Online Thermal Analysis of Batch Roasted Coffee Beans

We constructed and instrumented a fluidised-bed coffee roaster. This work has been carried out as part of a search for the “ideal point”, which is the point in time when an expert roaster would terminate the roast in order to yield beans that produce the optimal brew. We roasted Costa Rican Arabica beans whilst controlling the roasting temperature to follow a linear ramp. We measured and recorded the input, output, and coffee bean surface temperatures. We introduce the idea of “bean load”, an uncalibrated measure of the heat load presented by the material being roasted. The bean load under constantly-ramping bean surface temperature shows the roast is increasingly endothermic. Toward the end of the roast the endothermic phenomena decrease, or are assisted by exothermic activity. The bean load also has a repeatable dip around first crack. Due to limitations with the roaster we were not able to make reliable measurements at and beyond second crack. We observed no waypoints or events that might be used to pinpoint the “ideal point” to end the roast

Endangered Species Research in Hawaii: The Early Years (1965–87)

Hawaii is an ecologically isolated archipelago 2,500 miles from the nearest continent. Its isolation resulted in a taxonomically unbalanced flora and fauna with remarkable examples of adaptive radiation among those groups of organisms that won the dispersal sweepstakes. It was one of the last oceanic island groups to be populated by humans, about 900 A.D. by Polynesian travelers and in 1778 by Europeans. Relatively recent colonization by humans did not save it, however, from the biodiversity losses suffered by other isolated archipelagos—it only delayed them (Scott and others, 1988; Pratt and others, 2009a)

Evaluating the climate effects of mid-1800s deforestation in New England, USA, using a Weather, Research, and Forecasting (WRF) Model Multi-Physics Ensemble

The New England region of the northeastern United States has a land use history characterized by forest clearing for agriculture and other uses during European colonization and subsequent reforestation following widespread farm abandonment. Despite these broad changes, the potential influence on local and regional climate has received relatively little attention. This study investigated wintertime (December through March) climate impacts of reforestation in New England using a high-resolution (4 km) multiphysics ensemble of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model. In general, the conversion from mid-1800s cropland/grassland to forest led to warming, but results were sensitive to physics parameterizations. The 2-m maximum temperature (T2max) was most sensitive to choice of land surface model, 2-m minimum temperature (T2min) was sensitive to radiation scheme, and all ensemble members simulated precipitation poorly. Reforestation experiments suggest that conversion of mid-1800s cropland/grassland to present-day forest warmed T2max +0.5 to +3 K, with weaker warming during a warm, dry winter compared to a cold, snowy winter. Warmer T2max over forests was primarily the result of increased absorbed shortwave radiation and increased sensible heat flux compared to cropland/grassland. At night, T2min warmed +0.2 to +1.5 K where deciduous broadleaf forest replaced cropland/grassland, a result of decreased ground heat flux. By contrast, T2min of evergreen needleleaf forest cooled –0.5 to –2.1 K, primarily owing to increased ground heat flux and decreased sensible heat flux

T helper cell polarisation as a measure of the maturation of the immune response.

BACKGROUND: T helper cell polarisation is important under chronic immune stimulatory conditions and drives the type of the evolving immune response. Mice treated with superantigens in vivo display strong effects on Th subset differentiation. The aim of the study was to detect the intrinsic capacity of T cells to polarise under various ex vivo conditions. METHODS: Purified CD4+ T cells obtained from super-antigen-treated mice were cultured under Th polarising conditions in vitro. By combining intracellular cytokine staining and subsequent flow cytometric analysis with quantitative cytokine measurements in culture supernatants by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the differential Th polarising capacity of the treatment can be detected in a qualitative and quantitative manner. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: BALB/c mice were shown to be biased to develop strong Th2 polarised immune responses using Th0 stimulation of purified CD4+ T cells from phosphate-buffered saline-treated mice. Nevertheless, our analysis methodology convincingly showed that even in these mice, Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin-1 treatment in vivo resulted in a significantly stronger Th1 polarising effect than control treatment. Our results indicate that populations of Th cells can be assessed individually for their differential Th1 or Th2 maturation capacity in vivo by analysing robust in vitro polarisation cultures combined with intracellular cytokine staining and ELISA

Cloning and characterization of BCY1, a locus encoding a regulatory subunit of the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We have cloned a gene (BCY1) from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that encodes a regulatory subunit of the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. The encoded protein has a structural organization similar to that of the RI and RII regulatory subunits of the mammalian cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Strains of S. cerevisiae with disrupted BCY1 genes do not display a cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase in vitro, fail to grow on many carbon sources, and are exquisitely sensitive to heat shock and starvation

Extended Near-Infrared Emission from Candidate Protostars in the Taurus-Auriga Molecular Cloud

We describe near-IR imaging data for a sample of 23 class I sources in the Taurus-Auriga dark clouds. Combining our data with previous photometry, we detect brightness variations of 0.1-0.5 mag in many sources. The near-IR morphologies are consistent with mm continuum measurements. Most (60%) of the sample are true protostars; the rest may be objects in transition between class I and class II, T Tauri stars with edge-on disks, or heavily reddened T Tauri stars.Comment: 15 pages, 3 tables, 4 figures; to appear in the June 2002 Astronomical Journa

Efficacy of dorsal pedal artery bypass in limb salvage for ischemic heel ulcers

AbstractPurpose: Although pedal artery bypass has been established as an effective and durable limb salvage procedure, the utility of these bypass grafts in limb salvage, specifically for the difficult problem of heel ulceration, remains undefined. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 432 pedal bypass grafts placed for indications of ischemic gangrene or ulceration isolated to either the forefoot (n = 336) or heel (n = 96). Lesion-healing rates and life-table analysis of survival, patency, and limb salvage were compared for forefoot versus heel lesions. Preoperative angiograms were reviewed to evaluate the influence of an intact pedal arch on heel lesion healing. Results: Complete healing rates for forefoot and heel lesions were similar (90.5% vs 86.5%, P = .26), with comparable rates of major lower extremity amputation (9.8% vs 9.3%, P = .87). Time to complete healing in the heel lesion group ranged from 13 to 716 days, with a mean of 139 days. Preoperative angiography demonstrated an intact pedal arch in 48.8% of the patients with heel lesions. Healing and graft patency rates in these patients with heel lesions were independent of the presence of an intact arch, with healing rates of 90.2% and 83.7% (P = .38) and 2-year patency rates of 73.4% and 67.0% in complete and incomplete pedal arches, respectively. Comparison of 5-year primary and secondary patency rates between the forefoot and heel lesion groups were essentially identical, with primary rates of 56.9% versus 62.1% (P = .57) and secondary rates of 67.2% versus 60.3% (P = .50), respectively. Conclusion: Bypass grafts to the dorsalis pedis artery provide substantial perfusion to the posterior foot such that the resulting limb salvage and healing rates for revascularized heel lesions is excellent and comparable with those observed for ischemic forefoot pathology. (J Vasc Surg 1999;30:499-508.

Planet Formation in the Outer Solar System

This paper reviews coagulation models for planet formation in the Kuiper Belt, emphasizing links to recent observations of our and other solar systems. At heliocentric distances of 35-50 AU, single annulus and multiannulus planetesimal accretion calculations produce several 1000 km or larger planets and many 50-500 km objects on timescales of 10-30 Myr in a Minimum Mass Solar Nebula. Planets form more rapidly in more massive nebulae. All models yield two power law cumulative size distributions, N_C propto r^{-q} with q = 3.0-3.5 for radii larger than 10 km and N_C propto r^{-2.5} for radii less than 1 km. These size distributions are consistent with observations of Kuiper Belt objects acquired during the past decade. Once large objects form at 35-50 AU, gravitational stirring leads to a collisional cascade where 0.1-10 km objects are ground to dust. The collisional cascade removes 80% to 90% of the initial mass in the nebula in roughly 1 Gyr. This dust production rate is comparable to rates inferred for alpha Lyr, beta Pic, and other extrasolar debris disk systems.Comment: invited review for PASP, March 2002. 33 pages of text and 12 figure

Water clarity patterns in South Florida coastal waters and their linkages to synoptic-scale wind forcing

Temporal variability in water clarity for South Florida’s marine ecosystems was examined through satellite-derived light attenuation (Kd) coefficients, in the context of wind- and weather patterns. Reduced water clarity along Florida’s coasts is often the result of abrupt wind-resuspension events and other exogenous factors linked to frontal passage, storms, and precipitation. Kd data between 1998 and 2013 were synthesized to form a normalized Kd index (KDI) and subsequently compared with Self Organizing Map (SOM)-based wind field categorizations to reveal spatiotemporal patterns and their inter-relationships. Kd climatological maximums occur from October through December along southern sections of the West Florida Shelf (WFS) and from January through March along the Florida Straits. Spatial clusters of elevated Kd occur along 3 spatial domains: central WFS, southern WFS, and Florida Straits near the Florida Reef Tract, where intra-seasonal variability is the highest, and clarity patterns are associated with transitional wind patterns sequenced with cyclonic circulation. Temporal wind transitions from southerly to northerly, typically accompanying frontal passages, most often result in elevated Kd response. Results demonstrate the potential of using synoptic climatological analysis and satellite indices for tracking variability in water clarity and other indicators related to biological health