Modelling and design of high efficiency radiation tolerant indium phosphide space solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goradia, C.; Geier, J.V.; Weinberg, I.

1987-01-01

Using a fairly comprehensive model, the authors did a parametric variation study of the InP shallow homojunction solar cell with a view to determining the maximum realistically achievable efficiency and an optimum design that would yield this efficiency. Their calculations show that with good quality epitaxial material, a BOL efficiency of about 20.3% at 1AMO, 25 0 C may be possible. The design parameters of the near-optimum cell are given. Also presented are the expected radiation damage of the performance parameters by 1MeV electrons and a possible explanation of the high radiation tolerance of InP solar cells

Water Use Efficiency and Water Deficit Tolerance Indices in Terminal Growth Stages in Promising Bread Wheat genotypes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Nazeri

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction During growth stages of wheat, anthesis and grain filling periods are the most susceptible to drought. Wheat cultivars that are more tolerant to terminal drought are more suitable to Mediterranean conditions. To increase water use efficiency, the target environment should be taken into account, because one trait might be effective in an environment but ineffective in another environment. In general, some traits like early vigour and root absorbtion capacity are so important in water deficient conditions. In recent years, increasing grain yield was due to increasing grain numbers. Although both the source and sink is considered as the limitation factors in increasing grain yield in old cultivars, even in the new cultivars sink seems to be more important. In fact, phenological adjustment adapted with seasonal precipitation pattern can improve water use efficiency in drought conditions. Suitable flowering time is the most important trait that is correlated with increasing water use efficiency in drought conditions. Materials and Methods In order to evaluate the level of drought tolerance in promising bread wheat lines, a split plot arrangements using randomized complete block design with three replications was carried out in 2008-09 and 2009-10 growing seasons at Torogh Agricultural Research Field Station, Mashhad. in. water limited conditions at three levels Optimum moisture conditions (L1, removal irrigation and using rain shelter from milky grain stage to maturity (L2, removal irrigation and using rainshelter from anthesis to maturity (L3 were assigned to main plots. Ten bread wheat lines include suitable for cold and dry regions (V1: (Toos, V2: (C-81-10, V3: (pishgam, V4: (C-84-4, V5: (C-84-8, V6: (C-D-85-15, V7: (C-D-85-9, V8: (C-D-84-5502, V9: (C-D-85-5502 and V10: (C-85-6 were randomized in sub-plots. Stress susceptibility index (SSI, stress tolerance index (STI and tolerance (TOL were calculated using following equations: D = 1

Stress tolerance of soil fungal communities from native Atlantic forests, reforestations, and a sand mining degraded area.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira, Paulo C; Pupin, Breno; Rangel, Drauzio E N

2018-06-01

Microorganisms are essential to the functionality of the soil, particularly in organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling, which regulate plant productivity and shape the soil structure. However, biotic and abiotic stresses greatly disrupt soil fungal communities and, thereby, disturb the ecosystem. This study quantified seasonal tolerances to UV-B radiation and heat of fungal communities, which could be cultured, found in soil from two native Atlantic forest fragments called F1 and F2, five reforested areas (RA) planted in 1994, 1997, 2004, 2007, and 2009 with native species of the Atlantic forest, and one sand mining degraded soil (SMDS). The cold activity of the soil fungal communities (FC) from the eight different areas was also studied. Higher tolerance to UV-B radiation and heat was found in the FC from the SMDS and the 2009RA, where the incidence of heat and UV radiation from sun was more intense, which caused selection for fungal taxa that were more UV-B and heat tolerant in those areas. Conversely, the FC from the native forests and older reforested sites were very susceptible to heat and UV-B radiation. The cold activity of the soil FC from different areas of the study showed an erratic pattern of responses among the sampling sites. Little difference in tolerance to UV-B radiation and heat was found among the FC of soil samples collected in different seasons; in general soil FC collected in winter were less tolerant to UV-B radiation, but not for heat. In conclusion, FC from SMDS soil that receive intense heat and UV radiation, as well as with low nutrient availability, were more tolerant to both UV-B radiation and heat. Copyright © 2017 British Mycological Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Complementarity and Area-Efficiency in the Prioritization of the Global Protected Area Network.

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Peter Kullberg

Full Text Available Complementarity and cost-efficiency are widely used principles for protected area network design. Despite the wide use and robust theoretical underpinnings, their effects on the performance and patterns of priority areas are rarely studied in detail. Here we compare two approaches for identifying the management priority areas inside the global protected area network: 1 a scoring-based approach, used in recently published analysis and 2 a spatial prioritization method, which accounts for complementarity and area-efficiency. Using the same IUCN species distribution data the complementarity method found an equal-area set of priority areas with double the mean species ranges covered compared to the scoring-based approach. The complementarity set also had 72% more species with full ranges covered, and lacked any coverage only for half of the species compared to the scoring approach. Protected areas in our complementarity-based solution were on average smaller and geographically more scattered. The large difference between the two solutions highlights the need for critical thinking about the selected prioritization method. According to our analysis, accounting for complementarity and area-efficiency can lead to considerable improvements when setting management priorities for the global protected area network.

Complementarity and Area-Efficiency in the Prioritization of the Global Protected Area Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Kullberg, Peter; Toivonen, Tuuli; Montesino Pouzols, Federico; Lehtomäki, Joona; Di Minin, Enrico; Moilanen, Atte

2015-01-01

Complementarity and cost-efficiency are widely used principles for protected area network design. Despite the wide use and robust theoretical underpinnings, their effects on the performance and patterns of priority areas are rarely studied in detail. Here we compare two approaches for identifying the management priority areas inside the global protected area network: 1) a scoring-based approach, used in recently published analysis and 2) a spatial prioritization method, which accounts for complementarity and area-efficiency. Using the same IUCN species distribution data the complementarity method found an equal-area set of priority areas with double the mean species ranges covered compared to the scoring-based approach. The complementarity set also had 72% more species with full ranges covered, and lacked any coverage only for half of the species compared to the scoring approach. Protected areas in our complementarity-based solution were on average smaller and geographically more scattered. The large difference between the two solutions highlights the need for critical thinking about the selected prioritization method. According to our analysis, accounting for complementarity and area-efficiency can lead to considerable improvements when setting management priorities for the global protected area network.

Area-based management and fishing efficiency

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marchal, P.; Ulrich, C.; Pastoors, M.

2002-01-01

The scope of this study is to investigate the extent to which area-based management may have influenced the fishing efficiency of the Danish and Dutch demersal fleets harvesting cod, plaice and sole in the North Sea. Special consideration is given to the `plaice box', a restricted area where fishing

Area-based management and fishing efficiency

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marchal, P.; Ulrich, Clara; Pastoors, M.

2002-01-01

The scope of this study is to investigate the extent to which area-based management may have influenced the fishing efficiency of the Danish and Dutch demersal fleets harvesting cod, plaice and sole in the North Sea. Special consideration is given to the 'plaice box', a restricted area where...... fishing is prohibited to towed-gear fleets of horsepower exceeding 300 hp. An index of fishing power is calculated as the log-ratio between the catch per unit effort (CPUE) of any vessel and some survey abundance index. Annual trends in fishing are calculated as the year-effect derived from a general...... linear model (GLM) analysis of the index of fishing power. The fishing efficiency of Danish gill-netters and, to some extent, Danish seiners, has overall increased inside the 'plaice box', whilst remaining relatively stable outside. However, the fishing efficiency of the other exemption fleets has...

Image-based phenotyping for non-destructive screening of different salinity tolerance traits in rice

KAUST Repository

Hairmansis, Aris

2014-08-14

Background Soil salinity is an abiotic stress wide spread in rice producing areas, limiting both plant growth and yield. The development of salt-tolerant rice requires efficient and high-throughput screening techniques to identify promising lines for salt affected areas. Advances made in image-based phenotyping techniques provide an opportunity to use non-destructive imaging to screen for salinity tolerance traits in a wide range of germplasm in a reliable, quantitative and efficient way. However, the application of image-based phenotyping in the development of salt-tolerant rice remains limited. Results A non-destructive image-based phenotyping protocol to assess salinity tolerance traits of two rice cultivars (IR64 and Fatmawati) has been established in this study. The response of rice to different levels of salt stress was quantified over time based on total shoot area and senescent shoot area, calculated from visible red-green-blue (RGB) and fluorescence images. The response of rice to salt stress (50, 75 and 100 mM NaCl) could be clearly distinguished from the control as indicated by the reduced increase of shoot area. The salt concentrations used had only a small effect on the growth of rice during the initial phase of stress, the shoot Na+ accumulation independent phase termed the ‘osmotic stress’ phase. However, after 20 d of treatment, the shoot area of salt stressed plants was reduced compared with non-stressed plants. This was accompanied by a significant increase in the concentration of Na+ in the shoot. Variation in the senescent area of the cultivars IR64 and Fatmawati in response to a high concentration of Na+ in the shoot indicates variation in tissue tolerance mechanisms between the cultivars. Conclusions Image analysis has the potential to be used for high-throughput screening procedures in the development of salt-tolerant rice. The ability of image analysis to discriminate between the different aspects of salt stress (shoot ion

Selection of efficient salt-tolerant bacteria containing ACC deaminase for promotion of tomato growth under salinity stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kannika Chookietwattana* and Kedsukon Maneewan

2012-05-01

Full Text Available For successful application of plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB in salt-affected soil, bioinoculant with salt-tolerant property is required in order to provide better survival and perform well in the field. The present study aimed to select the most efficient salt-tolerant bacterium containing 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC deaminase from eighty four bacterial strains and to investigate the effects of the selected bacterium on the germination and growth of tomato (Licopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Seeda under saline conditions. The Bacillus licheniformis B2r was selected for its ability to utilize ACC as a sole nitrogen source under salinity stress. It also showed a high ACC deaminase activity at 0.6 M NaCl salinity. Tomato plants inoculated with the selected bacterium under various saline conditions (0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 mM NaCl revealed a significant increase in the germination percentage, germination index, root length, and seedling dry weight especially at salinity levels ranging from 30-90 mM NaCl. The work described in this report is an important step in developing an efficient salt-tolerant bioinoculant to facilitate plant growth in saline soil.

A novel two-step method for screening shade tolerant mutant plants via dwarfism

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Wei Li

2016-10-01

Full Text Available When subjected to shade, plants undergo rapid shoot elongation, which often makes them more prone to disease and mechanical damage. Shade-tolerant plants can be difficult to breed; however, they offer a substantial benefit over other varieties in low-light areas. Although perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L. is a popular species of turf grasses because of their good appearance and fast establishment, the plant normally does not perform well under shade conditions. It has been reported that, in turfgrass, induced dwarfism can enhance shade tolerance. Here we describe a two-step procedure for isolating shade tolerant mutants of perennial ryegrass by first screening for dominant dwarf mutants, and then screening dwarf plants for shade tolerance. The two-step screening process to isolate shade tolerant mutants can be done efficiently with limited space at early seedling stages, which enables quick and efficient isolation of shade tolerant mutants, and thus facilitates development of shade tolerant new cultivars of turfgrasses. Using the method, we isolated 136 dwarf mutants from 300,000 mutagenized seeds, with 65 being shade tolerant (0.022%. When screened directly for shade tolerance, we recovered only four mutants from a population of 150,000 (0.003% mutagenized seeds. One shade tolerant mutant, shadow-1, was characterized in detail. In addition to dwarfism, shadow-1 and its sexual progeny displayed high degrees of tolerance to both natural and artificial shade. We showed that endogenous gibberellin (GA content in shadow-1 was higher than wild-type controls, and shadow-1 was also partially GA insensitive. Our novel, simple and effective two-step screening method should be applicable to breeding shade tolerant cultivars of turfgrasses, ground covers, and other economically important crop plants that can be used under canopies of existing vegetation to increase productivity per unit area of land.

Gas exchanges and water use efficiency in the selection of tomato genotypes tolerant to water stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Borba, M E A; Maciel, G M; Fraga Júnior, E F; Machado Júnior, C S; Marquez, G R; Silva, I G; Almeida, R S

2017-06-20

Water stress can affect the yield in tomato crops and, despite this, there are few types of research aiming to select tomato genotypes resistant to the water stress using physiological parameters. This experiment aimed to study the variables that are related to the gas exchanges and the efficiency in water use, in the selection of tomato genotypes tolerant to water stress. It was done in a greenhouse, measuring 7 x 21 m, in a randomized complete block design, with four replications (blocks), being five genotypes in the F 2 BC 1 generation, which were previously obtained from an interspecific cross between Solanum pennellii versus S. lycopersicum and three check treatments, two susceptible [UFU-22 (pre-commercial line) and cultivar Santa Clara] and one resistant (S. pennellii). At the beginning of flowering, the plants were submitted to a water stress condition, through irrigation suspension. After that CO 2 assimilation, internal CO 2 , stomatal conductance, transpiration, leaf temperature, instantaneous water use efficiency, intrinsic efficiency of water use, instantaneous carboxylation efficiency, chlorophyll a and b, and the potential leaf water (Ψf) were observed. Almost all variables that were analyzed, except CO 2 assimilation and instantaneous carboxylation efficiency, demonstrated the superiority of the wild accession, S. pennellii, concerning the susceptible check treatments. The high photosynthetic rate and the low stomatal conductance and transpiration, presented by the UFU22/F 2 BC 1 #2 population, allowed a better water use efficiency. Because of that, these physiological characteristics are promising in the selection of tomato genotypes tolerant to water stress.

Tolerance for salinity and morphoagronomic characterization of rice mutants obtained by radioinduction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez, L.M.; Ramirez Fernandez, R.; Perez Talavera, S.

1997-01-01

Tolerance for salinity, agroindustrial efficiency, and resistance to diseases were appraised in a group of rice mutants obtained by means of mutation radioinduction, starting from the J-112 variety. Results show significant differences in the analyzed characteristics of radio mutants, and differences between those radio mutans and the donating variety. Radio mutants RM-12, RM-41, and RM-42, besides standing out for their high tolerance for salinity, boasted the highest agroindustrial efficiency and a good behaviour against the main plagues and diseases, which makes of them likely candidates for new varieties in the production from areas affected by salinity

APPRAISAL OF NIMESULIDE EFFICIENCY, TOLERANCE AND SAFETY AMONG CHILDREN WITH JUVENILE ARTHRITIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E.I. Alexeeva

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The article analyzes nimesulide application experience among children with juvenile arthritides against the insufficient efficiency of a therapy by other non steroid anti-inflammatory medications. The researchers show that nimesulide is an efficient non steroid anti-inflammatory medication for the patients, suffering from oligo- and limited poly arthritis of the I–II activity degree. Nimesulide also provided for the reliable regression of the clinical and laboratory activity manifestations of a disease and, what is more important, among most patients without applications of the local glucocorticosteroidbassisted therapy. Nimesulide is characterized by good tolerance and low toxicity, which is along with the permit to use it among children aged 2 and over, allows one to consider this drug as one of the medications to choose for the treatment of the inflammatory joint diseases among children.Key words: children, juvenile arthritis, nimesulide.

Drought tolerance of selected bottle gourd [Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl.] landraces assessed by leaf gas exchange and photosynthetic efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Mashilo, Jacob; Odindo, Alfred O; Shimelis, Hussein A; Musenge, Pearl; Tesfay, Samson Z; Magwaza, Lembe S

2017-11-01

Successful cultivation of bottle gourd in arid and semi-arid areas of sub-Saharan Africa and globally requires the identification of drought tolerant parents for developing superior genotypes with increased drought resistance. The objective of this study was to determine the level of drought tolerance among genetically diverse South African bottle gourd landraces based on leaf gas exchange and photosynthetic efficiency and identify promising genotypes for breeding. The responses of 12 bottle gourd landraces grown in glasshouse under non-stressed (NS) and drought-stressed (DS) conditions were studied. A significant genotype x water regime interaction was observed for gs, T, A, A/C i , IWUE, WUE ins , F m ', F v '/F m ', Ф PSII , qP, qN, ETR, ETR/A and AES indicating variability in response among the studied bottle gourd landraces under NS and DS conditions. Principal component analysis identified three principal components (PC's) under drought stress condition contributing to 82.9% of total variation among leaf gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters measured. PC1 explained 36% of total variation contributed by gs, T, F 0 ', F m ', F v '/F m ' and qN, while PC2 explained 28% of the variation and highly correlated with A, A/C i , IWUE, WUE ins ETR/A and AES. PC3 explained 14% of total variation contributed by Ф PSII , qP and ETR. Principal biplot analysis allowed the identification of drought tolerant genotypes such as BG-27, BG-48, BG-58, BG-79, BG-70 and BG-78 which were grouped based on high gs, A, F m 'F v '/F m ', qN, ETR/A and AES under DS condition. The study suggests that the identified physiological traits could be useful indicators in the selection of bottle gourd genotypes for increased drought tolerance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

An Efficient Vital Area Identification Method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Woo Sik

2017-01-01

A new Vital Area Identification (VAI) method was developed in this study for minimizing the burden of VAI procedure. It was accomplished by performing simplification of sabotage event trees or Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) event trees at the very first stage of VAI procedure. Target sets and prevention sets are calculated from the sabotage fault tree. The rooms in the shortest (most economical) prevention set are selected and protected as vital areas. All physical protection is emphasized to protect these vital areas. All rooms in the protected area, the sabotage of which could lead to core damage, should be incorporated into sabotage fault tree. So, sabotage fault tree development is a very difficult task that requires high engineering costs. IAEA published INFCIRC/225/Rev.5 in 2011 which includes principal international guidelines for the physical protection of nuclear material and nuclear installations. A new efficient VAI method was developed and demonstrated in this study. Since this method drastically reduces VAI problem size, it provides very quick and economical VAI procedure. A consistent and integrated VAI procedure had been developed by taking advantage of PSA results, and more efficient VAI method was further developed in this study by inserting PSA event tree simplification at the initial stage of VAI procedure.

Identification of most tolerant lichen species to vehicular traffic's pollutants at Batu Pahat area

Science.gov (United States)

Khairuddin, Nur Ain; Muhammad, Norhayati; Hashim, Nor Haslina; Yusof, Hasliza; Jusoh, Samsiah; Abas, Azlan; Talip, Balkis A.; Abdullah, Norazlin; Din, Laily B.

2017-10-01

Bio-indicators are organisms that can be used for the identification and qualitative determination of human generated environmental factors. The decreasing population of sensitive lichens in specific regions around the world due to low air quality level has make lichens as a bio-indicator for air pollution. Lichen is a result of symbiotic association of fungus and alga and well known for having wide variety of sensitivity towards environmental stressors such as air quality and climate change. The aim of this study is to identify the most tolerant lichen species to vehicular traffic's pollutant at Batu Pahat urban and suburban areas. This study was conducted by using Index of Atmospheric Purity (IAP) method and followed by morphological and chemicals testing for species identification. Dirinaria picta has been identified as the most tolerant lichen species against pollutants from vehicle traffic. The results also indicated that the air quality of Batu Pahat town/urban area could be considered as moderately clean.

Design process of an area-efficient photobioreactor

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zijffers, J.F.; Janssen, M.G.J.; Tramper, J.; Wijffels, R.H.

2008-01-01

This article describes the design process of the Green Solar Collector (GSC), an area-efficient photobioreactor for the outdoor cultivation of microalgae. The overall goal has been to design a system in which all incident sunlight on the area covered by the reactor is delivered to the algae at such

Improved catalytic efficiency, thermophilicity, anti-salt and detergent tolerance of keratinase KerSMD by partially truncation of PPC domain.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Zhen; Zhang, Juan; Du, Guocheng; Chen, Jian

2016-06-14

The keratinase from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (KerSMD) is known for its high activity and pH stability in keratin degradation. However, catalytic efficiency and detergent tolerability need to be improved in order to be used for industrial application. In this work, we obtained several keratinase variants with enhanced catalytic efficiency, thermophilicity, and anti-salt and detergent tolerability by partially truncating the PPC domain of KerSMD. The variants all showed improved catalytic efficiency to synthetic substrate AAPF, with the V355 variant having the highest kcat /Km value of 143.6 s(-1) mM(-1). The truncation of keratinase had little effect on alkaline stability but obviously decreased collagenase activity, developing its potential application in leather treatment. The variants V380, V370, and V355 were thermophilic, with a 1.7-fold enhancement of keratinlytic activity at 60 °C when compared to the wild type. The entire truncation of PPC domain obtained the variant V355 with improved tolerance to alkalinity, salt, chaotropic agents, and detergents. The V355 variant showed more than a 40% improvement in activity under 15% (w/v) NaCl or 4% (w/v) SDS solution, showing excellent stability under harsh washing and unhairing conditions. Our work investigated how protein engineering affects the function of PPC domain of KerSMD.

The tolerance efficiency of Panicum maximum and Helianthus annuus in TNT-contaminated soil and nZVI-contaminated soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiamjitrpanich, Waraporn; Parkpian, Preeda; Polprasert, Chongrak; Laurent, François; Kosanlavit, Rachain

2012-01-01

This study was designed to compare the initial method for phytoremediation involving germination and transplantation. The study was also to determine the tolerance efficiency of Panicum maximum (Purple guinea grass) and Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) in TNT-contaminated soil and nZVI-contaminated soil. It was found that the transplantation of Panicum maximum and Helianthus annuus was more suitable than germination as the initiate method of nano-phytoremediation potting test. The study also showed that Panicum maximum was more tolerance than Helianthus annuus in TNT and nZVI-contaminated soil. Therefore, Panicum maximum in the transplantation method should be selected as a hyperaccumulated plant for nano-phytoremediation potting tests. Maximum tolerance dosage of Panicum maximum to TNT-concentration soil was 320 mg/kg and nZVI-contaminated soil was 1000 mg/kg in the transplantation method.

An Efficient Network Coding-Based Fault-Tolerant Mechanism in WBAN for Smart Healthcare Monitoring Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuhuai Peng

2017-08-01

Full Text Available As a key technology in smart healthcare monitoring systems, wireless body area networks (WBANs can pre-embed sensors and sinks on body surface or inside bodies for collecting different vital signs parameters, such as human Electrocardiograph (ECG, Electroencephalograph (EEG, Electromyogram (EMG, body temperature, blood pressure, blood sugar, blood oxygen, etc. Using real-time online healthcare, patients can be tracked and monitored in normal or emergency conditions at their homes, hospital rooms, and in Intensive Care Units (ICUs. In particular, the reliability and effectiveness of the packets transmission will be directly related to the timely rescue of critically ill patients with life-threatening injuries. However, traditional fault-tolerant schemes either have the deficiency of underutilised resources or react too slowly to failures. In future healthcare systems, the medical Internet of Things (IoT for real-time monitoring can integrate sensor networks, cloud computing, and big data techniques to address these problems. It can collect and send patient’s vital parameter signal and safety monitoring information to intelligent terminals and enhance transmission reliability and efficiency. Therefore, this paper presents a design in healthcare monitoring systems for a proactive reliable data transmission mechanism with resilience requirements in a many-to-one stream model. This Network Coding-based Fault-tolerant Mechanism (NCFM first proposes a greedy grouping algorithm to divide the topology into small logical units; it then constructs a spanning tree based on random linear network coding to generate linearly independent coding combinations. Numerical results indicate that this transmission scheme works better than traditional methods in reducing the probability of packet loss, the resource redundant rate, and average delay, and can increase the effective throughput rate.

Image-based phenotyping for non-destructive screening of different salinity tolerance traits in rice

KAUST Repository

Hairmansis, Aris; Berger, Bettina; Tester, Mark A.; Roy, Stuart

2014-01-01

Soil salinity is an abiotic stress wide spread in rice producing areas, limiting both plant growth and yield. The development of salt-tolerant rice requires efficient and high-throughput screening techniques to identify promising lines

Energy-Efficient Fault-Tolerant Dynamic Event Region Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Enemark, Hans-Jacob; Zhang, Yue; Dragoni, Nicola

2015-01-01

to a hybrid algorithm for dynamic event region detection, such as real-time tracking of chemical leakage regions. Considering the characteristics of the moving away dynamic events, we propose a return back condition for the hybrid algorithm from distributed neighborhood collaboration, in which a node makes......Fault-tolerant event detection is fundamental to wireless sensor network applications. Existing approaches usually adopt neighborhood collaboration for better detection accuracy, while need more energy consumption due to communication. Focusing on energy efficiency, this paper makes an improvement...... its detection decision based on decisions received from its spatial and temporal neighbors, to local non-communicative decision making. The simulation results demonstrate that the improved algorithm does not degrade the detection accuracy of the original algorithm, while it has better energy...

Drought tolerance in potato (S. tuberosum L.): Can we learn from drought tolerance research in cereals?

Science.gov (United States)

Monneveux, Philippe; Ramírez, David A; Pino, María-Teresa

2013-05-01

Drought tolerance is a complex trait of increasing importance in potato. Our knowledge is summarized concerning drought tolerance and water use efficiency in this crop. We describe the effects of water restriction on physiological characteristics, examine the main traits involved, report the attempts to improve drought tolerance through in vitro screening and marker assisted selection, list the main genes involved and analyze the potential interest of native and wild potatoes to improve drought tolerance. Drought tolerance has received more attention in cereals than in potato. The review compares these crops for indirect selection methods available for assessment of drought tolerance related traits, use of genetic resources, progress in genomics, application of water saving techniques and availability of models to anticipate the effects of climate change on yield. It is concluded that drought tolerance improvement in potato could greatly benefit from the transfer of research achievements in cereals. Several promising research directions are presented, such as the use of fluorescence, reflectance, color and thermal imaging and stable isotope techniques to assess drought tolerance related traits, the application of the partial root-zone drying technique to improve efficiency of water supply and the exploitation of stressful memory to enhance hardiness. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The NILE system architecture: fault-tolerant, wide-area access to computing and data resources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ricciardi, Aleta; Ogg, Michael; Rothfus, Eric

1996-01-01

NILE is a multi-disciplinary project building a distributed computing environment for HEP. It provides wide-area, fault-tolerant, integrated access to processing and data resources for collaborators of the CLEO experiment, though the goals and principles are applicable to many domains. NILE has three main objectives: a realistic distributed system architecture design, the design of a robust data model, and a Fast-Track implementation providing a prototype design environment which will also be used by CLEO physicists. This paper focuses on the software and wide-area system architecture design and the computing issues involved in making NILE services highly-available. (author)

Development of New Submergence Tolerant Rice Variety for Bangladesh Using Marker-Assisted Backcrossing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khandakar Md Iftekharuddaula

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Submergence tolerant high yielding rice variety was developed using BR11 as a recipient parent applying foreground, phenotypic and background selection approaches. Recombinant selection was found essential to minimize linkage drag by BC2F2 generation. Without recombinant selection, the introgression size in the backcross recombinant lines (BRLs was approximately 15 Mb on the carrier chromosome. The BRLs were found submergence tolerance compared to the check varieties under complete submergence for two weeks at Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, and produced higher yield compared to the isogenic Sub1-line under controlled submerged condition. The BRL IR85260-66-654-Gaz2 was released as BRRI dhan52 in 2010, which was the first high yielding submergence tolerant variety in Bangladesh. BRRI dhan52 produced grain yield ranging from 4.2 to 5.2 t/hm2 under different flash flood prone areas of Bangladesh in three consecutive seasons. The study demonstrated the efficiency of recombinant selection and better adaptability of the newly released submergence tolerant high yielding variety in flash flood prone different areas of the country with respect to submergence tolerance and yield potential.

Large-area high-efficiency flexible PHOLED lighting panels

Science.gov (United States)

Pang, Huiqing; Mandlik, Prashant; Levermore, Peter A.; Silvernail, Jeff; Ma, Ruiqing; Brown, Julie J.

2012-09-01

Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) provide various attractive features for next generation illumination systems, including high efficiency, low power, thin and flexible form factor. In this work, we incorporated phosphorescent emitters and demonstrated highly efficient white phosphorescent OLED (PHOLED) devices on flexible plastic substrates. The 0.94 cm2 small-area device has total thickness of approximately 0.25 mm and achieved 63 lm/W at 1,000 cd/m2 with CRI = 85 and CCT = 2920 K. We further designed and fabricated a 15 cm x 15 cm large-area flexible white OLED lighting panels, finished with a hybrid single-layer ultra-low permeability single layer barrier (SLB) encapsulation film. The flexible panel has an active area of 116.4 cm2, and achieved a power efficacy of 47 lm/W at 1,000 cd/m2 with CRI = 83 and CCT = 3470 K. The efficacy of the panel at 3,000 cd/m2 is 43 lm/W. The large-area flexible PHOLED lighting panel is to bring out enormous possibilities to the future general lighting applications.

Energy-efficient area coverage for intruder detection in sensor networks

CERN Document Server

He, Shibo; Li, Junkun

2014-01-01

This Springer Brief presents recent research results on area coverage for intruder detection from an energy-efficient perspective. These results cover a variety of topics, including environmental surveillance and security monitoring. The authors also provide the background and range of applications for area coverage and elaborate on system models such as the formal definition of area coverage and sensing models. Several chapters focus on energy-efficient intruder detection and intruder trapping under the well-known binary sensing model, along with intruder trapping under the probabilistic sens

Energy-efficiency instruments in the electricity area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hammer, S.; Oettli, B.; Schneider, Ch.; Iten, R.; Peherstorfer, N.

2007-06-01

This comprehensive report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) describes a mix of instruments that could increase the efficiency of electricity usage in Switzerland. The basis for the development of these instruments - the experience gained in Europe in this area - is discussed. Explicitly not discussed are energy and electricity steering taxes, which could also be part of a future instrument-mix. The measures suggested include the setting of compulsory long-term reduction targets that are to form the basis for strategies and measures to be taken in particular areas and the development of an appropriate instrument-mix for this purpose. These could include regulations and labels, a national fund and certificate trading. Suppliers of electricity could be committed to increasing the efficiency of electricity use and national programmes could also attempt to influence consumer habits. The instruments should, according to the authors, be based on the existing legal framework and use know-how and structures that are already available

Breeding drought tolerant wheat for the marginal areas of Kenya

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Njau, P.N.; Kinyua, M.G.; Karanja, L.

2001-01-01

Over the last 10 years the National Plant Breeding Research Center (NPBRC - Njoro) has been involved in developing wheat varieties for the marginal areas of Kenya with the aim of introducing wheat in the non- traditional region of the country. During this period four varieties tolerant to drought have been released. These include varieties such as Duma, Ngamia, Chozi and the newly released Njoro BW1. At the moment the released varieties are of low yielding and so there is need to develop higher yielding varieties if we are to produce at an economic level. This study was aimed at developing and evaluating some of the germplasm, which have been developed or introduced over the years over their suitability for production in the marginal areas of of Kenya. Over 600 introductions were screened in the screening nursery in Njoro while segregating populations in F2-F8 were selected and advanced to the next generation. A National Dryland Wheat Performance Trial (NDL WPT) was conducted for 10 introduced lines, 3 mutants, 1 Kenya seed line and Duma and Chozi as check varieties. KM14 has been released as a marginal area variety for its high protein content. Line R965 showed higher performance in both yield and hectolitre weight and will be entered for the second NDLWPT in 2002 and may be released as variety later. (author)

Selection and Evaluation of Maize Genotypes Tolerance to Low Phosphorus Soils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, J. C.; Jiang, H. M.; Zhang, J. F.; Li, L. L.; Li, G. H. [Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing (China)

2013-11-15

Maize species differ in their ability to take up phosphorus (P) from the soil, and these differences are attributed to the morphology and physiology of plants relative to their germplasm base. An effective method of increasing P efficiency in maize is to select and evaluate genotypes that can produce a high yield under P deficient conditions. In this study, 116 maize inbred lines with various genetic backgrounds collected from several Agricultural Universities and Institutes in China were evaluated in a field experiment to identify genotypic differences in P efficiency in 2007. Overall, 15 maize inbred lines were selected from the 116 inbred lines during the 5-year field experimental period based on their 100-grain weight in P-deficient soil at maturity, when compared to the characteristics exhibited in P-sufficient soil. All of the selected lines were evaluated in field experiments from 2008 to 2010 for their tolerance to low-P at the seedling and maturity stages. Inhibition (%) was used and defined as the parameter measured under P limitation compared to the parameters measured under P sufficiency to evaluate the genotypic variation in tolerance. Inhibition of root length, root surface area, volume, root: shoot ratio and P uptake efficiency could be used as indices to assess the genotypic tolerance to P limitation. Low-P tolerant genotypes could uptake more P and accumulate more dry matter at the seedling stage. A strong relationship between the total biomass and root length was exhibited. In order to understand the mechanisms of the genotypic tolerance to low-P soil to utilize P from the sparing soluble P forms, 5 maize genotypes selected out of the 15 maize inbred lines, according to the four quadrant distribution, was used as the criteria in a {sup 32}P isotope tracer experiment to follow the recovery of {sup 32}P in soil P fractions. The {sup 32}P tracer results showed a higher rate for water- soluble P transformation to slowly available P in P deficient soil

An efficient and reproducible protocol for the production of salt tolerant transgenic wheat plants expressing the Arabidopsis AtNHX1 gene.

Science.gov (United States)

Moghaieb, Reda E A; Sharaf, Ahmed N; Soliman, Mohamed H; El-Arabi, Nagwa I; Momtaz, Osama A

2014-01-01

We present an efficient method for the production of transgenic salt tolerant hexaploid wheat plants expressing the Arabidopsis AtNHX1 gene. Wheat mature zygotic embryos were isolated from two hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars (namely: Gemmeiza 9 and Gemmeiza 10) and were transformed with the A. tumefaciens LBA4404 harboring the pBI-121 vector containing the AtNHX1 gene. Transgenic wheat lines that express the gus intron was obtained and used as control. The results confirmed that npt-II gene could be transmitted and expressed in the T2 following 3:1 Mendelian segregation while the control plant couldn't. The data indicate that, the AtNHX1 gene was integrated in a stable manner into the wheat genome and the corresponding transcripts were expressed. The transformation efficiency was 5.7 and 7.5% for cultivars Gemmeiza 10 and Gemmeiza 9, respectively. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of AtNHX1 gene in wheat salt tolerance. The transgenic wheat lines could maintain high growth rate under salt stress condition (350 mM NaCl) while the control plant couldn't. The results confirmed that Na(+)/H(+) antiporter gene AtNHX1 increased salt tolerance by increasing Na(+) accumulation and keeping K+/Na(+) balance. Thus, transgenic plants showed high tolerance to salt stress and can be considered as a new genetic resource in breeding programs.

Novel Area Optimization in FPGA Implementation Using Efficient VHDL Code

OpenAIRE

Zulfikar, Z

2012-01-01

A new novel method for area efficiency in FPGA implementation is presented. The method is realized through flexibility and wide capability of VHDL coding. This method exposes the arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction and others. The design technique aim to reduce occupies area for multi stages circuits by selecting suitable range of all value involved in every step of calculations. Conventional and efficient VHDL coding methods are presented and the synthesis result is compared....

Novel Area Optimization in FPGA Implementation Using Efficient VHDL Code

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

. Zulfikar

2012-10-01

Full Text Available A new novel method for area efficiency in FPGA implementation is presented. The method is realized through flexibility and wide capability of VHDL coding. This method exposes the arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction and others. The design technique aim to reduce occupies area for multi stages circuits by selecting suitable range of all value involved in every step of calculations. Conventional and efficient VHDL coding methods are presented and the synthesis result is compared. The VHDL code which limits range of integer values is occupies less area than the one which is not. This VHDL coding method is suitable for multi stage circuits.

Novel Area Optimization in FPGA Implementation Using Efficient VHDL Code

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zulfikar .

2015-05-01

Full Text Available A new novel method for area efficiency in FPGA implementation is presented. The method is realized through flexibility and wide capability of VHDL coding. This method exposes the arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction and others. The design technique aim to reduce occupies area for multi stages circuits by selecting suitable range of all value involved in every step of calculations. Conventional and efficient VHDL coding methods are presented and the synthesis result is compared. The VHDL code which limits range of integer values is occupies less area than the one which is not. This VHDL coding method is suitable for multi stage circuits.

Heavy metal tolerance and accumulation of Triarrhena sacchariflora, a large amphibious ornamental grass.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, R N; Yu, S; Wang, S G; Zhang, Y; Tang, J Y; Liu, Y L; Nie, Y H

2013-01-01

In this study, we report the tolerance and accumulation of Triarrhena sacchariflora to copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd). The results show that T. sacchariflora had strong tolerance to Cu and Cd stress. The tolerance indexes (TI) were greater than 0.5 for all treatments. The bioconcentration factors (BCFs) to Cu and Cd were both above 1.0. The accumulation ability of roots was stronger than that of shoots, and ranges of BCF to Cu and Cd in roots were 37.89-79.08 and 83.96-300.57, respectively. However, the translocation ability to Cu and Cd was weak, with more than 86% of Cu or Cd accumulated in roots, suggesting an exclusion strategy for heavy metal tolerance. The uptake efficiency (UE) and translocation efficiency (TE) to Cu and Cd increased linearly as the Cu and Cd concentration in the substrate increased. UE was higher than TE, with a maximum of 2,118.90 μg g(-1) root dry weight (DW) (50 mg L(-1) Cu) and 1,847.51 μg g(-1) root DW (20 mg L(-1)Cd), respectively. The results indicate that T. sacchariflora is a Cu- and Cd-tolerant non-hyperaccumulator plant, suggesting that T. sacchariflora could play an important role in phytoremediation in areas contaminated with Cu and Cd.

Preliminary survey on electric energy efficiency in Ethiopia:- Areas of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this paper the significance of electric energy efficiency improvement and major areas of loss in Ethiopia's electric power system are highlighted for further rigorous study. Major electric energy loss areas in the utility transmission and distribution systems and consumer premises are indicated. In the consumer area the loss ...

Mapping the areas sensitive to long-term endotoxin tolerance in the rat brain: a c-fos mRNA study.

Science.gov (United States)

Vallès, Astrid; Martí, Octavi; Armario, Antonio

2005-06-01

We have recently found that a single endotoxin administration to rats reduced the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal response to another endotoxin administration 4 weeks later, which may be an example of the well-known phenomenon of endotoxin tolerance. However, the time elapsed between the two doses of endotoxin was long enough to consider the above results as an example of late tolerance, whose mechanisms are poorly characterized. To know if the brain plays a role in this phenomenon and to characterize the putative areas involved, we compared the c-fos mRNA response after a final dose of endotoxin in animals given vehicle or endotoxin 4 weeks before. Endotoxin caused a widespread induction of c-fos mRNA in the brain, similar to that previously reported by other laboratories. Whereas most of the brain areas were not sensitive to the previous experience with endotoxin, a few showed a reduced response in endotoxin-pretreated rats: the parvocellular and magnocellular regions of the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, the central amygdala, the lateral division of the bed nucleus and the locus coeruleus. We hypothesize that late tolerance to endotoxin may involve plastic changes in the brain, likely to be located in the central amygdala. The reduced activation of the central amygdala in rats previously treated with endotoxin may, in turn, reduce the activation of other brain areas, including the hypothalamic paraventicular nucleus.

Roles of nitric oxide, nitrite and myoglobin on myocardial efficiency in trout (Oncorthynchus mykiss) and goldfish (Carassius auratus): implications for hypoxia tolerance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Claus Lunde; Faggiano, Serena; Helbo, Signe

2010-01-01

The roles of nitric oxide synthase activity (NOS), nitrite and myoglobin (Mb) in the regulation of myocardial function during hypoxia were examined in trout and goldfish, a hypoxia-intolerant and hypoxia-tolerant species, respectively. We measured the effect of NOS inhibition, adrenaline and nitr......The roles of nitric oxide synthase activity (NOS), nitrite and myoglobin (Mb) in the regulation of myocardial function during hypoxia were examined in trout and goldfish, a hypoxia-intolerant and hypoxia-tolerant species, respectively. We measured the effect of NOS inhibition, adrenaline...... in both trout and goldfish myocardium, with trout showing a significant increase in the O2 utilization efficiency, i.e. the ratio of twitch force to O2 consumption, suggesting an increased anaerobic metabolism. NOS inhibition enhanced myocardial O2 consumption and decreased efficiency, indicating...... that mitochondrial respiration is under a tone of NOS-produced NO. When trout myocardial twitch force and O2 consumption are enhanced by adrenaline, this NO tone disappears. Consistent with its conversion to NO, nitrite reduced O2 consumption and increased myocardial efficiency in trout but not in goldfish...

Critical Gates Identification for Fault-Tolerant Design in Math Circuits

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Tian Ban

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Hardware redundancy at different levels of design is a common fault mitigation technique, which is well known for its efficiency to the detriment of area overhead. In order to reduce this drawback, several fault-tolerant techniques have been proposed in literature to find a good trade-off. In this paper, critical constituent gates in math circuits are detected and graded based on the impact of an error in the output of a circuit. These critical gates should be hardened first under the area constraint of design criteria. Indeed, output bits considered crucial to a system receive higher priorities to be protected, reducing the occurrence of critical errors. The 74283 fast adder is used as an example to illustrate the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed approach.

Variation Tolerant On-Chip Interconnects

CERN Document Server

Nigussie, Ethiopia Enideg

2012-01-01

This book presents design techniques, analysis and implementation of high performance and power efficient, variation tolerant on-chip interconnects.  Given the design paradigm shift to multi-core, interconnect-centric designs and the increase in sources of variability and their impact in sub-100nm technologies, this book will be an invaluable reference for anyone concerned with the design of next generation, high-performance electronics systems. Provides comprehensive, circuit-level explanation of high-performance, energy-efficient, variation-tolerant on-chip interconnect; Describes design techniques to mitigate problems caused by variation; Includes techniques for design and implementation of self-timed on-chip interconnect, delay variation insensitive communication protocols, high speed signaling techniques and circuits, bit-width independent completion detection and process, voltage and temperature variation tolerance.                          

Study of the Ultimate Error of the Axis Tolerance Feature and Its Pose Decoupling Based on an Area Coordinate System

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Qungui Du

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Manufacturing error and assembly error should be taken into consideration during evaluation and analysis of accurate product performance in the design phase. Traditional tolerance analysis methods establish error propagation model based on dimension chains with tolerance values being regarded as error boundaries, and obtain the limit of target feature error through optimization methods or conducting statistical analysis with the tolerance domain being the boundary. As deviations of the tolerance feature (TF on degrees of freedom (DOF have coupling relations, accurate deviations on all DOF may not be obtained, even though these deviations constitute the basis for product performance analysis. Therefore, taking the widely used shaft-hole fit as an example, a pose decoupling model of the axis TF was proposed based on an area coordinate system. This model realized decoupling analysis of any pose of the axis TF within the tolerance domain. As proposed by the authors, by combining a tolerance analysis model based on tracking local coordinate systems, ultimate pose analysis of the closed-loop system, namely the target feature, as well as statistical analysis could be further implemented. This method contributed to analysis of true product performance with arbitrary error in the product design phase from the angle of tolerance, therefore, shortening the product research and development cycle. This method is demonstrated through applying it to a real-life example.

Regulation of Nicotine Tolerance by Quorum Sensing and High Efficiency of Quorum Quenching Under Nicotine Stress in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1

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Huiming Tang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Quorum sensing (QS regulates the behavior of bacterial populations and promotes their adaptation and survival under stress. As QS is responsible for the virulence of vast majority of bacteria, quorum quenching (QQ, the interruption of QS, has become an attractive therapeutic strategy. However, the role of QS in stress tolerance and the efficiency of QQ under stress in bacteria are seldom explored. In this study, we demonstrated that QS-regulated catalase (CAT expression and biofilm formation help Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 resist nicotine stress. CAT activity and biofilm formation in wild type (WT and ΔrhlR strains are significantly higher than those in the ΔlasR strain. Supplementation of ΔlasI strain with 3OC12-HSL showed similar CAT activity and biofilm formation as those of the WT strain. LasIR circuit rather than RhlIR circuit is vital to nicotine tolerance. Acylase I significantly decreased the production of virulence factors, namely elastase, pyocyanin, and pyoverdine under nicotine stress compared to the levels observed in the absence of nicotine stress. Thus, QQ is more efficient under stress. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report that QS contributes to nicotine tolerance in P. aeruginosa. This work facilitates a better application of QQ for the treatment of bacterial infections, especially under stress.

Regulation of Nicotine Tolerance by Quorum Sensing and High Efficiency of Quorum Quenching Under Nicotine Stress in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Huiming; Zhang, Yunyun; Ma, Yifan; Tang, Mengmeng; Shen, Dongsheng; Wang, Meizhen

2018-01-01

Quorum sensing (QS) regulates the behavior of bacterial populations and promotes their adaptation and survival under stress. As QS is responsible for the virulence of vast majority of bacteria, quorum quenching (QQ), the interruption of QS, has become an attractive therapeutic strategy. However, the role of QS in stress tolerance and the efficiency of QQ under stress in bacteria are seldom explored. In this study, we demonstrated that QS-regulated catalase (CAT) expression and biofilm formation help Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 resist nicotine stress. CAT activity and biofilm formation in wild type (WT) and Δ rhlR strains are significantly higher than those in the Δ lasR strain. Supplementation of Δ lasI strain with 3OC12-HSL showed similar CAT activity and biofilm formation as those of the WT strain. LasIR circuit rather than RhlIR circuit is vital to nicotine tolerance. Acylase I significantly decreased the production of virulence factors, namely elastase, pyocyanin, and pyoverdine under nicotine stress compared to the levels observed in the absence of nicotine stress. Thus, QQ is more efficient under stress. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report that QS contributes to nicotine tolerance in P. aeruginosa . This work facilitates a better application of QQ for the treatment of bacterial infections, especially under stress.

An area and power-efficient analog li-ion battery charger circuit.

Science.gov (United States)

Do Valle, Bruno; Wentz, Christian T; Sarpeshkar, Rahul

2011-04-01

The demand for greater battery life in low-power consumer electronics and implantable medical devices presents a need for improved energy efficiency in the management of small rechargeable cells. This paper describes an ultra-compact analog lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery charger with high energy efficiency. The charger presented here utilizes the tanh basis function of a subthreshold operational transconductance amplifier to smoothly transition between constant-current and constant-voltage charging regimes without the need for additional area- and power-consuming control circuitry. Current-domain circuitry for end-of-charge detection negates the need for precision-sense resistors in either the charging path or control loop. We show theoretically and experimentally that the low-frequency pole-zero nature of most battery impedances leads to inherent stability of the analog control loop. The circuit was fabricated in an AMI 0.5-μm complementary metal-oxide semiconductor process, and achieves 89.7% average power efficiency and an end voltage accuracy of 99.9% relative to the desired target 4.2 V, while consuming 0.16 mm(2) of chip area. To date and to the best of our knowledge, this design represents the most area-efficient and most energy-efficient battery charger circuit reported in the literature.

Genetically modified plants for salinity stress tolerance (abstract)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sopory, S.K.; Singia-Pareek, S.I.; Kumar, S.; Rajgopal, D.; Aggarwal, P.; Kumar, D.; Reddy, K.M.

2005-01-01

Several recent reports have indicated that the area under salinity is on the increase and currently very few genotypes of important crop plants are available for cultivation under these conditions. In this regard, identification of novel stress responsive genes and transgenic approach offers an important strategy to develop salt tolerant plants. Using an efficient PCR-based cDNA subtraction method a large number of genes upregulated under salinity and dehydration stress have been identified also in rice and Pennisetum. Functional analysis of some of these genes is being done using transgenic approach. Earlier, we reported on the role of one of the stress regulated genes, glyoxalse I in conferring salinity tolerance. We now show that by manipulating the expression of both the genes of the glyoxalse pathway, glyoxalse I and II together, the ability of the double transgenic plants to tolerate salinity stress is greatly enhanced as compared to the single transgenic plants harbouring either the glyoxalse I or glyoxalse II. The cDNA for glyoxalse II was cloned from rice and mobilized into pCAMBIA vector having hptII gene as the selection marker. The seedlings of the T1 generation transgenic plants survived better under high salinity compared to the wild type plants; the double transgenics had higher limits of tolerance as compared to the lines transformed with single gene. A similar trend was seen even when plants were grown in pots under glass house conditions and raised to maturity under the continued presence of NaCl. In this, the transgenic plants were able to grow, flower and set seeds. The overexpression of glyoxalse pathway was also found to confer stress tolerance in rice. We have also isolated a gene encoding vacuolar sodium/proton antiporter from Pennisetum and over expressed in Brassica juncea and rice. The transgenic plants were able to tolerate salinity stress. Our work along with many others' indicates the potential of transgenic technology in developing

Wavy channel transistor for area efficient high performance operation

KAUST Repository

Fahad, Hossain M.

2013-04-05

We report a wavy channel FinFET like transistor where the channel is wavy to increase its width without any area penalty and thereby increasing its drive current. Through simulation and experiments, we show the effectiveness of such device architecture is capable of high performance operation compared to conventional FinFETs with comparatively higher area efficiency and lower chip latency as well as lower power consumption.

A proposed GaAs-based superlattice solar cell structure with high efficiency and high radiation tolerance

Science.gov (United States)

Goradia, Chandra; Clark, Ralph; Brinker, David

1985-01-01

A solar cell structure is proposed which uses a GaAs nipi doping superlattice. An important feature of this structure is that photogenerated minority carriers are very quickly collected in a time shorter than bulk lifetime in the fairly heavily doped n and p layers and these carriers are then transported parallel to the superlattice layers to selective ohmic contacts. Assuming that these already-separated carriers have very long recombination lifetimes, due to their being across an indirect bandgap in real space, it is argued that the proposed structure may exhibit superior radiation tolerance along with reasonably high beginning-of-life efficiency.

Quantum efficiency measurement system for large area CsI photodetectors

CERN Document Server

Cusanno, F; Colilli, S; Crateri, R; Fratoni, R; Frullani, S; Garibaldi, F; Giuliani, F; Gricia, M; Lucentini, M; Mostarda, A; Santavenere, F; Veneroni, P; Breuer, H; Iodice, M; Urciuoli, G M; De Cataldo, G; De Leo, R; Lagamba, L; Braem, André

2003-01-01

A proximity focusing freon/CsI RICH detector has been built for kaon physics at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF or Jefferson Lab), Hall A. The Cherenkov photons are detected by a UV photosensitive CsI film which has been obtained by vacuum evaporation. A dedicated evaporation facility for large area photocathodes has been built for this task. A measuring system has been built to allow the evaluation of the absolute quantum efficiency (QE) just after the evaporation. The evaporation facility is described here, as well as the quantum efficiency measurement device. Results of the QE on-line measurements, for the first time on large area photocathodes, are reported.

RESPONSE OF CHILE PEPPER (Capsicum annuum L. TO SALT STRESS AND ORGANIC AND INORGANIC NITROGEN SOURCES: II. NITROGEN AND WATER USE EFFICIENCIES, AND SALT TOLERANCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Antonio Huez Lopez

2011-07-01

Full Text Available The response to two nitrogen sources on water and nitrogen use efficiencies, and tolerance of salt-stressed chile pepper plants (Capsicum annuum L. cv. Sandia was investigated in a greenhouse experiment. Low, moderate and high (1.5, 4.5, and 6.5 dS m-1 salinity levels, and two rates of organic-N fertilizer (120 and 200 kg ha-1 and 120 kg ha-1 of inorganic fertilizer as ammonium nitrate were arranged in randomized complete block designs replicated four times. The liquid organic-N source was an organic, extracted with water from grass clippings. Water use decreased about 19 and 30% in moderate and high salt-stressed plants. Water use efficiency decreased only in high salt-stressed plants. Nitrogen use efficiency decreased either by increased salinity or increased N rates. An apparent increase in salt tolerance was noted when plants were fertilized with organic-N source compared to that of inorganic-N source.

A new efficient algorithmic-based SEU tolerant system architecture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blaquiere, Y.; Gagne, G.; Savaria, Y.; Evequoz, C.

1995-01-01

A new ABFT architecture is proposed to tolerate multiple SEU with low overheads. This architecture memorizes operands on a stack upon error detection and it corrects errors by recomputing. This allows uninterrupted input data stream to be processed without data loss

Durability and damage tolerance of Large Composite Primary Aircraft Structure (LCPAS)

Science.gov (United States)

Mccarty, John E.; Roeseler, William G.

1984-01-01

Analysis and testing addressing the key technology areas of durability and damage tolerance were completed for wing surface panels. The wing of a fuel-efficient, 200-passenger commercial transport airplane for 1990 delivery was sized using graphite-epoxy materials. Coupons of various layups used in the wing sizing were tested in tension, compression, and spectrum fatigue with typical fastener penetrations. The compression strength after barely visible impact damage was determined from coupon and structural element tests. One current material system and one toughened system were evaluated by coupon testing. The results of the coupon and element tests were used to design three distinctly different compression panels meeting the strength, stiffness, and damage-tolerance requirements of the upper wing panels. These three concepts were tested with various amounts of damage ranging from barely visible impact to through-penetration. The results of this program provide the key technology data required to assess the durability and damage-tolerance capability or advanced composites for use in commercial aircraft wing panel structure.

Nicotine increases brain functional network efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Wylie, Korey P; Rojas, Donald C; Tanabe, Jody; Martin, Laura F; Tregellas, Jason R

2012-10-15

Despite the use of cholinergic therapies in Alzheimer's disease and the development of cholinergic strategies for schizophrenia, relatively little is known about how the system modulates the connectivity and structure of large-scale brain networks. To better understand how nicotinic cholinergic systems alter these networks, this study examined the effects of nicotine on measures of whole-brain network communication efficiency. Resting state fMRI was acquired from fifteen healthy subjects before and after the application of nicotine or placebo transdermal patches in a single blind, crossover design. Data, which were previously examined for default network activity, were analyzed with network topology techniques to measure changes in the communication efficiency of whole-brain networks. Nicotine significantly increased local efficiency, a parameter that estimates the network's tolerance to local errors in communication. Nicotine also significantly enhanced the regional efficiency of limbic and paralimbic areas of the brain, areas which are especially altered in diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. These changes in network topology may be one mechanism by which cholinergic therapies improve brain function. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Identification of Influence of Part Tolerances of 3PWR-SE Pump On Its Total Efficiency Taking Into Consideration Multi-Valued Logic Trees

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Deptuła Adam

2017-03-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the way of identifying the influence of the tolerance of model pumps (TYPE 3PWR-SE construction on the total efficiency. The identification of sensitive control dimensions (Value/Tolerance of examined pumps has been made by means of the multi-valued logic and inductive decision trees. In order to confirm the obtained results, multiple-valued logic trees have been used in the paper according to algorithms for the minimization of individual logic functions. What is more, a specific monotonicity of values of the most key parameters has been determined for the investigated set of pumps having individual specification numbers.

Salt tolerance of estuarine benthic macroalgae in the Kattegat-Baltic Sea area

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, A.; Sand-Jensen, K.

2006-01-01

Tolerance of benthic marine macroalgae to low salinities is believed to be a main determinant of their vertical distribution across the marine coastline and their horizontal distribution from oceanic regions into low-saline bays, fjords and estuaries. Salt tolerance should also be important......, Denmark (salinity: 16 psu, tide 10 cm) to maintain photosynthesis after 4 days exposure to declining salinities (16 to 0 psu). Overall, the algal community had a high short-term tolerance to low salinities because 35 of 44 species maintained more than half the photosynthetic capacity at salinities lower...

Tolerance Levels of Roadside Trees to Air Pollutants Based on Relative Growth Rate and Air Pollution Tolerance Index

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SULISTIJORINI

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Motor vehicles release carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and particulate matters to the air as pollutants. Vegetation can absorb these pollutants through gas exchange processes. The objective of this study was to examine the combination of the relative growth rate (RGR and physiological responses in determining tolerance levels of plant species to air pollutants. Physiological responses were calculated as air pollution tolerance index (APTI. Eight roadside tree species were placed at polluted (Jagorawi highway and unpolluted (Sindangbarang field area. Growth and physiological parameters of the trees were recorded, including plant height, leaf area, total ascorbate, total chlorophyll, leaf-extract pH, and relative water content. Scoring criteria for the combination of RGR and APTI method was given based on means of the two areas based on two-sample t test. Based on the total score of RGR and APTI, Lagerstroemia speciosa was categorized as a tolerant species; and Pterocarpus indicus, Delonix regia, Swietenia macrophylla were categorized as moderately tolerant species. Gmelina arborea, Cinnamomum burmanii, and Mimusops elengi were categorized as intermediate tolerant species. Lagerstroemia speciosa could be potentially used as roadside tree. The combination of RGR and APTI value was better to determinate tolerance level of plant to air pollutant than merely APTI method.

Heavy metal tolerance in Agropyron repens (L. P. Bauv. populations from the Legnica copper smelter area, Lower Silesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teresa Brej

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The copper smelter "Legnica" is one of the oldest plants in Lower Silesia. Among the few weed species spontaneously migrating to the area around the emitter there is couch grass (Agropyron repens (L. P. Bauv.. The purpose of this study was to analyse whether the local couch grass populations, growing at various distances from the smelter, differ in tolerance to heavy metals occurring in this area. The populations were tested for tolerance to five metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Ni using the root elongation method. The highest tolerance to Pb developed in two populations localized nearest the smelter. Similarly, all populations of couch grass from the vicinity of the smelter show a high tolerance to copper, particularly the plants from the most contaminated site. The IT for the latter population is almost 1509r, even at the highest dose of Cu. For Zn a nearing IT as for Cu was obtained. Comparing the shape of IT curves for Cd, special emphasis is put on the fact that a fixed tolerance to cadmium occurs only in the population localized closest to the emitter. The analysis of Ni-tolerance curves, of which the content in local soil is minimal, does not confirm the thesis on possibility of development of co-tolerance in the surveyed populations. It appeared that stress conditions existing near the smelter do not inhibit seed production in couch grass, but prevent a successful course of their germination on polluted soil. The improvement of soil even by 50% (addition of unpolluted soil does not improve the poor process of germination in couch grass growing nearest to the smelter. Of importance is the fact that the highest number of seeds germinated on their own, polluted soil. The need of metals' content for plant germination in populations most distant from the smelter is evidenced by an almost 30% reduction of germination ability of local seeds after addition of unpolluted soil. Another significant observation was the fact that, in spite of a poor

Cowpea symbiotic efficiency, pH and aluminum tolerance in nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruno Lima Soares

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata cultivation in northern and northeastern Brazil provides an excellent source of nutrients and carbohydrates for the poor and underprivileged. Production surplus leads to its consumption in other regions of Brazil and also as an export commodity. Its capacity to establish relationships with atmospheric nitrogen-fixing bacteria is crucial to the reduction of production costs and the environmental impact of nitrogen fertilizers. This study assessed the symbiotic efficiency of new strains of symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria with cowpea and their tolerance to pH and aluminum. Twenty-seven strains of bacteria from different soils were evaluated under axenic conditions. These strains were compared to the following inoculant strains: INPA03-11B, UFLA03-84 and BR3267 and two controls that were not inoculated (with and without mineral nitrogen. Six strains and the three strains approved as inoculants were selected to increase the dry weight production of the aerial part (DWAP and were tested in pots with soil that had a high-density of nitrogen-fixing native rhizobia. In this experiment, three strains (UFLA03-164, UFLA03-153, and UFLA03-154 yielded higher DWAP values. These strains grow at pH levels of 5.0, 6.0, 6.8 and at high aluminum concentration levels, reaching 10(9 CFU mL-1. In particular UFLA03-84, UFLA03-153, and UFLA03-164 tolerate up to 20 mmol c dm-3 of Al+3. Inoculation with rhizobial strains, that had been carefully selected according to their ability to nodulate and fix N2, combined with their ability to compete in soils that are acidic and contain high levels of Al, is a cheaper and more sustainable alternative that can be made available to farmers than mineral fertilizers.

Using the value of Lin's concordance correlation coefficient as a criterion for efficient estimation of areas of leaves of eelgrass from noisy digital images.

Science.gov (United States)

Echavarría-Heras, Héctor; Leal-Ramírez, Cecilia; Villa-Diharce, Enrique; Castillo, Oscar

2014-01-01

Eelgrass is a cosmopolitan seagrass species that provides important ecological services in coastal and near-shore environments. Despite its relevance, loss of eelgrass habitats is noted worldwide. Restoration by replanting plays an important role, and accurate measurements of the standing crop and productivity of transplants are important for evaluating restoration of the ecological functions of natural populations. Traditional assessments are destructive, and although they do not harm natural populations, in transplants the destruction of shoots might cause undesirable alterations. Non-destructive assessments of the aforementioned variables are obtained through allometric proxies expressed in terms of measurements of the lengths or areas of leaves. Digital imagery could produce measurements of leaf attributes without the removal of shoots, but sediment attachments, damage infringed by drag forces or humidity contents induce noise-effects, reducing precision. Available techniques for dealing with noise caused by humidity contents on leaves use the concepts of adjacency, vicinity, connectivity and tolerance of similarity between pixels. Selection of an interval of tolerance of similarity for efficient measurements requires extended computational routines with tied statistical inferences making concomitant tasks complicated and time consuming. The present approach proposes a simplified and cost-effective alternative, and also a general tool aimed to deal with any sort of noise modifying eelgrass leaves images. Moreover, this selection criterion relies only on a single statistics; the calculation of the maximum value of the Concordance Correlation Coefficient for reproducibility of observed areas of leaves through proxies obtained from digital images. Available data reveals that the present method delivers simplified, consistent estimations of areas of eelgrass leaves taken from noisy digital images. Moreover, the proposed procedure is robust because both the optimal

Drought Tolerance in Pinus halepensis Seed Sources As Identified by Distinctive Physiological and Molecular Markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Taïbi, Khaled; Del Campo, Antonio D; Vilagrosa, Alberto; Bellés, José M; López-Gresa, María Pilar; Pla, Davinia; Calvete, Juan J; López-Nicolás, José M; Mulet, José M

2017-01-01

Drought is one of the main constraints determining forest species growth, survival and productivity, and therefore one of the main limitations for reforestation or afforestation. The aim of this study is to characterize the drought response at the physiological and molecular level of different Pinus halepensis (common name Aleppo pine) seed sources, previously characterized in field trials as drought-sensitive or drought-tolerant. This approach aims to identify different traits capable of predicting the ability of formerly uncharacterized seedlings to cope with drought stress. Gas-exchange, water potential, photosynthetic pigments, soluble sugars, free amino acids, glutathione and proteomic analyses were carried out on control and drought-stressed seedlings in greenhouse conditions. Gas-exchange determinations were also assessed in field-planted seedlings in order to validate the greenhouse experimental conditions. Drought-tolerant seed sources presented higher values of photosynthetic rates, water use efficiency, photosynthetic pigments and soluble carbohydrates concentrations. We observed the same pattern of variation of photosynthesis rate and maximal efficiency of PSII in field. Interestingly drought-tolerant seed sources exhibited increased levels of glutathione, methionine and cysteine. The proteomic profile of drought tolerant seedlings identified two heat shock proteins and an enzyme related to methionine biosynthesis that were not present in drought sensitive seedlings, pointing to the synthesis of sulfur amino acids as a limiting factor for drought tolerance in Pinus halepensis . Our results established physiological and molecular traits useful as distinctive markers to predict drought tolerance in Pinus halepensis provenances that could be reliably used in reforestation programs in drought prone areas.

Drought Tolerance in Pinus halepensis Seed Sources As Identified by Distinctive Physiological and Molecular Markers

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Khaled Taïbi

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Drought is one of the main constraints determining forest species growth, survival and productivity, and therefore one of the main limitations for reforestation or afforestation. The aim of this study is to characterize the drought response at the physiological and molecular level of different Pinus halepensis (common name Aleppo pine seed sources, previously characterized in field trials as drought-sensitive or drought-tolerant. This approach aims to identify different traits capable of predicting the ability of formerly uncharacterized seedlings to cope with drought stress. Gas-exchange, water potential, photosynthetic pigments, soluble sugars, free amino acids, glutathione and proteomic analyses were carried out on control and drought-stressed seedlings in greenhouse conditions. Gas-exchange determinations were also assessed in field-planted seedlings in order to validate the greenhouse experimental conditions. Drought-tolerant seed sources presented higher values of photosynthetic rates, water use efficiency, photosynthetic pigments and soluble carbohydrates concentrations. We observed the same pattern of variation of photosynthesis rate and maximal efficiency of PSII in field. Interestingly drought-tolerant seed sources exhibited increased levels of glutathione, methionine and cysteine. The proteomic profile of drought tolerant seedlings identified two heat shock proteins and an enzyme related to methionine biosynthesis that were not present in drought sensitive seedlings, pointing to the synthesis of sulfur amino acids as a limiting factor for drought tolerance in Pinus halepensis. Our results established physiological and molecular traits useful as distinctive markers to predict drought tolerance in Pinus halepensis provenances that could be reliably used in reforestation programs in drought prone areas.

Copper-induced adaptation, oxidative stress and its tolerance in Aspergillus niger UCP1261

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Marcos A. Cavalcanti Luna

2015-11-01

Conclusions: The results indicate that the isolate was able to grow in high concentrations of copper, activates mechanisms for adaptation and tolerance in the presence of metal, and is highly efficient at removing the agent. Such data are fundamental if a better understanding is to be reached of the cellular and molecular abilities of native isolates, which can be used to develop bioprocesses in environmental and industrial areas.

Air emissions perspective on energy efficiency: An empirical analysis of China’s coastal areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin, Quande; Li, Xin; Li, Li; Zhen, Wei; Wei, Yi-Ming

2017-01-01

Highlights: • We investigate the static and dynamic energy efficiency in China’s coastal areas. • Both environmental pollutants and greenhouse gas are considered. • Global benchmark technology is incorporated into the related DEA models. • China’s coastal areas have great potential of air emissions reduction. • Technological progress is main driven factor to improve energy efficiency. - Abstract: Improving energy efficiency has been recognized as the most effective way to reduce the greenhouse effect and achieve sustainable development. From the perspective of air emissions, this paper adopts data envelopment analysis approach to evaluate the energy efficiency in China’s coastal areas over the period of 2000–2012. Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide are treated as undesirable outputs of energy consumptions. The proposed global Epsilon-based measure is used to estimate the static energy efficiency with an annual cross-section of data. The weights of the three undesirable outputs are determined according to their treatment costs. A global Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index based on directional distance function is employed to dynamically evaluate the energy efficiency. The results indicate the following in China’s coastal areas: (1) the level of economic development is positively related to energy efficiency scores; (2) energy efficiency scores decrease when considering undesirable outputs except Beijing and Hainan; (3) the Circum-Bohai Sea Economic Region greatly improves energy efficiency and has great potential of air emission; (4) the annual growth rate of Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index change is overestimated; (5) energy efficiency improvement is mainly driven by technological improvement, and scale efficiency and management level are the main obstacles.

Tolerance and efficiency of radiation therapy treatment of the pelvic lymph nodes in patients with prostate cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hegemann, Nina-Sophie

2013-01-01

Tolerance and efficiency of radiation therapy treatment of the pelvic lymph nodes were assessed in 122 patients with prostate cancer. With no severe observed late toxicity the incidence for lymph node metastases was between 3,0% (primarily irradiated patients without lymph node or distant metastases) and 100% (primarily irradiated patients with lymph node and distant metastases) after 3 years. As it seems, the following subgroups might possibly profit the most from a dose escalation in the pelvic lymph nodes: primarily irradiated patients with positive lymph nodes and postoperatively irradiated patients in adjuvant/additive situation, with a biochemical or a local/lymph node recurrence.

Area Spectral Efficiency and Energy Efficiency Tradeoff in Ultradense Heterogeneous Networks

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Lanhua Xiang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In order to meet the demand of explosive data traffic, ultradense base station (BS deployment in heterogeneous networks (HetNets as a key technique in 5G has been proposed. However, with the increment of BSs, the total energy consumption will also increase. So, the energy efficiency (EE has become a focal point in ultradense HetNets. In this paper, we take the area spectral efficiency (ASE into consideration and focus on the tradeoff between the ASE and EE in an ultradense HetNet. The distributions of BSs in the two-tier ultradense HetNet are modeled by two independent Poisson point processes (PPPs and the expressions of ASE and EE are derived by using the stochastic geometry tool. The tradeoff between the ASE and EE is formulated as a constrained optimization problem in which the EE is maximized under the ASE constraint, through optimizing the BS densities. It is difficult to solve the optimization problem analytically, because the closed-form expressions of ASE and EE are not easily obtained. Therefore, simulations are conducted to find optimal BS densities.

Efficiency Evaluation of Five-Phase Outer-Rotor Fault-Tolerant BLDC Drives under Healthy and Open-Circuit Faulty Conditions

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ARASHLOO, R. S.

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Fault tolerant motor drives are an interesting subject for many applications such as automotive industries and wind power generation. Among different configurations of these systems, five-phase BLDC drives are gaining more importance which is because of their compactness and high efficiency. Due to replacement of field windings by permanent magnets in their rotor structure, the main sources of power losses in these drives are iron (core losses, copper (winding losses, and inverter unit (semiconductor losses. Although low amplitude of power losses in five-phase BLDC drives is an important aspect for many applications, but their efficiency under faulty conditions is not considered in previous studies. In this paper, the efficiency of an outer-rotor five phase BLDC drive is evaluated under normal and different faulty conditions. Open-circuit fault is considered for one, two adjacent and two non-adjacent faulty phases. Iron core losses are calculated via FEM simulations in Flux-Cedrat software, and moreover, inverter losses and winding copper losses are simulated in MATLAB� environment. Experimental evaluations are conducted to evaluate the efficiency of the entire BLDC drive which verifies the theoretical developments.

Nitric oxide increases myocardial efficiency in the hypoxia-tolerant turtle Trachemys scripta

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Misfeldt, Mikkel; Fago, Angela; Gesser, Hans

2009-01-01

Nitric oxide (NO) may influence cardiac mechanical performance relative to O2 consumption by depressing respiration rate and by affecting the excitation-contraction coupling. Such effects of NO should be particularly important during hypoxia in species such as the hypoxia-tolerant turtle Trachemys....... This effect was particularly pronounced under O2 deficiency and may therefore contribute towards preserving cardiac function and to the overall excellent hypoxic tolerance of the turtle...

Real-time fault tolerant full adder design for critical applications

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Pankaj Kumar

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In the complex computing system, processing units are dealing with devices of smaller size, which are sensitive to the transient faults. A transient fault occurs in a circuit caused by the electromagnetic noises, cosmic rays, crosstalk and power supply noise. It is very difficult to detect these faults during offline testing. Hence an area efficient fault tolerant full adder for testing and repairing of transient and permanent faults occurred in single and multi-net is proposed. Additionally, the proposed architecture can also detect and repair permanent faults. This design incurs much lower hardware overheads relative to the traditional hardware architecture. In addition to this, proposed design also provides higher error detection and correction efficiency when compared to the existing designs.

Area Green Efficiency (AGE) of Two Tier Heterogeneous Cellular Networks

KAUST Repository

Tabassum, Hina; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Shakir, Muhammad Zeeshan

2012-01-01

CO2 emissions, operational and capital expenditures (OPEX and CAPEX) whilst enhancing the area spectral efficiency (ASE) of the network. In this context, we define a performance metric which characterize the aggregate energy savings per unit macrocell

Urban physiology: city ants possess high heat tolerance.

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Michael J Angilletta

Full Text Available Urbanization has caused regional increases in temperature that exceed those measured on a global scale, leading to urban heat islands as much as 12 degrees C hotter than their surroundings. Optimality models predict ectotherms in urban areas should tolerate heat better and cold worse than ectotherms in rural areas. We tested these predications by measuring heat and cold tolerances of leaf-cutter ants from South America's largest city (São Paulo, Brazil. Specifically, we compared thermal tolerances of ants from inside and outside of the city. Knock-down resistance and chill-coma recovery were used as indicators of heat and cold tolerances, respectively. Ants from within the city took 20% longer to lose mobility at 42 degrees C than ants from outside the city. Interestingly, greater heat tolerance came at no obvious expense of cold tolerance; hence, our observations only partially support current theory. Our results indicate that thermal tolerances of some organisms can respond to rapid changes in climate. Predictive models should account for acclimatory and evolutionary responses during climate change.

Genetically engineered Rice with transcription factor DREB genes for abiotic stress tolerance(abstract)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Datta, S.K.; Datta, K.

2005-01-01

Water stress (drought and Salinity) is the most severe limitation to rice productivity. Several breeding approaches (MAS, QTL) applied to suitable genotypes are in place at IRRI and elsewhere. Phenotyping of water stress tolerance is in progress with potential predictability. Dr. Shinozaki's group has cloned a number of transcription factor genes, which have been shown to work in Arabidopsis to achieve drought, cold, and salinity tolerant plants. None of these genes have as yet displayed their potential functioning in rice. Genetic engineering aims at cross talk between different stress signaling pathways leading to stress tolerance. Osmotic Adjustment (OA) is an effective component of abiotic stress (drought and salinity) tolerance in many plants including rice. When plant experiences water stress, OA contributes to turgor maintenance of both shoots and roots. Conventional breeding could not achieve the OA in rice excepting a few rice cultivars, which are partially adapted to water-stress conditions. Several stress-related genes have now been cloned and transferred in to enhance the osmolytes and some transgenic lines showed increased tolerance to osmotic stress. A few strategies could be effectively deployed for a better understanding of water-stress tolerance in rice and to develop transgenic rice, which can survive for a critical period of water-stress conditions: 1) Switching on of transcription factor regulating the expression of several genes related to abiotic stress, 2) Use of a suitable stress inducible promoter driving the target gene for an efficient and directed expression in plants, 3) Understanding of phenotyping and GxE in a given environment, 4) Selection of a few adaptive rice cultivars suitable in drought/salinity prone areas, 5) Microarray, proteomics, QTL and MAS may expedite the cloning and characterizing the stress induced genes, and 6) Finally, the efficient transformation system for generating a large number of transgenic rice of different

Efficiency of a protected-area network in a Mediterranean region: a multispecies assessment with raptors.

Science.gov (United States)

Abellán, María D; Martínez, José E; Palazón, José A; Esteve, Miguel A; Calvo, José F

2011-05-01

Three different systems of designating protected areas in a Mediterranean region in southeastern Spain were studied, referring to their effectiveness and efficiency for protecting both the breeding territories and the suitable habitat of a set of ten raptor species. Taking into consideration the varying degrees of endangerment of these species, a map of multispecies conservation values was also drawn up and superimposed on the three protected-area systems studied. In order to compare the levels of protection afforded by the three systems, we considered two indices that measured their relative effectiveness and efficiency. The effectiveness estimated the proportion of territories or optimal habitat protected by the networks while efficiency implicitly considered the area of each system (percentage of breeding territories or optimal habitat protected per 1% of land protected). Overall, our results showed that the most efficient system was that formed by the set of regional parks and reserves (17 protected breeding territories per 100 km²), although, given its small total area, it was by far the least effective (only protecting the 21% of the breeding territories of all species and 17% of the area of high conservation value). The systems formed by the Special Protection Areas (designated under the EU "Birds Directive") and by the Special Conservation Areas (designated under the EU "Habitats Directive") notably increased the percentages of protected territories of all species (61%) and area of high conservation value (57%), but their efficiency was not as high as expected in most cases. The overall level of protection was high for all species except for the Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni), an endangered falcon that inhabits pseudo-steppe and traditional agricultural habitats, which are clearly underrepresented in the protected-area network of the study region.

Efficiency of a Protected-Area Network in a Mediterranean Region: A Multispecies Assessment with Raptors

Science.gov (United States)

Abellán, María D.; Martínez, José E.; Palazón, José A.; Esteve, Miguel Á.; Calvo, José F.

2011-05-01

Three different systems of designating protected areas in a Mediterranean region in southeastern Spain were studied, referring to their effectiveness and efficiency for protecting both the breeding territories and the suitable habitat of a set of ten raptor species. Taking into consideration the varying degrees of endangerment of these species, a map of multispecies conservation values was also drawn up and superimposed on the three protected-area systems studied. In order to compare the levels of protection afforded by the three systems, we considered two indices that measured their relative effectiveness and efficiency. The effectiveness estimated the proportion of territories or optimal habitat protected by the networks while efficiency implicitly considered the area of each system (percentage of breeding territories or optimal habitat protected per 1% of land protected). Overall, our results showed that the most efficient system was that formed by the set of regional parks and reserves (17 protected breeding territories per 100 km2), although, given its small total area, it was by far the least effective (only protecting the 21% of the breeding territories of all species and 17% of the area of high conservation value). The systems formed by the Special Protection Areas (designated under the EU "Birds Directive") and by the Special Conservation Areas (designated under the EU "Habitats Directive") notably increased the percentages of protected territories of all species (61%) and area of high conservation value (57%), but their efficiency was not as high as expected in most cases. The overall level of protection was high for all species except for the Lesser Kestrel ( Falco naumanni), an endangered falcon that inhabits pseudo-steppe and traditional agricultural habitats, which are clearly underrepresented in the protected-area network of the study region.

Coordinated Fault Tolerance for High-Performance Computing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dongarra, Jack; Bosilca, George; et al.

2013-04-08

Our work to meet our goal of end-to-end fault tolerance has focused on two areas: (1) improving fault tolerance in various software currently available and widely used throughout the HEC domain and (2) using fault information exchange and coordination to achieve holistic, systemwide fault tolerance and understanding how to design and implement interfaces for integrating fault tolerance features for multiple layers of the software stack—from the application, math libraries, and programming language runtime to other common system software such as jobs schedulers, resource managers, and monitoring tools.

Simulation studies on the effect of positioning tolerances on optical coupling efficiency

Science.gov (United States)

Pamidighantam, Ramana V.; Yeo, Yongkee; Sudharsanam, Krishnamachari; Lee, Sik Pong; Iyer, Mahadevan K.

2002-08-01

The development of Optoelectronic components for communications is converging towards access networks where device cost makes a significant impact on the market acceptance. Thus, the device design engineer needs to input assembly, fabrication and process constraints into the design at an early stage. The present study is part of a Project on Packaging of Optical Components that IME, Singapore has initiated as part of an ongoing Electronics Packaging Research Consortium with industry partnership. In the present study, the coupling of optical radiation from a laser diode to optical fiber is simulated for a fiber optic transmitter component development project. Different optical configurations based on direct coupling, spherical ball lenses, integral lensed fibers and thermally expanded fibers are created within the commercially available transmitter package space. The effect of optical element variables on the placement tolerance is analyzed and will be reported. The effect of alignment tolerances on the optical coupling is analyzed. Simulation results are presented recommending realizable alignment and placement tolerances to develop a low cost short range link distance transmitter.

Efficiency of protected areas in Amazon and Atlantic Forest conservation: A spatio-temporal view

Science.gov (United States)

Sobral-Souza, Thadeu; Vancine, Maurício Humberto; Ribeiro, Milton Cezar; Lima-Ribeiro, Matheus S.

2018-02-01

The Amazon and Atlantic Forest are considered the world's most biodiverse biomes. Human and climate change impacts are the principal drivers of species loss in both biomes, more severely in the Atlantic Forest. In response to species loss, the main conservation action is the creation of protected areas (PAs). Current knowledge and research on the PA network's conservation efficiency is scarce, and existing studies have mainly considered a past temporal view. In this study, we tested the efficiency of the current PA network to maintain climatically stable areas (CSAs) across the Amazon and Atlantic Forest. To this, we used an ecological niche modeling approach to biome and paleoclimatic simulations. We propose three categories of conservation priority areas for both biomes, considering CSAs, PAs and intact forest remnants. The biomes vary in their respective PA networks' protection efficiency. Regarding protect CSAs, the Amazon PA network is four times more efficient than the Atlantic Forest PA network. New conservation efforts in these two forest biomes require different approaches. We discussed the conservation actions that should be taken in each biome to increase the efficiency of the PA network, considering both the creation and expansion of PAs as well as restoration programs.

A Framework for Probabilistic Evaluation of Interval Management Tolerance in the Terminal Radar Control Area

Science.gov (United States)

Hercencia-Zapana, Heber; Herencia-Zapana, Heber; Hagen, George E.; Neogi, Natasha

2012-01-01

Projections of future traffic in the national airspace show that most of the hub airports and their attendant airspace will need to undergo significant redevelopment and redesign in order to accommodate any significant increase in traffic volume. Even though closely spaced parallel approaches increase throughput into a given airport, controller workload in oversubscribed metroplexes is further taxed by these approaches that require stringent monitoring in a saturated environment. The interval management (IM) concept in the TRACON area is designed to shift some of the operational burden from the control tower to the flight deck, placing the flight crew in charge of implementing the required speed changes to maintain a relative spacing interval. The interval management tolerance is a measure of the allowable deviation from the desired spacing interval for the IM aircraft (and its target aircraft). For this complex task, Formal Methods can help to ensure better design and system implementation. In this paper, we propose a probabilistic framework to quantify the uncertainty and performance associated with the major components of the IM tolerance. The analytical basis for this framework may be used to formalize both correctness and probabilistic system safety claims in a modular fashion at the algorithmic level in a way compatible with several Formal Methods tools.

Leaf area and light use efficiency patterns of Norway spruce under different thinning regimes and age classes

Science.gov (United States)

Gspaltl, Martin; Bauerle, William; Binkley, Dan; Sterba, Hubert

2013-01-01

Silviculture focuses on establishing forest stand conditions that improve the stand increment. Knowledge about the efficiency of an individual tree is essential to be able to establish stand structures that increase tree resource use efficiency and stand level production. Efficiency is often expressed as stem growth per unit leaf area (leaf area efficiency), or per unit of light absorbed (light use efficiency). We tested the hypotheses that: (1) volume increment relates more closely with crown light absorption than leaf area, since one unit of leaf area can receive different amounts of light due to competition with neighboring trees and self-shading, (2) dominant trees use light more efficiently than suppressed trees and (3) thinning increases the efficiency of light use by residual trees, partially accounting for commonly observed increases in post-thinning growth. We investigated eight even-aged Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stands at Bärnkopf, Austria, spanning three age classes (mature, immature and pole-stage) and two thinning regimes (thinned and unthinned). Individual leaf area was calculated with allometric equations and absorbed photosynthetically active radiation was estimated for each tree using the three-dimensional crown model Maestra. Absorbed photosynthetically active radiation was only a slightly better predictor of volume increment than leaf area. Light use efficiency increased with increasing tree size in all stands, supporting the second hypothesis. At a given tree size, trees from the unthinned plots were more efficient, however, due to generally larger tree sizes in the thinned stands, an average tree from the thinned treatment was superior (not congruent in all plots, thus only partly supporting the third hypothesis). PMID:25540477

The Mechanisms of Salinity Tolerance in the Xero-halophyte Blue Panicgrass (Panicum antidotale Retz

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Hamid R. ESHGHIZADEH

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Identifying the physiological traits associated with salt tolerance is important in optimal management of biosaline systems and optimum utilization of saline water resources in dry and saline areas. Therefore, some indices of photosynthetic activity, dry matter production and accumulation of sodium and potassium ions in Blue panicgrass (Panicum antidotale Retz were evaluated in five levels of salinity treatment (0, 70, 140, 210 and 280 mM NaCl solution under greenhouse conditions. The results showed that at 28 and 35 days after salt stress, plant leaf area reduced in the highest salinity treatment, 93 and 96% respectively, compared with control. Leaf stomatal conductance, CO2 fixation and quantum efficiency of photosystem II were decreased by increasing salinity. It caused also a reduction in chlorophyll content (Chl a, Chl b in leaves of Blue panicgrass. Content of carotenoids showed binary patterns to different salinity levels, slightly increased in 70-140 mM NaCl and decreased again in 210-280 mM, respectively. Increasing levels of salinity, increased sodium content in both roots and shoots but the shoots potassium content decreased. Decline in photosynthesis indices caused the reduction of root and shoot dry weight. This decrease resulted from lower leaf area (r=0.91**, lower stomatal conductance (r=0.78**, lower CO2 fixed in photosynthesis (r=0.63**, lower quantum efficiency of photosystem II (r=0.54** and lower Chl a (r=0.45**, respectively. Data analysis base on using stepwise regression introduced leaf area (?=0.560, chlorophyll a content (?=0.245 and shoot potassium content (?= 0.264 as main effective components of salinity tolerance in Blue panicgrass.

Fault Tolerant External Memory Algorithms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Allan Grønlund; Brodal, Gerth Stølting; Mølhave, Thomas

2009-01-01

Algorithms dealing with massive data sets are usually designed for I/O-efficiency, often captured by the I/O model by Aggarwal and Vitter. Another aspect of dealing with massive data is how to deal with memory faults, e.g. captured by the adversary based faulty memory RAM by Finocchi and Italiano....... However, current fault tolerant algorithms do not scale beyond the internal memory. In this paper we investigate for the first time the connection between I/O-efficiency in the I/O model and fault tolerance in the faulty memory RAM, and we assume that both memory and disk are unreliable. We show a lower...... bound on the number of I/Os required for any deterministic dictionary that is resilient to memory faults. We design a static and a dynamic deterministic dictionary with optimal query performance as well as an optimal sorting algorithm and an optimal priority queue. Finally, we consider scenarios where...

Mechanisms of yeast stress tolerance and its manipulation for efficient fuel ethanol production.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, X Q; Bai, F W

2009-10-12

Yeast strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been extensively studied in recent years for fuel ethanol production, in which yeast cells are exposed to various stresses such as high temperature, ethanol inhibition, and osmotic pressure from product and substrate sugars as well as the inhibitory substances released from the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass. An in-depth understanding of the mechanism of yeast stress tolerance contributes to breeding more robust strains for ethanol production, especially under very high gravity conditions. Taking advantage of the "omics" technology, the stress response and defense mechanism of yeast cells during ethanol fermentation were further explored, and the newly emerged tools such as genome shuffling and global transcription machinery engineering have been applied to breed stress resistant yeast strains for ethanol production. In this review, the latest development of stress tolerance mechanisms was focused, and improvement of yeast stress tolerance by both random and rational tools was presented.

Adoptive transfer of transplantation tolerance in the H-2 compatible mouse system CBA/C3H

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siegl, E.; Brock, J.; Schulze, H.A.

1985-01-01

Transfer of neonatally induced tolerance in the H-2 compatible CBA/C3H strain combination is possible with different efficiency by injection of adherent and non-adherent spleen cells, unseparated spleen cells and lymph node cells from C3H-tolerant CBA mice into sublethal irradiated CBA mice. The most efficient cell populations are adherent spleen cells and lymph node cells. Successfull transfer of transplantation tolerance is not possible to non-irradiated mice. The adherent fraction of spleen cells and lymph node cells contains a suppressor cell population responsible for transplantation tolerance against non-H-2 antigens. The induced transplantation tolerance is not due to a chimeric state of C3H-tolerant CBA mice. (author)

Mechanism of oral tolerance induction to therapeutic proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaomei; Sherman, Alexandra; Liao, Gongxian; Leong, Kam W; Daniell, Henry; Terhorst, Cox; Herzog, Roland W

2013-06-15

Oral tolerance is defined as the specific suppression of humoral and/or cellular immune responses to an antigen by administration of the same antigen through the oral route. Due to its absence of toxicity, easy administration, and antigen specificity, oral tolerance is a very attractive approach to prevent unwanted immune responses that cause a variety of diseases or that complicate treatment of a disease. Many researchers have induced oral tolerance to efficiently treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases in different animal models. However, clinical trials yielded limited success. Thus, understanding the mechanisms of oral tolerance induction to therapeutic proteins is critical for paving the way for clinical development of oral tolerance protocols. This review will summarize progress on understanding the major underlying tolerance mechanisms and contributors, including antigen presenting cells, regulatory T cells, cytokines, and signaling pathways. Potential applications, examples for therapeutic proteins and disease targets, and recent developments in delivery methods are discussed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of large area, high efficiency amorphous silicon solar cell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoon, K.S.; Kim, S.; Kim, D.W. [Yu Kong Taedok Institute of Technology (Korea, Republic of)

1996-02-01

The objective of the research is to develop the mass-production technologies of high efficiency amorphous silicon solar cells in order to reduce the costs of solar cells and dissemination of solar cells. Amorphous silicon solar cell is the most promising option of thin film solar cells which are relatively easy to reduce the costs. The final goal of the research is to develop amorphous silicon solar cells having the efficiency of 10%, the ratio of light-induced degradation 15% in the area of 1200 cm{sup 2} and test the cells in the form of 2 Kw grid-connected photovoltaic system. (author) 35 refs., 8 tabs., 67 figs.

QTLs for tolerance of drought and breeding for tolerance of abiotic and biotic stress: an integrated approach.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shalabh Dixit

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The coupling of biotic and abiotic stresses leads to high yield losses in rainfed rice (Oryza sativa L. growing areas. While several studies target these stresses independently, breeding strategies to combat multiple stresses seldom exist. This study reports an integrated strategy that combines QTL mapping and phenotypic selection to develop rice lines with high grain yield (GY under drought stress and non-stress conditions, and tolerance of rice blast. METHODOLOGY: A blast-tolerant BC2F3-derived population was developed from the cross of tropical japonica cultivar Moroberekan (blast- and drought-tolerant and high-yielding indica variety Swarna (blast- and drought-susceptible through phenotypic selection for blast tolerance at the BC2F2 generation. The population was studied for segregation distortion patterns and QTLs for GY under drought were identified along with study of epistatic interactions for the trait. RESULTS: Segregation distortion, in favour of Moroberekan, was observed at 50 of the 59 loci. Majority of these marker loci co-localized with known QTLs for blast tolerance or NBS-LRR disease resistance genes. Despite the presence of segregation distortion, high variation for DTF, PH and GY was observed and several QTLs were identified under drought stress and non-stress conditions for the three traits. Epistatic interactions were also detected for GY which explained a large proportion of phenotypic variance observed in the population. CONCLUSIONS: This strategy allowed us to identify QTLs for GY along with rapid development of high-yielding purelines tolerant to blast and drought with considerably reduced efforts. Apart from this, it also allowed us to study the effects of the selection cycle for blast tolerance. The developed lines were screened at IRRI and in the target environment, and drought and blast tolerant lines with high yield were identified. With tolerance to two major stresses and high yield potential, these

Polyethyleneimine-modified superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles: An efficient, reusable and water tolerance nanocatalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khoobi, Mehdi; Delshad, Tayebeh Modiri; Vosooghi, Mohsen; Alipour, Masoumeh; Hamadi, Hosein; Alipour, Eskandar; Hamedani, Majid Pirali; Sadat ebrahimi, Seyed Esmaeil; Safaei, Zahra; Foroumadi, Alireza; Shafiee, Abbas

2015-01-01

A novel magnetically separable catalyst was prepared based on surface modification of Fe 3 O 4 magnetic nanoparticle (MNPs) with polyethyleneimine (PEI) via covalent bonding. [3-(2,3-Epoxypropoxy)propyl]trimethoxysilane (EPO) was used as cross linker to bond PEI on the surface of MNPs with permanent stability in contrast to PEI coating via electrostatic interactions. The synthesized catalyst was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The catalyst show high efficiency for one-pot synthesis of 2-amino-3-cyano-4H-pyran derivatives via multi-component reaction (MCR). This procedure offers the advantages of green reaction media, high yield, short reaction time, easy purification of the products and simple recovery and reuse of the catalyst by simple magnetic decantation without significant loss of catalytic activity. - Graphical abstract: Covalently grafted polyethyleneimine on Fe 3 O 4 magnetic nanoparticles as easily reusable catalyst for the synthesis of various 4H-pyrans. - Highlights: • Polyethyleneimine modified Fe 3 O 4 via covalent bonding as a novel water tolerance catalyst. • The catalyst showed high efficiency for one-pot synthesis of 2-amino-3-cyano-4H-pyrans in water. • Catalysts could be easily recovered and reused for several times without a significant loss in their catalytic activity

Screening Prosopis (mesquite) for cold tolerance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Felker, P. (Texas AandI Univ., Kingsville); Clark, P.R.; Nash, P.; Osborn, J.F.; Cannell, G.H.

1982-09-01

Cold tolerance and biomass estimation of Prosopis species were examined under field conditions. Prosopis africana and P. pallida tolerated several minus 1.5/sup 0/C freezes but none survived a minus 5/sup 0/C freeze. P. alba, P. articulata, P. chilensis, P. nigra, and P. tamarugo tolerated several minus 5/sup 0/C freezes but not a 12-hour below 0/sup 0/C freeze. Most North American native species P. glandulosa var. glandulosa, P. glandulosa var. torreyana, and P. velutina tolerated the 12 hour freeze with only moderate damage. In general trees with greater productivity belonged to the most cold sensitive accessions but sufficient variability exists to substantially improve Prosopis biomass production on the coldest areas where it now naturally occurs.

High systemic and testicular thermolytic efficiency during heat tolerance test reflects better semen quality in rams of tropical breeds

Science.gov (United States)

Kahwage, Priscila Reis; Esteves, Sérgio Novita; Jacinto, Manuel Antônio Chagas; Junior, Waldomiro Barioni; Pezzopane, José Ricardo Macedo; de Andrade Pantoja, Messy Hannear; Bosi, Cristian; Miguel, Maria Carolina Villani; Mahlmeister, Kaue; Garcia, Alexandre Rossetto

2017-10-01

This study aimed to assess the capacity of Morada Nova (MN) and Santa Inês (SIN) rams to maintain body and testicular homeothermy under thermal challenge. For 5 days in the summer, 16 males (SIN = 7 and MN = 9) underwent a heat tolerance test, i.e., period 1—animals maintained in the shade (11 to 12 h); period 2—animals exposed to sunlight (12 to 13 h); and period 3—animals returned to the shade (13 to 14 h). The respiratory rate, heart rate, rectal temperature, and infrared surface temperatures (IRT) of the trunk, back, eyeball, and testicles were assessed in each period. The index of capacity of tolerance to insolation (ICTI), which indicates the animals' level of adaptability, was calculated for each animal. Semen quality and testicular parenchyma integrity were assessed before and after the thermal challenge. Statistical analyses were performed at 5% significance. In period 1, the variables had baseline values for both genotypes. In period 2, the variables involved in thermolysis significantly increased ( P animals were considered resilient to a thermal challenge. In addition, infrared thermography was an efficient tool to verify body and testicular thermoregulation.

Diffuse urban pollution increases metal tolerance of natural heterotrophic biofilms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fechner, Lise C.; Gourlay-Francé, Catherine; Bourgeault, Adeline; Tusseau-Vuillemin, Marie-Hélène

2012-01-01

This study is a first attempt to investigate the impact of urban contamination on metal tolerance of heterotrophic river biofilms using a short-term test based on β-glucosidase activity. Tolerance levels to Cu, Cd, Zn, Ni and Pb were evaluated for biofilms collected at three sites along an urban gradient in the Seine river (France). Metallic pollution increased along the river, but concentrations remained low compared to environmental quality standards. Biofilm metal tolerance increased downstream from the urban area. Multivariate analysis confirmed the correlation between tolerance and contamination and between multi-metallic and physico-chemical gradients. Therefore, tolerance levels have to be interpreted in relation to the whole chemical and physical characteristics and not solely metal exposure. We conclude that community tolerance is a sensitive biological response to urban pressure and that mixtures of contaminants at levels lower than quality standards might have a significant impact on periphytic communities. - Highlights: ► A new short-term test based on β-glucosidase activity to assess biofilm metal tolerance. ► Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn tolerance of natural biofilms collected along an urban gradient. ► Metal tolerance levels increase upstream to downstream the river. ► Community tolerance increases at environmental quality standard exposure concentrations. ► Biofilm tolerance is a sensitive biological response to diffuse urban pollution. - Metal concentrations below environmental quality standards increase tolerance levels of natural, hetetrophic biofilms downstream from an urban area.

A Fault Tolerant Integrated Circuit Memory

OpenAIRE

Barton, Anthony Francis

1980-01-01

Most commercially produced integrated circuits are incapable of tolerating manufacturing defects. The area and function of the circuits is thus limited by the probability of faults occurring within the circuit. This thesis examines techniques for using redundancy in memory circuits to provide fault tolerance and to increase storage capacity. A hierarchical memory architecture using multiple Hamming codes is introduced and analysed to determine its resistance to manufa...

Historical Aspects in Tolerance Phenomenon Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janat A. Karmanova

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The article examines the historical aspect of the tolerance phenomenon research, particularly the study of tolerance in the age of Antiquity, Middle Ages, New Times, Enlightenment. It is remarkable that the problem of tolerance, emerged in Western civilization on religious grounds, laid the foundation for all other freedoms, attained in many countries. Besides, the article attaches special attention to the researchers of the East, such as Abu Nasr al-Farabi, Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, studies the historical aspect of works by Kazakhstan thinkers A. Kunanbayev, C. Valikhanova, K.B. Zharikbayev, S.K. Kaliyev, A.N. Nysanbayev, A.I. Artemev and others. The analysis of historical research of the tolerance phenomenon brings the author to the conclusion that religious freedom was the starting point for the emergence of new areas of tolerance display. The content of this phenomenon changed according to the historical peculiarities of the societies’ development

Heterosis and Combining Ability of Drought-Tolerant Maize Lines for ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In drought prone areas of Ethiopia, maize is produced by small-scale farmers' where additional inputs are rarely applied. Although genetic tolerance is recommended for moisture stress, there is limited information on drought-tolerant genotypes reaction to variable environments. In this study, eight drought tolerant lines and ...

Area-Efficiency Trade-Offs in Integrated Switched-Capacitor DC-DC Converters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Spliid, Frederik Monrad; Larsen, Dennis Øland; Knott, Arnold

2016-01-01

This paper analyzes the relationship between efficiency and chip area in a fully integrated switched capacitor voltage divider dc-dc converter implemented in 180nm-technology and a 1/2 topology. A numerical algorithm for choosing the optimal sizes of individual components, in terms of power loss...

The Approach to an Estimation of a Local Area Network Functioning Efficiency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. M. Taraskin

2010-09-01

Full Text Available In the article authors call attention to a choice of system of metrics, which permits to take a qualitative assessment of local area network functioning efficiency in condition of computer attacks.

Area Green Efficiency (AGE) of Two Tier Heterogeneous Cellular Networks

KAUST Repository

Tabassum, Hina

2012-10-03

Small cell networks are becoming standard part of the future heterogeneous networks. In this paper, we consider a two tier heterogeneous network which promises energy savings by integrating the femto and macro cellular networks and thereby reducing CO2 emissions, operational and capital expenditures (OPEX and CAPEX) whilst enhancing the area spectral efficiency (ASE) of the network. In this context, we define a performance metric which characterize the aggregate energy savings per unit macrocell area and is referred to as area green efficiency (AGE) of the two tier heterogeneous network where the femto base stations are arranged around the edge of the reference macrocell such that the configuration is referred to as femto-on-edge (FOE). The mobile users in macro and femto cellular networks are transmitting with the adaptive power while maintaining the desired link quality such that the energy aware FOE configuration mandates to (i) save energy, and (ii) reduce the co-channel interference. We present a mathematical analysis to incorporate the uplink power control mechanism adopted by the mobile users and calibrate the uplink ASE and AGE of the energy aware FOE configuration. Next, we derive analytical expressions to compute the bounds on the uplink ASE of energy aware FOE configuration and demonstrate that the derived bounds are useful in evaluating the ASE under worst and best case interference scenarios. Simulation results are produced to demonstrate the ASE and AGE improvements in comparison to macro-only and macro-femto configuration with uniformly distributed femtocells.

AREA EFFICIENT FRACTIONAL SAMPLE RATE CONVERSION ARCHITECTURE FOR SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIOS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Latha Sahukar

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The modern software defined radios (SDRs use complex signal processing algorithms to realize efficient wireless communication schemes. Several such algorithms require a specific symbol to sample ratio to be maintained. In this context the fractional rate converter (FRC becomes a crucial block in the receiver part of SDR. The paper presents an area optimized dynamic FRC block, for low power SDR applications. The limitations of conventional cascaded interpolator and decimator architecture for FRC are also presented. Extending the SINC function interpolation based architecture; towards high area optimization and providing run time configuration with time register are presented. The area and speed analysis are carried with Xilinx FPGA synthesis tools. Only 15% area occupancy with maximum clock speed of 133 MHz are reported on Spartan-6 Lx45 Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA.

Water-deficit tolerant classification in mutant lines of indica rice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suriyan Cha-um

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Water shortage is a major abiotic stress for crop production worldwide, limiting the productivity of crop species, especially in dry-land agricultural areas. This investigation aimed to classify the water-deficit tolerance in mutant rice (Oryza sativa L. spp. indica genotypes during the reproductive stage. Proline content in the flag leaf of mutant lines increased when plants were subjected to water deficit. Relative water content (RWC in the flag leaf of different mutant lines dropped in relation to water deficit stress. A decrease RWC was positively related to chlorophyll a degradation. Chlorophyll a , chlorophyll b , total chlorophyll , total carotenoids , maximum quantum yield of PSII , stomatal conductance , transpiration rate and water use efficiency in mutant lines grown under water deficit conditions declined in comparison to the well-watered, leading to a reduction in net-photosynthetic rate. In addition, when exposed to water deficit, panicle traits, including panicle length and fertile grains were dropped. The biochemical and physiological data were subjected to classify the water deficit tolerance. NSG19 (positive control and DD14 were identified as water deficit tolerant, and AA11, AA12, AA16, BB13, BB16, CC12, CC15, EE12, FF15, FF17, G11 and IR20 (negative control as water deficit sensitive, using Ward's method.

Xylose fermentation efficiency and inhibitor tolerance of the recombinant industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain NAPX37.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yun-Cheng; Mitsumasu, Kanako; Gou, Zi-Xi; Gou, Min; Tang, Yue-Qin; Li, Guo-Ying; Wu, Xiao-Lei; Akamatsu, Takashi; Taguchi, Hisataka; Kida, Kenji

2016-02-01

Industrial yeast strains with good xylose fermentation ability and inhibitor tolerance are important for economical lignocellulosic bioethanol production. The flocculating industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain NAPX37, harboring the xylose reductase-xylitol dehydrogenase (XR-XDH)-based xylose metabolic pathway, displayed efficient xylose fermentation during batch and continuous fermentation. During batch fermentation, the xylose consumption rates at the first 36 h were similar (1.37 g/L/h) when the initial xylose concentrations were 50 and 75 g/L, indicating that xylose fermentation was not inhibited even when the xylose concentration was as high as 75 g/L. The presence of glucose, at concentrations of up to 25 g/L, did not affect xylose consumption rate at the first 36 h. Strain NAPX37 showed stable xylose fermentation capacity during continuous ethanol fermentation using xylose as the sole sugar, for almost 1 year. Fermentation remained stable at a dilution rate of 0.05/h, even though the xylose concentration in the feed was as high as 100 g/L. Aeration rate, xylose concentration, and MgSO4 concentration were found to affect xylose consumption and ethanol yield. When the xylose concentration in the feed was 75 g/L, a high xylose consumption rate of 6.62 g/L/h and an ethanol yield of 0.394 were achieved under an aeration rate of 0.1 vvm, dilution rate of 0.1/h, and 5 mM MgSO4. In addition, strain NAPX37 exhibited good tolerance to inhibitors such as weak acids, furans, and phenolics during xylose fermentation. These findings indicate that strain NAPX37 is a promising candidate for application in the industrial production of lignocellulosic bioethanol.

Balancing Area Coordination: Efficiently Integrating Renewable Energy Into the Grid, Greening the Grid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Katz, Jessica; Denholm, Paul; Cochran, Jaquelin

2015-06-01

Greening the Grid provides technical assistance to energy system planners, regulators, and grid operators to overcome challenges associated with integrating variable renewable energy into the grid. Coordinating balancing area operation can promote more cost and resource efficient integration of variable renewable energy, such as wind and solar, into power systems. This efficiency is achieved by sharing or coordinating balancing resources and operating reserves across larger geographic boundaries.

Study of calcium-dependent lead-tolerance on plants differing in their level of Ca-deficiency tolerance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antosiewicz, Danuta Maria

2005-01-01

The main aim of the study was to determine the role of calcium in the amelioration of lead toxic effects in plants with accordingly high/low level of Pb-tolerance and high/low Ca-deficiency tolerance. The study was performed on maize, rye, tomato and mustard. Plants were cultivated in modified Knop's solution. They were subjected to Ca-deficiency, and to lead nitrate administered in the presence of four calcium nitrate concentrations 3.0, 2.4, 1.2, 0.3 mM. Lead-tolerance and tolerance to Ca-deficiency were determined, as were concentration of the studied elements in plant tissues, and the Pb deposition pattern at the ultrastructural level (electron microscopy study, X-ray microanalysis). In all studied plants, lead toxicity increased as medium calcium content decreased, however, only in the Ca-deficiency sensitive mustard with low Pb-tolerance was it accompanied by a rise in tissue lead concentration. In contrast, lead root and shoot levels did not increase in the highly Ca-deficiency tolerant tomato, mustard and rye with high Pb-tolerance irrespective of the Ca 2+ regimens applied. Thus, in these plants, lead's unfavourable effects resulted only from the higher toxicity of the same amount of lead in tissues at low calcium in the medium. Of particular relevance is the finding by electron microscopy and X-ray microanalysis, that under low calcium in both highly Ca-deficiency tolerant and Ca-deficiency sensitive plants, less efficient Pb 2+ detoxification was accompanied by the restriction of the formation of large lead deposits in cell walls. Obtained results are novel in demonstrating calcium involvement in the lead deposition in the cell wall, thus in the regulation of the internal lead detoxification. - Calcium regulated lead deposition in cell walls of plants

Ability of an alkali-tolerant mutant strain of the microalga Chlorella sp. AT1 to capture carbon dioxide for increasing carbon dioxide utilization efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuo, Chiu-Mei; Lin, Tsung-Hsien; Yang, Yi-Chun; Zhang, Wen-Xin; Lai, Jinn-Tsyy; Wu, Hsi-Tien; Chang, Jo-Shu; Lin, Chih-Sheng

2017-11-01

An alkali-tolerant Chlorella sp. AT1 mutant strain was screened by NTG mutagenesis. The strain grew well in pH 6-11 media, and the optimal pH for growth was 10. The CO 2 utilization efficiencies of Chlorella sp. AT1 cultured with intermittent 10% CO 2 aeration for 10, 20 and 30min at 3-h intervals were approximately 80, 42 and 30%, respectively. In alkaline medium (pH=11) with intermittent 10% CO 2 aeration for 30min at 3-, 6- and 12-h intervals, the medium pH gradually changed to 10, and the biomass productivities of Chlorella sp. AT1 were 0.987, 0.848 and 0.710gL -1 d -1 , respectively. When Chlorella sp. AT1 was aerated with 10% CO 2 intermittently for 30min at 3-h intervals in semi-continuous cultivation for 21days, the biomass concentration and biomass productivity were 4.35gL -1 and 0.726gL -1 d -1 , respectively. Our results show that CO 2 utilization efficiency can be markedly increased by intermittent CO 2 aeration and alkaline media as a CO 2 -capturing strategy for alkali-tolerant microalga cultivation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An area-efficient network interface for a TDM-based Network-on-Chip

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sparsø, Jens; Kasapaki, Evangelia; Schoeberl, Martin

2013-01-01

used by the routers and links in the NOC. The paper addresses the design of a NI for a NOC that uses time division multiplexing (TDM). By keeping the essence of TDM in mind, we have developed a new area-efficient NI micro-architecture. The new design completely eliminates the need for FIFO buffers...... and credit based flow control - resources which are reported to account for 50–85% of the area in existing NI designs. The paper discusses the design considerations, presents the new NI micro-architecture, and reports area figures for a range of implementations....

Evaluating relative contribution of osmotolerance and tissue tolerance mechanisms toward salinity stress tolerance in three Brassica species.

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty, Koushik; Bose, Jayakumar; Shabala, Lana; Eyles, Alieta; Shabala, Sergey

2016-10-01

Three different species of Brassica, with differential salt sensitivity were used to understand physiological mechanisms of salt tolerance operating in these species and to evaluate the relative contribution of different strategies to cope with salt load. Brassica napus was the most tolerant species in terms of the overall performance, with Brassica juncea and Brassica oleracea being much more sensitive to salt stress with no obvious difference between them. While prominent reduction in net CO2 assimilation was observed in both sensitive species, physiological mechanisms beyond this reduction differed strongly. Brassica juncea plants possessed high osmotolerance and were able to maintain high transpiration rate but showed a significant reduction in leaf chlorophyll content and efficiency of leaf photochemistry. On the contrary, B. oleracea plants possessed the highest (among the three species) tissue tolerance but showed a very significant stomatal limitation of photosynthesis. Electrophysiological experiments revealed that the high tissue tolerance in B. oleracea was related to the ability of leaf mesophyll cells to maintain highly negative membrane potential in the presence of high apoplastic Na(+) . In addition to high osmotolerance, the most tolerant B. napus showed also lesser accumulation of toxic Na(+) and Cl(-) in the leaf, possessed moderate tissue tolerance and had a superior K(+) retention ability. Taken together, the results from this study indicate that the three Brassica species employ very different mechanisms to cope with salinity and, despite its overall sensitivity to salinity, B. oleracea could be recommended as a valuable 'donor' of tissue tolerance genes to confer this trait for marker-assisted breeding programs. © 2016 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.

In Vitro Screening for Drought Tolerance in Different Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L. Moench Varieties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yohannes Tsago

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Drought is one of the complex environmental factors affecting growth and yield of sorghum in arid and semi-arid areas of the world. Sixteen elite sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L Moench genotypes were evaluated for their genetic potential to drought tolerance at callus induction and plant regeneration stage for drought tolerance. The non-ionic water soluble polymer polyethylene glycol (PEG of molecular weight 6000 was used as osmoticum to simulate water stress. The factorial experiment was laid down in a completely randomized design which comprised of a combination of two factors (genotypes and five PEG stress level; 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0% (w/v treatments. Data were recorded for callus induction efficiency, callus fresh weight, embryogenic callus percentage and plant regeneration percentage. Significant differences were observed among the genotypes, treatments and their interactions for the evaluated plant traits suggesting a great amount of variability for drought tolerance in sorghum. The correlation analysis also revealed strong and significant association between embryogenic callus percent and plant regeneration percent as well as between embryogenic callus percent and plant regeneration percent. By taking into consideration all the measured traits, Mann Whitney rank sum test revealed that 76T1#23 and Teshale followed by Meko, Gambella-1107 and Melkam showed better drought stress tolerance. Therefore they are recommended to be used as parents for genetic analysis, gene mapping and improvement of drought tolerance while Chelenko, Hormat and Raya appear to be drought sensitive.

Tolerance analysis on diffraction efficiency and polychromatic integral diffraction efficiency for harmonic diffractive optics

Science.gov (United States)

Shan, Mao

2016-10-01

In this dissertation, the mathematical model of effect of manufacturing errors including microstructure relative height error and relative width error on diffraction efficiency for the harmonic diffractive optical elements (HDEs) is set up. According to the expression of the phase delay and diffraction efficiency of the HDEs, the expression of diffraction efficiency of refraction and diffractive optical element with the microstructure height and periodic width errors in fabrication process is presented in this paper. Furthermore, the effect of manufacturing errors on diffraction efficiency for the harmonic diffractive optical elements is studied, and diffraction efficiency change is analyzed as the relative microstructure height-error in the same and in the opposite sign as well as relative width-error in the same and in the opposite sign. Example including infrared wavelength with materials GE has been discussed in this paper. Two kinds of manufacturing errors applied in 3.7 4.3um middle infrared and 8.7-11.5um far infrared optical system which results in diffraction efficiency and PIDE of HDEs are studied. The analysis results can be used for manufacturing error control in micro-structure height and periodic width. Results can be used for HDEs processing.

Real-Time Fault Tolerant Networking Protocols

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Henzinger, Thomas A

2004-01-01

We made significant progress in the areas of video streaming, wireless protocols, mobile ad-hoc and sensor networks, peer-to-peer systems, fault tolerant algorithms, dependability and timing analysis...

Diagnostic value of tolerance-related gene expression measured in the recipient alloantigen-reactive T cell fraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Dong-Gyun; Park, Youn-Hee; Kim, Sung-Eun; Jeong, Seong-Hee; Kim, Song-Cheol

2013-08-01

The efficient development of tolerance-inducing therapies and safe reduction of immunosuppression should be supported by early diagnosis and prediction of tolerance in transplantation. Using mouse models of donor-specific tolerance to allogeneic skin and islet grafts we tested whether measurement of tolerance-related gene expression in their alloantigen-reactive peripheral T cell fraction efficiently reflected the tolerance status of recipients. We found that Foxp3, Nrn1, and Klrg1 were preferentially expressed in conditions of tolerance compared with rejection or unmanipulated controls if their expression is measured in CD69(+) T cells prepared from coculture of recipient peripheral T cells and donor antigen-presenting cells. The same pattern of gene expression was observed in recipients grafted with either skin or islets, recipients of different genetic origins, and even those taking immunosuppressive drugs. These findings suggest that the expression of tolerance-related genes in the alloantigen-reactive T cell fraction could be used to detect tolerance in the clinic. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tolerance limits and tolerance intervals for ratios of normal random variables using a bootstrap calibration.

Science.gov (United States)

Flouri, Marilena; Zhai, Shuyan; Mathew, Thomas; Bebu, Ionut

2017-05-01

This paper addresses the problem of deriving one-sided tolerance limits and two-sided tolerance intervals for a ratio of two random variables that follow a bivariate normal distribution, or a lognormal/normal distribution. The methodology that is developed uses nonparametric tolerance limits based on a parametric bootstrap sample, coupled with a bootstrap calibration in order to improve accuracy. The methodology is also adopted for computing confidence limits for the median of the ratio random variable. Numerical results are reported to demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed approach. The methodology is illustrated using examples where ratio random variables are of interest: an example on the radioactivity count in reverse transcriptase assays and an example from the area of cost-effectiveness analysis in health economics. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Energy and spectrum efficiency in rural areas based on cognitive radio technology

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Masonta, MT

2009-09-01

Full Text Available spectrum scarcity in the most energy efficient manner. In this paper, researchers present the proposed work to be carried out as part of a doctoral thesis to address the spectrum scarcity and transmission power in energy constrained rural areas....

Rapid crown root development confers tolerance to zinc deficiency in rice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amrit Kaur eNanda

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Zinc (Zn deficiency is one of the leading nutrient disorders in rice (Oryza sativa. Many studies have identified Zn efficient rice genotypes, but causal mechanisms for Zn deficiency tolerance remain poorly understood. Here we report a detailed study of the impact of Zn deficiency on crown root development of rice genotypes, differing in their tolerance to this stress. Zn deficiency delayed crown root development and plant biomass accumulation in both Zn efficient and inefficient genotypes, with the effects being much stronger in the latter. Zn efficient genotypes had developed new crown roots as early as three days after transplanting (DAT to a Zn deficient field and that was followed by a significant increase in total biomass by 7 DAT. Zn-inefficient genotypes developed few new crown roots and did not increase biomass during the first seven days following transplanting. This correlated with Zn efficient genotypes retranslocating a higher proportion of shoot Zn to their roots, compared to Zn inefficient genotypes. These latter genotypes were furthermore not efficient in utilizing the limited Zn for root development. Histological analyses indicated no anomalies in crown tissue of Zn-efficient or inefficient genotypes that would have suggested crown root emergence was impeded. We therefore conclude that the rate of crown root initiation was differentially affected by Zn deficiency between genotypes. Rapid crown root development, following transplanting, was identified as a main causative trait for tolerance to Zn deficiency and better Zn retranslocation from shoot to root was a key attribute of Zn-efficient genotypes.

Quantitative trait loci mapping of heat tolerance in broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) using genotyping-by-sequencing.

Science.gov (United States)

Branham, Sandra E; Stansell, Zachary J; Couillard, David M; Farnham, Mark W

2017-03-01

Five quantitative trait loci and one epistatic interaction were associated with heat tolerance in a doubled haploid population of broccoli evaluated in three summer field trials. Predicted rising global temperatures due to climate change have generated a demand for crops that are resistant to yield and quality losses from heat stress. Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) is a cool weather crop with high temperatures during production decreasing both head quality and yield. Breeding for heat tolerance in broccoli has potential to both expand viable production areas and extend the growing season but breeding efficiency is constrained by limited genetic information. A doubled haploid (DH) broccoli population segregating for heat tolerance was evaluated for head quality in three summer fields in Charleston, SC, USA. Multiple quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping of 1,423 single nucleotide polymorphisms developed through genotyping-by-sequencing identified five QTL and one positive epistatic interaction that explained 62.1% of variation in heat tolerance. The QTL identified here can be used to develop markers for marker-assisted selection and to increase our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying plant response to heat stress.

Heat tolerance in wheat

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sharma, Dew Kumari

As a consequence of global climate change, heat stress together with other abiotic stresses will remain an important determinant of future food security. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the third most important crop of the world feeding one third of the world population. Being a crop of temperate...... climate, wheat is sensitive to heat stress. We need to understand how our crops will perform in these changing climatic conditions and how we can develop varieties, which are more tolerant. The PhD study focussed on understanding heat tolerance in wheat with a combined approach of plant physiology...... and quantitative genetics in particular, plant phenotyping based quantitative trait loci (QTL) discovery for a physiological trait under heat stress. Chlorophyll a fluorescence trait, Fv/Fm was used as a phenotyping tool, as it reflects the effect of heat stress on maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem...

Tolerance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tønder, Lars

is linked to a different set of circumstances than the ones suggested by existing models in contemporary democratic theory. Reorienting the discussion of tolerance, the book raises the question of how to disclose new possibilities within our given context of affect and perception. Once we move away from......Tolerance: A Sensorial Orientation to Politics is an experiment in re-orientation. The book is based on the wager that tolerance exceeds the more prevalent images of self-restraint and repressive benevolence because neither precludes the possibility of a more “active tolerance” motivated...... by the desire to experiment and to become otherwise. The objective is to discuss what gets lost, conceptually as well as politically, when we neglect the subsistence of active tolerance within other practices of tolerance, and to develop a theory of active tolerance in which tolerance's mobilizing character...

Natural History of Impaired Glucose Tolerance in Japanese Americans: Change in Visceral Adiposity is Associated with Remission from Impaired Glucose Tolerance to Normal Glucose Tolerance.

Science.gov (United States)

Onishi, Yukiko; Hayashi, Tomoshige; Sato, Kyoko K; Leonetti, Donna L; Kahn, Steven E; Fujimoto, Wilfred Y; Boyko, Edward J

2018-05-30

To describe the roles of intra-abdominal fat and its change in the remission of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) to normal glucose tolerance (NGT). We followed 157 Japanese Americans with IGT at baseline for 10-11 years without external intervention. We measured intra-abdominal and abdominal subcutaneous fat area (IAFA and ASFA) by computed tomography at baseline and at 5-6 years of follow-up. Change in IAFA and ASFA (ΔIAFA and ΔASFA) were calculated by subtracting baseline fat area from 5-6 year follow-up fat area. Glucose and insulin at fasting and during a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test, insulinogenic index (IGI [Δinsulin/Δglucose (30-0 min)]) and homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were measured at baseline. Fourty-four subjects remitted to NGT. Among those with lower IAFA (≤median 91.31 cm 2 ) and the lowest tertile of ΔIAFA, 45% remitted, while with higher IAFA (>91.31 cm 2 ) and the highest tertile of ΔIAFA, only 12.5% remitted. ΔIAFA was significantly associated with remission to NGT (multiple-adjusted odd ratio [1-SD decrease] 1.93, 95% CI 1.10-3.36) independent of IAFA, ASFA, ΔASFA, IGI, HOMA-IR, age, sex, and family history of diabetes. In the natural history of IGT, change in intra-abdominal fat was associated with remission to NGT. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

How to Improve Water Usage Efficiency? Characterization of Family Farms in A Semi-Arid Area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Piedra-Muñoz

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Water scarcity in Spain is partly due to poor management of this resource in the agricultural sector. The main aim of this study is to present the major factors related to water usage efficiency in farming. It focuses on the Almería coast, southeast Spain, which is one of the most arid areas of the country, and in particular, on family farms as the main direct managers of water use in this zone. Many of these farms are among the most water efficient in Spanish agriculture but this efficiency is not generalized throughout the sector. This work conducts a comprehensive assessment of water performance in this area, using on-farm water-use, structural, socio-economic, and environmental information. Two statistical techniques are used: descriptive analysis and cluster analysis. Thus, two groups are identified: farms that are less and farms that are more efficient regarding water usage. By analyzing both the common characteristics within each group and the differences between the groups with a one-way ANOVA analysis, several conclusions can be reached. The main differences between the two clusters center on the extent to which innovation and new technologies are used in irrigation. The most water efficient farms are characterized by more educated farmers, a greater degree of innovation, new irrigation technology, and an awareness of water issues and environmental sustainability. The findings of this study can be extended to farms in similar arid and semi-arid areas and contribute to fostering appropriate policies to improve the efficiency of water usage in the agricultural sector.

Ammonium and nitrate tolerance in lichens

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hauck, Markus, E-mail: mhauck@gwdg.d [Department of Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Goettingen, Untere Karspuele 2, 37073 Goettingen (Germany)

2010-05-15

Since lichens lack roots and take up water, solutes and gases over the entire thallus surface, these organisms respond more sensitively to changes in atmospheric purity than vascular plants. After centuries where effects of sulphur dioxide and acidity were in the focus of research on atmospheric chemistry and lichens, recently the globally increased levels of ammonia and nitrate increasingly affect lichen vegetation and gave rise to intense research on the tolerance of lichens to nitrogen pollution. The present paper discusses the main findings on the uptake of ammonia and nitrate in the lichen symbiosis and to the tolerance of lichens to eutrophication. Ammonia and nitrate are both efficiently taken up under ambient conditions. The tolerance to high nitrogen levels depends, among others, on the capability of the photobiont to provide sufficient amounts of carbon skeletons for ammonia assimilation. Lowly productive lichens are apparently predisposed to be sensitive to excess nitrogen. - Eutrophication has become a global threat for lichen diversity.

An appraisal of the classic forest succession paradigm with the shade tolerance index.

Science.gov (United States)

Lienard, Jean; Florescu, Ionut; Strigul, Nikolay

2015-01-01

In this paper we revisit the classic theory of forest succession that relates shade tolerance and species replacement and assess its validity to understand patch-mosaic patterns of forested ecosystems of the USA. We introduce a macroscopic parameter called the "shade tolerance index" and compare it to the classic continuum index in southern Wisconsin forests. We exemplify shade tolerance driven succession in White Pine-Eastern Hemlock forests using computer simulations and analyzing approximated chronosequence data from the USDA FIA forest inventory. We describe this parameter across the last 50 years in the ecoregions of mainland USA, and demonstrate that it does not correlate with the usual macroscopic characteristics of stand age, biomass, basal area, and biodiversity measures. We characterize the dynamics of shade tolerance index using transition matrices and delimit geographical areas based on the relevance of shade tolerance to explain forest succession. We conclude that shade tolerance driven succession is linked to climatic variables and can be considered as a primary driving factor of forest dynamics mostly in central-north and northeastern areas in the USA. Overall, the shade tolerance index constitutes a new quantitative approach that can be used to understand and predict succession of forested ecosystems and biogeographic patterns.

An appraisal of the classic forest succession paradigm with the shade tolerance index.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jean Lienard

Full Text Available In this paper we revisit the classic theory of forest succession that relates shade tolerance and species replacement and assess its validity to understand patch-mosaic patterns of forested ecosystems of the USA. We introduce a macroscopic parameter called the "shade tolerance index" and compare it to the classic continuum index in southern Wisconsin forests. We exemplify shade tolerance driven succession in White Pine-Eastern Hemlock forests using computer simulations and analyzing approximated chronosequence data from the USDA FIA forest inventory. We describe this parameter across the last 50 years in the ecoregions of mainland USA, and demonstrate that it does not correlate with the usual macroscopic characteristics of stand age, biomass, basal area, and biodiversity measures. We characterize the dynamics of shade tolerance index using transition matrices and delimit geographical areas based on the relevance of shade tolerance to explain forest succession. We conclude that shade tolerance driven succession is linked to climatic variables and can be considered as a primary driving factor of forest dynamics mostly in central-north and northeastern areas in the USA. Overall, the shade tolerance index constitutes a new quantitative approach that can be used to understand and predict succession of forested ecosystems and biogeographic patterns.

New sunflower hybrids tolerant to tribenuron-methyl

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Cvejić Sandra

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The creation of sunflower hybrids tolerant to tribenuron-methyl enabled the use of wider palette of herbicides to control effectively weeds during the growing season. Moreover, thanks to this tolerance, chemical control of broad-leaves weeds in sunflower, especially Cirsium arvense, is more efficient. The Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops offers four new hybrids tolerant to tribenuron-methyl: NS SUMO SUN, NS SUMO STAR, NS SUMO SjAj and NS SUMO SOL, released in 2016. Hybrids belong to early and medium-early maturity groups; have high yield potential and high oil content. They are adapted for cultivation in different environmental conditions. All hybrids are resistant to broomrape (Orobanche cumana Wallr races from A-E and have a high level of tolerance to Phomopsis, white rot (Sclerotinia sclorotiorum, rust (Puccinia helianthi and others. The paper presents the results of seed and oil yield from the official trials of the Department of variety registration within the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Serbia.

High efficiency and broad bandwidth grating coupler between nanophotonic waveguide and fibre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Zhu; Xue-Jun, Xu; Zhi-Yong, Li; Liang, Zhou; Yu-De, Yu; Jin-Zhong, Yu; Wei-Hua, Han; Zhong-Chao, Fan

2010-01-01

A high efficiency and broad bandwidth grating coupler between a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) nanophotonic waveguide and fibre is designed and fabricated. Coupling efficiencies of 46% and 25% at a wavelength of 1.55 μm are achieved by simulation and experiment, respectively. An optical 3 dB bandwidth of 45 nm from 1530 nm to 1575 nm is also obtained in experiment. Numerical calculation shows that a tolerance to fabrication error of 10 nm in etch depth is achievable. The measurement results indicate that the alignment error of ±2 μm results in less than 1 dB additional coupling loss. (classical areas of phenomenology)

The peer effect on pain tolerance.

Science.gov (United States)

Engebretsen, Solveig; Frigessi, Arnoldo; Engø-Monsen, Kenth; Furberg, Anne-Sofie; Stubhaug, Audun; de Blasio, Birgitte Freiesleben; Nielsen, Christopher Sivert

2018-05-19

Twin studies have found that approximately half of the variance in pain tolerance can be explained by genetic factors, while shared family environment has a negligible effect. Hence, a large proportion of the variance in pain tolerance is explained by the (non-shared) unique environment. The social environment beyond the family is a potential candidate for explaining some of the variance in pain tolerance. Numerous individual traits have previously shown to be associated with friendship ties. In this study, we investigate whether pain tolerance is associated with friendship ties. We study the friendship effect on pain tolerance by considering data from the Tromsø Study: Fit Futures I, which contains pain tolerance measurements and social network information for adolescents attending first year of upper secondary school in the Tromsø area in Northern Norway. Pain tolerance was measured with the cold-pressor test (primary outcome), contact heat and pressure algometry. We analyse the data by using statistical methods from social network analysis. Specifically, we compute pairwise correlations in pain tolerance among friends. We also fit network autocorrelation models to the data, where the pain tolerance of an individual is explained by (among other factors) the average pain tolerance of the individual's friends. We find a significant and positive relationship between the pain tolerance of an individual and the pain tolerance of their friends. The estimated effect is that for every 1 s increase in friends' average cold-pressor tolerance time, the expected cold-pressor pain tolerance of the individual increases by 0.21 s (p-value: 0.0049, sample size n=997). This estimated effect is controlled for sex. The friendship effect remains significant when controlling for potential confounders such as lifestyle factors and test sequence among the students. Further investigating the role of sex on this friendship effect, we only find a significant peer effect of male friends

Optical and mechanical tolerances in hybrid concentrated thermal-PV solar trough.

Science.gov (United States)

Diaz, Liliana Ruiz; Cocilovo, Byron; Miles, Alexander; Pan, Wei; Blanche, Pierre-Alexandre; Norwood, Robert A

2018-05-14

Hybrid thermal-PV solar trough collectors combine concentrated photovoltaics and concentrated solar power technology to harvest and store solar energy. In this work, the optical and mechanical requirements for optimal efficiency are analyzed using non-sequential ray tracing techniques. The results are used to generate opto-mechanical tolerances that can be compared to those of traditional solar collectors. We also explore ideas on how to relieve tracking tolerances for single-axis solar collectors. The objective is to establish a basis for tolerances required for the fabrication and manufacturing of hybrid solar trough collectors.

Tolerância ao frio do amendoim forrageiro Cold tolerance of forage peanut

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana Pires Soares Bresolin

2008-08-01

Full Text Available A produtividade de uma pastagem perene tropical, em regiões de clima temperado, é dependente de seu comportamento em relação às condições de temperatura. A avaliação da sensibilidade das plantas, através da sua exposição a temperaturas inferiores a 2°C em ambiente controlado, pode ser um procedimento bastante eficiente na predição de resistência, em função de assegurar uma homogeneidade dos níveis de frio. Considerando-se à reduzida disponibilidade de trabalhos científicos relacionados com a avaliação de leguminosas forrageiras tropicais quanto à tolerância ao frio, este experimento teve como objetivo avaliar o comportamento do amendoim forrageiro (cv. "Amarillo" sob temperaturas inferiores a 2°C. O delineamento experimental adotado foi completamente casualizado com 15 repetições e dois tratamentos, com exposição (CE e sem exposição ao frio (SE. Os caracteres mensurados foram: número de folhas por estolho, espessura do estolho e número de brotações novas. Os resultados indicaram que a exposição do amendoim forrageiro a um intervalo de temperatura de -1,0 a 1,3°C por um período de 3 horas é capaz de causar estresse de frio nas plantas, provocando uma redução no número de folhas e estimulando a formação de novas brotações, sem provocar a morte das plantas.The yield of tropical perennial forages in temperate climate areas depends on its cold tolerance. The exposure of genotypes to temperatures below 2oC, under controlled conditions is an efficient methodology to predict cold tolerance, since it maintains homogeneous levels of cold. Due to absence of information related to cold tolerance of tropical forages, this experiment was developed aiming to evaluate the behavior of forage peanut exposed to temperatures below 2oC. The design adopted was completely randomized with 15 replications and two treatments: exposed and not exposed to cold. The traits measured were: number of leaves per stolon; thickness

Area efficient decimation filter based on merged delay transformation for wireless applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rashid, U.; Siddiq, F.; Muhammad, T.; Jamal, H.

2013-01-01

Expected by 2014 is the 4G standard for cellular wireless communications, which will improve bandwidth, connectivity and roaming for mobile and stationary devices, 4G and other wireless systems are currently hot topics of research and development in the communication field. In wireless technologies like Global System for Mobile (GSM), Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) and Wi-Fi, decimation filters are essential part of transceivers being used. This paper describes a decimation filter which is efficient in terms of both the power consumption and the area used. The architecture is based upon Merged Delay Transformation (MDT). The existing Merged Delay Transformed Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) architecture is power efficient but requires larger area. The proposed and existing filters were implemented on Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The computational cost of the proposed filter is reduced to (3N/2 + 1) and M-1 times reduction in the number of multipliers in comparison to the existing FIR filter is achieved. The power consumption and speed remain nearly the same. (author)

A solvent- and vacuum-free route to large-area perovskite films for efficient solar modules

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Han; Ye, Fei; Tang, Wentao; He, Jinjin; Yin, Maoshu; Wang, Yanbo; Xie, Fengxian; Bi, Enbing; Yang, Xudong; Grätzel, Michael; Han, Liyuan

2017-10-01

Recent advances in the use of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites for optoelectronics have been rapid, with reported power conversion efficiencies of up to 22 per cent for perovskite solar cells. Improvements in stability have also enabled testing over a timescale of thousands of hours. However, large-scale deployment of such cells will also require the ability to produce large-area, uniformly high-quality perovskite films. A key challenge is to overcome the substantial reduction in power conversion efficiency when a small device is scaled up: a reduction from over 20 per cent to about 10 per cent is found when a common aperture area of about 0.1 square centimetres is increased to more than 25 square centimetres. Here we report a new deposition route for methyl ammonium lead halide perovskite films that does not rely on use of a common solvent or vacuum: rather, it relies on the rapid conversion of amine complex precursors to perovskite films, followed by a pressure application step. The deposited perovskite films were free of pin-holes and highly uniform. Importantly, the new deposition approach can be performed in air at low temperatures, facilitating fabrication of large-area perovskite devices. We reached a certified power conversion efficiency of 12.1 per cent with an aperture area of 36.1 square centimetres for a mesoporous TiO2-based perovskite solar module architecture.

An Area-Efficient Reconfigurable LDPC Decoder with Conflict Resolution

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Changsheng; Huang, Yuebin; Huang, Shuangqu; Chen, Yun; Zeng, Xiaoyang

Based on Turbo-Decoding Message-Passing (TDMP) and Normalized Min-Sum (NMS) algorithm, an area efficient LDPC decoder that supports both structured and unstructured LDPC codes is proposed in this paper. We introduce a solution to solve the memory access conflict problem caused by TDMP algorithm. We also arrange the main timing schedule carefully to handle the operations of our solution while avoiding much additional hardware consumption. To reduce the memory bits needed, the extrinsic message storing strategy is also optimized. Besides the extrinsic message recover and the accumulate operation are merged together. To verify our architecture, a LDPC decoder that supports both China Multimedia Mobile Broadcasting (CMMB) and Digital Terrestrial/ Television Multimedia Broadcasting (DTMB) standards is developed using SMIC 0.13µm standard CMOS process. The core area is 4.75mm2 and the maximum operating clock frequency is 200MHz. The estimated power consumption is 48.4mW at 25MHz for CMMB and 130.9mW at 50MHz for DTMB with 5 iterations and 1.2V supply.

Fault-tolerant architectures for superconducting qubits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DiVincenzo, David P

2009-01-01

In this short review, I draw attention to new developments in the theory of fault tolerance in quantum computation that may give concrete direction to future work in the development of superconducting qubit systems. The basics of quantum error-correction codes, which I will briefly review, have not significantly changed since their introduction 15 years ago. But an interesting picture has emerged of an efficient use of these codes that may put fault-tolerant operation within reach. It is now understood that two-dimensional surface codes, close relatives of the original toric code of Kitaev, can be adapted as shown by Raussendorf and Harrington to effectively perform logical gate operations in a very simple planar architecture, with error thresholds for fault-tolerant operation simulated to be 0.75%. This architecture uses topological ideas in its functioning, but it is not 'topological quantum computation'-there are no non-abelian anyons in sight. I offer some speculations on the crucial pieces of superconducting hardware that could be demonstrated in the next couple of years that would be clear stepping stones towards this surface-code architecture.

Novel neural networks-based fault tolerant control scheme with fault alarm.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Qikun; Jiang, Bin; Shi, Peng; Lim, Cheng-Chew

2014-11-01

In this paper, the problem of adaptive active fault-tolerant control for a class of nonlinear systems with unknown actuator fault is investigated. The actuator fault is assumed to have no traditional affine appearance of the system state variables and control input. The useful property of the basis function of the radial basis function neural network (NN), which will be used in the design of the fault tolerant controller, is explored. Based on the analysis of the design of normal and passive fault tolerant controllers, by using the implicit function theorem, a novel NN-based active fault-tolerant control scheme with fault alarm is proposed. Comparing with results in the literature, the fault-tolerant control scheme can minimize the time delay between fault occurrence and accommodation that is called the time delay due to fault diagnosis, and reduce the adverse effect on system performance. In addition, the FTC scheme has the advantages of a passive fault-tolerant control scheme as well as the traditional active fault-tolerant control scheme's properties. Furthermore, the fault-tolerant control scheme requires no additional fault detection and isolation model which is necessary in the traditional active fault-tolerant control scheme. Finally, simulation results are presented to demonstrate the efficiency of the developed techniques.

Network Candidate Genes in Breeding for Drought Tolerant Crops

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christoph Tim Krannich

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Climate change leading to increased periods of low water availability as well as increasing demands for food in the coming years makes breeding for drought tolerant crops a high priority. Plants have developed diverse strategies and mechanisms to survive drought stress. However, most of these represent drought escape or avoidance strategies like early flowering or low stomatal conductance that are not applicable in breeding for crops with high yields under drought conditions. Even though a great deal of research is ongoing, especially in cereals, in this regard, not all mechanisms involved in drought tolerance are yet understood. The identification of candidate genes for drought tolerance that have a high potential to be used for breeding drought tolerant crops represents a challenge. Breeding for drought tolerant crops has to focus on acceptable yields under water-limited conditions and not on survival. However, as more and more knowledge about the complex networks and the cross talk during drought is available, more options are revealed. In addition, it has to be considered that conditioning a crop for drought tolerance might require the production of metabolites and might cost the plants energy and resources that cannot be used in terms of yield. Recent research indicates that yield penalty exists and efficient breeding for drought tolerant crops with acceptable yields under well-watered and drought conditions might require uncoupling yield penalty from drought tolerance.

Modular Multilevel Converter Control Strategy with Fault Tolerance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Teodorescu, Remus; Eni, Emanuel-Petre; Mathe, Laszlo

2013-01-01

The Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) technology has recently emerged in VSC-HVDC applications where it demonstrated higher efficiency and fault tolerance compared to the classical 2-level topology. Due to the ability of MMC to connect to HV levels, MMC can be also used in transformerless STATCOM...

Evaluating of the spatial heterogeneity of soil loss tolerance and its effects on erosion risk in the carbonate areas of southern China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Li

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Soil loss tolerance (T value is one of the criteria in determining the necessity of erosion control measures and ecological restoration strategy. However, the validity of this criterion in subtropical karst regions is strongly disputed. In this study, T value is calculated based on soil formation rate by using a digital distribution map of carbonate rock assemblage types. Results indicated a spatial heterogeneity and diversity in soil loss tolerance. Instead of only one criterion, a minimum of three criteria should be considered when investigating the carbonate areas of southern China because the one region, one T value concept may not be applicable to this region. T value is proportionate to the amount of argillaceous material, which determines the surface soil thickness of the formations in homogenous carbonate rock areas. Homogenous carbonate rock, carbonate rock intercalated with clastic rock areas and carbonate/clastic rock alternation areas have T values of 20, 50 and 100 t/(km2 a, and they are extremely, severely and moderately sensitive to soil erosion. Karst rocky desertification (KRD is defined as extreme soil erosion and reflects the risks of erosion. Thus, the relationship between T value and erosion risk is determined using KRD as a parameter. The existence of KRD land is unrelated to the T value, although this parameter indicates erosion sensitivity. Erosion risk is strongly dependent on the relationship between real soil loss (RL and T value rather than on either erosion intensity or the T value itself. If RL > > T, then the erosion risk is high despite of a low RL. Conversely, if T > > RL, then the soil is safe although RL is high. Overall, these findings may clarify the heterogeneity of T value and its effect on erosion risk in a karst environment.

Selective labelling and eradication of antibiotic-tolerant bacterial populations in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms

Science.gov (United States)

Chua, Song Lin; Yam, Joey Kuok Hoong; Hao, Piliang; Adav, Sunil S.; Salido, May Margarette; Liu, Yang; Givskov, Michael; Sze, Siu Kwan; Tolker-Nielsen, Tim; Yang, Liang

2016-01-01

Drug resistance and tolerance greatly diminish the therapeutic potential of antibiotics against pathogens. Antibiotic tolerance by bacterial biofilms often leads to persistent infections, but its mechanisms are unclear. Here we use a proteomics approach, pulsed stable isotope labelling with amino acids (pulsed-SILAC), to quantify newly expressed proteins in colistin-tolerant subpopulations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms (colistin is a ‘last-resort' antibiotic against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens). Migration is essential for the formation of colistin-tolerant biofilm subpopulations, with colistin-tolerant cells using type IV pili to migrate onto the top of the colistin-killed biofilm. The colistin-tolerant cells employ quorum sensing (QS) to initiate the formation of new colistin-tolerant subpopulations, highlighting multicellular behaviour in antibiotic tolerance development. The macrolide erythromycin, which has been previously shown to inhibit the motility and QS of P. aeruginosa, boosts biofilm eradication by colistin. Our work provides insights on the mechanisms underlying the formation of antibiotic-tolerant populations in bacterial biofilms and indicates research avenues for designing more efficient treatments against biofilm-associated infections. PMID:26892159

Selective labelling and eradication of antibiotic-tolerant bacterial populations in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms.

Science.gov (United States)

Chua, Song Lin; Yam, Joey Kuok Hoong; Hao, Piliang; Adav, Sunil S; Salido, May Margarette; Liu, Yang; Givskov, Michael; Sze, Siu Kwan; Tolker-Nielsen, Tim; Yang, Liang

2016-02-19

Drug resistance and tolerance greatly diminish the therapeutic potential of antibiotics against pathogens. Antibiotic tolerance by bacterial biofilms often leads to persistent infections, but its mechanisms are unclear. Here we use a proteomics approach, pulsed stable isotope labelling with amino acids (pulsed-SILAC), to quantify newly expressed proteins in colistin-tolerant subpopulations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms (colistin is a 'last-resort' antibiotic against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens). Migration is essential for the formation of colistin-tolerant biofilm subpopulations, with colistin-tolerant cells using type IV pili to migrate onto the top of the colistin-killed biofilm. The colistin-tolerant cells employ quorum sensing (QS) to initiate the formation of new colistin-tolerant subpopulations, highlighting multicellular behaviour in antibiotic tolerance development. The macrolide erythromycin, which has been previously shown to inhibit the motility and QS of P. aeruginosa, boosts biofilm eradication by colistin. Our work provides insights on the mechanisms underlying the formation of antibiotic-tolerant populations in bacterial biofilms and indicates research avenues for designing more efficient treatments against biofilm-associated infections.

Modifying Yeast Tolerance to Inhibitory Conditions of Ethanol Production Processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Caspeta, Luis; Castillo, Tania; Nielsen, Jens

2015-01-01

Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains having a broad range of substrate utilization, rapid substrate consumption, and conversion to ethanol, as well as good tolerance to inhibitory conditions are ideal for cost-competitive ethanol production from lignocellulose. A major drawback to directly design S....... cerevisiae tolerance to inhibitory conditions of lignocellulosic ethanol production processes is the lack of knowledge about basic aspects of its cellular signaling network in response to stress. Here, we highlight the inhibitory conditions found in ethanol production processes, the targeted cellular...... functions, the key contributions of integrated -omics analysis to reveal cellular stress responses according to these inhibitors, and current status on design-based engineering of tolerant and efficient S. cerevisiae strains for ethanol production from lignocellulose....

An energy-efficient leader election mechanism for wireless body area networks

OpenAIRE

Zhang , Rongrong; Moungla , Hassine; Mehaoua , Ahmed

2014-01-01

International audience; In Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs), the energy consumption determines the lifetime of the entire network. As a result, how to conserve the energy to prolong the network lifetime becomes a key problem in WBANs. In this paper, to address the energy conservation problem in WBANs, we develop an Energy-Efficient Leader Election mechanism, called EELE. In EELE, each node competes for the leader following the distributed leader election algorithm in which a utility functi...

From War to Tolerance? Bottom-up and Top-down Approaches to (Rebuilding Interethnic Ties in the Areas of the Former Yugoslavia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boris Banovac

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In recent history the Balkans passed through periods of conflict and violence typical of many post-imperial nation-states that are unable to establish lateral links with their neighbors without or outside the central (imperial connection. In a way, these states imitated historical path of imperial conquests. In this regard, ethnic conflicts that escalated into wars of the former Yugoslavia can be taken as examples of an erratic transformation of post-imperial into modern nation-states that are eager to build up democracy at home and develop peaceful coexistence with others in international environment. Nevertheless, not all multiethnic areas were caught up in violence (e.g. instances of “peace enclaves” in multiethnic areas in Croatia, Bosnia and Heregovina and in Kosovo. Through such examples, which will be illustrated with results of empirical research, we recognize potentials for building tolerance from below. On the other hand, in most other places peace was a follow up of post-conflict processes. In these cases, local potentials of ethnic tolerance were rather weak. The paper provides some examples illustrating regional differences in this regard within Croatia. Actually, the whole process of normalization of ethnic relations in peaceful terms is far from being linear and is hardly going smoothly. Some parts of national elites foster distance and antagonism against the ”others”. On the other hand, especially following EU accession of Croatia, nationalistic rhetoric significantly receded on the level of the official politics. The question is then whether the impact of policies in institutional sphere, both national and international, i.e. top-down approach, is decisive in shaping inter-ethnic relations. The conclusion is that the institutional, top-down arrangements of peace and tolerance cannot be sustainable without concomitant bottom-up processes on micro level, which theoretically corresponds to a “conformant policy” against

Effect of aging and oral tolerance on dendritic cell function.

Science.gov (United States)

Simioni, P U; Fernandes, L G R; Gabriel, D L; Tamashiro, W M S C

2010-01-01

Oral tolerance can be induced in some mouse strains by gavage or spontaneous ingestion of dietary antigens. In the present study, we determined the influence of aging and oral tolerance on the secretion of co-stimulatory molecules by dendritic cells (DC), and on the ability of DC to induce proliferation and cytokine secretion by naive T cells from BALB/c and OVA transgenic (DO11.10) mice. We observed that oral tolerance could be induced in BALB/c mice (N = 5 in each group) of all ages (8, 20, 40, 60, and 80 weeks old), although a decline in specific antibody levels was observed in the sera of both tolerized and immunized mice with advancing age (40 to 80 weeks old). DC obtained from young, adult and middle-aged (8, 20, and 40 weeks old) tolerized mice were less efficient (65, 17 and 20%, respectively) than DC from immunized mice (P stimulating IFN-g, IL-4 and IL-10 production. However, TGF-beta levels were significantly elevated in co-cultures carried out with DC from tolerant mice (P production (P oral tolerance in BALB/c mice, but reduces DC functions, probably due to the decline of the expression of the CD86 surface marker.

Efficient heat generation in large-area graphene films by electromagnetic wave absorption

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Sangmin; Choi, Haehyun; Lee, Soo Bin; Park, Seong Chae; Park, Jong Bo; Lee, Sangkyu; Kim, Youngsoo; Hong, Byung Hee

2017-06-01

Graphene has been intensively studied due to its outstanding electrical and thermal properties. Recently, it was found that the heat generation by Joule heating of graphene is limited by the conductivity of graphene. Here we suggest an alternative method to generate heat on a large-area graphene film more efficiently by utilizing the unique electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption property of graphene. The EM wave induces an oscillating magnetic moment generated by the orbital motion of moving electrons, which efficiently absorbs the EM energy and dissipate it as a thermal energy. In this case, the mobility of electron is more important than the conductivity, because the EM-induced diamagnetic moment is directly proportional to the speed of electron in an orbital motion. To control the charge carrier mobility of graphene we functionalized substrates with self-assembled monolayers (SAM). As the result, we find that the graphene showing the Dirac voltage close to zero can be more efficiently heated by EM waves. In addition, the temperature gradient also depends on the number of graphene. We expect that the efficient and fast heating of graphene films by EM waves can be utilized for smart heating windows and defogging windshields.

High Power Radiation Tolerant CubeSat Power System, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — No vendor has yet to provide a radiation tolerant, high efficiency, small Power Management and Distribution module for the SmallSat and CubeSat market yet. Let alone...

Flood tolerance of oak seedlings from bottomland and upland sites

Science.gov (United States)

Michael P. Walsh; Jerry Van Sambeek; Mark Coggeshall; David. Gwaze

2009-01-01

Artificial regeneration of oak species in floodplains presents numerous challenges because of the seasonal flooding associated with these areas. Utilizing not only flood-tolerant oak species, but also flood tolerant seed sources of the oak species, may serve to enhance seedling survival and growth rates. Despite the importance of these factors to hardwood forest...

Tolerance of Septoria nodorum Berk. in wheat: inheritance and potential in breeding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fossati, A.; Broennimann, A.

1976-01-01

Investigations in the genetics of tolerance towards Septoria nodorum Berk. in wheat showed that this tolerance is inherited polygenically and mainly additively. This has to be considered when breeding for tolerance. Crosses should be carried out between parents of the highest possible tolerance. Breeding for tolerance is carried out in two different manners: Conventional breeding and with the use of mutation techniques. The conventional breeding program can be divided into three steps: The choice of the parents, the selection in the narrow sense (F 2 - F 5 ) and the evaluation of the tolerant lines (F 6 till about F 9 ). When producing mutants with tolerance towards Septoria nodorum, another cultivar is treated every year in order to enlarge the genetical basis for selection. 7 cultivars have been treated since 1967. Some tolerant lines could be selected from most of the cultivars used for this treatment. The efficiency of the mutation and selection techniques used is discussed in the case of the cultivar Fermo. Besides the real improvement of tolerance the selection was accompanied in general also by an increase in plant height and grain size. But some tolerant mutants were also found which did not show these side effects. Furthermore, some mutants were selected in which the progress of infection is slowed down. (author)

RAPD tagging of salt tolerance gene in rice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding, H.; Zhang, G.; Guo, Y.; Chen, S.; Chen, S.

1998-01-01

Salinity, which is critical in determining the growth and development of plants, is a major problem affecting ever-increasing areas throughout the world. A salt tolerant rice mutant (M-20) was obtained from accession 77-170 (Oryza sativa) through EMS mutagenesis and selection in vitro. The use of 220 10-mer RAPD primers allowed the identification of a new molecular marker, whose genetic distance from a salt tolerance gene is about 16.4 cM. (author)

Native-Invasive Plants vs. Halophytes in Mediterranean Salt Marshes: Stress Tolerance Mechanisms in Two Related Species.

Science.gov (United States)

Al Hassan, Mohamad; Chaura, Juliana; López-Gresa, María P; Borsai, Orsolya; Daniso, Enrico; Donat-Torres, María P; Mayoral, Olga; Vicente, Oscar; Boscaiu, Monica

2016-01-01

Dittrichia viscosa is a Mediterranean ruderal species that over the last decades has expanded into new habitats, including coastal salt marshes, ecosystems that are per se fragile and threatened by human activities. To assess the potential risk that this native-invasive species represents for the genuine salt marsh vegetation, we compared its distribution with that of Inula crithmoides, a taxonomically related halophyte, in three salt marshes located in "La Albufera" Natural Park, near the city of Valencia (East Spain). The presence of D. viscosa was restricted to areas of low and moderate salinity, while I. crithmoides was also present in the most saline zones of the salt marshes. Analyses of the responses of the two species to salt and water stress treatments in controlled experiments revealed that both activate the same physiological stress tolerance mechanisms, based essentially on the transport of toxic ions to the leaves-where they are presumably compartmentalized in vacuoles-and the accumulation of specific osmolytes for osmotic adjustment. The two species differ in the efficiency of those mechanisms: salt-induced increases in Na(+) and Cl(-) contents were higher in I. crithmoides than in D. viscosa, and the osmolytes (especially glycine betaine, but also arabinose, fructose and glucose) accumulated at higher levels in the former species. This explains the (slightly) higher stress tolerance of I. crithmoides, as compared to D. viscosa, established from growth inhibition measurements and their distribution in nature. The possible activation of K(+) transport to the leaves under high salinity conditions may also contribute to salt tolerance in I. crithmoides. Oxidative stress level-estimated from malondialdehyde accumulation-was higher in the less tolerant D. viscosa, which consequently activated antioxidant responses as a defense mechanism against stress; these responses were weaker or absent in the more tolerant I. crithmoides. Based on these results, we

Native-invasive plants vs. halophytes in Mediterranean salt marshes: Stress tolerance mechanisms in two related species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamad eAl Hassan

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Dittrichia viscosa is a Mediterranean ruderal species that over the last decades has expanded into new habitats, including coastal salt marshes, ecosystems that are per se fragile and threatened by human activities. To assess the potential risk that this native-invasive species represents for the genuine salt marsh vegetation, we compared its distribution with that of Inula crithmoides, a taxonomically related halophyte, in three salt marshes located in ‘La Albufera’ Natural Park, near the city of Valencia (East Spain. The presence of D. viscosa was restricted to areas of low and moderate salinity, while I. crithmoides was also present in the most saline zones of the salt marshes. Analyses of the responses of the two species to salt and water stress treatments in controlled experiments revealed that both activate the same physiological stress tolerance mechanisms, based essentially on the transport of toxic ions to the leaves – where they are presumably compartmentalized in vacuoles – and the accumulation of specific osmolytes for osmotic adjustment. The two species differ in the efficiency of those mechanisms: salt-induced increases in Na+ and Cl- contents were higher in I. crithmoides than in D. viscosa, and the osmolytes (especially glycine betaine, but also arabinose, fructose and glucose accumulated at higher levels in the former species. This explains the (slightly higher stress tolerance of I. crithmoides, as compared to D. viscosa, established from growth inhibition measurements and their distribution in nature. The possible activation of K+ transport to the leaves under high salinity conditions may also contribute to salt tolerance in I. crithmoides. Oxidative stress level – estimated from malondialdehyde accumulation – was higher in the less tolerant D. viscosa, which consequently activated antioxidant responses as a defense mechanism against stress; these responses were weaker or absent in the more tolerant I. crithmoides

Organic Solvent Tolerant Lipases and Applications

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Shivika Sharma

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Lipases are a group of enzymes naturally endowed with the property of performing reactions in aqueous as well as organic solvents. The esterification reactions using lipase(s could be performed in water-restricted organic media as organic solvent(s not only improve(s the solubility of substrate and reactant in reaction mixture but also permit(s the reaction in the reverse direction, and often it is easy to recover the product in organic phase in two-phase equilibrium systems. The use of organic solvent tolerant lipase in organic media has exhibited many advantages: increased activity and stability, regiospecificity and stereoselectivity, higher solubility of substrate, ease of products recovery, and ability to shift the reaction equilibrium toward synthetic direction. Therefore the search for organic solvent tolerant enzymes has been an extensive area of research. A variety of fatty acid esters are now being produced commercially using immobilized lipase in nonaqueous solvents. This review describes the organic tolerance and industrial application of lipases. The main emphasis is to study the nature of organic solvent tolerant lipases. Also, the potential industrial applications that make lipases the biocatalysts of choice for the present and future have been presented.

Is Tolerance of Faiths Helpful in English School Policy? Reification, Complexity, and Values Education

Science.gov (United States)

Bowie, Robert

2017-01-01

Government policies for teachers and schools in England promote values including tolerance of faiths and beliefs alongside law keeping, democracy, and respect. Tolerance of faiths has been highlighted as a key value but complexities around tolerance make interpretations and applications of the policy difficult. Policy documents in this area are…

Towards Efficient Wireless Body Area Network Using Two-Way Relay Cooperation.

Science.gov (United States)

Waheed, Maham; Ahmad, Rizwan; Ahmed, Waqas; Drieberg, Micheal; Alam, Muhammad Mahtab

2018-02-13

The fabrication of lightweight, ultra-thin, low power and intelligent body-borne sensors leads to novel advances in wireless body area networks (WBANs). Depending on the placement of the nodes, it is characterized as in/on body WBAN; thus, the channel is largely affected by body posture, clothing, muscle movement, body temperature and climatic conditions. The energy resources are limited and it is not feasible to replace the sensor's battery frequently. In order to keep the sensor in working condition, the channel resources should be reserved. The lifetime of the sensor is very crucial and it highly depends on transmission among sensor nodes and energy consumption. The reliability and energy efficiency in WBAN applications play a vital role. In this paper, the analytical expressions for energy efficiency (EE) and packet error rate (PER) are formulated for two-way relay cooperative communication. The results depict better reliability and efficiency compared to direct and one-way relay communication. The effective performance range of direct vs. cooperative communication is separated by a threshold distance. Based on EE calculations, an optimal packet size is observed that provides maximum efficiency over a certain link length. A smart and energy efficient system is articulated that utilizes all three communication modes, namely direct, one-way relay and two-way relay, as the direct link performs better for a certain range, but the cooperative communication gives better results for increased distance in terms of EE. The efficacy of the proposed hybrid scheme is also demonstrated over a practical quasi-static channel. Furthermore, link length extension and diversity is achieved by joint network-channel (JNC) coding the cooperative link.

Towards Efficient Wireless Body Area Network Using Two-Way Relay Cooperation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maham Waheed

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The fabrication of lightweight, ultra-thin, low power and intelligent body-borne sensors leads to novel advances in wireless body area networks (WBANs. Depending on the placement of the nodes, it is characterized as in/on body WBAN; thus, the channel is largely affected by body posture, clothing, muscle movement, body temperature and climatic conditions. The energy resources are limited and it is not feasible to replace the sensor’s battery frequently. In order to keep the sensor in working condition, the channel resources should be reserved. The lifetime of the sensor is very crucial and it highly depends on transmission among sensor nodes and energy consumption. The reliability and energy efficiency in WBAN applications play a vital role. In this paper, the analytical expressions for energy efficiency (EE and packet error rate (PER are formulated for two-way relay cooperative communication. The results depict better reliability and efficiency compared to direct and one-way relay communication. The effective performance range of direct vs. cooperative communication is separated by a threshold distance. Based on EE calculations, an optimal packet size is observed that provides maximum efficiency over a certain link length. A smart and energy efficient system is articulated that utilizes all three communication modes, namely direct, one-way relay and two-way relay, as the direct link performs better for a certain range, but the cooperative communication gives better results for increased distance in terms of EE. The efficacy of the proposed hybrid scheme is also demonstrated over a practical quasi-static channel. Furthermore, link length extension and diversity is achieved by joint network-channel (JNC coding the cooperative link.

Role of donor lymphoid cells in the transfer of allograft tolerance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pierce, G.E.; Watts, L.M.

1985-01-01

Tolerance to murine skin allografts across a MHC disparity was induced by conditioning primary hosts with sublethal fractionated total-body irradiation (FTBI) and transfusion of allogeneic bone marrow (BM). Tolerance could be adoptively transferred to secondary hosts conditioned by FTBI with infusion of spleen cells from hosts bearing intact skin allografts greater than 60 days. Tolerance could not be transferred by tolerant host spleen (THS) preparations from which cells of the donor genotype had been deleted by cytotoxic alloantisera. Deletion of host genotype cells, however, did not diminish the capability of THS to transfer tolerance. All of the tolerizing activity of THS appeared to reside within cells of the donor genotype. Small numbers of normal donor spleen cells could induce tolerance in FTBI hosts but only at the expense of very high mortality, in contrast to the low mortality observed with tolerizing injections of allogeneic donor cells from THS or injections of normal semiallogeneic F1 hybrid spleen cells. If an active immune response is responsible for tolerance induction/transfer in this model, allogeneic donor lymphoid cells derived from BM, in contrast to donor spleen cells, must be capable of mounting this response without concomitant severe GVHD. In future experiments, cells of donor genotype can be isolated from THS and purified in sufficient numbers to compare their tolerizing efficiency vs. that of normal donor cells, detect possible suppression of normal host cell alloreactivity in vitro and identify the donor cell phenotypes involved

Predicting Neuroinflammation in Morphine Tolerance for Tolerance Therapy from Immunostaining Images of Rat Spinal Cord.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shinn-Long Lin

Full Text Available Long-term morphine treatment leads to tolerance which attenuates analgesic effect and hampers clinical utilization. Recent studies have sought to reveal the mechanism of opioid receptors and neuroinflammation by observing morphological changes of cells in the rat spinal cord. This work proposes a high-content screening (HCS based computational method, HCS-Morph, for predicting neuroinflammation in morphine tolerance to facilitate the development of tolerance therapy using immunostaining images for astrocytes, microglia, and neurons in the spinal cord. HCS-Morph first extracts numerous HCS-based features of cellular phenotypes. Next, an inheritable bi-objective genetic algorithm is used to identify a minimal set of features by maximizing the prediction accuracy of neuroinflammation. Finally, a mathematic model using a support vector machine with the identified features is established to predict drug-treated images to assess the effects of tolerance therapy. The dataset consists of 15 saline controls (1 μl/h, 15 morphine-tolerant rats (15 μg/h, and 10 rats receiving a co-infusion of morphine (15 μg/h and gabapentin (15 μg/h, Sigma. The three individual models of astrocytes, microglia, and neurons for predicting neuroinflammation yielded respective Jackknife test accuracies of 96.67%, 90.00%, and 86.67% on the 30 rats, and respective independent test accuracies of 100%, 90%, and 60% on the 10 co-infused rats. The experimental results suggest that neuroinflammation activity expresses more predominantly in astrocytes and microglia than in neuron cells. The set of features for predicting neuroinflammation from images of astrocytes comprises mean cell intensity, total cell area, and second-order geometric moment (relating to cell distribution, relevant to cell communication, cell extension, and cell migration, respectively. The present investigation provides the first evidence for the role of gabapentin in the attenuation of morphine tolerance from

Modifying yeast tolerance to inhibitory conditions of ethanol production processes

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Luis eCaspeta

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains having a broad range of substrate utilization, rapid substrate consumption and conversion to ethanol, as well as good tolerance to inhibitory conditions are ideal for cost-competitive ethanol production from lignocellulose. A major drawback to directly design S. cerevisiae tolerance to inhibitory conditions of lignocellulosic ethanol production processes is the lack of knowledge about basic aspects of its cellular signaling network in response to stress. Here we highlight the inhibitory conditions found in ethanol production processes, the targeted cellular functions, the key contributions of integrated –omics analysis to reveal cellular stress responses according to these inhibitors, and current status on design-based engineering of tolerant and efficient S. cerevisiae strains for ethanol production from lignocellulose.

Toward Human-Carnivore Coexistence: Understanding Tolerance for Tigers in Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Inskip, Chloe; Carter, Neil; Riley, Shawn; Roberts, Thomas; MacMillan, Douglas

2016-01-01

Fostering local community tolerance for endangered carnivores, such as tigers (Panthera tigris), is a core component of many conservation strategies. Identification of antecedents of tolerance will facilitate the development of effective tolerance-building conservation action and secure local community support for, and involvement in, conservation initiatives. We use a stated preference approach for measuring tolerance, based on the 'Wildlife Stakeholder Acceptance Capacity' concept, to explore villagers' tolerance levels for tigers in the Bangladesh Sundarbans, an area where, at the time of the research, human-tiger conflict was severe. We apply structural equation modeling to test an a priori defined theoretical model of tolerance and identify the experiential and psychological basis of tolerance in this community. Our results indicate that beliefs about tigers and about the perceived current tiger population trend are predictors of tolerance for tigers. Positive beliefs about tigers and a belief that the tiger population is not currently increasing are both associated with greater stated tolerance for the species. Contrary to commonly-held notions, negative experiences with tigers do not directly affect tolerance levels; instead, their effect is mediated by villagers' beliefs about tigers and risk perceptions concerning human-tiger conflict incidents. These findings highlight a need to explore and understand the socio-psychological factors that encourage tolerance towards endangered species. Our research also demonstrates the applicability of this approach to tolerance research to a wide range of socio-economic and cultural contexts and reveals its capacity to enhance carnivore conservation efforts worldwide.

Application of Mutation Techniques in the Development of Drought Tolerant Wheat Varieties in Kenya

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kinyua, M.G.; Wanga, H.

1998-01-01

Development of drought tolerant wheat is very important for Kenya as it could lead to utilisation of a large area of the country, which is otherwise under-utilised for crop production. At present there is no crop of economic importance, which being grown in this area. Mutation technique form one of the breeding methods, which can be used to produce suitable wheat varieties for drought prone areas in this country. Wheat seed variety ''pasa'' was irradiated with 160 gy from cobalt source. These irradiated seed were planted at the cage at Njoro, in the main season of 1996. At M2, 4 heads were harvested from 20 selected plants in each row. These were threshed singly. Three of the heads were planted in three sites which experience drought (Katumani, Naivasha and Narok), while one was kept as reserve. Selections of M3 plants, which showed tolerance to drought as compared to the parent variety were made.The parent scored 2 on a 1 to 5 scale for drought tolerance. On this scale 1 indicates susceptibility to drought while 5 indicates drought tolerance. Twenty-one M3 selections scored 4 or 5 on this scale. These therefore showed higher degree of drought tolerance than pasa. For those to score higher than pasa, mutation should have induced some higher degree of drought tolerance.There is indication that, mutation techniques could be used in inducing drought tolerance to wheat growing in Kenya (author)

Large-area NbN superconducting nanowire avalanche photon detectors with saturated detection efficiency

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Ryan P.; Grein, Matthew E.; Gudmundsen, Theodore J.; McCaughan, Adam; Najafi, Faraz; Berggren, Karl K.; Marsili, Francesco; Dauler, Eric A.

2015-05-01

Superconducting circuits comprising SNSPDs placed in parallel—superconducting nanowire avalanche photodetectors, or SNAPs—have previously been demonstrated to improve the output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by increasing the critical current. In this work, we employ a 2-SNAP superconducting circuit with narrow (40 nm) niobium nitride (NbN) nanowires to improve the system detection efficiency to near-IR photons while maintaining high SNR. Additionally, while previous 2-SNAP demonstrations have added external choke inductance to stabilize the avalanching photocurrent, we show that the external inductance can be entirely folded into the active area by cascading 2-SNAP devices in series to produce a greatly increased active area. We fabricated series-2-SNAP (s2-SNAP) circuits with a nanowire length of 20 μm with cascades of 2-SNAPs providing the choke inductance necessary for SNAP operation. We observed that (1) the detection efficiency saturated at high bias currents, and (2) the 40 nm 2-SNAP circuit critical current was approximately twice that for a 40 nm non-SNAP configuration.

Dissipation of excess photosynthetic energy contributes to salinity tolerance: a comparative study of salt-tolerant Ricinus communis and salt-sensitive Jatropha curcas.

Science.gov (United States)

Lima Neto, Milton C; Lobo, Ana K M; Martins, Marcio O; Fontenele, Adilton V; Silveira, Joaquim Albenisio G

2014-01-01

The relationships between salt tolerance and photosynthetic mechanisms of excess energy dissipation were assessed using two species that exhibit contrasting responses to salinity, Ricinus communis (tolerant) and Jatropha curcas (sensitive). The salt tolerance of R. communis was indicated by unchanged electrolyte leakage (cellular integrity) and dry weight in leaves, whereas these parameters were greatly affected in J. curcas. The leaf Na+ content was similar in both species. Photosynthesis was intensely decreased in both species, but the reduction was more pronounced in J. curcas. In this species biochemical limitations in photosynthesis were more prominent, as indicated by increased C(i) values and decreased Rubisco activity. Salinity decreased both the V(cmax) (in vivo Rubisco activity) and J(max) (maximum electron transport rate) more significantly in J. curcas. The higher tolerance in R. communis was positively associated with higher photorespiratory activity, nitrate assimilation and higher cyclic electron flow. The high activity of these alternative electron sinks in R. communis was closely associated with a more efficient photoprotection mechanism. In conclusion, salt tolerance in R. communis, compared with J. curcas, is related to higher electron partitioning from the photosynthetic electron transport chain to alternative sinks. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Suppression of External NADPH Dehydrogenase—NDB1 in Arabidopsis thaliana Confers Improved Tolerance to Ammonium Toxicity via Efficient Glutathione/Redox Metabolism

Science.gov (United States)

Podgórska, Anna; Borysiuk, Klaudia; Tarnowska, Agata; Jakubiak, Monika; Burian, Maria; Rasmusson, Allan G.

2018-01-01

Environmental stresses, including ammonium (NH4+) nourishment, can damage key mitochondrial components through the production of surplus reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the mitochondrial electron transport chain. However, alternative electron pathways are significant for efficient reductant dissipation in mitochondria during ammonium nutrition. The aim of this study was to define the role of external NADPH-dehydrogenase (NDB1) during oxidative metabolism of NH4+-fed plants. Most plant species grown with NH4+ as the sole nitrogen source experience a condition known as “ammonium toxicity syndrome”. Surprisingly, transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants suppressing NDB1 were more resistant to NH4+ treatment. The NDB1 knock-down line was characterized by milder oxidative stress symptoms in plant tissues when supplied with NH4+. Mitochondrial ROS accumulation, in particular, was attenuated in the NDB1 knock-down plants during NH4+ treatment. Enhanced antioxidant defense, primarily concerning the glutathione pool, may prevent ROS accumulation in NH4+-grown NDB1-suppressing plants. We found that induction of glutathione peroxidase-like enzymes and peroxiredoxins in the NDB1-surpressing line contributed to lower ammonium-toxicity stress. The major conclusion of this study was that NDB1 suppression in plants confers tolerance to changes in redox homeostasis that occur in response to prolonged ammonium nutrition, causing cross tolerance among plants. PMID:29747392

Tolerance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tønder, Lars

Tolerance: A Sensorial Orientation to Politics is an experiment in re-orientation. The book is based on the wager that tolerance exceeds the more prevalent images of self-restraint and repressive benevolence because neither precludes the possibility of a more “active tolerance” motivated by the d...... these alternatives by returning to the notion of tolerance as the endurance of pain, linking this notion to exemplars and theories relevant to the politics of multiculturalism, religious freedom, and free speech....

A Cost-Effective Transparency-Based Digital Imaging for Efficient and Accurate Wound Area Measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Pei-Nan; Li, Hong; Wu, Mo-Li; Wang, Shou-Yu; Kong, Qing-You; Zhang, Zhen; Sun, Yuan; Liu, Jia; Lv, De-Cheng

2012-01-01

Wound measurement is an objective and direct way to trace the course of wound healing and to evaluate therapeutic efficacy. Nevertheless, the accuracy and efficiency of the current measurement methods need to be improved. Taking the advantages of reliability of transparency tracing and the accuracy of computer-aided digital imaging, a transparency-based digital imaging approach is established, by which data from 340 wound tracing were collected from 6 experimental groups (8 rats/group) at 8 experimental time points (Day 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14 and 16) and orderly archived onto a transparency model sheet. This sheet was scanned and its image was saved in JPG form. Since a set of standard area units from 1 mm2 to 1 cm2 was integrated into the sheet, the tracing areas in JPG image were measured directly, using the “Magnetic lasso tool” in Adobe Photoshop program. The pixel values/PVs of individual outlined regions were obtained and recorded in an average speed of 27 second/region. All PV data were saved in an excel form and their corresponding areas were calculated simultaneously by the formula of Y (PV of the outlined region)/X (PV of standard area unit) × Z (area of standard unit). It took a researcher less than 3 hours to finish area calculation of 340 regions. In contrast, over 3 hours were expended by three skillful researchers to accomplish the above work with traditional transparency-based method. Moreover, unlike the results obtained traditionally, little variation was found among the data calculated by different persons and the standard area units in different sizes and shapes. Given its accurate, reproductive and efficient properties, this transparency-based digital imaging approach would be of significant values in basic wound healing research and clinical practice. PMID:22666449

Transcription co-activator Arabidopsis ANGUSTIFOLIA3 (AN3) regulates water-use efficiency and drought tolerance by modulating stomatal density and improving root architecture by the transrepression of YODA (YDA).

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Lai-Sheng; Yao, Shun-Qiao

2015-09-01

One goal of modern agriculture is the improvement of plant drought tolerance and water-use efficiency (WUE). Although stomatal density has been linked to WUE, the causal molecular mechanisms and engineered alternations of this relationship are not yet fully understood. Moreover, YODA (YDA), which is a MAPKK kinase gene, negatively regulates stomatal development. BR-INSENSITIVE 2 interacts with phosphorylates and inhibits YDA. However, whether YDA is modulated in the transcriptional level is still unclear. Plants lacking ANGUSTIFOLIA3 (AN3) activity have high drought stress tolerance because of low stomatal densities and improved root architecture. Such plants also exhibit enhanced WUE through declining transpiration without a demonstrable reduction in biomass accumulation. AN3 negatively regulated YDA expression at the transcriptional level by target-gene analysis. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis indicated that AN3 was associated with a region of the YDA promoter in vivo. YDA mutation significantly decreased the stomatal density and root length of an3 mutant, thus proving the participation of YDA in an3 drought tolerance and WUE enhancement. These components form an AN3-YDA complex, which allows the integration of water deficit stress signalling into the production or spacing of stomata and cell proliferation, thus leading to drought tolerance and enhanced WUE. © 2015 Society for Experimental Biology, Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Efficient Anonymous Authenticated Key Agreement Scheme for Wireless Body Area Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tong Li

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Wireless body area networks (WBANs are widely used in telemedicine, which can be utilized for real-time patients monitoring and home health-care. The sensor nodes in WBANs collect the client’s physiological data and transmit it to the medical center. However, the clients’ personal information is sensitive and there are many security threats in the extra-body communication. Therefore, the security and privacy of client’s physiological data need to be ensured. Many authentication protocols for WBANs have been proposed in recent years. However, the existing protocols fail to consider the key update phase. In this paper, we propose an efficient authenticated key agreement scheme for WBANs and add the key update phase to enhance the security of the proposed scheme. In addition, session keys are generated during the registration phase and kept secretly, thus reducing computation cost in the authentication phase. The performance analysis demonstrates that our scheme is more efficient than the currently popular related schemes.

Regulation of mRNA translation influences hypoxia tolerance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koritzinsky, M.; Wouters, B.G.; Koumenis, C.

2003-01-01

Hypoxia is a heterogenous but common characteristic of human tumours and poor oxygenation is associated with poor prognosis. We believe that the presence of viable hypoxic tumor cells reflects in part an adaptation and tolerance of these cells to oxygen deficiency. Since oxidative phosphorylation is compromized during hypoxia, adaptation may involve both the upregulation of glycolysis as well as downregulation of energy consumption. mRNA translation is one of the most energy costly cellular processes, and we and others have shown that global mRNA translation is rapidly inhibited during hypoxia. However, some mRNAs, including those coding for HIF-1 α and VEGF, remain efficiently translated during hypoxia. Clearly, the mechanisms responsible for the overall inhibition of translation during hypoxia does not compromize the translation of certain hypoxia-induced mRNA species. We therefore hypothesize that the inhibition of mRNA translation serves to promote hypoxia tolerance in two ways: i) through conservation of energy and ii) through differential gene expression involved in hypoxia adaptation. We have recently identified two pathways that are responsible for the global inhibition of translation during hypoxia. The phosphorylation of the eukaryotic initiation factor eIF2 α by the ER resident kinase PERK results in down-regulation of protein synthesis shortly after the onset of hypoxia. In addition, the initiation complex eIF4F is disrupted during long lasting hypoxic conditions. The identification of the molecular pathways responsible for the inhibition of overall translation during hypoxia has rendered it possible to investigate their importance for hypoxia tolerance. We have found that mouse embryo fibroblasts that are knockout for PERK and therefore not able to inhibit protein synthesis efficiently during oxygen deficiency are significantly less tolerant to hypoxia than their wildtype counterparts. We are currently also investigating the functional significance

Improved glucose tolerance after high-load strength training in patients undergoing dialysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mølsted, Stig; Harrison, Adrian Paul; Eidemak, Inge

2013-01-01

glucose tolerance (n = 9). Conclusion: The conducted strength training was associated with a significant improvement in glucose tolerance in patients with impaired glucose tolerance or type 2 diabetes undergoing dialysis. The effect was apparently not associated with muscle hypertrophy, whereas the muscle...... a week. Muscle fiber size, composition and capillary density were analyzed in biopsies obtained in the vastus lateralis muscle. Glucose tolerance and the insulin response were measured by a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test. Results: All outcome measures remained unchanged during the control period....... After strength training the relative area of type 2X fibers was decreased. Muscle fiber size and capillary density remained unchanged. After the strength training, insulin concentrations were significantly lower in patients with impaired glucose tolerance or type 2 diabetes (n = 14) (fasting insulin...

Combined methods of tolerance increasing for embedded SRAM

Science.gov (United States)

Shchigorev, L. A.; Shagurin, I. I.

2016-10-01

The abilities of combined use of different methods of fault tolerance increasing for SRAM such as error detection and correction codes, parity bits, and redundant elements are considered. Area penalties due to using combinations of these methods are investigated. Estimation is made for different configurations of 4K x 128 RAM memory block for 28 nm manufacturing process. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the proposed combinations is also reported. The results of these investigations can be useful for designing fault-tolerant “system on chips”.

Toward Human-Carnivore Coexistence: Understanding Tolerance for Tigers in Bangladesh.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chloe Inskip

Full Text Available Fostering local community tolerance for endangered carnivores, such as tigers (Panthera tigris, is a core component of many conservation strategies. Identification of antecedents of tolerance will facilitate the development of effective tolerance-building conservation action and secure local community support for, and involvement in, conservation initiatives. We use a stated preference approach for measuring tolerance, based on the 'Wildlife Stakeholder Acceptance Capacity' concept, to explore villagers' tolerance levels for tigers in the Bangladesh Sundarbans, an area where, at the time of the research, human-tiger conflict was severe. We apply structural equation modeling to test an a priori defined theoretical model of tolerance and identify the experiential and psychological basis of tolerance in this community. Our results indicate that beliefs about tigers and about the perceived current tiger population trend are predictors of tolerance for tigers. Positive beliefs about tigers and a belief that the tiger population is not currently increasing are both associated with greater stated tolerance for the species. Contrary to commonly-held notions, negative experiences with tigers do not directly affect tolerance levels; instead, their effect is mediated by villagers' beliefs about tigers and risk perceptions concerning human-tiger conflict incidents. These findings highlight a need to explore and understand the socio-psychological factors that encourage tolerance towards endangered species. Our research also demonstrates the applicability of this approach to tolerance research to a wide range of socio-economic and cultural contexts and reveals its capacity to enhance carnivore conservation efforts worldwide.

Improved tolerance to post-anthesis drought stress by pre-drought priming at vegetative stages in drought-tolerant and -sensitive wheat cultivars.

Science.gov (United States)

Abid, Muhammad; Tian, Zhongwei; Ata-Ul-Karim, Syed Tahir; Liu, Yang; Cui, Yakun; Zahoor, Rizwan; Jiang, Dong; Dai, Tingbo

2016-09-01

Wheat crop endures a considerable penalty of yield reduction to escape the drought events during post-anthesis period. Drought priming under a pre-drought stress can enhance the crop potential to tolerate the subsequent drought stress by triggering a faster and stronger defense mechanism. Towards these understandings, a set of controlled moderate drought stress at 55-60% field capacity (FC) was developed to prime the plants of two wheat cultivars namely Luhan-7 (drought tolerant) and Yangmai-16 (drought sensitive) during tillering (Feekes 2 stage) and jointing (Feekes 6 stage), respectively. The comparative response of primed and non-primed plants, cultivars and priming stages was evaluated by applying a subsequent severe drought stress at 7 days after anthesis. The results showed that primed plants of both cultivars showed higher potential to tolerate the post-anthesis drought stress through improved leaf water potential, more chlorophyll, and ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase contents, enhanced photosynthesis, better photoprotection and efficient enzymatic antioxidant system leading to less yield reductions. The primed plants of Luhan-7 showed higher capability to adapt the drought stress events than Yangmai-16. The positive effects of drought priming to sustain higher grain yield were pronounced in plants primed at tillering than those primed at jointing. In consequence, upregulated functioning of photosynthetic apparatus and efficient enzymatic antioxidant activities in primed plants indicated their superior potential to alleviate a subsequently occurring drought stress, which contributed to lower yield reductions than non-primed plants. However, genotypic and priming stages differences in response to drought stress also contributed to affect the capability of primed plants to tolerate the post-anthesis drought stress conditions in wheat. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Furfural tolerance and detoxification mechanism in Candida tropicalis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shizeng; Cheng, Gang; Joshua, Chijioke; He, Zijun; Sun, Xinxiao; Li, Ruimin; Liu, Lexuan; Yuan, Qipeng

2016-01-01

Current biomass pretreatment by hydrothermal treatment (including acid hydrolysis, steam explosion, and high-temperature steaming) and ionic liquids generally generate inhibitors to the following fermentation process. Furfural is one of the typical inhibitors generated in hydrothermal treatment of biomass. Furfural could inhibit cell growth rate and decrease biofuel productivity of microbes. Candida tropicalis is a promising microbe for the production of biofuels and value-added chemicals using hemicellulose hydrolysate as carbon source. In this study, C. tropicalis showed a comparable ability of furfural tolerance during fermentation. We investigated the mechanism of C. tropicalis 's robust tolerance to furfural and relevant metabolic responses to obtain more information for metabolic engineering of microbes for efficient lignocellulose fermentation. Candida tropicalis showed comparable intrinsic tolerance to furfural and a fast rate of furfural detoxification. C. tropicalis 's half maximal inhibitory concentration for furfural with xylose as the sole carbon source was 3.69 g/L, which was higher than that of most wild-type microbes reported in the literature to our knowledge. Even though furfural prolonged the lag phase of C. tropicalis , the final biomass in the groups treated with 1 g/L furfural was slightly greater than that in the control groups. By real-time PCR analysis, we found that the expression of ADH1 in C. tropicalis ( ctADH1 ) was induced by furfural and repressed by ethanol after furfural depletion. The expression of ctADH1 could be regulated by both furfural and ethanol. After the disruption of gene ctADH1 , we found that C. tropicalis 's furfural tolerance was weakened. To further confirm the function of ctADH1 and enhance Escherichia coli 's furfural tolerance, ctADH1 was overexpressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3). The rate of furfural degradation in E. coli BL21 (DE3) with pET-ADH1 (high-copy plasmid) and pCS-ADH1 (medium-copy plasmid) was increased

Energy Efficient Four Level Cooperative Opportunistic Communication for Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rohokale, Vandana M.; Inamdar, Sandeep; Prasad, Neeli R.

2013-01-01

For wireless sensor networks (WSN),energy is a scarce resource. Due to limited battery resources, the energy consumption is the critical issue for the transmission as well as reception of the signals in the wireless communication. WSNs are infrastructure-less shared network demanding more energy...... consumption due to collaborative transmissions. This paper proposes a new cooperative opportunistic four level model for IEEE 802.15.4 Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN).The average per node energy consumption is observed merely about 0.17mJ for the cooperative wireless communication which proves...... the proposed mechanism to be energy efficient. This paper further proposes four levels of cooperative data transmission from source to destination to improve network coverage with energy efficiency....

Tolerância de bactérias diazotróficas simbióticas à salinidade in vitro Tolerance of diazotrophic symbiotic bacteria to salinity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafaela Simão Abrahão Nóbrega

2004-08-01

the most salt tolerant in LB medium. The high salt tolerance of strain UFLA 03-84, as well as its highest efficiency (biological nitrogen fixation in cowpea symbiosis (Vigna unguiculata, indicates it can be assayed as inoculant to improve yields of this species at saline soils. Media 79 and LB were efficient to evaluate relative tolerance of rhizobia to NaCl, however 79 medium is more suitable as it allows growth of all strains.

Dispersion tolerance enhancement using an improved offset-QAM OFDM scheme.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Jian; Townsend, Paul D

2015-06-29

Discrete-Fourier transform (DFT) based offset quadrature amplitude modulation (offset-QAM) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) without cyclic prefix (CP) was shown to offer a dispersion tolerance the same as that of conventional OFDM with ~20% CP overhead. In this paper, we analytically study the fundamental mechanism limiting the dispersion tolerance of this conventional scheme. It is found that the signal and the crosstalk from adjacent subcarriers, which are orthogonal with π/2 phase difference at back to back, can be in-phase when the dispersion increases to a certain value. We propose a novel scheme to overcome this limitation and significantly improve the dispersion tolerance to that of one subcarrier. Simulations show that the proposed scheme can support a 224-Gb/s polarization-division-multiplexed offset-4QAM OFDM signal over 160,000 ps/nm without any CP under 128 subcarriers, and this tolerance scales with the square of the number of subcarriers. It is also shown that this scheme exhibits advantages of greatly enhanced spectral efficiency, larger dispersion tolerance, and/or reduced complexity compared to the conventional CP-OFDM and reduced-guard-interval OFDM using frequency domain equalization.

Improvement in solvent tolerance by exogenous glycerol in Pseudomonas sp. BCNU 106.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, H J; Lim, B R; Park, Y J; Joo, W H

2017-08-01

Solvent hypertolerant Pseudomonas sp. BCNU 106 still has some underlying growth limitation in solvents. Therefore, efficient mass cultivation methods are needed to pursue its applications in biotechnology. Pseudomonas sp. BCNU 106 was cultured in a medium supplemented with 0·05 mol l -1 glycerol and cell survival was monitored during its cultivation in the presence of 1% (v/v) toluene. Exogenously supplemented glycerol provided more protection against damage caused by toluene stress and conferred higher solvent tolerance of Pseudomonas sp. BCNU 106 to toluene compared to control Pseudomonas sp. BCNU 106 without the supplementation of glycerol. This low-cost mass cultivation method can be used to efficiently apply solvent-tolerant bacteria in biotransformation and biodegradation. Protection against toluene and improvement in bacterial cell growth by supplementation of glycerol in the presence of toluene are demonstrated in this study. This result can be used to solve growth-related hindrances of solvent-tolerant bacteria and establish their low-cost mass cultivation, thereby broadening their industrial and environmental applications. © 2017 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Induced mutation of new cotton lines tolerant to verticillium wilt with improved characters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rastegary, G.; Hoseiny Neghad, Z.

1998-01-01

Induction of mutation for genetic variation has been used in crop improvement for many years. The mutant lines can be used either directly or as a new genetic source in cross breeding. In cotton 'eleven' and 'two' mutant varieties as new genetic sources have been evolved directly and indirectly, respectively. One of the major obstacles in cotton production in northern region of Iran, Gorgan and Gonbad (where they are known as the main cultivation area of this crop), is the presence of verticillium wilt fungal disease. Since this fungus is soil-born, and can not be controlled chemically, the most efficient way of combating against the disease is to breed for the tolerance/resistance of the species. For this purpose, a mutation breeding technique was applied using gamma radiation as mutagen. The seeds of four varieties (Shirpan, Tashkand, Bakhtegan, and Sahel) were irradiated after reaching a proper absorbed humidity. The radiation doses of 150 to 350 Gy were applied and the seeds were cultivated in two different locations (Varamin and Kordkuy) as M1 generation. The cotton balls of each individual healthy plant was harvested to attain the seeds of M2 rows. In M2, the plants with different degrees of tolerance to the disease were compared to the selected parents (taking into consideration that the soil was contaminated). The good yielding lines with different level of tolerance were taken up to the 5th generation, yielding 70 lines of superior qualitative and quantitative traits. (author)

Phosphorous Application Improves Drought Tolerance of Phoebe zhennan

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Akash Tariq

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Phoebe zhennan (Gold Phoebe is a threatened tree species in China and a valuable and important source of wood and bioactive compounds used in medicine. Apart from anthropogenic disturbances, several biotic constraints currently restrict its growth and development. However, little attention has been given to building adaptive strategies for its conservation by examining its morphological and physio-biochemical responses to drought stress, and the role of fertilizers on these responses. A randomized experimental design was used to investigate the effects of two levels of irrigation (well-watered and drought-stressed and phosphorous (P fertilization treatment (with and without P to assess the morphological and physio-biochemical responses of P. zhennan seedlings to drought stress. In addition, we evaluated whether P application could mitigate the negative impacts of drought on plant growth and metabolism. Drought stress had a significant negative effect on the growth and metabolic processes of P. zhennan. Despite this, reduced leaf area, limited stomatal conductance, reduced transpiration rate, increased water use efficiency, enhanced antioxidant enzymes activities, and osmolytes accumulation suggested that the species has good adaptive strategies for tolerating drought stress. Application of P had a significant positive effect on root biomass, signifying its improved water extracting capacity from the soil. Moreover, P fertilization significantly increased leaf relative water content, net photosynthetic rate, and maximal quantum efficiency of PSII under drought stress conditions. This may be attributable to several factors, such as enhanced root biomass, decreased malondialdehyde content, and the up-regulation of chloroplast pigments, osmolytes, and nitrogenous compounds. However, P application had only a slight or negligible effect on the growth and metabolism of well-watered plants. In conclusion, P. zhennan has a strong capability for drought

Crafting tolerance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kirchner, Antje; Freitag, Markus; Rapp, Carolin

2011-01-01

Ongoing changes in social structures, orientation, and value systems confront us with the growing necessity to address and understand transforming patterns of tolerance as well as specific aspects, such as social tolerance. Based on hierarchical analyses of the latest World Values Survey (2005......–08) and national statistics for 28 countries, we assess both individual and contextual aspects that influence an individual's perception of different social groupings. Using a social tolerance index that captures personal attitudes toward these groupings, we present an institutional theory of social tolerance. Our...

AFLP marker linked to water-stress-tolerant bulks in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Altinkut

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP assay is an efficient method for the identification of molecular markers, useful in the improvement of numerous crop species. Bulked Segregant Analysis (BSA was used to identify AFLP markers associated with water-stress tolerance in barley, as this would permit rapid selection of water-stress tolerant genotypes in breeding programs. AFLP markers linked to water-stress tolerance was identified in two DNA pools (tolerant and sensitive, which were established using selected F2 individuals resulting from a cross between water-stress-tolerant and sensitive barley parental genotypes, based on their paraquat (PQ tolerance, leaf size, and relative water content (RWC. All these three traits were previously shown to be associated with water-stress tolerance in segregating F2 progeny of the barley cross used in a previous study. AFLP analysis was then performed on these DNA pools, using 40 primer pairs to detect AFLP fragments that are present/absent, respectively, in the two pools and their parental lines. One separate AFLP fragment, which was present in the tolerant parent and in the tolerant bulk, but absent in the sensitive parent and in the sensitive bulk, was identified. Polymorphism of the AFLP marker was tested among tolerant and sensitive F2 individuals. The presence of this marker that is associated with water-stress tolerance will greatly enhance selection for paraquat and water-stress tolerant genotypes in future breeding programs.

Ambiguity tolerance in organizations: definitional clarification and perspectives on future research.

Science.gov (United States)

McLain, David L; Kefallonitis, Efstathios; Armani, Kimberly

2015-01-01

Ambiguity tolerance is an increasingly popular subject for study in a wide variety of fields. The definition of ambiguity tolerance has changed since its inception, and accompanying that change are changes in measurement and the research questions that interest researchers. There is a wealth of opportunity for research related to ambiguity tolerance and recent advances in neuroscience, measurement, trait research, perception, problem solving, and other fields highlight areas of interest and point to issues that need further attention. The future of ambiguity tolerance research is promising and it is expected that future studies will yield new insights into individual differences in reactions to the complex, unfamiliar, confusing, indeterminate, and incomplete stimuli that fall within the conceptual domain of ambiguity.

Mechanistic Insight into Salt Tolerance of Acacia auriculiformis: The Importance of Ion Selectivity, Osmoprotection, Tissue Tolerance, and Na+ Exclusion

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Md. M.; Rahman, Md. A.; Miah, Md. G.; Saha, Satya R.; Karim, M. A.; Mostofa, Mohammad G.

2017-01-01

A. auriculiformis efficiently adopted these two mechanisms to address higher salinity levels. Our results conclude that the adaptability of A. auriculiformis to salinity is closely associated with ion selectivity, increased accumulation of osmoprotectants, efficient Na+ retention in roots, anatomical adjustments, Na+ exclusion and tissue tolerance mechanisms. PMID:28421081

An integrated multichannel neural recording analog front-end ASIC with area-efficient driven right leg circuit.

Science.gov (United States)

Tao Tang; Wang Ling Goh; Lei Yao; Jia Hao Cheong; Yuan Gao

2017-07-01

This paper describes an integrated multichannel neural recording analog front end (AFE) with a novel area-efficient driven right leg (DRL) circuit to improve the system common mode rejection ratio (CMRR). The proposed AFE consists of an AC-coupled low-noise programmable-gain amplifier, an area-efficient DRL block and a 10-bit SAR ADC. Compared to conventional DRL circuit, the proposed capacitor-less DRL design achieves 90% chip area reduction with enhanced CMRR performance, making it ideal for multichannel biomedical recording applications. The AFE circuit has been designed in a standard 0.18-μm CMOS process. Post-layout simulation results show that the AFE provides two gain settings of 54dB/60dB while consuming 1 μA per channel under a supply voltage of 1 V. The input-referred noise of the AFE integrated from 1 Hz to 10k Hz is only 4 μVrms and the CMRR is 110 dB.

Efficient preparation of large-block-code ancilla states for fault-tolerant quantum computation

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Yi-Cong; Lai, Ching-Yi; Brun, Todd A.

2018-03-01

Fault-tolerant quantum computation (FTQC) schemes that use multiqubit large block codes can potentially reduce the resource overhead to a great extent. A major obstacle is the requirement for a large number of clean ancilla states of different types without correlated errors inside each block. These ancilla states are usually logical stabilizer states of the data-code blocks, which are generally difficult to prepare if the code size is large. Previously, we have proposed an ancilla distillation protocol for Calderbank-Shor-Steane (CSS) codes by classical error-correcting codes. It was assumed that the quantum gates in the distillation circuit were perfect; however, in reality, noisy quantum gates may introduce correlated errors that are not treatable by the protocol. In this paper, we show that additional postselection by another classical error-detecting code can be applied to remove almost all correlated errors. Consequently, the revised protocol is fully fault tolerant and capable of preparing a large set of stabilizer states sufficient for FTQC using large block codes. At the same time, the yield rate can be boosted from O (t-2) to O (1 ) in practice for an [[n ,k ,d =2 t +1

Damage tolerance and structural monitoring for wind turbine blades.

Science.gov (United States)

McGugan, M; Pereira, G; Sørensen, B F; Toftegaard, H; Branner, K

2015-02-28

The paper proposes a methodology for reliable design and maintenance of wind turbine rotor blades using a condition monitoring approach and a damage tolerance index coupling the material and structure. By improving the understanding of material properties that control damage propagation it will be possible to combine damage tolerant structural design, monitoring systems, inspection techniques and modelling to manage the life cycle of the structures. This will allow an efficient operation of the wind turbine in terms of load alleviation, limited maintenance and repair leading to a more effective exploitation of offshore wind. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Exploring new alleles for frost tolerance in winter rye.

Science.gov (United States)

Erath, Wiltrud; Bauer, Eva; Fowler, D Brian; Gordillo, Andres; Korzun, Viktor; Ponomareva, Mira; Schmidt, Malthe; Schmiedchen, Brigitta; Wilde, Peer; Schön, Chris-Carolin

2017-10-01

Rye genetic resources provide a valuable source of new alleles for the improvement of frost tolerance in rye breeding programs. Frost tolerance is a must-have trait for winter cereal production in northern and continental cropping areas. Genetic resources should harbor promising alleles for the improvement of frost tolerance of winter rye elite lines. For frost tolerance breeding, the identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) and the choice of optimum genome-based selection methods are essential. We identified genomic regions involved in frost tolerance of winter rye by QTL mapping in a biparental population derived from a highly frost tolerant selection from the Canadian cultivar Puma and the European elite line Lo157. Lines per se and their testcrosses were phenotyped in a controlled freeze test and in multi-location field trials in Russia and Canada. Three QTL on chromosomes 4R, 5R, and 7R were consistently detected across environments. The QTL on 5R is congruent with the genomic region harboring the Frost resistance locus 2 (Fr-2) in Triticeae. The Puma allele at the Fr-R2 locus was found to significantly increase frost tolerance. A comparison of predictive ability obtained from the QTL-based model with different whole-genome prediction models revealed that besides a few large, also small QTL effects contribute to the genomic variance of frost tolerance in rye. Genomic prediction models assigning a high weight to the Fr-R2 locus allow increasing the selection intensity for frost tolerance by genome-based pre-selection of promising candidates.

Efficiency of Pollution Tolerance Index (PTI of macroinvertebrates in detecting aquatic pollution in an oxbow lake in India

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Dipankar Ghosh

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This paper evaluates the efficiency of a macroinvertebrate-based Pollution Tolerance Index (PTI in detecting aquatic pollution in the Chhariganga oxbow lake in India. In this lake, calculated PTIs were compared with results from an array of physicochemical water and sediment parameters and to a macroinvertebrate diversity assessment conducted in parallel for the same lake. The obtained PTI values fell in a range (between 20 and 31 that are indicative of an absence of organic pollution according to the literature, and are normally reported for systems devoid of anthropogenic activity (for instance no monsoonal polluting jute retting activities. However, in the light of the results for the assessed water and sediment physicochemical parameters, and the support of diversity indexes of macroinvertebrates, using data from the same lake, it was possible to conclude that the obtained PTI values do not reflect the true pollution status of this oxbow lake. As PTI values and diversity indexes contradict each other in detecting pollution, it is advised to take both parameters into consideration when using macroinvertebrates to assess aquatic health.

Multi-objective Optimal Design of a Five-Phase Fault-Tolerant Axial Flux PM Motor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SAAVEDRA, H.

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Electric motors used for traction purposes in electric vehicles (EVs must meet several requirements, including high efficiency, high power density and fault-tolerance. Among them, permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs highlight. Especially, five-phase axial flux permanent magnet (AFPM synchronous motors are particularly suitable for in-wheel applications with enhanced fault-tolerant capabilities. This paper is devoted to optimally design an AFPM for in-wheel applications. The main geometric, electric and mechanical parameters of the designed AFPM are calculated by applying an iterative method based on a set of analytical equations, which is assisted by means of a reduced number of three-dimensional finite element method (3D-FEM simulations to limit the computational burden. To optimally design the AFPM, a constrained multi-objective optimization process based on a genetic algorithm is applied, in which two objective functions are considered, i.e. the power density and the efficiency. Several fault-tolerance constraints are settled during the optimization process to ensure enhanced fault-tolerance in the resulting motor design. The accuracy of the best solution attained is validated by means of 3D-FEM simulations.

Chromosome VIII disomy influences the nonsense suppression efficiency and transition metal tolerance of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Science.gov (United States)

Zadorsky, S P; Sopova, Y V; Andreichuk, D Y; Startsev, V A; Medvedeva, V P; Inge-Vechtomov, S G

2015-06-01

The SUP35 gene of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes the translation termination factor eRF3. Mutations in this gene lead to the suppression of nonsense mutations and a number of other pleiotropic phenotypes, one of which is impaired chromosome segregation during cell division. Similar effects result from replacing the S. cerevisiae SUP35 gene with its orthologues. A number of genetic and epigenetic changes that occur in the sup35 background result in partial compensation for this suppressor effect. In this study we showed that in S. cerevisiae strains in which the SUP35 orthologue from the yeast Pichia methanolica replaces the S. cerevisiae SUP35 gene, chromosome VIII disomy results in decreased efficiency of nonsense suppression. This antisuppressor effect is not associated with decreased stop codon read-through. We identified SBP1, a gene that localizes to chromosome VIII, as a dosage-dependent antisuppressor that strongly contributes to the overall antisuppressor effect of chromosome VIII disomy. Disomy of chromosome VIII also leads to a change in the yeast strains' tolerance of a number of transition metal salts. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Salt tolerance in wheat - an overview. (abstract)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashraf, M.

2005-01-01

Considerable efforts have been made during the past few years to overcome the problem of salinity through the development of salt tolerant lines of important crop species using screening, breeding and molecular biology techniques. In view of considerable importance of spring wheat as a major staple food crop of many countries, plant scientists have directed there attention to identify and develop salt tolerant genotypes that can be of direct use on salt-affected soils. Although considerable progress in understanding individual phenomenon and genes involved in plant response to salinity stress has been made over the past few years, underlying physiological mechanisms producing salt tolerant plants is still unclear. It has been suggested that salt tolerance of plants could be improved by defining genes or characters. Twenty years ago, it was suggested that genes located on the D genome of bread wheat confer salinity tolerance to hexaploid wheat by reducing Na/sup +/ accumulation in the leaf tissue and increasing discrimination in favour of K/sup +/. However, recently, low Na/sup +/ accumulation and high K/sup +/Na/sup +/ discrimination, of similar magnitude to bread wheat, in several selections of durum wheat has been observed, supporting the notion that salt tolerance is controlled by multiple genes, which are distributed throughout the entire set of chromosomes. In addition, various physiological selection criteria such as compatible osmolytes (glycinebetaine, proline, trehalose, mannitol etc.), antioxidants, carbon discrimination, high K/sup +//Na/sup +/ ratio etc. have been discussed. Although tolerance to salinity is known to have a multigenic inheritance, mediated by a large number of genes, knowledge of heritability and the genetic mode of salinity tolerance is still lacking because few studies have yet been conducted in these areas. Indeed, genetic information is lagging behind the physiological information. Modern methods such as recombinant DNA technology

Physiological and molecular analysis of selected Kenyan maize lines for aluminum tolerance

Science.gov (United States)

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is an important limitation to maize production in many tropical and sub-tropical acid soil areas. The aim of this study was to survey the variation in Al tolerance in a panel of maize lines adapted for Kenya and look for novel sources of Al tolerance. 112 Kenyan maize accessio...

ALA Pretreatment Improves Waterlogging Tolerance of Fig Plants.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuyan An

Full Text Available 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA, a natural and environmentally friendly plant growth regulator, can improve plant tolerance to various environmental stresses. However, whether ALA can improve plant waterlogging tolerance is unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of ALA pretreatment on the waterlogging-induced damage of fig (Ficus carica Linn. plants, which often suffer from waterlogging stress. ALA pretreatment significantly alleviated stress-induced morphological damage, increased leaf relative water content (RWC, and reduced leaf superoxide anion ([Formula: see text] production rate and malonaldehyde (MDA content in fig leaves, indicating ALA mitigates waterlogging stress of fig plants. We further demonstrated that ALA pretreatment largely promoted leaf chlorophyll content, photosynthetic electron transfer ability, and photosynthetic performance index, indicating ALA significantly improves plant photosynthetic efficiency under waterlogging stress. Moreover, ALA pretreatment significantly increased activities of leaf superoxide dismutase (SOD and peroxidase (POD, root vigor, and activities of root alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH, indicating ALA also significantly improves antioxidant ability and root function of fig plants under waterlogging stress. Taken together, ALA pretreatment improves waterlogging tolerance of fig plants significantly, and the promoted root respiration, leaf photosynthesis, and antioxidant ability may contribute greatly to this improvement. Our data firstly shows that ALA can improve plant waterlogging tolerance.

Oxygation enhances growth, gas exchange and salt tolerance of vegetable soybean and cotton in a saline vertisol.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattarai, Surya P; Midmore, David J

2009-07-01

Impacts of salinity become severe when the soil is deficient in oxygen. Oxygation (using aerated water for subsurface drip irrigation of crop) could minimize the impact of salinity on plants under oxygen-limiting soil environments. Pot experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of oxygation (12% air volume/volume of water) on vegetable soybean (moderately salt tolerant) and cotton (salt tolerant) in a salinized vertisol at 2, 8, 14, 20 dS/m EC(e). In vegetable soybean, oxygation increased above ground biomass yield and water use efficiency (WUE) by 13% and 22%, respectively, compared with the control. Higher yield with oxygation was accompanied by greater plant height and stem diameter and reduced specific leaf area and leaf Na+ and Cl- concentrations. In cotton, oxygation increased lint yield and WUE by 18% and 16%, respectively, compared with the control, and was accompanied by greater canopy light interception, plant height and stem diameter. Oxygation also led to a greater rate of photosynthesis, higher relative water content in the leaf, reduced crop water stress index and lower leaf water potential. It did not, however, affect leaf Na+ or Cl- concentration. Oxygation invariably increased, whereas salinity reduced the K+ : Na+ ratio in the leaves of both species. Oxygation improved yield and WUE performance of salt tolerant and moderately tolerant crops under saline soil environments, and this may have a significant impact for irrigated agriculture where saline soils pose constraints to crop production.

N- and S-doped high surface area carbon derived from soya chunks as scalable and efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction

Science.gov (United States)

Rana, Moumita; Arora, Gunjan; Gautam, Ujjal K.

2015-02-01

Highly stable, cost-effective electrocatalysts facilitating oxygen reduction are crucial for the commercialization of membrane-based fuel cell and battery technologies. Herein, we demonstrate that protein-rich soya chunks with a high content of N, S and P atoms are an excellent precursor for heteroatom-doped highly graphitized carbon materials. The materials are nanoporous, with a surface area exceeding 1000 m2 g-1, and they are tunable in doping quantities. These materials exhibit highly efficient catalytic performance toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with an onset potential of -0.045 V and a half-wave potential of -0.211 V (versus a saturated calomel electrode) in a basic medium, which is comparable to commercial Pt catalysts and is better than other recently developed metal-free carbon-based catalysts. These exhibit complete methanol tolerance and a performance degradation of merely ˜5% as compared to ˜14% for a commercial Pt/C catalyst after continuous use for 3000 s at the highest reduction current. We found that the fraction of graphitic N increases at a higher graphitization temperature, leading to the near complete reduction of oxygen. It is believed that due to the easy availability of the precursor and the possibility of genetic engineering to homogeneously control the heteroatom distribution, the synthetic strategy is easily scalable, with further improvement in performance.

Polymer and Concentrator Photovoltaic Technologies - Energy Return Factors and Area Efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loefgren, Birger; Gustaf Zettergren

2006-12-20

Market diffusion of flat plate crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) technology has been induced by economical support schemes and has lead to reduced cost per produced kWh electricity. For further market penetration of the PV technology, a continued reduction of production cost is required. Two alternative approaches to achieve this are using less expensive materials or changing the active materials. The technologies of concentrator PV (CPV) systems and polymer PV (PPV) devices represent these two strategies. The potential energy performance of these technologies is studied in terms of the process primary energy requirements for manufacturing, how many times this energy is paid back during its lifetime and as the required land area for electricity generation. The study is an energy analysis incorporating the inherent uncertainties in technology development. Uncertainties are identified in data acquisition, in design choices, as induced by development and improvement, in performance and by different application scenarios. The future technology alternatives are defined in different ways for CPV and PPV. CPV parameters are derived from existing products and ideas for improvements and PPV parameters from the directions of research. This study shows that the invested energy in future CPV and PPV is potentially paid back up to about 90 and 170 times, respectively, under Arizona (CPV) and average European (PPV) solar irradiation conditions. However the result is highly dependent on configuration, inventory data and device performance. Thus, for certain design alternatives, data and performance, PPV production energy is far from paid back during its lifetime. For CPV the energy return factor is decreased to about 13 in the least beneficial case. Area efficiency is studied as the land area requirements for producing a net output electricity of 1 MWh during 25 years. With device efficiencies from 1 to 5 per cent and lifetimes from 1 to 5 years a PPV device requires from 2

Arsenic-tolerant plant-growth-promoting bacteria isolated from arsenic-polluted soils in South Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Shagol, Charlotte C; Krishnamoorthy, Ramasamy; Kim, Kiyoon; Sundaram, Subbiah; Sa, Tongmin

2014-01-01

The Janghang smelter in Chungnam, South Korea started in 1936 was subsequently shutdown in 1989 due to heavy metal (loid) pollution concerns in the vicinity. Thus, there is a need for the soil in the area to be remediated to make it usable again especially for agricultural purposes. The present study was conducted to exploit the potential of arsenic (As)-tolerant bacteria thriving in the vicinity of the smelter-polluted soils to enhance phytoremediation of hazardous As. We studied the genetic and taxonomic diversity of 21 As-tolerant bacteria isolated from soils nearer to and away from the smelter. These isolates belonging to the genera Brevibacterium, Pseudomonas, Microbacterium, Rhodococcus, Rahnella, and Paenibacillus, could tolerate high concentrations of arsenite (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)) with the minimum inhibitory concentration ranging from 3 to >20 mM for NaAsO2 and 140 to 310 mM NaH2AsO4 · 7H2O, respectively. All isolates exhibited As(V) reduction except Pseudomonas koreensis JS123, which exhibited both oxidation and reduction of As. Moreover, all the 21 isolates produced indole acetic acid (IAA), 13 isolates exhibited 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activity, 12 produced siderophore, 17 solubilized phosphate, and 13 were putative nitrogen fixers under in vitro conditions. Particularly, Rhodococcus aetherivorans JS2210, P. koreensis JS2214, and Pseudomonas sp. JS238 consistently increased root length of maize in the presence of 100 and 200 μM As(V). Possible utilization of these As-tolerant plant-growth-promoting bacteria can be a potential strategy in increasing the efficiency of phytoremediation in As-polluted soils.

Compromise and Toleration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rostbøll, Christian F.

Political compromise is akin to toleration, since both consist of an "agreement to disagree." Compromise and toleration also share a predicament of being regarded as ambiguous virtues that require of us to accept something we actually regard as wrong. However, we misunderstand the nature, justifi...... in compromise are more stringent than those for being tolerated. Still, the limits of compromise cannot be drawn to narrowly if it is to remain its value as a form of agreement that respects and embodies the differences of opinion in society.......Political compromise is akin to toleration, since both consist of an "agreement to disagree." Compromise and toleration also share a predicament of being regarded as ambiguous virtues that require of us to accept something we actually regard as wrong. However, we misunderstand the nature......, justification, and limits of compromise if we see it merely as a matter of toleration. While toleration is mainly a matter of accepting citizens' equal right to co-existence as subjects to law, political compromise includes the parties in making law – it makes them co-authors of law. Toleration entails...

Salt stress-induced changes in antioxidative defense system and proteome profiles of salt-tolerant and sensitive Frankia strains.

Science.gov (United States)

Srivastava, Amrita; Singh, Anumeha; Singh, Satya S; Mishra, Arun K

2017-04-16

An appreciation of comparative microbial survival is most easily done while evaluating their adaptive strategies during stress. In the present experiment, antioxidative and whole cell proteome variations based on spectrophotometric analysis and SDS-PAGE and 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis have been analysed among salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive Frankia strains. This is the first report of proteomic basis underlying salt tolerance in these newly isolated Frankia strains from Hippophae salicifolia D. Don. Salt-tolerant strain HsIi10 shows higher increment in the contents of superoxide dismutase, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase as compared to salt-sensitive strain HsIi8. Differential 2-DGE profile has revealed differential profiles for salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive strains. Proteomic confirmation of salt tolerance in the strains with inbuilt efficiency of thriving in nitrogen-deficient locales is a definite advantage for these microbes. This would be equally beneficial for improvement of soil nitrogen status. Efficient protein regulation in HsIi10 suggests further exploration for its potential use as biofertilizer in saline soils.

Recognition and Toleration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lægaard, Sune

2010-01-01

Recognition and toleration are ways of relating to the diversity characteristic of multicultural societies. The article concerns the possible meanings of toleration and recognition, and the conflict that is often claimed to exist between these two approaches to diversity. Different forms...... or interpretations of recognition and toleration are considered, confusing and problematic uses of the terms are noted, and the compatibility of toleration and recognition is discussed. The article argues that there is a range of legitimate and importantly different conceptions of both toleration and recognition...

Use of Carbon Isotope Discrimination as Tool for Improving Drought Tolerance of Wheat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al Hakimi, A. S.

2004-01-01

As in many countries of the region, agriculture in Yemen has been strongly affected by drought conditions, and cereal production is the most concerned. So to this regard, two approaches could be adopted to solve this problem; enhancement of irrigated areas, but negative effects can also be noted as salinity (e.g. Marib, area) and development of foliar diseases. The second approaches is improvement of water use and drought resistance of wheat cultivars: this long-term strategy, which is a part of a general approach giving more attention to the sustainability of farming systems, is at the basis of the present study. Several morphophysiological mechanisms of drought tolerance involved in dehydration tolerance, As for other morphophysiological traits, the possibility of using carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) in breeding for water use efficiency (WUE) in drought prone environments is related to i) the facility of measurement, ii) the existence of variability, iii) high values of heritability, and iv) a good knowledge of eventual associations between Δ and other phenological or morphophysiological traits. The use of stable isotopes has until recently been limited because of the cost of mass spectrometers designed and the requirements for sample preparation. However, the recent linkage of an automatic gas sample preparation apparatus with a dual-inlet mass spectrometer has made the technique more convenient for fast and accurate analysis of stable isotope composition of the most important elements. The present study has been conducted to evaluate the interest of (Δ) in mature kernels as a criterion for the improvement of water use efficiency and yield under drought in tetraploid wheat species. For this purpose, T. durum Om Rabi 5 was crossed by T. polonicum 9 (Tp9) which had been found to be more droughts tolerant and to have a lower □ value of the grain. The F2 population showed a wide segregation for this last trait. Further, divergent selections were made among

Teaching Tolerance? Associational Diversity and Tolerance Formation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rapp, Carolin; Freitag, Markus

2015-01-01

, a closer look is taken at how associational diversity relates to the formation of tolerance and the importance of associations as schools of tolerance are evaluated. The main theoretical argument follows contact theory, wherein regular and enduring contact in diverse settings reduces prejudice and thereby...

Effect of aging and oral tolerance on dendritic cell function

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P.U. Simioni

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Oral tolerance can be induced in some mouse strains by gavage or spontaneous ingestion of dietary antigens. In the present study, we determined the influence of aging and oral tolerance on the secretion of co-stimulatory molecules by dendritic cells (DC, and on the ability of DC to induce proliferation and cytokine secretion by naive T cells from BALB/c and OVA transgenic (DO11.10 mice. We observed that oral tolerance could be induced in BALB/c mice (N = 5 in each group of all ages (8, 20, 40, 60, and 80 weeks old, although a decline in specific antibody levels was observed in the sera of both tolerized and immunized mice with advancing age (40 to 80 weeks old. DC obtained from young, adult and middle-aged (8, 20, and 40 weeks old tolerized mice were less efficient (65, 17 and 20%, respectively than DC from immunized mice (P < 0.05 in inducing antigen-specific proliferation of naive T cells from both BALB/c and DO11.10 young mice, or in stimulating IFN-g, IL-4 and IL-10 production. However, TGF-β levels were significantly elevated in co-cultures carried out with DC from tolerant mice (P < 0.05. DC from both immunized and tolerized old and very old (60 and 80 weeks old mice were equally ineffective in inducing T cell proliferation and cytokine production (P < 0.05. A marked reduction in CD86+ marker expression was observed in DC isolated from both old and tolerized mice (75 and 50%, respectively. The results indicate that the aging process does not interfere with the establishment of oral tolerance in BALB/c mice, but reduces DC functions, probably due to the decline of the expression of the CD86 surface marker.

Ambiguity Tolerance in Organizations: Definitional Clarification and Perspectives on Future Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David L Mclain

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Ambiguity tolerance is an increasingly popular subject for study in a wide variety of fields. The definition of ambiguity tolerance has changed since its inception, and accompanying that change are changes in measurement and the research questions that interest researchers. There is a wealth of opportunity for research related to ambiguity tolerance and recent advances in neuroscience, measurement, trait research, perception, problem solving, and other fields highlight areas of interest and point to issues that need further attention. The future of ambiguity tolerance research is promising and it is expected that future studies will yield new insights into individual differences in reactions to the complex, unfamiliar, confusing, indeterminate, and incomplete stimuli that fall within the conceptual domain of ambiguity.

Mechanical tolerance stackup and analysis

CERN Document Server

Fischer, Bryan R

2004-01-01

BackgroundDimensioning and TolerancingTolerance Format and Decimal PlacesConverting Plus/Minus Dimensions and Tolerances into Equal Bilaterally Toleranced DimensionsVariation and Sources of VariationTolerance AnalysisWorst-case Tolerance StackupsStatistical Tolerance StackupsGeometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T)Converting Plus/Minus Tolerancing to Positional Tolerancing and Projected Tolerance ZonesDiametral and Radial Tolerance StackupsSpecifying Material Condition Modifiers and Their Effect on Tolerance Stackups The Tolerance Stackup SketchThe Tolerance Stackup Report FormTolerance S

A methodology for more efficient tail area sampling with discrete probability distribution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Sang Ryeol; Lee, Byung Ho; Kim, Tae Woon

1988-01-01

Monte Carlo Method is commonly used to observe the overall distribution and to determine the lower or upper bound value in statistical approach when direct analytical calculation is unavailable. However, this method would not be efficient if the tail area of a distribution is concerned. A new method entitled 'Two Step Tail Area Sampling' is developed, which uses the assumption of discrete probability distribution and samples only the tail area without distorting the overall distribution. This method uses two step sampling procedure. First, sampling at points separated by large intervals is done and second, sampling at points separated by small intervals is done with some check points determined at first step sampling. Comparison with Monte Carlo Method shows that the results obtained from the new method converge to analytic value faster than Monte Carlo Method if the numbers of calculation of both methods are the same. This new method is applied to DNBR (Departure from Nucleate Boiling Ratio) prediction problem in design of the pressurized light water nuclear reactor

Nonuniform code concatenation for universal fault-tolerant quantum computing

Science.gov (United States)

Nikahd, Eesa; Sedighi, Mehdi; Saheb Zamani, Morteza

2017-09-01

Using transversal gates is a straightforward and efficient technique for fault-tolerant quantum computing. Since transversal gates alone cannot be computationally universal, they must be combined with other approaches such as magic state distillation, code switching, or code concatenation to achieve universality. In this paper we propose an alternative approach for universal fault-tolerant quantum computing, mainly based on the code concatenation approach proposed in [T. Jochym-O'Connor and R. Laflamme, Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 010505 (2014), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.010505], but in a nonuniform fashion. The proposed approach is described based on nonuniform concatenation of the 7-qubit Steane code with the 15-qubit Reed-Muller code, as well as the 5-qubit code with the 15-qubit Reed-Muller code, which lead to two 49-qubit and 47-qubit codes, respectively. These codes can correct any arbitrary single physical error with the ability to perform a universal set of fault-tolerant gates, without using magic state distillation.

Prioritized Expression of BDH2 under Bulk Translational Repression and Its Contribution to Tolerance to Severe Vanillin Stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishida, Yoko; Nguyen, Trinh T M; Kitajima, Sakihito; Izawa, Shingo

2016-01-01

Vanillin is a potent fermentation inhibitor derived from the lignocellulosic biomass in biofuel production, and high concentrations of vanillin result in the pronounced repression of bulk translation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Studies on genes that are efficiently translated even in the presence of high concentrations of vanillin will be useful for improving yeast vanillin tolerance and fermentation efficiency. The BDH1 and BDH2 genes encode putative medium-chain alcohol dehydrogenase/reductases and their amino acid sequences are very similar to each other. Although BDH2 was previously suggested to be involved in vanillin tolerance, it has yet to be clarified whether Bdh1/Bdh2 actually contribute to vanillin tolerance and reductions in vanillin. Therefore, we herein investigated the effects of Bdh1 and Bdh2 on vanillin tolerance. bdh2Δ cells exhibited hypersensitivity to vanillin and slower reductions in vanillin than wild-type cells and bdh1Δ cells. Additionally, the overexpression of the BDH2 gene improved yeast tolerance to vanillin more efficiently than that of BDH1. Only BDH2 mRNA was efficiently translated under severe vanillin stress, however, both BDH genes were transcriptionally up-regulated. These results reveal the importance of Bdh2 in vanillin detoxification and confirm the preferential translation of the BDH2 gene in the presence of high concentrations of vanillin. The BDH2 promoter also enabled the expression of non-native genes under severe vanillin stress and furfural stress, suggesting its availability to improve of the efficiency of bioethanol production through modifications in gene expression in the presence of fermentation inhibitors.

Different cultivation methods to acclimatise ammonia-tolerant methanogenic consortia.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Hailin; Fotidis, Ioannis A; Mancini, Enrico; Angelidaki, Irini

2017-05-01

Bioaugmentation with ammonia tolerant-methanogenic consortia was proposed as a solution to overcome ammonia inhibition during anaerobic digestion process recently. However, appropriate technology to generate ammonia tolerant methanogenic consortia is still lacking. In this study, three basic reactors (i.e. batch, fed-batch and continuous stirred-tank reactors (CSTR)) operated at mesophilic (37°C) and thermophilic (55°C) conditions were assessed, based on methane production efficiency, incubation time, TAN/FAN (total ammonium nitrogen/free ammonia nitrogen) levels and maximum methanogenic activity. Overall, fed-batch cultivation was clearly the most efficient method compared to batch and CSTR. Specifically, by saving incubation time up to 150%, fed-batch reactors were acclimatised to nearly 2-fold higher FAN levels with a 37%-153% methanogenic activity improvement, compared to batch method. Meanwhile, CSTR reactors were inhibited at lower ammonia levels. Finally, specific methanogenic activity test showed that hydrogenotrophic methanogens were more active than aceticlastic methanogens in all FAN levels above 540mgNH 3 -NL -1 . Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Is tolerance of faiths helpful in English school policy? Reification, complexity, and values education

OpenAIRE

Bowie, R.

2017-01-01

Government policies for teachers and schools in England promote values including tolerance of faiths and beliefs alongside law keeping, democracy, and respect. Tolerance of faiths has been highlighted as a key value but complexities around tolerance make interpretations and applications of the policy difficult. Policy documents in this area are inevitably interpreted through the context of events and concerns and with the education accountability culture as a driving motivation. In addition, ...

Tolerance to and cross tolerance between ethanol and nicotine.

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, A C; Burch, J B; de Fiebre, C M; Marks, M J

1988-02-01

Female DBA mice were subjected to one of four treatments: ethanol-containing or control diets, nicotine (0.2, 1.0, 5.0 mg/kg/hr) infusion or saline infusion. After removal from the liquid diets or cessation of infusion, the animals were challenged with an acute dose of ethanol or nicotine. Chronic ethanol-fed mice were tolerant to the effects of ethanol on body temperature and open field activity and were cross tolerant to the effects of nicotine on body temperature and heart rate. Nicotine infused animals were tolerant to the effects of nicotine on body temperature and rotarod performance and were cross tolerant to the effects of ethanol on body temperature. Ethanol-induced sleep time was decreased in chronic ethanol- but not chronic nicotine-treated mice. Chronic drug treatment did not alter the elimination rate of either drug. Chronic ethanol treatment did not alter the number or affinity of brain nicotinic receptors whereas chronic nicotine treatment elicited an increase in the number of [3H]-nicotine binding sites. Tolerance and cross tolerance between ethanol and nicotine is discussed in terms of potential effects on desensitization of brain nicotinic receptors.

Aerial radiation survey techniques for efficient characterization of large areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sydelko, T.; Riedhauser, S.

2006-01-01

Full text: Accidental or intentional releases of radioactive isotopes over potentially very large surface areas can pose serious health risks to humans and ecological receptors. Timely and appropriate responses to these releases depend upon rapid and accurate characterization of impacted areas. These characterization efforts can be adversely impacted by heavy vegetation, rugged terrain, urban environments, and the presence of unknown levels of radioactivity. Aerial survey techniques have proven highly successful in measuring gamma emissions from radiological contaminates of concern quickly, efficiently, and safely. Examples of accidental releases include the unintentional distribution of uranium mining ores during transportation, the loss of uranium processing and waste materials, unintentional nuclear power plant emissions into the atmosphere, and the distribution of isotopes during major flooding events such as the one recently occurring in New Orleans. Intentional releases have occurred during the use of deleted uranium ammunition test firing and war time use by military organizations. The threat of radiological dispersion device (dirty bomb) use by terrorists is currently a major concern of many major cities worldwide. The U.S. Department of Energy, in cooperation with its Remote Sensing Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory, has developed a sophisticated aerial measurement system for identifying the locations, types, and quantities of gamma emitting radionuclides over extremely large areas. Helicopter mounted Nal detectors are flown at low altitude and constant speed along parallel paths measuring the full spectrum of gamma activity. Analytical procedures are capable of distinguishing between radiological contamination and changes in natural background emissions. Mapped and tabular results of these accurate, timely and cost effective aerial gamma radiation surveys can be used to assist with emergency response actions, if necessary, and to focus more

A phenomics approach to the analysis of the influence of glutathione on leaf area and abiotic stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel eSchnaubelt

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Reduced glutathione (GSH is an abundant low molecular weight plant thiol. It fulfils multiple functions in plant biology, many of which remain poorly characterised. A phenomics approach was therefore used to investigate the effects of glutathione homeostasis on growth and stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. Rosette leaf area was compared in mutants that are either defective in GSH synthesis (cad2, pad2 and rax1 or the export of γ-glutamyl cysteine and GSH from the chloroplast (clt and in wild type plants under standard growth conditions and following exposure to a range of abiotic stress treatments, including oxidative stress, water stress and high salt. In the absence of stress, the GSH synthesis mutants had a significantly lower leaf area than the wild type. Conversely, the clt mutant has a greater leaf area and a significantly reduced lateral root density than the wild type. These findings demonstrate that cellular glutathione homeostasis exerts an influence on root architecture and on rosette area. An impaired capacity to synthesise GSH or a specific depletion of the cytosolic GSH pool did not adversely affect leaf area in plants exposed to short term abiotic stress. However, the negative effects of long term exposure to oxidative stress and high salt on leaf area were less marked in the GSH synthesis mutants than the wild type. These findings demonstrate the importance of cellular glutathione homeostasis in the regulation of plant growth under optimal and stress conditions.

A phenomics approach to the analysis of the influence of glutathione on leaf area and abiotic stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Science.gov (United States)

Schnaubelt, Daniel; Schulz, Philipp; Hannah, Matthew A; Yocgo, Rosita E; Foyer, Christine H

2013-01-01

Reduced glutathione (GSH) is an abundant low molecular weight plant thiol. It fulfills multiple functions in plant biology, many of which remain poorly characterized. A phenomics approach was therefore used to investigate the effects of glutathione homeostasis on growth and stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. Rosette leaf area was compared in mutants that are either defective in GSH synthesis (cad2, pad2, and rax1) or the export of γ-glutamylcysteine and GSH from the chloroplast (clt) and in wild-type plants under standard growth conditions and following exposure to a range of abiotic stress treatments, including oxidative stress, water stress, and high salt. In the absence of stress, the GSH synthesis mutants had a significantly lower leaf area than the wild type. Conversely, the clt mutant has a greater leaf area and a significantly reduced lateral root density than the wild type. These findings demonstrate that cellular glutathione homeostasis exerts an influence on root architecture and on rosette area. An impaired capacity to synthesize GSH or a specific depletion of the cytosolic GSH pool did not adversely affect leaf area in plants exposed to short-term abiotic stress. However, the negative effects of long-term exposure to oxidative stress and high salt on leaf area were less marked in the GSH synthesis mutants than the wild type. These findings demonstrate the importance of cellular glutathione homeostasis in the regulation of plant growth under optimal and stress conditions.

Efficient transfer of large-area graphene films onto rigid substrates by hot pressing.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Junmo; Hwang, Soonhwi; Kim, Jae Hwan; Kim, Min Hyeok; Ryu, Jaechul; Seo, Sang Jae; Hong, Byung Hee; Kim, Moon Ki; Choi, Jae-Boong

2012-06-26

Graphene films grown on metal substrates by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method have to be safely transferred onto desired substrates for further applications. Recently, a roll-to-roll (R2R) method has been developed for large-area transfer, which is particularly efficient for flexible target substrates. However, in the case of rigid substrates such as glass or wafers, the roll-based method is found to induce considerable mechanical damages on graphene films during the transfer process, resulting in the degradation of electrical property. Here we introduce an improved dry transfer technique based on a hot-pressing method that can minimize damage on graphene by neutralizing mechanical stress. Thus, we enhanced the transfer efficiency of the large-area graphene films on a substrate with arbitrary thickness and rigidity, evidenced by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) images, Raman spectra, and various electrical characterizations. We also performed a theoretical multiscale simulation from continuum to atomic level to compare the mechanical stresses caused by the R2R and the hot-pressing methods, which also supports our conclusion. Consequently, we believe that the proposed hot-pressing method will be immediately useful for display and solar cell applications that currently require rigid and large substrates.

Fault-tolerant control for current sensors of doubly fed induction generators based on an improved fault detection method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Hui; Yang, Chao; Hu, Yaogang

2014-01-01

Fault-tolerant control of current sensors is studied in this paper to improve the reliability of a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG). A fault-tolerant control system of current sensors is presented for the DFIG, which consists of a new current observer and an improved current sensor fault...... detection algorithm, and fault-tolerant control system are investigated by simulation. The results indicate that the outputs of the observer and the sensor are highly coherent. The fault detection algorithm can efficiently detect both soft and hard faults in current sensors, and the fault-tolerant control...

Simultaneous parameter and tolerance optimization of structures via probability-interval mixed reliability model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Luo, Yangjun; Wu, Xiaoxiang; Zhou, Mingdong

2015-01-01

Both structural sizes and dimensional tolerances strongly influence the manufacturing cost and the functional performance of a practical product. This paper presents an optimization method to simultaneously find the optimal combination of structural sizes and dimensional tolerances. Based...... transformed into their equivalent formulations by using the performance measure approach. The optimization problem is then solved with the sequential approximate programming. Meanwhile, a numerically stable algorithm based on the trust region method is proposed to efficiently update the target performance...

Effect of flow rate and disc area increment on the efficiency of rotating biological contactor for treating greywater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pathan, A.A.

2015-01-01

The performance of greywater treatment through RBC (Rotating Biological Contactor) is related to many factors including rotational speed of disc, surface area of the media, thickness of biological film; quality and flow rate of influent. The plastic media provides surface for biological slime. The slime is rotated alternatively into the settled wastewater and then into atmosphere to provide aerobic conditions for the microorganisms. In this study the performance of RBC is investigated at different flow rates and disk areas of media by introducing additional discs on the shaft of RBC. Initially efficiency of the RBC was observed on six flow rates at the disc area of 9.78m/sup 2/. Furthermore optimized three flow rates were used to augment the disk area. The efficiency of RBC system was improved significantly at disk area of 11.76m/sup 2/ and flow rate of 20 L/h. Under these conditions the removal of BOD5 (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) and TSS (Total Suspended Solid) was observed 83, 57 and 90% respectively. (author)

The sustainability and efficient use of renewable energy sources in rural areas

Science.gov (United States)

Adetunji, Kayode E.; Akinlabi, Akindeji O.; Joseph, Meera K.

2018-04-01

The energy system in African countries is mostly dependent on coal, gas, and oil, which in turns leads to environmental challenges and an imbalance of energy usage in some area of the countries. Given that, a mostly rural area in Africa suffers from the unsustainable energy system, thus it necessary to integrate renewable energy into the rural area for social and economic development. A sustainable energy system built on a clean energy such as renewable energy based on the availability of the natural resource is the main focus of this paper. Renewable energy is a solution for service delivery and when deployed everyone would be able to access electricity power, particularly in the remote area (which can be a suburb or rural environment) where the absence of national power grids. Renewable energy opens new opportunities for an economic development and sustainable solution to employ for energy efficiency, energy delivery, and energy management by the people and upon that a platform to promote environmental friendliness. In this paper, we explored the reasons for switching to renewable energy, saving energy and the awareness of potential and use of renewable energy in the rural area. IBM's SPSS is used for the quantitative data analysis. The results showed that sustainability of the National utility grid to the rural area is low, with over 80 percent of participants agreeing to disruption of power supply. The Positivity of the rural peoples' awareness of renewable also brought about the conclusion and recommendations from this paper.

The role of tolerant genotypes and plant nutrients in the management of acid soil infertility in upland rice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahrawat, K.L.; Jones, M.P.; Diatta, S.

2000-01-01

As in other parts of the humid tropics, acid-related problems are the major constraint to crop production on low-activity clay soils in the humid and sub-humid zones of West Africa. The upland ecosystem of West Africa is very important to rice production. About 70% of upland rice is grown in the humid zone of the sub-region. To increase and stabilize rice productivity of the acid uplands at reasonable levels, a strategy is needed that integrates the use of tolerant cultivars with soil and plant-nutrient management. Research conducted on Alfisols and Ultisols of the humid-forest and savannah zones in West Africa showed that upland rice is a robust crop, possessing a wide range of tolerance to acid-soil conditions. Recent research at WARDA showed also that acid-soil tolerance can be enhanced through interspecific Oryza sativa x O. glaberrima progenies, which not only possess increased tolerance of acid-soil conditions, but also have superior overall adaptability to diverse upland environments in the sub-region. Our research on the diagnosis of acid-soil infertility problems on the Ultisols and Alfisols of the humid savannah and forest zones indicates that P deficiency is the most important nutrient disorder for upland rice. In the forest zone, response to N depended on the application of P. In the savannah and forest-savannah transition zones, N deficiency was more important than P deficiency. Among other plant nutrients, the application of Ca and Mg (as plant nutrients) did not appear initially to improve the performance of acid-tolerant upland rice cultivars. The results from a long-term study on an Ultisol with four acid-tolerant rice cultivars, revealed that they differed in agronomic and physiological P efficiencies, and the efficiencies were higher at lower rates of P. The amounts of total P removed in three successive crops were similar for all four cultivars although P-harvest index was 10 to 12% higher in the P-efficient than the inefficient cultivars. The

Concepts for improving the damage tolerance of composite compression panels. [aircraft structures

Science.gov (United States)

Rhodes, M. D.; Williams, J. G.

1984-01-01

The residual strength of specimens with damage and the sensitivity to damage while subjected to an applied inplane compression load were determined for flatplate specimens and blade-stiffened panels. The results suggest that matrix materials that fail by delamination have the lowest damage tolerance capability. Alternate matrix materials or laminates which are transversely reinforced suppress the delamination mode of failure and change the failure mode to transverse shear crippling which occurs at a higher strain value. Several damage-tolerant blade-stiffened panel design concepts are evaluated. Structural efficiency studies conducted show only small mass penalties may result from incorporating these damage-tolerant features in panel design. The implication of test results on the design of aircraft structures was examined with respect to FAR requirements.

Low-energy district heating in energy-efficient building areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalla Rosa, A.; Christensen, J.E.

2011-01-01

This paper presents an innovative low-energy district heating (DH) concept based on low-temperature operation. The decreased heating demand from low-energy buildings affects the cost-effectiveness of traditionally-designed DH systems, so we carried out a case study of the annual energy performance of a low-energy network for low-energy houses in Denmark. We took into account the effect of human behaviour on energy demand, the effect of the number of buildings connected to the network, a socio-economic comparison with ground source heat pumps, and opportunities for the optimization of the network design, and operational temperature and pressure. In the north-European climate, we found that human behaviour can lead to 50% higher heating demand and 60% higher heating power than those anticipated in the reference values in the standard calculations for energy demand patterns in energy-efficient buildings. This considerable impact of human behaviour should clearly be included in energy simulations. We also showed that low-energy DH systems are robust systems that ensure security of supply for each customer in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way in areas with linear heat density down to 0.20 MWh/(m year), and that the levelized cost of energy in low-energy DH supply is competitive with a scenario based on ground source heat pumps. The investment costs represent up to three quarters of the overall expenditure, over a time horizon of 30 years; so, the implementation of an energy system that fully relies on renewable energy needs substantial capital investment, but in the long term this is sustainable from the environmental and socio-economic points of view. Having demonstrated the value of the low-energy DH concept, we evaluated various possible designs with the aim of finding the optimal solution with regard to economic and energy efficiency issues. Here we showed the advantage of low supply and return temperatures, their effect on energy efficiency and that

Inter-genotypic differences in drought tolerance of maritime pine are modified by elevated [CO2].

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Gómez, David; Mancha, José A; Cervera, M Teresa; Aranda, Ismael

2017-10-17

Despite the importance of growth [CO 2 ] and water availability for tree growth and survival, little information is available on how the interplay of these two factors can shape intraspecific patterns of functional variation in tree species, particularly for conifers. The main objective of the study was to test whether the range of realized drought tolerance within the species can be affected by elevated [CO 2 ]. Intraspecific variability in leaf gas exchange, growth rate and other leaf functional traits were studied in clones of maritime pine. A factorial experiment including water availability, growth [CO 2 ] and four different genotypes was conducted in growth rooms. A 'water deficit' treatment was imposed by applying a cycle of progressive soil water depletion and recovery at two levels of growth [CO 2 ]: 'ambient [CO 2 ]' (aCO 2 400 μmol mol -1 ) and 'elevated [CO 2 ]' (eCO 2 800 μmol mol -1 ). eCO2 had a neutral effect on the impact of drought on growth and leaf gas exchange of the most drought-sensitive genotypes while it aggravated the impact of drought on the most drought-tolerant genotypes at aCO2. Thus, eCO2 attenuated genotypic differences in drought tolerance as compared with those observed at aCO2. Genotypic variation at both levels of growth [CO2] was found in specific leaf area and leaf nitrogen content but not in other physiological leaf traits such as intrinsic water use efficiency and leaf osmotic potential. eCO2 increased Δ 13 C but had no significant effect on δ 18 O. This effect did not interact with the impact of drought, which increased δ 18 O and decreased Δ 13 C. Nevertheless, correlations between Δ 13 C and δ 18 O indicated the non-stomatal component of water use efficiency in this species can be particularly sensitive to drought. Evidence from this study suggests elevated [CO 2 ] can modify current ranges of drought tolerance within tree species. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals

Fault-tolerant search algorithms reliable computation with unreliable information

CERN Document Server

Cicalese, Ferdinando

2013-01-01

Why a book on fault-tolerant search algorithms? Searching is one of the fundamental problems in computer science. Time and again algorithmic and combinatorial issues originally studied in the context of search find application in the most diverse areas of computer science and discrete mathematics. On the other hand, fault-tolerance is a necessary ingredient of computing. Due to their inherent complexity, information systems are naturally prone to errors, which may appear at any level - as imprecisions in the data, bugs in the software, or transient or permanent hardware failures. This book pr

Genomic tools in pearl millet breeding for drought tolerance: Status and prospects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Desalegn Debelo Serba

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Pearl millet (Penisetum glaucum (L R. Br. is a hardy cereal crop grown in the arid and semiarid tropics where other cereals are likely to fail to produce economic yields due to drought and heat stresses. Adaptive evolution, a form of natural selection shaped the crop to grow and yield satisfactorily with limited moisture supply or under periodic water deficits in the soil. Drought tolerance is a complex polygenic trait that various morphological and physiological responses are controlled by hundreds of genes and significantly influenced by the environment. The development of genomic tools will have enormous potential to improve the efficiency and precision of conventional breeding. The apparent independent domestication events, highly outcrossing nature and traditional cultivation in stressful environments maintained tremendous amount of polymorphism in pearl millet. This high polymorphism of the crop has been revealed by genome mapping that in turn stimulated the mapping and tagging of genomic regions controlling important traits such as drought tolerance. Mapping of a major QTL for terminal drought tolerance in independent populations envisaged the prospect for the development of molecular breeding in pearl millet. To accelerate genetic gains for drought tolerance targeted novel approaches such as establishment of marker-trait associations, genomic selection tools, genome sequence and genotyping-by-sequencing are still limited. Development and application of high throughput genomic tools need to be intensified to improve the breeding efficiency of pearl millet to minimize the impact of climate change on its production.

Wavy channel Thin Film Transistor for area efficient, high performance and low power applications

KAUST Repository

Hanna, Amir

2014-06-01

We report a new Thin Film Transistor (TFT) architecture that allows expansion of the device width using wavy (continuous without separation) fin features - termed as wavy channel (WC) architecture. This architecture allows expansion of transistor width in a direction perpendicular to the substrate, thus not consuming extra chip area, achieving area efficiency. The devices have shown for a 13% increase in the device width resulting in a maximum 2.4x increase in \\'ON\\' current value of the WCTFT, when compared to planar devices consuming the same chip area, while using atomic layer deposition based zinc oxide (ZnO) as the channel material. The WCTFT devices also maintain similar \\'OFF\\' current value, similar to 100 pA, when compared to planar devices, thus not compromising on power consumption for performance which usually happens with larger width devices. This work offers a pragmatic opportunity to use WCTFTs as backplane circuitry for large-area high-resolution display applications without any limitation any TFT materials.

STUDENT´S ORIENTATIONS ON TOLERANT INTERACTION WITH EDUCATIONAL MIGRANTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olga Mihailovna Komornikova

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The article analyzes the specifics orientations of students in the tolerant interaction with educational migrants by conditions of migrant´s international educational intensification. This problem is considered in the context of the phenomenon of tolerance as a cultural value, consolidating for society the importance of methods and forms of conflict-free interaction. The article contains the definition of orientations on tolerant interaction. It was defined the characteristics features of tolerant interaction in modern conditions, external and internal factors that determine the orientation of students on tolerant interaction with migrants. Kurgan region is not experiencing a mass influx of migrants; however, the number of foreigners studying in Shadrinsk State Pedagogical University is quite significant. On the basis of the results of a social study in March-April 2016 among students SSPU, we came to the conclusion that more than half of them are focused tolerant interaction with educational migrants. The main area of cooperation is a learning activity. Friendly relationship with migrants is less attractive for young people. With decreasing of social distance, increases the number of negatively-minded students to co-education with migrant students. This is due to such factors as the social attitudes of the people in inter-ethnic relations, the presence of the negative experience of interaction with foreign student.

Genetic Approaches to Develop Salt Tolerant Germplasm

KAUST Repository

Tester, Mark A.

2015-08-19

Forty percent of the world\\'s food is produced under irrigation, and this is directly threatened by over-exploitation and changes in the global environment. One way to address this threat is to develop systems for increasing our ability to use lower quality water, in particular saline water. Low cost partial desalination of brackish water, use of saline water for cooling and increases in the salinity tolerance of crops can all contribute to the development of this new agricultural system. In this talk, the focus will be on the use of forward genetic approaches for discovery of genes related to salinity tolerance in barley and tomatoes. Rather than studying salinity tolerance as a trait in itself, we dissect salinity tolerance into a series of components that are hypothesised to contribute to overall salinity tolerance (following the paradigm of Munns & Tester, 2008). For example, one significant component of tolerance of most crop plants to moderate soil salinity is due to the ability to maintain low concentrations of Na+ in the leaves, and much analysis of this aspect has been done (e.g. Roy et al., 2013, 2014). A major site for the control of shoot Na+ accumulation is at the plasma membrane of the mature stele of the root. Alleles of HKT, a major gene underlying this transport process have been characterized and, in work led by Dr Rana Munns (CSIRO), have now been introgressed into commercial durum wheat and led to significantly increased yields in saline field conditions (Munns et al., 2012). The genotyping of mapping populations is now highly efficient. However, the ability to quantitatively phenotype these populations is now commonly limiting forward progress in plant science. The increasing power of digital imaging and computational technologies offers the opportunity to relieve this phenotyping bottleneck. The Plant Accelerator is a 4500m2 growth facility that provides non-destructive phenotyping of large populations of plants (http

Hematopoietic chimerism and transplantation tolerance: a role for regulatory T cells

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Lise ePasquet

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The major obstacle in transplantation medicine is rejection of donor tissues by the host’s immune system. Immunosuppressive drugs can delay but not prevent loss of transplants, and their efficiency is strongly impacted by inter-individual pharmacokinetic differences. Moreover, due to the global immunosuppression induced and to the broad distribution of their targets amongst human tissues, these drugs have severe side effects. Induction of donor-specific non-responsiveness (i.e. immunological tolerance to transplants would solve these problems and would substantially ameliorate patients’ quality of life. It is widely believed that bone marrow or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and resulting (mixed hematopoietic chimerism, invariably leads to immunological tolerance to organs of the same donor. A careful analysis of the literature, reviewed here, indeed shows that chimerism consistently prolongs allograft survival. However, in absence of additional conditioning leading to the development of active regulatory mechanisms, it does not prevent chronic rejection. A central role for active tolerance in transplantation-tolerance is also supported by recent data showing that genuine immunological tolerance to organ allografts can be achieved by combining induction of hematopoietic chimerism with infusion of regulatory T lymphocytes. Therefore, conditioning regimens that lead to the establishment of hematopoietic chimerism plus active regulatory mechanisms appear required for induction of genuine tolerance to allogeneic grafts.

Remember Tolerance Differently

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tønder, Lars

2012-01-01

This essay questions the linear conception of history which often accompanies the way contemporary democratic theory tends to disavow tolerance's discontinuities and remainders. In the spirit of Foucault's genealogy of descent, the idea is to develop a new sense of tolerance's history, not by inv......This essay questions the linear conception of history which often accompanies the way contemporary democratic theory tends to disavow tolerance's discontinuities and remainders. In the spirit of Foucault's genealogy of descent, the idea is to develop a new sense of tolerance's history......, not by invoking a critique external to contemporary democratic theory, but by witnessing the history of tolerance paraliptically, with an eye to what it obscures and yet presupposes....

Induced tolerance from a sublethal insecticide leads to cross-tolerance to other insecticides.

Science.gov (United States)

Hua, Jessica; Jones, Devin K; Relyea, Rick A

2014-04-01

As global pesticide use increases, the ability to rapidly respond to pesticides by increasing tolerance has important implications for the persistence of nontarget organisms. A recent study of larval amphibians discovered that increased tolerance can be induced by an early exposure to low concentrations of a pesticide. Since natural systems are often exposed to a variety of pesticides that vary in mode of action, we need to know whether the induction of increased tolerance to one pesticide confers increased tolerance to other pesticides. Using larval wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus), we investigated whether induction of increased tolerance to the insecticide carbaryl (AChE-inhibitor) can induce increased tolerance to other insecticides that have the same mode of action (chlorpyrifos, malathion) or a different mode of action (Na(+)channel-interfering insecticides; permethrin, cypermethrin). We found that embryonic exposure to sublethal concentrations of carbaryl induced higher tolerance to carbaryl and increased cross-tolerance to malathion and cypermethrin but not to chlorpyrifos or permethrin. In one case, the embryonic exposure to carbaryl induced tolerance in a nonlinear pattern (hormesis). These results demonstrate that that the newly discovered phenomenon of induced tolerance also provides induced cross-tolerance that is not restricted to pesticides with the same mode of action.

Internal Leakage Fault Detection and Tolerant Control of Single-Rod Hydraulic Actuators

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Jianyong Yao

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The integration of internal leakage fault detection and tolerant control for single-rod hydraulic actuators is present in this paper. Fault detection is a potential technique to provide efficient condition monitoring and/or preventive maintenance, and fault tolerant control is a critical method to improve the safety and reliability of hydraulic servo systems. Based on quadratic Lyapunov functions, a performance-oriented fault detection method is proposed, which has a simple structure and is prone to implement in practice. The main feature is that, when a prescribed performance index is satisfied (even a slight fault has occurred, there is no fault alarmed; otherwise (i.e., a severe fault has occurred, the fault is detected and then a fault tolerant controller is activated. The proposed tolerant controller, which is based on the parameter adaptive methodology, is also prone to realize, and the learning mechanism is simple since only the internal leakage is considered in parameter adaptation and thus the persistent exciting (PE condition is easily satisfied. After the activation of the fault tolerant controller, the control performance is gradually recovered. Simulation results on a hydraulic servo system with both abrupt and incipient internal leakage fault demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed fault detection and tolerant control method.

Post occupancy evaluation of energy-efficient behavior in informal housing of high density area

Science.gov (United States)

Aulia, D. N.; Marpaung, B. O. Y.

2018-02-01

The concept of energy-efficient building emphasizes the critical of efficiency in the use of water, electrical energy, and building materials, beginning with design, construction, to the maintenance of the building in the future. This study was conducted to observe the behavior of Energy Saving of the residents in performing everyday activities in the building. The observed variables are the consumption of natural resources (energy, material, water, and land) and the emissions of air, water, and land related to the environment and health. This research is a descriptive qualitative research with the method of data collection is the distribution of questionnaires and observation. The method of analyzing data is posted occupancy evaluation undertaken to obtain patterns of community-based behavior in urban areas. The informal high-density housing area is a typology of population settlements that found in many big cities in Indonesia. This community represents various community groups regarding occupation, education, income, and race. The results of the study concluded that there are five components of energy-saving behavioral formers in housing namely: residential building components, environmental components in occupancy, external occupancy components, components of social activities and elements of business

Tolerance through Education: How Tolerogenic Dendritic Cells Shape Immunity

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Matthias P. Domogalla

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Dendritic cells (DCs are central players in the initiation and control of responses, regulating the balance between tolerance and immunity. Tolerogenic DCs are essential in the maintenance of central and peripheral tolerance by induction of clonal T cell deletion and T cell anergy, inhibition of memory and effector T cell responses, and generation and activation of regulatory T cells. Therefore, tolerogenic DCs are promising candidates for specific cellular therapy of allergic and autoimmune diseases and for treatment of transplant rejection. Studies performed in rodents have demonstrated the efficacy and feasibility of tolerogenic DCs for tolerance induction in various inflammatory diseases. In the last years, numerous protocols for the generation of human monocyte-derived tolerogenic DCs have been established and some first phase I trials have been conducted in patients suffering from autoimmune disorders, demonstrating the safety and efficiency of this cell-based immunotherapy. This review gives an overview about methods and protocols for the generation of human tolerogenic DCs and their mechanisms of tolerance induction with the focus on interleukin-10-modulated DCs. In addition, we will discuss the prerequisites for optimal clinical grade tolerogenic DC subsets and results of clinical trials with tolerogenic DCs in autoimmune diseases.

Recurrent selection as breeding strategy for heat tolerance in wheat

OpenAIRE

Juarez Campolina Machado; Moacil Alves de Souza; Davi Melo de Oliveira; Adeliano Cargnin; Aderico Júnior Badaró Pimentel; Josiane Cristina de Assis

2010-01-01

The development of heat-tolerant varieties is an important goal of wheat breeding programs, requiringefficient selection methods. In the present study the use of recurrent selection was evaluated as a strategy to improve heatstress tolerance in wheat. Two cycles of recurrent selection were performed in experiments conducted in research areas of theUniversidade Federal de Viçosa, located in Coimbra-MG and Viçosa-MG, in 2004 and 2007, in two growing seasons (summerand winter). The genetic gain ...

Improved radiation tolerance of MAPS using a depleted epitaxial layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dorokhov, A.; Bertolone, G.; Baudot, J.; Brogna, A.S.; Colledani, C.; Claus, G.; De Masi, R.; Deveaux, M.; Doziere, G.; Dulinski, W.; Fontaine, J.-C.; Goffe, M.; Himmi, A.; Hu-Guo, Ch.; Jaaskelainen, K.; Koziel, M.; Morel, F.; Santos, C.; Specht, M.; Valin, I.

2010-01-01

Tracking performance of Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS) developed at IPHC (Turchetta, et al., 2001) have been extensively studied (Winter, et al., 2001; Gornushkin, et al., 2002) . Numerous sensor prototypes, called MIMOSA, were fabricated and tested since 1999 in order to optimise the charge collection efficiency and power dissipation, to minimise the noise and to increase the readout speed. The radiation tolerance was also investigated. The highest fluence tolerable for a 10μm pitch device was found to be ∼10 13 n eq /cm 2 , while it was only 2x10 12 n eq /cm 2 for a 20μm pitch device. The purpose of this paper is to show that the tolerance to non-ionising radiation may be extended up to O(10 14 ) n eq /cm 2 . This goal relies on a fabrication process featuring a 15μm thin, high resistivity (∼1kΩcm) epitaxial layer. A sensor prototype (MIMOSA-25) was fabricated in this process to explore its detection performance. The depletion depth of the epitaxial layer at standard CMOS voltages ( 13 n eq /cm 2 ), making evidence of a significant extension of the radiation tolerance limits of MAPS.

Recent Advances in Durability and Damage Tolerance Methodology at NASA Langley Research Center

Science.gov (United States)

Ransom, J. B.; Glaessgen, E. H.; Raju, I. S.; Harris, C. E.

2007-01-01

Durability and damage tolerance (D&DT) issues are critical to the development of lighter, safer and more efficient aerospace vehicles. Durability is largely an economic life-cycle design consideration whereas damage tolerance directly addresses the structural airworthiness (safety) of the vehicle. Both D&DT methodologies must address the deleterious effects of changes in material properties and the initiation and growth of damage that may occur during the vehicle s service lifetime. The result of unanticipated D&DT response is often manifested in the form of catastrophic and potentially fatal accidents. As such, durability and damage tolerance requirements must be rigorously addressed for commercial transport aircraft and NASA spacecraft systems. This paper presents an overview of the recent and planned future research in durability and damage tolerance analytical and experimental methods for both metallic and composite aerospace structures at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC).

Improvement of CMOS VLSI rad tolerance by processing technics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guyomard, D.; Desoutter, I.

1986-01-01

The following study concerns the development of integrated circuits for fields requiring only relatively low radiation tolerance levels, and especially for the civil spatial district area. Process modifications constitute our basic study. They have been carried into effects. Our work and main results are reported in this paper. Well known 2.5 and 3 μm CMOS technologies are under our concern. A first set of modifications enables us to double the cumulative dose tolerance of a 4 Kbit SRAM, keeping at the same time the same kind of damage. We obtain memories which tolerate radiation doses as high as 16 KRad(Si). Repetitivity of the results, linked to the quality assurance of this specific circuit, is reported here. A second set of modifications concerns the processing of gate array. In particular, the choice of the silicon substrate type, (epitaxy substrate), is under investigation. On the other hand, a complete study of a test vehicule allows us to accurately measure the rad tolerance of various components of the Cell library [fr

PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL MARKERS OF SALINITY TOLERANCE IN PLANTS

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Mustafa YILDIZ

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Salt stress limits plant productivity in arid and semi arid regions. Salt stress causes decrease in plant growth by adversely affecting physiological processes, especially photosynthesis. Salinity tolerance is defined as the ability of plant to maintain normal rowth and development under salt conditions. Salt stress results in accumulation of low molecular weight compounds, termed compatible solutes, which do not interfere with the normal biochemical reactions. These compatible solutes such as carbohydrates, polyols, amino acids and amides, quaternary ammonium compounds, polyamines andsoluble proteins may play a crucial role in osmotic adjustment, protection of macromolecules, maintenance of cellular pH and detoxification of free radicals. On the other hand, plants subjected to environmental stresses such as salinity produce reactive oxygen species (ROS and these ROS are efficiently eliminated by antioxidant enzyme systems. In plant breeding studies, the use of some physiological and biochemical markers for improving the salt tolerance in plants is crucial. In this review, the possibility of using some physiological and biochemical markers as selection criteria for salt tolerance is discussed.

Regional differences analysis of land use efficiency and obstacle degree in Xianning-Yueyang-Jiujiang area

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Chengshun Song

2017-03-01

Full Text Available This paper established an evaluation index system for the land use efficiency from social, economic, ecological and environmental aspects, and adopted the variation coefficient TOPSIS method and obstacle degree model to analyze the regional differences of land use efficiency and obstacle degree in Xianning, Yueyang and Jiujiang. The results showed that: (1 During 2000-2010, the land use efficiency in these regions had an increasing tendency and the regional differences were small. In Yueyang and Jiujiang, there were four stages, that is low, moderate, good and excellent; while in Xianning, there were only three stages, that is low, moderate and good; (2 The economic level was the greatest obstacle factor affecting the land use efficiency in these regions, followed by the environmental quality, ecological status, social development, and the regional differences in these aspects were not so obvious; (3 Per area financial revenue, the output of comprehensive utilization of “three wastes” and per capita GDP were the top three obstacle factors and the regional differences in these aspects were not so obvious.

Association and linkage analysis of aluminum tolerance genes in maize.

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Allison M Krill

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Aluminum (Al toxicity is a major worldwide constraint to crop productivity on acidic soils. Al becomes soluble at low pH, inhibiting root growth and severely reducing yields. Maize is an important staple food and commodity crop in acidic soil regions, especially in South America and Africa where these soils are very common. Al exclusion and intracellular tolerance have been suggested as two important mechanisms for Al tolerance in maize, but little is known about the underlying genetics. METHODOLOGY: An association panel of 282 diverse maize inbred lines and three F2 linkage populations with approximately 200 individuals each were used to study genetic variation in this complex trait. Al tolerance was measured as net root growth in nutrient solution under Al stress, which exhibited a wide range of variation between lines. Comparative and physiological genomics-based approaches were used to select 21 candidate genes for evaluation by association analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Six candidate genes had significant results from association analysis, but only four were confirmed by linkage analysis as putatively contributing to Al tolerance: Zea mays AltSB like (ZmASL, Zea mays aluminum-activated malate transporter2 (ALMT2, S-adenosyl-L-homocysteinase (SAHH, and Malic Enzyme (ME. These four candidate genes are high priority subjects for follow-up biochemical and physiological studies on the mechanisms of Al tolerance in maize. Immediately, elite haplotype-specific molecular markers can be developed for these four genes and used for efficient marker-assisted selection of superior alleles in Al tolerance maize breeding programs.

Site Suitability Analysis for Dissemination of Salt-tolerant Rice Varieties in Southern Bangladesh

Science.gov (United States)

Sinha, D. D.; Singh, A. N.; Singh, U. S.

2014-11-01

Bangladesh is a country of 14.4 million ha geographical area and has a population density of more than 1100 persons per sq. km. Rice is the staple food crop, growing on about 72 % of the total cultivated land and continues to be the most important crop for food security of the country. A project "Sustainable Rice Seed Production and Delivery Systems for Southern Bangladesh" has been executed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in twenty southern districts of Bangladesh. These districts grow rice in about 2.9 million ha out of the country's total rice area of 11.3 million ha. The project aims at contributing to the Government of Bangladesh's efforts in improving national and household food security through enhanced and sustained productivity by using salinity-, submergence- and drought- tolerant and high yielding rice varieties. Out of the 20 project districts, 12 coastal districts are affected by the problem of soil salinity. The salt-affected area in Bangladesh has increased from about 0.83 million ha in 1973 to 1.02 million ha in 2000, and 1.05 million ha in 2009 due to the influence of cyclonic storms like "Sidr", "Laila" and others, leading to salt water intrusion in croplands. Three salinity-tolerant rice varieties have recently been bred by IRRI and field tested and released by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA). These varieties are BRRI dhan- 47 and Bina dhan-8 and - 10. However, they can tolerate soil salinity level up to EC 8-10 dSm-1, whereas the EC of soils in several areas are much higher. Therefore, a large scale dissemination of these varieties can be done only when a site suitability analysis of the area is carried out. The present study was taken up with the objective of preparing the site suitability of the salt-tolerant varieties for the salinity-affected districts of southern Bangladesh. Soil salinity map prepared by Soil Resources Development Institute of

Phenotypic characterisation of Saccharomyces spp. yeast for tolerance to stresses encountered during fermentation of lignocellulosic residues to produce bioethanol

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background During industrial fermentation of lignocellulose residues to produce bioethanol, microorganisms are exposed to a number of factors that influence productivity. These include inhibitory compounds produced by the pre-treatment processes required to release constituent carbohydrates from biomass feed-stocks and during fermentation, exposure of the organisms to stressful conditions. In addition, for lignocellulosic bioethanol production, conversion of both pentose and hexose sugars is a pre-requisite for fermentative organisms for efficient and complete conversion. All these factors are important to maximise industrial efficiency, productivity and profit margins in order to make second-generation bioethanol an economically viable alternative to fossil fuels for future transport needs. Results The aim of the current study was to assess Saccharomyces yeasts for their capacity to tolerate osmotic, temperature and ethanol stresses and inhibitors that might typically be released during steam explosion of wheat straw. Phenotypic microarray analysis was used to measure tolerance as a function of growth and metabolic activity. Saccharomyces strains analysed in this study displayed natural variation to each stress condition common in bioethanol fermentations. In addition, many strains displayed tolerance to more than one stress, such as inhibitor tolerance combined with fermentation stresses. Conclusions Our results suggest that this study could identify a potential candidate strain or strains for efficient second generation bioethanol production. Knowledge of the Saccharomyces spp. strains grown in these conditions will aid the development of breeding programmes in order to generate more efficient strains for industrial fermentations. PMID:24670111

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and tolerance of temperature stress in plants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhu, Xiancan; Song, Fengbin; Liu, Fulai

2017-01-01

Temperature is one of the most important environmental factors that determine the growth and productivity of plants across the globe. Many physiological and biochemical processes and functions are affected by low and high temperature stresses. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis has been shown...... to improve tolerance to temperature stress in plants. This chapter addresses the effect of AM symbiosis on plant growth and biomass production, water relations (water potential, stomatal conductance, and aquaporins), photosynthesis (photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll, and chlorophyll fluorescence), plasma...... tolerance of the host plants via enhancing water and nutrient uptake, improving photosynthetic capacity and efficiency, protecting plant against oxidative damage, and increasing accumulation of osmolytes are discussed. This chapter also provides some future perspectives for better understanding...

Influence of soil fertility on waterlogging tolerance of two Brachiaria grasses

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Juan de la Cruz Jiménez

2015-04-01

Full Text Available As a consequence of global warming, rainfall is expected to increase in several regions around the world. This, together with poor soil drainage, will result in waterlogged soil conditions. Brachiaria grasses are widely sown in the tropics and, these grasses confront seasonal waterlogged conditions. Several studies have indicated that an increase in nutrient availability could reduce the negative impact of waterlogging. Therefore, an outdoor study was conducted to evaluate the responses of two Brachiaria sp. grasses with contrasting tolerances to waterlogging, B. ruziziensis (sensitive and B. humidicola (tolerant, with two soil fertility levels. The genotypes were grown with two different soil fertilization levels (high and low and under well-drained or waterlogged soil conditions for 15 days. The biomass production, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic efficiency, and macro- (N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S and micronutrient (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn and B contents in the shoot tissue were determined. Significant differences in the nutrient content of the genotypes and treatments were found. An increase of redoximorphic elements (Fe and Mn in the soil solution occurred with the waterlogging. The greater tolerance of B. humidicola to waterlogged conditions might be due to an efficient root system that is able to acquire nutrients (N, P, K and potentially exclude phytotoxic elements (Fe and Mn under waterlogged conditions. A high nutrient availability in the waterlogged soils did not result in an improved tolerance for B. ruziziensis. The greater growth impairment seen in the B. ruziziensis with high soil fertility and waterlogging (as opposed to low soil fertility and waterlogging was possibly due to an increased concentration of redoximorphic elements under these conditions.

Lead, zinc and copper accumulation and tolerance in populations of Paspalum distichum and Cynodon dactylon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shu, W.S.; Ye, Z.H.; Lan, C.Y.; Zhang, Z.Q.; Wong, M.H.

2002-01-01

Metal-tolerant populations of the plants Paspalum distichum and Cunodon dactylon were identified. - Both Fankou and Lechang lead/zinc (Pb/Zn) mine tailings located at Guangdong Province contained high levels of total and DTPA-extractable Pb, Zn and Cu. Paspalum distichum and Cynodon dactylon were dominant species colonized naturally on the tailings. Lead, zinc and copper accumulation and tolerance of different populations of the two grasses growing on the tailings were investigated. Tillers of these populations including those from an uncontaminated area were subjected to the following concentrations: 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 mg l -1 Pb, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 30 mg l -1 Zn, or 0.25, 0.50, 1 and 2 mg l -1 Cu for 14 days, respectively, then tolerance index (TI) and EC 50 (the concentrations of metals in solutions which reduce 50% of normal root growth) were calculated. The results indicated that both Lechang and Fankou populations of the two grasses showed a greater tolerance to the three metals than those growing on the uncontaminated area, which suggested that co-tolerant ecotypes have evolved in the two grasses. P. distichum collected from Fankou tailings had the highest tolerance to Cu while Lechang population the highest tolerance to Pb and Zn among the tested populations, and tolerance levels in P. distichum were related to metal concentrations in the plants. P. distichum had a better growth performance than C. dactylon when both of them were grown on the tailings sites. Tolerant populations of these species would serve as potential candidates for re-vegetation of wastelands contaminated with Pb, Zn and Cu

Lead, zinc and copper accumulation and tolerance in populations of Paspalum distichum and Cynodon dactylon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shu, W.S.; Ye, Z.H.; Lan, C.Y.; Zhang, Z.Q.; Wong, M.H

2002-12-01

Metal-tolerant populations of the plants Paspalum distichum and Cunodon dactylon were identified. - Both Fankou and Lechang lead/zinc (Pb/Zn) mine tailings located at Guangdong Province contained high levels of total and DTPA-extractable Pb, Zn and Cu. Paspalum distichum and Cynodon dactylon were dominant species colonized naturally on the tailings. Lead, zinc and copper accumulation and tolerance of different populations of the two grasses growing on the tailings were investigated. Tillers of these populations including those from an uncontaminated area were subjected to the following concentrations: 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 mg l{sup -1} Pb, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 30 mg l{sup -1} Zn, or 0.25, 0.50, 1 and 2 mg l{sup -1} Cu for 14 days, respectively, then tolerance index (TI) and EC{sub 50} (the concentrations of metals in solutions which reduce 50% of normal root growth) were calculated. The results indicated that both Lechang and Fankou populations of the two grasses showed a greater tolerance to the three metals than those growing on the uncontaminated area, which suggested that co-tolerant ecotypes have evolved in the two grasses. P. distichum collected from Fankou tailings had the highest tolerance to Cu while Lechang population the highest tolerance to Pb and Zn among the tested populations, and tolerance levels in P. distichum were related to metal concentrations in the plants. P. distichum had a better growth performance than C. dactylon when both of them were grown on the tailings sites. Tolerant populations of these species would serve as potential candidates for re-vegetation of wastelands contaminated with Pb, Zn and Cu.

Enhancing Performance of Large-Area Organic Solar Cells with Thick Film via Ternary Strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jianqi; Zhao, Yifan; Fang, Jin; Yuan, Liu; Xia, Benzheng; Wang, Guodong; Wang, Zaiyu; Zhang, Yajie; Ma, Wei; Yan, Wei; Su, Wenming; Wei, Zhixiang

2017-06-01

Large-scale fabrication of organic solar cells requires an active layer with high thickness tolerability and the use of environment-friendly solvents. Thick films with high-performance can be achieved via a ternary strategy studied herein. The ternary system consists of one polymer donor, one small molecule donor, and one fullerene acceptor. The small molecule enhances the crystallinity and face-on orientation of the active layer, leading to improved thickness tolerability compared with that of a polymer-fullerene binary system. An active layer with 270 nm thickness exhibits an average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.78%, while the PCE is less than 8% with such thick film for binary system. Furthermore, large-area devices are successfully fabricated using polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/Silver gride or indium tin oxide (ITO)-based transparent flexible substrates. The product shows a high PCE of 8.28% with an area of 1.25 cm 2 for a single cell and 5.18% for a 20 cm 2 module. This study demonstrates that ternary organic solar cells exhibit great potential for large-scale fabrication and future applications. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Strategy for selection of soybean genotypes tolerant to drought during germination.

Science.gov (United States)

Dantas, S A G; Silva, F C S; Silva, L J; Silva, F L

2017-05-10

Water deficit is the main reason for instability in the context of soybean culture. The development of strategies for the selection of more tolerant genotypes is necessary. These strategies include the use of polyethylene glycol 6000 solutions (PEG-6000) for conducting the germination test under conditions of water restriction. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the osmotic potential and the main characteristics that promote the discrimination of soybean genotypes with regard to water stress tolerance during germination and the vigor test. Thirteen soybean cultivars were used. The seeds were allowed to germinate on sheets of germitest paper moistened in solution with PEG-6000, simulating different levels of water availability, which is expressed as osmotic potential (0.0, -0.2, -0.4, and -0.6 MPa). We assessed germination, length, and dry mass for seedlings and seeds, as well as reserve dynamics. Germination and variables related to the dynamics of reservation have great influence on the expression of variability in environments under stress. Among the different osmotic potentials, the -0.2 MPa was the most efficient for the expression of genetic variability among the cultivars. Conducting the germination test with PEG-6000 solution to -0.2 MPa was efficient for selecting soybean cultivars tolerant to water stress. This was accomplished by evaluating the percentage of germination, along with variables related to the dynamics of reservation.

Near-surface modifications for improved crack tolerant behavior of high strength alloys: trends and prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hettche, L.R.; Rath, B.B.

1982-01-01

The purpose of this chapter is to examine the potential of surface modifications in improving the crack tolerant behavior of high strength alloys. Provides a critique of two of the most promising and versatile techniques: ion implantation and laser beam surface processing. Discusses crack tolerant properties; engineering characterization; publication trends and Department of Defense interests; and emergent surface modification techniques. Finds that the efficiency with which high strength alloys can be incorporated into a structure or component is dependent on the following crack tolerant properties: fracture toughness, fatigue resistance, sustained loading cracking resistance, fretting fatigue resistance, and hydrogen embrittlement resistance. Concludes that ion implantation and laser surface processing coupled with other advanced metallurgical procedures and fracture mechanic analyses provide the means to optimize both the bulk and surface controlled crack tolerant properties

A distributed fault tolerant architecture for nuclear reactor control and safety functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hecht, M.; Agron, J.; Hochhauser, S.

1989-01-01

This paper reports on a fault tolerance architecture that provides tolerance to a broad scope of hardware, software, and communications faults which is being developed. This architecture relies on widely commercially available operating systems, local area networks, and software standards. Thus, development time is significantly shortened, and modularity allows for continuous and inexpensive system enhancement throughout the expected 20- year life. The fault containment and parallel processing capabilites of computers network are being exploited to provide a high performance, high availability network capable of tolerating a broad scope of hardware software, and operating system faults. The system can tolerate all but one known (and avoidable) single fault, two known and avoidable dual faults, and will detect all higher order fault sequences and provide diagnostics to allow for rapid manual recovery

Ectopically expressing MdPIP1;3, an aquaporin gene, increased fruit size and enhanced drought tolerance of transgenic tomatoes.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lin; Li, Qing-Tian; Lei, Qiong; Feng, Chao; Zheng, Xiaodong; Zhou, Fangfang; Li, Lingzi; Liu, Xuan; Wang, Zhi; Kong, Jin

2017-12-19

Water deficit severely reduces apple growth and production, is detrimental to fruit quality and size. This problem is exacerbated as global warming is implicated in producing more severe drought stress. Thus water-efficiency has becomes the major target for apple breeding. A desired apple tree can absorb and transport water efficiently, which not only confers improved drought tolerance, but also guarantees fruit size for higher income returns. Aquaporins, as water channels, control water transportation across membranes and can regulate water flow by changing their amount and activity. The exploration of molecular mechanism of water efficiency and the gene wealth will pave a way for molecular breeding of drought tolerant apple tree. In the current study, we screened out a drought inducible aquaporin gene MdPIP1;3, which specifically enhanced its expression during fruit expansion in 'Fuji' apple (Malus domestica Borkh. cv. Red Fuji). It localized on plasma membranes and belonged to PIP1 subfamily. The tolerance to drought stress enhanced in transgenic tomato plants ectopically expressing MdPIP1;3, showing that the rate of losing water in isolated transgenic leaves was slower than wild type, and stomata of transgenic plants closed sensitively to respond to drought compared with wild type. Besides, length and diameter of transgenic tomato fruits increased faster than wild type, and in final, fruit sizes and fresh weights of transgenic tomatoes were bigger than wild type. Specially, in cell levels, fruit cell size from transgenic tomatoes was larger than wild type, showing that cell number per mm 2 in transgenic fruits was less than wild type. Altogether, ectopically expressing MdPIP1;3 enhanced drought tolerance of transgenic tomatoes partially via reduced water loss controlled by stomata closure in leaves. In addition, the transgenic tomato fruits are larger and heavier with larger cells via more efficient water transportation across membranes. Our research will

Stress inducible overexpression of AtHDG11 leads to improved drought and salt stress tolerance in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Science.gov (United States)

Banavath, Jayanna N.; Chakradhar, Thammineni; Pandit, Varakumar; Konduru, Sravani; Guduru, Krishna K.; Akila, Chandra S.; Podha, Sudhakar; Puli, Chandra O. R.

2018-03-01

Peanut is an important oilseed and food legume cultivated as a rain-fed crop in semi-arid tropics. Drought and high salinity are the major abiotic stresses limiting the peanut productivity in this region. Development of drought and salt tolerant peanut varieties with improved yield potential using biotechnological approach is highly desirable to improve the peanut productivity in marginal geographies. As abiotic stress tolerance and yield represent complex traits, engineering of regulatory genes to produce abiotic stress-resilient transgenic crops appears to be a viable approach. In the present study, we developed transgenic peanut plants expressing an Arabidopsis homeodomain-leucine zipper transcription factor (AtHDG11) under stress inducible rd29Apromoter. A stress-inducible expression of AtHDG11 in three independent homozygous transgenic peanut lines resulted in improved drought and salt tolerance through up-regulation of known stress responsive genes(LEA, HSP70, Cu/Zn SOD, APX, P5CS, NCED1, RRS5, ERF1, NAC4, MIPS, Aquaporin, TIP, ELIP ) in the stress gene network , antioxidative enzymes, free proline along with improved water use efficiency traits such as longer root system, reduced stomatal density, higher chlorophyll content, increased specific leaf area, improved photosynthetic rates and increased intrinsic instantaneous WUE. Transgenic peanut plants displayed high yield compared to non-transgenic plants under both drought and salt stress conditions. Holistically, our study demonstrates the potentiality of stress-induced expression of AtHDG11 to improve the drought, salt tolerance in peanut.

Fault tolerant vector control of induction motor drive

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Odnokopylov, G; Bragin, A

2014-01-01

For electric composed of technical objects hazardous industries, such as nuclear, military, chemical, etc. an urgent task is to increase their resiliency and survivability. The construction principle of vector control system fault-tolerant asynchronous electric. Displaying recovery efficiency three-phase induction motor drive in emergency mode using two-phase vector control system. The process of formation of a simulation model of the asynchronous electric unbalance in emergency mode. When modeling used coordinate transformation, providing emergency operation electric unbalance work. The results of modeling transient phase loss motor stator. During a power failure phase induction motor cannot save circular rotating field in the air gap of the motor and ensure the restoration of its efficiency at rated torque and speed

MCNP load balancing and fault tolerance with PVM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKinney, G.W.

1995-01-01

Version 4A of the Monte Carlo neutron, photon, and electron transport code MCNP, developed by LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory), supports distributed-memory multiprocessing through the software package PVM (Parallel Virtual Machine, version 3.1.4). Using PVM for interprocessor communication, MCNP can simultaneously execute a single problem on a cluster of UNIX-based workstations. This capability provided system efficiencies that exceeded 80% on dedicated workstation clusters, however, on heterogeneous or multiuser systems, the performance was limited by the slowest processor (i.e., equal work was assigned to each processor). The next public release of MCNP will provide multiprocessing enhancements that include load balancing and fault tolerance which are shown to dramatically increase multiuser system efficiency and reliability

Infrastructure performance of irrigation canal to irrigation efficiency of irrigation area of Candi Limo in Mojokerto District

Science.gov (United States)

Kisnanto, S.; Hadiani, R. R. R.; Ikhsan, C.

2018-03-01

Performance is a measure of infrastructure success in delivering the benefits corresponding it’s design implementation. Debit efficiency is a comparison between outflow debit and inflow debit. Irrigation canal performance is part of the overall performance aspects of an irrigation area. The greater of the canal performance will be concluded that the canal is increasingly able to meet the planned benefits, need to be seen its comparison between the performance and debit efficiency of the canal. The existing problems in the field that the value of the performance of irrigation canals are not always comparable to the debit efficiency. This study was conducted to describe the relationship between the performance of the canal to the canal debit efficiency. The study was conducted at Candi Limo Irrigation Area in Mojokerto Disctrict under the authority of Pemerintahan Provinsi Jawa Timur. The primary canal and secondary canal are surveyed to obtain data. The physical condition of the primary and secondary canals into the material of this study also. Primary and secondary canal performance based on the physical condition in the field. Measurement inflow and outflow debit into the data for the calculation of the debit efficiency. The instrument used in this study such as the current meter for debit measurements in the field as a solution when there is a building measure in the field were damaged, also using the meter and the camera. Permen PU No.32 is used to determine the value of the performance of the canal, while the efficiency analysis to calculate a comparison value between outflow and inflow debit. The process of data running processing by performing the measurement and calculation of the performance of the canal, the canal debit efficiency value calculation, and display a graph of the relationship between the value of the performance with the debit efficiency in each canal. The expected results of this study that the performance value on the primary canal in the

Full on-chip and area-efficient CMOS LDO with zero to maximum load stability using adaptive frequency compensation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma Haifeng; Zhou Feng

2010-01-01

A full on-chip and area-efficient low-dropout linear regulator (LDO) is presented. By using the proposed adaptive frequency compensation (AFC) technique, full on-chip integration is achieved without compromising the LDO's stability in the full output current range. Meanwhile, the use of a compact pass transistor (the compact pass transistor serves as the gain fast roll-off output stage in the AFC technique) has enabled the LDO to be very area-efficient. The proposed LDO is implemented in standard 0.35 μm CMOS technology and occupies an active area as small as 220 x 320 μm 2 , which is a reduction to 58% compared to state-of-the-art designs using technologies with the same feature size. Measurement results show that the LDO can deliver 0-60 mA output current with 54 μA quiescent current consumption and the regulated output voltage is 1.8 V with an input voltage range from 2 to 3.3 V. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

Simultaneous Expression of PDH45 with EPSPS Gene Improves Salinity and Herbicide Tolerance in Transgenic Tobacco Plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Garg, Bharti; Gill, Sarvajeet S; Biswas, Dipul K; Sahoo, Ranjan K; Kunchge, Nandkumar S; Tuteja, Renu; Tuteja, Narendra

2017-01-01

To cope with the problem of salinity- and weed-induced crop losses, a multi-stress tolerant trait is need of the hour but a combinatorial view of such traits is not yet explored. The overexpression of PDH45 (pea DNA helicase 45) and EPSPS (5-enoylpruvyl shikimate-3-phosphate synthase) genes have been reported to impart salinity and herbicide tolerance. Further, the understanding of mechanism and pathways utilized by PDH45 and EPSPS for salinity and herbicide tolerance will help to improve the crops of economical importance. In the present study, we have performed a comparative analysis of salinity and herbicide tolerance to check the biochemical parameters and antioxidant status of tobacco transgenic plants. Collectively, the results showed that PDH45 overexpressing transgenic lines display efficient tolerance to salinity stress, while PDH45+EPSPS transgenics showed tolerance to both the salinity and herbicide as compared to the control [wild type (WT) and vector control (VC)] plants. The activities of the components of enzymatic antioxidant machinery were observed to be higher in the transgenic plants indicating the presence of an efficient antioxidant defense system which helps to cope with the stress-induced oxidative-damages. Photosynthetic parameters also showed significant increase in PDH45 and PDH45+EPSPS overexpressing transgenic plants in comparison to WT, VC and EPSPS transgenic plants under salinity stress. Furthermore, PDH45 and PDH45+EPSPS synergistically modulate the jasmonic acid and salicylic acid mediated signaling pathways for combating salinity stress. The findings of our study suggest that pyramiding of the PDH45 gene with EPSPS gene renders host plants tolerant to salinity and herbicide by enhancing the antioxidant machinery thus photosynthesis.

40 CFR 180.128 - Pyrethrins; tolerances for residues.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... byproducts 0.05 Loganberry, postharvest 1.0 Mango, postharvest 1.0 Milk, fat (reflecting negligible residues... a result of its use in cereal grain mills and in storage areas for milled cereal grain products. (3... served. Food must be removed or covered prior to use. (4) Where tolerances are established on both the...

Delay tolerant networks

CERN Document Server

Gao, Longxiang; Luan, Tom H

2015-01-01

This brief presents emerging and promising communication methods for network reliability via delay tolerant networks (DTNs). Different from traditional networks, DTNs possess unique features, such as long latency and unstable network topology. As a result, DTNs can be widely applied to critical applications, such as space communications, disaster rescue, and battlefield communications. The brief provides a complete investigation of DTNs and their current applications, from an overview to the latest development in the area. The core issue of data forward in DTNs is tackled, including the importance of social characteristics, which is an essential feature if the mobile devices are used for human communication. Security and privacy issues in DTNs are discussed, and future work is also discussed.

Traveling-Wave Tube Efficiency Enhancement

Science.gov (United States)

Dayton, James A., Jr.

2011-01-01

Traveling-wave tubes (TWT's) are used to amplify microwave communication signals on virtually all NASA and commercial spacecraft. Because TWT's are a primary power user, increasing their power efficiency is important for reducing spacecraft weight and cost. NASA Glenn Research Center has played a major role in increasing TWT efficiency over the last thirty years. In particular, two types of efficiency optimization algorithms have been developed for coupled-cavity TWT's. The first is the phase-adjusted taper which was used to increase the RF power from 420 to 1000 watts and the RF efficiency from 9.6% to 22.6% for a Ka-band (29.5 GHz) TWT. This was a record efficiency at this frequency level. The second is an optimization algorithm based on simulated annealing. This improved algorithm is more general and can be used to optimize efficiency over a frequency bandwidth and to provide a robust design for very high frequency TWT's in which dimensional tolerance variations are significant.

Stress Tolerance Variations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strains from Diverse Ecological Sources and Geographical Locations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan-Lin Zheng

Full Text Available The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a platform organism for bioethanol production from various feedstocks and robust strains are desirable for efficient fermentation because yeast cells inevitably encounter stressors during the process. Recently, diverse S. cerevisiae lineages were identified, which provided novel resources for understanding stress tolerance variations and related shaping factors in the yeast. This study characterized the tolerance of diverse S. cerevisiae strains to the stressors of high ethanol concentrations, temperature shocks, and osmotic stress. The results showed that the isolates from human-associated environments overall presented a higher level of stress tolerance compared with those from forests spared anthropogenic influences. Statistical analyses indicated that the variations of stress tolerance were significantly correlated with both ecological sources and geographical locations of the strains. This study provides guidelines for selection of robust S. cerevisiae strains for bioethanol production from nature.

A survey of NASA and military standards on fault tolerance and reliability applied to robotics

Science.gov (United States)

Cavallaro, Joseph R.; Walker, Ian D.

1994-01-01

There is currently increasing interest and activity in the area of reliability and fault tolerance for robotics. This paper discusses the application of Standards in robot reliability, and surveys the literature of relevant existing standards. A bibliography of relevant Military and NASA standards for reliability and fault tolerance is included.

Fault Tolerant Feedback Control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stoustrup, Jakob; Niemann, H.

2001-01-01

An architecture for fault tolerant feedback controllers based on the Youla parameterization is suggested. It is shown that the Youla parameterization will give a residual vector directly in connection with the fault diagnosis part of the fault tolerant feedback controller. It turns out...... that there is a separation be-tween the feedback controller and the fault tolerant part. The closed loop feedback properties are handled by the nominal feedback controller and the fault tolerant part is handled by the design of the Youla parameter. The design of the fault tolerant part will not affect the design...... of the nominal feedback con-troller....

Wavy channel thin film transistor architecture for area efficient, high performance and low power displays

KAUST Repository

Hanna, Amir

2013-12-23

We demonstrate a new thin film transistor (TFT) architecture that allows expansion of the device width using continuous fin features - termed as wavy channel (WC) architecture. This architecture allows expansion of transistor width in a direction perpendicular to the substrate, thus not consuming extra chip area, achieving area efficiency. The devices have shown for a 13% increase in the device width resulting in a maximum 2.5× increase in \\'ON\\' current value of the WCTFT, when compared to planar devices consuming the same chip area, while using atomic layer deposition based zinc oxide (ZnO) as the channel material. The WCTFT devices also maintain similar \\'OFF\\' current value, ~100 pA, when compared to planar devices, thus not compromising on power consumption for performance which usually happens with larger width devices. This work offers an interesting opportunity to use WCTFTs as backplane circuitry for large-area high-resolution display applications. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Tolerance to and Accumulation of Cadmium, Copper, and Zinc by Cupriavidus necator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rayssa Pereira Vicentin

2018-03-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Preliminary results of in vitro experiments with multicontaminated soils and solid media indicated that nodulating diazotrophic bacteria of the genus Cupriavidus are promising for the remediation of contaminated environments due to their symbiosis with legumes and metal tolerance. Thus, strains of Cupriavidus spp. (LMG 19424T, UFLA 01-659, UFLA 01-663, and UFLA 02-71 were tested for their ability to tolerate and bioaccumulate cadmium (Cd, copper (Cu, and zinc (Zn in Luria-Bertani broth. Changes in the growth pattern of Cupriavidus strains in the presence or absence of heavy metals were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and metal allocation by transmission electron microscopy, to clarify the mechanisms of bioremediation. Highest tolerance was detected for strain UFLA 01-659 (minimum inhibitory concentration of 5, 4.95, and 14.66 mmol L−1 of Cd, Cu, and Zn, respectively. Among the removal rates of the metals tested (9.0, 4.6, and 3.2 mg L−1 of Cd, Cu, and Zn, respectively, the bacterial activity was clearly highest for Cd. The efficiency of strain UFLA 01-659 in removing the heavy metals is associated with its high biomass production and/or higher contents of heavy metals adsorbed and absorbed in the biomass. In response to the presence of heavy metals in the liquid culture medium, the bacteria produced exopolysaccharides and small and aggregated cells. However, these responses varied according to the strains and heavy metals. Regarding allocation, all heavy metals were adsorbed on the cell wall and membrane, whereas complexation was observed intracellularly and only for Cu and Zn. These results indicate the possibility of using C. necator UFLA 01-659 for remediation in areas with very high Cd, Cu, and Zn contents.

Boron nutrition and chilling tolerance of warm climate crop species.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Longbin; Ye, Zhengqian; Bell, Richard W; Dell, Bernard

2005-10-01

Field observations and glasshouse studies have suggested links between boron (B)-deficiency and leaf damage induced by low temperature in crop plants, but causal relationships between these two stresses at physiological, biochemical and molecular levels have yet to be explored. Limited evidence at the whole-plant level suggests that chilling temperature in the root zone restricts B uptake capacity and/or B distribution/utilization efficiency in the shoot, but the nature of this interaction depends on chilling tolerance of species concerned, the mode of low temperature treatment (abrupt versus gradual temperature decline) and growth conditions (e.g. photon flux density and relative humidity) that may exacerbate chilling stress. This review explores roles of B nutrition in chilling tolerance of continual root or transient shoot chills in crop species adapted to warm season conditions. It reviews current research on combined effects of chilling temperature (ranging from >0 to 20 degrees C) and B deficiency on growth and B nutrition responses in crop species differing in chilling tolerance. For subtropical/tropical species (e.g. cucumber, cassava, sunflower), root chilling at 10-17 degrees C decreases B uptake efficiency and B utilization in the shoot and increases the shoot : root ratio, but chilling-tolerant temperate species (e.g. oilseed rape, wheat) require much lower root chill temperatures (2-5 degrees C) to achieve the same responses. Boron deficiency exacerbates chilling injuries in leaf tissues, particularly under high photon flux density. Suggested mechanisms for B x chilling interactions in plants are: (a) chilling-induced reduction in plasmalemma hydraulic conductivity, membrane fluidity, water channel activity and root pressure, which contribute to the decrease in root hydraulic conductance, water uptake and associated B uptake; (b) chilling-induced stomatal dysfunction affecting B transport from root to shoot and B partitioning in the shoot; and (c) B

Environmental service payments: evaluating biodiversity conservation trade-offs and cost-efficiency in the Osa Conservation Area, Costa Rica.

Science.gov (United States)

Barton, D N; Faith, D P; Rusch, G M; Acevedo, H; Paniagua, L; Castro, M

2009-02-01

The cost-efficiency of payments for environmental services (PES) to private landowners in the Osa Conservation Area, Costa Rica, is evaluated in terms of the trade-off between biodiversity representation and opportunity costs of conservation to agricultural and forestry land-use. Using available GIS data and an 'off-the-shelf' software application called TARGET, we find that the PES allocation criteria applied by authorities in 2002-2003 were more than twice as cost-efficient as criteria applied during 1999-2001. Results show that a policy relevant assessment of the cost-effectiveness of PES relative to other conservation policies can be carried out at regional level using available studies and GIS data. However, there are a number of data and conceptual limitations to using heuristic optimisation algorithms in the analysis of the cost-efficiency of PES. Site specific data on probabilities of land-use change, and a detailed specification of opportunity costs of farm land, labour and capital are required to use algorithms such as TARGET for ranking individual sites based on cost-efficiency. Despite its conceptual soundness for regional conservation analysis, biodiversity complementarity presents a practical challenge as a criterion for PES eligibility at farm level because it varies depending on the set of areas under PES contracts at any one time.

Physiological and Growth Responses of Six Turfgrass Species Relative to Salinity Tolerance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Md. Kamal Uddin

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The demand for salinity-tolerant turfgrasses is increasing due to augmented use of effluent or low-quality water (sea water for turf irrigation and the growing turfgrass industry in coastal areas. Experimental plants, grown in plastic pots filled with a mixture of river sand and KOSASR peat (9 : 1, were irrigated with sea water at different dilutions imparting salinity levels of 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, or 48 dS m-1. Salinity tolerance was evaluated on the basis of leaf firing, shoot and root growth reduction, proline content, and relative water content. Paspalum vaginatum was found to be most salt tolerant followed by Zoysia japonica and Zoysia matrella, while Digitaria didactyla, Cynodon dactylon “Tifdwarf,” and Cynodon dactylon “Satiri” were moderately tolerant. The results indicate the importance of turfgrass varietal selection for saline environments.

A Ship Propulsion System Model for Fault-tolerant Control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Izadi-Zamanabadi, Roozbeh; Blanke, M.

This report presents a propulsion system model for a low speed marine vehicle, which can be used as a test benchmark for Fault-Tolerant Control purposes. The benchmark serves the purpose of offering realistic and challenging problems relevant in both FDI and (autonomous) supervisory control area...

A high precision radiation-tolerant LVDT conditioning module

CERN Document Server

Masi, A; Losito, R; Peronnard, P; Secondo, R; Spiezia, G

2014-01-01

Linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) position sensors are widely used in particle accelerators and nuclear plants, thanks to their properties of contact-less sensing, radiation tolerance, infinite resolution, good linearity and cost efficiency. Many applications require high reading accuracy, even in environments with high radiation levels, where the conditioning electronics must be located several hundred meters away from the sensor. Sometimes even at long distances the conditioning module is still exposed to ionizing radiation. Standard off-the-shelf electronic conditioning modules offer limited performances in terms of reading accuracy and long term stability already with short cables. A radiation tolerant stand-alone LVDT conditioning module has been developed using Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components. The reading of the sensor output voltages is based on a sine-fit algorithm digitally implemented on an FPGA ensuring few micrometers reading accuracy even with low signal-to-noise ratios. ...

Engineering yeast transcription machinery for improved ethanol tolerance and production.

Science.gov (United States)

Alper, Hal; Moxley, Joel; Nevoigt, Elke; Fink, Gerald R; Stephanopoulos, Gregory

2006-12-08

Global transcription machinery engineering (gTME) is an approach for reprogramming gene transcription to elicit cellular phenotypes important for technological applications. Here we show the application of gTME to Saccharomyces cerevisiae for improved glucose/ethanol tolerance, a key trait for many biofuels programs. Mutagenesis of the transcription factor Spt15p and selection led to dominant mutations that conferred increased tolerance and more efficient glucose conversion to ethanol. The desired phenotype results from the combined effect of three separate mutations in the SPT15 gene [serine substituted for phenylalanine (Phe(177)Ser) and, similarly, Tyr(195)His, and Lys(218)Arg]. Thus, gTME can provide a route to complex phenotypes that are not readily accessible by traditional methods.

Ionic liquid-tolerant microorganisms and microbial communities for lignocellulose conversion to bioproducts.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Chaowei; Simmons, Blake A; Singer, Steven W; Thelen, Michael P; VanderGheynst, Jean S

2016-12-01

Chemical and physical pretreatment of biomass is a critical step in the conversion of lignocellulose to biofuels and bioproducts. Ionic liquid (IL) pretreatment has attracted significant attention due to the unique ability of certain ILs to solubilize some or all components of the plant cell wall. However, these ILs inhibit not only the enzyme activities but also the growth and productivity of microorganisms used in downstream hydrolysis and fermentation processes. While pretreated biomass can be washed to remove residual IL and reduce inhibition, extensive washing is costly and not feasible in large-scale processes. IL-tolerant microorganisms and microbial communities have been discovered from environmental samples and studies begun to elucidate mechanisms of IL tolerance. The discovery of IL tolerance in environmental microbial communities and individual microbes has lead to the proposal of molecular mechanisms of resistance. In this article, we review recent progress on discovering IL-tolerant microorganisms, identifying metabolic pathways and mechanisms of tolerance, and engineering microorganisms for IL tolerance. Research in these areas will yield new approaches to overcome inhibition in lignocellulosic biomass bioconversion processes and increase opportunities for the use of ILs in biomass pretreatment.

Toleration out of respect?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lægaard, Sune

2013-01-01

Under conditions of pluralism different cultures, interests or values can come into conflict, which raises the problem of how to secure peaceful co-existence. The idea of toleration historically emerged as an answer to this problem. Recently Rainer Forst has argued that toleration should not just...... be based on a modus vivendi designed to secure peaceful co-existence, but should be based on moral reasons. Forst therefore advances what he calls the ‘respect conception’ of toleration as an in itself morally desirable type of relationship, which is furthermore the only conception of toleration...... that avoids various so-called ‘paradoxes of toleration’. The paper first examines whether Forst’s respect conception can be applied descriptively to distinguish between actual patterns of behaviour and classify different acts of toleration. Then the focus is shifted to toleration out of respect as a normative...

Insertion of transposon in the vicinity of SSK2 confers enhanced tolerance to furfural in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Hyun-Soo [Ewha Womans Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of). Dept. of Life Science; Kim, Na-Rae [Ewha Womans Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of). Div. of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Kim, Wankee [Ewha Womans Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of). Dept. of Life Science; Ajou Univ., Suwon (Korea, Republic of). Inst. for Medical Sciences; Choi, Wonja [Ewha Womans Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of). Dept. of Life Science; Ewha Womans Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of). Microbial Resources Research Center

2012-07-15

Furfural is one of the major inhibitors generated during sugar production from cellulosic materials and, as an aldehyde, inhibits various cellular activities of microorganisms used, leading to prolonged lag time during ethanologenic fermentation. Since Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains tolerant to furfural are of great economic benefit in producing bioethanol, much effort to obtain more efficient strains continues to be made. In this study, we examined the furfural tolerance of transposon mutant strains (Tn 1-5) with enhanced ethanol tolerance and found that one of them (Tn 2), in which SSK2 is downregulated at the transcriptional level, displayed improved furfural tolerance. Such phenotype was abolished by complementation of the entire open reading frame of SSK2, which encodes a mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase kinase of the high osmolarity glycerol (HOG) signaling pathway, suggesting an inhibitory effect of SSK2 in coping with furfural stress. Tn 2 showed a significant decrease in the intracellular level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and early and high activation of Hog1p, a MAP kinase integral to the HOG pathway in response to furfural. The transcriptional levels of CTT1 and GLR1, two of known Hog1p downstream target genes whose protein products are involved in reducing ROS, were increased by 43 % and 56 % respectively compared with a control strain, probably resulting in the ROS decrease. Tn 2 also showed a shortened lag time during fermentation in the presence of furfural, resulting from efficient conversion of furfural to non-toxic (or less toxic) furfuryl alcohol. Taken together, the enhanced furfural tolerance of Tn 2 is suggested to be conferred by the combined effect of an early event of less ROS accumulation and a late event of efficient detoxification of furfural. (orig.)

Insertion of transposon in the vicinity of SSK2 confers enhanced tolerance to furfural in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hyun-Soo; Kim, Na-Rae; Kim, Wankee; Choi, Wonja

2012-07-01

Furfural is one of the major inhibitors generated during sugar production from cellulosic materials and, as an aldehyde, inhibits various cellular activities of microorganisms used, leading to prolonged lag time during ethanologenic fermentation. Since Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains tolerant to furfural are of great economic benefit in producing bioethanol, much effort to obtain more efficient strains continues to be made. In this study, we examined the furfural tolerance of transposon mutant strains (Tn 1-5) with enhanced ethanol tolerance and found that one of them (Tn 2), in which SSK2 is downregulated at the transcriptional level, displayed improved furfural tolerance. Such phenotype was abolished by complementation of the entire open reading frame of SSK2, which encodes a mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase kinase of the high osmolarity glycerol (HOG) signaling pathway, suggesting an inhibitory effect of SSK2 in coping with furfural stress. Tn 2 showed a significant decrease in the intracellular level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and early and high activation of Hog1p, a MAP kinase integral to the HOG pathway in response to furfural. The transcriptional levels of CTT1 and GLR1, two of known Hog1p downstream target genes whose protein products are involved in reducing ROS, were increased by 43 % and 56 % respectively compared with a control strain, probably resulting in the ROS decrease. Tn 2 also showed a shortened lag time during fermentation in the presence of furfural, resulting from efficient conversion of furfural to non-toxic (or less toxic) furfuryl alcohol. Taken together, the enhanced furfural tolerance of Tn 2 is suggested to be conferred by the combined effect of an early event of less ROS accumulation and a late event of efficient detoxification of furfural.

The political limit of tolerance O limite político da tolerância

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joseph Yvon Thériault

2008-06-01

Full Text Available In the contemporary discussions about democracy modifications, tolerance has been frequently evoked in order to express the way by which the democracies respond to the new demands of plurality recognition. While drawing the general lines of the connection between tolerance and democracy, the present article intends to deepen the comprehension of tolerance’s places and limits inside the democracy. After that, the text should evaluate the reach of the contemporary use of tolerance. Keywords: Democracy. Tolerance. Political theory. National Identity. Nas discussões contemporâneas sobre as transformações da democracia, a tolerância é com freqüência evocada para expressar o modo pelo qual as democracias respondem às novas exigências de reconhecimento da pluralidade. Ao esboçar as linhas gerais da relação entre tolerância e democracia, o presente artigo pretende aprofundar a compreensão do lugar e dos limites da tolerância na democracia. Em um segundo momento, tratará de avaliar o alcance do uso contemporâneo da tolerância. Palavras-chave: Democracia. Tolerância. Teoria Política. Identidade Nacional.

Removal of nutrient limitations in forest gaps enhances growth rate and resistance to cavitation in subtropical canopy tree species differing in shade tolerance.

Science.gov (United States)

Villagra, Mariana; Campanello, Paula I; Montti, Lia; Goldstein, Guillermo

2013-03-01

A 4-year fertilization experiment with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) was carried out in natural gaps of a subtropical forest in northeastern Argentina. Saplings of six dominant canopy species differing in shade tolerance were grown in five control and five N + P fertilized gaps. Hydraulic architectural traits such as wood density, the leaf area to sapwood area ratio (LA : SA), vulnerability to cavitation (P50) and specific and leaf-specific hydraulic conductivity were measured, as well as the relative growth rate, specific leaf area (SLA) and percentage of leaf damage by insect herbivores. Plant growth rates and resistance to drought-induced embolisms increased when nutrient limitations were removed. On average, the P50 of control plants was -1.1 MPa, while the P50 of fertilized plants was -1.6 MPa. Wood density and LA : SA decreased with N + P additions. A trade-off between vulnerability to cavitation and efficiency of water transport was not observed. The relative growth rate was positively related to the total leaf surface area per plant and negatively related to LA : SA, while P50 was positively related to SLA across species and treatments. Plants with higher growth rates and higher total leaf area in fertilized plots were able to avoid hydraulic dysfunction by becoming less vulnerable to cavitation (more negative P50). Two high-light-requiring species exhibited relatively low growth rates due to heavy herbivore damage. Contrary to expectations, shade-tolerant plants with relatively high resistance to hydraulic dysfunction and reduced herbivory damage were able to grow faster. These results suggest that during the initial phase of sapling establishment in gaps, species that were less vulnerable to cavitation and exhibited reduced herbivory damage had faster realized growth rates than less shade-tolerant species with higher potential growth rates. Finally, functional relationships between hydraulic traits and growth rate across species and treatments

Marker assisted selection and crop management for salt tolerance: A ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

use

2011-10-26

Oct 26, 2011 ... Accepted 4 July, 2011. Salinity is one of the major abiotic constraints for crop management in irrigated as well as rainfed areas ... INTRODUCTION. Salt tolerance is ... arid and arid climates (Asch et al.,1997) in general, and.

Roll-coating fabrication of flexible large area small molecule solar cells with power conversion efficiency exceeding 1%

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Wenqing; Liu, Shiyong; Zawacka, Natalia Klaudia

2014-01-01

All solution-processed flexible large area small molecule bulk heterojunction solar cells were fabricated via roll-coating technology. Our devices were produced from slot-die coating on a lab-scale mini roll-coater under ambient conditions without the use of spin-coating or vacuum evaporation.......01%, combined with an open circuit voltage of 0.73 V, a short-circuit current density of 3.13 mA cm (2) and a fill factor of 44% were obtained for the device with SM1, which was the first example reported for efficient roll-coating fabrication of flexible large area small molecule solar cells with PCE exceeding...... methods. Four diketopyrrolopyrrole based small molecules (SMs 1-4) were utilized as electron donors with (6,6)phenyl- C61-butyric acid methyl ester as an acceptor and their photovoltaic performances based on roll-coated devices were investigated. The best power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 1...

Nesting and acoustic ecology, but not phylogeny, influence passerine urban tolerance.

Science.gov (United States)

Cardoso, Gonçalo C

2014-03-01

Urbanization is one of the most extensive and ecologically significant changes happening to terrestrial environments, as it strongly affects the distribution of biodiversity. It is well established that native species richness is reduced in urban and suburban areas, but the species traits that predict tolerance to urbanization are yet little understood. In birds, one of the most studied groups in this respect, evidence is appearing that acoustic traits influence urban living, but it remains unknown how this compares to the effects of more obvious ecological traits that facilitate urban living. Therefore, it remains unclear whether acoustic communication is an important predictor of urban tolerance among species. Here, with a comparative study across 140 European and North American passerines, I show that high song frequency, which is less masked by the low-frequency anthropogenic noise, is associated with urban tolerance, with an effect size over half that of the most important ecological trait studied: off-ground nesting. Other nesting and foraging traits accepted to facilitate urban living did not differ for species occurring in urban environments. Thus, the contribution of acoustic traits for passerine urban tolerance approximates that of more obvious ecological traits. Nonetheless, effect sizes of the biological predictors of urban tolerance were low and the phylogenetic signal for urban tolerance was null, both of which suggest that factors other than phenotypic traits have major effects on urban tolerance. A simple possibility is exposure to urbanization, as there was a higher proportion of urban-tolerant species in Europe, which is more urbanized than North America. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Development of Sulfur and Carbon Tolerant Reforming Alloy Catalysts Aided Fundamental Atomistic Insights

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suljo Linic

2008-12-31

Current hydrocarbon reforming catalysts suffer from rapid carbon and sulfur poisoning. Even though there is a tremendous incentive to develop more efficient catalysts, these materials are currently formulated using inefficient trial and error experimental approaches. We have utilized a hybrid experimental/theoretical approach, combining quantum Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations and various state-of-the-art experimental tools, to formulate carbon tolerant reforming catalysts. We have employed DFT calculations to develop molecular insights into the elementary chemical transformations that lead to carbon poisoning of Ni catalysts. Based on the obtained molecular insights, we have identified, using DFT quantum calculation, various Ni alloy catalysts as potential carbon tolerant reforming catalysts. The alloy catalysts were synthesized and tested in steam reforming and partial oxidation of methane, propane, and isooctane. We demonstrated that the alloy catalysts are much more carbon-tolerant than monometallic Ni catalysts under nearly stoichiometric steam-to-carbon ratios. Under these conditions, monometallic Ni is rapidly poisoned by sp2 carbon deposits. The research approach is distinguished by two characteristics: (a) knowledge-based, bottomup approach, compared to the traditional trial and error approach, allows for a more efficient and systematic discovery of improved catalysts. (b) the focus is on exploring alloy materials which have been largely unexplored as potential reforming catalysts.

Tolerance in Drosophila

OpenAIRE

Atkinson, Nigel S.

2009-01-01

The set of genes that underlie ethanol tolerance (inducible resistance) are likely to overlap with the set of genes responsible for ethanol addiction. Whereas addiction is difficult to recognize in simple model systems, behavioral tolerance is readily identifiable and can be induced in large populations of animals. Thus, tolerance lends itself to analysis in model systems with powerful genetics. Drosophila melanogaster has been used by a variety of laboratories for the identification of genes...

Convergent production and tolerance among 107 woody species and divergent production between shrubs and trees.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Wei-Ming; Sun, Zhen-Kai

2016-02-08

Green leaves face two fundamental challenges (i.e., carbon fixation and stress tolerance) during their lifespan. However, the relationships between leaf production potential and leaf tolerance potential have not been explicitly tested with a broad range of plant species in the same environment. To do so, we conducted a field investigation based on 107 woody plants grown in a common garden and complementary laboratory measurements. The values, as measured by a chlorophyll meter, were significantly related to the direct measurements of chlorophyll content on a leaf area basis. Area-based chlorophyll content was positively correlated with root surface area, whole-plant biomass, leaf mass per area (LMA), and force to punch. Additionally, LMA had a positive correlation with force to punch. Shrubs had a higher leaf chlorophyll content than trees; however, shrubs and trees exhibited a similar leaf lifespan, force to punch, and LMA. These findings suggest that the production potential of leaves and their tolerance to stresses may be convergent in woody species and that the leaf production potential may differ between shrubs and trees. This study highlights the possibility that functional convergence and divergence might be linked to long-term selection pressures and genetic constraints.

Comments on `Area and power efficient DCT architecture for image compression' by Dhandapani and Ramachandran

Science.gov (United States)

Cintra, Renato J.; Bayer, Fábio M.

2017-12-01

In [Dhandapani and Ramachandran, "Area and power efficient DCT architecture for image compression", EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing 2014, 2014:180] the authors claim to have introduced an approximation for the discrete cosine transform capable of outperforming several well-known approximations in literature in terms of additive complexity. We could not verify the above results and we offer corrections for their work.

Preliminary screening of Ni(II metal tolerance and dye-decolorizing by Nocardiopsis sp. SD8

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Ramasamy Thangaraj

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Objective: To reveal the screening of metal tolerance and dye-decolorizing of Nocardiopsis sp. Methods: NiSO4 and Congo red dye were used for evaluating the metal tolerance and dyedecolorizing of the randomly selected actinobacterial isolates. Results: Nocardiopsis sp. SD8 showed a better efficiency in Ni(II tolerance, though a longer lag phase was observed for this microorganism grown for 7 days in integrated mismatch negativity. Interestingly, we also found that Nocardiopsis sp. SD8 had dye-decolorizing, hemolytic, lipase and protease activity. Conclusions: The present results revealed the bioremediation of metal resistant and diverse properties of Nocardiopsis sp. SD8 and further investigations are needed to extract and identify the potent molecule.

Prediction of Glucose Tolerance without an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test

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Rohit Babbar

2018-03-01

Full Text Available IntroductionImpaired glucose tolerance (IGT is diagnosed by a standardized oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT. However, the OGTT is laborious, and when not performed, glucose tolerance cannot be determined from fasting samples retrospectively. We tested if glucose tolerance status is reasonably predictable from a combination of demographic, anthropometric, and laboratory data assessed at one time point in a fasting state.MethodsGiven a set of 22 variables selected upon clinical feasibility such as sex, age, height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting glucose, HbA1c, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, serum potassium, fasting levels of insulin, C-peptide, triglyceride, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA, proinsulin, prolactin, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, HDL, uric acid, liver transaminases, and ferritin, we used supervised machine learning to estimate glucose tolerance status in 2,337 participants of the TUEF study who were recruited before 2012. We tested the performance of 10 different machine learning classifiers on data from 929 participants in the test set who were recruited after 2012. In addition, reproducibility of IGT was analyzed in 78 participants who had 2 repeated OGTTs within 1 year.ResultsThe most accurate prediction of IGT was reached with the recursive partitioning method (accuracy = 0.78. For all classifiers, mean accuracy was 0.73 ± 0.04. The most important model variable was fasting glucose in all models. Using mean variable importance across all models, fasting glucose was followed by NEFA, triglycerides, HbA1c, and C-peptide. The accuracy of predicting IGT from a previous OGTT was 0.77.ConclusionMachine learning methods yield moderate accuracy in predicting glucose tolerance from a wide set of clinical and laboratory variables. A substitution of OGTT does not currently seem to be feasible. An important constraint could be the limited reproducibility of glucose tolerance status during a

Comparative assessment of air pollution tolerance index (APTI) in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Science for phyto-technologies has got immense application in air pollution science. The present study focuses on the determination of air pollution tolerance indices (APTI) from six common road side plant species growing along industrial (Rourkela) and non industrial area (Aizawl), India. The APTI was determined by ...

Evaluation of Drought response in Some Rice Mutant Lines Using Stress Tolerance Indices

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H Aminpanah

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction Drought is a major problem that limits the adoption of high-yielding rice varieties in drought-prone rainfed rice environments. To improve crop productivity, it is necessary to understand the mechanism of plant responses to drought conditions with the ultimate goal of improving crop performance in the vast areas of the world where rainfall is limiting or unreliable. Safaei Chaeikar et al. (2008 reported that MP, GMP, HM and STI indices, which showed the highest correlation with grain yield under both optimal and stress conditions, can be used as the best indices to introduce drought-tolerant genotypes in rice breeding programs. They also were introduced Nemat, Sepidrood, IR64, IR50 and Bejar genotypes as tolerant varieties. The present study was conducted to determine how drought affects grain yield in rice mutant lines and also to test this hypothesis in order to identify the most suitable indices/genotypes. Materials and Methods A field trial was conducted at Iranian Rice Research Centers in North of Iran, Rasht (latitude 37◦28', longitude 49◦28'E and altitude 7m below the sea level, during the 2014-2015 growing season. The seeds were sown in a nursery on the 10 May and 25 day old seedlings were transplanted to the field. Two separately experiment was carried out under reproductive stage drought stress and controlled conditions based on randomized complete block design with three replications, in four-row plots of three m length. Transplanting was done using 1 seedling per hill; at hill spacing of 25 cm × 25 cm. 18 rice genotypes were consisted 14 M5 mutant lines and their four parental cultivars. Results and Discussion Analysis of variance indicated significant effects of drought stress, genotype and interaction effects of two factors on grain yield, plant height, flag leaf area, tiller number and grain fertility percentage. Drought stress at reproductive stage caused reduction in grain yield (59.47%, grain fertility

TOLERANCE OF REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: ASSESSMENT AND DEVELOPMENT METHODS

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Elena V. Kalachinskaya

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the investigation is to define the quality and tolerance level among students; and generalize pedagogical experience of intercultural tolerance formation (as exemplified in Vladivostok State University of Economics and Service.Methods. Theoretical methods of research involve analysis of approaches and results of tolerance among young people; Practical methods – content analysis of the essay content on a given topic, questioning. An empirical case study, described in this article, was carried out by questionnaire survey of 200 VSUES (Vladivostok State University of Economics and Service students from 2–3 courses of various undergraduate training areas.Scientific novelty. The level of students’ tolerant attitude to a series of countries and their residents is specified; combined with the respondents’ knowledge on these countries. Most distinctive students’ views on the «tolerance» concept and reasons for their intolerant behavior are analyzed and presented in this article. Pedagogical and educational technologies used by University for the youth tolerance formation are summarized.Results. Based on the survey, the issues such as limits of applicability of “tolerance” concept in students’ perception, declarative and real tolerance level, and tolerance level to certain countries, as well as in business are investigated. According to the survey, the author makes the conclusion of correlation existence between level of tolerance towards country (nation and level of awareness of it. The author has analysed the students’ essays on tolerance problems; and it was found out that international relations are the most relevant aspect to respondents of tolerant or intolerant behavior. Results of students’ sociological research are compared with results of surveys on similar topics made by All-Russia Public Opinion Research Center and other researchers. Implemented VSUES projects aimed at creating and promoting tolerance

Implementation of fault tolerant control for modular multilevel converter using EtherCAT communication

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Burlacu, Paul Dan; Mathe, Laszlo; Rejas, Marcos

2015-01-01

Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) is very promising technology this days. It offers fault tolerant capabilities and ensures high efficiency with low output voltage harmonic content which results in need for smaller filter size. A disadvantage of the system is that the control becomes more...

Recurrent selection as breeding strategy for heat tolerance in wheat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juarez Campolina Machado

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The development of heat-tolerant varieties is an important goal of wheat breeding programs, requiringefficient selection methods. In the present study the use of recurrent selection was evaluated as a strategy to improve heatstress tolerance in wheat. Two cycles of recurrent selection were performed in experiments conducted in research areas of theUniversidade Federal de Viçosa, located in Coimbra-MG and Viçosa-MG, in 2004 and 2007, in two growing seasons (summerand winter. The genetic gain and the existence of variability show the possibility of successful recurrent selection for heattolerancein wheat.

Highly efficient blue organic light emitting device using indium-free transparent anode Ga:ZnO with scalability for large area coating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Liang; Matson, Dean W.; Polikarpov, Evgueni; Swensen, James S.; Bonham, Charles C.; Cosimbescu, Lelia; Gaspar, Daniel J.; Padmaperuma, Asanga B.; Berry, Joseph J.; Ginley, David S.

2010-01-01

Organic light emitting devices have been achieved with an indium-free transparent anode, Ga doped ZnO (GZO). A large area coating technique was used (RF magnetron sputtering) to deposit the GZO films onto glass. The respective organic light emitting devices exhibited an operational voltage of 3.7 V, an external quantum efficiency of 17%, and a power efficiency of 39 lm/W at a current density of 1 mA/cm 2 . These parameters are well within acceptable standards for blue OLEDs to generate a white light with high enough brightness for general lighting applications. It is expected that high-efficiency, long-lifetime, large area, and cost-effective white OLEDs can be made with these indium-free anode materials.

Defining the frontiers between antifungal resistance, tolerance and the concept of persistence.

Science.gov (United States)

Delarze, Eric; Sanglard, Dominique

2015-11-01

A restricted number of antifungal agents are available for the therapy of fungal diseases. With the introduction of epidemiological cut-off values for each agent in important fungal pathogens based on the distribution of minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), the distinction between wild type and drug-resistant populations has been facilitated. Antifungal resistance has been described for all currently available antifungal agents in several pathogens and most of the associated resistance mechanisms have been deciphered at the molecular level. Clinical breakpoints for some agents have been proposed and can have predictive value for the success or failure of therapy. Tolerance to antifungals has been a much more ignored area. By definition, tolerance operates at antifungal concentrations above individual intrinsic inhibitory values. Important is that tolerance to antifungal agents favours the emergence of persister cells, which are able to survive antifungal therapy and can cause relapses. Here we will review the current knowledge on antifungal tolerance, its potential mechanisms and also evaluate the role of antifungal tolerance in the efficacy of drug treatments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimization of the electron collection efficiency of a large area MCP-PMT for the JUNO experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Lin; Tian, Jinshou; Liu, Chunliang; Wang, Yifang; Zhao, Tianchi; Liu, Hulin; Wei, Yonglin; Sai, Xiaofeng; Chen, Ping; Wang, Xing; Lu, Yu; Hui, Dandan; Guo, Lehui; Liu, Shulin; Qian, Sen; Xia, Jingkai; Yan, Baojun; Zhu, Na; Sun, Jianning; Si, Shuguang

2016-01-01

A novel large-area (20-inch) photomultiplier tube based on microchannel plate (MCP-PMTs) is proposed for the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) experiment. Its photoelectron collection efficiency C e is limited by the MCP open area fraction (A open ). This efficiency is studied as a function of the angular (θ), energy (E) distributions of electrons in the input charge cloud and the potential difference (U) between the PMT photocathode and the MCP input surface, considering secondary electron emission from the MCP input electrode. In CST Studio Suite, Finite Integral Technique and Monte Carlo method are combined to investigate the dependence of C e on θ, E and U. Results predict that C e can exceed A open , and are applied to optimize the structure and operational parameters of the 20-inch MCP-PMT prototype. C e of the optimized MCP-PMT is expected to reach 81.2%. Finally, the reduction of the penetration depth of the MCP input electrode layer and the deposition of a high secondary electron yield material on the MCP are proposed to further optimize C e .

Ischemic Tolerance of the Brain and Spinal Cord: A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Yunoki, Masatoshi; Kanda, Takahiro; Suzuki, Kenta; Uneda, Atsuhito; Hirashita, Koji; Yoshino, Kimihiro

2017-11-15

Ischemic tolerance is an endogenous neuroprotective phenomenon induced by sublethal ischemia. Ischemic preconditioning (IPC), the first discovered form of ischemic tolerance, is widely seen in many species and in various organs including the brain and the spinal cord. Ischemic tolerance of the spinal cord is less familiar among neurosurgeons, although it has been reported from the viewpoint of preventing ischemic spinal cord injury during aortic surgery. It is important for neurosurgeons to have opportunities to see patients with spinal cord ischemia, and to understand ischemic tolerance of the spinal cord as well as the brain. IPC has a strong neuroprotective effect in animal models of ischemia; however, clinical application of IPC for ischemic brain and spinal diseases is difficult because they cannot be predicted. In addition, one drawback of preconditioning stimuli is that they are also capable of producing injury with only minor changes to their intensity or duration. Numerous methods to induce ischemic tolerance have been discovered that vary in their timing and the site at which short-term ischemia occurs. These methods include ischemic postconditioning (IPoC), remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC), remote ischemic perconditioning (RIPerC) and remote ischemic postconditioning (RIPoC), which has had a great impact on clinical approaches to treatment of ischemic brain and spinal cord injury. Especially RIPerC and RIPoC to induce spinal cord tolerance are considered clinically useful, however the evidence supporting these methods is currently insufficient; further experimental or clinical research in this area is thus necessary.

Lactose tolerance tests

Science.gov (United States)

Hydrogen breath test for lactose tolerance ... Two common methods include: Lactose tolerance blood test Hydrogen breath test The hydrogen breath test is the preferred method. It measures the amount of hydrogen ...

Dynamic communications for small satellites using disruption tolerant network concepts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Giuditta, N.; Gill, E.K.A.; Fernández, B.; Isaac, D.

2009-01-01

New network technologies are providing interconnectivity in areas previously unheard of. One of these novel technologies, named Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN), shows promise for the space industry. In order to study its suitability for University projects, a model of a University space mission

Antigen-specific tolerance of human alpha1-antitrypsin induced by helper-dependent adenovirus.

Science.gov (United States)

Cerullo, V; McCormack, W; Seiler, M; Mane, V; Cela, R; Clarke, C; Rodgers, J R; Lee, B

2007-12-01

As efficient and less toxic virus-derived gene therapy vectors are developed, a pressing problem is to avoid immune response to the therapeutic gene product. Secreted therapeutic proteins potentially represent a special problem, as they are readily available to professional antigen-presenting cells throughout the body. Some studies suggest that immunity to serum proteins can be avoided in some mouse strains by using tissue-specific promoters. Here we show that expression of human alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT) was nonimmunogenic in the immune-responsive strain C3H/HeJ, when expressed from helper-dependent (HD) vectors using ubiquitous as well as tissue-specific promoters. Coadministration of less immunogenic HD vectors with an immunogenic first-generation vector failed to immunize, suggesting immune suppression rather than immune stealth. Indeed, mice primed with HD vectors were tolerant to immune challenge with hAAT emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant. Such animals developed high-titer antibodies to coemulsified human serum albumin, showing that tolerance was antigen specific. AAT-specific T cell responses were depressed in tolerized animals, suggesting that tolerance affects both T and B cells. These results are consistent with models of high-dose tolerance of B cells and certain other suppressive mechanisms, and suggest that a high level of expression from HD vectors can be sufficient to induce specific immune tolerance to serum proteins.

Full on-chip and area-efficient CMOS LDO with zero to maximum load stability using adaptive frequency compensation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ma Haifeng; Zhou Feng, E-mail: fengzhou@fudan.edu.c [State Key Laboratory of ASIC and System, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203 (China)

2010-01-15

A full on-chip and area-efficient low-dropout linear regulator (LDO) is presented. By using the proposed adaptive frequency compensation (AFC) technique, full on-chip integration is achieved without compromising the LDO's stability in the full output current range. Meanwhile, the use of a compact pass transistor (the compact pass transistor serves as the gain fast roll-off output stage in the AFC technique) has enabled the LDO to be very area-efficient. The proposed LDO is implemented in standard 0.35 {mu}m CMOS technology and occupies an active area as small as 220 x 320 {mu}m{sup 2}, which is a reduction to 58% compared to state-of-the-art designs using technologies with the same feature size. Measurement results show that the LDO can deliver 0-60 mA output current with 54 {mu}A quiescent current consumption and the regulated output voltage is 1.8 V with an input voltage range from 2 to 3.3 V. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

In vitro screening of potato genotypes for osmotic stress tolerance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gelmesa Dandena

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Potato (Solanum tuberosum L. is a cool season crop which is susceptible to both drought and heat stresses. Lack of suitable varieties of the crop adapted to drought-prone areas of the lowland tropics deprives farmers living in such areas the opportunity to produce and use the crop as a source of food and income. As a step towards developing such varieties, the present research was conducted to evaluate different potato genotypes for osmotic stress tolerance under in vitro conditions and identify drought tolerant genotypes for future field evaluation. The experiment was carried out at the Leibniz University of Hannover, Germany, by inducing osmotic stress using sorbitol at two concentrations (0.1 and 0.2 M in the culture medium. A total of 43 genotypes collected from different sources (27 advanced clones from CIP, nine improved varieties, and seven farmers’ cultivars were used in a completely randomized design with four replications in two rounds. Data were collected on root and shoot growth. The results revealed that the main effects of genotype, sorbitol treatment, and their interactions significantly (P < 0.01 influenced root and shoot growthrelated traits. Under osmotic stress, all the measured root and shoot growth traits were significantly correlated. The dendrogram obtained from the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean allowed grouping of the genotypes into tolerant, moderately tolerant, and susceptible ones to a sorbitol concentration of 0.2 M in the culture medium. Five advanced clones (CIP304350.100, CIP304405.47, CIP392745.7, CIP388676.1, and CIP388615.22 produced shoots and rooted earlier than all other genotypes, with higher root numbers, root length, shoot and root mass under osmotic stress conditions induced by sorbitol. Some of these genotypes had been previously identified as drought-tolerant under field conditions, suggesting the capacity of the in vitro evaluation method to predict drought stress tolerant

An area-and-power-efficient 8.4-bit ENOB 30 MS/s SAR ADC in 65 nm CMOS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Xu, Y.; Harpe, P.J.A.; Ytterdal, T.

2017-01-01

Area and power consumption are two main concerns for the electronics towards the digitalization of in-probe 3D ultrasound imaging systems. This work presents a 10-bit 30 MS/s successive approximation register analog-to-digital converter, which achieves good area efficiency as well as power

Technologies pioneered by LHC. Superconducting magnet and radiation-tolerant tracking detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, Akira; Unno, Yoshinobu

2007-01-01

In the LHC project of proton-proton collisions exploring the energy frontier, superconducting magnets and radiation-tolerant tracking detector play fundamental roles as key technologies. The superconducting magnets contribute to bending and focusing particle beam by using high magnetic field created with the NbTi superconductor cooled to the superfluid temperature of He (1.9 K). In order to overcome the unprecedented radiation damage and to capture the particles emerging with high energy and high density, the large area and highly radiation-tolerant silicon semiconductor tracking detector has been developed for the LHC experiment. (author)

ESKIMO1 is a key gene involved in water economy as well as cold acclimation and salt tolerance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bouchabke-Coussa, O.; Quashie, M.L.; Seoane, Jose Miguel

2008-01-01

's improved tolerance to reduced water supply may be explained by its lower transpiration rate and better water use efficiency (WUE), which was assessed by carbon isotope discrimination and gas exchange measurements. esk1 alleles were also shown to be more tolerant to salt stress. Transcriptomic analysis......Background: Drought is a major social and economic problem resulting in huge yield reduction in the field. Today's challenge is to develop plants with reduced water requirements and stable yields in fluctuating environmental conditions. Arabidopsis thaliana is an excellent model for identifying...... as a key gene involved in plant water economy as well as cold acclimation and salt tolerance. Results: All esk1 mutants were more tolerant to freezing, after acclimation, than their wild type counterpart. esk1 mutants also showed increased tolerance to mild water deficit for all traits measured. The mutant...

Transgenic rice expressing a codon-modified synthetic CP4-EPSPS confers tolerance to broad-spectrum herbicide, glyphosate.

Science.gov (United States)

Chhapekar, Sushil; Raghavendrarao, Sanagala; Pavan, Gadamchetty; Ramakrishna, Chopperla; Singh, Vivek Kumar; Phanindra, Mullapudi Lakshmi Venkata; Dhandapani, Gurusamy; Sreevathsa, Rohini; Ananda Kumar, Polumetla

2015-05-01

Highly tolerant herbicide-resistant transgenic rice was developed by expressing codon-modified synthetic CP4--EPSPS. The transformants could tolerate up to 1% commercial glyphosate and has the potential to be used for DSR (direct-seeded rice). Weed infestation is one of the major biotic stress factors that is responsible for yield loss in direct-seeded rice (DSR). Herbicide-resistant rice has potential to improve the efficiency of weed management under DSR. Hence, the popular indica rice cultivar IR64, was genetically modified using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation with a codon-optimized CP4-EPSPS (5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase) gene, with N-terminal chloroplast targeting peptide from Petunia hybrida. Integration of the transgenes in the selected rice plants was confirmed by Southern hybridization and expression by Northern and herbicide tolerance assays. Transgenic plants showed EPSPS enzyme activity even at high concentrations of glyphosate, compared to untransformed control plants. T0, T1 and T2 lines were tested by herbicide bioassay and it was confirmed that the transgenic rice could tolerate up to 1% of commercial Roundup, which is five times more in dose used to kill weeds under field condition. All together, the transgenic rice plants developed in the present study could be used efficiently to overcome weed menace.

On the area spectral efficiency improvement of heterogeneous network by exploiting the integration of macro-femto cellular networks

KAUST Repository

Shakir, Muhammad

2012-06-01

Heterogeneous networks are an attractive means of expanding mobile network capacity. A heterogeneous network is typically composed of multiple radio access technologies (RATs) where the base stations are transmitting with variable power. In this paper, we consider a Heterogeneous network where we complement the macrocell network with low-power low-cost user deployed nodes, such as femtocell base stations to increase the mean achievable capacity of the system. In this context, we integrate macro-femto cellular networks and derive the area spectral efficiency of the proposed two tier Heterogeneous network. We consider the deployment of femtocell base stations around the edge of the macrocell such that this configuration is referred to as femto-on-edge (FOE) configuration. Moreover, FOE configuration mandates reduction in intercell interference due to the mobile users which are located around the edge of the macrocell since these femtocell base stations are low-power nodes which has significantly lower transmission power than macrocell base stations. We present a mathematical analysis to calculate the instantaneous carrier to interference ratio (CIR) of the desired mobile user in macro and femto cellular networks and determine the total area spectral efficiency of the Heterogeneous network. Details of the simulation processes are included to support the analysis and show the efficacy of the proposed deployment. It has been shown that the proposed setup of the Heterogeneous network offers higher area spectral efficiency which aims to fulfill the expected demand of the future mobile users. © 2012 IEEE.

Recent trends in ionic liquid (IL) tolerant enzymes and microorganisms for biomass conversion.

Science.gov (United States)

Portillo, Maria Del Carmen; Saadeddin, Anas

2015-01-01

Second generation biofuel production depends on lignocellulosic (LC) biomass transformation into simple sugars and their subsequent fermentation into alcohols. However, the main obstacle in this process is the efficient breakdown of the recalcitrant cellulose to sugar monomers. Hence, efficient feedstock pretreatment and hydrolysis are necessary to produce a cost effective biofuel. Recently, ionic liquids (ILs) have been recognized as a promising solvent able to dissolve different biomass feedstocks, providing higher sugar yields. However, most of the hydrolytic enzymes and microorganisms are inactivated, completely or partially, in the presence of even low concentrations of IL, making necessary the discovery of novel hydrolytic enzymes and fermentative microorganisms that are tolerant to ILs. In this review, the current state and the challenges of using ILs as a pretreatment of LC biomass was evaluated, underlining the advances in the discovery and identification of new IL-tolerant enzymes and microorganisms that could improve the bioprocessing of biomass to fuels and chemicals.

On the use of adaptive multiresolution method with time-varying tolerance for compressible fluid flows

Science.gov (United States)

Soni, V.; Hadjadj, A.; Roussel, O.

2017-12-01

In this paper, a fully adaptive multiresolution (MR) finite difference scheme with a time-varying tolerance is developed to study compressible fluid flows containing shock waves in interaction with solid obstacles. To ensure adequate resolution near rigid bodies, the MR algorithm is combined with an immersed boundary method based on a direct-forcing approach in which the solid object is represented by a continuous solid-volume fraction. The resulting algorithm forms an efficient tool capable of solving linear and nonlinear waves on arbitrary geometries. Through a one-dimensional scalar wave equation, the accuracy of the MR computation is, as expected, seen to decrease in time when using a constant MR tolerance considering the accumulation of error. To overcome this problem, a variable tolerance formulation is proposed, which is assessed through a new quality criterion, to ensure a time-convergence solution for a suitable quality resolution. The newly developed algorithm coupled with high-resolution spatial and temporal approximations is successfully applied to shock-bluff body and shock-diffraction problems solving Euler and Navier-Stokes equations. Results show excellent agreement with the available numerical and experimental data, thereby demonstrating the efficiency and the performance of the proposed method.

Fault-tolerant computing systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dal Cin, M.; Hohl, W.

1991-01-01

Tests, Diagnosis and Fault Treatment were chosen as the guiding themes of the conference. However, the scope of the conference included reliability, availability, safety and security issues in software and hardware systems as well. The sessions were organized for the conference which was completed by an industrial presentation: Keynote Address, Reconfiguration and Recover, System Level Diagnosis, Voting and Agreement, Testing, Fault-Tolerant Circuits, Array Testing, Modelling, Applied Fault Tolerance, Fault-Tolerant Arrays and Systems, Interconnection Networks, Fault-Tolerant Software. One paper has been indexed separately in the database. (orig./HP)

Comparison of the antiseptic efficacy of tissue-tolerable plasma and an octenidine hydrochloride-based wound antiseptic on human skin.

Science.gov (United States)

Lademann, J; Richter, H; Schanzer, S; Patzelt, A; Thiede, G; Kramer, A; Weltmann, K-D; Hartmann, B; Lange-Asschenfeldt, B

2012-01-01

Colonization and infection of wounds represent a major reason for the impairment of tissue repair. Recently, it has been reported that tissue-tolerable plasma (TTP) is highly efficient in the reduction of the bacterial load of the skin. In the present study, the antiseptic efficacy of TTP was compared to that of octenidine hydrochloride with 2-phenoxyethanol. Both antiseptic methods proved to be highly efficient. Cutaneous treatment of the skin with octenidine hydrochloride and 2-phenoxyethanol leads to a 99% elimination of the bacteria, and 74% elimination is achieved by TTP treatment. Technical challenges with an early prototype TTP device could be held responsible for the slightly reduced antiseptic properties of TTP, compared to a standard antiseptic solution, since the manual treatment of the skin surface with a small beam of the TTP device might have led to an incomplete coverage of the treated area. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Intolerant tolerance.

Science.gov (United States)

Khushf, G

1994-04-01

The Hyde Amendment and Roman Catholic attempts to put restrictions on Title X funding have been criticized for being intolerant. However, such criticism fails to appreciate that there are two competing notions of tolerance, one focusing on the limits of state force and accepting pluralism as unavoidable, and the other focusing on the limits of knowledge and advancing pluralism as a good. These two types of tolerance, illustrated in the writings of John Locke and J.S. Mill, each involve an intolerance. In a pluralistic context where the free exercise of religion is respected, John Locke's account of tolerance is preferable. However, it (in a reconstructed form) leads to a minimal state. Positive entitlements to benefits like artificial contraception or nontherapeutic abortions can legitimately be resisted, because an intolerance has already been shown with respect to those that consider the benefit immoral, since their resources have been coopted by taxation to advance an end that is contrary to their own. There is a sliding scale from tolerance (viewed as forbearance) to the affirmation of communal integrity, and this scale maps on to the continuum from negative to positive rights.

Changes in bacillus thuringiensis tolerance levels due to hybridization of Bt-tolerant and susceptible silkworm populations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Begumad, H.A.; Hassana, E.; Dingleb, J.; Alshehic, A.A.

2012-01-01

Males and females of a Bt-tolerant mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) population were crossed with females and males of a Bt-susceptible population, to produce Bt-tolerant silkworm hybrids, and to determine the expression of the Bt-tolerance pattern in the F 1 hybrids. It was observed that when a Bt-tolerant (42% larval mortality) female (BtT ) silkworm was crossed with a Bt-susceptible (85% larval mortality) male (BtS ), the resultant F 1 offspring showed lower levels of Bt-tolerance (87% larval mortality). On the other hand, when a Bt-tolerant male (BtT ) was crossed with a Bt-susceptible female (BtS ), the F 1 hybrid showed higher levels of Bt-tolerance (35% larval mortality) characteristic. The probit statistics showed that both hybrids expressed Bt-tolerance or susceptible levels similar to their male parents. These different patterns of Bt-tolerance in F 1 hybrids might be due to the transferring of a Bt-tolerant gene, from the parents to offspring, through the homozygotic male (ZZ) silkworm. (author)

Suppressor cells in transplantation tolerance. I. Analysis of the suppressor status of neonatally and adoptively tolerized rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dorsch, S.; Roser, B.

1982-01-01

The lymphocytes from neonatally tolerant rats which adoptively transfer tolerance to sublethally irradiated recipients do so by specifically suppressing the regeneration of alloreactivity which normally occurs after irradiation. Although tolerant cells will only partially suppress normal alloreactive cells when the two are mixed in near equivalent numbers, experiments in which the interval between injection of tolerant and normal cells into irradiated recipients was gradually extended, indicated that total suppression of normally alloreactive cells was achieved after 8 weeks of prior residence of tolerant cells in the adoptive host. Further evidence that tolerant cells would only suppress if present in excess of normal cells was obtained by reducing the tolerant cell population in tolerant donor rats by whole body irradiation. These animals then lost their ability to suppress normal alloreactive cells administered to them. The immune status of adoptively tolerized animals did not mimic that of the donors of the tolerant cells. Even where full tolerance, as measured by skin graft survival, failure to synthesize alloantibodies, and capacity to further transfer skin graft tolerance to secondary recipients, was evident the lymphocytes of these animals showed considerable graft-versus-host (GVH) reactivity. The persistence of tolerance through repeated adoptive transfers was correlated with the persistence of donor (chimeric) cells and the indicator skin graft on adoptive recipients only amplified tolerance expression where the inocula of tolerant cells given was weakly suppressive. Finally, removal of the minor population of chimeric cells from tolerant inocula using cytotoxic alloantisera abolished the capacity to transfer tolerance. These results imply an active role for chimeric cells which is best understood as an immune response involving proliferation driven by the idiotypes of the alloreceptors on host cells

Suppressor cells in transplantation tolerance: I. analysis of the suppressor status of neonatally and adoptively tolerized rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dorsch, S.; Roser, B.

1982-01-01

The lymphocytes from neonatally tolerant rats which adoptively transfer tolerance to sublethally irradiated recipients do so by specificallly suppressing the regeneration of alloreactivity which normally occurs after irradiation. Although tolerant cells will only partially suppress normal alloreactive cells when the two are mixed in near equivalent numbers, experiments in which the interval between injection of tolerant and normal cells into irradiated recipients was gradually extended, indicated that total suppression of normally alloreactive cells was achieved after 8 weeks of prior residence of tolerant cells in the adoptive host. Further evidence that tolerant cells would only suppress if present in excess of normal cells was obtained by reducing the tolerant cell populaton in tolerant donor rats by whole body irradiation. The persistence of tolerance through repeated adoptive transfers was correlated with the persistence of donor (chimeric) cells and the indicator skin graft on adoptive recipients only amplified tolerance expression where the inocula of tolerant cells given was weakly suppressive

Zinc oxide integrated area efficient high output low power wavy channel thin film transistor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanna, A. N.; Ghoneim, M. T.; Bahabry, R. R.; Hussain, A. M.; Hussain, M. M.

2013-01-01

We report an atomic layer deposition based zinc oxide channel material integrated thin film transistor using wavy channel architecture allowing expansion of the transistor width in the vertical direction using the fin type features. The experimental devices show area efficiency, higher normalized output current, and relatively lower power consumption compared to the planar architecture. This performance gain is attributed to the increased device width and an enhanced applied electric field due to the architecture when compared to a back gated planar device with the same process conditions

Zinc oxide integrated area efficient high output low power wavy channel thin film transistor

KAUST Repository

Hanna, Amir; Ghoneim, Mohamed T.; Bahabry, Rabab R.; Hussain, Aftab M.; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2013-01-01

We report an atomic layer deposition based zinc oxide channel material integrated thin film transistor using wavy channel architecture allowing expansion of the transistor width in the vertical direction using the fin type features. The experimental devices show area efficiency, higher normalized output current, and relatively lower power consumption compared to the planar architecture. This performance gain is attributed to the increased device width and an enhanced applied electric field due to the architecture when compared to a back gated planar device with the same process conditions.

Zinc oxide integrated area efficient high output low power wavy channel thin film transistor

KAUST Repository

Hanna, Amir

2013-11-26

We report an atomic layer deposition based zinc oxide channel material integrated thin film transistor using wavy channel architecture allowing expansion of the transistor width in the vertical direction using the fin type features. The experimental devices show area efficiency, higher normalized output current, and relatively lower power consumption compared to the planar architecture. This performance gain is attributed to the increased device width and an enhanced applied electric field due to the architecture when compared to a back gated planar device with the same process conditions.

In vitro selection of induced mutants to salt-tolerance: Inducible gene regulation for salt tolerance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Winicov, I [Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, Univ. of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV (United States)

1997-07-01

A selection protocol to obtain salt tolerant calli, followed by regeneration and progeny-test of the regenerated plants for salt tolerance in rice was investigated. Callus cultures were initiated from salt-sensitive US elite rice lines and cv. `Pokkali`. Salt-tolerant cell lines were selected from these by a single step selection procedure. The selected salt-tolerant lines grew well on medium with {+-} 0.5% or 1% NaCl, while the parent lines occasionally survived, but did not grow at these salt concentrations. Plants were regenerated from these cell lines through different passages on medium containing salt. Seed was collected from the regenerated plants and salt tolerance of R2 seedlings was compared with those regenerated without salt selection. Salt-tolerance was measured by survival and productive growth of newly germinated seedlings in Hoagland solution with 0.3% and 0.5% NaCl for 4 weeks. Heritable improvement in salt tolerance was obtained in R2 seedlings from one plant regenerated after 5 months selection. Survival and growth of these seedlings was equivalent to that from `Pokkali` seedlings. These results show that cellular tolerance can provide salt-tolerance in rice plants. (author). 6 refs, 2 tabs.

In vitro selection of induced mutants to salt-tolerance: Inducible gene regulation for salt tolerance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winicov, I.

1997-01-01

A selection protocol to obtain salt tolerant calli, followed by regeneration and progeny-test of the regenerated plants for salt tolerance in rice was investigated. Callus cultures were initiated from salt-sensitive US elite rice lines and cv. 'Pokkali'. Salt-tolerant cell lines were selected from these by a single step selection procedure. The selected salt-tolerant lines grew well on medium with ± 0.5% or 1% NaCl, while the parent lines occasionally survived, but did not grow at these salt concentrations. Plants were regenerated from these cell lines through different passages on medium containing salt. Seed was collected from the regenerated plants and salt tolerance of R2 seedlings was compared with those regenerated without salt selection. Salt-tolerance was measured by survival and productive growth of newly germinated seedlings in Hoagland solution with 0.3% and 0.5% NaCl for 4 weeks. Heritable improvement in salt tolerance was obtained in R2 seedlings from one plant regenerated after 5 months selection. Survival and growth of these seedlings was equivalent to that from 'Pokkali' seedlings. These results show that cellular tolerance can provide salt-tolerance in rice plants. (author). 6 refs, 2 tabs

High salinity tolerance of the Red Sea coral Fungia granulosa under desalination concentrate discharge conditions: an in situ photophysiology experiment

KAUST Repository

Van Der Merwe, Riaan

2014-11-10

Seawater reverse osmosis desalination concentrate may have chronic and/or acute impacts on the marine ecosystems in the near-field area of the discharge. Environmental impact of the desalination plant discharge is supposedly site- and volumetric- specific, and also depends on the salinity tolerance of the organisms inhabiting the water column in and around a discharge environment. Scientific studies that aim to understand possible impacts of elevated salinity levels are important to assess detrimental effects to organisms, especially for species with no mechanism of osmoregulation, e.g., presumably corals. Previous studies on corals indicate sensitivity toward hypo- and hyper-saline environments with small changes in salinity already affecting coral physiology. In order to evaluate sensitivity of Red Sea corals to increased salinity levels, we conducted a long-term (29 days) in situ salinity tolerance transect study at an offshore seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) discharge on the coral Fungia granulosa. While we measured a pronounced increase in salinity and temperature at the direct outlet of the discharge structure, effects were indistinguishable from the surrounding environment at a distance of 5 m. Interestingly, corals were not affected by varying salinity levels as indicated by measurements of the photosynthetic efficiency. Similarly, cultured coral symbionts of the genus Symbiodinium displayed remarkable tolerance levels in regard to hypo- and hypersaline treatments. Our data suggest that increased salinity and temperature levels from discharge outlets wear off quickly in the surrounding environment. Furthermore, F. granulosa seem to tolerate levels of salinity that are distinctively higher than reported for other corals previously. It remains to be determined whether Red Sea corals in general display increased salinity tolerance, and whether this is related to prevailing levels of high(er) salinity in the Red Sea in comparison to other oceans.

Om tolerance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huggler, Jørgen

2007-01-01

Begrebet tolerance og dets betydninger diskuteres med henblik på en tydeliggørelse af begrebets forbindelse med stat, religion, ytringsfrihed, skeptisk erkendelsesteori, antropologi og pædagogik.......Begrebet tolerance og dets betydninger diskuteres med henblik på en tydeliggørelse af begrebets forbindelse med stat, religion, ytringsfrihed, skeptisk erkendelsesteori, antropologi og pædagogik....

Development of Sulfur and Carbon Tolerant Reforming Alloy Catalysts Aided by Fundamental Atomistics Insights

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suljo Linic

2006-08-31

Current hydrocarbon reforming catalysts suffer from rapid carbon and sulfur poisoning. Even though there is a tremendous incentive to develop more efficient catalysts, these materials are currently formulated using inefficient trial and error experimental approaches. We have utilized a novel hybrid experimental/theoretical approach, combining quantum Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations and various state-of-the-art experimental tools, to formulate carbon tolerant reforming catalysts. We have employed DFT calculations to develop molecular insights into the elementary chemical transformations that lead to carbon poisoning of Ni catalysts. Based on the obtained molecular insights, we have identified, using DFT quantum calculation, Sn/Ni alloy as a potential carbon tolerant reforming catalyst. Sn/Ni alloy was synthesized and tested in steam reforming of methane, propane, and isooctane. We demonstrated that the alloy catalyst is carbon-tolerant under nearly stoichiometric steam-to-carbon ratios. Under these conditions, monometallic Ni is rapidly poisoned by sp2 carbon deposits. The research approach is distinguished by a few characteristics: (a) Knowledge-based, bottom-up approach, compared to the traditional trial and error approach, allows for a more efficient and systematic discovery of improved catalysts. (b) The focus is on exploring alloy materials which have been largely unexplored as potential reforming catalysts.

Cecum lymph node dendritic cells harbor slow-growing bacteria phenotypically tolerant to antibiotic treatment.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrick Kaiser

2014-02-01

Full Text Available In vivo, antibiotics are often much less efficient than ex vivo and relapses can occur. The reasons for poor in vivo activity are still not completely understood. We have studied the fluoroquinolone antibiotic ciprofloxacin in an animal model for complicated Salmonellosis. High-dose ciprofloxacin treatment efficiently reduced pathogen loads in feces and most organs. However, the cecum draining lymph node (cLN, the gut tissue, and the spleen retained surviving bacteria. In cLN, approximately 10%-20% of the bacteria remained viable. These phenotypically tolerant bacteria lodged mostly within CD103⁺CX₃CR1⁻CD11c⁺ dendritic cells, remained genetically susceptible to ciprofloxacin, were sufficient to reinitiate infection after the end of the therapy, and displayed an extremely slow growth rate, as shown by mathematical analysis of infections with mixed inocula and segregative plasmid experiments. The slow growth was sufficient to explain recalcitrance to antibiotics treatment. Therefore, slow-growing antibiotic-tolerant bacteria lodged within dendritic cells can explain poor in vivo antibiotic activity and relapse. Administration of LPS or CpG, known elicitors of innate immune defense, reduced the loads of tolerant bacteria. Thus, manipulating innate immunity may augment the in vivo activity of antibiotics.

Air Pollution tolerance indices (apti) of some plants around Otorogun ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

MICHAEL

ABSTRACT: The study examined the air pollution tolerance indices (APTI) of six plant species around. Otorogun gas plant in Ughelli-South Local Government Area of Delta State. Four physiological and biochemical parameters, which are leaf relative water content (RWC), Ascorbic acid content (AA), total leaf chlorophyll ...

Assessment of productivity and water use efficiency in three maize (zea mays L.) varieties in Kwabenya-Atomic area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frimpong, J. O.

2010-06-01

The production of rain-fed maize in the Kwabenya-Atomic area of the coastal savannah environment of Ghana is limited by low and erratic rainfall. Enhancing maize production in the area will require the use of maize varieties efficient in the use of soil moisture. The study was, therefore, conducted to evaluate three recently released maize varieties (Obatanpa, Mamaba, and Golden Crystal) for their efficiency in the use of soil moisture for total dry matter and grain production and consequently identify the maize varieties suitable for rain-fed production in the Kwabenya-Atomic area. Field experiments were conducted m 2008 during the major and minor cropping seasons at Kwabenya-Atomic area in Ghana using three maize varieties grown at a planting distance of 0.4 m within rows and 0.8 m between rows. The experimental design used was the randomised complete block design in four replicates. Plants were sampled every two weeks throughout the maize growing seasons. Access tubes installed in each sub-plot facilitated simultaneous moisture monitoring with the aid of a neutron probe (CPN (R) 503 Hydroprobe) in a 120 cm soil profile. The moisture content values were used for the estimation of actual evapotranspiration of the maize crop using the water balance approach. Grain yield (GY) and its associated water use efficiency (WUE GY ) were significantly different (P ≤ 0.05) among the maize varieties during the major cropping season with Mamaba producing the highest grain yield of 7250.0 kg ha -1 and WUE GY of 13.2 kg ha -1 mm -1 . For the minor cropping season, no significant difference was observed in grain yield, which ranged between 5800.0 and 7200.0 kg ha -1 , with Obatanpa producing the highest grain yield. No significant difference was observed in WUE GY during the minor cropping season which ranged between 14.6 and 19.1 kg ha -1 mm -1 with Obatanpa having the highest WUE GY . The maize genotype produced similar total dry matter (TDM) during each of the cropping

Radiation therapy tolerance doses for treatment planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyman, J.T.

1987-01-01

To adequately plan acceptable dose distributions for radiation therapy treatments it is necessary to ensure that normal structures do not receive unacceptable doses. Acceptable doses are generally those that are below a stated tolerance dose for development of some level of complication. To support the work sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, data for the tolerance of normal tissues or organs to low-LET radiation has been compiled from a number of sources. These tolerance dose data are ostensibly for uniform irradiation of all or part of an organ, and are for either 5% (TD 5 ) or 50% (TD 50 ) complication probability. The ''size'' of the irradiated organ is variously stated in terms of the absolute volume or the fraction of the organ volume irradiated, or the area or the length of the treatment field. The accuracy of these data is questionable. Much of the data represent doses that one or several experienced therapists have estimated could be safely given rather than quantitative analyses of clinical observations. Because these data have been obtained from multiple sources with possible different criteria for the definition of a complication, there are sometimes different values for what is apparently the same end point. 20 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab

Fault Tolerance in ZigBee Wireless Sensor Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Alena, Richard; Gilstrap, Ray; Baldwin, Jarren; Stone, Thom; Wilson, Pete

2011-01-01

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) based on the IEEE 802.15.4 Personal Area Network standard are finding increasing use in the home automation and emerging smart energy markets. The network and application layers, based on the ZigBee 2007 PRO Standard, provide a convenient framework for component-based software that supports customer solutions from multiple vendors. This technology is supported by System-on-a-Chip solutions, resulting in extremely small and low-power nodes. The Wireless Connections in Space Project addresses the aerospace flight domain for both flight-critical and non-critical avionics. WSNs provide the inherent fault tolerance required for aerospace applications utilizing such technology. The team from Ames Research Center has developed techniques for assessing the fault tolerance of ZigBee WSNs challenged by radio frequency (RF) interference or WSN node failure.

Fault-tolerant architecture: Evaluation methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Battle, R.E.; Kisner, R.A.

1992-08-01

The design and reliability of four fault-tolerant architectures that may be used in nuclear power plant control systems were evaluated. Two architectures are variations of triple-modular-redundant (TMR) systems, and two are variations of dual redundant systems. The evaluation includes a review of methods of implementing fault-tolerant control, the importance of automatic recovery from failures, methods of self-testing diagnostics, block diagrams of typical fault-tolerant controllers, review of fault-tolerant controllers operating in nuclear power plants, and fault tree reliability analyses of fault-tolerant systems

New Energy Efficient Housing Has Reduced Carbon Footprints in Outer but Not in Inner Urban Areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Ottelin, Juudit; Heinonen, Jukka; Junnila, Seppo

2015-08-18

Avoiding urban sprawl and increasing density are often considered as effective means to mitigate climate change through urban planning. However, there have been rapid technological changes in the fields of housing energy and private driving, and the development is continuing. In this study, we analyze the carbon footprints of the residents living in new housing in different urban forms in Finland. We compare the new housing to existing housing stock. In all areas, the emissions from housing energy were significantly lower in new buildings. However, in the inner urban areas the high level of consumption, mostly due to higher affluence, reverse the gains of energy efficient new housing. The smallest carbon footprints were found in newly built outer and peri-urban areas, also when income level differences were taken into account. Rather than strengthening the juxtaposition of urban and suburban areas, we suggest that it would be smarter to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of both modes of living and develop a more systemic strategy that would result in greater sustainability in both areas. Since such strategy does not exist yet, it should be researched and practically developed. It would be beneficial to focus on area specific mitigation measures.

Area efficient radix 4/sup 2/ 64 point pipeline fft architecture using modified csd multiplier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siddiq, F.; Muhammad, T.; Iqbal, M.

2014-01-01

A modified Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) based radix 42 algorithm for Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) systems is presented. When compared with similar schemes like Canonic signed digit (CSD) Constant Multiplier, the modified CSD multiplier can provide a improvement of more than 36% in terms of multiplicative complexity. In Comparison of area being occupied the amount of Full adders is reduced by 32% and amount of half adders is reduced by 42%. The modified CSD multiplier scheme is implemented on Xilinx ISE 10.1 using Spartan-III XC3S1000 FPGA as a target device. The synthesis results of modified CSD Multiplier on Xilinx show efficient Twiddle Factor ROM Design and effective area reduction in comparison to CSD constant multiplier. (author)

semi-dwarf tef lines for high seed yield and lodging tolerance

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ACSS

Three genotypes, namely RIL- 91, RIL-244 and RIL-11, gave the highest seed yield, ranging between 4.4 to 4.7 t ha-1, compared to .... lodging tolerant tef varieties, adapting to the changing ..... moisture stress areas (Tsedey) was grouped.

SSR-based association mapping of salt tolerance in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.).

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Y L; Wang, H M; Shao, B X; Chen, W; Guo, Z J; Gong, H Y; Sang, X H; Wang, J J; Ye, W W

2016-05-25

The identification of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers associated with salt tolerance in cotton contributes to molecular assisted selection (MAS), which can improve the efficiency of traditional breeding. In this study, 134 samples of upland cotton cultivars were selected. The seedling emergence rates were tested under 0.3% NaCl stress. A total of 74 SSR markers were used to scan the genomes of these samples. To identify SSR markers associated with salt tolerance, an association analysis was performed between salt tolerance and SSR markers using TASSEL 2.1, based on the analysis of genetic structure using Structure 2.3.4. The results showed that the seedling emergence rates of 134 cultivars were significantly different, and 27 salt-sensitive and 10 salt-tolerant cultivars were identified. A total of 148 loci were found in 74 SSR markers involving 246 allelic variations, which ranged from 2 to 7 with an average of 3.32 per SSR marker. The gene diversity ranged from 0.0295 to 0.4959, with the average being 0.2897. The polymorphic information content ranged from0.0290 to 0.3729, with the average being 0.2381. This natural population was classified into two subgroups by Structure 2.3.4, containing 89 and 45 samples, respectively. Finally, eight SSR sites associated with salt tolerance ware found through an association analysis, with the rate of explanation ranging from 2.91 to 7.82% and an average of 4.32%. These results provide reference data for the use MAS for salt tolerance in cotton.

Copper tolerance and genetic diversity of Porcellionides sexfasciatus (Isopoda) in a highly contaminted mine habitat.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Costa, D.; Bouchon, D.; van Straalen, N.M.; Sousa, J.P.; Ribeiro, R.

2013-01-01

Organisms inhabiting metal-contaminated areas may develop metal tolerance, with either phenotypic adjustments or genetic changes (adaptation) or with both. In the present study, three populations of the terrestrial isopod Porcellionides sexfasciatus, collected at an abandoned mine area, were

Fault tolerant operation of switched reluctance machine

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wei

The energy crisis and environmental challenges have driven industry towards more energy efficient solutions. With nearly 60% of electricity consumed by various electric machines in industry sector, advancement in the efficiency of the electric drive system is of vital importance. Adjustable speed drive system (ASDS) provides excellent speed regulation and dynamic performance as well as dramatically improved system efficiency compared with conventional motors without electronics drives. Industry has witnessed tremendous grow in ASDS applications not only as a driving force but also as an electric auxiliary system for replacing bulky and low efficiency auxiliary hydraulic and mechanical systems. With the vast penetration of ASDS, its fault tolerant operation capability is more widely recognized as an important feature of drive performance especially for aerospace, automotive applications and other industrial drive applications demanding high reliability. The Switched Reluctance Machine (SRM), a low cost, highly reliable electric machine with fault tolerant operation capability, has drawn substantial attention in the past three decades. Nevertheless, SRM is not free of fault. Certain faults such as converter faults, sensor faults, winding shorts, eccentricity and position sensor faults are commonly shared among all ASDS. In this dissertation, a thorough understanding of various faults and their influence on transient and steady state performance of SRM is developed via simulation and experimental study, providing necessary knowledge for fault detection and post fault management. Lumped parameter models are established for fast real time simulation and drive control. Based on the behavior of the faults, a fault detection scheme is developed for the purpose of fast and reliable fault diagnosis. In order to improve the SRM power and torque capacity under faults, the maximum torque per ampere excitation are conceptualized and validated through theoretical analysis and

Adaptive robust fault-tolerant control for linear MIMO systems with unmatched uncertainties

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Kangkang; Jiang, Bin; Yan, Xing-Gang; Mao, Zehui

2017-10-01

In this paper, two novel fault-tolerant control design approaches are proposed for linear MIMO systems with actuator additive faults, multiplicative faults and unmatched uncertainties. For time-varying multiplicative and additive faults, new adaptive laws and additive compensation functions are proposed. A set of conditions is developed such that the unmatched uncertainties are compensated by actuators in control. On the other hand, for unmatched uncertainties with their projection in unmatched space being not zero, based on a (vector) relative degree condition, additive functions are designed to compensate for the uncertainties from output channels in the presence of actuator faults. The developed fault-tolerant control schemes are applied to two aircraft systems to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approaches.

Recognition and Toleration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lægaard, Sune

2010-01-01

Recognition and toleration are ways of relating to the diversity characteristic of multicultural societies. The article concerns the possible meanings of toleration and recognition, and the conflict that is often claimed to exist between these two approaches to diversity. Different forms or inter...

Strigolactones positively regulate chilling tolerance in pea and in Arabidopsis.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, James W; Hu, Yan; Beyyoudh, Leila; Yildiz Dasgan, H; Kunert, Karl; Beveridge, Christine A; Foyer, Christine H

2018-01-17

Strigolactones (SL) fulfil important roles in plant development and stress tolerance. Here we characterised the role of SL in the dark chilling tolerance of pea and Arabidopsis by analysis of mutants that are defective in either SL synthesis or signalling. Pea mutants (rms3, rms4, rms5) had significantly greater shoot branching with higher leaf chlorophyll a/b ratios and carotenoid contents than the wild type. Exposure to dark chilling significantly decreased shoot fresh weights but increased leaf numbers in all lines. However, dark chilling treatments decreased biomass (dry weight) accumulation only in rms3 and rms5 shoots. Unlike the wild type plants, chilling-induced inhibition of photosynthetic carbon assimilation was observed in the rms lines and also in max3-9, max4-1, max2-1 mutants that are defective in SL synthesis or signalling. When grown on agar plates the max mutant rosettes accumulated less biomass than the wild type. The synthetic SL, GR24 decreased leaf area in the wild type, max3-9 and max4-1 mutants but not in max2-1 in the absence of stress. Moreover, a chilling-induced decrease in leaf area was observed in all the lines in the presence of GR24. We conclude that SL plays an important role in the control of dark chilling tolerance. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Optimization of the electron collection efficiency of a large area MCP-PMT for the JUNO experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Lin, E-mail: chenlin@opt.cn [State Key Laboratory of Transient Optics and Photonics, Xi’an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics (XIOPM), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Xi’an 710119 (China); Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100049 (China); Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049 (China); Tian, Jinshou [Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100049 (China); Liu, Chunliang [Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049 (China); Wang, Yifang; Zhao, Tianchi [Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) of CAS, Beijing 100049 (China); Liu, Hulin; Wei, Yonglin; Sai, Xiaofeng [Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100049 (China); Chen, Ping [State Key Laboratory of Transient Optics and Photonics, Xi’an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics (XIOPM), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Xi’an 710119 (China); Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100049 (China); Wang, Xing; Lu, Yu [Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100049 (China); Hui, Dandan; Guo, Lehui [State Key Laboratory of Transient Optics and Photonics, Xi’an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics (XIOPM), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Xi’an 710119 (China); Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100049 (China); Liu, Shulin; Qian, Sen; Xia, Jingkai; Yan, Baojun; Zhu, Na [Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) of CAS, Beijing 100049 (China); Sun, Jianning; Si, Shuguang [North Night Vision Technology (NNVT) CO., LTD, Nanjing 210110 (China); and others

2016-08-11

A novel large-area (20-inch) photomultiplier tube based on microchannel plate (MCP-PMTs) is proposed for the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) experiment. Its photoelectron collection efficiency C{sub e} is limited by the MCP open area fraction (A{sub open}). This efficiency is studied as a function of the angular (θ), energy (E) distributions of electrons in the input charge cloud and the potential difference (U) between the PMT photocathode and the MCP input surface, considering secondary electron emission from the MCP input electrode. In CST Studio Suite, Finite Integral Technique and Monte Carlo method are combined to investigate the dependence of C{sub e} on θ, E and U. Results predict that C{sub e} can exceed A{sub open}, and are applied to optimize the structure and operational parameters of the 20-inch MCP-PMT prototype. C{sub e} of the optimized MCP-PMT is expected to reach 81.2%. Finally, the reduction of the penetration depth of the MCP input electrode layer and the deposition of a high secondary electron yield material on the MCP are proposed to further optimize C{sub e}.

Tolerância do Tifton 85 (Cynodon spp. e da Brachiaria brizantha ao glyphosate Tifton 85 (Cynodon spp. and Brachiaria brizantha tolerance to glyphosate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.V. Santos

2008-06-01

.440; 2.160; and 2.880 g ha-1 of glyphosate were tested in to an experiment arranged in a randomized block design, with four replicates divided into 3.5 m x 3.0 m, totaling 10.5 m², and only 7.5 m² of useful area. Herbicide efficiency in B. brizantha control and intoxication level on Tifton 85 plants were evaluated at 15, 30 and 60 days after application (DAA, following the scale from 0 (absence of control and/or intoxication to 100 (total control or plant death. At 300 DAA, the forage plants of both species were cut and dried to evaluate production and sprouting potential. Control superior to 90% of B. brizantha plants was observed from 1,473.75 and 1,721.25 g ha-1 of glyphosate rates, respectively at 30 and 60 DAA. The intoxication of Tifton 85 plants referring to B. brizantha control rates were 24.90 and 4.13%, respectively. At 60 DAA, 18.22% of Tifton 85 plants intoxication was observed at the highest rate evaluated (2.880 g ha-1 of glyphosate. Absence of B. brizantha dry matter production occurred at 300 DAA, at 2.160 g ha¹ herbicide rate as a result of efficient control. Results showed higher tolerance of Tifton 85 plants to glyphosate in relation to B. brizantha plants, allowing this species control in established Tifton 85 pasture, with no damage to the cultivated forage.

Desensitization and Tolerance of Mu Opioid Receptors on Pontine Kölliker-Fuse Neurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Levitt, Erica S; Williams, John T

2018-01-01

Acute desensitization of mu opioid receptors is thought to be an initial step in the development of tolerance to opioids. Given the resistance of the respiratory system to develop tolerance, desensitization of neurons in the Kölliker-Fuse (KF), a key area in the respiratory circuit, was examined. The activation of G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium current was measured using whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings from KF and locus coeruleus (LC) neurons contained in acute rat brain slices. A saturating concentration of the opioid agonist [Met 5 ]-enkephalin (ME) caused significantly less desensitization in KF neurons compared with LC neurons. In contrast to LC, desensitization in KF neurons was not enhanced by activation of protein kinase C or in slices from morphine-treated rats. Cellular tolerance to ME and morphine was also lacking in KF neurons from morphine-treated rats. The lack of cellular tolerance in KF neurons correlates with the relative lack of tolerance to the respiratory depressant effect of opioids. Copyright © 2018 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

Novel AroA from Pseudomonas putida Confers Tobacco Plant with High Tolerance to Glyphosate

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Hai-Qin; Chang, Su-Hua; Tian, Zhe-Xian; Zhang, Le; Sun, Yi-Cheng; Li, Yan; Wang, Jing; Wang, Yi-Ping

2011-01-01

Glyphosate is a non-selective broad-spectrum herbicide that inhibits 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS, also designated as AroA), a key enzyme in the aromatic amino acid biosynthesis pathway in microorganisms and plants. Previously, we reported that a novel AroA (PpAroA1) from Pseudomonas putida had high tolerance to glyphosate, with little homology to class I or class II glyphosate-tolerant AroA. In this study, the coding sequence of PpAroA1 was optimized for tobacco. For maturation of the enzyme in chloroplast, a chloroplast transit peptide coding sequence was fused in frame with the optimized aroA gene (PparoA1optimized) at the 5′ end. The PparoA1optimized gene was introduced into the tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. W38) genome via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The transformed explants were first screened in shoot induction medium containing kanamycin. Then glyphosate tolerance was assayed in putative transgenic plants and its T1 progeny. Our results show that the PpAroA1 from Pseudomonas putida can efficiently confer tobacco plants with high glyphosate tolerance. Transgenic tobacco overexpressing the PparoA1optimized gene exhibit high tolerance to glyphosate, which suggest that the novel PpAroA1 is a new and good candidate applied in transgenic crops with glyphosate tolerance in future. PMID:21611121

Desiccation tolerance in Anopheles coluzzii: the effects of spiracle size and cuticular hydrocarbons

Science.gov (United States)

Arcaz, Arthur C.; Huestis, Diana L.; Dao, Adama; Yaro, Alpha S.; Diallo, Moussa; Andersen, John; Blomquist, Gary J.; Lehmann, Tovi

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT The African malaria mosquitoes Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii range over forests and arid areas, where they withstand dry spells and months-long dry seasons, suggesting variation in their desiccation tolerance. We subjected a laboratory colony (G3) and wild Sahelian mosquitoes during the rainy and dry seasons to desiccation assays. The thoracic spiracles and amount and composition of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) of individual mosquitoes were measured to determine the effects of these traits on desiccation tolerance. The relative humidity of the assay, body water available, rate of water loss and water content at death accounted for 88% of the variation in desiccation tolerance. Spiracle size did not affect the rate of water loss or desiccation tolerance of the colony mosquitoes, as was the case for the total CHCs. However, six CHCs accounted for 71% of the variation in desiccation tolerance and three accounted for 72% of the variation in the rate of water loss. Wild A. coluzzii exhibited elevated desiccation tolerance during the dry season. During that time, relative thorax and spiracle sizes were smaller than during the rainy season. A smaller spiracle size appeared to increase A. coluzzii's desiccation tolerance, but was not statistically significant. Seasonal changes in CHC composition were detected in Sahelian A. coluzzii. Stepwise regression models suggested the effect of particular CHCs on desiccation tolerance. In conclusion, the combination of particular CHCs along with the total amount of CHCs is a primary mechanism conferring desiccation tolerance in A. coluzzii, while variation in spiracle size might be a secondary mechanism. PMID:27207644

Faster quantum chemistry simulation on fault-tolerant quantum computers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cody Jones, N; McMahon, Peter L; Yamamoto, Yoshihisa; Whitfield, James D; Yung, Man-Hong; Aspuru-Guzik, Alán; Van Meter, Rodney

2012-01-01

Quantum computers can in principle simulate quantum physics exponentially faster than their classical counterparts, but some technical hurdles remain. We propose methods which substantially improve the performance of a particular form of simulation, ab initio quantum chemistry, on fault-tolerant quantum computers; these methods generalize readily to other quantum simulation problems. Quantum teleportation plays a key role in these improvements and is used extensively as a computing resource. To improve execution time, we examine techniques for constructing arbitrary gates which perform substantially faster than circuits based on the conventional Solovay–Kitaev algorithm (Dawson and Nielsen 2006 Quantum Inform. Comput. 6 81). For a given approximation error ϵ, arbitrary single-qubit gates can be produced fault-tolerantly and using a restricted set of gates in time which is O(log ϵ) or O(log log ϵ); with sufficient parallel preparation of ancillas, constant average depth is possible using a method we call programmable ancilla rotations. Moreover, we construct and analyze efficient implementations of first- and second-quantized simulation algorithms using the fault-tolerant arbitrary gates and other techniques, such as implementing various subroutines in constant time. A specific example we analyze is the ground-state energy calculation for lithium hydride. (paper)

Classical dendritic cells are required for dietary antigen-mediated peripheral regulatory T cell and tolerance induction

Science.gov (United States)

Esterházy, Daria; Loschko, Jakob; London, Mariya; Jove, Veronica; Oliveira, Thiago Y.; Mucida, Daniel

2016-01-01

Oral tolerance prevents pathological inflammatory responses towards innocuous foreign antigens via peripheral regulatory T cells (pTreg cells). However, whether a particular subset of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) is required during dietary antigen exposure to instruct naïve CD4+ T cells to differentiate into pTreg cells has not been defined. Using myeloid lineage-specific APC depletion in mice, we found that monocyte-derived APCs are dispensable, while classical dendritic cells (cDCs) are critical for pTreg cell induction and oral tolerance. CD11b− cDCs from the gut-draining lymph nodes efficiently induced pTreg cells, and conversely, loss of IRF8-dependent CD11b− cDCs impaired their polarization, although oral tolerance remained intact. These data reveal the hierarchy of cDC subsets in pTreg cell induction and their redundancy during oral tolerance development. PMID:27019226

Redirecting reproductive immunology research toward pregnancy as a period of temporary immune tolerance.

Science.gov (United States)

Gleicher, Norbert; Kushnir, Vitaly A; Barad, David H

2017-04-01

Referring to two recent publications, we here propose that clinical reproductive immunology has for decades stagnated because reproductive medicine, including assisted reproduction (AR), has failed to accept embryo implantation as an immune system-driven process, dependent on establishment of maternal tolerance toward the implanting fetal semi-allograft (and complete allograft in cases of oocyte donation). Pregnancy represents a biologically unique period of temporary (to the period of gestation restricted) tolerance, otherwise only known in association with parasitic infections. Rather than investigating the immune pathways necessary to induce this rather unique state of tolerance toward the rapidly growing parasitic antigen load of the fetus, the field, instead, concentrated on irrelevant secondary immune phenomena (i.e., "immunological noise"). It, therefore, does not surprise that interesting recent research, offering new potential insights into maternal tolerance during pregnancy, was mostly published outside of the field of reproductive medicine. This research offers evidence for existence of inducible maternal tolerance pathways with the ability of improving maternal fecundity and, potentially, reducing such late pregnancy complications as premature labor and preeclampsia/eclampsia due to premature abatement of maternal tolerance. Increasing evidence also suggests that tolerance-inducing immune pathways are similar in successful pregnancy, successful organ transplantation and, likely also in the tolerance of "self" (i.e., prevention of autoimmunity). Identifying and isolating these pathways, therefore, may greatly benefit all three of these clinical areas, and research in reproductive immunology should be accordingly redirected.

Large-area high-power VCSEL pump arrays optimized for high-energy lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chad; Geske, Jonathan; Garrett, Henry; Cardellino, Terri; Talantov, Fedor; Berdin, Glen; Millenheft, David; Renner, Daniel; Klemer, Daniel

2012-06-01

Practical, large-area, high-power diode pumps for one micron (Nd, Yb) as well as eye-safer wavelengths (Er, Tm, Ho) are critical to the success of any high energy diode pumped solid state laser. Diode efficiency, brightness, availability and cost will determine how realizable a fielded high energy diode pumped solid state laser will be. 2-D Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) arrays are uniquely positioned to meet these requirements because of their unique properties, such as low divergence circular output beams, reduced wavelength drift with temperature, scalability to large 2-D arrays through low-cost and high-volume semiconductor photolithographic processes, high reliability, no catastrophic optical damage failure, and radiation and vacuum operation tolerance. Data will be presented on the status of FLIR-EOC's VCSEL pump arrays. Analysis of the key aspects of electrical, thermal and mechanical design that are critical to the design of a VCSEL pump array to achieve high power efficient array performance will be presented.

Massive Sensor Array Fault Tolerance: Tolerance Mechanism and Fault Injection for Validation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dugan Um

2010-01-01

Full Text Available As today's machines become increasingly complex in order to handle intricate tasks, the number of sensors must increase for intelligent operations. Given the large number of sensors, detecting, isolating, and then tolerating faulty sensors is especially important. In this paper, we propose fault tolerance architecture suitable for a massive sensor array often found in highly advanced systems such as autonomous robots. One example is the sensitive skin, a type of massive sensor array. The objective of the sensitive skin is autonomous guidance of machines in unknown environments, requiring elongated operations in a remote site. The entirety of such a system needs to be able to work remotely without human attendance for an extended period of time. To that end, we propose a fault-tolerant architecture whereby component and analytical redundancies are integrated cohesively for effective failure tolerance of a massive array type sensor or sensor system. In addition, we discuss the evaluation results of the proposed tolerance scheme by means of fault injection and validation analysis as a measure of system reliability and performance.

Enhanced tolerance and remediation of anthracene by transgenic tobacco plants expressing a fungal glutathione transferase gene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dixit, Prachy; Mukherjee, Prasun K.; Sherkhane, Pramod D.; Kale, Sharad P.; Eapen, Susan

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Transgenic plants expressing a TvGST gene were tested for tolerance, uptake and degradation of anthracene. → Transgenic plants were more tolerant to anthracene and take up more anthracene from soil and solutions compared to control plants. → Using in vitro T 1 seedlings, we showed that anthracene-a three fused benzene ring compound was phytodegraded to naphthalene derivatives, having two benzene rings. → This is the first time that a transgenic plant was shown to have the potential to phytodegrade anthracene. - Abstract: Plants can be used for remediation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to be a major concern for human health. Metabolism of xenobiotic compounds in plants occurs in three phases and glutathione transferases (GST) mediate phase II of xenobiotic transformation. Plants, although have GSTs, they are not very efficient for degradation of exogenous recalcitrant xenobiotics including polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Hence, heterologous expression of efficient GSTs in plants may improve their remediation and degradation potential of xenobiotics. In the present study, we investigated the potential of transgenic tobacco plants expressing a Trichoderma virens GST for tolerance, remediation and degradation of anthracene-a recalcitrant polyaromatic hydrocarbon. Transgenic plants with fungal GST showed enhanced tolerance to anthracene compared to control plants. Remediation of 14 C uniformly labeled anthracene from solutions and soil by transgenic tobacco plants was higher compared to wild-type plants. Transgenic plants (T 0 and T 1 ) degraded anthracene to naphthalene derivatives, while no such degradation was observed in wild-type plants. The present work has shown that in planta expression of a fungal GST in tobacco imparted enhanced tolerance as well as higher remediation potential of anthracene compared to wild-type plants.

Serpentine soils affect heavy metal tolerance but not genetic diversity in a common Mediterranean ant.

Science.gov (United States)

Frizzi, Filippo; Masoni, Alberto; Çelikkol, Mine; Palchetti, Enrico; Ciofi, Claudio; Chelazzi, Guido; Santini, Giacomo

2017-08-01

Natural habitats with serpentine soils are rich in heavy metal ions, which may significantly affect ecological communities. Exposure to metal pollutants results, for instance, in a reduction of population genetic diversity and a diffused higher tolerance towards heavy metals. In this study, we investigated whether chronic exposure to metals in serpentine soils affect accumulation patterns, tolerance towards metal pollutants, and genetic diversity in ants. In particular, we studied colonies of the common Mediterranean ant, Crematogaster scutellaris, along a contamination gradient consisting of two differently contaminated forests and a reference soil with no geogenic contamination. We first evaluated the metal content in both soil and ants' body. Then, we tested for tolerance towards metal pollutants by evaluating the mortality of ants fed with nickel (Ni) solutions of increasing concentrations. Finally, differences in genetic diversity among ants from different areas were assessed using eight microsatellite loci. Interestingly, a higher tolerance to nickel solutions was found in ants sampled in sites with intermediate levels of heavy metals. This may occur, because ants inhabiting strongly contaminated areas tend to accumulate higher amounts of contaminants. Additional ingestion of toxicants beyond the saturation threshold would lead to death. There was no difference in the genetic diversity among ant colonies sampled in different sites. This was probably the result of queen mediated gene flow during nuptial flights across uncontaminated and contaminated areas of limited geographical extent. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In vivo evolutionary engineering for ethanol-tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae haploid cells triggers diploidization.

Science.gov (United States)

Turanlı-Yıldız, Burcu; Benbadis, Laurent; Alkım, Ceren; Sezgin, Tuğba; Akşit, Arman; Gökçe, Abdülmecit; Öztürk, Yavuz; Baykal, Ahmet Tarık; Çakar, Zeynep Petek; François, Jean M

2017-09-01

Microbial ethanol production is an important alternative energy resource to replace fossil fuels, but at high level, this product is highly toxic, which hampers its efficient production. Towards increasing ethanol-tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the so far best industrial ethanol-producer, we evaluated an in vivo evolutionary engineering strategy based on batch selection under both constant (5%, v v -1 ) and gradually increasing (5-11.4%, v v -1 ) ethanol concentrations. Selection under increasing ethanol levels yielded evolved clones that could tolerate up to 12% (v v -1 ) ethanol and had cross-resistance to other stresses. Quite surprisingly, diploidization of the yeast population took place already at 7% (v v -1 ) ethanol level during evolutionary engineering, and this event was abolished by the loss of MKT1, a gene previously identified as being implicated in ethanol tolerance (Swinnen et al., Genome Res., 22, 975-984, 2012). Transcriptomic analysis confirmed diploidization of the evolved clones with strong down-regulation in mating process, and in several haploid-specific genes. We selected two clones exhibiting the highest viability on 12% ethanol, and found productivity and titer of ethanol significantly higher than those of the reference strain under aerated fed-batch cultivation conditions. This higher fermentation performance could be related with a higher abundance of glycolytic and ribosomal proteins and with a relatively lower respiratory capacity of the evolved strain, as revealed by a comparative transcriptomic and proteomic analysis between the evolved and the reference strains. Altogether, these results emphasize the efficiency of the in vivo evolutionary engineering strategy for improving ethanol tolerance, and the link between ethanol tolerance and diploidization. Copyright © 2017 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A molecular, genetic and physiological analysis of plant aluminum tolerance (abstract)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pineros, M.

2005-01-01

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is an important agronomic trait, limiting crop production on acid soils that comprise up to 50% of the world's potentially arable lands. A significant genetic variation in Al tolerance exists in both crop plants and Arabidopsis. The exploitation of this genetic variation to breed crops with increased Al tolerance has been a productive and active area of research, however, the underlying molecular, genetic and physiological bases are still not well understood. Only very recently was the first Al tolerance gene, ALMT1, isolated in wheat and shown to be a novel Al-activated malate transporter. Work in our laboratory has focused on using integrated genomic (gene and protein expression profiling), molecular genetic and physiological approaches to identify novel Al tolerance genes and the physiological mechanisms they control in the cereal crops maize and sorghum, and also in arabidopsis. In sorghum we had previously shown that Al tolerance is the result of a single locus, Alt/sub SB/ which maps to the top of sorghum chromosome 3 in a region totally distinct from where the major Al tolerance maps in wheat and other related members of the Triticeae. Very recently, we have used map-based cloning techniques in sorghum to clone Alt/sub SB/ and have found it is a novel Al tolerance gene. Here we will present a molecular characterization of the Alt/sub SB/ gene and also the physiological mechanism of sorghum Al tolerance it controls. In arabidopsis, we have previously shown that Al tolerance is a quantitative trait and have identified two major Al tolerance QTL on chromosomes 1 and 5. These genes function to confer tolerance via Al via activated root malate release. We found that a member of the arabidopsis gene family that is a close homolog to wheat ALMT1 maps near the largest tolerance QTL on chromosome 1 and have also found this gene encodes the Al-activated malate transport involved in arabidopsis Al tolerance. However, we have clear molecular

Crop improvement for salinity and drought tolerance using nuclear and related techniques (abstract)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serraj, R.; Lagoda, P.J.

2005-01-01

complex interactions among the traits involved in tolerance to both drought and salinity, pyramiding using marker-assisted breeding, induced mutation and other biotechnologies, combined with a multidisciplinary approach and the participation of farmers, is likely to provide the best strategy to accelerate the progress towards the development of adapted tolerant crop germplasm. The joint FAO/IAEA division is investing considerable effort in evaluating opportunities for using nuclear and related technologies to improve tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought and salinity. The division has a long-standing experience in developing and coordinating collaborative research programs (CRP) on abiotic stresses, involving NARs in developing countries, international IARCs and expert scientists. Similarly, several technical cooperation projects (TCP) were carried out on crop improvement for tolerance to drought and salinity, at national, regional and interregional levels. The Soil and Biotechnology laboratories at Seibersdorf also have the experience and facilities for developing, testing and applying new isotope and nuclear-related techniques for the improvement of crop productivity and stress tolerance. An important project is currently being implemented by the joint FAO/IAEA division for the identification and development of crop germplasm with superior resource use efficiency and nutritional value and adapted to harsh environments. Two CRPs have been recently launched under this project dealing respectively with (i) the identification and pyramiding of mutated genes, and novel approaches for improving crop tolerance to salinity and drought, and (II) the selection for greater agronomic water-use efficiency in wheat and rice using carbon isotope discrimination under drought and saline environments. This paper will review the recent progress made at the joint FAO/IAEA division in deciphering the complexity of drought and salinity problems and developing drought and salt

Roll-to-Roll printed large-area all-polymer solar cells with 5% efficiency based on a low crystallinity conjugated polymer blend

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Xiaodan; Zhou, Yan; Gu, Kevin; Kurosawa, Tadanori; Yan, Hongping; Wang, Cheng; Toney, Micheal; Bao, Zhenan

The challenge of continuous printing in high efficiency large-area organic solar cells is a key limiting factor for their widespread adoption. We present a materials design concept for achieving large-area, solution coated all-polymer bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells with stable phase separation morphology between the donor and acceptor. The key concept lies in inhibiting strong crystallization of donor and acceptor polymers, thus forming intermixed, low crystallinity and mostly amorphous blends. Based on experiments using donors and acceptors with different degree of crystallinity, our results showed that microphase separated donor and acceptor domain sizes are inversely proportional to the crystallinity of the conjugated polymers. This methodology of using low crystallinity donors and acceptors has the added benefit of forming a consistent and robust morphology that is insensitive to different processing conditions, allowing one to easily scale up the printing process from a small scale solution shearing coater to a large-scale continuous roll-to-roll (R2R) printer. We were able to continuously roll-to-roll slot die print large area all-polymer solar cells with power conversion efficiencies of 5%, with combined cell area up to 10 cm2. This is among the highest efficiencies realized with R2R coated active layer organic materials on flexible substrate. DOE BRIDGE sunshot program. Office of Naval Research.

Thermal tolerances of fish from a reservoir receiving heated effluent from a nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holland, W.E.; Smith, M.H.; Gibbons, J.W.; Brown, D.H.

1974-01-01

The heat tolerances of bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) subjected to heated effluent from a nuclear reactor was compared with those of bluegill living at normal temperatures. Three of the four study areas were located in the Par Pond reservoir system on the Savannah River Plant near Aiken, South Carolina. Results shown that at least one species of warm-water fish can adjust to elevated aquatic temperatures in a natural environment by becoming more tolerant. (U.S.)

Overexpression of AtABCG25 enhances the abscisic acid signal in guard cells and improves plant water use efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuromori, Takashi; Fujita, Miki; Urano, Kaoru; Tanabata, Takanari; Sugimoto, Eriko; Shinozaki, Kazuo

2016-10-01

In addition to improving drought tolerance, improvement of water use efficiency is a major challenge in plant physiology. Due to their trade-off relationships, it is generally considered that achieving stress tolerance is incompatible with maintaining stable growth. Abscisic acid (ABA) is a key phytohormone that regulates the balance between intrinsic growth and environmental responses. Previously, we identified AtABCG25 as a cell-membrane ABA transporter that export ABA from the inside to the outside of cells. AtABCG25-overexpressing plants showed a lower transpiration phenotype without any growth retardation. Here, we dissected this useful trait using precise phenotyping approaches. AtABCG25 overexpression stimulated a local ABA response in guard cells. Furthermore, AtABCG25 overexpression enhanced drought tolerance, probably resulting from maintenance of water contents over the common threshold for survival after drought stress treatment. Finally, we observed enhanced water use efficiency by overexpression of AtABCG25, in addition to drought tolerance. These results were consistent with the function of AtABCG25 as an ABA efflux transporter. This unique trait may be generally useful for improving the water use efficiency and drought tolerance of plants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of acceptance criteria and damage tolerance analyzes of the ductile iron insert

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dillstroem, Peter; Alverlind, Lars; Andersson, Magnus

2010-01-01

SKB intends to qualify a test system for detection and sizing of defects deemed to be relevant to the ductile iron insert. In support of this qualification, a damage tolerance analysis indicating the current qualification targets, given assumed damage and failure modes. This report describes the damage tolerance analyzes of different types of defects that are considered relevant of the ductile iron insert. The results are reported separately for each test area (zone) and type of insert (BWRs and PWRs)

Responses of Crop Water Use Efficiency to Climate Change and Agronomic Measures in the Semiarid Area of Northern China.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jingting Zhang

Full Text Available It has long been concerned how crop water use efficiency (WUE responds to climate change. Most of existing researches have emphasized the impact of single climate factor but have paid less attention to the effect of developed agronomic measures on crop WUE. Based on the long-term field observations/experiments data, we investigated the changing responses of crop WUE to climate variables (temperature and precipitation and agronomic practices (fertilization and cropping patterns in the semi-arid area of northern China (SAC during two periods, 1983-1999 and 2000-2010 (drier and warmer. Our results suggest that crop WUE was an intrinsical system sensitive to climate change and agronomic measures. Crops tend to reach the maximum WUE (WUEmax in warm-dry environment while reach the stable minimum WUE (WUEmin in warm-wet environment, with a difference between WUEmax and WUEmin ranging from 29.0%-55.5%. Changes in temperature and precipitation in the past three decades jointly enhanced crop WUE by 8.1%-30.6%. Elevated fertilizer and rotation cropping would increase crop WUE by 5.6-11.0% and 19.5-92.9%, respectively. These results indicate crop has the resilience by adjusting WUE, which is not only able to respond to subsequent periods of favorable water balance but also to tolerate the drought stress, and reasonable agronomic practices could enhance this resilience. However, this capacity would break down under impact of climate changes and unconscionable agronomic practices (e.g. excessive N/P/K fertilizer or traditional continuous cropping. Based on the findings in this study, a conceptual crop WUE model is constructed to indicate the threshold of crop resilience, which could help the farmer develop appropriate strategies in adapting the adverse impacts of climate warming.

Responses of Crop Water Use Efficiency to Climate Change and Agronomic Measures in the Semiarid Area of Northern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jingting; Ren, Wei; An, Pingli; Pan, Zhihua; Wang, Liwei; Dong, Zhiqiang; He, Di; Yang, Jia; Pan, Shufen; Tian, Hanqin

2015-01-01

It has long been concerned how crop water use efficiency (WUE) responds to climate change. Most of existing researches have emphasized the impact of single climate factor but have paid less attention to the effect of developed agronomic measures on crop WUE. Based on the long-term field observations/experiments data, we investigated the changing responses of crop WUE to climate variables (temperature and precipitation) and agronomic practices (fertilization and cropping patterns) in the semi-arid area of northern China (SAC) during two periods, 1983-1999 and 2000-2010 (drier and warmer). Our results suggest that crop WUE was an intrinsical system sensitive to climate change and agronomic measures. Crops tend to reach the maximum WUE (WUEmax) in warm-dry environment while reach the stable minimum WUE (WUEmin) in warm-wet environment, with a difference between WUEmax and WUEmin ranging from 29.0%-55.5%. Changes in temperature and precipitation in the past three decades jointly enhanced crop WUE by 8.1%-30.6%. Elevated fertilizer and rotation cropping would increase crop WUE by 5.6-11.0% and 19.5-92.9%, respectively. These results indicate crop has the resilience by adjusting WUE, which is not only able to respond to subsequent periods of favorable water balance but also to tolerate the drought stress, and reasonable agronomic practices could enhance this resilience. However, this capacity would break down under impact of climate changes and unconscionable agronomic practices (e.g. excessive N/P/K fertilizer or traditional continuous cropping). Based on the findings in this study, a conceptual crop WUE model is constructed to indicate the threshold of crop resilience, which could help the farmer develop appropriate strategies in adapting the adverse impacts of climate warming.

EFFECTS OF FEED SUPPLEMENT ON THE ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION EFFICIENCY OF BEEF COWS UNDER SMALL FARMS CONDITION AT A TROPICAL AREA OF INDONESIA

OpenAIRE

Toleng, Abdul Latief

2016-01-01

Low artificial insemination (AI) efficiency in beef cattle has been reported in some tropical regions, such in Indonesia. Factors related to this problem are not yet well known. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify factors that might affect the AI efficiency and to evaluate the effects of feed supplement on the AI efficiency in beef cows at a tropical area of Indonesia. Two steps of study were conducted. Study 1 was to identify factors that might affect the efficiency of AI. T...

Isolation of butanol- and isobutanol-tolerant bacteria and physiological characterization of their butanol tolerance.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanno, Manabu; Katayama, Taiki; Tamaki, Hideyuki; Mitani, Yasuo; Meng, Xian-Ying; Hori, Tomoyuki; Narihiro, Takashi; Morita, Naoki; Hoshino, Tamotsu; Yumoto, Isao; Kimura, Nobutada; Hanada, Satoshi; Kamagata, Yoichi

2013-11-01

Despite their importance as a biofuel production platform, only a very limited number of butanol-tolerant bacteria have been identified thus far. Here, we extensively explored butanol- and isobutanol-tolerant bacteria from various environmental samples. A total of 16 aerobic and anaerobic bacteria that could tolerate greater than 2.0% (vol/vol) butanol and isobutanol were isolated. A 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis revealed that the isolates were phylogenetically distributed over at least nine genera: Bacillus, Lysinibacillus, Rummeliibacillus, Brevibacillus, Coprothermobacter, Caloribacterium, Enterococcus, Hydrogenoanaerobacterium, and Cellulosimicrobium, within the phyla Firmicutes and Actinobacteria. Ten of the isolates were phylogenetically distinct from previously identified butanol-tolerant bacteria. Two relatively highly butanol-tolerant strains CM4A (aerobe) and GK12 (obligate anaerobe) were characterized further. Both strains changed their membrane fatty acid composition in response to butanol exposure, i.e., CM4A and GK12 exhibited increased saturated and cyclopropane fatty acids (CFAs) and long-chain fatty acids, respectively, which may serve to maintain membrane fluidity. The gene (cfa) encoding CFA synthase was cloned from strain CM4A and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant E. coli showed relatively higher butanol and isobutanol tolerance than E. coli without the cfa gene, suggesting that cfa can confer solvent tolerance. The exposure of strain GK12 to butanol by consecutive passages even enhanced the growth rate, indicating that yet-unknown mechanisms may also contribute to solvent tolerance. Taken together, the results demonstrate that a wide variety of butanol- and isobutanol-tolerant bacteria that can grow in 2.0% butanol exist in the environment and have various strategies to maintain structural integrity against detrimental solvents.

Phosphorylation of human INO80 is involved in DNA damage tolerance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, Dai; Waki, Mayumi; Umezawa, Masaki; Aoki, Yuka; Utsugi, Takahiko; Ohtsu, Masaya; Murakami, Yasufumi

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Depletion of hINO80 significantly reduced PCNA ubiquitination. ► Depletion of hINO80 significantly reduced nuclear dots intensity of RAD18 after UV irradiation. ► Western blot analyses showed phosphorylated hINO80 C-terminus. ► Overexpression of phosphorylation mutant hINO80 reduced PCNA ubiquitination. -- Abstract: Double strand breaks (DSBs) are the most serious type of DNA damage. DSBs can be generated directly by exposure to ionizing radiation or indirectly by replication fork collapse. The DNA damage tolerance pathway, which is conserved from bacteria to humans, prevents this collapse by overcoming replication blockages. The INO80 chromatin remodeling complex plays an important role in the DNA damage response. The yeast INO80 complex participates in the DNA damage tolerance pathway. The mechanisms regulating yINO80 complex are not fully understood, but yeast INO80 complex are necessary for efficient proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) ubiquitination and for recruitment of Rad18 to replication forks. In contrast, the function of the mammalian INO80 complex in DNA damage tolerance is less clear. Here, we show that human INO80 was necessary for PCNA ubiquitination and recruitment of Rad18 to DNA damage sites. Moreover, the C-terminal region of human INO80 was phosphorylated, and overexpression of a phosphorylation-deficient mutant of human INO80 resulted in decreased ubiquitination of PCNA during DNA replication. These results suggest that the human INO80 complex, like the yeast complex, was involved in the DNA damage tolerance pathway and that phosphorylation of human INO80 was involved in the DNA damage tolerance pathway. These findings provide new insights into the DNA damage tolerance pathway in mammalian cells.

Mesoporous nitrogen-doped carbon microfibers derived from Mg-biquinoline-dicarboxy compound for efficient oxygen electroreduction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kong, Aiguo, E-mail: agkong@chem.ecnu.edu.cn [School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241 (China); Fan, Xiaohong; Chen, Aoling [School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241 (China); Zhang, Hengiang [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hebei Normal University for Nationalities, Chengde 067000 (China); Shan, Yongkui, E-mail: agkong@chem.ecnu.edu.cn [School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241 (China)

2017-02-15

An in-situ MgO-templating synthesis route was introduced to obtain the mesoporous nitrogen-doped carbon microfibers by thermal conversion of new Mg-2,2′-biquinoline 4,4-dicarboxy acid coordination compound (Mg-DCA) microfibers. The investigated crystal structure of Mg-DCA testified that the assembling of Mg{sup 2+} and DCA through Mg-O coordination bond and hydrogen bond contributed to the formation of one-dimensional (1D) crystalline Mg-DCA microfibers. The nitrogen-doped carbons derived from the pyrolysis of Mg-DCA showed the well-defined microfiber morphology with high mesopore-surface area. Such mesoporous microfibers exhibited the efficient catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline solutions with better stability and methanol-tolerance performance. - Graphical abstract: Mesoporous nitrogen-doped carbon microfibers with efficient oxygen electroreduction activity were prepared by thermal conversion of new Mg-biquinoline-based coordination compound microfibers.

Variation in cassava germplasm for tolerance to post-harvest physiological deterioration.

Science.gov (United States)

Venturini, M T; Santos, L R; Vildoso, C I A; Santos, V S; Oliveira, E J

2016-05-06

Tolerant varieties can effectively control post-harvest physiological deterioration (PPD) of cassava, although knowledge on the genetic variability and inheritance of this trait is needed. The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters and identify sources of tolerance to PPD and their stability in cassava accessions. Roots from 418 cassava accessions, grown in four independent experiments, were evaluated for PPD tolerance 0, 2, 5, and 10 days post-harvest. Data were transformed into area under the PPD-progress curve (AUP-PPD) to quantify tolerance. Genetic parameters, stability (Si), adaptability (Ai), and the joint analysis of stability and adaptability (Zi) were obtained via residual maximum likelihood (REML) and best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) methods. Variance in the genotype (G) x environment (E) interaction and genotypic variance were important for PPD tolerance. Individual broad-sense heritability (hg(2)= 0.38 ± 0.04) and average heritability in accessions (hmg(2)= 0.52) showed high genetic control of PPD tolerance. Genotypic correlation of AUP-PPD in different experiments was of medium magnitude (ȓgA = 0.42), indicating significant G x E interaction. The predicted genotypic values o f G x E free of interaction (û + ĝi) showed high variation. Of the 30 accessions with high Zi, 19 were common to û + ĝi, Si, and Ai parameters. The genetic gain with selection of these 19 cassava accessions was -55.94, -466.86, -397.72, and -444.03% for û + ĝi, Si, Ai, and Zi, respectively, compared with the overall mean for each parameter. These results demonstrate the variability and potential of cassava germplasm to introduce PPD tolerance in commercial varieties.

A Multirelational Account of Toleration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ferretti, Maria Paola; Lægaard, Sune

2013-01-01

Toleration classically denotes a relation between two agents that is characterised by three components: objection, power, and acceptance overriding the objection. Against recent claims that classical toleration is not applicable in liberal democracies and that toleration must therefore either be ...

Thermoelectricity - A Promising Complementarity with Efficient Stoves in Off-grid-areas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Camille Favarel

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Thermoelectric modules produce electricity from heat flow. In areas without electricity, biomass is generally burnt in open fires or rudimentary stoves in order to generate heat, to cook and to produce domestic hot water. Combustion quality in these devices is very low and needs a large amount of wood extracted from surrounding forests. “Planète Bois” develops highly efficient clean multifunction stoves based on double chamber combustion.  As an exhaust fan is necessary to adjust the primary and secondary air flows for optimal combustion, these stoves cannot currently be used without electricity. Thermoelectric modules incorporated in a heat exchanger between the flue and the hot water tank can supply the exhaust fan and also produce some electricity for other basic purposes. Our paper presents tests that were done on one of these stoves to size the thermoelectric generator and thus the produced electricity. These preliminary tests are used to identify an outlook for the successful implementation of these stoves.

State, religion and toleration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huggler, Jørgen

2009-01-01

Contribution to Religion and State - From separation to cooperation? Legal-philosophical reflections for a de-secularized world. (IVR Cracow Special Workshop). Eds. Bart. C. Labuschagne & Ari M. Solon. Abstract: Toleration is indeed a complex phenomenon. A discussion of the concept will have...... to underline not only the broadmindedness and liberty of individuals or of groups, but also the relevant distinctions and arguments in political philosophy, epistemology, philosophy of religion and philosophical anthropology and their connection with educational issues. Through a discussion of these relations......, the essay argues three theses: (1) Toleration is not reducible to an ethics of spiritual freedom. (2) Toleration is not neutral to fanatism. (3) Toleration involves esteem for the person....

Adaptive evolution of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with enhanced ethanol tolerance for Chinese rice wine fermentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Shuang; Xu, Yan

2014-08-01

High tolerance towards ethanol is a desirable property for the Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains used in the alcoholic beverage industry. To improve the ethanol tolerance of an industrial Chinese rice wine yeast, a sequential batch fermentation strategy was used to adaptively evolve a chemically mutagenized Chinese rice wine G85 strain. The high level of ethanol produced under Chinese rice wine-like fermentation conditions was used as the selective pressure. After adaptive evolution of approximately 200 generations, mutant G85X-8 was isolated and shown to have markedly increased ethanol tolerance. The evolved strain also showed higher osmotic and temperature tolerances than the parental strain. Laboratory Chinese rice wine fermentation showed that the evolved G85X-8 strain was able to catabolize sugars more completely than the parental G85 strain. A higher level of yeast cell activity was found in the fermentation mash produced by the evolved strain, but the aroma profiles were similar between the evolved and parental strains. The improved ethanol tolerance in the evolved strain might be ascribed to the altered fatty acids composition of the cell membrane and higher intracellular trehalose concentrations. These results suggest that adaptive evolution is an efficient approach for the non-recombinant modification of industrial yeast strains.

Large area flexible polymer solar cells with high efficiency enabled by imprinted Ag grid and modified buffer layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Shudi; Lin, Jie; Liu, Kong; Yue, Shizhong; Ren, Kuankuan; Tan, Furui; Wang, Zhijie; Jin, Peng; Qu, Shengchun; Wang, Zhanguo

2017-01-01

To take a full advantage of polymer semiconductors on realization of large-area flexible photovoltaic devices, herein, we fabricate polymer solar cells on the basis of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with imprinted Ag grid as transparent electrode. The key fabrication procedure is the adoption of a modified PEDOT:PSS (PH1000) solution for spin-coating the buffer layer to form a compact contact with the substrate. In comparison with the devices with intrinsic PEDOT:PSS buffer layer, the advanced devices present a much higher efficiency of 6.51%, even in a large device area of 2.25 cm"2. Subsequent characterizations reveal that such devices show an impressive performance stability as the bending angle is enlarged to 180° and bending time is up to 1000 cycles. Not only providing a general methodology to construct high efficient and flexible polymer solar cells, this paper also involves deep insights on device working mechanism in bending conditions.

A role for haemolymph oxygen capacity in heat tolerance of eurythermal crabs.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Folco eGiomi

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Heat tolerance in aquatic ectotherms is constrained by a mismatch, occurring at high temperatures, between oxygen delivery and demand which compromises the maintenance of aerobic scope. The present study analyses how the wide thermal tolerance range of an eurythermal model species, the green crab Carcinus maenas is supported and limited by its ability to sustain efficient oxygen transport to tissues. Similar to other eurytherms, C. maenas sustains naturally occurring acute warming events through the integrated response of circulatory and respiratory systems. The response of C. maenas to warming is characterized by two phases. During initial warming, oxygen consumption and heart rate increase while stroke volume and haemolymph oxygen partial pressures decrease. During further warming, dissolved oxygen levels in the venous compartment decrease below the threshold of full haemocyanin oxygen saturation. The progressive release of haemocyanin bound oxygen with further warming follows an exponential pattern, thereby saving energy in oxygen transport and causing an associated leveling off of metabolic rate. According to the concept of oxygen and capacity limited thermal tolerance, this indicates that the thermal tolerance window is widened by the increasing contribution of haemocyanin oxygen transport and associated energy savings in cardiocirculation. Haemocyanin bound oxygen sustains cardiac performance to cover the temperature range experienced by C. maenas in the field. To our knowledge this is the first study providing evidence of a relationship between thermal tolerance and blood (haemolymph oxygen transport in eurythermal invertebrates.

A role for haemolymph oxygen capacity in heat tolerance of eurythermal crabs.

Science.gov (United States)

Giomi, Folco; Pörtner, Hans-Otto

2013-01-01

Heat tolerance in aquatic ectotherms is constrained by a mismatch, occurring at high temperatures, between oxygen delivery and demand which compromises the maintenance of aerobic scope. The present study analyses how the wide thermal tolerance range of an eurythermal model species, the green crab Carcinus maenas is supported and limited by its ability to sustain efficient oxygen transport to tissues. Similar to other eurytherms, C. maenas sustains naturally occurring acute warming events through the integrated response of circulatory and respiratory systems. The response of C. maenas to warming can be characterized by two phases. During initial warming, oxygen consumption and heart rate increase, while stroke volume and haemolymph oxygen partial pressure decrease. During further warming, dissolved oxygen levels in the venous compartment decrease below the threshold of full haemocyanin oxygen saturation. The progressive release of haemocyanin bound oxygen with further warming follows an exponential pattern, thereby saving energy in oxygen transport and causing an associated leveling off of metabolic rate. According to the concept of oxygen and capacity limited thermal tolerance (OCLTT), this indicates that the thermal tolerance window is widened by the increasing contribution of haemocyanin oxygen transport and associated energy savings in cardiocirculation. Haemocyanin bound oxygen sustains cardiac performance to cover the temperature range experienced by C. maenas in the field. To our knowledge this is the first study providing evidence of a relationship between thermal tolerance and blood (haemolymph) oxygen transport in a eurythermal invertebrate.

Identification of a transporter Slr0982 involved in ethanol tolerance in cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanan eZhang

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Cyanobacteria have been engineered to produce ethanol through recent synthetic biology efforts. However, one major challenge to the cyanobacterial systems for high-efficiency ethanol production is their low tolerance to the ethanol toxicity. With a major goal to identify novel transporters involved in ethanol tolerance, we constructed gene knockout mutants for 58 transporter-encoding genes of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and screened their tolerance change under ethanol stress. The efforts allowed discovery of a mutant of slr0982 gene encoding an ATP-binding cassette transporter which grew poorly in BG11 medium supplemented with 1.5% (v/v ethanol when compared with the wild type, and the growth loss could be recovered by complementing slr0982 in the ∆slr0982 mutant, suggesting that slr0982 is involved in ethanol tolerance in Synechocystis. To decipher the tolerance mechanism involved, a comparative metabolomic and network-based analysis of the wild type and the ethanol-sensitive ∆slr0982 mutant was performed. The analysis allowed the identification of four metabolic modules related to slr0982 deletion in the ∆slr0982 mutant, among which metabolites like sucrose and L-pyroglutamic acid which might be involved in ethanol tolerance, were found important for slr0982 deletion in the ∆slr0982 mutant. This study reports on the first transporter related to ethanol tolerance in Synechocystis, which could be a useful target for further tolerance engineering. In addition, metabolomic and network analysis provides important findings for better understanding of the tolerance mechanism to ethanol stress in Synechocystis.

Damage-tolerance strategies for nacre tablets.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shengnan; Zhu, Xinqiao; Li, Qiyang; Wang, Rizhi; Wang, Xiaoxiang

2016-05-01

Nacre, a natural armor, exhibits prominent penetration resistance against predatory attacks. Unraveling its hierarchical toughening mechanisms and damage-tolerance design strategies may provide significant inspiration for the pursuit of high-performance artificial armors. In this work, relationships between the structure and mechanical performance of nacre were investigated. The results show that other than their brick-and-mortar structure, individual nacre tablets significantly contribute to the damage localization of nacre. Affected by intracrystalline organics, the tablets exhibit a unique fracture behavior. The synergistic action of the nanoscale deformation mechanisms increases the energy dissipation efficiency of the tablets and contributes to the preservation of the structural and functional integrity of the shell. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Halophytes: Potential Resources for Salt Stress Tolerance Genes and Promoters.

Science.gov (United States)

Mishra, Avinash; Tanna, Bhakti

2017-01-01

Halophytes have demonstrated their capability to thrive under extremely saline conditions and thus considered as one of the best germplasm for saline agriculture. Salinity is a worldwide problem, and the salt-affected areas are increasing day-by-day because of scanty rainfall, poor irrigation system, salt ingression, water contamination, and other environmental factors. The salinity stress tolerance mechanism is a very complex phenomenon, and some pathways are coordinately linked for imparting salinity tolerance. Though a number of salt responsive genes have been reported from the halophytes, there is always a quest for promising stress-responsive genes that can modulate plant physiology according to the salt stress. Halophytes such as Aeluropus, Mesembryanthemum, Suaeda, Atriplex, Thellungiella, Cakile , and Salicornia serve as a potential candidate for the salt-responsive genes and promoters. Several known genes like antiporters ( NHX, SOS, HKT, VTPase ), ion channels (Cl - , Ca 2+ , aquaporins), antioxidant encoding genes ( APX, CAT, GST, BADH, SOD ) and some novel genes such as USP, SDR1, SRP etc. were isolated from halophytes and explored for developing stress tolerance in the crop plants (glycophytes). It is evidenced that stress triggers salt sensors that lead to the activation of stress tolerance mechanisms which involve multiple signaling proteins, up- or down-regulation of several genes, and finally the distinctive or collective effects of stress-responsive genes. In this review, halophytes are discussed as an excellent platform for salt responsive genes which can be utilized for developing salinity tolerance in crop plants through genetic engineering.

GDTN: Genome-Based Delay Tolerant Network Formation in Heterogeneous 5G Using Inter-UA Collaboration.

Science.gov (United States)

You, Ilsun; Sharma, Vishal; Atiquzzaman, Mohammed; Choo, Kim-Kwang Raymond

2016-01-01

With a more Internet-savvy and sophisticated user base, there are more demands for interactive applications and services. However, it is a challenge for existing radio access networks (e.g. 3G and 4G) to cope with the increasingly demanding requirements such as higher data rates and wider coverage area. One potential solution is the inter-collaborative deployment of multiple radio devices in a 5G setting designed to meet exacting user demands, and facilitate the high data rate requirements in the underlying networks. These heterogeneous 5G networks can readily resolve the data rate and coverage challenges. Networks established using the hybridization of existing networks have diverse military and civilian applications. However, there are inherent limitations in such networks such as irregular breakdown, node failures, and halts during speed transmissions. In recent years, there have been attempts to integrate heterogeneous 5G networks with existing ad hoc networks to provide a robust solution for delay-tolerant transmissions in the form of packet switched networks. However, continuous connectivity is still required in these networks, in order to efficiently regulate the flow to allow the formation of a robust network. Therefore, in this paper, we present a novel network formation consisting of nodes from different network maneuvered by Unmanned Aircraft (UA). The proposed model utilizes the features of a biological aspect of genomes and forms a delay tolerant network with existing network models. This allows us to provide continuous and robust connectivity. We then demonstrate that the proposed network model has an efficient data delivery, lower overheads and lesser delays with high convergence rate in comparison to existing approaches, based on evaluations in both real-time testbed and simulation environment.

High-Throughput Non-destructive Phenotyping of Traits that Contribute to Salinity Tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana

KAUST Repository

Awlia, Mariam

2016-09-28

Reproducible and efficient high-throughput phenotyping approaches, combined with advances in genome sequencing, are facilitating the discovery of genes affecting plant performance. Salinity tolerance is a desirable trait that can be achieved through breeding, where most have aimed at selecting for plants that perform effective ion exclusion from the shoots. To determine overall plant performance under salt stress, it is helpful to investigate several plant traits collectively in one experimental setup. Hence, we developed a quantitative phenotyping protocol using a high-throughput phenotyping system, with RGB and chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) imaging, which captures the growth, morphology, color and photosynthetic performance of Arabidopsis thaliana plants in response to salt stress. We optimized our salt treatment by controlling the soil-water content prior to introducing salt stress. We investigated these traits over time in two accessions in soil at 150, 100, or 50 mM NaCl to find that the plants subjected to 100 mM NaCl showed the most prominent responses in the absence of symptoms of severe stress. In these plants, salt stress induced significant changes in rosette area and morphology, but less prominent changes in rosette coloring and photosystem II efficiency. Clustering of ChlF traits with plant growth of nine accessions maintained at 100 mM NaCl revealed that in the early stage of salt stress, salinity tolerance correlated with non-photochemical quenching processes and during the later stage, plant performance correlated with quantum yield. This integrative approach allows the simultaneous analysis of several phenotypic traits. In combination with various genetic resources, the phenotyping protocol described here is expected to increase our understanding of plant performance and stress responses, ultimately identifying genes that improve plant performance in salt stress conditions.

Simulating changes in cropping practises in conventional and glyphosate-tolerant maize. I. Effects on weeds.

Science.gov (United States)

Colbach, Nathalie; Fernier, Alice; Le Corre, Valérie; Messéan, Antoine; Darmency, Henri

2017-04-01

Herbicide-tolerant (HT) crops such as those tolerant to glyphosate simplify weed management and make it more efficient, at least at short-term. Overreliance on the same herbicide though leads to the spread of resistant weeds. Here, the objective was to evaluate, with simulations, the impact on the advent of glyphosate resistance in weeds of modifications in agricultural practises resulting from introducing HT maize into cropping systems. First, we included a single-gene herbicide resistance submodel in the existing multispecific FLORSYS model. Then, we (1) simulated current conventional and probable HT cropping systems in two European regions, Aquitaine and Catalonia, (2) compared these systems in terms of glyphosate resistance, (3) identified pertinent cultural practises influencing glyphosate resistance, and (4) investigated correlations between cultural practises and species traits, using RLQ analyses. The simulation study showed that, during the analysed 28 years, (1) glyphosate spraying only results in glyphosate resistance in weeds when combined with other cultural factors favouring weed infestation, particularly no till; (2) pre-sowing glyphosate applications select more for herbicide resistance than post-sowing applications on HT crops; and (3) glyphosate spraying selects more for species traits avoiding exposure to the herbicide (e.g. delayed early growth, small leaf area) or compensating for fitness costs (e.g. high harvest index) than for actual resistance to glyphosate, (4) actual resistance is most frequent in species that do not avoid glyphosate, either via plant size or timing, and/or in less competitive species, (5) in case of efficient weed control measures, actual resistance proliferates best in outcrossing species. An advice table was built, with the quantitative, synthetic ranking of the crop management effects in terms of glyphosate-resistance management, identifying the optimal choices for each management technique.

78 FR 40027 - Novaluron; Pesticide Tolerances

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-03

...). This regulation additionally deletes the time- limited tolerance for strawberry, as that tolerance..., pears, potatoes, strawberries, and tomatoes and utilized estimates for PCT for recently registered uses... deletes the time-limited tolerance for strawberry, as that tolerance expired on December 31, 2011. VI...

Frost tolerance in wild potatoes : Assessing the predictivity of taxonomic, geographic and ecological factors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hijmans, R.J.; Jacobs, M.; Bamberg, J.B.; Spooner, D.M.

2003-01-01

The use of genetic resources could be more effective and efficient if we were able to predict the presence or absence of useful traits in different populations or accessions. We analyzed the extent to which taxonomic, geographic and ecological factors can predict the presence of frost tolerance in

Varietal differences of quinoa's tolerance to saline conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Adolf, Verena Isabelle; Shabala, Sergey; Andersen, Mathias Neumann

2012-01-01

varieties, the Danish variety Titicaca and the Bolivian variety Utusaya gas exchange, chlorophyll content index (CCI), fluorescence and ion relations were studied. Results Responses to salinity differed greatly among the varieties; least affected were two varieties from the Bolivian altiplano and a variety...... from Peru. Titicaca and Utusaya both had substantially increased K+ concentrations in the leaf sap. But, Utusaya was much more efficient in restricting xylem Na+ loading. Xylem Na+ and K+ loading were found to be uncoupled. Utusaya maintained a relatively high stomatal conductance resulting in an only...... 25% NaCl-induced reduction in net CO2 assimilation compared to a 67% reduction in salt treated Titicaca plants. Maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII was not affected by salinity. Conclusion In addition to maintaining high gas exchange, tolerant varieties better control xylem Na+ loading. To what...

Freezing and desiccation tolerance in entomopathogenic nematodes: diversity and correlation of traits.

Science.gov (United States)

Shapiro-Ilan, David I; Brown, Ian; Lewis, Edwin E

2014-03-01

The ability of entomopathogenic nematodes to tolerate environmental stress such as desiccating or freezing conditions, can contribute significantly to biocontrol efficacy. Thus, in selecting which nematode to use in a particular biocontrol program, it is important to be able to predict which strain or species to use in target areas where environmental stress is expected. Our objectives were to (i) compare inter- and intraspecific variation in freeze and desiccation tolerance among a broad array of entomopathogenic nematodes, and (ii) determine if freeze and desiccation tolerance are correlated. In laboratory studies we compared nematodes at two levels of relative humidity (RH) (97% and 85%) and exposure periods (24 and 48 h), and nematodes were exposed to freezing temperatures (-2°C) for 6 or 24 h. To assess interspecific variation, we compared ten species including seven that are of current or recent commercial interest: Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (VS), H. floridensis, H. georgiana, (Kesha), H. indica (HOM1), H. megidis (UK211), Steinernema carpocapsae (All), S. feltiae (SN), S. glaseri (VS), S. rarum (17C&E), and S. riobrave (355). To assess intraspecific variation we compared five strains of H. bacteriophora (Baine, Fl1-1, Hb, Oswego, and VS) and four strains of S. carpocapsae (All, Cxrd, DD136, and Sal), and S. riobrave (355, 38b, 7-12, and TP). S. carpocapsae exhibited the highest level of desiccation tolerance among species followed by S. feltiae and S. rarum; the heterorhabditid species exhibited the least desiccation tolerance and S. riobrave and S. glaseri were intermediate. No intraspecific variation was observed in desiccation tolerance; S. carpocapsae strains showed higher tolerance than all H. bacteriophora or S. riobrave strains yet there was no difference detected within species. In interspecies comparisons, poor freeze tolerance was observed in H. indica, and S. glaseri, S. rarum, and S. riobrave whereas H. georgiana and S. feltiae exhibited the

Tolerância ao alumínio em cultivares de aveia branca sob cultivo hidropônico Tolerance to the aluminum in oat cultivars under hydroponic culture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Antonio Gonzalez da Silva

2007-01-01

Full Text Available O emprego do cultivo hidropônico para avaliar a tolerância à toxicidade pelo alumínio em genótipos de aveia pode ser feito por meio da medida da retomada do crescimento de raiz. Avaliaram-se 12 cultivares de aveia branca indicadas para o cultivo no Sul do Brasil com o intuito de caracterizar a tolerância ao alumínio, de maneira a ser estrategicamente recomendadas e/ou incluídas em blocos de cruzamento na obtenção de constituições genéticas de elevado potencial produtivo e tolerante ao íon metálico. Foram utilizadas doses de 10, 15 e 20 mg L-1 de alumínio na solução hidropônica e o delineamento experimental adotado foi o completamente casualizado, com três repetições, seguindo o esquema fatorial (12 x 3. As doses empregadas são altamente eficientes na identificação de genótipos de aveia tolerantes e sensíveis ao alumínio tóxico. As cultivares UPF 16, URS 21, UFRGS 14, UPF 19 e UFRGS 17 expressam tolerância.The use of hidroponic culture to evaluate tolerance to aluminum toxicity in oat genotypes can be performed by measuring root regrowth, allowing phenotypically to discriminate tolerant genetic constitutions sensitivity. Twelve white oat cultivars indicated for cultivation in Southern Brazil were evaluated aiming at to characterize their aluminum tolerance, in order to use them as parents in crosses or to recommend them for in cultivation regions. Aluminum concentration of 10, 15 and 20 mg L-1 were used in the hydroponic solution arranged in complete randomized blocks with three replications in 12 x 3 factorial designs. Concentrations of 10, 15 and 20 mg L-1 were highly efficient for the identification of tolerant and sensitive oat genotypes. Cultivars UPF 16, URS 21, UFRGS 14, UPF 19 and UFRGS 17 showed aluminum.

Butter improves glucose tolerance compared with at highly polyunsaturated diet in the rat

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hellgren, Lars

in epidemiological studies, where the typical fatty acid composition of milk-fat, i.e. a high level of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and low concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), has been correlated to increased insulin-resistance. It is therefore essential to characterize the impact of milk......-fat on glucose-tolerance in intervention studies. Methods: 16 rats were divided into two groups and fed a semisynthetic diet containing 31 E-% fat, either as butter or highly polyunsaturated grapeseed oil. After 12 weeks on the diets, glucose-tolerance was assayed with the oral-glucose tolerance test (OGTT......). Results and Discussion: The OGTT revealed that the rats on the butter-containing diet, had a substantially higher glucose tolerance than the rats, which were fed grapeseed oil (area under the curve =195  31 mM*min-2 vs. 310  13 mM*min-2, n= 8, p=0.004). There were no differences in serum triacylglycerol...

BTP: a Block Transfer Protocol for Delay Tolerant Wireless Sensor Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Morten Tranberg; Biagioni, Edoardo S.

2010-01-01

Wireless sensor networks that are energy-constrained must transmit and receive data as efficiently as possible.  If the transmission is delay tolerant, transferring blocks of accumulated data can be more efficient than transferring each sensed measurement as soon as it is available.  This paper...... proposes a Block Transfer Protocol (BTP) designed for efficient and reliable transmission in wireless sensor networks.  BTP reduces the time it takes to reliably transfer a block of packets compared to conventional link layer protocols, by piggybacking in data packets information about the transfer......, minimizing the number of acknowledgements needed for reliable transmission, and reducing the need for timeouts, which can substantially slow down communication when transmission is unreliable.  In addition, BTP improves reliability by handling false positive acknowledgements and by letting the receivers...

A high precision radiation-tolerant LVDT conditioning module

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Masi, A. [EN/STI Group, CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research, CH-1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Danzeca, S. [EN/STI Group, CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research, CH-1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); IES, F-34000 Montpellier (France); Losito, R.; Peronnard, P. [EN/STI Group, CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research, CH-1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Secondo, R., E-mail: raffaello.secondo@cern.ch [EN/STI Group, CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research, CH-1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Spiezia, G. [EN/STI Group, CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research, CH-1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland)

2014-05-01

Linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) position sensors are widely used in particle accelerators and nuclear plants, thanks to their properties of contact-less sensing, radiation tolerance, infinite resolution, good linearity and cost efficiency. Many applications require high reading accuracy, even in environments with high radiation levels, where the conditioning electronics must be located several hundred meters away from the sensor. Sometimes even at long distances the conditioning module is still exposed to ionizing radiation. Standard off-the-shelf electronic conditioning modules offer limited performances in terms of reading accuracy and long term stability already with short cables. A radiation tolerant stand-alone LVDT conditioning module has been developed using Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components. The reading of the sensor output voltages is based on a sine-fit algorithm digitally implemented on an FPGA ensuring few micrometers reading accuracy even with low signal-to-noise ratios. The algorithm validation and board architecture are described. A full metrological characterization of the module is reported and radiation tests results are discussed.

Enhancement of naphthalene tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing the ferredoxin-like protein (ADI1) from rice.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Xiao-Yan; Zhu, Bo; Han, Hong-Juan; Zhao, Wei; Tian, Yong-Sheng; Peng, Ri-He; Yao, Quan-Hong

2016-01-01

The ADI1 Arabidopsis plants enhanced tolerance and degradation efficiency to naphthalene and had great potential for phytoremediation of naphthalene in the plant material before composting or harvesting and removal. Naphthalene is a global environmental concern, because this substance is assumed to contribute considerably to human cancer risk. Cleaning up naphthalene contamination in the environment is crucial. Phytoremediation is an efficient technology to clean up contaminants. However, no gene that can efficiently degrade exogenous recalcitrant naphthalene in plants has yet been discovered. Ferredoxin (Fd) is a key player of biological electron transfer reaction in the PAH degradation process. The biochemical pathway for bacterial degradation of naphthalene has been well investigated. In this study, a rice gene, ADI1, which codes for a putative photosynthetic-type Fd, has been transformed into Arabidopsis thaliana. The transgenic Arabidopsis plants enhanced tolerance and degradation efficiency of naphthalene. Compared with wild-type plants, transgenic plants assimilated naphthalene from the culture media faster and removed more of this substance. When taken together, our findings suggest that breeding plants with overexpressed ADI1 gene is an effective strategy to degrade naphthalene in the environment.

Utility of Photochemical Traits as Diagnostics of Thermal Tolerance amongst Great Barrier Reef Corals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew R. Nitschke

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Light availability is considered a key factor regulating the thermal sensitivity of reef building corals, where excessive excitation of photosystem II (PSII further exacerbates pressure on photochemical pathways already compromised by heat stress. Coral symbionts acclimate to changes in light availability (photoacclimation by continually fine-tuning the photochemical operating efficiency of PSII. However, how this process adjusts throughout the warmest months in naturally heat-tolerant or sensitive species is unknown, and whether this influences the capacity to tolerate transient heat stress is untested. We therefore examined the PSII photophysiology of 10 coral species (with known thermal tolerances from shallow reef environments at Heron Island (Great Barrier Reef, Australia, in spring (October-November, 2015 vs. summer (February-March, 2016. Corals were maintained in flow-through aquaria and rapid light curve (RLC protocols using pulse amplitude modulated (PAM fluorometry captured changes in the PSII photoacclimation strategy, characterized as the minimum saturating irradiance (Ek, and the extent of photochemical ([1 – C], operating efficiency vs. non-photochemical ([1 – Q] energy dissipation. Values of Ek across species were >2-fold higher in all coral species in spring, consistent with a climate of higher overall light exposure (i.e., higher PAR from lower cloud cover, rainfall and wind speed compared with summer. Summer decreases in Ek were combined with a shift toward preferential photochemical quenching in all species. All coral species were subsequently subjected to thermal stress assays. An equivalent temperature-ramping profile of 1°C increase per day and then maintenance at 32°C was applied in each season. Despite the significant seasonal photoacclimation, the species hierarchy of thermal tolerance [maximum quantum yields of PSII (Fv/Fm, monitored at dawn and dusk] did not shift between seasons, except for Pocillopora

Antinociceptive tolerance to NSAIDs in the agranular insular cortex is mediated by opioid mechanism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pirkulashvili N

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Natia Pirkulashvili,1 Nana Tsiklauri,1 Marina Nebieridze,2 Merab G Tsagareli1 1Laboratory of Pain and Analgesia, 2Laboratory of Brain Metabolism, Beritashvili Center for Experimental Biomedicine, Tbilisi, Georgia Abstract: Several lines of investigations have shown that in some brain areas, in particular, in the midbrain periaqueductal gray matter, rostral ventromedial medulla, central nucleus of amygdala, nucleus raphe magnus, and dorsal hippocampus, microinjections of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs induce antinociception with distinct development of tolerance. The agranular insular cortex (AIC is a small region of the cerebral cortex located on the lateral area of the rat’s cerebral hemisphere that is involved in the perception and response to pain. In the present study, we investigated the development of tolerance to the analgesic effects of NSAIDs diclofenac, ketorolac, and xefocam microinjected into the AIC in rats. Male Wistar rats receiving NSAIDs into the AIC were tested for antinociception by tail-flick and hot plate tests. Treatment with each NSAID significantly enhanced the tail-flick and hot plate latencies on the first day, followed by a progressive decrease in the analgesic effect over a 4-day period, ie, they developed tolerance. Pretreatment with an opioid antagonist naloxone completely prevented, and posttreatment naloxone abolished, the analgesic effects of the three NSAIDs in both behavioral assays. These findings support the notion that the development of tolerance to the antinociceptive effects of NSAIDs is mediated via an endogenous opioid system possibly involving descending pain modulatory systems. Keywords: antinociception, endogenous opioids, descending modulation, nociception, non­opioid tolerance

Induction of drought tolerant mutants of rice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Hissewy, A.A.; Abd Allah, A.

2001-01-01

The ultimate goal of crop breeding is to develop varieties with a high yield potential and desirable agronomic characteristics. In Egypt, the most important qualities sought by breeders have been high yield potential, resistance to major diseases and insects, and improved grain and eating quality. However, breeding efforts should concentrate on varieties with the potential to minimize yield losses under unfavorable conditions such as drought, and to maximize yields when conditions are favorable. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) in Egypt is completely irrigated and a significant portion of the rice cultivated area is subject to water deficit resulting from an inadequate or insufficient irrigation supply. Drought tolerance is a complex trait in that it results from the interaction of histological and physiological characters of plant with environmental factors, both above-ground and under-ground. Accordingly, root characters are closely related to drought tolerance. Little attention has been paid in Egyptian breeding programs to root characters and their relation to shoot characters. Furthermore, induced mutations are considered as one of the most important methods to induce useful mutants, especially with improved root characters, to overcome the drought problem. The present investigation aimed to study the effect of different doses of gamma rays on several characters of three Egyptian rice varieties, i.e. 'Giza 171', 'Giza 175' and 'Giza 176' and to induce one or more mutants possessing drought tolerance

77 FR 4890 - Damage Tolerance and Fatigue Evaluation for Composite Rotorcraft Structures, and Damage Tolerance...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-01

...-AJ52, 2120-AJ51 Damage Tolerance and Fatigue Evaluation for Composite Rotorcraft Structures, and Damage Tolerance and Fatigue Evaluation for Metallic Structures; Correction AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration... Tolerance and Fatigue Evaluation for Composite Rotorcraft Structures'' (76 FR 74655), published December 1...

A Review of Protocol Implementations and Energy Efficient Cross-Layer Design for Wireless Body Area Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tao Chen

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The issues inherent in caring for an ever-increasing aged population has been the subject of endless debate and continues to be a hot topic for political discussion. The use of hospital-based facilities for the monitoring of chronic physiological conditions is expensive and ties up key healthcare professionals. The introduction of wireless sensor devices as part of a Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN integrated within an overall eHealth solution could bring a step change in the remote management of patient healthcare. Sensor devices small enough to be placed either inside or on the human body can form a vital part of an overall health monitoring network. An effectively designed energy efficient WBAN should have a minimal impact on the mobility and lifestyle of the patient. WBAN technology can be deployed within a hospital, care home environment or in the patient’s own home. This study is a review of the existing research in the area of WBAN technology and in particular protocol adaptation and energy efficient cross-layer design. The research reviews the work carried out across various layers of the protocol stack and highlights how the latest research proposes to resolve the various challenges inherent in remote continual healthcare monitoring.

Screening of Non- Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strains for Tolerance to Formic Acid in Bioethanol Fermentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Oshoma, Cyprian E; Greetham, Darren; Louis, Edward J; Smart, Katherine A; Phister, Trevor G; Powell, Chris; Du, Chenyu

2015-01-01

Formic acid is one of the major inhibitory compounds present in hydrolysates derived from lignocellulosic materials, the presence of which can significantly hamper the efficiency of converting available sugars into bioethanol. This study investigated the potential for screening formic acid tolerance in non-Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strains, which could be used for the development of advanced generation bioethanol processes. Spot plate and phenotypic microarray methods were used to screen the formic acid tolerance of 7 non-Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts. S. kudriavzeii IFO1802 and S. arboricolus 2.3319 displayed a higher formic acid tolerance when compared to other strains in the study. Strain S. arboricolus 2.3319 was selected for further investigation due to its genetic variability among the Saccharomyces species as related to Saccharomyces cerevisiae and availability of two sibling strains: S. arboricolus 2.3317 and 2.3318 in the lab. The tolerance of S. arboricolus strains (2.3317, 2.3318 and 2.3319) to formic acid was further investigated by lab-scale fermentation analysis, and compared with S. cerevisiae NCYC2592. S. arboricolus 2.3319 demonstrated improved formic acid tolerance and a similar bioethanol synthesis capacity to S. cerevisiae NCYC2592, while S. arboricolus 2.3317 and 2.3318 exhibited an overall inferior performance. Metabolite analysis indicated that S. arboricolus strain 2.3319 accumulated comparatively high concentrations of glycerol and glycogen, which may have contributed to its ability to tolerate high levels of formic acid.

Technology line and case analysis of heat metering and energy efficiency retrofit of existing residential buildings in Northern heating areas of China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Jing; Zhu Neng; Wu Yong

2009-01-01

The building area in northern heating areas accounting for 70% of the total land area in China is 6,500,000,000 m 2 . The average heating energy consumption in northern China is 100-200% times more than developed countries in the same latitude. This paper introduced firstly the heat metering and energy efficiency retrofit background of existing residential buildings in northern heating areas of China organized by mohurd and MOF, and then put forward the total principle and contents of retrofit. Through analyzing some retrofit cases in Germany, Poland and China, some technological experiences were summarized and finally a technology line suitable for heat metering and energy efficiency retrofit of existing residential buildings in northern heating areas of China which involved retrofit for heat metering and temperature regulation of heating systems, heat balance of heat source and network, and building envelope was described to provide a systematic, scientific, technological guide for the retrofit projects of 0.15 billion m 2 in 'the Eleventh Five-Year Plan' period.

Linking waterlogging tolerance with Mn²⁺ toxicity: a case study for barley.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, X; Shabala, S; Shabala, L; Rengel, Z; Wu, X; Zhang, G; Zhou, M

2015-01-01

Vast agricultural areas are affected by flooding, causing up to 80% yield reduction and resulting in multibillion dollar losses. Up to now, the focus of plant breeders was predominantly on detrimental effects of anoxia, while other (potentially equally important) traits were essentially neglected; one of these is soil elemental toxicity. Excess water triggers a progressive decrease in soil redox potential, thus increasing the concentration of Mn(2+) that can be toxic to plants if above a specific threshold. This work aimed to quantify the relative contribution of Mn(2+) toxicity to waterlogging stress tolerance, using barley as a case study. Twenty barley (Hordeum vulgare) genotypes contrasting in waterlogging stress tolerance were studied for their ability to cope with toxic (1 mm) amounts of Mn(2+) in the root rhizosphere. Under Mn(2+) toxicity, chlorophyll content of most waterlogging-tolerant genotypes (TX9425, Yerong, CPI-71284-48 and CM72) remained above 60% of the control value, whereas sensitive genotypes (Franklin and Naso Nijo) had 35% less chlorophyll than 35% of controls. Manganese concentration in leaves was not related to visual Mn(2+) toxicity symptoms, suggesting that various Mn(2+) tolerance mechanisms might operate in different tolerant genotypes, i.e. avoidance versus tissue tolerance. The overall significant (r = 0.60) correlation between tolerance to Mn(2+) toxicity and waterlogging in barley suggests that plant breeding for tolerance to waterlogging traits may be advanced by targeting mechanisms conferring tolerance to Mn(2+) toxicity, at least in this species. © 2014 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Productivity and efficiency of economic activity of the Lower Silesia's large area farms in comparison with other large area farms in Poland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanisław Minta

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The paper shows economical and financial situation of the agricultural companies which have most of the grounds in lease. Analysed objects were settled on Lower Silesia (the province in the south – west Poland. The main part of the results of research was about productivity and efficiency of economic resources in these objects. The research was made in years 2000-2002. The results of research in analyzed Lower Silesia’s companies were compared with the best Polish large area farms in order of law and organisation forms: leased farms, private farms and partnerships of Polish public agency AWRSP.

Morphological characteristic of purple long yard bean cultivars and their tolerance to drought stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M W Lestari

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The cultivation of purple long yard bean which tolerance to drought stress and have high productivity can improve farming in arid area. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mechanism of the tolerance purple long yard beans to drought stress based on morphologic characters, to get the hypothesis method of tolerance and to obtain tolerance cultivars to the drought stress. Eight cultivars of purple long yard beans, i.e. UBPHU1-41, UBPHU1-130, UBPU3-153, UBPU1-202, UBPU2-222, UBPU1-365, Brawijaya 4 and Bagong 2, were tested in two environmental conditions, 100% field capacity and 50% field capacity. The results showed that drought stress in purple long yard bean affected all morphological characters observed, except for root length and flowering time. Estimation of tolerance to drought stress using the Principles Component Analysis (PCA showed that the shoot fresh weight could be an indicator of purple pod bean tolerance to drought stress. However, the test using Stress Susceptibility Index (SSI was not able to classify the purple long yard bean tolerance to drought stress. The results of analysis using PCA followed by discriminant analysis and clustering dendrogram showed that the UBPU1-41, UBPU1-130, UBPU2-222, UBPU1-365, UB4 and Bagong 2 cultivars were medium cultivars that are tolerant to drought stress. Therefore, they can be planted in semiarid regions.

Vegetated treatment area (VTAs) efficiencies for E. coli and nutrient removal on small-scale swine operations

OpenAIRE

R. Daren Harmel; Rehanon Pampell; Terry Gentry; Doug R. Smith; Chad Hajda; Kevin Wagner; Patti K. Smith; Rick L. Haney; Kori D. Higgs

2018-01-01

As small-scale animal feeding operations work to manage their byproducts and avoid regulation, they need practical, cost-effective methods to reduce environmental impact. One such option is using vegetative treatment areas (VTAs) with perennial grasses to treat runoff; however, research is limited on VTA effectiveness as a waste management alternative for smaller operations. This study evaluated the efficiencies of VTAs in reducing bacteria and nutrient runoff from small-scale swine operation...

A three-tier phenotyping approach for hunting QTLs related to heat tolerance in bread wheat

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sharma, Dew Kumari; Rosenqvist, Eva; Ottosen, Carl-Otto

2014-01-01

In the global climate change scenario, heatstress together with other abiotic stresses will remain an importantdeterminant of future food security. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the third most important crop, feeding about one third of the world population. Being a crop of temperate climate......, wheat is sensitive to heat stress, particularly at the reproductive phase. Heat tolerance is a complex trait. In the present study, a combined approach of physiological phenotyping and quantitative genetics was used to dissect the complex nature of heat tolerance into photosynthesis related traits......- with a top-to-bottom (forward) approach: Tier 1: Phenotyping: As a starting point,the quantification of heat tolerance was done by the chlorophyll fluorescence parameter, Fv/Fm, as a measure of maximum quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry after heat stress treatment (40°C for 72h). This way...

Defining Tolerance: Impacts of Delay and Disruption when Managing Challenged Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Birrane, Edward J. III; Burleigh, Scott C.; Cerf, Vint

2011-01-01

Challenged networks exhibit irregularities in their communication performance stemming from node mobility, power constraints, and impacts from the operating environment. These irregularities manifest as high signal propagation delay and frequent link disruption. Understanding those limits of link disruption and propagation delay beyond which core networking features fail is an ongoing area of research. Various wireless networking communities propose tools and techniques that address these phenomena. Emerging standardization activities within the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) and the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) look to build upon both this experience and scalability analysis. Successful research in this area is predicated upon identifying enablers for common communication functions (notably node discovery, duplex communication, state caching, and link negotiation) and how increased disruptions and delays affect their feasibility within the network. Networks that make fewer assumptions relating to these enablers provide more universal service. Specifically, reliance on node discovery and link negotiation results in network-specific operational concepts rather than scalable technical solutions. Fundamental to this debate are the definitions, assumptions, operational concepts, and anticipated scaling of these networks. This paper presents the commonalities and differences between delay and disruption tolerance, including support protocols and critical enablers. We present where and how these tolerances differ. We propose a set of use cases that must be accommodated by any standardized delay-tolerant network and discuss the implication of these on existing tool development.

Effects of rumen-protected Capsicum oleoresin on productivity and responses to a glucose tolerance test in lactating dairy cows.

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, J; Harper, M; Giallongo, F; Bravo, D M; Wall, E H; Hristov, A N

2017-03-01

The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effects of rumen-protected Capsicum oleoresin (RPC) supplementation on feed intake, milk yield and composition, nutrient utilization, fecal microbial ecology, and responses to a glucose tolerance test in lactating dairy cows. Nine multiparous Holstein cows were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design balanced for residual effects with three 28-d periods. Each period consisted of 14 d for adaptation and 14 d for data collection and sampling. Treatments were 0 (control), 100, and 200 mg of RPC/cow per day. They were mixed with a small portion of the total mixed ration and top-dressed. Glucose tolerance test was conducted once during each experimental period by intravenous administration of glucose at a rate of 0.3 g/kg of body weight. Dry matter intake was not affected by RPC. Milk yield tended to increase for RPC treatments compared to the control. Feed efficiency was linearly increased by RPC supplementation. Concentrations of fat, true protein, and lactose in milk were not affected by RPC. Apparent total-tract digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, and crude protein was linearly increased, and fecal nitrogen excretion was linearly decreased by RPC supplementation. Rumen-protected Capsicum oleoresin did not affect the composition of fecal bacteria. Glucose concentration in serum was not affected by RPC supplementation post glucose challenge. However, compared to the control, RPC decreased serum insulin concentration at 5, 10, and 40 min post glucose challenge. The area under the insulin concentration curve was also decreased 25% by RPC. Concentration of nonesterified fatty acids and β-hydroxybutyrate in serum were not affected by RPC following glucose administration. In this study, RPC tended to increase milk production and increased feed efficiency in dairy cows. In addition, RPC decreased serum insulin concentration during the glucose tolerance test, but glucose concentration was not affected

Metal resistance or tolerance? Acidophiles confront high metal loads via both abiotic and biotic mechanisms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark eDopson

2014-04-01

Full Text Available All metals are toxic at high concentrations and consequently their intracellular concentrations must be regulated. Acidophilic microorganisms have an optimum growth pH < 3 and proliferate in natural and anthropogenic low pH environments. Some acidophiles are involved in the catalysis of sulfide mineral dissolution, resulting in high concentrations of metals in solution. Acidophiles are often described as highly metal resistant via mechanisms such as multiple and/or more efficient active resistance systems than are present in neutrophiles. However, this is not the case for all acidophiles and we contend that their growth in high metal concentrations is partially due to an intrinsic tolerance as a consequence of the environment in which they live. In this perspective, we highlight metal tolerance via complexation of free metals by sulfate ions and passive tolerance to metal influx via an internal positive cytoplasmic transmembrane potential. These tolerance mechanisms have been largely ignored in past studies of acidophile growth in the presence of metals and should be taken into account.

Newly Identified Wild Rice Accessions Conferring High Salt Tolerance Might Use a Tissue Tolerance Mechanism in Leaf

Science.gov (United States)

Prusty, Manas R.; Kim, Sung-Ryul; Vinarao, Ricky; Entila, Frederickson; Egdane, James; Diaz, Maria G. Q.; Jena, Kshirod K.

2018-01-01

Cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.) is very sensitive to salt stress. So far a few rice landraces have been identified as a source of salt tolerance and utilized in rice improvement. These tolerant lines primarily use Na+ exclusion mechanism in root which removes Na+ from the xylem stream by membrane Na+ and K+ transporters, and resulted in low Na+ accumulation in shoot. Identification of a new donor source conferring high salt tolerance is imperative. Wild relatives of rice having wide genetic diversity are regarded as a potential source for crop improvement. However, they have been less exploited against salt stress. Here, we simultaneously evaluated all 22 wild Oryza species along with the cultivated tolerant lines including Pokkali, Nona Bokra, and FL478, and sensitive check varieties under high salinity (240 mM NaCl). Based on the visual salt injury score, three species (O. alta, O. latifolia, and O. coarctata) and four species (O. rhizomatis, O. eichingeri, O. minuta, and O. grandiglumis) showed higher and similar level of tolerance compared to the tolerant checks, respectively. All three CCDD genome species exhibited salt tolerance, suggesting that the CCDD genome might possess the common genetic factors for salt tolerance. Physiological and biochemical experiments were conducted using the newly isolated tolerant species together with checks under 180 mM NaCl. Interestingly, all wild species showed high Na+ concentration in shoot and low concentration in root unlike the tolerant checks. In addition, the wild-tolerant accessions showed a tendency of a high tissue tolerance in leaf, low malondialdehyde level in shoot, and high retention of chlorophyll in the young leaves. These results suggest that the wild species employ tissue tolerance mechanism to manage salt stress. Gene expression analyses of the key salt tolerance-related genes suggested that high Na+ in leaf of wild species might be affected by OsHKT1;4-mediated Na+ exclusion in leaf and the following Na

Optimal fault-tolerant control strategy of a solid oxide fuel cell system

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xiaojuan; Gao, Danhui

2017-10-01

For solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) development, load tracking, heat management, air excess ratio constraint, high efficiency, low cost and fault diagnosis are six key issues. However, no literature studies the control techniques combining optimization and fault diagnosis for the SOFC system. An optimal fault-tolerant control strategy is presented in this paper, which involves four parts: a fault diagnosis module, a switching module, two backup optimizers and a controller loop. The fault diagnosis part is presented to identify the SOFC current fault type, and the switching module is used to select the appropriate backup optimizer based on the diagnosis result. NSGA-II and TOPSIS are employed to design the two backup optimizers under normal and air compressor fault states. PID algorithm is proposed to design the control loop, which includes a power tracking controller, an anode inlet temperature controller, a cathode inlet temperature controller and an air excess ratio controller. The simulation results show the proposed optimal fault-tolerant control method can track the power, temperature and air excess ratio at the desired values, simultaneously achieving the maximum efficiency and the minimum unit cost in the case of SOFC normal and even in the air compressor fault.

Aluminium exclusion and aluminium tolerance in woody plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivano eBrunner

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The aluminium (Al cation Al3+ is highly rhizotoxic and is a major stress factor to plants on acid soils, which cover large areas of tropical and boreal regions. Many woody plant species are native to acid soils and are well adapted to high Al3+ conditions. In tropical regions, both woody Al accumulator and non-Al accumulator plants occur, whereas in boreal regions woody plants are non-Al accumulators. The mechanisms of these adaptations can be divided into those that facilitate the exclusion of Al3+ from root cells (exclusion mechanisms and those that enable plants to tolerate Al3+ once it has entered the root and shoot symplast (internal tolerance mechanisms. The biochemical and molecular basis of these mechanisms have been intensively studied in several crop plants and the model plant Arabidopsis. In this review, we examine the current understanding of Al3+ exclusion and tolerance mechanisms from woody plants. In addition, we discuss the ecology of woody non-Al accumulator and Al accumulator plants, and present examples of Al3+ adaptations in woody plant populations. This paper complements previous reviews focusing on crop plants and provides insights into evolutionary processes operating in plant communities that are widespread on acid soils.

Aluminum exclusion and aluminum tolerance in woody plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Brunner, Ivano; Sperisen, Christoph

2013-01-01

The aluminum (Al) cation Al(3) (+) is highly rhizotoxic and is a major stress factor to plants on acid soils, which cover large areas of tropical and boreal regions. Many woody plant species are native to acid soils and are well adapted to high Al(3) (+) conditions. In tropical regions, both woody Al accumulator and non-Al accumulator plants occur, whereas in boreal regions woody plants are non-Al accumulators. The mechanisms of these adaptations can be divided into those that facilitate the exclusion of Al(3) (+) from root cells (exclusion mechanisms) and those that enable plants to tolerate Al(3) (+) once it has entered the root and shoot symplast (internal tolerance mechanisms). The biochemical and molecular basis of these mechanisms have been intensively studied in several crop plants and the model plant Arabidopsis. In this review, we examine the current understanding of Al(3) (+) exclusion and tolerance mechanisms from woody plants. In addition, we discuss the ecology of woody non-Al accumulator and Al accumulator plants, and present examples of Al(3) (+) adaptations in woody plant populations. This paper complements previous reviews focusing on crop plants and provides insights into evolutionary processes operating in plant communities that are widespread on acid soils.

Enhanced tolerance and remediation of anthracene by transgenic tobacco plants expressing a fungal glutathione transferase gene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dixit, Prachy; Mukherjee, Prasun K.; Sherkhane, Pramod D.; Kale, Sharad P. [Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India); Eapen, Susan, E-mail: eapenhome@yahoo.com [Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India)

2011-08-15

Highlights: {yields} Transgenic plants expressing a TvGST gene were tested for tolerance, uptake and degradation of anthracene. {yields} Transgenic plants were more tolerant to anthracene and take up more anthracene from soil and solutions compared to control plants. {yields} Using in vitro T{sub 1} seedlings, we showed that anthracene-a three fused benzene ring compound was phytodegraded to naphthalene derivatives, having two benzene rings. {yields} This is the first time that a transgenic plant was shown to have the potential to phytodegrade anthracene. - Abstract: Plants can be used for remediation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to be a major concern for human health. Metabolism of xenobiotic compounds in plants occurs in three phases and glutathione transferases (GST) mediate phase II of xenobiotic transformation. Plants, although have GSTs, they are not very efficient for degradation of exogenous recalcitrant xenobiotics including polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Hence, heterologous expression of efficient GSTs in plants may improve their remediation and degradation potential of xenobiotics. In the present study, we investigated the potential of transgenic tobacco plants expressing a Trichoderma virens GST for tolerance, remediation and degradation of anthracene-a recalcitrant polyaromatic hydrocarbon. Transgenic plants with fungal GST showed enhanced tolerance to anthracene compared to control plants. Remediation of {sup 14}C uniformly labeled anthracene from solutions and soil by transgenic tobacco plants was higher compared to wild-type plants. Transgenic plants (T{sub 0} and T{sub 1}) degraded anthracene to naphthalene derivatives, while no such degradation was observed in wild-type plants. The present work has shown that in planta expression of a fungal GST in tobacco imparted enhanced tolerance as well as higher remediation potential of anthracene compared to wild-type plants.

Characterization and Calibration of Large Area Resistive Strip Micromegas Detectors

CERN Document Server

Losel, Philipp Jonathan; The ATLAS collaboration

2015-01-01

Resisitve strip Micromegas detectors behave discharge tolerant. They have been tested extensively as smaller detectors of about 10 x 10 cm$^2$ in size and they work reliably at high rates of 100\\,kHz/cm$^2$ and above. Tracking resolutions well below 100\\,$\\mu$m have been observed for 100 GeV muons and pions. Micromegas detectors are meanwhile proposed as large area muon precision trackers of 2-3\\,m$^2$ in size. To investigate possible differences between small and large detectors, a 1\\,m$^2$ detector with 2048 resistive strips at a pitch of 450 $\\mu$m was studied in the LMU Cosmic Ray Facility (CRF) using two 4 $\\times$ 2.2 m$^2$ large Monitored Drift Tube (MDT) chambers for cosmic muon reference tracking. Segmentation of the resistive strip anode plane in 57.6\\,mm x 95\\,mm large areas has been realized by the readout of 128 strips with one APV25 chip each and by 11 95\\,mm broad trigger scintillators placed along the readout strips.\\\\ This allows for mapping of homogenity in pulse height and efficiency, deter...

75 FR 29908 - Prothioconazole; Pesticide Tolerances

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-28

.... The straw numerical value (5 ppm) is matched between the U.S. and Codex. The tolerance definition for... lower (0.07 ppm) than the recommended U.S. group tolerance. The 0.07 ppm value is the current U.S. tolerance value for wheat, but will be replaced by the cereal grain group tolerance. Canada does not...

Iron-Tolerant Cyanobacteria: Ecophysiology and Fingerprinting

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, I. I.; Mummey, D.; Lindsey, J.; McKay, D. S.

2006-01-01

Although the iron-dependent physiology of marine and freshwater cyanobacterial strains has been the focus of extensive study, very few studies dedicated to the physiology and diversity of cyanobacteria inhabiting iron-depositing hot springs have been conducted. One of the few studies that have been conducted [B. Pierson, 1999] found that cyanobacterial members of iron depositing bacterial mat communities might increase the rate of iron oxidation in situ and that ferrous iron concentrations up to 1 mM significantly stimulated light dependent consumption of bicarbonate, suggesting a specific role for elevated iron in photosynthesis of cyanobacteria inhabiting iron-depositing hot springs. Our recent studies pertaining to the diversity and physiology of cyanobacteria populating iron-depositing hot springs in Great Yellowstone area (Western USA) indicated a number of different isolates exhibiting elevated tolerance to Fe(3+) (up to 1 mM). Moreover, stimulation of growth was observed with increased Fe(3+) (0.02-0.4 mM). Molecular fingerprinting of unialgal isolates revealed a new cyanobacterial genus and species Chroogloeocystis siderophila, an unicellular cyanobacterium with significant EPS sheath harboring colloidal Fe(3+) from iron enriched media. Our preliminary data suggest that some filamentous species of iron-tolerant cyanobacteria are capable of exocytosis of iron precipitated in cytoplasm. Prior to 2.4 Ga global oceans were likely significantly enriched in soluble iron [Lindsay et al, 2003], conditions which are not conducive to growth of most contemporary oxygenic cyanobacteria. Thus, iron-tolerant CB may have played important physiological and evolutionary roles in Earths history.

Area and energy efficient high-performance ZnO wavy channel thin-film transistor

KAUST Repository

Hanna, Amir

2014-09-01

Increased output current while maintaining low power consumption in thin-film transistors (TFTs) is essential for future generation large-area high-resolution displays. Here, we show wavy channel (WC) architecture in TFT that allows the expansion of the transistor width in the direction perpendicular to the substrate through integrating continuous fin features on the underlying substrate. This architecture enables expanding the TFT width without consuming any additional chip area, thus enabling increased performance while maintaining the real estate integrity. The experimental WCTFTs show a linear increase in output current as a function of number of fins per device resulting in (3.5×) increase in output current when compared with planar counterparts that consume the same chip area. The new architecture also allows tuning the threshold voltage as a function of the number of fin features included in the device, as threshold voltage linearly decreased from 6.8 V for planar device to 2.6 V for WC devices with 32 fins. This makes the new architecture more power efficient as lower operation voltages could be used for WC devices compared with planar counterparts. It was also found that field effect mobility linearly increases with the number of fins included in the device, showing almost \\\\(1.8×) enhancements in the field effect mobility than that of the planar counterparts. This can be attributed to higher electric field in the channel due to the fin architecture and threshold voltage shift. © 2014 IEEE.

Lead Tolerance and Accumulation in White Poplar Cultivated In Vitro

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Branislav Kovačević

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Background and Purpose: This paper analyses the lead tolerance and accumulation in white poplar genotypes in vitro, in order to optimize genotype evaluation and other procedures in their implementation in phytoremediation projects and landscaping in areas endangered by lead accumulation. Material and Methods: The lead tolerance and accumulation of five white poplar genotypes after 35 days in vitro cultivation on media supplemented with lead was examined. The following Pb(NO32 concentrations were used: 0, 10-6, 10-5, 10-4 and 10-3 M. Tolerance analysis (described by tolerance indices was based on morphological parameters, biomass accumulation and the content of photosynthetic pigments, while lead accumulation was described by shoot lead accumulation and shoot lead content. Results and Conclusions: The chosen lead concentrations appeared not to be lethal. Moreover, the obtained results showed that the tested lead concentrations had a positive effect on: number of formed roots, shoot moisture content and shoot height. The best differentiation among the examined genotypes was gained by the tolerance index based on the shoot height on 10-4 M Pb(NO32. The shoot lead accumulation and shoot lead content significantly increased on 10-4 and 10-3 M Pb(NO32 media. Thus, the concentration of 10-4 M Pb(NO32 is recommended for further research. Two examined genotypes of horticultural value (LCM and LBM achieved a significantly higher lead shoot content compared to the wide spread genotype “Villafranca” (almost 200% and 125% higher, respectively.

Halophytes: Potential Resources for Salt Stress Tolerance Genes and Promoters

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Avinash Mishra

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Halophytes have demonstrated their capability to thrive under extremely saline conditions and thus considered as one of the best germplasm for saline agriculture. Salinity is a worldwide problem, and the salt-affected areas are increasing day-by-day because of scanty rainfall, poor irrigation system, salt ingression, water contamination, and other environmental factors. The salinity stress tolerance mechanism is a very complex phenomenon, and some pathways are coordinately linked for imparting salinity tolerance. Though a number of salt responsive genes have been reported from the halophytes, there is always a quest for promising stress-responsive genes that can modulate plant physiology according to the salt stress. Halophytes such as Aeluropus, Mesembryanthemum, Suaeda, Atriplex, Thellungiella, Cakile, and Salicornia serve as a potential candidate for the salt-responsive genes and promoters. Several known genes like antiporters (NHX, SOS, HKT, VTPase, ion channels (Cl−, Ca2+, aquaporins, antioxidant encoding genes (APX, CAT, GST, BADH, SOD and some novel genes such as USP, SDR1, SRP etc. were isolated from halophytes and explored for developing stress tolerance in the crop plants (glycophytes. It is evidenced that stress triggers salt sensors that lead to the activation of stress tolerance mechanisms which involve multiple signaling proteins, up- or down-regulation of several genes, and finally the distinctive or collective effects of stress-responsive genes. In this review, halophytes are discussed as an excellent platform for salt responsive genes which can be utilized for developing salinity tolerance in crop plants through genetic engineering.

Mitochondrial oxidative stress and nitrate tolerance – comparison of nitroglycerin and pentaerithrityl tetranitrate in Mn-SOD+/- mice

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Stalleicken Dirk

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Chronic therapy with nitroglycerin (GTN results in a rapid development of nitrate tolerance which is associated with an increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS. According to recent studies, mitochondrial ROS formation and oxidative inactivation of the organic nitrate bioactivating enzyme mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH-2 play an important role for the development of nitrate and cross-tolerance. Methods Tolerance was induced by infusion of wild type (WT and heterozygous manganese superoxide dismutase mice (Mn-SOD+/- with ethanolic solution of GTN (12.5 μg/min/kg for 4 d. For comparison, the tolerance-free pentaerithrityl tetranitrate (PETN, 17.5 μg/min/kg for 4 d was infused in DMSO. Vascular reactivity was measured by isometric tension studies of isolated aortic rings. ROS formation and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH-2 activity was measured in isolated heart mitochondria. Results Chronic GTN infusion lead to impaired vascular responses to GTN and acetylcholine (ACh, increased the ROS formation in mitochondria and decreased ALDH-2 activity in Mn-SOD+/- mice. In contrast, PETN infusion did not increase mitochondrial ROS formation, did not decrease ALDH-2 activity and accordingly did not lead to tolerance and cross-tolerance in Mn-SOD+/- mice. PETN but not GTN increased heme oxygenase-1 mRNA in EA.hy 926 cells and bilirubin efficiently scavenged GTN-derived ROS. Conclusion Chronic GTN infusion stimulates mitochondrial ROS production which is an important mechanism leading to tolerance and cross-tolerance. The tetranitrate PETN is devoid of mitochondrial oxidative stress induction and according to the present animal study as well as numerous previous clinical studies can be used without limitations due to tolerance and cross-tolerance.

Strategies for Developing Drought Tolerant Cowpea varieties for the Semi-Arid regions of Nigeria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishiyaku, M. F.

2000-10-01

Drought, meaning the deviation of the total amount and or distribution of precipitation from the normal is an important factor that cause untold human suffering as well as social and economic loss for any nation. Its effects are often felt by places so remote from the area of occurrence. In the agricultural sector, where its effect are most felt, drought risk greatly reduce investment in agriculture. This will no doubt contribute to national food insecurity and social unrest. Of the measures often prescribed to combat the menace of drought include the development and planting of drought resistant/tolerant crop varieties. This paper discusses the strategies for developing drought tolerant cowpea varieties for the drought-prone regions of Nigeria. These strategies include the introduction and screening of candidate drought tolerant cowpea germplasm and their utilization in developing new improved genotypes. The screening of populations will be carried out by adopting novel screening techniques in the lab as well as in the field. In addition to utilizing existing genetic variation to develop varieties with tolerance to drought, new sources of variation will be created artificially for the various traits known to confer tolerance to drought in cowpea. In creating genetic variability for drought tolerance traits artificially, the potential of irradiation induced mutation will be exploited

Energy consumption across European Union farms: Efficiency in terms of farming output and utilized agricultural area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinho, Vítor João Pereira Domingues

2016-01-01

Energy consumption is a global concern, namely due to the limited availability of energy sources and the consequences in terms of gas emissions, with its implications upon greenhouse gas emissions. In the agricultural sector this question bears an additional concern, considering that it is an economic activity which is sensitive to the dimension of the costs associated with production factors. In this way, the objective of the study presented here is to analyze, the efficiency of energy consumption, for the twelve former European Union countries, at farm level, in terms of farming output and utilized agricultural area, over the period 1989–2009 and for the years 2004–2012, with data available in the Farm Accountancy Data Network. On the other hand, the implications of energy consumption in farms' economic performance were analyzed, through econometric techniques (time series, panel data and generalized method of moments) and models based on the Kaldor developments. As a main conclusion, to stress the decrease in efficiency related with energy consumption by farms in the twelve former European Union countries. - Highlights: • It was analyzed the efficiency of energy consumption. • It was considered data for the twelve former European Union states at farm level. • They were evaluated the implications of energy consumption in farms performance. • The conclusions stress the decrease in efficiency of the farms energy consumption.

Oral Tolerance: A New Tool for the Treatment of Gastrointestinal Inflammatory Disorders and Liver-Directed Gene Therapy

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Yaron Ilan

1999-01-01

Full Text Available Oral tolerance is a method of downregulating an immune response by feeding antigens. The use of oral tolerance toward adenoviruses and colitis-extracted proteins for long term gene therapy and alleviation of experimental colitis, and the mechanisms of tolerance induction are presented. Adenoviruses are efficient vectors in liver-directed gene therapy; however, the antiviral immune response precludes the ability to achieve long term gene expression and prohibits the ability to reinject the recombinant virus. Oral tolerance induction via feeding of viral-extracted proteins prevented the antiadenoviral humoral and cellular immune responses, thus enabling long term gene therapy using these viruses. Moreover, pre-existing immune response to the virus was overcome by tolerance induction, enabling prolonged gene expression in a presensitized host. Inflammatory bowel diseases are immune-mediated disorders where an imbalance between proinflammatory (T helper cell type 1 and anti-inflammatory (T helper cell type 2 cytokines are thought to play a role in the pathogenesis. In the experimental colitis model, the feeding of colitis-extracted proteins downregulated the anticolon immune response. Tolerance induction toward colitis-extracted proteins ameliorated colonic inflammation as shown by decreased diarrhea and reduction of colonic ulcerations, intestinal and peritoneal adhesions, wall thickness and edema. Histological parameters for colitis were markedly improved in tolerized animals. In both models, tolerized animals developed an increase in transforming growth factor-beta, interleukin-4 and interleukin-10, and a decrease in the mRNA of interferon-gamma lymphocytes and serum levels. Adoptive transfer of tolerized lymphocytes enabled the transfer of tolerance toward adenoviruses and colon-extracted proteins. Thus, oral tolerance induces suppressor lymphocytes that mediate immune response downregulation by induction of a shift from a proinflammatory T

Associated mechanisms of aluminum tolerance in plants/ Mecanismos associados à tolerância ao alumínio em plantas

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Cecília Estima Sacramento dos Reis

2007-10-01

Full Text Available Aluminum toxicity is one of the major limiting factor regarding plant development in acid soils. The use of liming for correcting soil pH is not viable for some of acid soil areas (technique or economic reasons, making the development of Al tolerant genotypes the best alternative. Thus, the tolerance mechanisms as well as the genetic basis of Al tolerance has deserved special attention in the scientific community. In the last years, a significant progress has been achieved towards these goals, as well as in developing cultivars adapted to acid soils. The Al tolerance mechanisms are divided basically in two classes: the exclusion mechanisms that act after absorption or blocking its entry in the root system and those involved in detoxification, complexing the Al in specific organelles, mainly in the vacuoles. In many species, physiological mechanisms have been reported as responsible for the activation of organic acids (mainly citrate and malate that act as Al quelating agents, however many process are not yet understood and cleared. Currently, the basis for the internal detoxification is becoming clear through organic acid complexes and there sequestering by the vacuoles. Other potential mechanisms are the target for discussions.A toxicidade do alumínio é um dos principais fatores limitantes do desenvolvimento das plantas em solos ácidos. Pelo fato da utilização de corretivos da acidez do solo não ser a estratégia mais viável em muitas situações com solos ácidos (por razões técnicas e econômicas, o desenvolvimento de genótipos tolerantes ao Al tem sido o caminho mais focado, assim a investigação dos mecanismos de tolerância bem como as bases genéticas da tolerância ao Al têm merecido atenção especial pela pesquisa científica. Nos últimos anos, foi gerado um significativo progresso no entendimento das bases dos mecanismos de tolerância ao Al, assim como no desenvolvimento de cultivares mais adaptados as condições de

Frustration Tolerance in Youth With ADHD.

Science.gov (United States)

Seymour, Karen E; Macatee, Richard; Chronis-Tuscano, Andrea

2016-06-08

The objective of this study was to compare children with ADHD with children without ADHD on frustration tolerance and to examine the role of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) in frustration tolerance within the sample. Participants included 67 children ages 10 to 14 years-old with (n = 37) and without (n = 30) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV) ADHD who completed the Mirror Tracing Persistence Task (MTPT), a validated computerized behavioral measure of frustration tolerance. Children with ADHD were more likely to quit this task than children without ADHD, demonstrating lower levels of frustration tolerance. There were no differences in frustration tolerance between children with ADHD + ODD and those with ADHD - ODD. Moreover, ODD did not moderate the relationship between ADHD and frustration tolerance. Our results suggest that low frustration tolerance is directly linked to ADHD and not better accounted for by ODD. This research highlights specific behavioral correlates of frustration in children with ADHD. © The Author(s) 2016.

IRON-TOLERANT CYANOBACTERIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR ASTROBIOLOGY

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Igor I.; Allen, Carlton C.; Mummey, Daniel L.; Sarkisova, Svetlana A.; McKay, David S.

2006-01-01

The review is dedicated to the new group of extremophiles - iron tolerant cyanobacteria. The authors have analyzed earlier published articles about the ecology of iron tolerant cyanobacteria and their diversity. It was concluded that contemporary iron depositing hot springs might be considered as relative analogs of Precambrian environment. The authors have concluded that the diversity of iron-tolerant cyanobacteria is understudied. The authors also analyzed published data about the physiological peculiarities of iron tolerant cyanobacteria. They made the conclusion that iron tolerant cyanobacteria may oxidize reduced iron through the photosystem of cyanobacteria. The involvement of both Reaction Centers 1 and 2 is also discussed. The conclusion that iron tolerant protocyanobacteria could be involved in banded iron formations generation is also proposed. The possible mechanism of the transition from an oxygenic photosynthesis to an oxygenic one is also discussed. In the final part of the review the authors consider the possible implications of iron tolerant cyanobacteria for astrobiology.

Tailored solar optics for maximal optical tolerance and concentration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goldstein, Alex [Department of Solar Energy and Environmental Physics, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus (Israel); Gordon, Jeffrey M. [Department of Solar Energy and Environmental Physics, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus (Israel); The Pearlstone Center for Aeronautical Engineering Studies, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheva (Israel)

2011-02-15

Recently identified fundamental classes of dual-mirror double-tailored nonimaging optics have the potential to satisfy the pragmatic exigencies of concentrator photovoltaics. Via a comprehensive survey of their parameter space, including raytrace verification, we identify champion high-concentration high-efficiency designs that offer unprecedented optical tolerance (i.e., sensitivity to off-axis orientation) - a pivotal figure-of-merit with a basic bound that depends on concentration, exit angle, and effective solar angular radius. For comparison, results for the best corresponding dual-mirror aplanatic concentrators are also presented. (author)

Tolerances in micro manufacturing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Hans Nørgaard; Zhang, Yang; Islam, Aminul

This paper describes a method for analysis of tolerances in micro manufacturing. It proposes a mapping oftolerances to dimensions and compares this with current available international standards. The analysisdocuments that tolerances are not scaled down as the absolute dimension. In practice...

Thermal tolerance of the invasive Belonesox belizanus, pike killifish, throughout ontogeny.

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Kerfoot, James Roy

2012-06-01

The goal of this study was to characterize the variability of thermal tolerances between life-history stages of the invasive Belonesox belizanus and attempt to describe the most likely stage of dispersal across south Florida. In the laboratory, individuals were acclimated to three temperatures (20, 25, or 30°C). Upper and lower lethal thermal limits and temperatures at which feeding ceased were measured for neonates, juveniles, and adults. Thermal tolerance polygons were developed to represent the thermal tolerance range of each life-history stage. Results indicated that across acclimation temperatures upper lethal thermal limits were similar for all three stages (38°C). However, minimum lethal thermal limits were significantly different at the 30°C acclimation temperature, where juveniles (9°C) had an approximately 2.0°C and 4.0°C lower minimum lethal thermal limit compared with adults and neonates, respectively. According to thermal tolerance polygons, juveniles had an average tolerance polygonal area almost 20°C(2) larger than adults, indicating the greatest thermal tolerance of the three life-history stages. Variation in cessation of feeding temperatures indicated no significant difference between juveniles and adults. Overall, results of this study imply that juvenile B. belizanus may be equipped with the physiological flexibility to exercise habitat choice and reduce potential intraspecific competition with adults for limited food resources. Given its continued dispersal, the minimum thermal limit of juveniles may aid in continued dispersal of this species, especially during average winter temperatures throughout Florida where juveniles could act to preserve remnant populations until seasonal temperatures increase. © 2012 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.

Test the Efficiency of some Plants in the Tolerant of Air Pollution within the City of Baghdad. Iraq

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Israa M. Jasim

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This study was designed to monitor the ambient air pollution in several sites within Baghdad City of Iraq. The readings started from May 2016 to April 2017. The highest concentration of sulfur dioxide (SO2 was 2.28 ppmm-3 while nitrogen dioxide (NO2 was 3.68 ppmm-3 and suspended particulate matter was 585.1 μgm-3. This study also included estimating the value of the air pollution tolerance index (APTI for four plant's species Olea europaea L., Ziziphus spina-Christi (L. Desf, Albizia lebbeck(L. Benth. and Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. Were cultivated on the road sides. The study includes four biochemical parameters, total chlorophyll content, ascorbic acid content, pH and relative water content of plant leaves. The results show that combining variety of these parameters give more certain results than those of single parameter. These four estimated parameters have positive correlation with each other and with the values of the air pollution tolerance index in all plants studied.

Breeding of Freeze-tolerant Yeast and the Mechanisms of Stress-tolerance

Science.gov (United States)

Hino, Akihiro

Frozen dough method have been adopted in the baking industry to reduce labor and to produce fresh breads in stores. New freeze-tolerant yeasts for frozen dough preparations were isolated from banana peel and identified. To obtain strains that have fermentative ability even after several months of frozen storage in fermented dough, we attempted to breed new freeze-tolerantstrain. The hybrid between S.cerevisiae, which is a isolated freeze-tolerant strain, and a strain isolated from bakers' yeast with sexual conjugation gave a good quality bread made from frozen dough method. Freeze-tolerant strains showed higher surviving and trehalose accumulating abilities than freeze-sensitive strains. The freeze tolerance of the yeasts was associated with the basal amount of intracellular trehalose after rapid degradation at the onset of the prefermentation period. The complicated metabolic pathway and the regulation system of trehalose in yeast cells are introduced. The trehalose synthesis may act as a metabolic buffer system which contribute to maintain the intracellular inorganic phosphate and as a feedback regulation system in the glycolysis. However, it is not known enough how the trehalose protects yeast cells from stress.

The DESCARTES-Nantes survey of kidney transplant recipients displaying clinical operational tolerance identifies 35 new tolerant patients and 34 almost tolerant patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Massart, Annick; Pallier, Annaïck; Pascual, Julio; Viklicky, Ondrej; Budde, Klemens; Spasovski, Goce; Klinger, Marian; Sever, Mehmet Sukru; Sørensen, Søren Schwartz; Hadaya, Karine; Oberbauer, Rainer; Dudley, Christopher; De Fijter, Johan W; Yussim, Alexander; Hazzan, Marc; Wekerle, Thomas; Berglund, David; De Biase, Consuelo; Pérez-Sáez, María José; Mühlfeld, Anja; Orlando, Giuseppe; Clemente, Katia; Lai, Quirino; Pisani, Francesco; Kandus, Aljosa; Baas, Marije; Bemelman, Frederike; Ponikvar, Jadranka Buturovic; Mazouz, Hakim; Stratta, Piero; Subra, Jean-François; Villemain, Florence; Hoitsma, Andries; Braun, Laura; Cantarell, Maria Carmen; Colak, Hulya; Courtney, Aisling; Frasca, Giovanni Maria; Howse, Matthew; Naesens, Maarten; Reischig, Tomas; Serón, Daniel; Seyahi, Nurhan; Tugmen, Cem; Alonso Hernandez, Angel; Beňa, Luboslav; Biancone, Luigi; Cuna, Vania; Díaz-Corte, Carmen; Dufay, Alexandre; Gaasbeek, André; Garnier, Arnaud; Gatault, Philippe; Gentil Govantes, Miguel Angel; Glowacki, François; Gross, Oliver; Hurault de Ligny, Bruno; Huynh-Do, Uyen; Janbon, Bénédicte; Jiménez Del Cerro, Luis Antonio; Keller, Frieder; La Manna, Gaetano; Lauzurica, Ricardo; Le Monies De Sagazan, Hervé; Thaiss, Friedrich; Legendre, Christophe; Martin, Séverine; Moal, Marie-Christine; Noël, Christian; Pillebout, Evangeline; Piredda, Gian Benedetto; Puga, Ana Ramírez; Sulowicz, Wladyslaw; Tuglular, Serhan; Prokopova, Michaela; Chesneau, Mélanie; Le Moine, Alain; Guérif, Pierrick; Soulillou, Jean-Paul; Abramowicz, Marc; Giral, Magali; Racapé, Judith; Maggiore, Umberto; Brouard, Sophie; Abramowicz, Daniel

2016-06-01

Kidney recipients maintaining a prolonged allograft survival in the absence of immunosuppressive drugs and without evidence of rejection are supposed to be exceptional. The ERA-EDTA-DESCARTES working group together with Nantes University launched a European-wide survey to identify new patients, describe them and estimate their frequency for the first time. Seventeen coordinators distributed a questionnaire in 256 transplant centres and 28 countries in order to report as many 'operationally tolerant' patients (TOL; defined as having a serum creatinine <1.7 mg/dL and proteinuria <1 g/day or g/g creatinine despite at least 1 year without any immunosuppressive drug) and 'almost tolerant' patients (minimally immunosuppressed patients (MIS) receiving low-dose steroids) as possible. We reported their number and the total number of kidney transplants performed at each centre to calculate their frequency. One hundred and forty-seven questionnaires were returned and we identified 66 TOL (61 with complete data) and 34 MIS patients. Of the 61 TOL patients, 26 were previously described by the Nantes group and 35 new patients are presented here. Most of them were noncompliant patients. At data collection, 31/35 patients were alive and 22/31 still operationally tolerant. For the remaining 9/31, 2 were restarted on immunosuppressive drugs and 7 had rising creatinine of whom 3 resumed dialysis. Considering all patients, 10-year death-censored graft survival post-immunosuppression weaning reached 85% in TOL patients and 100% in MIS patients. With 218 913 kidney recipients surveyed, cumulative incidences of operational tolerance and almost tolerance were estimated at 3 and 1.5 per 10 000 kidney recipients, respectively. In kidney transplantation, operational tolerance and almost tolerance are infrequent findings associated with excellent long-term death-censored graft survival. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of ERA-EDTA. All rights reserved.

A new class of organic nitrates: investigations on bioactivation, tolerance and cross-tolerance phenomena.

Science.gov (United States)

Schuhmacher, S; Schulz, E; Oelze, M; König, A; Roegler, C; Lange, K; Sydow, L; Kawamoto, T; Wenzel, P; Münzel, T; Lehmann, J; Daiber, A

2009-09-01

The chronic use of organic nitrates is limited by serious side effects including oxidative stress, nitrate tolerance and/or endothelial dysfunction. The side effects and potency of nitroglycerine depend on mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH-2). We sought to determine whether this concept can be extended to a new class of organic nitrates with amino moieties (aminoalkyl nitrates). Vasodilator potency of the organic nitrates, in vitro tolerance and in vivo tolerance (after continuous infusion for 3 days) were assessed in wild-type and ALDH-2 knockout mice by isometric tension studies. Mitochondrial oxidative stress was analysed by L-012-dependent chemiluminescence and protein tyrosine nitration. Aminoethyl nitrate (AEN) showed an almost similar potency to glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), even though it is only a mononitrate. AEN-dependent vasodilatation was mediated by cGMP and nitric oxide. In contrast to triethanolamine trinitrate (TEAN) and GTN, AEN bioactivation did not depend on ALDH-2 and caused no in vitro tolerance. In vivo treatment with TEAN and GTN, but not with AEN, induced cross-tolerance to acetylcholine (ACh)-dependent and GTN-dependent relaxation. Although all nitrates tested induced tolerance to themselves, only TEAN and GTN significantly increased mitochondrial oxidative stress in vitro and in vivo. The present results demonstrate that not all high potency nitrates are bioactivated by ALDH-2 and that high potency of a given nitrate is not necessarily associated with induction of oxidative stress or nitrate tolerance. Obviously, there are distinct pathways for bioactivation of organic nitrates, which for AEN may involve xanthine oxidoreductase rather than P450 enzymes.

The generation of efficient supported (Heterogeneous) olefin metathesis catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grubbs, Robert H

2013-04-05

Over the past decade, a new family of homogeneous metathesis catalysts has been developed that will tolerate most organic functionalities as well as water and air. These homogeneous catalysts are finding numerous applications in the pharmaceutical industry as well as in the production of functional polymers. In addition the catalysts are being used to convert seed oils into products that can substitute for those that are now made from petroleum products. Seed oils are unsaturated, contain double bonds, and are a ready source of linear hydrocarbon fragments that are specifically functionalized. To increase the number of applications in the area of biomaterial conversion to petrol chemicals, the activity and efficiency of the catalysts need to be as high as possible. The higher the efficiency of the catalysts, the lower the cost of the conversion and a larger number of practical applications become available. Active supported catalysts were prepared and tested in the conversion of seed oils and other important starting materials. The outcome of the work was successful and the technology has been transferred to a commercial operation to develop viable applications of the discovered systems. A biorefinery that converts seed oils is under construction in Indonesia. The catalysts developed in this study will be considered for the next generation of operations.

Perception of Community Tolerance and Prevalence of Depression among Transgender Persons.

Science.gov (United States)

Owen-Smith, Ashli A; Sineath, Craig; Sanchez, Travis; Dea, Robin; Giammattei, Shawn; Gillespie, Theresa; Helms, Monica F; Hunkeler, Enid M; Quinn, Virginia P; Roblin, Douglas; Slovis, Jennifer; Stephenson, Robert; Sullivan, Patrick S; Tangpricha, Vin; Woodyatt, Cory; Goodman, Michael

2017-01-01

The goal of the study was to examine the association between depression and perceived community tolerance after controlling for various demographic and personal characteristics, treatment receipt, and past experiences with abuse or discrimination. An on-line survey assessed depressive symptoms among transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. Depression was assessed using the 7-item Beck Depression Inventory for Primary Care (BDI-PC) and the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CESD-10) scale. The prevalence ratios (95% confidence intervals) comparing depression in persons who did and did not perceive their area as tolerant were 0.33 (0.20-0.54) for BD-PC and 0.66 (0.49-0.89) for CESD-10. Other factors associated with depression were experience with abuse or discrimination, lower education, and unfulfilled desire to receive hormonal therapy. Depression was common in this sample of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals and was strongly and consistently associated with participants' perceptions of community tolerance, even after adjusting for possible confounding. The association between desire to receive hormonal therapy and depression is a finding that warrants further exploration. Future research should also assess depression and changes in perception of community tolerance in transgender individuals before and after initiation of gender confirmation treatment.

Commercialization of radiation tolerant camera

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Yong Bum; Choi, Young Soo; Kim, Sun Ku; Lee, Jong Min; Cha, Bung Hun; Lee, Nam Ho; Byun, Eiy Gyo; Yoo, Seun Wook; Choi, Bum Ki; Yoon, Sung Up; Kim, Hyun Gun; Sin, Jeong Hun; So, Suk Il

1999-12-01

In this project, radiation tolerant camera which tolerates 10{sup 6} - 10{sup 8} rad total dose is developed. In order to develop radiation tolerant camera, radiation effect of camera components was examined and evaluated, and camera configuration was studied. By the result of evaluation, the components were decided and design was performed. Vidicon tube was selected to use by image sensor and non-browning optics and camera driving circuit were applied. The controller needed for CCTV camera system, lens, light, pan/tilt controller, was designed by the concept of remote control. And two type of radiation tolerant camera were fabricated consider to use in underwater environment or normal environment. (author)

Commercialization of radiation tolerant camera

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Yong Bum; Choi, Young Soo; Kim, Sun Ku; Lee, Jong Min; Cha, Bung Hun; Lee, Nam Ho; Byun, Eiy Gyo; Yoo, Seun Wook; Choi, Bum Ki; Yoon, Sung Up; Kim, Hyun Gun; Sin, Jeong Hun; So, Suk Il

1999-12-01

In this project, radiation tolerant camera which tolerates 10 6 - 10 8 rad total dose is developed. In order to develop radiation tolerant camera, radiation effect of camera components was examined and evaluated, and camera configuration was studied. By the result of evaluation, the components were decided and design was performed. Vidicon tube was selected to use by image sensor and non-browning optics and camera driving circuit were applied. The controller needed for CCTV camera system, lens, light, pan/tilt controller, was designed by the concept of remote control. And two type of radiation tolerant camera were fabricated consider to use in underwater environment or normal environment. (author)

Expression profiling of Ribosomal Protein gene family in dehydration stress responses and characterization of transgenic rice plants overexpressing RPL23A for water-use efficiency and tolerance to drought and salt stresses

Science.gov (United States)

Moin, Mazahar; Bakshi, Achala; Madhav, M. S.; Kirti, P. B.

2017-11-01

Our previous findings on the screening of a large-pool of activation tagged rice plants grown under limited water conditions revealed the activation of Ribosomal Protein Large (RPL) subunit genes, RPL6 and RPL23A in two mutants that exhibited high water-use efficiency (WUE) with the genes getting activated by the integrated 4x enhancers (Moin et al., 2016a). In continuation of these findings, we have comprehensively characterized the Ribosomal Protein (RP) gene family including both small (RPS) and large (RPL) subunits, which have been identified to be encoded by at least 70 representative genes; RP-genes exist as multiple expressed copies with high nucleotide and amino acid sequence similarity. The differential expression of all the representative genes in rice was performed under limited water and drought conditions at progressive time intervals in the present study. More than 50% of the RP genes were upregulated in both shoot and root tissues. Some of them exhibited an overlap in the upregulation under both the treatments indicating that they might have a common role in inducing tolerance under limited water and drought conditions. Among the genes that became significantly upregulated in both the tissues and under both the treatments are RPL6, 7, 23A, 24 and 31 and RPS4, 10 and 18a. To further validate the role of RP genes in WUE and inducing tolerance to other stresses, we have raised transgenic plants overexpressing RPL23A in rice. The high expression lines of RPL23A exhibited low Δ13C, increased quantum efficiency along with suitable growth and yield parameters with respect to negative control under the conditions of limited water availability. The constitutive expression of RPL23A was also associated with transcriptional upregulation of many other RPL and RPS genes. The seedlings of RPL23A high expression lines also showed a significant increase in fresh weight, root length, proline and chlorophyll contents under simulated drought and salt stresses. Taken

Area- and energy-efficient CORDIC accelerators in deep sub-micron CMOS technologies