The literature of low g propellant behavior

Annotated bibliography on low-g liquid propellant behavio

Patronin-mediated minus end growth is required for dendritic microtubule polarity.

Microtubule minus ends are thought to be stable in cells. Surprisingly, in Drosophila and zebrafish neurons, we observed persistent minus end growth, with runs lasting over 10 min. In Drosophila, extended minus end growth depended on Patronin, and Patronin reduction disrupted dendritic minus-end-out polarity. In fly dendrites, microtubule nucleation sites localize at dendrite branch points. Therefore, we hypothesized minus end growth might be particularly important beyond branch points. Distal dendrites have mixed polarity, and reduction of Patronin lowered the number of minus-end-out microtubules. More strikingly, extra Patronin made terminal dendrites almost completely minus-end-out, indicating low Patronin normally limits minus-end-out microtubules. To determine whether minus end growth populated new dendrites with microtubules, we analyzed dendrite development and regeneration. Minus ends extended into growing dendrites in the presence of Patronin. In sum, our data suggest that Patronin facilitates sustained microtubule minus end growth, which is critical for populating dendrites with minus-end-out microtubules

THE INTERACTION BETWEEN UNBURNT HYDROCARBONS AND SOOT IN DIESEL EXHAUSTS

The potential health risk of diesel particulate (DP) has stimulated research into its physical and chemical composition. Its interaction with unburnt hydrocarbons (UHC) at exhaust temperatures was studied (i.e. composition and microstructure), at varying engine conditions. A hot whole exhaust filtration system was developed to collect DP on Pallflex TX-40 PTFE coated filters (for minimal artefact formation) down the exhaust of a Ricardo E6/T IDI diesel engine. Electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) and a gravimetric BET method determined particle size, specific surface area (SSA) and pore character. An in vacuo gravimetric thermal degassing (TD) apparatus was constructed to extract adsorbed volatiles (filter extractable sample - FES). The volatile FES was trapped and analysed by gas chromatography and identified as fuel and oil derived UHC's. Ultrasonic and soxhlet extraction techniques were employed for comparison studies. DP are graphitic carbonaceous aggregates of 30-40nm mean particle diameter. Structural analysis indicated that slit-shaped pores (Type II isotherm) were formed between crystallite layers. Highly adsorbed pore-bound FES fractions were identified (fuel i n ultramicropores, 0.355-lnm; fuel/oil in supermicropores, 1-2nm), trapped by overlapping crystallite van der Waal's fields. Engine load influenced micropore adsorption and DP SSA. High loads with high combustion temperatures, efficiently pyrolysed fuel, producing DP with little adsorbed FES and SSA's of 100m² /g. Low loads with lower in-cylinder temperatures, formed less DP and more fuel survived, producing soots of low SSA(<20m² /g). Between aggregated particles, 'ink-bottle' mesopores (2-50nm) were evident (Type IV isotherm) where fuel FES was weakly adsorbed by temperature dependent chemical scavenging as exhaust temperature declined , reducing SSA and increasing particle size. Thermal degassing was more efficient than soxhlet or ultrasonic extraction methods, because the solvent methods failed to penetrate the smallest pores. TD increased soot SSA, greatest for low load samples (by 200m²/g) compared to high load samples (by 50m² /g). TD was highly advantageous for DP extraction and allowed progressive removal of volatiles. A modern DI engine showed structurally similar soots, but the lower DP emissions produced high relative %FES for all engine conditions giving low SSA's. The research findings are related to cylinder and environmental processes for engineers and environmental scientists to improve control strategies.PERKINS TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS PETERBOROUGH CAMBRIDGESHIR

A Greedy Knowledge Acquisition Method for the Rapid Prototyping of Bayesian Belief Networks

Bayesian belief networks (BBNs) are a standard tool for building intelligent systems in domains with uncertainty for diagnostics, therapy planning and user-modelling. Modelling their qualitative and quantitative parts requires sometimes subjective data acquired from domain experts. This can be very time consuming and stressful - causing a knowledge acquisition bottleneck. The main goal of this paper is the presentation of a new knowledge acquisition procedure for rapid prototyping the qualitative part of BBNs. Experts have to provide only simple judgements about the causal precedence in pairs of variables. From these data a new greedy algorithm for the construction of transitive closures generates a Hasse diagram as a first approximation for the qualitative model. Then experts provide only simple judgements about the surplus informational value of variables for a target variable shielded by a Markov blanket (wall) of variables. This two-step procedure allows for very rapid prototyping. In a case-study we and two expert cardiologists developed a first 39 variables prototype BBN within two day

A Greedy Knowledge Acquisition Method for the Rapid Prototyping of Knowledge Structures

The main goal of this paper is the presentation of a new GReedy knowledge Acquisition Procedure (GRAP) for rapid prototyping of knowledge structures (KS) or spaces. The classical knowledge acquisition method for this is even for domain experts cognitive demanding and computational complex. GRAP interactively generates an online knowledge acquisition schedule so that experts only have to provide simple nonredundant judgements about the (learning / cognitive) precedence in pairs of (learning / cognitive) objects. From these data GRAP generates a Hasse diagram of the surmise relation from which the knowledge structures and optimal user-adaptive learning paths can be derived. In a case-study we developed with three expert software engineers a knowledge structure and optimal learning paths for 23 software design patterns within a few hours

Comparing Salzmann Index Inter-arch deviation among Medicaid Patients seeking orthodontic treatment in Pennsylvania

Introduction: The Salzmann Evaluation Index (SEI) was chosen by the state of Pennsylvania to evaluate the treatment needs of prospective orthodontic patients and to help determine the allocation of funding for orthodontic treatment, with a score of 25 being the threshold for funding allocation. This study will compare the summed scores of the columns under the inter-arch deviation (IAD) rows, which represent eight types of malocclusion (overjet, overbite, anterior crossbite, anterior openbite, Class II, Class III, posterior crossbite, and posterior openbite) to determine whether there is a difference in the scores of those approved and denied orthodontic insurance coverage. Materials and Methods: 560 Patients with SEI >25, submitted for Medicaid orthodontic insurance approval from Temple University were stratified into “approved” (n=289) and “unapproved” (n=271) for treatment. Their mean IAD column scores (representing the malocclusions listed above) were compared and tested with Wilcoxon test for significance. Results: Anterior crossbite, anterior openbite, posterior crossbite, and posterior openbite were identified as significantly higher scores in the “approved” group compared to the “unapproved” group. Overjet, overbite, Class II, and Class III had no significant differences between approved and unapproved groups. Conclusions: Patients with anterior crossbite, anterior openbite, posterior crossbite, and posterior openbite may be more likely to receive coverage for orthodontic treatment by Medicaid insurance companies in Pennsylvania. Scores denoting presence of overjet, overbite, Class II, and Class III malocclusions were not different in patients approved and denied coverage for orthodontic treatment.Oral Biolog

Entwicklung und Anwendung verschiedener ELISA-Verfahren zum Nachweis von plasmatischem und thrombozytärem Gerinnungsfaktor V

Der Gerinnungsfaktor V (FV) ist ein Bestandteil der plasmatischen Gerinnungskaskade. Der gesamte Prozess mit allen beteiligten Komponenten, Regulationsmechanismen, Interaktionen und Abläufen wird als Hämostasesystem bezeichnet. Faktor V stellt ein zentrales Protein mit vielfältiger Funktion innerhalb der Blutgerinnung dar. Es existieren unterschiedliche Varianten des Faktor V, welche sich strukturell und funktionell unterscheiden. Bisher ist unter anderem bekannt, dass etwa 80% des Gesamtbestandes an Faktor V im Plasma vorliegt und etwa 20%, teils in aktivierter Form, sich gespeichert in den Thrombozyten befinden. Die heutigen Erkenntnisse über die prozentuale Verteilung von plasmatischem und thrombozytärem Faktor V und die Quantifizierung beruhen auf den in 1982 publizierten Studien von Tracy et. al. Mit der hier vorgelegten Arbeit sollte eine auf diskriminierenden ELISA-Methoden basierende Quantifizierung des Faktor V erfolgen. Um plasmatischen und thrombozytären Faktor V quantitativ bestimmen zu können, wurden in der hier vorgelegten Arbeit vier Sandwich-ELISA entwickelt, welche durch die Kombination verschiedener Fänger- und Detektionsantikörper die unterschiedlichen Varianten des FV spezifisch erfassen sollten. Unter Anwendung dieser ELISA-Verfahren wurde die Konzentration von FV sowohl in Plasmaproben als auch in Thrombozytenlysaten von gesunden Blutspendern bestimmt. Hierbei zeigten sich im Rahmen der Bestimmung von plasmatischem FV vergleichbare Messwerte unter Anwendung der vier verschiedenen ELISA-Verfahren, was deren Eignung zur Erfassung von plasmatischem FV prinzipiell bestätigte. Hier zeigte sich eine mittlere Konzentration von 3,83 +/- 0,23 µg je ml Plasma. Bei der Bestimmung von thrombozytärem Faktor V zeigten sich jedoch deutliche Unterschiede bezüglich der erhaltenen Testergebnisse. So wurden, wie auch zu erwarten war, die höchsten Messwerte im Bereich von 0,1024µg je ml Lysat (Standardabweichung 0,95) mit einem polyklonalen Testansatz erreicht (ELISA #2), welcher nicht in der Lage war zwischen den verschiedenen Formen des FV zu unterscheiden. Andererseits stand mit einer spezifisch die leichte Kette des FV fangenden und die schwere Kette des FV detektierenden Antikörperkonstellation ein Assay zur Verfügung (ELISA #3), der vornehmlich die nichtaktivierte Form des FV erfasste. Unter Anwendung dieses Testverfahrens wurde in den Lysatproben lediglich eine FV-Konzentration von 0,0189 µg/ml (Standardabweichung 0,088) ermittelt. Diese Ergebnisse zeigen in Kombination auf, dass FV in Thrombozyten hauptsächlich in aktivierter Form vorliegt. Des Weiteren zeigte sich, dass ein gegen die Aminosäuren 500-513 der schweren Kette des FV affinitätsgereinigter, polyklonaler Antikörper nicht in der Lage war an aktivierten FV zu binden. Während hierbei die biochemischen Hintergründe nicht geklärt werden konnten, wurden diese Ergebnisse durch Bindungsanalysen mittels Bio-Layer-Interferometrie bestätigt. Zudem konnten mit einem weiteren ELISA (#4) ein Setting entwickelt werden, das unter Fangen der leichten Kette des FV einen polyklonalen Read-Out auch in Thrombozytenlysaten lieferte. Das anteilige Vorkommen von Faktor V im Plasma und in den Thrombozyten wurde in dieser Studie mit 97% zu 3 % bestimmt. Auch konnten Erkenntnisse über den Aktivierungszustand des Faktor V im Thrombozyten gewonnen werden. Somit bilden die in dieser Arbeit vorgestellten ELISA-Tests die Grundlage für weiterführende Untersuchungen, etwa bezüglich des Blutungsrisikos bei Patienten mit einem Faktor V Mangel

Bayesian Belief Network based Diagnostics in a Problem-oriented Learning Environment for Cardiology

Bayesian Belief Networks (BBNs) have a long tradition in medical expert systems for the support of diagnostic reasoning and therapy planning. Usually the BBN containing the uncertain knowledge of the experts is hidden from the user. New to case-based diagnostic training systems is that the structure of the BBN is not hidden from the student, but supports the learning process by visualizing the correlations between different symptoms, sequelas, causes, etc. of the contemplated disease. The BBN is embedded in a problem-oriented context. Students are confronted with naturalistic diagnostic problems. They are asked to state diagnostic hypotheses and to test these hypotheses using the BBN. In this way strategic diagnostic skills are developed. In an evaluation study students confirmed the novelty and importance of the learning environment and that the complexity of the BBN representation was no problem to them

Vegetable Production Guide for Commercial Growers, 2014-15

Successful vegetable production generally requires the grower to make daily decisions regarding pest management, irrigation, and cultural practices. Would-be growers unwilling to make serious investments of time (and money) should not attempt to expand beyond a space at the farmers’ market. It is important for vegetable growers to have a market outlet for their product before they choose to start production. Good marketing plans start with the customer and work backward to production. Potential growers should first determine exactly what buyers want, how they want it, and when they want it. They then must determine how these crops should be grown. Even selecting varieties and determining planting times are basic marketing decisions. Kentucky growers should pay particular attention to comparisons of marketing time required, compatibility with off-farm employment, and compatibility with tobacco production. Individual situations vary, and producers often must learn about their particular markets by starting small and getting a foot in the door