%), and 1 (3.1%), on CECT (P = 0.046). The detection rates for portal vein infiltration were 84.2% (16/19) for baseline ultrasound, 89.5% (17/19) for CEUS, and 78.9% (15/19) for CECT (all P > 0.05 between every two groups). CEUS significantly improved the lesion conspicuity in comparison with CECT. CEUS and CECT made correct diagnoses in 30 (93.8%) and 25 (78.1%) lesions prior to pathological examination (P = 0.125). Conclusion: The enhancement pattern of hilar cholangiocarcinoma on CEUS was similar with that on CECT in arterial phase, whereas in portal phase hilar cholangiocarcinoma shows hypoenhancement more likely on CEUS. CEUS and CECT lead to similar results in evaluating portal vein infiltration and diagnosis of this entity.

Regulation of longevity and oxidative stress by nutritional interventions: role of methionine restriction.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanchez-Roman, Ines; Barja, Gustavo

2013-10-01

Comparative studies indicate that long-lived mammals have low rates of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production (mtROSp) and oxidative damage in their mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Dietary restriction (DR), around 40%, extends the mean and maximum life span of a wide range of species and lowers mtROSp and oxidative damage to mtDNA, which supports the mitochondrial free radical theory of aging (MFRTA). Regarding the dietary factor responsible for the life extension effect of DR, neither carbohydrate nor lipid restriction seems to modify maximum longevity. However protein restriction (PR) and methionine restriction (at least 80% MetR) increase maximum lifespan in rats and mice. Interestingly, only 7weeks of 40% PR (at least in liver) or 40% MetR (in all the studied organs, heart, brain, liver or kidney) is enough to decrease mtROSp and oxidative damage to mtDNA in rats, whereas neither carbohydrate nor lipid restriction changes these parameters. In addition, old rats also conserve the capacity to respond to 7weeks of 40% MetR with these beneficial changes. Most importantly, 40% MetR, differing from what happens during both 40% DR and 80% MetR, does not decrease growth rate and body size of rats. All the available studies suggest that the decrease in methionine ingestion that occurs during DR is responsible for part of the aging-delaying effect of this intervention likely through the decrease of mtROSp and ensuing DNA damage that it exerts. We conclude that lowering mtROS generation is a conserved mechanism, shared by long-lived species and dietary, protein, and methionine restricted animals, that decreases damage to macromolecules situated near the complex I mtROS generator, especially mtDNA. This would decrease the accumulation rate of somatic mutations in mtDNA and maybe finally also in nuclear DNA. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Incidenza della meticillino-resistenza in Staphylococcus aureus e stafilococchi coagulasi-negativi isolati da emocolture

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Alessandra Siddi

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Staphylococci are major cause of nosocomial blood stream infections.This local surveillance study was carry out to monitor frequency of occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS in blood stream infections and the incidence of methicillin-resistant (MET-R strains. Materials and methods: During the period January – December 2006, 9840 blood specimens were analyzed and microrganisms from positive samples were collected. Bacterial identifications were performed according to the standard methods (Murray, 2003.We evaluated, in particular, the antibiotic-resistance phenotype of staphylococci employing disk diffusion test as suggested by the CLSI (2006. The following antimicrobial agents were tested: oxacillin, penicillin, amoxiciclin-clavulanate, cefalotin, cefamandole, imipenem, teicoplanin, linezolid, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, clindamicin, rifampicin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, gentamicin, doxiciclin, fosfomycin. Results: The microrganisms isolated were 551: 370 Gram-positives (67%, 131 Gram-negatives (24%, 11 anaerobes (2% and 39 mycetes (7%. In particular, 121 S. epidermidis, 75 S. aureus, 42 S. haemolyticus and other 39 CoNS were analyzed: methicillin-resistance occurred in more than 80% of S.aureus strains collected from Intensive Care Units (ICU and in about 50 % of those isolated from other divisions. In CoNS the incidence of MET-R ranged from 30 to 80 %, the higher values were registered among S. epidermidis and S. haemolyticus. MET-R strains were characterized by high resistance rates even to ciprofloxacin (from 47 to 100%, erythromycin (from 70 to 100%, and in same cases to gentamicin (from 23 to 86% also. Conclusions: Staphylococci are the prevalent cause of blood stream infections.The distinctive feature of MET-R strains is their resistance not only to all b-lactam antibiotics, but also to a wide range of other antimicrobial agents. However, the glycopeptide teicoplanin remains 100

Os artífices da metrópole: anotações sobre a transformação da vida urbana carioca depois da Belle Époque The craftsmen in the metropolis: notes on the transformations of the carioca urban life after the Edwardian era

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

André Luiz Paulilo

2004-08-01

Full Text Available O artigo propõe-se a evidenciar o repertório de práticas envolvido na remodelação urbana da cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Depois de apresentar as referências históricas que presidiram a análise, o texto aponta as ilusões, as marcas e as transformações da vida carioca ocorridas com a assunção geral e vertiginosa do urbano. O texto detém-se na consolidação dos instrumentos de intervenção social nos centros de maior concentração populacional. Ele é desenvolvido segundo três eixos: o urbanismo, a reforma social e a educação pública. O artigo conclui circunscrevendo o alcance do esforço realizado depois da Belle Époque para fazer do Rio de Janeiro uma metrópole cosmopolita.This paper aims at highlighting the repertory of practices wrapped up in the urban remodeling of the city of Rio de Janeiro. After presenting the historical references governing its analyses, the text pinpoints the illusions, marks and transformations of the carioca life that followed the generic and vertiginous assumption of urbanity. The text dwells on the consolidation of the instruments of social intervention in the centers of major population concentration. It develops according to three axes: urbanism, the social reforms and public education. The paper concludes delineating the reach of the effort realized after the Edwardian era to make Rio de Janeiro into a cosmopolitan metropolis.

Enhancement patterns and pseudo-washout of hepatic haemangiomas on gadoxetate disodium-enhanced liver MRI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Bohyun [University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Ajou University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Suwon (Korea, Republic of); Byun, Jae Ho; Kim, Hyoung Jung; Won, Hyung Jin; Kim, So Yeon; Shin, Yong Moon; Kim, Pyo Nyun [University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2016-01-15

To compare the enhancement patterns and prevalence of pseudo-washout between rapidly and slowly enhancing hepatic haemangiomas on gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) and healthy liver (HL). On gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI, the extent of intralesional arterial enhancement >50 % and ≤50 % of lesions was defined as rapid and slow enhancement, respectively. The enhancement patterns and presence of pseudo-washout during the portal venous phase (PVP) and transitional phase (TP) of 74 hepatic haemangiomas were retrospectively evaluated in the CLD and HL groups. Sequential changes of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were measured in unenhanced phase, PVP and TP. Irrespective of hepatic health status, pseudo-washout in TP was significantly more common in the rapidly enhancing haemangiomas (p ≤ 0.026). In both groups, rapidly enhancing haemangiomas showed complete or progressive incomplete enhancement in PVP, which either lasted or transformed to pseudo-washout in TP, whereas slowly enhancing haemangiomas showed progressive incomplete enhancement in PVP and TP. SNR of hepatic parenchyma continued to rise until TP, whereas that of portal vein and haemangioma falls in TP. Regardless of CLD, pseudo-washout in TP was more common in rapidly than in slowly enhancing haemangiomas, with enhancement patterns differing in the two subgroups. (orig.)

Enhancement patterns and pseudo-washout of hepatic haemangiomas on gadoxetate disodium-enhanced liver MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Bohyun; Byun, Jae Ho; Kim, Hyoung Jung; Won, Hyung Jin; Kim, So Yeon; Shin, Yong Moon; Kim, Pyo Nyun

2016-01-01

To compare the enhancement patterns and prevalence of pseudo-washout between rapidly and slowly enhancing hepatic haemangiomas on gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) and healthy liver (HL). On gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI, the extent of intralesional arterial enhancement >50 % and ≤50 % of lesions was defined as rapid and slow enhancement, respectively. The enhancement patterns and presence of pseudo-washout during the portal venous phase (PVP) and transitional phase (TP) of 74 hepatic haemangiomas were retrospectively evaluated in the CLD and HL groups. Sequential changes of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were measured in unenhanced phase, PVP and TP. Irrespective of hepatic health status, pseudo-washout in TP was significantly more common in the rapidly enhancing haemangiomas (p ≤ 0.026). In both groups, rapidly enhancing haemangiomas showed complete or progressive incomplete enhancement in PVP, which either lasted or transformed to pseudo-washout in TP, whereas slowly enhancing haemangiomas showed progressive incomplete enhancement in PVP and TP. SNR of hepatic parenchyma continued to rise until TP, whereas that of portal vein and haemangioma falls in TP. Regardless of CLD, pseudo-washout in TP was more common in rapidly than in slowly enhancing haemangiomas, with enhancement patterns differing in the two subgroups. (orig.)

development and testing of a capacitive digital soil moisture metre

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

soil moisture meter using the NE555 timer and micro controller as a major electronic component ... relationship between the moisture content process and the digital soil moisture meter. ..... the moisture contents showing that the infiltration of.

De Pueblos, Ciudades Y Metrópolis: Urbanitas Y Urbanismos

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Juan José Plata

2002-02-01

Full Text Available En este ensayo se busca dar cuenta de los procesos de cambio sociocultural de pueblos y ciudades a partir de mi propia experiencia como urbanita migrante, pues como señala Manuel Delgado[1] ser urbanita es ser habitante del espacio público, en múltiples viajes, en cruces inesperados, en los que se construye ese modo de ser urbano que no se puede reducir a la ciudad, a sus múltiples dispositivos, es más expresión de esa características emergentes del modo de habitarla en tanto ciudadanos y urbanitas. La experiencia que se recorre es la vivencia transcurrida del pueblo (La Mesa a la ciudad moderna (Medellín, Bogotá, en sus múltiples idas y vueltas.Dado que la población de la ciudad no se reproduce a sí misma, ha de reclutar a sus inmigrantes en otras ciudades, en el campo y en otros países. La ciudad ha sido así históricamente crisol de razas, pueblos y culturas y un vivero propicio de híbridos culturales y biológicos nuevos. No sólo ha tolerado las diferencias individuales, las ha fomentado. Ha unido a individuos procedentes de puntos extremos del planeta porque eran diferentes y útiles por ello mutuamente, más que porque fuesen homogéneos y similares en su mentalidad. Louis Wirth, "El urbanismo como forma de vida"

Temporalidades e territorialidades juvenis em uma metrópole brasileira

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Silvia Helena Simões Borelli

2005-10-01

Full Text Available El artículo analiza interconexiones entre experimentaciones temporales y vivencias territoriales de jóvenes urbanos (São Paulo, Brasil. Se basa en el adensamiento del debate sobre juventud en la contemporaneidad y, anclándose en diferentes instrumentos de campo propone la delimitación de ejes teórico-metodológicos capaces de detectar “mapas de tensiones” y destacar, entre otros: nomadismos, moratoria social, temporalidades y socialidades, revelados en especial en los modos de construcción subjetiva propiciados por la ocupación de espacios urbanos públicos y privados.

development and testing of a capacitive digital soil moisture metre

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper presents a low cost, simple digital soil moisture meter, working on the principle of dielectric. A digital soil moisture meter using the NE555 timer and micro controller as a major electronic component was developed and tested, which display its output in a range of 0.0 to 99% on the 7-segment displayed unit.

EDITORIAL: Enhancing nanolithography Enhancing nanolithography

Science.gov (United States)

Demming, Anna

2012-01-01

Lithography was invented in late 18th century Bavaria by an ambitious young playwright named Alois Senefelder. Senefelder experimented with stone, wax, water and ink in the hope of finding a way of reproducing text so that he might financially gain from a wider distribution of his already successful scripts. His discovery not only facilitated the profitability of his plays, but also provided the world with an affordable printing press that would ultimately democratize the dissemination of art, knowledge and literature. Since Senefelder, experiments in lithography have continued with a range of innovations including the use of electron beams and UV that allow increasingly higher-resolution features [1, 2]. Applications for this have now breached the limits of paper printing into the realms of semiconductor and microelectronic mechanical systems technology. In this issue, researchers demonstrate a technique for fabricating periodic features in poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT-PSS) [3]. Their method combines field enhancements from silica nanospheres with laser-interference lithography to provide a means of patterning a polymer that has the potential to open the market of low-end, high-volume microelectronics. Laser-interference lithography has already been used successfully in patterning. Researchers in Korea used laser-interference lithography to generate stamps for imprinting a two-dimensional photonic crystal structure into green light emitting diodes (LEDs) [4]. The imprinted patterns comprised depressions 100 nm deep and 180 nm wide with a periodicity of 295 nm. In comparison with unpatterned LEDs, the intensity of photoluminescence was enhanced by a factor of seven in the LEDs that had the photonic crystal structures imprinted in them. The potential of exploiting field enhancements around nanostructures for new technologies has also attracted a great deal of attention. Researchers in the USA and Australia have used the field

Models of bedrock surface and overburden thickness over Olkiluoto island and nearby sea area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moenkkoenen, H. [WSP Finland Oy, Helsinki (Finland)

2012-04-15

In this report, a model of bedrock surface and a model of overburden thickness over the Olkiluoto Island and the nearby sea area are presented. Also in purpose to produce material for biosphere and radionuclide transport modelling, stratigraphy models of different sediment layers were created at two priority areas north and south of the Olkiluoto Island. The work concentrated on the collection and description of available data of bedrock surface and overburden thickness. Because the information on the bedrock surface and overburden is collected from different sources and is based on a number of types of data the quality and applicability of data sets varies. Consequently also the reliability in different parts of the models varies. Input data for the bedrock surface and overburden thickness models include 2928 single points and additional outcrops observations (611 polygons) in the modelled area. In addition, the input data include 173 seismic refraction lines (6534 points) and acousticseismic sounding lines (26655 points from which 13721 points are located in model area) in the Olkiluoto offshore area. The average elevation of bedrock surface in area is 2.1 metres above the sea level. The average thickness of overburden is 2.5 metres varying typically between 2 - 4 metres. Thickest overburden covers (approximately 16 metres) of terrestrial area are located at the western end of the Olkiluoto Island and in sea basin south of the island. (orig.)

Models of bedrock surface and overburden thickness over Olkiluoto island and nearby sea area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moenkkoenen, H.

2012-04-01

In this report, a model of bedrock surface and a model of overburden thickness over the Olkiluoto Island and the nearby sea area are presented. Also in purpose to produce material for biosphere and radionuclide transport modelling, stratigraphy models of different sediment layers were created at two priority areas north and south of the Olkiluoto Island. The work concentrated on the collection and description of available data of bedrock surface and overburden thickness. Because the information on the bedrock surface and overburden is collected from different sources and is based on a number of types of data the quality and applicability of data sets varies. Consequently also the reliability in different parts of the models varies. Input data for the bedrock surface and overburden thickness models include 2928 single points and additional outcrops observations (611 polygons) in the modelled area. In addition, the input data include 173 seismic refraction lines (6534 points) and acousticseismic sounding lines (26655 points from which 13721 points are located in model area) in the Olkiluoto offshore area. The average elevation of bedrock surface in area is 2.1 metres above the sea level. The average thickness of overburden is 2.5 metres varying typically between 2 - 4 metres. Thickest overburden covers (approximately 16 metres) of terrestrial area are located at the western end of the Olkiluoto Island and in sea basin south of the island. (orig.)

Experimental and numerical investigation of idling car exposure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McNabola, A; Broderick, B M; Gill, L W [Trinity College, Dublin (Ireland). Dept. of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering

2006-07-01

This study examined the effect of maintaining a 2 metre distance between vehicles on commuter pollution exposure levels. Air quality samples were recorded inside cars on a busy road in Dublin. A turbulent dispersion model was used to predict the exposure levels from idling cars. Samples were recorded along the route by keeping a distance of approximately 2 metres by sight to the car in front, and then a second time keeping a distance of approximately 1 meter. Traffic numbers were recorded during each sample from local authority loops. Meteorological and idling time data were also recorded for a total of 10 pairs of samples. Experiments were then conducted to measure volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM{sub 2.5}). A calibrated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was then used to predict car exposure levels under varying conditions. Key parameters included ventilation rates; wind speed; and distance. The calibrated numerical model demonstrated that the pollution concentration decreased rapidly within the first 2 metres of the preceding exhaust. Maintaining a distance of 2 metres to the preceding vehicle showed a reduction in VOCs and particulate matter of approximately 30 to 40 per cent. It was concluded that further research is needed to determine if modified driving behaviours will promote higher levels of traffic congestion. 11 refs., 6 tabs., 11 figs.

First report of RADMIL on radon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-06-01

RADMIL'S carbon diffusion measurement data has been assessed using the 150 Becquerels per cubic metre guideline. The assessment shows that (i) of 391 Lancashire homes measured 1 exceeded the 150 Becquerels per cubic metre guideline value; (ii) Radon levels found fall distinctly into two groups. Those within an area of particularly Radon emitting geology and those outside that area; (iii) levels within districts in the central, north and north-eastern areas of the county are clearly higher than those outside those areas. (author)

A saturation hypothesis to explain both enhanced and impaired learning with enhanced plasticity

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen-Vu, TD Barbara; Zhao, Grace Q; Lahiri, Subhaneil; Kimpo, Rhea R; Lee, Hanmi; Ganguli, Surya; Shatz, Carla J; Raymond, Jennifer L

2017-01-01

Across many studies, animals with enhanced synaptic plasticity exhibit either enhanced or impaired learning, raising a conceptual puzzle: how enhanced plasticity can yield opposite learning outcomes? Here, we show that the recent history of experience can determine whether mice with enhanced plasticity exhibit enhanced or impaired learning in response to the same training. Mice with enhanced cerebellar LTD, due to double knockout (DKO) of MHCI H2-Kb/H2-Db (KbDb−/−), exhibited oculomotor learning deficits. However, the same mice exhibited enhanced learning after appropriate pre-training. Theoretical analysis revealed that synapses with history-dependent learning rules could recapitulate the data, and suggested that saturation may be a key factor limiting the ability of enhanced plasticity to enhance learning. Optogenetic stimulation designed to saturate LTD produced the same impairment in WT as observed in DKO mice. Overall, our results suggest that the recent history of activity and the threshold for synaptic plasticity conspire to effect divergent learning outcomes. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.20147.001 PMID:28234229

Usefulness of percentage enhancement washout value calculated on unenhanced, contrast-enhanced, and delayed enhanced CT in adrenal masses: adenoma versus metastasis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sohn, Kyung Myung; Lee, Sung Yong; Lee, Keun Ho

2003-01-01

To determine the usefulness of percentage enhancement washout value calculated on unenhanced, enhanced and delayed enhanced CT scans for the characterization of adrenal masses. Forty adrenal masses less than 5 cm in size were assessed using a protocol consisting of unenhanced CT, enhanced CT 60 seconds after intravenous administration of contrast material, and delayed enhanced CT at 10 minutes. The CT attenuation value of adrenal tumors was estimated on each scan, and percentage enhancement washout value was calculated as follows:[(attenuation value at enhanced CT-attenuation value at delayed CT)/ (attenuation value at enhanced CT-attenuation value at unenhanced CT)x100]. An adrenal mass was considered benign if its percentage enhancement washout value was at the threshold value, set to 60% and 50%, or higher. The accuracy of the procedure was determined by comparing its findings with the final clinical diagnosis. Twenty-nine massess were benign and 11 were malignant. The mean percentage enhancement washout value of the former was significantly higher than that of the latter (66.7% vs. 21.8%; p<0.01). All adenomas except one had a washout value of more than 50%. With a percentage washout threshold of 60%, 35 of 40 lesions were correctly characterized as benign or malignant [sensitivity 82.7% (24/29), specificity 100% (11/11), accuracy 87.5% (35/40)]; with a threshold of 50%, 39 of 40 lesions were correctly characterized [(sensitivity 96.5% (28/29), specificity 100% (11/11), accuracy 97.5% (39/40)]. Percentage enhancement washout values are useful for characterizing an adrenal mass as benign or malignant. For characterization, a threshold value of 50% was more accurate than one of 60%

ESO celebrates 50 years of “Euro-astronomy”

CERN Multimedia

Anaïs Schaeffer

2012-01-01

Today the European Southern Observatory is celebrating its 50th anniversary. This article retraces the story of one of Europe's greatest laboratories, which came into being with CERN's support and assistance.   La Silla, June 1968. The three telescopes in the background are (from left to right): the Grand Prism Objectif (GPO, first light in 1968), the ESO 1 metre telescope (1966), and the ESO 1.5 metre telescope (1968). They have been decommissioned. The white dome closest to the viewer is the ESO 1 metre Schmidt telescope, which began work in 1971. Image: ESO/E. Maurice. In the spring of 1953, in Leiden in the Netherlands, a group of astronomers including Walter Baade, Jan Oort, Adriaan Blaauw, Otto Heckmann and Jan Bannier (who was then President of CERN's Provisional Council) for the first time discussed the possibility of founding a European space observatory. The objective was to build it in the southern hemisphere where there were very few observatories with pow...

Soltherm Europe Initiative: Joining forces to expand solar markets, fast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leun, K. van der

2001-01-01

The article describes the partnership formed by the European Commission and the Europe-wide Soltherm Europe Initiative. The Initiative was formed in response to the Commission's aims to extend the use of solar energy. Ten countries and two international bodies make-up membership of the Initiative. For the Commission's target of 100 million square metres of solar collectors to be installed by 2010, a rapid growth in the market will need to occur. The potential savings in energy and carbon dioxide (through solar water heaters) are discussed, and figures given. The market development options for achieving the short-term goal of 15 million square metres of collector surface by 2004, and the longer-term aim of 100 million square metres by 2010 are discussed. The Initiative aims to be a platform for integration and promoting co-operation between all parties with an interest in achieving the Commission's solar objectives. Interested parties are invited to join the Initiative

An important step for the ATLAS toroid magnet

CERN Multimedia

2000-01-01

The ATLAS experiment's prototype toroid coil arrives at CERN from the CEA laboratory in Saclay on 6 October. The world's largest superconducting toroid magnet is under construction for the ATLAS experiment. A nine-metre long fully functional prototype coil was delivered to CERN at the beginning of October and has since been undergoing tests in the West Area. Built mainly by companies in France and Italy under the supervision of engineers from the CEA-Saclay laboratory near Paris and Italy's INFN-LASA, the magnet is a crucial step forward in the construction of the ATLAS superconducting magnet system. Unlike any particle detector that has gone before, the ATLAS detector's magnet system consists of a large toroidal system enclosing a small central solenoid. The barrel part of the toroidal system will use eight toroid coils, each a massive 25 metres in length. These will dwarf the largest toroids in the world when ATLAS was designed, which measure about six metres. So the ATLAS collaboration decided to build a...

Spring comes for ATLAS

CERN Multimedia

Butin, F.

2004-01-01

(First published in the CERN weekly bulletin 24/2004, 7 June 2004.) A short while ago the ATLAS cavern underwent a spring clean, marking the end of the installation of the detector's support structures and the cavern's general infrastructure. The list of infrastructure to be installed in the ATLAS cavern from September 2003 was long: a thousand tonnes of mechanical structures spread over 13 storeys, two lifts, two 65-tonne overhead travelling cranes 25 metres above cavern floor, with a telescopic boom and cradle to access the remaining 10 metres of the cavern, a ventilation system for the 55 000 cubic metre cavern, a drainage system, a standard sprinkler system and an innovative foam fire-extinguishing system, as well as the external cryogenic system for the superconducting magnets and the liquid argon calorimeters (comprising, amongst other things, two helium refrigeration units, a nitrogen refrigeration unit and 5 km of piping for gaseous or liquid helium and nitrogen), not to mention the handling eq...

Mechanical design and development of analyzing magnet for the RIB charge breeder beam line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharyya, Pranab; Ghosh, Sundeep; Bhattacharya, Mahuwa; Gupta, Anjan Dutta; Pal, Gautam; Naik, Vaishali

2015-01-01

An iron dominated analyzing magnet of uniform peak field 0.6 T has been developed for Radioactive Ion Beam (RIB) charge breeder beam line at VECC, Kolkata. It has two room temperature coils made of copper having channels for passage of cooling water. The other important parts of the magnet includes two yokes, two poles, vacuum chamber, view port, iron plates and the support structures. The most important properties of magnets designed and fabricated for this application is the need for high field quality. The magnet assembly has got overall dimensions of 1.1 metres x 0.91 metres x 0.63 metres and the required field uniformity is 6 x 10 -4 over pole width of ± 2.5 cm. The most critical parameter that has to be maintained to achieve the desired magnetic field is the pole gap of 80 ± 0.25 rom.This paper describes in detail about the mechanical design, coil cooling analysis, development and assembly of this magnet. (author)

Gold nanodisc arrays as near infrared metal-enhanced fluorescence platforms with tuneable enhancement factors

KAUST Repository

Pang, J.; Theodorou, I. G.; Centeno, A.; Petrov, P. K.; Alford, N. M.; Ryan, M. P.; Xie, F.

2016-01-01

Metal enhanced fluorescence (MEF) is a physical effect through which the near-field interaction of fluorophores with metallic nanoparticles can lead to large fluorescence enhancement. MEF can be exploited in many fluorescence-based biomedical applications, with potentially significant improvement in detection sensitivity and contrast enhancement. Offering lower autofluorescence and minimal photoinduced damage, the development of effective and multifunctional MEF platforms in the near-infrared (NIR) region, is particularly desirable. In this work, the enhancement of NIR fluorescence caused by interaction with regular arrays of cylindrical gold (Au) nanoparticles (nanodiscs), fabricated through nanosphere lithography, is reported. Significant MEF of up to 235 times is obtained, with tuneable enhancement factors. The effect of array structure on fluorescence enhancement is investigated by semi-quantitatively de-convoluting excitation enhancement from emission enhancement, and modelling the local electric field enhancement. By considering arrays of Au nanodiscs with the same extinction maximum, it is shown that the excitation enhancement, due to increased electric field, is not significantly different for the particle sizes and separation distances considered. Rather, it is seen that the emission from the fluorophore is strongly enhanced, and is dependent on the topography, in particular particle size. The results show that the structural characteristics of Au nanodisc arrays can be manipulated to tune their enhancement factor, and hence their sensitivity.

Gold nanodisc arrays as near infrared metal-enhanced fluorescence platforms with tuneable enhancement factors

KAUST Repository

Pang, J.

2016-12-28

Metal enhanced fluorescence (MEF) is a physical effect through which the near-field interaction of fluorophores with metallic nanoparticles can lead to large fluorescence enhancement. MEF can be exploited in many fluorescence-based biomedical applications, with potentially significant improvement in detection sensitivity and contrast enhancement. Offering lower autofluorescence and minimal photoinduced damage, the development of effective and multifunctional MEF platforms in the near-infrared (NIR) region, is particularly desirable. In this work, the enhancement of NIR fluorescence caused by interaction with regular arrays of cylindrical gold (Au) nanoparticles (nanodiscs), fabricated through nanosphere lithography, is reported. Significant MEF of up to 235 times is obtained, with tuneable enhancement factors. The effect of array structure on fluorescence enhancement is investigated by semi-quantitatively de-convoluting excitation enhancement from emission enhancement, and modelling the local electric field enhancement. By considering arrays of Au nanodiscs with the same extinction maximum, it is shown that the excitation enhancement, due to increased electric field, is not significantly different for the particle sizes and separation distances considered. Rather, it is seen that the emission from the fluorophore is strongly enhanced, and is dependent on the topography, in particular particle size. The results show that the structural characteristics of Au nanodisc arrays can be manipulated to tune their enhancement factor, and hence their sensitivity.

Angiogenesis and expression of vascular endothelial growth factor, tumour necrosis factor-α and hypoxia inducible factor-1α in canine renal cell carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Yhee, J Y; Yu, C H; Kim, J H; Im, K S; Kim, N H; Brodersen, B W; Doster, A R; Sur, J-H

2012-01-01

The aim of the present study was to determine the distribution and characteristics of microvessels in various histological types of canine renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The study compared microvessel density (MVD) and distribution of blood vessels according to histological type and evaluated the presence of angiogenesis-related proteins. Nine archival samples of canine RCC were studied. MVD was calculated as the mean number of blood vessels per mm(2). The diameter of blood vessels was calculated by determining either the length of the long axis of blood vessels (diameter(max)) or the mean distance from the centre of each blood vessel to the tunica adventia (diameter(mean)). A significant difference in MVD was evident between RCCs and normal kidneys (46.6 ± 28.0 versus 8.4 ± 2.2 microvessels/mm(2)). Diameter(max) in canine RCCs (34.1 ± 14.7 μm) was also significantly different from normal canine kidney (23.2 ± 3.4 μm). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was expressed by tumour cells and vascular endothelial cells and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α expression was observed in vascular endothelial cells in both neoplastic and normal kidney. Although VEGF is involved in angiogenesis and correlates with tumour stage of development, no correlation was found between VEGF expression and MVD. Tumour-associated macrophages expressing TNF-α and hypoxia inducible factor 1α were identified in peritumoural tissue and may play an important role in angiogenesis. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparative enhancing effects of electret with chemical enhancers on transdermal delivery of meloxicam in vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cui, L L; Hou, X M; Li, G D; Jiang, J; Liang, Y Y; Xin, X

2008-01-01

Electret offers enhancing effect in transdermal drug delivery for altering of the arrangement of lipid molecules in the stratum corneum, forming many transient permeable apertures and enhancing the transdermal drug delivery. In this paper, meloxicam patch formulations were developed to make the comparative study of transdermal drug delivery between electret and chemical enhancers. Patches were made into control, electret, chemical enhancer and electret with chemical enhancer ones, according to the preparation procedure. The electret combined with chemical enhancer patch was designed to probe the incorporation between electret and chemical enhancer in transdermal drug delivery. The meloxicam release from the patch was found to increase in order of blank, chemical enhancer, electret and electret with chemical enhancer patch, in general.

Fiftieth Anniversary at the summit

CERN Multimedia

2005-01-01

Neither fear of heights nor the cold succeeded in cooling the ardour of four brave climbers from CERN who celebrated CERN's 50th Anniversary at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 metres). On the way back from the summit, Miguel Cerqueira Bastos (AB/PO), David Collados Polidura (IT/GM), Sandra Sequeira Tavares (PH/CMI) and Daniel Cano Ott (n_TOF) raised the official CERN Jubilee flag at 4750 metres altitude. How long will it be before a CERN flag is planted on the moon?

A Monte Carlo Study of dose enhancement according to the enhancement agents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jung Hoon; Kim, Chang Soo [Dept. of Radiological Science, College of Health Sciences, Catholic University of Pusan, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Hwang, Chul Hwan [Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2017-03-15

Dose enhancement effects at megavoltage (MV) X and γ-ray energies, and the effects of different energy levels on incident energy, dose enhancement agents, and concentrations were analyzed using Monte Carlo simulations. Gold, gadolinium, Iodine, and iron oxide (Fe2O3) were compared as dose enhancement agents. For incident energy, 4, 6, 10 and 15 MV X-ray spectra produced by a linear accelerator and a Co60 γ-ray were used. The dose enhancement factor (DEF) was calculated using an ICRU Slab phantom for concentrations of 7, 18, and 30 mg/g. The DEF was higher at higher concentrations of dose enhancement agents and at lower incident energies. The calculated DEF ranged from 1.035 to 1.079, and dose enhancement effects were highest for iron oxide, followed by iodine, gadolinium, and gold. Thus, this study contributes to improving the therapeutic ratio by delivering larger doses of radiation to tumor volume, and provides data to support further in vivo and in vitro studies.

ESO Telescope Designer Raymond Wilson Wins Prestigious Kavli Award for Astrophysics

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-01

Raymond Wilson, whose pioneering optics research at ESO made today's giant telescopes possible thanks to "active optics" technology, has been awarded the 2010 Kavli Prize in astrophysics. The founder and original leader of the Optics and Telescopes Group at ESO, Wilson shares the million-dollar prize with two American scientists, Jerry Nelson and Roger Angel. The biennial prize, presented by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, the Kavli Foundation, and the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research, was instituted in 2008 and is given to researchers who significantly advance knowledge in the fields of nanoscience, neuroscience, and astrophysics, acting as a complement to the Nobel Prize. The award is named for and funded by Fred Kavli, the Norwegian entrepreneur and phi­lanthropist who later founded the Kavlico Corpora­tion in the US - today one of the world's largest suppliers of sensors for aeronautic, automotive and industrial applications. Wilson, who joined ESO in 1972, strived to achieve optical perfection, developing the concept of active optics as a way to enhance the size of telescopic primary mirrors. It is the size of these mirrors that determines the ability of a telescope to gather light and study faint and distant objects. Before active optics, mirrors over six metres in diameter were impossible, being too heavy, costly, and likely to bend from gravity and temperature changes. The use of active optics, which preserves optimal image quality by continually adjusting the mirror's shape during observations, made lighter, thinner so-called "meniscus mirrors" possible. Wilson first led the implementation of active optics in the revolutionary New Technology Telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory, and continued to develop and improve the technology until his retirement in 1993. Since then, active optics have become a standard part of modern astronomy, applied in every big telescope including ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), a telescope array

Abducens nerve enhancement demonstrated by multiplanar reconstruction of contrast-enhanced three-dimensional MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosoya, T.; Adachi, M.; Sugai, Y.; Yamaguchi, K.; Yamaguchi, K.; Kato, T.

2001-01-01

We describe contrast enhancement of the cisternal portion of the abducens nerve and discuss its clinical significance. We examined 67 patients with ophthalmoplegia using contrast-enhanced 3-dimensional (3D) MRI with multiplanar reconstruction along the nerves and found 16 patients (ten men, six women), aged 10-73 years (mean 34.4 years), with contrast enhancement of the abducens nerve. Of the 36 patients who had an abducens palsy, 14 (39 %) showed contrast enhancement. In the 16 patients, 23 abducens nerves enhanced; 13 were symptomatic and 10 asymptomatic at the time. The causes were disseminated tumour (1), an inflammatory process (3), trauma (2), ischaemia (2) and autoimmune diseases (8), such as the Miller Fisher syndrome, acute ophthalmoparesis, polyneuropathy and multiple sclerosis. Abducens and/or oculomotor nerve enhancement was the only abnormality on MRI in the patients with traumatic or ischaemic neuropathy or autoimmune diseases. There were 14 patients who recovered fully within 1-6 months after treatment, and resolution of the enhancement correlated well with recovery. (orig.)

Abducens nerve enhancement demonstrated by multiplanar reconstruction of contrast-enhanced three-dimensional MRI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hosoya, T.; Adachi, M.; Sugai, Y. [Dept. of Radiology, Yamagata University School of Medicine (Japan); Yamaguchi, K.; Yamaguchi, K. [Dept. of Ophthalmology, Yamagata University School of Medicine (Japan); Kato, T. [3. Dept. of Internal Medicine, Yamagata University School of Medicine (Japan)

2001-04-01

We describe contrast enhancement of the cisternal portion of the abducens nerve and discuss its clinical significance. We examined 67 patients with ophthalmoplegia using contrast-enhanced 3-dimensional (3D) MRI with multiplanar reconstruction along the nerves and found 16 patients (ten men, six women), aged 10-73 years (mean 34.4 years), with contrast enhancement of the abducens nerve. Of the 36 patients who had an abducens palsy, 14 (39 %) showed contrast enhancement. In the 16 patients, 23 abducens nerves enhanced; 13 were symptomatic and 10 asymptomatic at the time. The causes were disseminated tumour (1), an inflammatory process (3), trauma (2), ischaemia (2) and autoimmune diseases (8), such as the Miller Fisher syndrome, acute ophthalmoparesis, polyneuropathy and multiple sclerosis. Abducens and/or oculomotor nerve enhancement was the only abnormality on MRI in the patients with traumatic or ischaemic neuropathy or autoimmune diseases. There were 14 patients who recovered fully within 1-6 months after treatment, and resolution of the enhancement correlated well with recovery. (orig.)

Autoimmune pancreatitis: Assessment of the enhanced duct sign on multiphase contrast-enhanced computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawai, Yuichi; Suzuki, Kojiro; Itoh, Shigeki; Takada, Akira; Mori, Yoshine; Naganawa, Shinji

2012-01-01

Purpose: To assess the usefulness of the computed tomography (CT) finding of main pancreatic duct (MPD) wall enhancement, termed the “enhanced duct sign”, for diagnosis of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) in comparison with diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma and chronic pancreatitis. Materials and methods: Two radiologists independently evaluated the presence or absence of the enhanced duct sign on multiphase contrast-enhanced CT in patients with AIP (n = 55), pancreatic carcinoma (n = 50), and chronic pancreatitis (n = 50). The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of AIP were calculated. In patients demonstrating the enhanced duct sign, additional findings were evaluated by consensus. Results: The enhanced duct sign was more frequently observed in patients with AIP (37/55, 67%) than in patients with pancreatic carcinoma (5/50, 10%) or chronic pancreatitis (0/50, 0%) (P < 0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the finding were 0.67, 0.95, 0.85, 0.88, and 0.84, respectively. In AIP, the lumen within the enhanced duct was completely or partially invisible in 29 of 37 (78%) patients, and the enhanced duct was observed within the affected pancreatic parenchyma in 35 of 37 (95%) patients. In pancreatic carcinoma, the lumen within the enhanced duct was visible in all patients (5/5, 100%), and the enhanced duct was observed downstream of the tumor (5/5, 100%). Conclusion: The enhanced duct sign is highly specific of AIP.

Autoimmune pancreatitis: Assessment of the enhanced duct sign on multiphase contrast-enhanced computed tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kawai, Yuichi, E-mail: kawai.yuichi@a.mbox.nagoya-u.ac.jp [Department of Radiology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550 (Japan); Suzuki, Kojiro, E-mail: kojiro@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp [Department of Radiology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550 (Japan); Itoh, Shigeki, E-mail: shigeito@nagoya-1st.jrc.or.jp [Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Japan Red Cross Nagoya Daiichi Hospital, 3-35 Michishita-cho, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya 453-8511 (Japan); Takada, Akira, E-mail: takadaa@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp [Department of Radiology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550 (Japan); Mori, Yoshine, E-mail: yoshine@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp [Department of Radiology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550 (Japan); Naganawa, Shinji, E-mail: naganawa@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp [Department of Radiology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550 (Japan)

2012-11-15

Purpose: To assess the usefulness of the computed tomography (CT) finding of main pancreatic duct (MPD) wall enhancement, termed the 'enhanced duct sign', for diagnosis of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) in comparison with diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma and chronic pancreatitis. Materials and methods: Two radiologists independently evaluated the presence or absence of the enhanced duct sign on multiphase contrast-enhanced CT in patients with AIP (n = 55), pancreatic carcinoma (n = 50), and chronic pancreatitis (n = 50). The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of AIP were calculated. In patients demonstrating the enhanced duct sign, additional findings were evaluated by consensus. Results: The enhanced duct sign was more frequently observed in patients with AIP (37/55, 67%) than in patients with pancreatic carcinoma (5/50, 10%) or chronic pancreatitis (0/50, 0%) (P < 0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the finding were 0.67, 0.95, 0.85, 0.88, and 0.84, respectively. In AIP, the lumen within the enhanced duct was completely or partially invisible in 29 of 37 (78%) patients, and the enhanced duct was observed within the affected pancreatic parenchyma in 35 of 37 (95%) patients. In pancreatic carcinoma, the lumen within the enhanced duct was visible in all patients (5/5, 100%), and the enhanced duct was observed downstream of the tumor (5/5, 100%). Conclusion: The enhanced duct sign is highly specific of AIP.

VLT 8.2-m Unit Telescope no. 1 (as on September 7, 1995)

Science.gov (United States)

1995-09-01

ESO Press Photos 28-30/95; 13 September 1995 The construction of the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) advances rapidly, both in Europe and in Chile. These three photos show some of the main mechanical parts of the first 8.2-metre telescope, as they presented themselves in Milan (Italy) on Thursday, September 7, 1995. Two versions of these photos, one smaller and one larger and with better image resolution, are accessible for convenient transfer over the networks. The mechanical structure of VLT Unit Telescope no. 1 is now in the process of being mounted at the Ansaldo Energia premises in Milan (Italy). The so-called main structure (i.e., telescope azimuth and altitude mechanical structure, including hydrostatic bearing system, direct drives and direct mounted encoding system) was designed and is being built by the Italian consortium AES, composed of Ansaldo Energia (Genova), SOIMI (Milan) and EIE (Venice). Already two months from now, in November 1995, the complete, enormous mechanical structures of this telescope will be moving on the azimuth hydrostatic bearing tracks, using the direct drive system designed and built by the PHASE Company (Genova, Italy). The thorough testing phase will start by the end of December 1995 or at the beginning of January 1996. ESO Press Photo 28/95 [54K] [248K] shows the lower part of the azimuth structure of the telescope (the fork) on the concrete pier on which the azimuth tracks (hydrostatic bearing journal) are mounted. The very high accuracy of this enormous structure (compare with the persons in the photo!) is illustrated by the fact that the "run-out" of the azimuth axis of the fork has been measured as only 80 microns (0.08 millimetres) on 90 degrees turning angle. This is a remarkable result, especially since the centering of the axis is done on a radial journal with a diameter of no less than 9 metres. When the fork is equipped with all auxiliary systems, it will weigh about 320 t, will be 18 metres long and 8 metres wide. It

Metal-enhanced fluorescence exciplex emission.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yongxia; Mali, Buddha L; Geddes, Chris D

2012-01-01

In this letter, we report the first observation of metal-enhanced exciplex fluorescence, observed from anthracene in the presence of diethylaniline. Anthracene in the presence of diethylaniline in close proximity to Silver Island Films (SIFs) shows enhanced monomer and exciplex emission as compared to a non-silvered control sample containing no silver nanoparticles. Our findings suggest two complementary methods for the enhancement: (i) surface plasmons can radiate coupled monomer and exciplex fluorescence efficiently, and (ii) enhanced absorption (enhanced electric near-field) further facilitates enhanced emission. Our exciplex studies help us to further understand the complex photophysics of the metal-enhanced fluorescence technology. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MRI of the liver: Correlation of relative hepatic enhancement, relative renal enhancement, and liver to kidneys enhancement ratio with serum hepatic enzyme levels and eGFR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Talakic, Emina; Steiner, Jürgen; Kalmar, Peter; Lutfi, Andre [Division of General Radiology, Department of Radiology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 9, 8036 Graz (Austria); Quehenberger, Franz [Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Documentation, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 2, 8036 Graz (Austria); Reiter, Ursula; Fuchsjäger, Michael [Division of General Radiology, Department of Radiology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 9, 8036 Graz (Austria); Schöllnast, Helmut, E-mail: helmut.schoellnast@medunigraz.at [Division of General Radiology, Department of Radiology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 9, 8036 Graz (Austria)

2014-04-15

Objectives: To assess the correlation of relative hepatic enhancement (RHE), relative renal enhancement (RRE) and liver to kidneys enhancement ratio (LKR) with serum hepatic enzyme levels and eGFR in Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MRI of the liver and to assess threshold levels for predicting enhancement of the liver parenchyma. Methods: Data of 75 patients who underwent Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MRI of the liver were collected. Images were obtained before contrast injection, during the early arterial phase, late arterial phase, venous phase, delayed phase, and hepatobiliary phase which was 20 min after Gd-EOB-DTPA administration. Signal intensity of the liver and the kidneys in all phases was defined using region-of-interest measurements for relative enhancement calculation. Serum hepatic enzyme levels and eGFR were available in all patients. Spearman correlation test was used to test the correlation of RHE, RRE and LKR with serum hepatic enzyme levels and eGFR. Results: In the hepatobiliary phase all serum hepatic enzymes were significantly correlated with RHE; total bilirubin (TBIL) and cholin esterase (CHE) showed strongest correlations. TBIL and CHE were significantly correlated with RRE in the arterial phases. TBIL and CHE were significantly correlated with LKR in the arterial phase and hepatobiliary phase. eGFR showed no correlation. Conclusions: In Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MRI, TBIL and CHE levels may predict RHE, RRE and LKR.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound study of primary hepatic angiosarcoma: A pitfall of non-enhancement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Liang; Lv, Ke; Chang, Xiao-Yan; Xia, Yu; Yang, Zhi-Ying; Jiang, Yu-Xin; Dai, Qing; Tan, Li; Li, Jian-Chu

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► The contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) characteristics of primary hepatic angiosarcoma (PHA) in three patients were retrospectively analyzed. ► PHA appeared similar peripheral enhancement pattern in our series. ► Non-necrotic tumor tissue of PHA unexpectedly demonstrated non-enhancement on CEUS. ► It may be associated with the very low velocity of blood flow in the central region of tumors. ► This interesting finding warrants further investigations, particularly on intratumoral hemodynamics. -- Abstract: Objective: To investigate the contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) characteristics of primary hepatic angiosarcoma (PHA). Methods: The sonographic findings and CEUS images of PHA in three patients were retrospectively analyzed. Results: In our study, 3 cases of PHA (2 multiple nodules and 1 solitary mass) showed similar enhancement pattern on CEUS, characterized by remarkable central non-enhancement and peripheral irregular enhancement in the arterial and portal phase, and complete wash-out in the late phase. Furthermore, we unexpectedly found that abundant neoplastic tissues were present in the central area of non-enhancement on pathological evaluation. Based on literature review, we supposed that the unusual finding may be associated with the very low velocity of blood flow in the central region of tumors. Conclusion: CEUS could well depict PHA with some common features, which may provide valuable clues in diagnosis of this rare disease. And non-necrotic tumor tissue of PHA could also demonstrate non-enhancement on CEUS, which warrant further investigations

Exercise results and experience of GSF

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Multala, J.; Hautaniemi, H. [Geological survey of Finland, Espoo (Finland)

1997-12-31

Geological Survey of Finland carried out its airborne gamma ray measurement flight for RESUME95 exercise at the planning stage of the exercise; actually 9 weeks beforehand. Although some of the flight parameters (line spacing 100 metres and altitude 30 - 40 metres) differ from those used by the other teams during RESUME95, the results obtained by GSF are in line with the others. Mapping Cs-137 fallout at Area II gave mean value of 83.8 kBq/m{sup 2} and maximum of 137 kBq/m{sup 2}. (au).

United States of America. Report 4 [Marine Radioecology. Current Research and Future Scope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osterberg, C.; Pearcy, W.; Carey, A. Jr.; McCauley, J.

1967-01-01

Present research programme: Ecological studies of radioactivity in the Columbia River estuary and adjacent Pacific Ocean. Our objectives are: (a) To determine fractionation of radionuclides introduced by the Hanford nuclear reactors in the water, sediments, and biota; (b) To observe concentrating mechanisms, and flow through food chains; (c) To determine rates of vertical transfer across the pyonocline and through upper 1000 metres; (d) To determine depths to which radioactivity has penetrated, using benthos (down to 3000 metres) as biological indicators; (e) To determine physical and chemical states of artificial radionuclides in ocean

Last piece of the puzzle for ATLAS

CERN Multimedia

Clare Ryan

At around 15.40 on Friday 29th February the ATLAS collaboration cracked open the champagne as the second of the small wheels was lowered into the cavern. Each of ATLAS' small wheels are 9.3 metres in diameter and weigh 100 tonnes including the massive shielding elements. They are the final parts of ATLAS' muon spectrometer. The first piece of ATLAS was installed in 2003 and since then many detector elements have journeyed down the 100 metre shaft into the ATLAS underground cavern. This last piece completes this gigantic puzzle.

Exercise results and experience of GSF

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Multala, J; Hautaniemi, H [Geological survey of Finland, Espoo (Finland)

1998-12-31

Geological Survey of Finland carried out its airborne gamma ray measurement flight for RESUME95 exercise at the planning stage of the exercise; actually 9 weeks beforehand. Although some of the flight parameters (line spacing 100 metres and altitude 30 - 40 metres) differ from those used by the other teams during RESUME95, the results obtained by GSF are in line with the others. Mapping Cs-137 fallout at Area II gave mean value of 83.8 kBq/m{sup 2} and maximum of 137 kBq/m{sup 2}. (au).

Dinâmicas de urbanização na hiperperiferia da metrópole de São Paulo: análise dos processos de expansão urbana e das situações de vulnerabilidade socioambiental em escala intraurbana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Humberto Prates da Fonseca Alves

2010-06-01

Full Text Available O objetivo do trabalho é fazer uma análise, em escala intraurbana, das inter-relações entre os processos de expansão urbana e as situações de vulnerabilidade socioambiental, em uma região hiperperiférica da metrópole de São Paulo, no período recente (2000 a 2006. A referida região abrange o distrito de Cidade Tiradentes e seu entorno, no extremo leste do município de São Paulo. A metodologia geral do estudo envolve o mapeamento do uso do solo e das áreas de expansão urbana, por meio de imagens de satélite, bem como identificação e caracterização de situações (áreas de vulnerabilidade socioambiental, pela construção e análise de indicadores socioambientais ao nível dos setores censitários do Censo 2000 do IBGE, integrando dados socioeconômicos, demográficos e ambientais. Os resultados revelam uma expressiva associação entre os processos de expansão urbana e crescimento de assentamentos precários e as situações de vulnerabilidade socioambiental, na região hiperperiférica de Cidade Tiradentes e entorno. Além disso, observa-se existência de grandes sobreposições entre vulnerabilidades sociais e ambientais, com forte concentração de problemas e riscos sociais e ambientais em determinadas áreas, como é o caso dos setores censitários de alta vulnerabilidade socioambiental da região de Cidade Tiradentes e entorno. Estas áreas apresentam altos níveis de irregularidade no uso do solo, com forte presença de assentamentos precários como favelas e loteamentos irregulares, além de condições socioeconômicas extremamente desfavoráveis, com baixíssimos níveis de renda, escolaridade e saneamento.

Gd-DTPA enhanced MRI of the brain infarction: correlation between onset of infarction and enhancing patterns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joo, An Young; Kim, Myung Soon; Lee, Sung Soo

1994-01-01

To evaluate the correlation between onset of brain infarction and Gd-DTPA enhancing patterns on MRI. We reviewed MRI of 58 lesions in 45 patients with clinically documented brain infarction retrospectively. Axial, coronal and sagittal T1WI (TR/TE 450-520/20), T2WI (TR/TE 2190/90) and Gd-DTPA enhanced T1WI were performed with a 0.5T superconductive MR system. We analyzed Gd-enhancing patterns that were divided into intravascular, meningeal, and parenchymal enhancement. Parenchymal pattern was subdivided into mottled, partial ring like and dense enhancement. Intravascular enhancement was seen at 1-10 days in 30(53%) of 58 infarctions. Meningeal enhancement (13%) was noted at 1-6 days. Parenchymal enhancement (50%) was seen at 2-28 days and subdividing patterns are as follows: The mottled enhancement pattern was seen earlier at 2-8 days and partial ring like or dense enhancement patterns at 5-28 days. After reviewing Gd-enhanced MRI of infarction, the intravascular and meningeal enhancement patterns were earlier than parenchymal enhancement. Among parenchymal patterns, the mottled pattern was seen earlier than partial ring like or dense patterns. In conclusion, Gd-enhancing patterns of brain infarction are useful in estimating the age of infarction including acute infarction

Evaluation of the early enhancement of coronary atherosclerotic plaque by contrast-enhanced MR angiography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li Tao [Department of Radiology, The General Hospital of Chinese People' s Armed Police Forces, Number 69, Yong Ding Road, Hai Dian District, Beijing (China); Department of Radiology, Chinese People' s Liberation Army General Hospital, Number 28, Fu Xing Road, Hai Dian District, Beijing (China); Zhao Xihai [Department of Radiology, Chinese People' s Liberation Army General Hospital, Number 28, Fu Xing Road, Hai Dian District, Beijing (China); Liu Xin [Paul C. Lauterbur Biomedical Imaging Center, Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Shenzhen 518067 (China); Gao Jianhua [Department of Radiology, The General Hospital of Chinese People' s Armed Police Forces, Number 69, Yong Ding Road, Hai Dian District, Beijing (China); Zhao Shaohong [Department of Radiology, Chinese People' s Liberation Army General Hospital, Number 28, Fu Xing Road, Hai Dian District, Beijing (China); Li Xin; Zhou Weihua [Department of Radiology, The General Hospital of Chinese People' s Armed Police Forces, Number 69, Yong Ding Road, Hai Dian District, Beijing (China); Cai Zulong [Department of Radiology, Chinese People' s Liberation Army General Hospital, Number 28, Fu Xing Road, Hai Dian District, Beijing (China); Zhang Weiguo [Cardiovascular and Neurological Consulting Institute, 6771 San Fernando, Irving, TX 75039 (United States); Yang Li, E-mail: Yangli301@yahoo.com [Department of Radiology, Chinese People' s Liberation Army General Hospital, Number 28, Fu Xing Road, Hai Dian District, Beijing (China)

2011-10-15

Purpose: To evaluate the early enhancement of coronary atherosclerotic plaque using contrast-enhanced MR angiography (CE-MRA) and investigate the association between unstable angina pectoris (UAP) and early enhancement of the plaque. Methods: Forty-one patients presenting with angina pectoris and demonstrating single-vessel disease with non-calcified plaque and significant coronary stenosis ({>=}50%) on CTA were consecutively recruited for coronary CE-MRA. Contrast-to-noise ratio of the culprit plaque guided by CTA was measured on a cross-sectional multi-planar reconstruction image of the plaque on both pre- and post-CE-MRA. A 50% increasing of CNR was defined as plaque enhancement. The association between early enhancement of the plaques and UAP was analyzed. Results: Thirty-seven non-calcified plaques with significant coronary stenosis were detected in the 37 patients on MRA. 4 subjects were excluded because coronary atherosclerotic plaques were inadequate for identification on MRA. Of the 37 patients, 18 patients had UAP and other 19 patients presented stable angina pectoris (SAP). Of the 37 plaques on CE-MRA, 13 and 24 plaques presented early enhancement and no enhancement, respectively. Of the 13 early-enhanced plaques, 11 (85%) and 2 (15%) were found in the patients with UAP and SAP, respectively (p < 0.01). Of the 37 patients, 11 (61%) with UAP and 2 (11%) with SAP had early-enhanced plaques, respectively (p < 0.01). Conclusion: CE-MRA allows detection of early enhancement of coronary atherosclerotic plaque. The early enhancement is common in unstable angina and could be a sign of vulnerability.

El sueño de los pescadores de perlas. El nuevo Dubai

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucila Urda Peña

2015-06-01

Full Text Available La evolución de las ciudades está cada vez más relacionada con la situación económica del país donde se ubican, no solamente desde un punto de vista local sino también desde su trascendencia como metrópolis de relevancia a nivel internacional. La macroeconomía mundial como motor de cambio urbano ha sido uno de los factores más determinantes en la transformación de las ciudades desde mediados del siglo XX. Sin embargo, en la mayoría de los casos, las metrópolis eran ciudades con una importante tradición industrial o comercial desde su origen (Londres o Nueva York. El crecimiento impulsado por el progreso económico continuaba una evolución natural de las propias polis que se transformaban en metrópolis. El desarrollo y evolución de ciudades históricas y su transformación en metrópolis, contrasta con la aparición de macrociudades exnovo desde el comienzo del siglo XXI. Un fenómeno que ha comenzado a producirse en lugares sin tradición urbana y sin las condiciones mínimas de habitabilidad. Hay numerosos ejemplos de pequeños asentamientos localizados en lugares de climatología adversa (con temperaturas de 50º C la mayor parte del año que se están convirtiendo en territorios de referencia mundial para el intercambio comercial y el negocio internacional. Las “macrociudades artificiales” han proliferado en varios lugares del mundo (en China, Turquía y en Emiratos Árabes se encuentran las ciudades del mundo que más han crecido en el año 2014. Entre ellas se encuentran las nuevas metrópolis de oriente próximo que vieron cómo se multiplicaba el producto interior bruto de sus países de forma exponencial gracias a la exportación del llamado “oro negro”.

Centrifugal (inside-out) enhancement of liver hemangiomas: A possible atypical appearance on contrast-enhanced US

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bartolotta, Tommaso Vincenzo; Taibbi, Adele; Galia, Massimo; Lo Re, Giuseppe; La Grutta, Ludovico; Grassi, Roberto; Midiri, Massimo

2007-01-01

Objective: To report the prevalence and to describe the atypical centrifugal (inside-out) appearance of contrast-enhancement of liver hemangiomas on contrast-enhanced sonography. Materials and methods: Baseline and SonoVue-enhanced ultrasonography of 92 patients with 158 liver hemangiomas - considered atypical at grey-scale examination and confirmed by computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound follow-up - were reviewed in consensus by two experienced radiologists, who evaluated baseline echogenicity and the dynamic enhancement pattern of each lesion looking for the presence of central enhancing foci in the arterial phase followed by a centrifugal (inside-out) enhancement in the portal-venous and late phases. Results: After administration of SonoVue, 12/158 hemangiomas (7.6%) (size range: 1-7 cm; mean: 3.2 cm) in seven patients (5 women, 2 men; age range: 34-71 years, mean: 50.8 years) showed a central enhancing focus in the arterial phase followed by a centrifugal enhancement in the portal-venous and late phases. In all cases centrifugal enhancement was incomplete at contrast-enhanced sonography, whereas computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging were able to depict a complete and homogeneous fill-in. Conclusion: Radiologist should be aware that centrifugal (inside-out) appearance on contrast-enhanced sonography is a rare but possible feature of liver hemangioma

Centrifugal (inside-out) enhancement of liver hemangiomas: A possible atypical appearance on contrast-enhanced US

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bartolotta, Tommaso Vincenzo [Department of Radiology, University of Palermo, Via Del Vespro 127, 90127 Palermo (Italy)], E-mail: tv.bartolotta@unipa.it; Taibbi, Adele [Department of Radiology, University of Palermo, Via Del Vespro 127, 90127 Palermo (Italy)], E-mail: taibbi_adele@yahoo.it; Galia, Massimo [Department of Radiology, University of Palermo, Via Del Vespro 127, 90127 Palermo (Italy)], E-mail: mgalia@yahoo.com; Lo Re, Giuseppe [Department of Radiology, University of Palermo, Via Del Vespro 127, 90127 Palermo (Italy)], E-mail: giuseppe.lore12@tin.it; La Grutta, Ludovico [Department of Radiology, University of Palermo, Via Del Vespro 127, 90127 Palermo (Italy)], E-mail: lagrutta@mbox.infcom.it; Grassi, Roberto [Institute of Radiology, Second University of Naples, Piazza Miraglia, 80138 Naples (Italy)], E-mail: roberto.grassi@libero.it; Midiri, Massimo [Department of Radiology, University of Palermo, Via Del Vespro 127, 90127 Palermo (Italy)], E-mail: mmidiri@hotmail.com

2007-12-15

Objective: To report the prevalence and to describe the atypical centrifugal (inside-out) appearance of contrast-enhancement of liver hemangiomas on contrast-enhanced sonography. Materials and methods: Baseline and SonoVue-enhanced ultrasonography of 92 patients with 158 liver hemangiomas - considered atypical at grey-scale examination and confirmed by computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound follow-up - were reviewed in consensus by two experienced radiologists, who evaluated baseline echogenicity and the dynamic enhancement pattern of each lesion looking for the presence of central enhancing foci in the arterial phase followed by a centrifugal (inside-out) enhancement in the portal-venous and late phases. Results: After administration of SonoVue, 12/158 hemangiomas (7.6%) (size range: 1-7 cm; mean: 3.2 cm) in seven patients (5 women, 2 men; age range: 34-71 years, mean: 50.8 years) showed a central enhancing focus in the arterial phase followed by a centrifugal enhancement in the portal-venous and late phases. In all cases centrifugal enhancement was incomplete at contrast-enhanced sonography, whereas computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging were able to depict a complete and homogeneous fill-in. Conclusion: Radiologist should be aware that centrifugal (inside-out) appearance on contrast-enhanced sonography is a rare but possible feature of liver hemangioma.

In vitro percutaneous absorption enhancement of granisetron by chemical penetration enhancers.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Nanxi; Cun, Dongmei; Li, Wei; Ma, Xu; Sun, Lin; Xi, Honglei; Li, Li; Fang, Liang

2013-04-01

Granisetron (GRN), a potent antiemetic agent, is frequently used to prevent nausea and vomiting induced by cancer cytotoxic chemotherapy and radiation therapy. As part of our efforts to further modify the physicochemical properties of this market drug, with the ultimate goal to formulate a better dosage form for GRN, this work was carried out to improve its permeability in vitro. The permeation behavior of GRN in isopropyl myristate (IPM) was investigated across excised rabbit abdominal skin and the enhancing activities of three novel O-acylmenthol derivatives synthesized in our laboratory as well as five well-known chemical enhancers were evaluated. It was found that the steady-state flux of granisetron free base (GRN-B) was about 26-fold higher than that of granisetron hydrochloride (GRN-H). The novel enhancer, 2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexyl heptanoate (M-HEP), was observed to provide the most significant enhancement for the absorption of GRN-B. When incorporated in the donor solution with the optimal enhancer M-HEP, the steady-state flux of GRN-B increased from (196.44 ± 12.03) μg·cm⁻²·h⁻¹ to (1044.95 ± 71.99) μg·cm⁻²·h⁻¹ (P < 0.01). These findings indicated that the application of chemical enhancers was an effective approach to increase the percutaneous absorption of GRN in vitro.

Contrast-enhanced turbo spin-echo(TSE) T1-weighted imaging: improved contrast of enhancing lesions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Sung Wook; Lee, Ghi Jai; Shim, Jae Chan; Lee, Young Ju; Jeong, Se Hyung; Kim, Ho kyun

1997-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of contrast improvement of enhancing brain lesions by inherent magnetization transfer effect in turbo spin-echo(TSE)T1-weighted MR imaging. Twenty-six enhancing lesions of 19 patients were included in this study. Using a 1.0T superconductive MR unit, contrast-enhanced SE T1-weighted images(TR=3D600 msec, TE=3D12 msec, NEX=3D2, acquistition time=3D4min 27sec) and contrast-enhanced TSE T1-weighted images(TR=3D600 msec, TE=3D12, acquistition time=3D1min 44sec) were obtained. Signal intensities at enhancing lesions and adjacent white matter were measured in the same regions of both images. Signal-to-noise ratio(SNR) of enhancing lesions and adjacent white matter, and con-trast-to-noise ratio(CNR) and lesion-to-background contrast (LBC) of enhancing lesions were calculated and statistically analysed using the paired t-test. On contrast-enhanced TSE T1-weighted images, SNR of enhancing lesions and adjacent white matter decreased by 18%(p<0.01) and 32%(p<0.01), respectively, compared to contrast-enhanced SE T1-weighted images. CNR and LBC of enhancing lesions increased by 16%(p<0.05) and 66%(p<0.01), respectively. Due to the proposed inherent magnetization transfer effects in TSE imaging, con-trast-enhanced T1-weighted TSE images demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in CNR and LBC, compared to conventional contrast-enhanced T1-weighted SE images, and scan time was much shorter

Contrast enhanced MR imaging of postoperative medulloblastoma in childhood: emphasis on meningeal enhancement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, Choong Gon; Kim, In One; Kim, Woo Sun; Kim, Ho Chul; Yeon, Kyung Mo [College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1993-03-15

To differentiate the postoperative changes from the recurrence of tumor and to evaluate MR imaging of early postoperative leptomeningeal seeding in medulloblastoma, We have retrospectively analysed 34 cases of MR images of 17 patients who were confirmed as medulloblastoma by histopathology. Noncontrast and postcontrast T1 weighted MR images were obtained in all patients. In 11 patients follow-up MR was done more than once (average: 1.5 times) and average interval of MR imaging was 6 months. The timing of 34 MR images was as follow: 6 case within 2 months, 9 cases between 2 months and 1 year, 19 cases more than 1 year after surgery respectively. MR images within 2 month after surgery revealed contrast enhancement at operation site and adjacent meninges, hemorrhage, residual tumor. In patients who had no evidence of tumor recurrence, these early postoperative changes were markedly decreased within 6 month after surgery. MR images obtained more than 1 year after surgery showed no abnormal contrast enhancement or mild focal dural enhancement at operation site. Diffuse moderate dural enhancement was noted in one patient who had the history of post-surgical subdural hemorrhage. In six patients with tumor recurrences which were detected from as early as 9 months to 6 years after surgery, the findings of recurrence included leptomeningeal enhancement of brain stem and cerebellar surface at early stage, variable sized enhancing leptomeningeal nodules, linear or irregular sulcus obliterating enhancing lesions, enhancing mass at primary or metastatic site. We have concluded that leptomeningeal enhancement detected after 6 months of surgery is an important MR finding suggesting the possibility of tumor recurrence. Small nodular and linear enhancement of leptomeninges at brainstem or cerebellar surface is considered as the early manifestation of intracranial tumor seeding.

Contrast enhanced MR imaging of postoperative medulloblastoma in childhood: emphasis on meningeal enhancement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Choong Gon; Kim, In One; Kim, Woo Sun; Kim, Ho Chul; Yeon, Kyung Mo

1993-01-01

To differentiate the postoperative changes from the recurrence of tumor and to evaluate MR imaging of early postoperative leptomeningeal seeding in medulloblastoma, We have retrospectively analysed 34 cases of MR images of 17 patients who were confirmed as medulloblastoma by histopathology. Noncontrast and postcontrast T1 weighted MR images were obtained in all patients. In 11 patients follow-up MR was done more than once (average: 1.5 times) and average interval of MR imaging was 6 months. The timing of 34 MR images was as follow: 6 case within 2 months, 9 cases between 2 months and 1 year, 19 cases more than 1 year after surgery respectively. MR images within 2 month after surgery revealed contrast enhancement at operation site and adjacent meninges, hemorrhage, residual tumor. In patients who had no evidence of tumor recurrence, these early postoperative changes were markedly decreased within 6 month after surgery. MR images obtained more than 1 year after surgery showed no abnormal contrast enhancement or mild focal dural enhancement at operation site. Diffuse moderate dural enhancement was noted in one patient who had the history of post-surgical subdural hemorrhage. In six patients with tumor recurrences which were detected from as early as 9 months to 6 years after surgery, the findings of recurrence included leptomeningeal enhancement of brain stem and cerebellar surface at early stage, variable sized enhancing leptomeningeal nodules, linear or irregular sulcus obliterating enhancing lesions, enhancing mass at primary or metastatic site. We have concluded that leptomeningeal enhancement detected after 6 months of surgery is an important MR finding suggesting the possibility of tumor recurrence. Small nodular and linear enhancement of leptomeninges at brainstem or cerebellar surface is considered as the early manifestation of intracranial tumor seeding

Hepatic enhancement on Gd-BOPTA-enhanced MR imaging: comparison between cirrhotic and normal livers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Sang Soo; Jeong, Yong Yeon; Kang, Heoung Keun; Lim, Hyo Soon; Yoon, Woong; Seo, Jeong Jin; Park, Jin Gyoon

2004-01-01

To compare the enhancement features of hepatic parenchyma between cirrhotic and normal liver, using Gd-BOPTA-enhanced delayed MR imaging. The 60 patients (35 with cirrhotic and 25 with normal liver) included in our study underwent Gd-BOPTA-enhanced MR imaging using a 1.5T system with a phase-array multicoil. In all cases, T1-weighted in-phase and opposed-phase gradient-echo MR imaging was performed before and 60 minutes after intravenous administration of a bolus of Gd-BOPTA. All images were quantitatively analysed by comparing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and signal enhancement (SE) of cirrhotic and normal liver before and after contrast enhancement, and in cirrhotic patients, SNR and SE were also compared in terms of the Child-Pugh classification. For qualitative analysis, the hepatic enhancement patterns of cirrhotic and normal liver were classified as homogeneous or heterogeneous according to the consensual findings of two radiologists. At contrast-enhanced imaging, both cirrhotic (p<0.001) and normal liver (p<0.001) showed substantially increased SNR relative to unenhanced images, and the SNR of cirrhotic liver was significantly lower than that of normal livers at both in-phase (p<0.001) and opposed-phase (p<0.001) imaging. The SE of cirrhotic liver was significantly lower than that of normal liver (in-phase:p=0.002; opposed phase:p=0.011). Both Child-Pugh class A (p<0.001) and B (p<0.001) cirrhotic liver showed a substantial increase in SNR at contrast-enhanced imaging relative to unenhanced imaging and the SNR of Child-Pugh class A was significantly higher than that of Child-Pugh class B at both in-phase (p<0.001) and opposed-phase (p=0.022) imaging. In addition, the SE of class A was significantly higher than that of class B at in-phase imaging (p=0.004). Cirrhotic liver showed heterogeneous enhancement in 20 of 35 patients (57%), whereas normal liver showed homogeneous enhancement in all patients. At Gd-BOPTA-enhanced delayed MR imaging, cirrhotic liver

Novel medical image enhancement algorithms

Science.gov (United States)

Agaian, Sos; McClendon, Stephen A.

2010-01-01

In this paper, we present two novel medical image enhancement algorithms. The first, a global image enhancement algorithm, utilizes an alpha-trimmed mean filter as its backbone to sharpen images. The second algorithm uses a cascaded unsharp masking technique to separate the high frequency components of an image in order for them to be enhanced using a modified adaptive contrast enhancement algorithm. Experimental results from enhancing electron microscopy, radiological, CT scan and MRI scan images, using the MATLAB environment, are then compared to the original images as well as other enhancement methods, such as histogram equalization and two forms of adaptive contrast enhancement. An image processing scheme for electron microscopy images of Purkinje cells will also be implemented and utilized as a comparison tool to evaluate the performance of our algorithm.

Theoretical studies of surface enhanced hyper-Raman spectroscopy: The chemical enhancement mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

Valley, Nicholas; Jensen, Lasse; Autschbach, Jochen; Schatz, George C.

2010-08-01

Hyper-Raman spectra for pyridine and pyridine on the surface of a tetrahedral 20 silver atom cluster are calculated using static hyperpolarizability derivatives obtained from time dependent density functional theory. The stability of the results with respect to choice of exchange-correlation functional and basis set is verified by comparison with experiment and with Raman spectra calculated for the same systems using the same methods. Calculated Raman spectra were found to match well with experiment and previous theoretical calculations. The calculated normal and surface enhanced hyper-Raman spectra closely match experimental results. The chemical enhancement factors for hyper-Raman are generally larger than for Raman (102-104 versus 101-102). Integrated hyper-Raman chemical enhancement factors are presented for a set of substituted pyridines. A two-state model is developed to predict these chemical enhancement factors and this was found to work well for the majority of the molecules considered, providing a rationalization for the difference between hyper-Raman and Raman enhancement factors.

Geotechnical maps for recommendation on bored pile capacity in Nakhon Ratchasima municipality, Thailand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suksun Horpibulsuk

2013-08-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the development of geotechnical maps in Nakhon Ratchasima municipality, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand based on the boring logs and in situ test results collected from public and private sector sources. The standard penetration number, N was used to identify the soil type. The soil deposits in Nakhon Ratchasima municipality are divided into three layers: medium-to-stiff silty clay with N 50. The medium-to-stiff silty clay layer has a thickness varying from 1.8 to 7.5 metres and an average N value of 14 with a relatively low standard deviation of 1.08. The first hard silty clay layer has a thickness varying from 1.2 to 3.0 metres and an average N value of 42 with a standard deviation of 1.37. For a practical application in foundation engineering in which the pile tips of the bored piles are located in the second hard stratum with N > 50, eight pile tip zones with approximated load capacity are recommended for pile lengths of 3-10 metres.

Digging in one last time for the LHC

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

A landmark event occurred during the second week of March, when the final cubic metres of earth were cleared away, completing the excavation phase for the entire LHC project . The event took place at Point 5, where the CMS detector will be installed, as civil engineering teams finished digging the cavern that connects the LHC tunnel with the bypass tunnel around the experimental cavern. Two new access shafts, two large caverns, two ancillary caverns, as well as the connecting tunnels have been excavated by the civil engineering teams. "The engineers heaved a huge sigh of relief when the work was done, because the excavations were quite risky. Anything can happen, and the risk of delays was far from zero," explains Jean Luc Baldy Head of ST Division's civil engineering group. This was especially true around Point 5, where unusual geology created some problems. The moraine-molasse interface lies 50 metres beneath the surface, or just about 18 metres above the roof of the caverns. Because the moraine consists of...

Discovery Mondays: Transporting tonnes of equipment with millimetre precision

CERN Multimedia

2005-01-01

Transporting huge, very heavy but also frequently fragile items at CERN often presents a real challenge. The task becomes even more challenging when it involves lowering huge LHC machine and detector components 100 metres below ground. The Laboratory's Transport Service uses various techniques and different types of transport and heavy handling equipment to perform these delicate operations. You will have an opportunity to find out more about how they do their job at the next Discovery Monday event. You will have a close encounter with the trailer used to transport the impressive 15 metre-long, 35-tonne dipole magnets. You will be able to install mock-up magnets in a beam line or test your skill using heavy handling equipment to carry out a most unusual fishing operation. You will be able to take a trip in a three-metre-high lorry and have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to operate a crane. You will also be able to take a test drive in the famous roll-over simulator vehicle. At the coming Discovery Monday...

A new dawn for CMS

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

Supported by a gigantic crane and a factory-size room full of enthusiasm, the central barrel of CMS made its final journey underground on 28 February. The central section of the CMS detector starts its dramatic 10-hour descent underground.Several hours (and 100 metres) later, the massive barrel rests on the cavern floor. CMS scientists, journalists, photographers and members of the transport crew basked in the final rays of the 'solenoid-set' on 28 February as the central barrel of the CMS detector sinks below the horizon and began its ten-hour descent into the cavern 100 metres below. Thirteen metres long and weighing as much as five jumbo jets (1920 tonnes), the barrel is the largest of the 15 chunks of CMS detector that are being lowered one by one into the cavern. 'This is a challenging feat of engineering, as there are just 20 cm of leeway between the detector and the walls of the shaft,' said Austin Ball, Technical Coordinator of CMS. The section of the detector, which contains the solenoid of the magne...

First ATLAS Barrel Toroid coil casing arrives at CERN

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

The first of eight 25-metre long coil casings for the ATLAS experiment's barrel toroid magnet system arrived at CERN on Saturday 2 March by road from Heidelberg. This structure will be part of the largest superconducting toroid magnet ever made.   The first coil casing for the toroidal magnets of Atlas arrives at Building 180. This is the start of an enormous three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. Each of the eight sets of double pancake coils will be housed inside aluminium coil casings, which in turn will be held inside a stainless steel vacuum vessel. A huge construction, the casing that arrived at CERN measures 25 metres in length and 5 metres in width. It weighs 20 tones. And this is just the beginning of the toroid jigsaw: by early April a batch of four double pancake coils, which altogether weighs 65 tones, will arrive from Ansaldo in Italy. The first vacuum vessel will also be arriving from Felguera in Spain this month. It will take about two years for all these 25 m long structures of casings, coils a...

Reorganização do espaço metropolitano e marketing territorial: O caso da Grande Curitiba

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernanda Ester Sánchez García

1997-04-01

Full Text Available Este artigo procura reconhecer, discutiré levantar questões acerca das profundas transformações pelas quais vem passando a Região Metropolitana de Curitiba como decorrência da chegada das grandes montadoras de veículos automotores, e dos impactos destes empreendimentos no processo de desorganização e reorganização do espaço social da metrópole. Com efeito, verificamos hoje uma marcante refuncionalização da metrópole para adaptá-la a uma nova ordem que se impõe. O poder exercido pelos novos empreendimentos, profundamente desorganizador das configurações espaciais pretéritas, nos compromete, daqui em diante, a enfrentar alguns desafios analíticos constituídos em temas principais desta abordagem. Ao debruçar-se sobre estes recentes fenômenos na grande Curitiba, o artigo registra inquietações, algumas certezas e muitas dúvidas acerca das profundas e irreversíveis modificações no cenário da metrópole

Mirror, mirror on the wall

CERN Multimedia

2005-01-01

RICH 2, one of the two Ring Imaging Cherenkov detectors of the LHCb experiment, is being prepared to join the other detector elements ready for the first proton-proton collisions at LHC. The mirrors of the RICH2 detector are meticulously assembled in a clean room.In a large dark room, men in white move around an immense structure some 7 metres high, 10 metres wide and nearly 2.5 metres deep. Apparently effortlessly, they are installing the two large high-precision spherical mirrors. These mirrors will focus Cherenkov light, created by the charged particles that will traverse this detector, onto the photon detectors. Each spherical mirror wall is made up of facets like a fly's eye. Twenty-eight individual thin glass mirrors will all point to the same point in space to within a few micro-radians. The development of these mirrors has been technically demanding : Ideally they should be massless, sturdy, precise and have high reflectivity. In practice, though not massless, they are made from a mere 6 mm thin gl...

More room for ISOLDE

CERN Multimedia

2005-01-01

To meet the needs of the new ISOLDE experiments, a new extension has been added to the facility's Building 170. The new extension to Building 170. Moving around the ISOLDE hall was almost like an obstacle course until now. The facility's Building 170 simply didn't have an inch to spare and the ISOLDE team's need to set up new experiments, whose installation could have created difficulties from the safety point of view, only exacerbated the problem. "We had ambitious plans to develop new experiments but no room for them", says Mats Lindroos, ISOLDE's technical coordinator. The only solution was to extend the existing building". This was how a new building saw the light of day. Measuring 24 metres long, 20 metres wide and 12 metres high, it is an extension to the existing Building 170 and should be ready for use this year. The new structure makes use of the existing infrastructure, with part of the end wall of Building 170 being kept as a support for steel platforms. The top of this wall had to be cut away ...

ALICE installs its TPC

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

The ALICE time projection chamber has been transported to the experimental cavern. The handling of this extremely fragile detector was a long and delicate process. The lorry transporting the TPC took one hour to travel from the assembly hall to the access shaft...200 metres away.The TPC was lowered into the ALICE experimental cavern with extreme care. The gap between the structure and the shaft wall was only 10 centimetres! For ALICE the year started with a flurry of activity...but at a snail's pace. On 8 January, the day CERN reopened after the end-of-year break, teams from ALICE and the TS Department began the transportation of the experiment's time projection chamber (TPC), the largest ever built. This 5-metre long and 5-m diameter cylinder was transported from the clean room where it had been assembled to the experimental cavern. The 300-metre journey took no less than four days! Since the TPC is an extremely fragile object, the utmost precautions were exercised in its transportation. The TPC, which is d...

Mutations in MARS identified in a specific type of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis alter methionyl-tRNA synthetase activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Comisso, Martine; Hadchouel, Alice; de Blic, Jacques; Mirande, Marc

2018-05-18

Biallelic missense mutations in MARS are responsible for rare but severe cases of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) prevalent on the island of La Réunion. MARS encodes cytosolic methionyl-tRNA synthetase (MetRS), an essential translation factor. The multisystemic effects observed in patients with this form of PAP are consistent with a loss-of-function defect in an ubiquitously expressed enzyme. The pathophysiological mechanisms involved in MARS-related PAP are currently unknown. In this work, we analyzed the effect of the PAP-related mutations in MARS on the thermal stability and on the catalytic parameters of the MetRS mutants, relative to wild-type. The effect of these mutations on the structural integrity of the enzyme as a member of the cytosolic multisynthetase complex was also investigated. Our results establish that the PAP-related substitutions in MetRS impact the tRNA Met -aminoacylation reaction especially at the level of methionine recognition, and suggest a direct link between the loss of activity of the enzyme and the pathological disorders in PAP. © 2018 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

Golden Jubilee photos - BEBC, the Big European Bubble Chamber

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

The vessel of the Big European Bubble Chamber, BEBC, was installed at the beginning of the 1970s. The large stainless-steel vessel, measuring 3.7 metres in diameter and 4 metres in height, was filled with 35 cubic metres of liquid (hydrogen, deuterium or a neon-hydrogen mixture), whose sensitivity was regulated by means of a huge piston weighing 2 tonnes. During each expansion, the trajectories of the charged particles were marked by a trail of bubbles, where liquid reached boiling point as they passed through it. The first images were recorded in 1973 when BEBC, equipped with the largest superconducting magnet in service at the time, first received beam from the PS. In 1977, the bubble chamber was exposed to neutrino and hadron beams at higher energies of up to 450 GeV after the SPS came into operation. By the end of its active life in 1984, BEBC had delivered a total of 6.3 million photographs to 22 experiments devoted to neutrino or hadron physics. Around 600 scient...

BEBC, the Big European Bubble Chamber

CERN Multimedia

CERN PhotoLab

1971-01-01

The vessel of the Big European Bubble Chamber, BEBC, was installed at the beginning of the 1970s. The large stainless-steel vessel, measuring 3.7 metres in diameter and 4 metres in height, was filled with 35 cubic metres of liquid (hydrogen, deuterium or a neon-hydrogen mixture), whose sensitivity was regulated by means of a huge piston weighing 2 tonnes. During each expansion, the trajectories of the charged particles were marked by a trail of bubbles, where liquid reached boiling point as they passed through it. The first images were recorded in 1973 when BEBC, equipped with the largest superconducting magnet in service at the time, first received beam from the PS. In 1977, the bubble chamber was exposed to neutrino and hadron beams at higher energies of up to 450 GeV after the SPS came into operation. By the end of its active life in 1984, BEBC had delivered a total of 6.3 million photographs to 22 experiments devoted to neutrino or hadron physics. Around 600 scientists from some fifty laboratories through...

The Novo Okno copper deposit of olistostrome origin (Bor, Eastern Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonijević Ivan

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The copper deposit Novo Okno, uncovered at present, with non-ore and ore clasts of massive sulphides (from 0.5 to 50 m3 in size, has many distinctive features that indicate its olistostrome origin. The deposit is chaotic in structure, unstratified, with the lower surface unconformable over the underlying parent rock of the basin. It is a lens-like body, with the longer axis directed east and west, variable in thickness from 15 to 28 metres, about 335 metres long and less than 140 metres wide. These and other characteristics of the body indicate a unified, reworked, olistostrome copper deposit formed from primary ore bodies of the Bor mineral deposit and vulcanite, destroyed by volcanic explosion into blocks and rocks of Turonian age and extrusion and concurrent deposition on the land surface. Gravitational massive sliding of the consolidated rocks down the slopes of the volcanic relief and chaotic accumulation of ore and non-ore clasts (olistoliths in a marine basin evolved in the Upper Turonian and the Lower Senonian.

Natural gas: an environmental-friendly solution?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vermeire, J.

1994-01-01

Since 1970, the portion of natural gas in energy consumption in Western-Europe has grown by 6 percent per year on the average. About 20 percent of the energy demand in Western-Europe is now covered by natural gas. It is forecasted that this growth will continue at a rate of 2 percent per year until 2010. The natural gas consumption will increase from 325 billion cubic metres in 1993 to 450 billion cubic metres per year in 2010. For the coming 10 to 15 years, the natural gas demand is covered by long-term contracts with gas producing countries. From 2010 on, additional contracts, covering 70 to 120 billion cubic metres per year are required. A shift in geographic distribution of countries from which natural gas will be imported by Western-European countries is expected, which implies high investments and additional costs for transport and distribution of natural gas. Due to its qualities with respect to environmental impact, yield, availability, and advanced technology, natural gas is the energy vector of the 21 first century. (A.S.)

Comparison between two sampling methods by results obtained using petrographic techniques, specially developed for minerals of the Itataia uranium phosphate deposit, Ceara, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salas, H.T.; Murta, R.L.L.

1985-01-01

The results of comparison of two sampling methods applied to a gallery of the uranium-phosphate ore body of Itataia-Ceara State, Brazil, along 235 metres of mineralized zone, are presented. The results were obtained through petrographic techniques especially developed and applied to both samplings. In the first one it was studied hand samples from a systematically sampling made at intervals of 2 metres. After that, the estimated mineralogical composition studies were carried out. Some petrogenetic observations were for the first time verified. The second sampling was made at intervals of 20 metres and 570 tons of ore extracted and distributed in sections and a sample representing each section was studied after crushing at -65. Their mineralogy were quantified and the degree of liberation of apatite calculated. Based on the mineralogical data obtained it was possible to represent both samplings and to make the comparison of the main mineralogical groups (phosphates, carbonates and silicates). In spite of utilizing different methods and methodology and the kind of mineralization, stockwork, being quite irregular, the results were satisfactory. (Author) [pt

Petroleum and natural gas in the Federal Republic of Germany 2001; Erdoel und Erdgas in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland 2001

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pasternak, M.; Kosinowski, M.; Loesch, J.; Messner, J.; Sedlacek, R.

2002-07-01

After the last years had seen the lowest level of exploration activities, the year 2001 marked a distinct increase of exploration activities. This became quite visible in the number of completed exploration wells and in the extent of seismic surveys. Two of four new-field wildcats were completed in 2001, however without success. One of the three additional exploration wells (new-pool test and new-tectonic block) found gas. In production drilling nine of twelve wells were successful. Footage increased by near 25% compared to the preceding year and amounted to 54 030 metres. Seen in the light of history since 1945, this value marks the last but one rank compared to the last rank of the previous year. The rise of footage was achieved exclusively by exploration drilling. Footage of production drilling was slightly down. In geophysical prospecting the activities in 3D seismics reached the same level as in times of maximum seismic activities. The total area of 2400 square kilometres even exceeded the previous maximum. The main contribution was delivered by only one offshore survey in the German North Sea. 2D seismic was rather low and amounted to 450 kilometres in total. The license area for oil and gas exploration was reduced even further. As in previous years several expired licences were not extended and in some cases parts of the licence areas were relinquished. One licence around the city of Bremen was newly awarded. Two licences were awarded due to reorganisation of licence areas respectively due to adaptation to frontiers. In the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen three smaller licence areas were newly awarded aiming at producing gas from abandoned coal mines. German oil production could increase to 3.44 million metric tons due to the increase in production from the oil field Mittelplate to 1.6 million tons. In all other fields oil production decreased because of normal decline in production. Total remaining proven and probable oil reserves are reduced by 3 million tons

Exploring the chemical enhancement for surface-enhanced Raman scattering with Au bowtie nanoantennas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fromm, David P.; Sundaramurthy, Arvind; Kinkhabwala, Anika; Schuck, P. James; Kino, Gordon S.; Moerner, W.E.

2006-01-01

Single metallic bowtie nanoantennas provide a controllable environment for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of adsorbed molecules. Bowties have experimentally measured electromagnetic enhancements, enabling estimation of chemical enhancement for both the bulk and the few-molecule regime. Strong fluctuations of selected Raman lines imply that a small number of p-mercaptoaniline molecules on a single bowtie show chemical enhancement >10 7 , much larger than previously believed, likely due to charge transfer between the Au surface and the molecule. This chemical sensitivity of SERS has significant implications for ultra-sensitive detection of single molecules

Evaluation of carotid vessel wall enhancement with image subtraction after gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced MR angiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sardanelli, Francesco; Di Leo, Giovanni; Aliprandi, Alberto; Flor, Nicola; Papini, Giacomo D.E.; Roccatagliata, Luca; Cotticelli, Biagio; Nano, Giovanni; Cornalba, Gianpaolo

2009-01-01

Objectives: This study was aimed at testing the value of image subtraction for evaluating carotid vessel wall enhancement in contrast-enhanced MR angiography (MRA). Materials and methods: IRB approval was obtained. The scans of 81 consecutive patients who underwent carotid MRA with 0.1 mmol/kg of gadobenate dimeglumine were reviewed. Axial carotid 3D T1-weighted fast low-angle shot sequence before and 3 min after contrast injection were acquired and subtracted (enhanced minus unenhanced). Vessel wall enhancement was assigned a four-point score using native or subtracted images from 0 (no enhancement) to 3 (strong enhancement). Stenosis degree was graded according to NASCET. Results: With native images, vessel wall enhancement was detected in 20/81 patients (25%) and in 20/161 carotids (12%), and scored 2.0 ± 0.6 (mean ± standard deviation); with subtracted images, in 21/81 (26%) and 22/161 (14%), and scored 2.5 ± 0.6, respectively (P < 0.001, Sign test). The overall stenosis degree distribution was: mild, 41/161 (25%); moderate, 77/161 (48%); severe, 43/161 (27%). Carotids with moderate stenosis showed vessel wall enhancement with a frequency (17/77, 22%) significantly higher than that observed in carotids with mild stenosis (1/41, 2%) (P = 0.005, Fisher exact test) and higher, even though with borderline significance (P = 0.078, Fisher exact test), than that observed in carotids with severe stenosis (4/43, 9%). Conclusion: Roughly a quarter of patients undergoing carotid MRA showed vessel wall enhancement. Image subtraction improved vessel wall enhancement conspicuity. Vessel wall enhancement seems to be an event relatively independent from the degree of stenosis. Further studies are warranted to define the relation between vessel wall enhancement and histopathology, inflammatory status, and instability.

Plasmonic enhancement of electroluminescence

Science.gov (United States)

Guzatov, D. V.; Gaponenko, S. V.; Demir, H. V.

2018-01-01

Here plasmonic effect specifically on electroluminescence (EL) is studied in terms of radiative and nonradiative decay rates for a dipole near a metal spherical nanoparticle (NP). Contribution from scattering is taken into account and is shown to play a decisive role in EL enhancement owing to pronounced size-dependent radiative decay enhancement and weak size effect on non-radiative counterpart. Unlike photoluminescence where local incident field factor mainly determines the enhancement possibility and level, EL enhancement is only possible by means of quantum yield rise, EL enhancement being feasible only for an intrinsic quantum yield Q0 red-orange range only. Independently of positive effect on quantum yield, metal nanoparticles embedded in an electroluminescent device will improve its efficiency at high currents owing to enhanced overall recombination rate which will diminish manifestation of Auger processes. The latter are believed to be responsible for the known undesirable efficiency droop in semiconductor commercial quantum well based LEDs at higher current. For the same reason plasmonics can diminish quantum dot photodegradation from Auger process induced non-radiative recombination and photoionization thus opening a way to avoid negative Auger effects in emerging colloidal semiconductor LEDs.

Natural Image Enhancement Using a Biogeography Based Optimization Enhanced with Blended Migration Operator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Jasper

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses a novel and efficient algorithm for solving optimization problem in image processing applications. Image enhancement (IE is one of the complex optimization problems in image processing. The main goal of this paper is to enhance color images such that the eminence of the image is more suitable than the original image from the perceptual viewpoint of human. Traditional methods require prior knowledge of the image to be enhanced, whereas the aim of the proposed biogeography based optimization (BBO enhanced with blended migration operator (BMO algorithm is to maximize the objective function in order to enhance the image contrast by maximizing the parameters like edge intensity, edge information, and entropy. Experimental results are compared with the current state-of-the-art approaches and indicate the superiority of the proposed technique in terms of subjective and objective evaluation.

A 4.7 tesla metre solenoid for a partial Siberian snake

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ratner, L; Leonhardt, W [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States); Otter, A; Ellstrom, L

1993-11-01

We describe the engineering design of a 4.7 T-m solenoid magnet which will be installed at the Brookhaven National Laboratory AGS for a partial Siberian Snake Experiment which is an interlaboratory collaboration. The magnet has an overall length of 2.5 m, a clear bore of 15 cm and operates at a peak field of 2 T. It is pulsed at 3 second intervals with a peak current of 9500 A dc driven from a 150 V power supply. The construction uses conventional hollow copper coils but the return flux yokes are made from 1/8 inch plates bolted together. On assembly the flux yokes and endplates are clamped tightly to the coil to prevent any movement during the current pulse. The fabrication experience and test data will be presented. The magnet was installed in the summer of 1993. (author). 3 refs., 1 tab., 1 fig.

A 4.7 tesla metre solenoid for a partial Siberian snake

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ratner, L.; Leonhardt, W.; Otter, A.; Ellstrom, L.

1993-11-01

We describe the engineering design of a 4.7 T-m solenoid magnet which will be installed at the Brookhaven National Laboratory AGS for a partial Siberian Snake Experiment which is an interlaboratory collaboration. The magnet has an overall length of 2.5 m, a clear bore of 15 cm and operates at a peak field of 2 T. It is pulsed at 3 second intervals with a peak current of 9500 A dc driven from a 150 V power supply. The construction uses conventional hollow copper coils but the return flux yokes are made from 1/8 inch plates bolted together. On assembly the flux yokes and endplates are clamped tightly to the coil to prevent any movement during the current pulse. The fabrication experience and test data will be presented. The magnet was installed in the summer of 1993. (author). 3 refs., 1 tab., 1 fig

Hetero-cellular prototyping by synchronized multi-material bioprinting for rotary cell culture system.

Science.gov (United States)

Snyder, Jessica; Son, Ae Rin; Hamid, Qudus; Wu, Honglu; Sun, Wei

2016-01-13

Bottom-up tissue engineering requires methodological progress of biofabrication to capture key design facets of anatomical arrangements across micro, meso and macro-scales. The diffusive mass transfer properties necessary to elicit stability and functionality require hetero-typic contact, cell-to-cell signaling and uniform nutrient diffusion. Bioprinting techniques successfully build mathematically defined porous architecture to diminish resistance to mass transfer. Current limitations of bioprinted cell assemblies include poor micro-scale formability of cell-laden soft gels and asymmetrical macro-scale diffusion through 3D volumes. The objective of this work is to engineer a synchronized multi-material bioprinter (SMMB) system which improves the resolution and expands the capability of existing bioprinting systems by packaging multiple cell types in heterotypic arrays prior to deposition. This unit cell approach to arranging multiple cell-laden solutions is integrated with a motion system to print heterogeneous filaments as tissue engineered scaffolds and nanoliter droplets. The set of SMMB process parameters control the geometric arrangement of the combined flow's internal features and constituent material's volume fractions. SMMB printed hepatocyte-endothelial laden 200 nl droplets are cultured in a rotary cell culture system (RCCS) to study the effect of microgravity on an in vitro model of the human hepatic lobule. RCCS conditioning for 48 h increased hepatocyte cytoplasm diameter 2 μm, increased metabolic rate, and decreased drug half-life. SMMB hetero-cellular models present a 10-fold increase in metabolic rate, compared to SMMB mono-culture models. Improved bioprinting resolution due to process control of cell-laden matrix packaging as well as nanoliter droplet printing capability identify SMMB as a viable technique to improve in vitro model efficacy.

Design considerations and experimental observations for the TAMU air-cooled reactor cavity cooling system for the VHTR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sulaiman, S. A., E-mail: shamsulamri@tamu.edu; Dominguez-Ontiveros, E. E., E-mail: elvisdom@tamu.edu; Alhashimi, T., E-mail: jbudd123@tamu.edu; Budd, J. L., E-mail: dubaiboy@tamu.edu; Matos, M. D., E-mail: mailgoeshere@gmail.com; Hassan, Y. A., E-mail: yhasssan@tamu.edu [Department of Nuclear Engineering, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3133 (United States)

2015-04-29

The Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) is a promising passive decay heat removal system for the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) to ensure reliability of the transfer of the core residual and decay heat to the environment under all off-normal circumstances. A small scale experimental test facility was constructed at Texas A and M University (TAMU) to study pertinent multifaceted thermal hydraulic phenomena in the air-cooled reactor cavity cooling system (RCCS) design based on the General Atomics (GA) concept for the Modular High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (MHTGR). The TAMU Air-Cooled Experimental Test Facility is ⅛ scale from the proposed GA-MHTGR design. Groundwork for experimental investigations focusing into the complex turbulence mixing flow behavior inside the upper plenum is currently underway. The following paper illustrates some of the chief design considerations used in construction of the experimental test facility, complete with an outline of the planned instrumentation and data acquisition methods. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were carried out to furnish some insights on the overall behavior of the air flow in the system. CFD simulations assisted the placement of the flow measurement sensors location. Preliminary experimental observations of experiments at 120oC inlet temperature suggested the presence of flow reversal for cases involving single active riser at both 5 m/s and 2.25 m/s, respectively and four active risers at 2.25 m/s. Flow reversal may lead to thermal stratification inside the upper plenum by means of steady state temperature measurements. A Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) experiment was carried out to furnish some insight on flow patterns and directions.

Tumor signatures of PTHLH overexpression, high serum calcium, and poor prognosis were observed exclusively in clear cell but not non clear cell renal carcinomas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yao, Masahiro; Murakami, Takayuki; Shioi, Koichi; Mizuno, Nobuhiko; Ito, Hiroki; Kondo, Keiichi; Hasumi, Hisashi; Sano, Futoshi; Makiyama, Kazuhide; Nakaigawa, Noboru; Kishida, Takeshi; Nagashima, Yoji; Yamanaka, Shoji; Kubota, Yoshinobu

2014-01-01

High serum calcium (Ca) due to aberrant secretion of tumor parathyroid hormone-like hormone (PTHLH) is a well-known paraneoplastic sign and is associated with poor prognosis in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, the status of serum Ca and tumor PTHLH expression have not been verified using the 2004 World Health Organization (WHO) renal tumor classification. We retrospectively reviewed corrected serum Ca levels at initial onset (n = 683) and/or as of recurrence (n = 71) in patients with RCC. We also examined a total of 623 renal parenchymal tumor samples for PTHLH mRNA expressions by quantitative real-time PCR. High serum Ca concomitant with PTHLH overexpression in tumors was observed exclusively in clear cell RCC but not in other non clear cell subtype tumors, including papillary, chromophobe, collecting-duct, unclassified, and other rare subtype RCCs or in benign oncocytomas and angiomyolipomas. In clear cell RCC, PTHLH expression was significantly high in male patients, and was associated with a symptomatic presentation, higher grade, and higher stage cases, whereas it was not associated with VHL gene status. Univariate analyses demonstrated that high PTHLH expression was strongly associated with poor outcome both in overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) for patients who underwent standard nephrectomy. Further multivariate Cox analyses revealed that the PTHLH expressions remained as independent prognostic parameters for OS but not for DFS. These data suggest that the previously characterized tumor signatures of high serum Ca due to high PTHLH expression and poor prognosis are clear cell RCC-specific features, whereas these characteristics are rare in non clear cell RCCs

Hetero-cellular prototyping by synchronized multi-material bioprinting for rotary cell culture system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Snyder, Jessica; Son, Ae Rin; Hamid, Qudus; Sun, Wei; Wu, Honglu

2016-01-01

Bottom-up tissue engineering requires methodological progress of biofabrication to capture key design facets of anatomical arrangements across micro, meso and macro-scales. The diffusive mass transfer properties necessary to elicit stability and functionality require hetero-typic contact, cell-to-cell signaling and uniform nutrient diffusion. Bioprinting techniques successfully build mathematically defined porous architecture to diminish resistance to mass transfer. Current limitations of bioprinted cell assemblies include poor micro-scale formability of cell-laden soft gels and asymmetrical macro-scale diffusion through 3D volumes. The objective of this work is to engineer a synchronized multi-material bioprinter (SMMB) system which improves the resolution and expands the capability of existing bioprinting systems by packaging multiple cell types in heterotypic arrays prior to deposition. This unit cell approach to arranging multiple cell-laden solutions is integrated with a motion system to print heterogeneous filaments as tissue engineered scaffolds and nanoliter droplets. The set of SMMB process parameters control the geometric arrangement of the combined flow’s internal features and constituent material’s volume fractions. SMMB printed hepatocyte-endothelial laden 200 nl droplets are cultured in a rotary cell culture system (RCCS) to study the effect of microgravity on an in vitro model of the human hepatic lobule. RCCS conditioning for 48 h increased hepatocyte cytoplasm diameter 2 μm, increased metabolic rate, and decreased drug half-life. SMMB hetero-cellular models present a 10-fold increase in metabolic rate, compared to SMMB mono-culture models. Improved bioprinting resolution due to process control of cell-laden matrix packaging as well as nanoliter droplet printing capability identify SMMB as a viable technique to improve in vitro model efficacy. (paper)

Oil Reserves and Production in the Gulf with Special Reference to Qatar

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ibrahim, Ismail.

1998-01-01

Oil and natural gas potential of the Gulf Arab Countries is substantial. The proven oil reserves of these countries constitute 55% of total world proven oil reserves. The Gulf Arab Countries possess 576 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves, as compared to total world proven oil reserves of around 1047. Natural gas resources are also plentiful in the Gulf Arab Countries. Proven natural gas reserves were estimated at around 26 trillion cubic metres, at the beginning of 1997. This figure represents around 17% of total world proven natural gas reserves of around 153 trillion cubic metres

La megaciudad en el siglo XXI. De la modernidad inconclusa a la crisis del espacio público

OpenAIRE

Emilio Duhau

2001-01-01

Este artículo aborda la cuestión del espacio público en las grandes metrópolis latinoamericanas como expresión de la crisis del orden urbano moderno. Al respecto, el autor sostiene que en dichas metrópolis esta crisis, por una parte, combina los límites enfrentados por el modelo social, económico, político y urbano de integración de la población prevaleciente hasta comienzos de los años setenta (modernidad inconclusa), y los efectos sociales y urbanos de la economía política de la llamada glo...

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.

Domestic fuel consumption in Estonia (The first half of 1993)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veski, Rein

1993-01-01

According to the data of the Estonian Statistics Department the consumption of fuels in Estonia over the period of January-June 1993 was a follows: coal 77,053 t, oil shale 7,981,840 t, fuel peat 127,376 t, peat briquette 42,041 t, firewood 154,511 solid metres, wood chip 55,648 solid metres. The consumption of fuel peat (chiefly for producing briquette) was more considerable in the town of Kohtla-Jaerve and in the districts of Paernu and Tartu where Estonia's major peat-briquette plants are located. The share of peat in the other industries has been less significant. (author)

Modification in existing SF6 gas handling system at 14UD BARC-TIFR Pelletron Accelerator, Mumbai

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ninawe, N.G.; Gupta, S.K.; Ramjilal; Sparrow, Hillary; Sharma, S.C.; Bhagwat, P.V.; Salvi, S.B.

2003-01-01

BARC-TIFR 14 UD Pelletron Accelerator facility at TIFR, Mumbai is operational since inception 1989. The accelerator is housed inside a pressure vessel of 6 metre diameter, 25 metre long and 525m 3 volume. The accelerator tank is pressurized with SF 6 at 80 to 100 psig in order to achieve 14MV. The inventory of SF 6 gas is about 18,000 Kg (approximately) at 80 psig. SF 6 gas can be transported from Accelerator tank to storage tank using gas handling system, which consists of oil free compressor, vacuum pump, dust filters, oil filters, dryers etc

Dr. David Syz, State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Switzerland

CERN Multimedia

Maximilien Brice

2003-01-01

Dr. David Syz, State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Switzerland, toured the assembly hall of the ATLAS experiment on a recent visit to CERN.Photos 01, 02: Dr. Peter Jenni, spokesperson for the ATLAS experiment (second from left), explains to Dr. David Syz (fourth from left) and accompanying visitors the process of integration of a 26-metre-long coil of the barrel toroid magnet system into its coil casing.Photo 03: Dr. Peter Jenni (extreme right) with Dr. David Syz (front row, fourth from right) behind a stack of 26-metre-long 'racetrack' coils awaiting integration into their coil casings.

Evolution of the nondestructive testing equipment for neutron radiography in the framework of the programs of the Services des Piles de Saclay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-10-01

The progress made in neutron radiography testing equipment is made with respect to (a) the devices located inside reactor ponds (collimation, leak-tightness, irradiation devices, detection systems), (b) neutron radiography of active parts outside the reactor ponds (testing of fuel rods several metres long by a neutron radiography system by dry feed through), (3) neutron radiography on inactive materials (fitting an axial channel and a side channel in the Triton reactor), (4) neutron radiography on a neutron guide set up at the end of the Neutron Guide Hall associated with the Orphee reactor, i.e. 70 metres from it [fr

A disposal centre for irradiated nuclear fuel: conceptual design study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-09-01

This report describes a conceptual design of a disposal centre for irradiated nuclear fuel. The surface facilities consist of plants for the preparation of steel cylinders containing irradiated nuclear fuel immobilized in lead, shaft headframe buildings, and all necessary support facilities. The undergound disposal vault is located on one level at a depth of 1000 metres. The cylinders containing the irradiated fuel are emplaced on a one-metre thick layer of backfill material and then completely covered with backfill. All surface and subsurface facilities are described, operations and schedules are summarized, and cost estimates and manpower requirements are given. (auth)

Aplicación de un score semiquantitativo de tac-ar para el control y evaluación del pronóstico de pacientes con fibrosis pulmonar idiopática

OpenAIRE

Peris i Sanchez, Ricardo

2012-01-01

Estudi prospectiu amb 36 pacients, on definírem un score semiquantitatiu per a diferents patrons de FPI a la TCAR, i la suma resultant (Score Total). Estudiàrem la relació amb paràmetres funcionals i cel.lularitat del RBA, analitzant-se'n les diferències amb els pacients morts. Trobàrem correlació entre el score de bresca (honeycomb) i total amb alguns paràmetres funcionals, prova de marxa de 6 minuts i la gasometria arterial. Els morts hi tenien major score total i tendència a la neutrofília...

Second report of RADMIL on radon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-06-01

RADMIL is the radiation and radioactivity monitoring organisation established by the 14 District Councils of Lancashire and the County Council. Annual reports on RADMIL monitoring of the Lancashire environment are produced and this is the second in a series of separate reports on one aspect of monitoring, i.e. 'Radon in homes'. Radon measurements in 283 homes showed an overall mean radon level of 20 Becquerels per cubic metre and few homes above RADMIL's current further investigation level of 75 Becquerels per cubic metre. On the basis of current information, RADMIL does not expect Lancashire to be designated on 'affected area''. (author)

Mechanisms of Memory Enhancement

Science.gov (United States)

Stern, Sarah A.

2012-01-01

The ongoing quest for memory enhancement is one that grows necessary as the global population increasingly ages. The extraordinary progress that has been made in the past few decades elucidating the underlying mechanisms of how long-term memories are formed has provided insight into how memories might also be enhanced. Capitalizing on this knowledge, it has been postulated that targeting many of the same mechanisms, including CREB activation, AMPA/NMDA receptor trafficking, neuromodulation (e.g. via dopamine, adrenaline, cortisol or acetylcholine) and metabolic processes (e.g. via glucose and insulin) may all lead to the enhancement of memory. These and other mechanisms and/or approaches have been tested via genetic or pharmacological methods in animal models, and several have been investigated in humans as well. In addition, a number of behavioral methods, including exercise and reconsolidation, may also serve to strengthen and enhance memories. By capitalizing on this knowledge and continuing to investigate these promising avenues, memory enhancement may indeed be achieved in the future. PMID:23151999

Even the smallest non-crop habitat islands could be beneficial: distribution of carabid beetles and spiders in agricultural landscape.

Science.gov (United States)

Knapp, Michal; Řezáč, Milan

2015-01-01

Carabid beetles and ground-dwelling spiders inhabiting agroecosystems are beneficial organisms with a potential to control pest species. Intensification of agricultural management and reduction of areas covered by non-crop vegetation during recent decades in some areas has led to many potentially serious environmental problems including a decline in the diversity and abundance of beneficial arthropods in agricultural landscapes. This study investigated carabid beetle and spider assemblages in non-crop habitat islands of various sizes (50 to 18,000 square metres) within one large field, as well as the arable land within the field, using pitfall traps in two consecutive sampling periods (spring to early summer and peak summer). The non-crop habitat islands situated inside arable land hosted many unique ground-dwelling arthropod species that were not present within the surrounding arable land. Even the smallest non-crop habitat islands with areas of tens of square metres were inhabited by assemblages substantially different from these inhabiting arable land and thus enhanced the biodiversity of agricultural landscapes. The non-crop habitat area substantially affected the activity density, recorded species richness and recorded species composition of carabid and ground-dwelling spider assemblages; however, the effects were weakened when species specialised to non-crop habitats species were analysed separately. Interestingly, recorded species richness of spiders increased with non-crop habitat area, whereas recorded species richness of carabid beetles exhibited an opposite trend. There was substantial temporal variation in the spatial distribution of ground-dwelling arthropods, and contrasting patterns were observed for particular taxa (carabid beetles and spiders). In general, local environmental conditions (i.e., non-crop habitat island tree cover, shrub cover, grass cover and litter depth) were better determinants of arthropod assemblages than non-crop habitat island

Rethinking enhancement in sport.

Science.gov (United States)

Miah, Andy

2006-12-01

This article explores the arguments surrounding the use of human enhancement technologies in sport, arguing for a reconceptualization of the doping debate. First, it develops an overview and critique of the legislative structures on enhancement. Subsequently, a conceptual framework for understanding the role of technological effects in sport is advanced. Finally, two case studies (hypoxic chambers and gene transfer) receive specific attention, through which it is argued that human enhancement technologies can enrich the practice of elite sports rather than diminish them. In conclusion, it is argued that elite sports are at a pivotal moment in their history as an increasing range of enhancements makes less relevant the protection of the natural human through anti-doping.

Multiple layered metallic nanostructures for strong surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy enhancement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xia, Ming; Xie, Ya-Hong; Qiao Kuan; Cheng Zhiyuan

2016-01-01

We report a systematic study on a practical way of patterning metallic nanostructures to achieve high surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) enhancement factors (EFs) and high hot-spot density. By simply superimposing a 1-layer Au nanotriangle array on another to form a multilayer nanotriangle array, the SERS signal can be enhanced by 2 orders of magnitude compared with a 1-layer nanotriangle array. The drastic increases in the SERS EF and the hot spot density of the multilayer Au nanotriangle array are due to the increase in the number of gaps formed between Au nanotriangles and the decrease of the gap width. (author)

Intracranial arterial wall enhancement using gadolinium-enhanced 3D black-blood T1-weighted imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takano, Koichi, E-mail: k-takano@fukuoka-u.ac.jp; Hida, Kosuke; Kuwabara, Yasuo; Yoshimitsu, Kengo

2017-01-15

Purpose: We investigated the enhancement of the intracranial arterial walls with gadolinium-enhanced, black-blood three-dimensional T1-weighted imaging (Gd-3DBB) by using an improved motion-sensitized driven-equilibrium (iMSDE)—prepared volumetric isotropic turbo spin-echo acquisition (VISTA). Methods: A total of 115 patients underwent FLAIR, 3D-TOF-MRA and Gd-3DBB with a 1.5-T scanner. The degree and distribution of the arterial wall enhancement on Gd-3DBB was assessed. The association of the degree of wall enhancement with brain infarction/ischemic lesions on FLAIR, luminal changes on 3D-TOF-MRA, and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) was investigated by univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses. Results: Strong enhancement of the arterial walls was observed in 77 vertebral arteries (33.5%), 4 basilar arteries (3.5%), 31 supraclinoid internal carotid arteries (ICAs) (13.5%) and 8 middle cerebral arteries (3.5%). In addition, 221 intrapetrous ICAs (96.1%) showed strong enhancement. After adjusting for confounding factors, multivariate analyses showed that the patient age was independently associated with the strong wall enhancement of the arteries for both the posterior (OR, 1.088; 95% CI, 1.034–1.146) and the anterior circulation (OR, 1.098, 95% CI 1.029–1.172). In addition, the presence of the supratentorial brain infarctions was independently associated with the strong wall enhancement in the anterior circulation excluding the intrapetrous ICAs (OR, 4.097; 95% CI, 1.483–11.319). Conclusions: Although the arterial wall enhancement on the Gd-3DBB probably reflects normal aging, the enhancement in the anterior circulation might be related to brain infarctions. On the other hand, the intrapetrous ICA enhancement is considered a nonspecific finding and should not be mistaken for arterial pathologies such as atherosclerosis or arteritis.

Intracranial arterial wall enhancement using gadolinium-enhanced 3D black-blood T1-weighted imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takano, Koichi; Hida, Kosuke; Kuwabara, Yasuo; Yoshimitsu, Kengo

2017-01-01

Purpose: We investigated the enhancement of the intracranial arterial walls with gadolinium-enhanced, black-blood three-dimensional T1-weighted imaging (Gd-3DBB) by using an improved motion-sensitized driven-equilibrium (iMSDE)—prepared volumetric isotropic turbo spin-echo acquisition (VISTA). Methods: A total of 115 patients underwent FLAIR, 3D-TOF-MRA and Gd-3DBB with a 1.5-T scanner. The degree and distribution of the arterial wall enhancement on Gd-3DBB was assessed. The association of the degree of wall enhancement with brain infarction/ischemic lesions on FLAIR, luminal changes on 3D-TOF-MRA, and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) was investigated by univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses. Results: Strong enhancement of the arterial walls was observed in 77 vertebral arteries (33.5%), 4 basilar arteries (3.5%), 31 supraclinoid internal carotid arteries (ICAs) (13.5%) and 8 middle cerebral arteries (3.5%). In addition, 221 intrapetrous ICAs (96.1%) showed strong enhancement. After adjusting for confounding factors, multivariate analyses showed that the patient age was independently associated with the strong wall enhancement of the arteries for both the posterior (OR, 1.088; 95% CI, 1.034–1.146) and the anterior circulation (OR, 1.098, 95% CI 1.029–1.172). In addition, the presence of the supratentorial brain infarctions was independently associated with the strong wall enhancement in the anterior circulation excluding the intrapetrous ICAs (OR, 4.097; 95% CI, 1.483–11.319). Conclusions: Although the arterial wall enhancement on the Gd-3DBB probably reflects normal aging, the enhancement in the anterior circulation might be related to brain infarctions. On the other hand, the intrapetrous ICA enhancement is considered a nonspecific finding and should not be mistaken for arterial pathologies such as atherosclerosis or arteritis.

Heat transfer enhancement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasatani, Masanobu; Itaya, Yoshinori

1985-01-01

In order to develop energy-saving techniques and new energy techniques, and also most advanced techniques by making industrial equipment with high performance, heat transfer performance frequently becomes an important problem. In addition, the improvement of conventional heat transfer techniques and the device of new heat transfer techniques are often required. It is most proper that chemical engineers engage in the research and development for enhancing heat transfer. The research and development for enhancing heat transfer are important to heighten heat exchange efficiency or to cool equipment for preventing overheat in high temperature heat transfer system. In this paper, the techniques of enhancing radiative heat transfer and the improvement of radiative heat transfer characteristics are reported. Radiative heat transfer is proportional to fourth power of absolute temperature, and it does not require any heat transfer medium, but efficient heat-radiation converters are necessary. As the techniques of enhancing radiative heat transfer, the increase of emission and absorption areas, the installation of emissive structures and the improvement of radiative characteristics are discussed. (Kako, I.)

Motif signatures of transcribed enhancers

KAUST Repository

Kleftogiannis, Dimitrios

2017-09-14

In mammalian cells, transcribed enhancers (TrEn) play important roles in the initiation of gene expression and maintenance of gene expression levels in spatiotemporal manner. One of the most challenging questions in biology today is how the genomic characteristics of enhancers relate to enhancer activities. This is particularly critical, as several recent studies have linked enhancer sequence motifs to specific functional roles. To date, only a limited number of enhancer sequence characteristics have been investigated, leaving space for exploring the enhancers genomic code in a more systematic way. To address this problem, we developed a novel computational method, TELS, aimed at identifying predictive cell type/tissue specific motif signatures. We used TELS to compile a comprehensive catalog of motif signatures for all known TrEn identified by the FANTOM5 consortium across 112 human primary cells and tissues. Our results confirm that distinct cell type/tissue specific motif signatures characterize TrEn. These signatures allow discriminating successfully a) TrEn from random controls, proxy of non-enhancer activity, and b) cell type/tissue specific TrEn from enhancers expressed and transcribed in different cell types/tissues. TELS codes and datasets are publicly available at http://www.cbrc.kaust.edu.sa/TELS.

National, Regional and Global Certification Bodies for Polio Eradication: A Framework for Verifying Measles Elimination.

Science.gov (United States)

Deblina Datta, S; Tangermann, Rudolf H; Reef, Susan; William Schluter, W; Adams, Anthony

2017-07-01

The Global Certification Commission (GCC), Regional Certification Commissions (RCCs), and National Certification Committees (NCCs) provide a framework of independent bodies to assist the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in certifying and maintaining polio eradication in a standardized, ongoing, and credible manner. Their members meet regularly to comprehensively review population immunity, surveillance, laboratory, and other data to assess polio status in the country (NCC), World Health Organization (WHO) region (RCC), or globally (GCC). These highly visible bodies provide a framework to be replicated to independently verify measles and rubella elimination in the regions and globally. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Air Force Contingency Contracting: Reachback and Other Opportunities for Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

local commu- nity to procure items, and acquiring items from retail outlets on base.10 One-third of AARs 8 After each focus group quotation, a unique...0 2 1 1 0 0 4 Kuwait 0 0 0 0 1 1 4 0 2 0 0 8 Kyrgyzstan 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 4 Laos 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Malaysia 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 Mongolia...and stored on computers by CCOs at their respective RCCs. Historical data prior to October 2006 were collected from these locations and stored in

Evaluation of the potassium adsorption capacity of a potassium adsorption filter during rapid blood transfusion.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsuura, H; Akatsuka, Y; Muramatsu, C; Isogai, S; Sugiura, Y; Arakawa, S; Murayama, M; Kurahashi, M; Takasuga, H; Oshige, T; Yuba, T; Mizuta, S; Emi, N

2015-05-01

The concentration of extracellular potassium in red blood cell concentrates (RCCs) increases during storage, leading to risk of hyperkalemia. A potassium adsorption filter (PAF) can eliminate the potassium at normal blood transfusion. This study aimed to investigate the potassium adsorption capacity of a PAF during rapid blood transfusion. We tested several different potassium concentrations under a rapid transfusion condition using a pressure bag. The adsorption rates of the 70-mEq/l model were 76·8%. The PAF showed good potassium adsorption capacity, suggesting that this filter may provide a convenient method to prevent hyperkalemia during rapid blood transfusion. © 2015 International Society of Blood Transfusion.

A development and integration analysis of commercial and in-house control subsystems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, D.M.; Dalesio, L.R.

1998-01-01

The acquisition and integration of commercial automation and control subsystems in physics research is becoming more common. It is presumed these systems present lower risk and less cost. This paper studies four subsystems used in the Accelerator Production of Tritium (APT) Low Energy Demonstration Accelerator (LEDA) at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) resonance-control cooling subsystem (RCCS), the high-power RF subsystem and the RFQ vacuum subsystem were outsourced; the low-level RF (LLRF) subsystem was developed in-house. Based on the authors experience a careful evaluation of the costs and risks in acquisition, implementation, integration, and maintenance associated with these approaches is given

Quantum mechanical limit to plasmonic enhancement as observed by surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Wenqi; Crozier, Kenneth B

2014-10-14

Plasmonic nanostructures enable light to be concentrated into nanoscale 'hotspots', wherein the intensity of light can be enhanced by orders of magnitude. This plasmonic enhancement significantly boosts the efficiency of nanoscale light-matter interactions, enabling unique linear and nonlinear optical applications. Large enhancements are often observed within narrow gaps or at sharp tips, as predicted by the classical electromagnetic theory. Only recently has it become appreciated that quantum mechanical effects could emerge as the feature size approaches atomic length-scale. Here we experimentally demonstrate, through observations of surface-enhanced Raman scattering, that the emergence of electron tunnelling at optical frequencies limits the maximum achievable plasmonic enhancement. Such quantum mechanical effects are revealed for metallic nanostructures with gap-widths in the single-digit angstrom range by correlating each structure with its optical properties. This work furthers our understanding of quantum mechanical effects in plasmonic systems and could enable future applications of quantum plasmonics.

Speech enhancement

CERN Document Server

Benesty, Jacob; Chen, Jingdong

2006-01-01

We live in a noisy world! In all applications (telecommunications, hands-free communications, recording, human-machine interfaces, etc.) that require at least one microphone, the signal of interest is usually contaminated by noise and reverberation. As a result, the microphone signal has to be ""cleaned"" with digital signal processing tools before it is played out, transmitted, or stored.This book is about speech enhancement. Different well-known and state-of-the-art methods for noise reduction, with one or multiple microphones, are discussed. By speech enhancement, we mean not only noise red

Dural enhancement with primary calvarial lesions.

Science.gov (United States)

Arana, E; Martí-Bonmatí, L; Ricart, V; Pérez-Ebrí, M

2004-11-01

The purpose of this study was to relate the pathological and imaging features of dural enhancement and meningeal sign ("dural tail") on contrast-enhanced T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images from patients with primary calvarial lesions as well to assess the accuracy of MR imaging in predicting dural invasion. Thirty-two calvarial tumors studied with contrast-enhanced MR imaging and histopathological examination of the dural specimens were reviewed. Sixteen patients presented dural enhancement, eight with tumor invasion. Tumoral invasion of the dura was observed in one case without enhancement. Malignant lesions showed enhanced dura more commonly than benign lesions (P=0.02). Nodular and discontinuous dural enhancement was statistically associated with dural invasion (P=0.05). Dural tail did not show a specific pathological association. Meningeal enhancement is a nonspecific reaction to calvarial lesions unless nodular and discontinuous. False-negative and -positive cases of dural invasion imply some limitation of contrast-enhanced MR imaging in predicting dural invasion by calvarial neoplasms.

Dural enhancement with primary calvarial lesions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arana, E. [Clinica Quiron, Department of Radiology, Valencia (Spain); Marti-Bonmati, L. [Clinica Quiron, Department of Radiology, Valencia (Spain); Hospital Universitario Dr. Peset, Department of Radiology, Valencia (Spain); Ricart, V. [Hospital de la Ribera, Department of Radiology, Valencia (Spain); Perez-Ebri, M. [Hospital Universitario Dr. Peset, Department of Pathology, Valencia (Spain)

2004-11-01

The purpose of this study was to relate the pathological and imaging features of dural enhancement and meningeal sign (''dural tail'') on contrast-enhanced T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images from patients with primary calvarial lesions as well to assess the accuracy of MR imaging in predicting dural invasion. Thirty-two calvarial tumors studied with contrast-enhanced MR imaging and histopathological examination of the dural specimens were reviewed. Sixteen patients presented dural enhancement, eight with tumor invasion. Tumoral invasion of the dura was observed in one case without enhancement. Malignant lesions showed enhanced dura more commonly than benign lesions (P=0.02). Nodular and discontinuous dural enhancement was statistically associated with dural invasion (P=0.05). Dural tail did not show a specific pathological association. Meningeal enhancement is a nonspecific reaction to calvarial lesions unless nodular and discontinuous. False-negative and -positive cases of dural invasion imply some limitation of contrast-enhanced MR imaging in predicting dural invasion by calvarial neoplasms. (orig.)

Delayed enhanced MRI in intraparenchymal tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eguchi, Takahiko; Morimoto, Tetsuya; Takeshima, Toshikazu

1991-01-01

Delayed enhanced MRI was performed on 20 intraparenchymal tumors, and these findings were compared with those of early enhanced MRI. Using the spin-echo technique (SE: 400-500/20 msec), early scans were obtained 5 minutes, and delayed scans were obtained 60 minutes, after the intravenous injection of 0.1 nmol of gadolinium-DTPA/Kg. We discussed the changes in the delayed scan with regard to the change in the pattern of enhancement and the boundary of enhancement. In these twenty intraparenchymal tumors, there were three low-grade astrocytomas, two anaplastic astrocytomas, seven glioblastomas, and eight metastatic tumors. The changes in the enhanced pattern showed three types as follows: Type I: heterogeneous enhancement in both early and delayed scans; Type II: heterogeneous enhancement in early scan and homogeneous enhancement in delayed scan; Type III: homogeneous enhancement in both early and delayed scans. Most malignant tumors, such as glioblastomas (6/8), anaplastic astrocytomas (2/2), and metastatic tumors (7/8), revealed Type I, although low-grade astrocytomas showed Type II (3/2) and Type III (1/3). The heterogeneous enhancement in delayed scan was found in malignant tumors and in low-grade astrocytoma; even if the early scan revealed heterogeneous enhancement, the delayed scan showed homogeneous enhancement. In the delayed scan, most enhanced boundaries spread out of the boundaries in the early scan. Glioblastomas spread markedly in the delayed scan, although none of the low-grade astrocytomas, anaplastic astrocytomas, or metastases revealed marked spreading. We called these marked increases in the delayed scan a 'spreading sign' and thought that this sign was specific to glioblastomas. Recently some authors have emphasized the usefulness of serial scans. Delayed enhanced MRI 60 minutes after the administration of a contrast medium was here found also to be useful for the accurate diagnosis for brain tumors. (author)

The perils of moral enhancement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dobrijević Aleksandar

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The idea of biotechnological enhancement of people for non-medical purposes is not unambiguous. A gap that may arise between the “cognitive” and so-called “moral” enhancement points precisely to this fact. This article shows that, contrary to the intentions of its supporters, the idea according to which moral enhancement has precedence over cognitive enhancement is essentially just a new form of undermining human freedom. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 41004

Enhanced Input in LCTL Pedagogy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marilyn S. Manley

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Language materials for the more-commonly-taught languages (MCTLs often include visual input enhancement (Sharwood Smith 1991, 1993 which makes use of typographical cues like bolding and underlining to enhance the saliency of targeted forms. For a variety of reasons, this paper argues that the use of enhanced input, both visual and oral, is especially important as a tool for the lesscommonly-taught languages (LCTLs. As there continues to be a scarcity of teaching resources for the LCTLs, individual teachers must take it upon themselves to incorporate enhanced input into their own self-made materials. Specific examples of how to incorporate both visual and oral enhanced input into language teaching are drawn from the author’s own experiences teaching Cuzco Quechua. Additionally, survey results are presented from the author’s Fall 2010 semester Cuzco Quechua language students, supporting the use of both visual and oral enhanced input.

Enhanced Input in LCTL Pedagogy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marilyn S. Manley

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Language materials for the more-commonly-taught languages (MCTLs often include visual input enhancement (Sharwood Smith 1991, 1993 which makes use of typographical cues like bolding and underlining to enhance the saliency of targeted forms. For a variety of reasons, this paper argues that the use of enhanced input, both visual and oral, is especially important as a tool for the lesscommonly-taught languages (LCTLs. As there continues to be a scarcity of teaching resources for the LCTLs, individual teachers must take it upon themselves to incorporate enhanced input into their own self-made materials. Specific examples of how to incorporate both visual and oral enhanced input into language teaching are drawn from the author’s own experiences teaching Cuzco Quechua. Additionally, survey results are presented from the author’s Fall 2010 semester Cuzco Quechua language students, supporting the use of both visual and oral enhanced input.

Old plays, new pays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trollope, F.

1996-01-01

Major oil companies in Western Canada, have discovered that new technologies such as 3-D seismic and horizontal drilling can enhance production of their existing reserves. Examples of recent activities at Chevron Canada Resources Ltd., Shell Canada Ltd., and Mobil Oil Canada Ltd. oriented towards enhanced recovery were described. Among the notable examples that have resulted in large discoveries are calibration studies of seismic data from the Swan Hills reefs by Chevron, as well as by Shell in the Caroline area. Horizontal wells by Mobil in the Hanlan field, the deepest in Canada, and in the Swan Hills reservoir, indicate the potential to produce 1.3 million cubic metres per day of natural gas. Another deep horizontal well in the Clearwater fields in the Alberta Foothills also achieved increased flow rate, although not as spectacular as the increase reported from the Hanlan field. A survey of major oil companies in Alberta gave strong indication of further investments on exploration and production in the Western Sedimentary Basin, a significant share going to increase production of existing reservoirs

Clinical significance of nerve root enhancement in contrast-enhanced MR imaging of the postoperative lumbar spine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Yeon Soo; Lee, Eun Ja; Kang, Si Won; Choi, Eun Seok; Song, Chang June; Kim, Jong Chul

2001-01-01

To determine the significance of nerve root contrast enhancement in patients with residual or recurrent symptomatic postoperative lumbar spine. Eighty-eight patients with 116 postoperative lumbar disc lesions causing radiating back pain underwent enhanced MR imaging. Intradural nerve root enhancement was quantified by pixel measurement, and affected nerve roots were compared before and after contrast administration. Extradural nerve root enhancement was assessed visually, and nerve root enhancement and clinical symptoms were correlated. Associated lesions such as recurrent disc herniation, scar tissue, nerve root thickening and nerve root displacement were also evaluated. Of 26 cases (22.4%) involving intradural nerve root enhancement, 22 (84.6%) showed significant clinical symptoms (p=0.002). and of 59 (50.9%) demonstrating extradural enhancement, clinical symptoms showed significant correlation in 47 (79.7%) (p=0.001). Nerve root enhancement, including eleven cases where this was both intra-and extradural, showed highly significant association with clinical symptoms in 74 of the 116 cases (63.8%) (p=0.000). Among 33 cases (28.4%) of recurrent disc herniation, nerve root enhancement was observed in 28 (84.8%) and in 24 of these 28 (85.7%), significant correlation with clinical symptoms was observed (p=0.000). Where epidural fibrosis was present, correlation between nerve root enhancement and clinical symptoms was not significant (p>0.05). Nerve root thickening and displaced nerve root were, however, significantly associated with symptoms (87.2% and 88.6%, respectively). In patients with postoperative lumbar spine, the association between nerve root enhancement revealed by MRI and clinical symptoms was highly significant

Meningeal enhancement on MRI after craniotomy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nomura, Motohiro; Hasegawa, Mitsuhiro; Yamashima, Tetsumori; Yamashita, Junkoh; Suzuki, Masayuki

1991-01-01

Gd-DPTA-enhanced MR images in 94 patients who had undergone craniotomy were studied, with particular attention paid to the meningeal enhancement. Such enhancement was noted in 26 of the 94 (27.6%) in the portion surrounding the craniotomy site. Meningeal enhancement, presumably of the subdural neomembrane, was apparent as a third line of a high signal intensity on T 1 -weighted MR images. The outer two high-intensity lines were derived from fat in the subcutaneous tissues of the scalp and fat in the bone marrow of the calvaria. We designated this characteristic enhancement as a 'triple white line'. Of the 26 patients with meningeal enhancement, 22 cases (23.4%) showed such a 'triple white line', 11 cases (11.7%) showed falx enhancement, and 12 cases (12.8%) showed tentorial enhancement. The intervals between surgery and the appearance of the meningeal enhancement ranged from 4 days to 88 weeks. A small amount of bleeding into the dura-arachnoid interface induced by surgery might result in the subdural neomembrane, as has previously been reported. This neomembrane might be enhanced by the leakage of Gd-DTPA through the proliferating capillaries. As meningeal enhancement occurs in approximately a third of the cases following craniotomy, much care should be taken in the differential diagnosis of the infection, inflammation, and metastasis or dissemination of malignant brain tumors. (author)

Multispectral histogram normalization contrast enhancement

Science.gov (United States)

Soha, J. M.; Schwartz, A. A.

1979-01-01

A multispectral histogram normalization or decorrelation enhancement which achieves effective color composites by removing interband correlation is described. The enhancement procedure employs either linear or nonlinear transformations to equalize principal component variances. An additional rotation to any set of orthogonal coordinates is thus possible, while full histogram utilization is maintained by avoiding the reintroduction of correlation. For the three-dimensional case, the enhancement procedure may be implemented with a lookup table. An application of the enhancement to Landsat multispectral scanning imagery is presented.

DENdb: database of integrated human enhancers

KAUST Repository

Ashoor, Haitham

2015-09-05

Enhancers are cis-acting DNA regulatory regions that play a key role in distal control of transcriptional activities. Identification of enhancers, coupled with a comprehensive functional analysis of their properties, could improve our understanding of complex gene transcription mechanisms and gene regulation processes in general. We developed DENdb, a centralized on-line repository of predicted enhancers derived from multiple human cell-lines. DENdb integrates enhancers predicted by five different methods generating an enriched catalogue of putative enhancers for each of the analysed cell-lines. DENdb provides information about the overlap of enhancers with DNase I hypersensitive regions, ChIP-seq regions of a number of transcription factors and transcription factor binding motifs, means to explore enhancer interactions with DNA using several chromatin interaction assays and enhancer neighbouring genes. DENdb is designed as a relational database that facilitates fast and efficient searching, browsing and visualization of information.

DENdb: database of integrated human enhancers

KAUST Repository

Ashoor, Haitham; Kleftogiannis, Dimitrios A.; Radovanovic, Aleksandar; Bajic, Vladimir B.

2015-01-01

Enhancers are cis-acting DNA regulatory regions that play a key role in distal control of transcriptional activities. Identification of enhancers, coupled with a comprehensive functional analysis of their properties, could improve our understanding of complex gene transcription mechanisms and gene regulation processes in general. We developed DENdb, a centralized on-line repository of predicted enhancers derived from multiple human cell-lines. DENdb integrates enhancers predicted by five different methods generating an enriched catalogue of putative enhancers for each of the analysed cell-lines. DENdb provides information about the overlap of enhancers with DNase I hypersensitive regions, ChIP-seq regions of a number of transcription factors and transcription factor binding motifs, means to explore enhancer interactions with DNA using several chromatin interaction assays and enhancer neighbouring genes. DENdb is designed as a relational database that facilitates fast and efficient searching, browsing and visualization of information.

Modelling of thermally driven groundwater flow in a facility for disposal of spent nuclear fuel in deep boreholes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marsic, Nico; Grundfelt, Bertil [Kemakta Konsult AB, Stockholm (Sweden)

2013-09-15

In this report calculations are presented of buoyancy driven groundwater flow caused by the emission of residual heat from spent nuclear fuel deposited in deep boreholes from the ground surface in combination with the natural geothermal gradient. This work has been conducted within SKB's programme for evaluation of alternative methods for final disposal of spent nuclear fuel. The basic safety feature of disposal of spent nuclear fuel in deep boreholes is that the groundwater at great depth has a higher salinity, and hence a higher density, than more superficial groundwater. The result of this is that the deep groundwater becomes virtually stagnant. The study comprises analyses of the effects of different inter-borehole distances as well as the effect of different permeabilities in the backfill and sealing materials in the borehole and of different shapes of the interface between fresh and saline groundwater. The study is an update of a previous study published in 2006. In the present study, the facility design proposed by Sandia National Laboratories has been studied. In this design, steel canisters containing two BWR elements or one PWR element are stacked on top of each other between 3 and 5 kilometres depth. In order to host all spent fuel from the current Swedish nuclear programme, about 80 such holes are needed. The model used in this study comprises nine boreholes spaced 100 metres alternatively 50 metres apart in a 3{Chi}3 matrix. In one set of calculations the salinity in the groundwater was assumed to increase from zero above 700 metres depth to 10% by weight at 1500 metres depth and below. In another set, a sharper salinity gradient was applied in which the salinity increased from 0 to 10% between 1400 and 1500 metres depth. A geothermal gradient of 16 deg C/km was applied. The heat output from the spent fuel was assumed to decrease by time in manner consistent with the radioactive decay in the fuel. When the inter-borehole distance decreased from

Personal Identity in Enhancement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jana Podroužková

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to introduce the concept of human enhancement, its methods and its relation to personal identity. Also several approaches to personal identity will be described. Transhumanism is a special think tank supporting human enhancement through modern technologies and some of its representatives claim, that even great changes to human organisms will not affect their personal identity. I will briefly describe the most important means of human enhancment and consider the problem of personal identity for each of them separately.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy based on conical holed enhancing substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Yao; Chen, Zeng-Ping; Zuo, Qi; Shi, Cai-Xia; Yu, Ru-Qin

2015-01-01

In this contribution, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) based on conical holed glass substrates deposited with silver colloids was reported for the first time. It combines the advantages of both dry SERS assays based on plane films deposited with silver colloids and wet SERS assays utilizing cuvettes or capillary tubes. Compared with plane glass substrates deposited with silver colloids, the conical holed glass substrates deposited with silver colloids exhibited five-to ten-folds of increase in the rate of signal enhancement, due to the internal multiple reflections of both the excitation laser beam and the Raman scattering photons within conical holes. The application of conical holed glass substrates could also yield significantly stronger and more reproducible SERS signals than SERS assays utilizing capillary tubes to sample the mixture of silver colloids and the solution of the analyte of interest. The conical holed glass substrates in combination with the multiplicative effects model for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (MEM SERS ) achieved quite sensitive and precise quantification of 6-mercaptopurine in complex plasma samples with an average relative prediction error of about 4% and a limit of detection of about 0.02 μM using a portable i-Raman 785H spectrometer. It is reasonable to expect that SERS technique based on conical holed enhancing substrates in combination with MEM SERS model can be developed and extended to other application areas such as drug detection, environmental monitoring, and clinic analysis, etc. - Highlights: • A novel conical holed SERS enhancing substrate was designed and manufactured. • The optimal conical holed glass substrates can produce stronger SERS signal. • The novel substrates can overcome the shortcomings of both dry and wet methods. • The novel substrates coupled with MEM SERS can realize quantitative SERS assays

Remote sensing of temperature and wind using acoustic travel-time measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barth, Manuela; Fischer, Gabi; Raabe, Armin; Weisse, Frank [Leipzig Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Meteorologie; Ziemann, Astrid [Technische Univ. Dresden (Germany). Professur fuer Meteorologie

2013-04-15

A remote sensing technique to detect area-averaged temperature and flow properties within an area under investigation, utilizing acoustic travel-time measurements, is introduced. This technique uses the dependency of the speed of acoustic signals on the meteorological parameters temperature and wind along the propagation path. The method itself is scalable: It is applicable for investigation areas with an extent of some hundred square metres as well as for small-scale areas in the range of one square metre. Moreover, an arrangement of the acoustic transducers at several height levels makes it possible to determine profiles and gradients of the meteorological quantities. With the help of two examples the potential of this remote sensing technique for simultaneously measuring averaged temperature and flow fields is demonstrated. A comparison of time histories of temperature and wind values derived from acoustic travel-time measurements with point measurements shows a qualitative agreement whereas calculated root-mean-square errors differ for the two example applications. They amount to 1.4 K and 0.3 m/s for transducer distances of 60 m and 0.4 K and 0.2 m/s for transducer distances in the range of one metre. (orig.)

The TileCal Barrel Test Assembly

CERN Multimedia

Leitner, R

On 30th October, the mechanics test assembly of the central barrel of the ATLAS tile hadronic calorimeter was completed in building 185. It started on 23rd June and is the second wheel for the Tilecal completely assembled this year. The ATLAS engineers and technicians are quick: instead of the 27 weeks initially foreseen for assembling the central barrel of the tile hadronic calorimeter (Tilecal) in building 185, they inserted the last of the 64 modules on 30th October after only 19 weeks. In part, this was due to the experience gained in the dry run assembly of the first extended barrel, produced in Spain, in spring this year (see Bulletin 23/2003); however, the central barrel is twice as long - and twice as heavy. With a length of 6.4 metres, an outer diameter of 8.5 metres and an inner diameter of 4.5 metres, the object weight is 1300 tonnes. The whole barrel cylinder is supported by the stainless steel support structure weighing only 27 tons. The barrel also has to have the right shape: over the whole 8...

Purification of mine water: Meirama lignite. Depuracion de las aguas de minas: lignitos de Meirama

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herranz Villafruela, F. (Lignitos de Meirama (Spain))

1992-04-01

The Meirama hydrographic basin covers 33 square kilometres and has an average annual precipitation of between 1,100 and 1,900 mm. Since 1975 when measurements began, the annual average has been 1,500 mm. The area enclosed by water channels is 3.4 square kilometres. For the average annual rainfall of 1,500 mm, this gives nearly five million cubic metres of water per year. When this total is added to the 950,000 cubic metres of phreatic water measured to date, it creates the need for a pump capable of moving approximately 650 cubic metres per hour the whole year round, allowing a factor of 0.8 for evaporation and run-off. In order to facilitate drainage over the whole of the working area, the mine has been planned so as to give a rising 1% gradient toward the benches starting from an imaginary line which divides the mine into one third and two thirds of its total length where the settling ponds and pump are situated. Although this system made the mining project more complicated, it was very successful as it made it possible to keep the machinery on well-drained ground. 4 figs., 1 tab.

Hydrology of a nuclear-processing plant site, Rocky Flats, Jefferson County, Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Hurr, R. Theodore

1976-01-01

Accidental releases of contaminants resulting from the operation of the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration's nuclear-processing and recovery plant located on Rocky Flats will move at different rates through -different parts of the hydrologic system. Rates of movement are dependent upon the magnitude of the accidental release and the hydrologic conditions at the time of the release. For example, during wet periods, a contaminant resulting from a 5,000-gallon (19,000-1itre) release on the land surface would enter the ground-water system in about 2 to 12 hours. Ground-water flow in the Rocky Flats Alluvium might move the contaminant eastward at a rate of about 3 to 11 feet (0.9 to 3.4 metres) per day, if it remains dissolved. Maximum time to a point of discharge would be about 3 years; minimum time could be a few days. A contaminant entering a stream would then move at a rate of about 60 feet (18 metres) per minute under pool-and-riffle conditions. The rate of movement might be about 420 feet (128 metres) per minute under open-channel-flow conditions following intense thunderstorms.

Scrapheap Challenge

CERN Document Server

2004-01-01

Three British guys at CERN recently took a break from work to try their hand at Scrapheap Challenge. Shown on Channel 4 in the UK, it is a show where two teams must construct a machine for a specific task using only the junk they can scavenge from the scrap yard around them. And they have just 10 hours to build their contraption before it is put to the test. The first round, aired 19 September, pitted a team of three women, from the British Army's Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, against the CERN guys - the Up 'n Atoms: Ali Day, David McFarlane and James Ridewood. Each team, with the help of an appointed expert, had the task of making a giant, 3-metre self-propelled "bowling ball", to roll down a 50 metre bowling alley at skittles 4 metres high. The Up 'n Atoms' contraption featured a small car with a huge wheel on its back. Once up to speed, slamming on the brakes caused the wheel to roll over and take the car with it. On their very last run they managed to take out seven pins. Luckily, though, ...

Dinámicas metropolitanas en la era de la globalización: la promoción inmobiliaria para empresas en la ciudad de São Paulo, Brasil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana Bernardes da Silva

2007-05-01

Full Text Available Proponemos discutir un elemento distintivo de las metrópolis en el período actual: la promoción inmobiliaria para empresas y sus implicaciones para la planificación y la vida urbana, procurando considerar la metrópoli como un espacio que abriga una multiplicidad de intereses y de conflictos. Nuestro enfoque se centra en la ciudad de São Paulo, municipio sede de la mayor región metropolitana de Brasil, haciendo resaltar las características que comparte con otras metrópolis de países periféricos y también sus especificidadesWe propose to discuss a distinguishing element of the metropolis in the present period: the real estate promotion for companies and their implications for the planning and the urban life, trying to consider the metropolis like a space that shelters a multiplicity of interests and conflicts. Our approach is centered in the city of São Paulo, host municipality of the greater metropolitan region of Brazil, doing to emphasize the characteristics that also share with other metropolis of peripheral countries and their specificities

Important step towards the LHC

CERN Document Server

2001-01-01

The TI2 tunnel, one of the two tunnels that will transfer protons from the SPS to the LHC, broke through into the LEP/LHC ring on 15 May. TI2 will carry clockwise-moving protons from under the Laboratory's West Area to Point 2, future home of the ALICE experiment. It is coming up to 16:00 on 15 May and a group of some 50 people, fully kitted out in boots, helmets, and masks is intently watching a point on the wall in front of them. They are down in the LEP/LHC tunnel waiting for civil engineers to excavate the last few centimetres separating them from the TI2 transfer tunnel. The noise of machines begins, and just five minutes later the wall comes tumbling down. The excavator breaks through right on target, bringing a two-year project to a happy conclusion. Later, the survey team published the outstanding result that the tunnel junction was made within 6 millimetres of target. TI2 measures 2648 metres in length and three metres in diameter. Around 32,000 cubic metres of rock have been excavated to make it, so...

Temperature, heat content, mixing and stability in Lake Orta: a pluriannual investigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luigi BARBANTI

2001-02-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the overall state of some physical phenomena occurring in Lake Orta, such as thermal stratification and destratification, accumulation and release of heat, vertical winter mixing, and stability of the water mass. The historical series of temperature distribution along the water column in the period 1984-1999, from which the holo-oligomictic character of Lake Orta emerges, is analysed. The monthly evaluation of the heat contents metre by metre from 0 to 143 m depth reveals how the complete winter mixing occurs only when the energy present within the whole column is less than 1,675 MJ m-2; above this value the circulation is only partial, as in the other deep subalpine lakes. A water layer in the deep hypolimnion has been shown to contain a climatic memory, which has generally increased since 1981. Walker’s stability analysis has revealed that when at a depth below 90 metres there is a level where 0.07 J m-2 are exceeded, total mixing cannot take place. In contrast, the Birgean work identifies, during the heating phase, the layers of the lake where energy is stored or lost.

Non-enhanced CT versus contrast-enhanced CT in integrated PET/CT studies for nodal staging of rectal cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tateishi, Ukihide; Maeda, Tetsuo; Morimoto, Tsuyoshi; Miyake, Mototaka; Arai, Yasuaki; Kim, E.E.

2007-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of non-enhanced CT and contrast-enhanced CT in integrated PET/CT studies for preoperative nodal staging of rectal cancer. Retrospective analysis was performed in 53 patients with pathologically proven rectal cancer who had been referred for preoperative staging. All patients underwent integrated PET/CT consisting of non-enhanced and contrast-enhanced CT followed by whole-body fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose ([ 18 F]FDG) PET. Both non-enhanced and contrast-enhanced PET/CT images were evaluated separately by two observers in consensus. The reference standard was histopathologic results. For nodal staging of rectal cancer, we compared diagnostic accuracy on a per-patient basis between the two modalities. Nodal staging was correctly determined with non-enhanced studies in 37 patients (70%) and with contrast-enhanced studies in 42 patients (79%). On a per-patient basis, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of regional lymph node staging were 85%, 68%, 83%, 72%, and 79%, respectively, with contrast-enhanced studies, and 85%, 42%, 73%, 62%, and 70%, respectively, with non-enhanced studies. The difference in the accuracy of nodal staging between the two modalities was not significant (p = 0.063). Compared with non-enhanced studies, contrast-enhanced studies determined more correctly the status of pararectal lymph nodes (p 0.002), internal iliac lymph nodes (p = 0.004), and obturator lymph nodes (p < 0.0001). Contrast-enhanced PET/CT is superior to non-enhanced PET/CT for precise definition of regional nodal status in rectal cancer. (orig.)

Self-enhancement: Conceptualization and Assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joachim I. Krueger

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Self-enhancement bias is conventionally construed as an unwarranted social comparison in social psychology and a misperception of social reality in personality psychology. Researchers in both fields rely heavily on discrepancy scores to represent self-enhancement and fail to distinguish between a general tendency or bias to self-enhance and a self-enhancement error, or 'false' perception of own excellence. We critically review prominent discrepancy measures and then propose a decision-theoretic alternative that [a] mitigates confounds between self-positivity and self-superiority, [b] separates error from bias, and [c] discourages reliance on measures that reify self-enhancement as a stable personality trait. To evaluate our hypotheses, we re-analyze data collected in our laboratory and perform a series of simulation studies. We share these materials with interested researchers.

Enhancement of HHG yield

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serrat, C.; Biegert, J.

2011-01-01

A static electric field periodically distributed in space controls and enhances the yield in high harmonic generation. The method is relatively simple to implement and allows tuning from the extreme-ultraviolet to soft X-ray. The radiation yield is selectively enhanced due to symmetry breaking induced by a static electric field on the interaction between the driving laser and the medium. The enhanced spectral region is tuned by varying the periodicity of the static electric field. Simulations predict an increase of more than two orders of magnitude for harmonics in the water window spectral range.

Resolution enhancement techniques in microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Cremer, Christoph; Masters, Barry R.

2013-05-01

We survey the history of resolution enhancement techniques in microscopy and their impact on current research in biomedicine. Often these techniques are labeled superresolution, or enhanced resolution microscopy, or light-optical nanoscopy. First, we introduce the development of diffraction theory in its relation to enhanced resolution; then we explore the foundations of resolution as expounded by the astronomers and the physicists and describe the conditions for which they apply. Then we elucidate Ernst Abbe's theory of optical formation in the microscope, and its experimental verification and dissemination to the world wide microscope communities. Second, we describe and compare the early techniques that can enhance the resolution of the microscope. Third, we present the historical development of various techniques that substantially enhance the optical resolution of the light microscope. These enhanced resolution techniques in their modern form constitute an active area of research with seminal applications in biology and medicine. Our historical survey of the field of resolution enhancement uncovers many examples of reinvention, rediscovery, and independent invention and development of similar proposals, concepts, techniques, and instruments. Attribution of credit is therefore confounded by the fact that for understandable reasons authors stress the achievements from their own research groups and sometimes obfuscate their contributions and the prior art of others. In some cases, attribution of credit is also made more complex by the fact that long term developments are difficult to allocate to a specific individual because of the many mutual connections often existing between sometimes fiercely competing, sometimes strongly collaborating groups. Since applications in biology and medicine have been a major driving force in the development of resolution enhancing approaches, we focus on the contribution of enhanced resolution to these fields.

Last piece of ATLAS takes the plunge

CERN Multimedia

2008-01-01

On Friday 29 February the second small wheel was lowered 100 metres underground into the ATLAS cavern in front of a captivated audience. Although called the "small wheels" they are small in name only - each wheel is 9.3 metres in diameter and weighs 100 tonnes including the massive shielding elements. This piece completes ATLAS’ muon spectrometer, which has the ability to accurately track particles to the width of a human hair. The first piece of ATLAS was installed in 2003 and, five years later, this small wheel is the final large piece of the detector to take the subterranean voyage to its final resting place.

Wartime shelter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crabtree, J.A.

1981-01-01

This patent specification relates to a wartime shelter for giving protection against nuclear blast and radiation, comprising a main chamber having a dog leg access passage and preferably a decontamination chamber. The chamber comprises a large diameter (say 21/2 metres) corrugated steel tube and the access passage comprises a small diameter (say 11/4 metres) tube communicating with the main chamber through a shock proof hatch. The main chamber may have a hatch leading to a dog leg escape passage. Connections between the tubes and other fixed structural parts of the shelter are by means of permanent banded and/or welded joints. (author)

Distinguishing enhancing from nonenhancing renal masses with dual-source dual-energy CT: iodine quantification versus standard enhancement measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Ascenti, Giorgio; Mileto, Achille; Krauss, Bernhard; Gaeta, Michele; Blandino, Alfredo; Scribano, Emanuele; Settineri, Nicola; Mazziotti, Silvio

2013-08-01

To compare the diagnostic accuracy of iodine quantification and standard enhancement measurements in distinguishing enhancing from nonenhancing renal masses. The Institutional Review Board approved this retrospective study conducted from data found in institutional patient databases and archives. Seventy-two renal masses were characterised as enhancing or nonenhancing using standard enhancement measurements (in HU) and iodine quantification (in mg/ml). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of standard enhancement measurements and iodine quantification were calculated from χ (2) tests of contingency with histopathology or imaging follow-up as the reference standard. Difference in accuracy was assessed by means of McNemar analysis. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and diagnostic accuracy for standard enhancement measurements and iodine quantification were 77.7 %, 100 %, 100 %, 81.8 %, 89 % and 100 %, 94.4 %, 94.7, 100 % and 97 %, respectively. The McNemar analysis showed that the accuracy of iodine quantification was significantly better (P < 0.001) than that of standard enhancement measurements. Compared with standard enhancement measurements, whole-tumour iodine quantification is more accurate in distinguishing enhancing from nonenhancing renal masses. • Enhancement of renal lesions is important when differentiating benign from malignant tumours. • Dual-energy CT offers measurement of iodine uptake rather than mere enhancement values. • Whole-tumour iodine quantification seems more accurate than standard CT enhancement measurements.

Open-ring enhancement sign in diagnosing demyelinating pseudotumor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang Liting; Wang Zhiping; Wang Linyou

2010-01-01

Objective: To describe open-ring enhancement sign on MRI of demyelinating pseudotumor. Methods: Contrast-enhanced MRI of histologically confirmed demyelinating pseudotumors (14 patients) and astrocytomas (21) was reviewed. Results: Of the 14 cases of demyelinating pseudotumor, open-ring enhancement pattern was observed in 6; closed ring enhancement in 2; nodular enhancement in 3; patchy enhancement in 1; slight enhancement in 1; and no enhancement in 1. Of the 21 cases of astrocytoma, there was complete ring or lace-like enhancement in 13, no contrast enhancement in 6, patchy enhancement in 2, and none with open-ring enhancement pattern. Conclusion: Open-ring enhancement is a valuable sign in differential diagnosis between demyelinating pseudotumor and astrocytoma. (authors)

Enhancement and knowledge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cinzia Talamo

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Many issues related to enhancement strategies emerge nowadays both from the scenario offered by public real estates and from the current processes of conveyance of public assets to local authorities. On one hand it is still difficult, from a strategic point of view, to approach in the medium-long term the chronic problems of the public estates due to deterioration, obsolescence and organizational inadequacy. On the other hand there is the risk that inadequate levels of knowledge lead on one side to a prevalence of the binomial enhancement-alienation and on the other side to a lack of full comprehension of the actual potentialities of the existing assets. In this direction it is possible to analyze the topic of enhancement through, among many, the key of knowledge during the lifecycle of a building.

Defining Human Enhancement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nordberg, Ana

2017-01-01

-matter definitions are vital legal tools to determine what is currently regulated in established fields of law and whether there is room for a new legal field – Enhancement Law. This paper provides a reflection on the relevance of establishing a legal definition of human enhancement and to what extent different...... legal fields and jurisdictions may warrant different understandings of such concept. It reviews a number of different and often divergent concepts and taxonomies of human enhancement and concludes with the proposal and analysis of a definition: Use of technological means with the intention to improve......Emerging technologies open the prospect of extraordinary interventions on the human body. These may go beyond what is strictly necessary to sustain health and well-being. While responding to social and ethical challenges of such advances, the Law simultaneously faces the challenge of reflecting...

Contrast enhanced CT-scans are not comparable to non-enhanced scans in emphysema quantification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heussel, C.P.; Kappes, J.; Hantusch, R.; Hartlieb, S.; Weinheimer, O.; Kauczor, H.-U.; Eberhardt, R.

2010-01-01

Systemic, interventional and surgical treatments have gone new ways in treatment of emphysema. For longitudinal therapy monitoring and as end-points for clinical trials, quantification of the disease is necessary. Sensitive, easy to measure, as well as stable and reproducible parameters have to be characterized. One parameter that might affect emphysema quantification is IV contrast enhancement, which might also be indicated. Whether or not the contrast enhanced scan is also suited for emphysema quantification or an additional scan is necessary, a retrospective analysis of 12 adult patients undergoing clinically indicated both, a non-enhanced and enhanced thin section MSCT within a week (median 0 days, range 0-4 days) was done. The in-house YACTA software was used for automatic quantification of lung and emphysema volume, emphysema index, mean lung density, and 5th, 10th, 15th percentile. After IV contrast administration, the median CT derived lung volume decreased mild by 1.1%, while median emphysema volume decreased by relevant 11%. This results in a decrease of median emphysema index by 9%. The median lung density (15th percentile) increased after contrast application by 18 HU (9 HU). CT quantification delivers emphysema values that are clearly affected by IV contrast application. The detected changes after contrast application show the results of higher density in the lung parenchyma. Therefore the amount of quantified emphysema is reduced and the lung density increased after contrast enhancement. In longitudinal analyses, non-enhanced scans should be the reference, while enhanced scans cannot be used.

Enhanced superconductivity of fullerenes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington, II, Aaron L.; Teprovich, Joseph A.; Zidan, Ragaiy

2017-06-20

Methods for enhancing characteristics of superconductive fullerenes and devices incorporating the fullerenes are disclosed. Enhancements can include increase in the critical transition temperature at a constant magnetic field; the existence of a superconducting hysteresis over a changing magnetic field; a decrease in the stabilizing magnetic field required for the onset of superconductivity; and/or an increase in the stability of superconductivity over a large magnetic field. The enhancements can be brought about by transmitting electromagnetic radiation to the superconductive fullerene such that the electromagnetic radiation impinges on the fullerene with an energy that is greater than the band gap of the fullerene.

Infrared image enhancement with learned features

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Zunlin; Bi, Duyan; Ding, Wenshan

2017-11-01

Due to the variation of imaging environment and limitations of infrared imaging sensors, infrared images usually have some drawbacks: low contrast, few details and indistinct edges. Hence, to promote the applications of infrared imaging technology, it is essential to improve the qualities of infrared images. To enhance image details and edges adaptively, we propose an infrared image enhancement method under the proposed image enhancement scheme. On the one hand, on the assumption of high-quality image taking more evident structure singularities than low-quality images, we propose an image enhancement scheme that depends on the extractions of structure features. On the other hand, different from the current image enhancement algorithms based on deep learning networks that try to train and build the end-to-end mappings on improving image quality, we analyze the significance of first layer in Stacked Sparse Denoising Auto-encoder and propose a novel feature extraction for the proposed image enhancement scheme. Experiment results prove that the novel feature extraction is free from some artifacts on the edges such as blocking artifacts, ;gradient reversal;, and pseudo contours. Compared with other enhancement methods, the proposed method achieves the best performance in infrared image enhancement.

Going deep : new generation of giant rigs extends drillers' reach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laverty Wilson, K.

2001-01-01

The Eirik Roude, an offshore super rig, arrived in Halifax Harbour from Florida in the summer 2001 for a retrofit before it is sent to work in the rugged environment offshore of Nova Scotia. The drilling platform is a joint venture between PanCanadian Petroleum and Ocean Rig. Is is the most technologically advanced and sophisticated deep water drilling platform in the world and can operate in 3,000 metre deep water for 365 days of the year. It is a fifth-generation semi-submersible rig. It floats on long legs that lower the centre of gravity below surface turbulence to provide a stable work platform even during Atlantic storms. The 110 metre long rig has three mud systems that store 593 cubic metres in mud pits, 1,260 cubic metres in pontoons, and can carry 26,140 barrels of fuel oil, 4,070 barrels of potable water and 13,210 barrels of drilling water. PanCanadian has provided $2 million to the Nova Scotia Community College to teach an appropriate curriculum for the required workforce. It is expected that 120 local workers will be recruited. PanCanadian plans to drill 3 or 4 offshore wells annually for the next 5 years. It is estimated that 700-800 workers will be on site at the peak of the retrofit. In addition, Marathon Oil has contracted the Smedvig-owned West Navion for Nova Scotia work. This vessel is designed to work in depths of up to 2,500 metres and can be upgraded to reach 3,000 metres. Its' dual handling capacity makes it suitable to do drilling and well completion simultaneously, thereby reducing the halts in operations and increasing the drilling efficiency. East Coast governments and trade associations are also committed to make the most of the offshore oil and gas revival, including the development of a petrochemical market. Their goal is to build a world class energy sector while protecting the environment and optimizing the financial, economic and social benefits to Nova Scotians. The Nova Scotia Benefits program requires that oil companies

Metaheuristic applications to speech enhancement

CERN Document Server

Kunche, Prajna

2016-01-01

This book serves as a basic reference for those interested in the application of metaheuristics to speech enhancement. The major goal of the book is to explain the basic concepts of optimization methods and their use in heuristic optimization in speech enhancement to scientists, practicing engineers, and academic researchers in speech processing. The authors discuss why it has been a challenging problem for researchers to develop new enhancement algorithms that aid in the quality and intelligibility of degraded speech. They present powerful optimization methods to speech enhancement that can help to solve the noise reduction problems. Readers will be able to understand the fundamentals of speech processing as well as the optimization techniques, how the speech enhancement algorithms are implemented by utilizing optimization methods, and will be given the tools to develop new algorithms. The authors also provide a comprehensive literature survey regarding the topic.

Resolution Enhancement of Multilook Imagery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Galbraith, Amy E. [Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States)

2004-07-01

This dissertation studies the feasibility of enhancing the spatial resolution of multi-look remotely-sensed imagery using an iterative resolution enhancement algorithm known as Projection Onto Convex Sets (POCS). A multi-angle satellite image modeling tool is implemented, and simulated multi-look imagery is formed to test the resolution enhancement algorithm. Experiments are done to determine the optimal con guration and number of multi-angle low-resolution images needed for a quantitative improvement in the spatial resolution of the high-resolution estimate. The important topic of aliasing is examined in the context of the POCS resolution enhancement algorithm performance. In addition, the extension of the method to multispectral sensor images is discussed and an example is shown using multispectral confocal fluorescence imaging microscope data. Finally, the remote sensing issues of atmospheric path radiance and directional reflectance variations are explored to determine their effect on the resolution enhancement performance.

When is diminishment a form of enhancement? Rethinking the enhancement debate in biomedical ethics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian D. Earp

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The enhancement debate in neuroscience and biomedical ethics tends to focus on the augmentation of certain capacities or functions: memory, learning, attention, and the like. Typically, the point of contention is whether these augmentative enhancements are permissible for individuals with no particular ‘medical’ disadvantage along any of the dimensions of interest. Less frequently addressed in the literature, however, is the fact that sometimes the diminishment of a capacity or function, under the right set of circumstances, could plausibly contribute to an individual’s overall well-being: more is not always better, and sometimes less is more. Such cases may be especially likely, we suggest, when trade-offs in our modern environment have shifted since the environment of evolutionary adaptation. In this article, we introduce the notion of diminishment as enhancement and go on to defend a welfarist conception of enhancement. We show how this conception resolves a number of definitional ambiguities in the enhancement literature, and we suggest that it can provide a useful framework for thinking about the use of emerging neurotechnologies to promote human flourishing.

Induction of apoptosis in renal cell carcinoma by reactive oxygen species: involvement of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, p38delta/gamma, cyclooxygenase-2 down-regulation, and translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Ambrose, Monica

2012-02-03

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common malignancy of the kidney. Unfortunately, RCCs are highly refractory to conventional chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and even immunotherapy. Thus, novel therapeutic targets need to be sought for the successful treatment of RCCs. We now report that 6-anilino-5,8-quinolinequinone (LY83583), an inhibitor of cyclic GMP production, induced growth arrest and apoptosis of the RCC cell line 786-0. It did not prove deleterious to normal renal epithelial cells, an important aspect of chemotherapy. To address the cellular mechanism(s), we used both genetic and pharmacological approaches. LY83583 induced a time- and dose-dependent increase in RCC apoptosis through dephosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1\\/2 and its downstream extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) 1 and -2. In addition, we observed a decrease in Elk-1 phosphorylation and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) down-regulation. We were surprised that we failed to observe an increase in either c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase or p38alpha and -beta mitogen-activated protein kinase activation. In contradiction, reintroduction of p38delta by stable transfection or overexpression of p38gamma dominant negative abrogated the apoptotic effect. Cell death was associated with a decrease and increase in Bcl-x(L) and Bax expression, respectively, as well as release of cytochrome c and translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor. These events were associated with an increase in reactive oxygen species formation. The antioxidant N-acetyl l-cysteine, however, opposed LY83583-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction, ERK1\\/2 inactivation, COX-2 down-regulation, and apoptosis. In conclusion, our results suggest that LY83583 may represent a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of RCC, which remains highly refractory to antineoplastic agents. Our data provide a molecular basis for the anticancer activity of LY83583.

Cross-sectional study on the prevalence and predictors of pregnancy among women living in HIV discordant relationships in a rural Rakai cohort, Uganda.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakiganda, Lydia Jacenta; Agardh, Anette; Asamoah, Benedict Oppong

2018-04-24

This study examines the prevalence of pregnancy in serodiscordant couples and identifies predictors associated with pregnancy in rural Rakai, Uganda. A population-based cross-sectional study that used data from the Rakai Community Cohort Study (RCCS). We used data from the RCCS survey round 17 (2015-2016), which included 488 women in serodiscordant relationships. This study was conducted in Rakai district, located in south-western Uganda. Pregnancy status. Multivariable modified Poisson regression using stepwise selection was used to determine characteristics and behaviours associated with pregnancy status. The prevalence of pregnancy was 12% in women among serodiscordant couples. HIV-negative women in serodiscordant couples had a slightly higher pregnancy prevalence rate (13.6%) compared with HIV-positive women in serodiscordant couples (11%). Factors significantly associated with higher prevalence of pregnancy were; younger age 15-24 years (prevalence risk ratio (PRR)=4.04; 95% CI 1.72 to 9.50), middle age 25-34 years (PRR=2.49; 95% CI 1.05 to 5.89), Christian religion (PRR=2.26; 95% CI 1.41 to 3.63) and inconsistent condom use in the last 12 months (PRR=4.38, 95% CI 1.09 to 17.53). Neither HIV status nor HIV status disclosure was significantly associated with risk of getting pregnant. Nearly 12% of women in serodiscordant relationships were pregnant, highlighting the need for integrated services to prevent unintended pregnancies and reduce conceptional related risks for those choosing to conceive. Association with younger age and inconsistent condom use suggests a role for early and continued couple-based conception counselling. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Enhanced Timing Abilities in Percussionists Generalize to Rhythms Without a Musical Beat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel J Cameron

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The ability to entrain movements to music is arguably universal, but it is unclear how specialized training may influence this. Previous research suggests that percussionists have superior temporal precision in perception and production tasks. Such superiority may be limited to temporal sequences that resemble real music or, alternatively, may generalize to musically implausible sequences. To test this, percussionists and nonpercussionists completed two tasks that used rhythmic sequences varying in musical plausibility. In the beat tapping task, participants tapped with the beat of a rhythmic sequence over 3 stages: finding the beat (as an initial sequence played, continuation of the beat (as a second sequence was introduced and played simultaneously, and switching to a second beat (the initial sequence finished, leaving only the second. The metres of the two sequences were either congruent or incongruent, as were their tempi (minimum inter-onset intervals. In the rhythm reproduction task, participants reproduced rhythms of four types, ranging from high to low musical plausibility: Metric simple rhythms induced a strong sense of the beat, metric complex rhythms induced a weaker sense of the beat, nonmetric rhythms had no beat, and jittered nonmetric rhythms also had no beat as well as low temporal predictability. For both tasks, percussionists performed more accurately than nonpercussionists. In addition, both groups were better with musically plausible than implausible conditions. Overall, the percussionists’ superior abilities to entrain to, and reproduce, rhythms generalized to musically implausible sequences.

The cerebral intravascular enhancement sign is not specific: a contrast-enhanced MRI study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bakshi, R.; Kinkel, W.R.; Bates, V.E.; Mechtler, L.L.; Kinkel, P.R. [Lucy Dent Imaging Center, University at Buffalo, NY (United States)

1999-02-01

The intravascular enhancement (IVE) sign, also known as the ``arterial enhancement sign``, is an abnormal finding in the brain on contrast-enhanced MRI studies. IVE has been described in arterial cerebrovascular disorders, most commonly in acute or subacute arterial ischemic infarcts. However, the specificity of this sign has not been established. We describe four patients with disorders other than arterial strokes in whom gadolinium-enhanced high-field (1.5 T) MRI suggested IVE. The conditions were herpes simplex viral encephalitis, idiopathic cerebellitis, pneumococcal meningitis, and superior sagittal sinus thrombosis with venous infarction. IVE in these cases may be due to multiple factors, including arterial, venous, perivascular, and leptomeningeal or sulcal contrast medium accumulation. Our observations suggest that arterial ischemia, previously described as the cardinal cause of IVE, probably does not explain all instances, and urge caution in interpreting this sign as a specific MRI manifestation of acute arterial infarction or ischemia. (orig.) With 4 figs., 1 tab., 44 refs.

Cavity-enhanced spectroscopies

CERN Document Server

van Zee, Roger

2003-01-01

""Cavity-Enhanced Spectroscopy"" discusses the use of optical resonators and lasers to make sensitive spectroscopic measurements. This volume is written by the researcchers who pioneered these methods. The book reviews both the theory and practice behind these spectroscopic tools and discusses the scientific discoveries uncovered by these techniques. It begins with a chapter on the use of optical resonators for frequency stabilization of lasers, which is followed by in-depth chapters discussing cavity ring-down spectroscopy, frequency-modulated, cavity-enhanced spectroscopy, intracavity spectr

The contribution of China's emissions to global climate forcing.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Bengang; Gasser, Thomas; Ciais, Philippe; Piao, Shilong; Tao, Shu; Balkanski, Yves; Hauglustaine, Didier; Boisier, Juan-Pablo; Chen, Zhuo; Huang, Mengtian; Li, Laurent Zhaoxin; Li, Yue; Liu, Hongyan; Liu, Junfeng; Peng, Shushi; Shen, Zehao; Sun, Zhenzhong; Wang, Rong; Wang, Tao; Yin, Guodong; Yin, Yi; Zeng, Hui; Zeng, Zhenzhong; Zhou, Feng

2016-03-17

Knowledge of the contribution that individual countries have made to global radiative forcing is important to the implementation of the agreement on "common but differentiated responsibilities" reached by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Over the past three decades, China has experienced rapid economic development, accompanied by increased emission of greenhouse gases, ozone precursors and aerosols, but the magnitude of the associated radiative forcing has remained unclear. Here we use a global coupled biogeochemistry-climate model and a chemistry and transport model to quantify China's present-day contribution to global radiative forcing due to well-mixed greenhouse gases, short-lived atmospheric climate forcers and land-use-induced regional surface albedo changes. We find that China contributes 10% ± 4% of the current global radiative forcing. China's relative contribution to the positive (warming) component of global radiative forcing, mainly induced by well-mixed greenhouse gases and black carbon aerosols, is 12% ± 2%. Its relative contribution to the negative (cooling) component is 15% ± 6%, dominated by the effect of sulfate and nitrate aerosols. China's strongest contributions are 0.16 ± 0.02 watts per square metre for CO2 from fossil fuel burning, 0.13 ± 0.05 watts per square metre for CH4, -0.11 ± 0.05 watts per square metre for sulfate aerosols, and 0.09 ± 0.06 watts per square metre for black carbon aerosols. China's eventual goal of improving air quality will result in changes in radiative forcing in the coming years: a reduction of sulfur dioxide emissions would drive a faster future warming, unless offset by larger reductions of radiative forcing from well-mixed greenhouse gases and black carbon.

Drilling holes in rock for final storage of spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nord, G.

1980-09-01

This report delas with the technical and economic aspects of the drilling of vertical holes with diameters of 1.5 metres and 1 metre in the Swedish bedrock. The holes will be 7.7 metres in depth and located on a level approximately 500 metres below the ground surface. There is no directly applicable technique for the construction of the above-mentioned holes from a small tunnel. The data presented in this report are based to a great extent on information supplied by the manufacturers of drilling equipment, and by underground construction contractors. Three different techniques for drilling the holes have been delat with in the report: shaft boring, stitch drilling (three alternative methods) and core drilling. In order to produce the required 233 holes per year, the following sets of equipment must be purchased, and personnel engaged. A hole with a diameter of 1.5 m and a depth of 7.7 m requires 3 to 7 sets of equipment for shaft boring or stitch drilling and engages 12 to 27 employees. The cost per hole varies between 24.200 and 31.200 SKr. Core drilling requires 7 sets of equipment, engages 29 persons and costs 55.300 SKr per hole. A hole with a diameter of 1.0 m requires less personnel and costs between 19.700 and 25.800 per hole except for core drilling where the cost per hole is estimated to 43.900 SKr. Interest costs account for 10 percent - 15 percent of the above-mentioned costs. Our aim has been to calculate the costs for the different methods on as similar a basis as possible, but a margin of error of +- 15 percent entails and overlapping of the cost span for most of the methods considered. (G.B.)

Selective preservation of the beat in apperceptive music agnosia: a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Baird, Amee D; Walker, David G; Biggs, Vivien; Robinson, Gail A

2014-04-01

Music perception involves processing of melodic, temporal and emotional dimensions that have been found to dissociate in healthy individuals and after brain injury. Two components of the temporal dimension have been distinguished, namely rhythm and metre. We describe an 18 year old male musician 'JM' who showed apperceptive music agnosia with selectively preserved metre perception, and impaired recognition of sad and peaceful music relative to age and music experience matched controls after resection of a right temporoparietal tumour. Two months post-surgery JM underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation including assessment of his music perception abilities using the Montreal Battery for Evaluation of Amusia (MBEA, Peretz, Champod, & Hyde, 2003). He also completed several experimental tasks to explore his ability to recognise famous songs and melodies, emotions portrayed by music and a broader range of environmental sounds. Five age-, gender-, education- and musical experienced-matched controls were administered the same experimental tasks. JM showed selective preservation of metre perception, with impaired performances compared to controls and scoring below the 5% cut-off on all MBEA subtests, except for the metric condition. He could identify his favourite songs and environmental sounds. He showed impaired recognition of sad and peaceful emotions portrayed in music relative to controls but intact ability to identify happy and scary music. This case study contributes to the scarce literature documenting a dissociation between rhythmic and metric processing, and the rare observation of selectively preserved metric interpretation in the context of apperceptive music agnosia. It supports the notion that the anterior portion of the superior temporal gyrus (STG) plays a role in metric processing and provides the novel observation that selectively preserved metre is sufficient to identify happy and scary, but not sad or peaceful emotions portrayed in music

Initial spacing of poplars and willows grown as arable coppice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Armstrong, A.; Johns, C.

1997-11-01

Two clones of poplar and two clones of willow were grown at two sites, on a three year cutting cycle, at six different square spacings, between 0.8 metres and 1.5 metres. The two willow clones 'Bowles hybrid' and 'Dasyclados' were planted at both sites. The poplar clones Populus interamericana 'Beaupre' and Populus trichocarpa 'Columbia River'' were planted at Wishanger in Hampshire. The poplar clones Populus interamericana 'Boelare' and Populus trichocarpa 'Trichobel' were planted at Downham Market in Norfolk. The highest yield of 17.55 oven dry tonnes per hectare (odt/ha/annum) was obtained from 'Bowles hybrid', at the closest spacing, grown on a water meadow adjacent to the River Wey at Wishanger. The highest yield for all clones at both sites was achieved at the closest spacing (in this first rotation). There was a significant linear effect. One of the most interesting observations was that when comparing the gradient of the linear relationship, within species, the gradient was steeper for the higher yielding clone. This was particularly so for the willows. This would suggest that higher yielding clones are more tolerant of crowding, or, that upright Salix viminalis make better use of close space than the more spreading Salix dasyclados. The new Salix x Salix schwerinnii hybrids should therefore also be responsive to closer spacing. The same effect was observed for the poplars at Wishanger only, but the difference was not as dramatic. There was a suggestion from the highest yielding poplar plots that optimum yield may still be obtained at the currently recommended spacing of 1.0 metre x 1.0 metre. (author)

Seasonal Strength Performance and Its Relationship with Training Load on Elite Runners

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Balsalobre-Fernández

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to analyze the time-course of force production of elite middle and long-distance runners throughout an entire season and at the end of the off-season, as well as its relationships with training load and hormonal responses. Training load was recorded daily throughout an entire season by measuring and evaluating the session distance (km, training zone and session-RPE in a group of 15 elite middle and long-distance runners (12 men, 3 women; age = 26.3 ± 5.1yrs, BMI = 19.7 ± 1.1. Also, basal salivary-free cortisol levels were measured weekly, and 50-metre sprints, mean propulsive velocity (MPV, mean propulsive power (MPP, repetition maximum (RM and peak rate of force development (RFD of half-squats were measured 4 times during the season, and once more after the off-season break. There were no significant variations in force production during the season or after the off-season break, except for the RFD (-30.2%, p = 0.005 values, which changed significantly from the beginning to the end of the season. Significant correlations were found between session-RPE and MPV (r = -0.650, p = 0.004, MPP (r = -0.602, p = 0.009, RM (r = -0.650, p = 0.004, and the 50-metre sprint (r = 0.560, p = 0.015. Meanwhile, salivary-free cortisol correlated significantly with the 50-metre sprint (r = 0.737, p < 0.001 and the RM ( r = -0.514, p = 0.025. Finally, the training zone correlated with the 50-metre sprint (r = -0.463, p = 0.041. Session-RPE, training zone and salivary-free cortisol levels are related to force production in elite middle and long-distance runners. Monitoring these variables could be a useful tool in controlling the training programs of elite athletes.

The contribution of China’s emissions to global climate forcing

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Bengang; Gasser, Thomas; Ciais, Philippe; Piao, Shilong; Tao, Shu; Balkanski, Yves; Hauglustaine, Didier; Boisier, Juan-Pablo; Chen, Zhuo; Huang, Mengtian; Li, Laurent Zhaoxin; Li, Yue; Liu, Hongyan; Liu, Junfeng; Peng, Shushi; Shen, Zehao; Sun, Zhenzhong; Wang, Rong; Wang, Tao; Yin, Guodong; Yin, Yi; Zeng, Hui; Zeng, Zhenzhong; Zhou, Feng

2016-03-01

Knowledge of the contribution that individual countries have made to global radiative forcing is important to the implementation of the agreement on “common but differentiated responsibilities” reached by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Over the past three decades, China has experienced rapid economic development, accompanied by increased emission of greenhouse gases, ozone precursors and aerosols, but the magnitude of the associated radiative forcing has remained unclear. Here we use a global coupled biogeochemistry-climate model and a chemistry and transport model to quantify China’s present-day contribution to global radiative forcing due to well-mixed greenhouse gases, short-lived atmospheric climate forcers and land-use-induced regional surface albedo changes. We find that China contributes 10% ± 4% of the current global radiative forcing. China’s relative contribution to the positive (warming) component of global radiative forcing, mainly induced by well-mixed greenhouse gases and black carbon aerosols, is 12% ± 2%. Its relative contribution to the negative (cooling) component is 15% ± 6%, dominated by the effect of sulfate and nitrate aerosols. China’s strongest contributions are 0.16 ± 0.02 watts per square metre for CO2 from fossil fuel burning, 0.13 ± 0.05 watts per square metre for CH4, -0.11 ± 0.05 watts per square metre for sulfate aerosols, and 0.09 ± 0.06 watts per square metre for black carbon aerosols. China’s eventual goal of improving air quality will result in changes in radiative forcing in the coming years: a reduction of sulfur dioxide emissions would drive a faster future warming, unless offset by larger reductions of radiative forcing from well-mixed greenhouse gases and black carbon.

EISCAT Aperture Synthesis Imaging (EASI _3D) for the EISCAT_3D Project

Science.gov (United States)

La Hoz, Cesar; Belyey, Vasyl

2012-07-01

Aperture Synthesis Imaging Radar (ASIR) is one of the technologies adopted by the EISCAT_3D project to endow it with imaging capabilities in 3-dimensions that includes sub-beam resolution. Complemented by pulse compression, it will provide 3-dimensional images of certain types of incoherent scatter radar targets resolved to about 100 metres at 100 km range, depending on the signal-to-noise ratio. This ability will open new research opportunities to map small structures associated with non-homogeneous, unstable processes such as aurora, summer and winter polar radar echoes (PMSE and PMWE), Natural Enhanced Ion Acoustic Lines (NEIALs), structures excited by HF ionospheric heating, meteors, space debris, and others. The underlying physico-mathematical principles of the technique are the same as the technique employed in radioastronomy to image stellar objects; both require sophisticated inversion techniques to obtain reliable images.

Multivariable analysis of clinical influence factors on liver enhancement of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced 3T MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verloh, N.; Haimerl, M.; Stroszczynski, C.; Fellner, C.; Wiggermann, P.; Zeman, F.; Teufel, A.; Lang, S.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify clinical factors influencing Gd-EOB-DTPA liver uptake in patients with healthy liver parenchyma. A total of 124 patients underwent contrast-enhanced MRI with a hepatocyte-specific contrast agent at 3T. T1-weighted volume interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) sequences with fat suppression were acquired before and 20 minutes after contrast injection. The relative enhancement (RE) between plain and contrast-enhanced signal intensity was calculated. Simple and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate clinical factors influencing the relative enhancement. Patients were subdivided into three groups according to their relative liver enhancement (HRE, RE ≥ 100 %; MRE, 100 % > RE > 50 %; NRE, RE ≤ 50 %) and were analyzed according to the relevant risk factors. Simple regression analyses revealed patient age, transaminases (AST, ALT, GGT), liver, spleen and delta-liver volume (the difference between the volumetrically measured liver volume and the estimated liver volume based on body weight) as significant factors influencing relative enhancement. In the multiple analysis the transaminase AST, spleen and delta liver volume remained significant factors influencing relative enhancement. Delta liver volume showed a significant difference between all analyzed groups. Liver enhancement in the hepatobiliary phase depends on a variety of factors. Body weight-adapted administration of Gd-EOB-DTPA may lead to inadequate liver enhancement after 20 minutes especially when the actual liver volume differs from the expected volume.

Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Enterography and Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography in Crohn's Disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wilkens, Rune; Peters, David A; Nielsen, Agnete Hedemann

2017-01-01

Purpose e Cross-sectional imaging methods are important for objective evaluationof small intestinal inflammationinCrohn'sdisease(CD).The primary aim was to compare relative parameters of intestinal perfusion between contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic...

Resonant enhancement in leptogenesis

Science.gov (United States)

Dev, P. S. B.; Garny, M.; Klaric, J.; Millington, P.; Teresi, D.

2018-02-01

Vanilla leptogenesis within the type I seesaw framework requires the mass scale of the right-handed neutrinos to be above 109 GeV. This lower bound can be avoided if at least two of the sterile states are almost mass degenerate, which leads to an enhancement of the decay asymmetry. Leptogenesis models that can be tested in current and upcoming experiments often rely on this resonant enhancement, and a systematic and consistent description is therefore necessary for phenomenological applications. In this paper, we give an overview of different methods that have been used to study the saturation of the resonant enhancement when the mass difference becomes comparable to the characteristic width of the Majorana neutrinos. In this limit, coherent flavor transitions start to play a decisive role, and off-diagonal correlations in flavor space have to be taken into account. We compare various formalisms that have been used to describe the resonant regime and discuss under which circumstances the resonant enhancement can be captured by simplified expressions for the CP asymmetry. Finally, we briefly review some of the phenomenological aspects of resonant leptogenesis.

High spatial and spectral resolution measurements of Jupiter's auroral regions using Gemini-North-TEXES

Science.gov (United States)

Sinclair, J. A.; Orton, G. S.; Greathouse, T. K.; Lacy, J.; Giles, R.; Fletcher, L. N.; Vogt, M.; Irwin, P. G.

2017-12-01

Jupiter exhibits auroral emission at a multitude of wavelengths. Auroral emission at X-ray, ultraviolet and near-infrared wavelengths demonstrate the precipitation of ion and electrons in Jupiter's upper atmosphere, at altitudes exceeding 250 km above the 1-bar level. Enhanced mid-infrared emission of CH4, C2H2, C2H4 and further hydrocarbons is also observed coincident with Jupiter's auroral regions. Retrieval analyses of infrared spectra from IRTF-TEXES (Texas Echelon Cross Echelle Spectrograph on NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility) indicate strong heating at the 1-mbar level and evidence of ion-neutral chemistry, which enriches the abundances of unsaturated hydrocarbons (Sinclair et al., 2017b, doi:10.1002/2017GL073529, Sinclair et al., 2017c (under review)). The extent to which these phenomena in the stratosphere are correlated and coupled physically with the shorter-wavelength auroral emission originating from higher altitudes has been a challenge due to the limited spatial resolution available on the IRTF. Smaller-scale features observed in the near-infrared and ultraviolet emission, such as the main `oval', transient `swirls' and dusk-active regions within the main oval (e.g. Stallard et al., 2014, doi:10.1016/j/Icarus.2015.12.044, Nichols et al., 2017, doi: 10.1002/2017GL073029) are potentially being blurred in the mid-infrared by the diffraction-limited resolution (0.7") of IRTF's 3-metre primary aperture. However, on March 17-19th 2017, we obtained spectral measurements of H2 S(1), CH4, C2H2, C2H4 and C2H6 emission of Jupiter's high latitudes using TEXES on Gemini-North, which has a 8-metre primary aperture. This rare opportunity combines the superior spectral resolving power of TEXES and the high spatial resolution provided by Gemini-North's 8-metre aperture. We will perform a retrieval analyses to determine the 3D distributions of temperature, C2H2, C2H4 and C2H6. The morphology will be compared with near-contemporaneous measurements of H3+ emission from

Human freedom and enhancement.

Science.gov (United States)

Heilinger, Jan-Christoph; Crone, Katja

2014-02-01

Ideas about freedom and related concepts like autonomy and self-determination play a prominent role in the moral debate about human enhancement interventions. However, there is not a single understanding of freedom available, and arguments referring to freedom are simultaneously used to argue both for and against enhancement interventions. This gives rise to misunderstandings and polemical arguments. The paper attempts to disentangle the different distinguishable concepts, classifies them and shows how they relate to one another in order to allow for a more structured and clearer debate. It concludes in identifying the individual underpinnings and the social conditions of choice and decision-making as particularly salient dimensions of freedom in the ethical debate about human enhancement.

Geothermal Permeability Enhancement - Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joe Beall; Mark Walters

2009-06-30

The overall objective is to apply known permeability enhancement techniques to reduce the number of wells needed and demonstrate the applicability of the techniques to other undeveloped or under-developed fields. The Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) concept presented in this project enhances energy extraction from reduced permeability zones in the super-heated, vapor-dominated Aidlin Field of the The Geysers geothermal reservoir. Numerous geothermal reservoirs worldwide, over a wide temperature range, contain zones of low permeability which limit the development potential and the efficient recovery of heat from these reservoirs. Low permeability results from poorly connected fractures or the lack of fractures. The Enhanced Geothermal System concept presented here expands these technologies by applying and evaluating them in a systematic, integrated program.

Enhancement of retronasal odors by taste.

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Barry G; Nachtigal, Danielle; Hammond, Samuel; Lim, Juyun

2012-01-01

Psychophysical studies of interactions between retronasal olfaction and taste have focused most often on the enhancement of tastes by odors, which has been attributed primarily to a response bias (i.e., halo dumping). Based upon preliminary evidence that retronasal odors could also be enhanced by taste, the present study measured both forms of enhancement using appropriate response categories. In the first experiment, subjects rated taste ("sweet," "sour," "salty," and "bitter") and odor ("other") intensity for aqueous samples of 3 tastants (sucrose, NaCl, and citric acid) and 3 odorants (vanillin, citral, and furaneol), both alone and in taste-odor mixtures. The results showed that sucrose, but not the other taste stimuli, significantly increased the perceived intensity of all 3 odors. Enhancement of tastes by odors was inconsistent and generally weaker than enhancement of odors by sucrose. A second experiment used a flavored beverage and a custard dessert to test whether the findings from the first experiment would hold for the perception of actual foods. Adding sucrose significantly enhanced the intensity of "cherry" and "vanilla" flavors, whereas adding vanillin did not significantly enhance the intensity of sweetness. It is proposed that enhancement of retronasal odors by a sweet stimulus results from an adaptive sensory mechanism that serves to increase the salience of the flavor of nutritive foods. © The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Clinical evaluation of contrast-enhanced digital mammography and contrast enhanced tomosynthesis--Comparison to contrast-enhanced breast MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Chou, Chen-Pin; Lewin, John M; Chiang, Chia-Ling; Hung, Bao-Hui; Yang, Tsung-Lung; Huang, Jer-Shyung; Liao, Jia-Bin; Pan, Huay-Ben

2015-12-01

To compare the diagnostic accuracy of contrast-enhanced digital mammography (CEDM) and contrast-enhanced tomosynthesis (CET) to dynamic contrast enhanced breast MRI (DCE-MRI) using a multireader-multicase study. Institutional review board approval and informed consents were obtained. Total 185 patients (mean age 51.3) with BI-RADS 4 or 5 lesions were evaluated before biopsy with mammography, tomosynthesis, CEDM, CET and DCE-MRI. Mediolateral-oblique and cranio-caudal views of the target breast CEDM and CET were acquired at 2 and 4 min after contrast agent injection. A mediolateral-oblique view of the non-target breast was taken at 6 min. Each lesion was scored with forced BI-RADS categories by three readers. Each reader interpreted lesions in the following order: mammography, tomosynthesis, CEDM, CET, and DCE-MRI during a single reading session. Histology showed 81 cancers and 144 benign lesions in the study. Of the 81 malignant lesions, 44% (36/81) were invasive and 56% (45/81) were non-invasive. Areas under the ROC curve, averaged for the 3 readers, were as follows: 0.897 for DCE-MRI, 0.892 for CET, 0.878 for CEDM, 0.784 for tomosynthesis and 0.740 for mammography. Significant differences in AUC were found between the group of contrast enhanced modalities (CEDM, CET, DCE-MRI) and the unenhanced modalities (all p0.05). CET and CEDM may be considered as an alternative modality to MRI for following up women with abnormal mammography. All three contrast modalities were superior in accuracy to conventional digital mammography with or without tomosynthesis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Demand for Enhanced Annuities

OpenAIRE

Schuhmacher, Petra

2008-01-01

In enhanced annuities, the annuity payment depends on one's state of health at some contracted date while in "standard annuities", it does not. The focus of this paper is on an annuity market where "standard" and enhanced annuities areoffered simultaneously. When all insured know equally well on their future health status either enhanced annuities drive standard annuities out of the market or vice versa. Both annuity types can exist simultaneously when the insured know varying exactly on thei...

Anàlisi de les deformacions del terreny i resposta dels edificis associats a l'excavació de la tuneladora EPB de la L9 del Metro de Barcelona

OpenAIRE

Colomer i Missé, Montserrat

2007-01-01

A L’agost de 2003, comença l’execució de la nova línia 9 del metro de Barcelona, de 43 km, de longitud. Una tuneladora EPB (Earth Pressure Balance) de 12 metres de diàmetre és l’encarregada de perforar el subsòl de Badalona i Barcelona (T4B - Gorg - Sagrera TAV). El tram detallat en aquesta tesina va del p.k. 3+000 al 2+200, analitzant el pas de la tuneladora pel C/St. Adrià, de Barcelona. Després de la descripció geològica de la zona i de les tècniques que s’apliquen com a ...

Preliminary evaluation of the feasibility of artificial recharge in northern Qater

Science.gov (United States)

Vecchioli, John

1976-01-01

Fresh ground water in northern Qatar occurs as a lens in limestone and dolomite of Eocene age. Natural recharge from precipitation averages 17x106 cubic metres per year whereas current discharge averages 26.6x106 cubic metres per year. Depletion of storage is accompanied by a deterioration in quality due to encroachment of salty water from the Gulf and from underlying formations. Artificial recharge with desalted sea water to permit additional agricultural development appears technically feasible but its practicability needs to be examined further. A hydrogeological appraisal including test drilling, geophysical logging, pumping tests, and a recharge test, coupled with engineering analysis of direct surface storage/distribution of desalted sea water versus aquifer storage/distribution, is recommended.

Offshore wind turbines and bird activity at Blyth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-07-01

In 1996, a study was implemented to ultimately determine the impact of two 2MW wind turbines situated 900 metres offshore of the north-east of England. The turbines, with a hub height of 66 metres, began operation in December 2000. Earlier, similar studies were carried out on a row of wind turbines mounted on the harbour wall of the nearby town of Blyth. The report gives details of (i) total mortality and mortality due to the turbines; (ii) number of bird strikes; (iii) habitat displacement; (iv) feeding grounds; (v) flight routes and (vi) impact on bird populations of a nearby Site of Special Scientific Interest. The study was conducted by AMEC Wind Limited under contract to the DTI.

The Misfortunes of Moral Enhancement.

Science.gov (United States)

Azevedo, Marco Antonio

2016-10-01

In Unfit for the Future, Ingmar Persson and Julian Savulescu present a sophisticated argument in defense of the imperative of moral enhancement. They claim that without moral enhancement, the future of humanity is seriously compromised. The possibility of ultimate harm, caused by a dreadful terrorist attack or by a final unpreventable escalation of the present environmental crisis aggravated by the availability of cognitive enhancement, makes moral enhancement a top priority. It may be considered optimistic to think that our present moral capabilities can be successfully improved by means of moral education, moral persuasion, and fear of punishment. So, without moral enhancement, drastic restrictions on human freedom would become the only alternative to prevent those dramatic potential outcomes. In this article, I will try to show that we still have reason to be less pessimistic and that Persson & Savulescu's arguments are fortunately unconvincing. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy Inc. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Enhanced MRI in patients with facial palsy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagida, Masahiro; Kato, Tsutomu; Ushiro, Koichi; Kitajiri, Masanori; Yamashita, Toshio; Kumazawa, Tadami; Tanaka, Yoshimasa

1991-01-01

We performed Gd-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations at several stages in 40 patients with peripheral facial nerve palsy (Bell's palsy and Ramsay-Hunt syndrome). In 38 of the 40 patients, one and more enhanced region could be seen in certain portion of the facial nerve in the temporal bone on the affected side, whereas no enhanced regions were seen on the intact side. Correlations between the timing of the MRI examination and the location of the enhanced regions were analysed. In all 6 patients examined by MRI within 5 days after the onset of facial nerve palsy, enhanced regions were present in the meatal portion. In 3 of the 8 patients (38%) examined by MRI 6 to 10 days after the onset of facial palsy, enhanced areas were seen in both the meatal and labyrinthine portions. In 8 of the 9 patients (89%) tested 11 to 20 days after the onset of palsy, the vertical portion was enhanced. In the 12 patients examined by MRI 21 to 40 days after the onset of facial nerve palsy, the meatal portion was not enhanced while the labyrinthine portion, the horizontal portion and the vertical portion were enhanced in 5 (42%), 8 (67%) and 11 (92%), respectively. Enhancement in the vertical portion was observed in all 5 patients examined more than 41 days after the onset of facial palsy. These results suggest that the central portion of the facial nerve in the temporal bone tends to be enhanced in the early stage of facial nerve palsy, while the peripheral portion is enhanced in the late stage. These changes of Gd-DTPA enhanced regions in the facial nerve may suggest dromic degeneration of the facial nerve in peripheral facial nerve palsy. (author)

Enhanced localized fluorescence in plasmonic nanoantennae

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bakker, R.M.; Yuan, H.-K.; Liu, Z.

2008-01-01

in fluorescence that reaches 100 times enhancement. Near-field excitation shows enhanced fluorescence from a single nanoantenna localized in a subwavelength area of similar to 0.15 mu m(2). The polarization of enhanced emission is along the main antenna axis. These observed experimental results are important...

Does technology really enhance nurse education?

Science.gov (United States)

Goodchild, Tim

2018-07-01

Technology has clearly impacted upon our working lives, and the purpose of this paper is to offer a critical insight into the ubiquitous presence of technology in nurse education. This paper argues that technology enhanced learning is predicated on the promise of potential and purported transformation of teaching and learning. It suggests that there is a lack of critical engagement in the academic field of technology enhanced learning, and adds a critical voice to some of the emerging arguments in this area. There is also a lack of systematic evidence supporting the enhancement offered by technology, and yet the technology enhanced project continues to persist. The discourse surrounding technology enhanced learning has become so dominant, so pervasive, that those of us within it can no longer see alternatives. But there are alternatives, and this paper argues that we need to challenge the dominance of technology enhanced learning, and become aware of its contingent nature. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vulnerabilidad energética en la metrópoli de Buenos Aires

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvina Carrizo

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Argentina declaró el uso racional y la eficacia energética una prioridad nacional, en consonancia con las recomendaciones de la Agencia Internacional de la Energía. Buenos Aires se ha comprometido con varios programas internacionales de preparación al cambio climático. Así a distintas escalas surgen iniciativas para modificar las condiciones y modalidades de aprovisionamiento y consumo energéticos, que revelan la precariedad y vulnerabilidad del sistema y los servicios. Este trabajo presenta una reflexión sobre los cambios que se dan en ese sentido, mostrando los inconvenientes del modelo energético argentino en Buenos Aires y las estrategias o medidas que tienden a revertirlos y a preparar la ciudad para situaciones críticas. En general, se trata de iniciativas que se implementan individual o parcialmente, sin que haya un plan integral promovido a escala colectiva. Las correcciones resultan marginales en el conjunto sin aliviar los problemas que se agravan por el crecimiento vertiginoso de las demandas. Entonces la continuidad del modelo energético argentino basado en hidrocarburos, para abastecer infraestructura que trabaja al límite de su capacidad y servir territorios que no se han preparado para las posibles crisis, explicaría la vulnerabilidad del sistema de abastecimiento metropolitano.

Uma viagem através dos bas-fonds da metrópole

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luciano de Jesus Gonçalves

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The Polish Jew writer Samuel Rawet had a declared affection about the popular classes. Naturalized Brazilian to seven years of age, he has several tales in that chooses the the matter some aspects of the (homo sexuality. This feature of his short stories had become one of the most important of his methods in the collection called Os Sete Sonhos, 1969, what it tooks Caio Fernando Abreu to classify the book of much focused on homosexual themes. In this bias, the study aims to present one of the tales in the assertion which can be demonstrated. The text object que integrates the latest collection Writer, Que os mortos enterrem os seus mortos, 1981, named “Nem um anjo é entrevisto no terror”, presents the free gay picture of manichaean bonds or even easy cliches. Sexual orientation does not serve here as a motto of demonization or, much less, that redemption which has the bitter existence and the suffers any other subject. Anchored in the tale scholars, the analysis is thematically, while formal. The realization concludes que, in a world of characters in conflict, be gay, just like any other living, is not free of existential nausea experienced in their everyday travels.

Tritium migration in the Twin Lake 260-metre natural-gradient dispersion test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Killey, R.W.D.; Wills, C.A.; Moltyander, G.L.

1990-01-01

The experiment reported here is an expansion of studies of dispersive processes in an unconfined sand aquifer on the property of Chalk River Laboratories near Twin Lake, covering a 270 m flow path between the injection well and the groundwater discharge area. Previous experience had shown that the use of a non-reactive tracer that emits moderate-energy gamma rays provides much more information than can be gleaned from tracers that require actual water sample collection. At the time of this experiment non-reactive gamma-emitting tracers with half-life long enough to undertake the 270 m experiment had not been developed. Tritium was used so some information on large-scale dispersion phenomena could be collected and instrumentation would be properly placed for a subsequent experiment that would use a gamma-emitting tracer. Because of the scoping character of the experiment, only limited data were collected. The experiment involved the controlled injection of a relatively large (60 m 3 ) volume of water labelled with tritiated water, and the subsequent tracking of the slug during natural gradient convective transport to the discharge area. This paper describes the hydrogeologic setting and the experimental and analytical methods, and presents and discusses the findings. (L.L.) (8 refs., 11 figs., tab.)

Prevalence and characteristics of intravertebral enhancement on contrast-enhanced CT scans in cancer patients

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rasselet, Benjamin [Medical Imaging Department and Biostatistics Department, Montpellier University Hospital, 191 Avenue du Doyen Gaston Giraud, 34 295 Montpellier Cedex 5 (France); Larbi, Ahmed; Viala, Pierre [Medical Imaging Department, Nimes University Hospital, 4 rue du Professeur Robert Debré, 30029 Nîmes (France); Molinari, Nicolas [Biostatistics Department, Montpellier University Hospital, 191 Avenue du Doyen Gaston Giraud, 34 295 Montpellier Cedex 5 (France); Tetreau, Raphael [Medical Imaging Department, Montpellier Cancer Institute (ICM), 208 Avenue des Apothicaires, 34298 Montpellier Cedex 5 (France); Faruch-Bilfeld, Marie [Medical Imaging Department, Toulouse University Hospital, Place du Docteur Baylac, 31059 Toulouse Cedex 9 (France); Taourel, Patrice [Medical Imaging Department and Biostatistics Department, Montpellier University Hospital, 191 Avenue du Doyen Gaston Giraud, 34 295 Montpellier Cedex 5 (France); Cyteval, Catherine, E-mail: c-cyteval@chu-montpellier.fr [Medical Imaging Department and Biostatistics Department, Montpellier University Hospital, 191 Avenue du Doyen Gaston Giraud, 34 295 Montpellier Cedex 5 (France)

2017-01-15

Highlights: • 2.8% of collateral venous circulation seen on CT scan in a cancer population. • 37% of intravertebral enhancement in this population with collateral venous circulation. • 80.8% of intravertebral enhancements are located between C6 and. • 73% of intravertebral enhancements are located ipsilateral to the injection side. -  Abstract: Study design: This was a single center, retrospective observational study. Objective: to investigate—in a cancer population—the prevalence and hallmarks of intravertebral enhancement (IVE) detected on contrast-enhanced CT. Summary of background data: Intravertebral enhancements secondary to iodinated contrast stagnation have been described. Cancer patients have an increased risk of perivertebral venous thrombosis or stenosis secondary to several risk factors (cancer or drug induced hypercoagulability, deterioration of venous flow linked to catheter insertion, prolonged immobilization). In case of a high density lesion identified on CT, the diagnostic choice between metastasis and contrast media within bone marrow vessels may be an issue, especially as oncologic follow-up CT scans are usually performed with contrast medium injection. Methods: 2572 contrast-enhanced body CT scans performed in cancer patients over 3 months in the medical imaging department of a university hospital were retrospectively reviewed. IVE was sought when paravertebral venous collateral circulation was detected and bone metastasis ruled out and classified as linear or nodular. Their locations within vertebra, their relation to the injection side and the predominant collateral venous network side were evaluated. Results: Sixty-seven (2.8%) patients had a collateral paravertebral venous system and among them 21 had IVE (37%). There were 208 IVE locations involving 75 vertebrae. 199 IVE were linear-shaped (95.7%) and 9 nodular-shaped (4.3%). 80.8% were located between C6 and T4. 88.9% were localized in the vertebral body. 73.1% were located

Prevalence and characteristics of intravertebral enhancement on contrast-enhanced CT scans in cancer patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rasselet, Benjamin; Larbi, Ahmed; Viala, Pierre; Molinari, Nicolas; Tetreau, Raphael; Faruch-Bilfeld, Marie; Taourel, Patrice; Cyteval, Catherine

2017-01-01

Highlights: • 2.8% of collateral venous circulation seen on CT scan in a cancer population. • 37% of intravertebral enhancement in this population with collateral venous circulation. • 80.8% of intravertebral enhancements are located between C6 and. • 73% of intravertebral enhancements are located ipsilateral to the injection side. -  Abstract: Study design: This was a single center, retrospective observational study. Objective: to investigate—in a cancer population—the prevalence and hallmarks of intravertebral enhancement (IVE) detected on contrast-enhanced CT. Summary of background data: Intravertebral enhancements secondary to iodinated contrast stagnation have been described. Cancer patients have an increased risk of perivertebral venous thrombosis or stenosis secondary to several risk factors (cancer or drug induced hypercoagulability, deterioration of venous flow linked to catheter insertion, prolonged immobilization). In case of a high density lesion identified on CT, the diagnostic choice between metastasis and contrast media within bone marrow vessels may be an issue, especially as oncologic follow-up CT scans are usually performed with contrast medium injection. Methods: 2572 contrast-enhanced body CT scans performed in cancer patients over 3 months in the medical imaging department of a university hospital were retrospectively reviewed. IVE was sought when paravertebral venous collateral circulation was detected and bone metastasis ruled out and classified as linear or nodular. Their locations within vertebra, their relation to the injection side and the predominant collateral venous network side were evaluated. Results: Sixty-seven (2.8%) patients had a collateral paravertebral venous system and among them 21 had IVE (37%). There were 208 IVE locations involving 75 vertebrae. 199 IVE were linear-shaped (95.7%) and 9 nodular-shaped (4.3%). 80.8% were located between C6 and T4. 88.9% were localized in the vertebral body. 73.1% were located

Metal plasmon enhanced europium complex luminescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Feng; Aldea, Gabriela; Nunzi, Jean-Michel

2010-01-01

The plasmon enhanced luminescence of a rare-earth complex Tris(6, 6, 7, 7, 8, 8, 8-heptafluoro-2, 2-dimethyl-3, 5-octanedionato) europium (Eu(fod) 3 ) was investigated. A polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) thin film was successfully adopted as a spacer to separate the Eu complex from the silver island film (SIF), and five-fold enhancement of the radiative decay rate of the Eu complex on SIF was demonstrated based on the luminescence intensity and lifetime measurement. Investigation of the distance dependent luminescence indicates that 7 nm is an optimal distance for SIF enhanced Eu luminescence. Plasmon enhanced rare-earth luminescence based on an organic film spacer would find potential applications in plasmon enhanced organic light emitting diode (OLED) devices.

Molecular selectivity of graphene-enhanced Raman scattering.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Shengxi; Ling, Xi; Liang, Liangbo; Song, Yi; Fang, Wenjing; Zhang, Jin; Kong, Jing; Meunier, Vincent; Dresselhaus, Mildred S

2015-05-13

Graphene-enhanced Raman scattering (GERS) is a recently discovered Raman enhancement phenomenon that uses graphene as the substrate for Raman enhancement and can produce clean and reproducible Raman signals of molecules with increased signal intensity. Compared to conventional Raman enhancement techniques, such as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS), in which the Raman enhancement is essentially due to the electromagnetic mechanism, GERS mainly relies on a chemical mechanism and therefore shows unique molecular selectivity. In this paper, we report graphene-enhanced Raman scattering of a variety of different molecules with different molecular properties. We report a strong molecular selectivity for the GERS effect with enhancement factors varying by as much as 2 orders of magnitude for different molecules. Selection rules are discussed with reference to two main features of the molecule, namely its molecular energy levels and molecular structures. In particular, the enhancement factor involving molecular energy levels requires the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energies to be within a suitable range with respect to graphene's Fermi level, and this enhancement effect can be explained by the time-dependent perturbation theory of Raman scattering. The enhancement factor involving the choice of molecular structures indicates that molecular symmetry and substituents similar to that of the graphene structure are found to be favorable for GERS enhancement. The effectiveness of these factors can be explained by group theory and the charge-transfer interaction between molecules and graphene. Both factors, involving the molecular energy levels and structural symmetry of the molecules, suggest that a remarkable GERS enhancement requires strong molecule-graphene coupling and thus effective charge transfer between the molecules and graphene. These conclusions are further

Optimizing laser crater enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Lednev, V N; Sdvizhenskii, P A; Grishin, M Ya; Filichkina, V A; Shchegolikhin, A N; Pershin, S M

2018-03-20

Raman signal enhancement by laser crater production was systematically studied for 785 nm continuous wave laser pumping. Laser craters were produced in L-aspartic acid powder by a nanosecond pulsed solid state neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser (532 nm, 8 ns, 1 mJ/pulse), while Raman spectra were then acquired by using a commercial spectrometer with 785 nm laser beam pumping. The Raman signal enhancement effect was studied in terms of the number of ablating pulses used, the lens-to-sample distance, and the crater-center-laser-spot offset. The influence of the experiment parameters on Raman signal enhancement was studied for different powder materials. Maximum Raman signal enhancement reached 11 fold for loose powders but decreased twice for pressed tablets. Raman signal enhancement was demonstrated for several diverse powder materials like gypsum or ammonium nitrate with better results achieved for the samples tending to give narrow and deep craters upon the laser ablation stage. Alternative ways of cavity production (steel needle tapping and hole drilling) were compared with the laser cratering technique in terms of Raman signal enhancement. Drilling was found to give the poorest enhancement of the Raman signal, while both laser ablation and steel needle tapping provided comparable results. Here, we have demonstrated for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, that a Raman signal can be enhanced 10 fold with the aid of simple cavity production by steel needle tapping in rough highly reflective materials. Though laser crater enhancement Raman spectroscopy requires an additional pulsed laser, this technique is more appropriate for automatization compared to the needle tapping approach.

European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) availability stochastic model: integrating failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA), influence diagram, and Bayesian network together

Science.gov (United States)

Verzichelli, Gianluca

2016-08-01

An Availability Stochastic Model for the E-ELT has been developed in GeNIE. The latter is a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for the Structural Modeling, Inference, and Learning Engine (SMILE), originally distributed by the Decision Systems Laboratory from the University of Pittsburgh, and now being a product of Bayes Fusion, LLC. The E-ELT will be the largest optical/near-infrared telescope in the world. Its design comprises an Alt-Azimuth mount reflecting telescope with a 39-metre-diameter segmented primary mirror, a 4-metre-diameter secondary mirror, a 3.75-metre-diameter tertiary mirror, adaptive optics and multiple instruments. This paper highlights how a Model has been developed for an earlier on assessment of the Telescope Avail- ability. It also describes the modular structure and the underlying assumptions that have been adopted for developing the model and demonstrates the integration of FMEA, Influence Diagram and Bayesian Network elements. These have been considered for a better characterization of the Model inputs and outputs and for taking into account Degraded-based Reliability (DBR). Lastly, it provides an overview of how the information and knowledge captured in the model may be used for an earlier on definition of the Failure, Detection, Isolation and Recovery (FDIR) Control Strategy and the Telescope Minimum Master Equipment List (T-MMEL).

Indoor Localisation Based on GSM Signals: Multistorey Building Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafał Górak

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Among the accurate indoor localisation systems that are using WiFi, Bluetooth, or infrared technologies, the ones that are based on the GSM rely on a stable external infrastructure that can be used even in an emergency. This paper presents an accurate GSM indoor localisation system that achieves a median error of 4.39 metres in horizontal coordinates and up to 64 percent accuracy in floor prediction (for 84 percent of cases the floor prediction is mistaken by not more than a single floor. The test and reference measurements were made inside a six-floor academic building, with an irregular shape, whose dimensions are around 50 metres by 70 metres. The localisation algorithm uses GSM signal readings from the 7 strongest cells available in the GSM standard (or fewer, if fewer than 7 are available. We estimate the location by a three-step method. Firstly, we propose a point localisation solution (i.e., localisation based on only one measurement. Then, by applying the central tendency filters and the Multilayer Perceptron, we build a localisation system that uses a sequence of estimations of current and past locations. We also discuss major accuracy factors such as the number of observed signals or the types of spaces in the building.

Constant depression fan system a novel glovebox ventilation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milliner, W.V.

1995-01-01

In a conventional glovebox ventilation system the depression within the glovebox under normal operation is controlled by instrumentation. In the event of a breach the pressure within the box rises to atmospheric pressure, this pressure rise is detected by instrumentation which in turn operates a quick opening damper in a high depression extract to achieve a 1 metre/sec (200 fpm) inflow through the breach, which can take up to 2 seconds to establish. This system, although widely used, suffers from two distinct drawbacks: It takes a finite time to achieve the containment velocity of 1 metre/sec. It relies upon instrumentation to achieve its objectives. A new glovebox ventilation system has been developed by AWE to overcome these drawbacks. This is the Constant Depression Fan System (CDFS) which is based on an extract fan with a flat characteristic. This achieves all the requirements for the ventilation of gloveboxes and has the advantages that: It has only one moving part - the extract fan. It requires NO INSTRUMENTATION to achieve its objectives. It achieves the containment velocity of 1 metre/sec in the shortest possible time - approximately 0.2 seconds - and tests have shown that containment is maintained under breach conditions. Thus the CDFS is SAFER, SIMPLER and MORE RELIABLE

Constant depression fan system a novel glovebox ventilation system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Milliner, W.V. [AME plc., Aldermaston (United Kingdom)

1995-02-01

In a conventional glovebox ventilation system the depression within the glovebox under normal operation is controlled by instrumentation. In the event of a breach the pressure within the box rises to atmospheric pressure, this pressure rise is detected by instrumentation which in turn operates a quick opening damper in a high depression extract to achieve a 1 metre/sec (200 fpm) inflow through the breach, which can take up to 2 seconds to establish. This system, although widely used, suffers from two distinct drawbacks: It takes a finite time to achieve the containment velocity of 1 metre/sec. It relies upon instrumentation to achieve its objectives. A new glovebox ventilation system has been developed by AWE to overcome these drawbacks. This is the Constant Depression Fan System (CDFS) which is based on an extract fan with a flat characteristic. This achieves all the requirements for the ventilation of gloveboxes and has the advantages that: It has only one moving part - the extract fan. It requires NO INSTRUMENTATION to achieve its objectives. It achieves the containment velocity of 1 metre/sec in the shortest possible time - approximately 0.2 seconds - and tests have shown that containment is maintained under breach conditions. Thus the CDFS is SAFER, SIMPLER and MORE RELIABLE.

Gadolinium-DTPA enhanced MRI of the brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosten, N.; Felix, R.

1994-01-01

The text reviews MRI findings in a variety of cerebral diseases. Advantages of Gadolinium-DTPA (Gd-DTPA) enhanced MRI over plain MRI and enhanced CT are discussed. Enhanced MRI is far superior to enhanced CT in the detection of meningeal tumor spread, meningeal inflammation, inflammatory lesions of the optic nerve, brain lesions in multiple sclerosis and infarction. Enhanced MRI is today the most sensitive diagnostic tool in hypophaseal adenomas. Also enhancement of gliomas is detected by MRI with higher sensitivity than by CT. Use Gd-DTPA allow to separate of vital tumor tissue from necrosis and edema, improve delineation of tumor extension and improve detection of lesions localized in gray matter

Patterns of uterine enhancement with helical CT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaur, H.; Loyer, E.M.; Charnsangavej, C. [Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Box 57, The University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd. Houston, TX 77030 (United States); Minami, M. [Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo 113 (Japan)

1998-10-01

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the enhancement characteristics of the normal uterine body and cervix using dynamic contrast-enhanced helical CT. Methods: Thirty-eight women scheduled for pelvic CT for non-gynecologic malignancies underwent dynamic contrast-enhanced helical CT of the pelvis. Data acquisition was during the arterial phase (30-45 s after the start of injection), the parenchymal phase (90-120 s after the start of injection), and delayed phase (3-9 min after the start of injection). The images were evaluated by four radiologists for the pattern of myometrial and cervical enhancement. Correlation was made with the age and menstrual status of the patients. Results: In the uterine body, three types of enhancement were observed. Type 1 enhancement, seen in 16 patients (42%), was characterized by the visualization of a subendometrial zone of enhancement, 30-120 s after the start of injection. Eight of these patients also showed an enhancing zone in the outer myometrium. Both zones were transitory, and in all cases, the uterus became homogeneous in the delayed phase. This pattern was seen predominantly in premenopausal women with a mean age of 34 years. Type 2 enhancement, seen in 17 cases (45%), was defined by the absence of subendometrial enhancement in the early phase. Enhancement was either diffuse from the outset or originated in the outer myometrium. This pattern was seen nearly equally in premenopausal and postmenopausal women with a mean age of 40 years. Type 3 enhancement was seen in five postmenopausal patients (13%) with a mean age of 53 years and was characterized by faint diffuse enhancement. In the cervix, a zonal pattern of enhancement defining inner and outer stroma was seen in 23 patients (61%). Fifteen patients were premenopausal and eight were postmenopausal. Conclusion: In this study, we have shown a transitory zonal distribution of the contrast in the myometrium and cervix using dynamic contrast-enhanced helical CT

Patterns of uterine enhancement with helical CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaur, H.; Loyer, E.M.; Charnsangavej, C.; Minami, M.

1998-01-01

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the enhancement characteristics of the normal uterine body and cervix using dynamic contrast-enhanced helical CT. Methods: Thirty-eight women scheduled for pelvic CT for non-gynecologic malignancies underwent dynamic contrast-enhanced helical CT of the pelvis. Data acquisition was during the arterial phase (30-45 s after the start of injection), the parenchymal phase (90-120 s after the start of injection), and delayed phase (3-9 min after the start of injection). The images were evaluated by four radiologists for the pattern of myometrial and cervical enhancement. Correlation was made with the age and menstrual status of the patients. Results: In the uterine body, three types of enhancement were observed. Type 1 enhancement, seen in 16 patients (42%), was characterized by the visualization of a subendometrial zone of enhancement, 30-120 s after the start of injection. Eight of these patients also showed an enhancing zone in the outer myometrium. Both zones were transitory, and in all cases, the uterus became homogeneous in the delayed phase. This pattern was seen predominantly in premenopausal women with a mean age of 34 years. Type 2 enhancement, seen in 17 cases (45%), was defined by the absence of subendometrial enhancement in the early phase. Enhancement was either diffuse from the outset or originated in the outer myometrium. This pattern was seen nearly equally in premenopausal and postmenopausal women with a mean age of 40 years. Type 3 enhancement was seen in five postmenopausal patients (13%) with a mean age of 53 years and was characterized by faint diffuse enhancement. In the cervix, a zonal pattern of enhancement defining inner and outer stroma was seen in 23 patients (61%). Fifteen patients were premenopausal and eight were postmenopausal. Conclusion: In this study, we have shown a transitory zonal distribution of the contrast in the myometrium and cervix using dynamic contrast-enhanced helical CT

Contrast enhanced CT of spinal cord angioma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakamura, Takahiko; Ebitani, Tsutomu; Honma, Takao; Sofue, Muroto; Nakamura, Shigeru

1982-01-01

Contrast enhanced CT on 6 patients with spinal cord angioma showed enhancement in 2 of them. The conditions to produce contrast enhancement were the window width of 100 - 200, and the window level of 0 - 50. In spinal cord angioma, contrast enhanced CT is presently only an adjunct to angiography and myelography. Nevertheless, contrast enhanced CT is useful in the screening test for spinal cord angioma, in the patients who are nonindicated to angiography, and in the postoperative follow-up. (Ueda, J.)

Enhanced Raman scattering in porous silicon grating.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jiajia; Jia, Zhenhong; Lv, Changwu

2018-03-19

The enhancement of Raman signal on monocrystalline silicon gratings with varying groove depths and on porous silicon grating were studied for a highly sensitive surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) response. In the experiment conducted, porous silicon gratings were fabricated. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were then deposited on the porous silicon grating to enhance the Raman signal of the detective objects. Results show that the enhancement of Raman signal on silicon grating improved when groove depth increased. The enhanced performance of Raman signal on porous silicon grating was also further improved. The Rhodamine SERS response based on Ag NPs/ porous silicon grating substrates was enhanced relative to the SERS response on Ag NPs/ porous silicon substrates. Ag NPs / porous silicon grating SERS substrate system achieved a highly sensitive SERS response due to the coupling of various Raman enhancement factors.

Speech enhancement theory and practice

CERN Document Server

Loizou, Philipos C

2013-01-01

With the proliferation of mobile devices and hearing devices, including hearing aids and cochlear implants, there is a growing and pressing need to design algorithms that can improve speech intelligibility without sacrificing quality. Responding to this need, Speech Enhancement: Theory and Practice, Second Edition introduces readers to the basic problems of speech enhancement and the various algorithms proposed to solve these problems. Updated and expanded, this second edition of the bestselling textbook broadens its scope to include evaluation measures and enhancement algorithms aimed at impr

Energy statistics for one- and two-dwelling buildings in 2008; Energistatistik foer smaahus 2008

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2009-09-15

The survey of energy statistics in 2008 on one- and two-dwelling buildings, including agricultural one- and two-dwelling buildings, is based on a sample of 6 852 buildings. The survey was carried out as a mail survey in June 2008. The non-response rate was 39 percent. The presentation provides data on energy use, number of one- and two-dwelling buildings, and heated floor areas for the total population and for various subdivisions. During the last two years the number one- and two-dwelling buildings heated solely by district heating has greatly increased. The total use of district heating has increased by 32 percent. The use of oil for hot water and heating of one- and two dwelling buildings has decreased by 21 percent compared to 2007, and by 75 percent during the last five-year period. Nearly 40 percent of one- and two-dwelling buildings are heated completely or partially with a heat pump. However, the sharp increase in the number of heat pumps during the last five-year period has nearly come to a standstill in the last two years. About 42 percent of all one- and two-dwelling buildings in Sweden are heated by electricity as the only source of heat, including houses that are heated by heat pumps. Combined heating with electricity and biomass fuel is the second most common heating method, followed by heating with solely biomass fuel. 17 100 kWh electricity per household in one- and two-dwelling buildings heated by direct electricity exclusively and 18 800 kWh in one- and two dwelling buildings heated by water-borne electricity exclusively or 130 kWh per square metre of heated surface area (incl. electricity for household purposes). 2.5 cubic metres of oil per household in one- and two-dwelling buildings heated by oil exclusively or 18.7 litres of oil per square metre of heated surface area. 12.7 TWh electricity for households in one- and two-dwelling buildings, including the electricity used in combinations with other types of heating, but excluding electricity for

Drilling and the associated drillhole measurements of the pilot hole ONK-PH5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oehberg, A.; Hirvonen, H.; Jurvanen, T.; Kemppainen, K.; Mustonen, A.; Niemonen, J.; Poellaenen, J.; Rouhiainen, P.; Rautio, T.

2006-09-01

The construction of the ONKALO access tunnel started in September 2004 at Olkiluoto. Most of the investigations related to the construction of the access tunnel aim to ensure successful excavations, reinforcement and sealing. Pilot holes are drillholes, which are core drilled along the tunnel profile. The length of the pilot holes typically varies from several tens of metres to a couple of hundred metres. The pilot holes are aimed to confirm the quality of the rock mass for tunnel construction, and in particular to identify water conductive fractured zones and to provide information that could result in modifications of the existing construction plans. The pilot hole ONK-PH5 was drilled from chainage 991.4 to chainage 1194 in January 2006. The length of the hole is 202.64 m and the vertical depth of the hole from zero level is about 88.2-107.5 m. The aim during the drilling work was to orient core samples as much as possible. The deviation of the drillhole was measured during and after the drilling phase. One steering operation by wedging was made at the hole depth of 128.58 metres. Electric conductivity was measured from the collected returning water samples. Logging of the core samples included the following parameters: lithology, foliation, fracturing, fracture frequency, RQD, fractured zones, core loss and weathering. The rock mechanical logging was based on Q-classification. The tests to determine rock strength and deformation properties were made with a Rock Tester-equipment. Due to high inflow (c. 200 L/min) mainly from the depth section 56-58 metres no geophysical surveys were carried out in the hole. Flow logging was carried out only from 58 metres to the bottom of the hole. Difference Flow method was used for the determination of hydraulic conductivity in fractures and fractured zones in the drillhole. The overlapping i.e. the detailed flow logging mode was used. The flow logging was performed with 0.5 m section length and with 0.1 m depth increment. Flow

Public opinions about human enhancement can enhance the expert-only debate. A review study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dijkstra, Anne M.; Schuijff, Mirjam

2016-01-01

Human enhancement, the non-medical use of biomedical technologies to improve the human body or performance beyond their ‘natural’ limitations, is a growing trend. At the same time, the use of these technologies has societal consequences. In societal debates about human enhancement, however, it is

Towards a Moderate Stance on Human Enhancement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikil Mukerji

2014-05-01

Full Text Available In this essay, we argue against radical ethical views about human enhancement that either dismiss or endorse it tout court. Instead, we advocate the moderate stance that issues of enhancement should be examined with an open mind and on a case-by-case basis. To make this view plausible, we offer three reasons. The first lies in the fact that it is difficult to delineate enhancement conceptually, which makes it hard to argue for general ethical conclusions about it. The second is that an appropriate view of the edifice of moral theory suggests that tenable moral judgements about human enhancement are the result of a careful consideration of the pros and cons that attach to the use of a specific enhancement technology. Lastly, we show that important normative factors in the enhancement debate can be used both in arguments for and in arguments against enhancement. The bottom line of our discussion is that we should treat issues of human enhancement like we do any other ethical issue, viz. by weighing up the reasons pro and con.

An enhanced fractal image denoising algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu Jian; Ye Zhongxing; Zou Yuru; Ye Ruisong

2008-01-01

In recent years, there has been a significant development in image denoising using fractal-based method. This paper presents an enhanced fractal predictive denoising algorithm for denoising the images corrupted by an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) by using quadratic gray-level function. Meanwhile, a quantization method for the fractal gray-level coefficients of the quadratic function is proposed to strictly guarantee the contractivity requirement of the enhanced fractal coding, and in terms of the quality of the fractal representation measured by PSNR, the enhanced fractal image coding using quadratic gray-level function generally performs better than the standard fractal coding using linear gray-level function. Based on this enhanced fractal coding, the enhanced fractal image denoising is implemented by estimating the fractal gray-level coefficients of the quadratic function of the noiseless image from its noisy observation. Experimental results show that, compared with other standard fractal-based image denoising schemes using linear gray-level function, the enhanced fractal denoising algorithm can improve the quality of the restored image efficiently

Moderate eugenics and human enhancement.

Science.gov (United States)

Selgelid, Michael J

2014-02-01

Though the reputation of eugenics has been tarnished by history, eugenics per se is not necessarily a bad thing. Many advocate a liberal new eugenics--where individuals are free to choose whether or not to employ genetic technologies for reproductive purposes. Though genetic interventions aimed at the prevention of severe genetic disorders may be morally and socially acceptable, reproductive liberty in the context of enhancement may conflict with equality. Enhancement could also have adverse effects on utility. The enhancement debate requires a shift in focus. What the equality and/or utility costs of enhancement will be is an empirical question. Rather than philosophical speculation, more social science research is needed to address it. Philosophers, meanwhile, should address head-on the question of how to strike a balance between liberty, equality, and utility in cases of conflict (in the context of genetics).

Chronological evaluation of liver enhancement in patients with chronic liver disease at Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced 3-T MR imaging. Does liver function correlate with enhancement?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakamura, Shinichi; Utsunomiya, Daisuke; Namimoto, Tomohiro; Yamashita, Yasuyuki; Awai, Kazuo; Nakaura, Takeshi; Morita, Kosuke

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the chronological relationship between scan delay and liver enhancement for the hepatobiliary phase on Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI and evaluate the effects of liver function on liver enhancement. Hepatobiliary-phase images were retrospectively evaluated in 125 patients with chronic liver disease. Hepatobiliary phase images were obtained at 5, 10, 15, and 20 min after injection. We calculated relative liver enhancement (RLE) at t min after injection by dividing the signal intensity (SI) of the liver at t min by precontrast SI. We compared RLE values at 5, 10, 15, and 20 min and evaluated the detectability of focal hepatic lesions. We analyzed the effect of liver function on RLE with the generalized linear model. There was not significant difference in RLE and lesion detectability at 15 and 20 min. RLE in the Child-Pugh C group was significantly lower than in the Child-Pugh A and B groups. The serum albumin level and prothrombin time were significantly correlated with the liver enhancement. A delay time of 15 min for the hepatobiliary phase was thought to be adequate in patients with mild liver dysfunction. The serum albumin level and prothrombin time would be predictive of liver enhancement in the hepatobiliary phase. (author)

Myocardial enhancement pattern in patients with acute myocardial infarction on two-phase contrast-enhanced Ecg-gated multidetector-row computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ko, S.M.; Seo, J.B.; Hong, M.K.; Do, K.H.; Lee, S.H.; Lee, J.S.; Song, J.W.; Park, S.J.; Park, S.W.; Lim, T.H.

2006-01-01

Aim: To evaluate the myocardial enhancement pattern of the left ventricle on two-phase contrast-enhanced electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) images in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: Two-phase contrast-enhanced ECG-gated MDCT examinations were performed in 16 patients with AMI. The presence, location and pattern of myocardial enhancement were evaluated. MDCT findings were compared with the catheter angiographic results. RESULTS: Subendocardial (n=9) or transmural (n=6) area of early perfusion defects of the myocardium was detected in 15 of 16 patients (94%) on early-phase CT images. Variable delayed myocardial enhancement patterns on late-phase CT images were observed in 12 patients (75%): (1) subendocardial residual perfusion defect and subepicardial late enhancement (n=6); (2) transmural late enhancement (n=1); (3) isolated subendocardial late enhancement (n=1); and (4) isolated subendocardial residual perfusion defect (n=2). On catheter angiography, 14 of 15 corresponding coronary arteries showed significant stenosis. CONCLUSION: Variable abnormal myocardial enhancement pattern was seen on two-phase, contrast-enhanced ECG-gated MDCT in patients with AMI. Assessment of myocardial attenuation on CT angiography gives additional information of the location and extent of infarction

Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging features of hepatic hemangioma compared with enhanced computed tomography

OpenAIRE

Tateyama, Akihiro; Fukukura, Yoshihiko; Takumi, Koji; Shindo, Toshikazu; Kumagae, Yuichi; Kamimura, Kiyohisa; Nakajo, Masayuki

2012-01-01

AIM: To clarify features of hepatic hemangiomas on gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriaminpentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared with enhanced computed tomography (CT).

Enhanced recovery from surgery in the UK: an audit of the enhanced recovery partnership programme 2009-2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Simpson, J C; Moonesinghe, S R; Grocott, M P W; Kuper, M; McMeeking, A; Oliver, C M; Galsworthy, M J; Mythen, M G

2015-10-01

The UK Department of Health Enhanced Recovery Partnership Programme collected data on 24 513 surgical patients in the UK from 2009-2012. Enhanced Recovery is an approach to major elective surgery aimed at minimizing perioperative stress for the patient. Previous studies have shown Enhanced Recovery to be associated with reduced hospital length of stay and perioperative morbidity. In this national clinical audit, National Health Service hospitals in the UK were invited to submit patient-level data. The data regarding length of stay and compliance with each element of Enhanced Recovery protocols for colorectal, orthopaedic, urological and gynaecological surgery patients were analysed. The relationship between Enhanced Recovery protocol compliance and length of stay was measured. From 16 267 patients from 61 hospital trusts, three out of four surgical specialties showed Enhanced Recovery, compliance being weakly associated with shorter length of stay (correlation coefficients -0.18, -0.14, -0.25 in colorectal, orthopaedics and gynaecology respectively). At a cut-off of 80% compliance, good compliance was associated with two, one and three day reductions in median length of stay respectively in colorectal, orthopaedic and urological surgeries, with no saving in gynaecology. This study is the largest assessment of the relationship between Enhanced Recovery protocol compliance and outcome in four surgical specialties. The data suggest that higher compliance with an Enhanced Recovery protocol has a weak association with shorter length of stay. This suggests that changes in process, resulting from highly protocolised pathways, may be as important in reducing perioperative length of stay as any individual element of Enhanced Recovery protocols in isolation. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Journal of Anaesthesia. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Enhance Video Film using Retnix method

Science.gov (United States)

Awad, Rasha; Al-Zuky, Ali A.; Al-Saleh, Anwar H.; Mohamad, Haidar J.

2018-05-01

An enhancement technique used to improve the studied video quality. Algorithms like mean and standard deviation are used as a criterion within this paper, and it applied for each video clip that divided into 80 images. The studied filming environment has different light intensity (315, 566, and 644Lux). This different environment gives similar reality to the outdoor filming. The outputs of the suggested algorithm are compared with the results before applying it. This method is applied into two ways: first, it is applied for the full video clip to get the enhanced film; second, it is applied for every individual image to get the enhanced image then compiler them to get the enhanced film. This paper shows that the enhancement technique gives good quality video film depending on a statistical method, and it is recommended to use it in different application.

Speech enhancement on smartphone voice recording

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atmaja, Bagus Tris; Farid, Mifta Nur; Arifianto, Dhany

2016-01-01

Speech enhancement is challenging task in audio signal processing to enhance the quality of targeted speech signal while suppress other noises. In the beginning, the speech enhancement algorithm growth rapidly from spectral subtraction, Wiener filtering, spectral amplitude MMSE estimator to Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF). Smartphone as revolutionary device now is being used in all aspect of life including journalism; personally and professionally. Although many smartphones have two microphones (main and rear) the only main microphone is widely used for voice recording. This is why the NMF algorithm widely used for this purpose of speech enhancement. This paper evaluate speech enhancement on smartphone voice recording by using some algorithms mentioned previously. We also extend the NMF algorithm to Kulback-Leibler NMF with supervised separation. The last algorithm shows improved result compared to others by spectrogram and PESQ score evaluation. (paper)

Source memory enhancement for emotional words.

Science.gov (United States)

Doerksen, S; Shimamura, A P

2001-03-01

The influence of emotional stimuli on source memory was investigated by using emotionally valenced words. The words were colored blue or yellow (Experiment 1) or surrounded by a blue or yellow frame (Experiment 2). Participants were asked to associate the words with the colors. In both experiments, emotionally valenced words elicited enhanced free recall compared with nonvalenced words; however, recognition memory was not affected. Source memory for the associated color was also enhanced for emotional words, suggesting that even memory for contextual information is benefited by emotional stimuli. This effect was not due to the ease of semantic clustering of emotional words because semantically related words were not associated with enhanced source memory, despite enhanced recall (Experiment 3). It is suggested that enhancement resulted from facilitated arousal or attention, which may act to increase organization processes important for source memory.

The search for Higgs boson stalking the 'Holy Grail'

CERN Multimedia

Brady, M

2004-01-01

"Scientists, working 100 metres underground with the world's most powerful accelerator machine, are getting ready to hunt one of science's most elusive and mysterious particles - Higgs boson" (8 pages)

Open Channel Natural Convection Heat Transfer on a Vertical Finned Plate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Joo Hyun; Heo, Jeong Hwan; Chung, Bum Jin

2013-01-01

The natural convection heat transfer of vertical plate fin was investigated experimentally. Heat transfer systems were replaced by mass-transfer systems, based on the analogy concept. The experimental results lie within the predictions of the existing heat transfer correlations of plate-fin for the natural convections. An overlapped thermal boundary layers caused increasing heat transfer, and an overlapped momentum boundary layers caused decreasing heat transfer. As the fin height increases, heat transfer was enhanced due to increased inflow from the open side of the fin spacing. When fin spacing and fin height are large, heat transfer was unaffected by the fin spacing and fin height. Passive cooling by natural convection becomes more and more important for the nuclear systems as the station black out really happened at the Fukushima NPPs. In the RCCS (Reactor Cavity Cooling System) of a VHTR (Very High Temperature Reactor), natural convection cooling through duct system is adopted. In response to the stack failure event, extra cooling capacity adopting the fin array has to be investigated. The finned plate increases the surface area and the heat transfer increases. However, the plate of fin arrays may increase the pressure drop and the heat transfer decreases. Therefore, in order to enhance the passive cooling with fin arrays, the parameters for the fin arrays should be optimized. According to Welling and Wooldridge, a natural convection on vertical plate fin is function of Gr, Pr, L, t, S, and H. The present work investigated the natural convection heat transfer of a vertical finned plate with varying the fin height and the fin spacing. In order achieve high Rayleigh numbers, an electroplating system was employed and the mass transfer rates were measured using a copper sulfate electroplating system based on the analogy concept

Groundwater salinity at Olkiluoto and its effects on a spent fuel repository

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vieno, T. [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland)

2000-06-01

The Olkiluoto island rose from the Baltic Sea 2500 to 3000 years ago. The layered sequence of groundwaters can be related to climatic and shoreline changes from modern tune through former Baltic stages to the deglaciation phase about 10 000 years ago and even to preglacial times. Fresh groundwater is found to the depth of about 150 metres, brackish between 100 and 400 metres, deeper groundwaters are saline. At the depth of 500 meters, the content of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) varies between 10 and 25 g/l. The most saline waters at depths greater than 800 metres have TDS values between 30 and 75 g/l. These deep saline waters seem to have been undisturbed during the most recent glaciation and even much longer in the past. Today fresh water infiltrating at the surface gradually displaces brackish and saline groundwater in the bedrock. Due to the still ongoing postglacial land uplift, Olkiluoto is likely to become an inland site with brackish or fresh groundwater at the depth of 500 metres within the next 10 000 years. During the construction and operation phases groundwater will be drawn into the repository from the surrounding bedrock. As a consequence, more saline groundwaters, presently laying 100 to 200 metres below the repository level, may rise to the disposal level. After the closing of the repository the salinity distribution will gradually return towards the natural state. During the glacial cycle groundwater salinity may increase, for example, during freezing of groundwater into permafrost, when dissolved solids concentrate in the remaining water phase, and in a situation where deep saline groundwaters from under the centre of the glacier are pushed to the upper parts of the bedrock at the periphery of the glacier. The most significant open issue related to saline groundwater is the performance of the tunnel backfill which in the BS-3 concept has been planned to consist of a mixture of crushed rock and 10-30% of bentonite. Saline groundwater may

Biocatalyst Enhancement

Science.gov (United States)

The increasing availability of enzyme collections has assisted attempts by pharmaceutical producers to adopt green chemistry approaches to manufacturing. A joint effort between an enzyme producer and a pharmaceutical manufacturer has been enhanced over the past three years by ena...

Comparative analysis of different methods for image enhancement

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

吴笑峰; 胡仕刚; 赵瑾; 李志明; 李劲; 唐志军; 席在芳

2014-01-01

Image enhancement technology plays a very important role to improve image quality in image processing. By enhancing some information and restraining other information selectively, it can improve image visual effect. The objective of this work is to implement the image enhancement to gray scale images using different techniques. After the fundamental methods of image enhancement processing are demonstrated, image enhancement algorithms based on space and frequency domains are systematically investigated and compared. The advantage and defect of the above-mentioned algorithms are analyzed. The algorithms of wavelet based image enhancement are also deduced and generalized. Wavelet transform modulus maxima (WTMM) is a method for detecting the fractal dimension of a signal, it is well used for image enhancement. The image techniques are compared by using the mean (μ), standard deviation (s), mean square error (MSE) and PSNR (peak signal to noise ratio). A group of experimental results demonstrate that the image enhancement algorithm based on wavelet transform is effective for image de-noising and enhancement. Wavelet transform modulus maxima method is one of the best methods for image enhancement.

Breast dynamic contrast enhanced MRI: fibrocystic changes presenting as a non-mass enhancement mimicking malignancy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milosevic Zorica C.

2017-06-01

Full Text Available We aimed to analyse the morphokinetic features of breast fibrocystic changes (nonproliferative lesions, proliferative lesions without atypia and proliferative lesions with atypia presenting as a non-mass enhancement (NMEin dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI examination.

Graphic displays on PCs of gaseous diffusion models of radionuclide releases to the atmosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campo Ortega, E. del

1993-01-01

The well-known MESOI program has been modified and improved to adapt it to a PC/AT with VGA colour monitor. Far from losing any of its powerful characteristics to calculate the transport, diffusion, deposition and decay of gaseous radioactive effluents discharged to the atmosphere, it has been enhanced to allow graphic viewing of concentrations, wind speed and direction and puff locations in colour, all on a background map of the site. The background covers a 75 x 75 km square and has a graphic grid density of 421 x 421 pixels. This means that effluent concentration is represented approximately every 170 metres in the 'clouded-area'. Among the modifications and enhancements made, the following are of particular interest: 1. A new subroutine called NUBE has been added, which calculates the distribution of effluent concentration of activity in a grid of 421 x 421 pixels. 2. Several subroutines have been added to obtain graphic displays and printouts of the cloud, wind field and puff locations. 3. Graphic display of the geographic plane of the area surrounding the effluent release point. 4. Off-line preparation of meteorological and topographical data files necessary for program execution. (author)

Recent Progress on Plasmon-Enhanced Fluorescence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dong Jun

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The optically generated collective electron density waves on metal–dielectric boundaries known as surface plasmons have been of great scientific interest since their discovery. Being electromagnetic waves on gold or silver nanoparticle’s surface, localised surface plasmons (LSP can strongly enhance the electromagnetic field. These strong electromagnetic fields near the metal surfaces have been used in various applications like surface enhanced spectroscopy (SES, plasmonic lithography, plasmonic trapping of particles, and plasmonic catalysis. Resonant coupling of LSPs to fluorophore can strongly enhance the emission intensity, the angular distribution, and the polarisation of the emitted radiation and even the speed of radiative decay, which is so-called plasmon enhanced fluorescence (PEF. As a result, more and more reports on surface-enhanced fluorescence have appeared, such as SPASER-s, plasmon assisted lasing, single molecule fluorescence measurements, surface plasmoncoupled emission (SPCE in biological sensing, optical orbit designs etc. In this review, we focus on recent advanced reports on plasmon-enhanced fluorescence (PEF. First, the mechanism of PEF and early results of enhanced fluorescence observed by metal nanostructure will be introduced. Then, the enhanced substrates, including periodical and nonperiodical nanostructure, will be discussed and the most important factor of the spacer between molecule and surface and wavelength dependence on PEF is demonstrated. Finally, the recent progress of tipenhanced fluorescence and PEF from the rare-earth doped up-conversion (UC and down-conversion (DC nanoparticles (NPs are also commented upon. This review provides an introduction to fundamentals of PEF, illustrates the current progress in the design of metallic nanostructures for efficient fluorescence signal amplification that utilises propagating and localised surface plasmons.

ICRF enhanced potentials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, B.A.

1987-01-01

Ion-confining potentials in the Phaedrus tandem mirror are shown to be enhanced over Boltzmann-relations predicted values by radio-frequency (rf) waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF). The ICRF enhanced potential is larger in the end cell with a lower passing density. Peak potential values decrease with increasing ion endloss current (or central cell density) for a constant rf capacitor bank voltage, and increase with increasing rf-capacitor bank voltage, for a constant ion endloss value (or central cell density). In fully axisymmetric operation, a potential peak is produced in an end cell by the central-cell rf, (with-out end-cell rf) and is found only in the end cell nearer the central-cell antenna. ICRF enhanced potentials are explained as an equilibrium between the electron-collisional filling-in rate and the electron pumping out rate provided by axial time-varying electric fields. Thermal barrier-like potential structures were found in the transition regions between the central cell and end cells, in the fully axisymmetric Phaedrus. Central-cell ICRF trapping effects combined with end-cell μΔ B forces create and pump the barrier potential wells

Identification of activated enhancers and linked transcription factors in breast, prostate, and kidney tumors by tracing enhancer networks using epigenetic traits.

Science.gov (United States)

Rhie, Suhn Kyong; Guo, Yu; Tak, Yu Gyoung; Yao, Lijing; Shen, Hui; Coetzee, Gerhard A; Laird, Peter W; Farnham, Peggy J

2016-01-01

Although technological advances now allow increased tumor profiling, a detailed understanding of the mechanisms leading to the development of different cancers remains elusive. Our approach toward understanding the molecular events that lead to cancer is to characterize changes in transcriptional regulatory networks between normal and tumor tissue. Because enhancer activity is thought to be critical in regulating cell fate decisions, we have focused our studies on distal regulatory elements and transcription factors that bind to these elements. Using DNA methylation data, we identified more than 25,000 enhancers that are differentially activated in breast, prostate, and kidney tumor tissues, as compared to normal tissues. We then developed an analytical approach called Tracing Enhancer Networks using Epigenetic Traits that correlates DNA methylation levels at enhancers with gene expression to identify more than 800,000 genome-wide links from enhancers to genes and from genes to enhancers. We found more than 1200 transcription factors to be involved in these tumor-specific enhancer networks. We further characterized several transcription factors linked to a large number of enhancers in each tumor type, including GATA3 in non-basal breast tumors, HOXC6 and DLX1 in prostate tumors, and ZNF395 in kidney tumors. We showed that HOXC6 and DLX1 are associated with different clusters of prostate tumor-specific enhancers and confer distinct transcriptomic changes upon knockdown in C42B prostate cancer cells. We also discovered de novo motifs enriched in enhancers linked to ZNF395 in kidney tumors. Our studies characterized tumor-specific enhancers and revealed key transcription factors involved in enhancer networks for specific tumor types and subgroups. Our findings, which include a large set of identified enhancers and transcription factors linked to those enhancers in breast, prostate, and kidney cancers, will facilitate understanding of enhancer networks and mechanisms

Overhauser-enhanced MR imaging (OMRI)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Golman, K; Leunbach, I; Ardenkjaer-Larsen, JH

1998-01-01

Purpose. To evaluate a new single-electron contrast agent for Overhauser-enhanced MR imaging. The contrast agents that are currently available give enhancement factors that are too low to make the technique a valid option for routine clinical use. Material and Methods. MR images were generated di...

Spectroscopic enhancement in nanoparticles embedded glasses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sahar, M. R., E-mail: mrahim057@gmail.com; Ghoshal, S. K., E-mail: mrahim057@gmail.com [Advanced Optical Material Research Group, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, Skudai, Johor Bahru, Johor (Malaysia)

2014-09-25

This presentation provides an overview of the recent progress in the enhancement of the spectroscopic characteristics of the glass embedded with nanoparticles (NPs). Some of our research activities with few significantly new results are highlighted and facilely analyzed. The science and technology dealing with the manipulation of the physical properties of rare earth doped inorganic glasses by embedding metallic NPs or nanoclusters produce the so-called 'nanoglass'. Meanwhile, the spectroscopic enhancement relates the intensity of the luminescence measured at certain transition. The enhancement which expectedly due to the 'plasmonics wave' (referring to the coherent coupling of photons to free electron oscillations called plasmon) occurs at the interface between a conductor and a dielectric. Plasmonics being an emerging concept in advanced optical material of nanophotonics has given this material the ability to exploit the optical response at nanoscale and opened up a new avenue in metal-based glass optics. There is a vast array of plasmonic NPs concepts yet to be explored, with applications spanning solar cells, (bio) sensing, communications, lasers, solid-state lighting, waveguides, imaging, optical data transfer, display and even bio-medicine. Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) can enhance the optical response of nanoglass by orders of magnitude as observed. The luminescence enhancement and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) are new paradigm of research. The enhancement of luminescence due to the influence of metallic NPs is the recurring theme of this paper.

Making waves with undersea (radioactive waste) disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milne, Roger.

1987-01-01

Following the Government's decision to halt the search for land-based disposal sites for low-level radioactive wastes, the search for alternative means of disposal of low- and intermediate-level wastes continues. Off-shore sites now seems to be the most likely. Two approaches are mentioned. The first is that proposed by Consolidated Environmental Technologies Ltd., to sink a shaft 15 metre in diameter under the seabed in an area of tectonic stability, possibly off Lincolnshire. The shaft could be 3000 metres deep. Waste packages and large decommissioning items would be lowered in from a giant barge. This would be expensive but environmentally more acceptable than the other approach. That is to tunnel out from the land and store the waste offshore, below the seabed. (U.K.)

Development of computer model for radionuclide released from shallow-land disposal facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suganda, D.; Sucipta; Sastrowardoyo, P.B.; Eriendi

1998-01-01

Development of 1-dimensional computer model for radionuclide release from shallow land disposal facility (SLDF) has been done. This computer model is used for the SLDF facility at PPTA Serpong. The SLDF facility is above 1.8 metres from groundwater and 150 metres from Cisalak river. Numerical method by implicit method of finite difference solution is chosen to predict the migration of radionuclide with any concentration.The migration starts vertically from the bottom of SLDF until the groundwater layer, then horizontally in the groundwater until the critical population group. Radionuclide Cs-137 is chosen as a sample to know its migration. The result of the assessment shows that the SLDF facility at PPTA Serpong has the high safety criteria. (author)

Construction and operation of a pilot percolator installation for the processing of biological wastes; Bau und Betrieb einer Perkolationsanlage im Pilotmasstab zur Aufbereitung von Bioabfaellen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schober, G.; Wellinger, A. [Nova Energie GmbH, Aadorf (Switzerland); Widmer, Ch. [AFAG Engineering, Binningen (Switzerland)

2004-07-01

This final report presents a review of the results of work done on behalf of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) on the development of a new two-step, two-phase system for waste treatment with biogas generation. The report describes the main components of the system - the percolator itself and the anaerobic digester. In the one-cubic-metre pilot batch percolator, followed by a four-cubic-metre hybrid anaerobic filter, source-separated household and green waste was percolated. The report deals with the optimisation of physicochemical, biological and process parameters in order to improve COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) removal rates and, consequently, gas yield. Figures are presented on tests made with varying washing-water and aeration rates in order to optimise COD removal.

MRI enhancement of the facial nerve with Gd-DTPA, 2; Investigation of enhanced nerve portions in patients with facial palsy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yanagida, Masahiro [Kansai Medical School, Moriguchi, Osaka (Japan)

1993-08-01

We performed enhanced MRI using Gd-DTPA in 84 patients with facial palsy. After assessing enhancement of the normal facial nerve, we examined enhancement in patients with Bell's palsy and Ramsay Hunt syndrome. In 95% of patients with Bell's palsy, enhancement was obtained in the distal IAC and labyrinthine portions. In 72%, enhancement was significant from the distal IAC portion through the vertical portion. In some of the patients who underwent enhanced MRI twice, increased signal intensity was observed in distal portions such as the vertical portion. In many cases of Ramsay Hunt syndrome, enhancement was seen extensively in the IAC portion through the vertical portion. In the subjects with internal auditory symptoms such as vertigo and tinnitus, enhancement of the IAC portion was seen not only in the facial nerve but also in the vestibular and the cochlear nerves. These results suggest that the vascular permeability of lesions in Bell's palsy may be increased from the distal IAC portion to the vertical portion. Judging from the present findings with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, symptoms related to the enhanced portions suggest that accompanying internal auditory symptoms occur due to inflammation of the IAC portions of cochlear and vestibular nerves. (author).

A simulation study of enhancement duration in three-dimensional contrast-enhanced MR angiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohkubo, Masaki; Ohgoshi, Yukio; Inoue, Tomoko; Naito, Kenichi; Suzuki, Kiyotaka

2001-01-01

In our study on three-dimensional (3D) contrast-enhanced MR angiography we performed a computer simulation to investigate quantitative vessel visibility. In the simulation, we evaluated the relative loss of signal intensity in a vessel due to shortened duration of contrast-enhancement. The mid-point of enhancement-duration was assumed to be at the point in which the data in the center of k-space (k y axis) was acquired. Signal intensity of a vessel decreased as the enhancement-duration was shortened and the diameter of the vessel was decreased. When the duration was shortened 40%, the signal intensity of a vessel in which the diameter was more than 2 pixels was preserved by approximately 70% or more. This suggests that the vessel visibility is high. When the duration was shortened 20%, the signal intensity of a vessel in which the diameter was less than 2 pixels decreased to less than approximately 40% or less. The simulation was confirmed by using 3D MR angiography with a tube phantom filled with Gd-DTPA to simulate a vessel model. At anytime during data acquisition, we could set the phantom on the region being scanned or take it out by using the ''pause'' function of the MR scanner. This made it possible to change the enhancement-duration to match the simulation. Results of the phantom study were comparable to those of the simulation, suggesting that the simulation was valid. Our results and simple techniques for both the simulation and the phantom study using the ''pause'' function, were considered useful in the study of 3D MR angiography. (author)

Gd-DTPA-enhanced MR imaging in meningitis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, M.H.; Chang, K.H.; Roh, J.K.; Kim, I.O.; Han, M.C.; Kim, C.W.

1988-01-01

Gd-DPTA-enhanced MR imaging was performed in 16 patients with meningitis (seven tuberculous, four bacterial, three fungal, and two viral) on a 2.0-T unit. Hemorrhagic infarcts of basal ganglia and localized enhancement of thickened dura adjacent were demonstrated on T1-weighted images in three patients with tuberculous meningitis and four with bacterial meningitis, respectively, that were not seen on CT. Enhanced T1-weighted images readily differentiated leptomeningeal enhancement from vessels in two cases with CT of equivocal meningeal enhancement. Nonenhanced T2-weighted images were most sensitive for demonstrating ischemia/infarct and edema. Otherwise, MR images generally matched CT scans

Post Fukushima safety enhancements in Indian PHWRS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramasomayajulu, M.; Khot, Pankaj; Chauhan, Ashok

2016-01-01

Fukushima event was reviewed in Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) and based on these reviews, safety enhancements were identified for Indian PHWRs. Safety enhancements such as additional emergency power sources, enhanced onsite water inventories, external water injection arrangements (Hook up points), measures related to hydrogen management, containment venting provision, seismic trip, mobile pumps, onsite emergency support Centre. These safety enhancements were reviewed by the regulatory body (Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, AERB) and were approved for implementation. Most of these are either implemented or in the advance stage of implementation. The paper elaborates above safety enhancements implemented post Fukushima accident; and preparedness to use these provisions. (author)

Evaluation of residual hepatocellular carcinoma after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization: Comparison between contrast-enhanced helical CT and contrast-enhanced power doppler ultrasonography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Seung Hoon; Lim, Hyo Keun; Lee, Won Jae

2001-01-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of contrast-enhanced helical CT and contrast-enhanced power doppler ultrasonography (PDUS) in assessing the therapeutic effect of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). The follow-up contrast-enhanced helical CT and contrast-enhanced PDUS were performed for twenty-nine nodular HCCs from twelve patients previously treated with TACE. We defined the residual HCCs as intratumoral enhancing area on contrast-enhanced helical CT and color signal on contrast-enhanced PDUS. The interval between two examinations was less than 2 weeks (mean, 9 days). Two radiologists evaluated two examinations by consensus, and the results of these two examination were compared with the findings of other examinations including CT, angiography, and/or pathology to calculate the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of two examinations. Of the 29 HCCs, 20 had residual HCCs whereas no residual HCCs in 9 HCCs on pathologic examination and/or follow-up radiologic study. The sensitivity, sensitivity and accuracy of contrast-enhanced helical CT were 65 (13/20), 89 (8/9), and 72% (21/29) while those of contrast-enhanced PDUS were 100 (20/20), 89 (8/9) and 97% (28/29), respectively. A microbubble contrast-enhanced PDUS was more effective in the detection of residual tumor in HCCs following TACE than contrast-enhanced helical CT.

Heat transfer enhancement on nucleate boiling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhuang, M.; Guibai, L.

1990-01-01

This paper reports on enhancement of nucleate boiling heat transfer with additives that was investigated experimentally. More than fifteen kinds of additives were chosen and tested. Eight kinds of effective additives which can enhance nucleate boiling heat transfer were selected. Experimental results showed that boiling heat transfer coefficient of water was increased by 1 to 5 times and that of R-113 was increased by 1 to 4 times when trace amount additives were put in the two boiling liquids. There exist optimum concentrations for the additives, respectively, which can enhance nucleate boiling heat transfer rate best. In order to analyze the mechanism of the enhancement of boiling heat transfer with additives, the surface tension and the bubble departure diameter were measured. The nucleation sites were investigated by use of high-speed photograph. Experimental results showed that nucleation sites increase with additive amount increasing and get maximum. Increasing nucleation sites is one of the most important reason why nucleate boiling heat transfer can be enhanced with additives

Adaptive multiscale processing for contrast enhancement

Science.gov (United States)

Laine, Andrew F.; Song, Shuwu; Fan, Jian; Huda, Walter; Honeyman, Janice C.; Steinbach, Barbara G.

1993-07-01

This paper introduces a novel approach for accomplishing mammographic feature analysis through overcomplete multiresolution representations. We show that efficient representations may be identified from digital mammograms within a continuum of scale space and used to enhance features of importance to mammography. Choosing analyzing functions that are well localized in both space and frequency, results in a powerful methodology for image analysis. We describe methods of contrast enhancement based on two overcomplete (redundant) multiscale representations: (1) Dyadic wavelet transform (2) (phi) -transform. Mammograms are reconstructed from transform coefficients modified at one or more levels by non-linear, logarithmic and constant scale-space weight functions. Multiscale edges identified within distinct levels of transform space provide a local support for enhancement throughout each decomposition. We demonstrate that features extracted from wavelet spaces can provide an adaptive mechanism for accomplishing local contrast enhancement. We suggest that multiscale detection and local enhancement of singularities may be effectively employed for the visualization of breast pathology without excessive noise amplification.