Imipenem resistance in clinical Escherichia coli from Qom, Iran

OBJECTIVE: The emergence of metallo-\u3b2-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae is a worldwide health concern. In this study, the first evaluation of MBL genes, bla IMP and bla VIM , in Escherichia coli resistant to imipenem isolated from urine and blood specimens in Qom, Iran is described. Three hundred urine and blood specimens were analysed to detect the presence of E. coli. Resistance to imipenem and other antimicrobials was determined by disk diffusion and MIC. MBL production was screened using CDDT. PCR was also carried out to determine the presence of bla IMP and bla VIM genes in imipenem-resistant isolates. RESULTS: In total, 160 E. coli isolates were collected from March to May 2016. According to disk diffusion, high-level of resistance (20%) to cefotaxime was observed, whereas the lowest (1%) was detected for tetracycline. In addition, five isolates showed resistance to imipenem with a MIC\u2009 65\u20094 \ub5g/mL. CDDT test confirmed that five isolates were MBL-producing strains, but no bla IMP and bla VIM genes were detected. Results of this study show a very low level of resistance to imipenem in our geographical area

Mode-Based Sensing and Actuation Techniques for Multi-Objective Flexible Aircraft Control

Intelligent sensing and actuation designs are explored as a means to improve performance of a gust load alleviation control design for a flexible wing aircraft equipped with wing-shaping control surfaces. The proposed techniques rely on identification of the dominant structural modes during specified flight conditions and uses them as a basis for sensor placement and actuator utilization. Specifically, a strategy for sensor placement is discussed that uses target mode shape capture as a mean to improve state estimation quality. A second strategy that reduces the number of wing-shaping control inputs using mode and objective-based shape functions as virtual input channels is also presented. Both techniques are demonstrated in simulation of a flexible wing transport aircraft utilizing a multi-objective control system designed to suppress flexible motion, minimize gust and maneuver load, and reduce drag

Reducing GHGs from UK Households ‐ An Examination of Local Authority‐Level Data

As the threat of irreversible climate change has increased over time, the UK has focused on reducing its carbon emission levels. International treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol have informed national targets, directing the UK in reducing its climate impact. In order to achieve this an understanding of the factors that affect carbon emission reductions is vital. Identifying what dictates the success of UK local authorities in reducing their carbon emissions addresses this problem. The research uses secondary data regarding local authorities’ carbon emissions and regression analyses to explore the key factors affecting domestic emission levels over time. The research goes into further detail than existing literature through exploring sources of emissions across different sectors and analysing emissions reductions specifically between 2005-2016. Substantial and relatively consistent domestic emissions reductions were achieved in this time frame, exceeding the reductions provided by decarbonisation of the electricity grid. Standard deviations of 3% were observed in this sector, compared with 12% from Industrial & Commercial emissions. While population density demonstrated a statistically significant correlation with domestic GHG reductions, gross disposable household income was not found to be significant; however, it is a relevant indicator of total emissions levels in 2016. Through identifying these factors, suggestions to local government are made such as the implementation of region-specific strategies, tailoring these to the exact characteristics of a local authority. Furthermore, consideration of population density in conjunction with domestic and urban planning will allow for future emissions reductions to occur across the UK

Model-Reference Adaptive Control of Distributed Lagrangian Infinite-Dimensional Systems Using Hamiltons Principle

This paper presents a Hamilton's principle for distributed control of infinite-dimensional systems modeled by a distributed form of the Euler-Lagrange method. The distributed systems are governed by a system of linear partial differential equations in space and time. A generalized potential energy expression is developed that can capture most physical systems including those systems that have no spatial distribution. The Hamilton's principle is applied to derive distributed feedback control methods without resorting to the standard weak-form discretization approach to convert an infinite-dimensional systems to a finite-dimensional systems. It can be shown by the principle of least action that the distributed control synthesized by the Hamilton's principle is a minimum-norm control. A model-reference adaptive control framework is developed for distributed Lagrangian systems in the presence of uncertainty. The theory is demonstrated by an application of adaptive flutter suppression control of a flexible aircraft wing

Thermal Performance of Vacuum Insulated Window Shutter Systems

Windows are a major area of heat loss in buildings losing up to 10 times more energy compared to other building elements. Thermal shutters are used to improve the energy performance of windows in both hot and cold climatic conditions. The performance of thermal shutters however greatly depends on the thermal insulation and construction detailing, specifically cold-bridging, through the shutter, as well as between the shutter and window frames. This study evaluates the effects of cold-bridging, trickle ventilation and the size of the air cavity, between the vacuum insulated shutter and the window, on the performance of window thermal shutters. Thermal simulations are conducted in VOLTRA (Thermal analysis software) to assess the conditions. The results indicate that although thermal shutters reduce heat-loss through windows, their performance could be significantly affected by cold-bridging by up to 90%. The additional thermal resistance due to the air cavity and the ventilation through the trickle vent appeared to be much less significant compared to the effects of thermal bridging

3D mapping of young stars in the solar neighbourhood with Gaia DR2

We study the three dimensional arrangement of young stars in the solar neighbourhood using the second release of the Gaia mission (Gaia DR2) and we provide a new, original view of the spatial configuration of the star forming regions within 500 pc from the Sun. By smoothing the star distribution through a gaussian filter, we construct three dimensional density maps for early-type stars (upper-main sequence, UMS) and pre-main sequence (PMS) sources. The PMS and the UMS samples are selected through a combination of photometric and astrometric criteria. A side product of the analysis is a three dimensional, G-band extinction map, which we use to correct our colour-magnitude diagram for extinction and reddening. Both density maps show three prominent structures, Scorpius-Centaurus, Orion, and Vela. The PMS map shows a plethora of lower mass star forming regions, such as Taurus, Perseus, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, and Lacerta, which are less visible in the UMS map, due to the lack of large numbers of bright, early-type stars. We report the finding of a candidate new open cluster towards $l, b \sim 218.5^{\circ}, -2^{\circ}$, which could be related to the Orion star forming complex. We estimate ages for the PMS sample and we study the distribution of PMS stars as a function of their age. We find that younger stars cluster in dense, compact clumps, and are surrounded by older sources, whose distribution is instead more diffuse. The youngest groups that we find are mainly located in Scorpius-Centaurus, Orion, Vela, and Taurus. Cepheus, Cassiopeia, and Lacerta are instead more evolved and less numerous. Finally, we find that the three dimensional density maps show no evidence for the existence of the ring-like structure which is usually referred to as the Gould Belt.Comment: 17 pages, 17 figures, 6 appendixes; accepted for publication in A&A; image quality decreased to comply with the arXiv.org rules on file siz

Multi-Objective Gust Load Alleviation Control Designs for an Aeroelastic Wind Tunnel Demonstration Wing

This paper presents several control and gust disturbance estimation techniques applied to a mathematical model of a physical flexible wing wind tunnel model used in ongoing tests at the University of Washington Aeronautical Laboratory's Kirsten Wind Tunnel. Three methods of gust disturbance estimation are presented, followed by three control methods: LQG, Basic Multi-Objective (BMO), and a novel Multi-Objective Prediction Correction (MOPC) controller. The latter of which augments a multi-objective controller, and attempts to correct for errors in the disturbance estimate. A simplified linear simulation of the three controllers is performed and a simple MIMO stability and robustness assessment is performed. Then, the same controllers are simulated in a higher fidelity Simulink environment that captures sampling, saturation and noise effects. This preliminary analysis indicates that the BMO controller provides the best performance and largest stability margins

Sorting photons by radial quantum number

The Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) modes constitute a complete basis set for representing the transverse structure of a {paraxial} photon field in free space. Earlier workers have shown how to construct a device for sorting a photon according to its azimuthal LG mode index, which describes the orbital angular momentum (OAM) carried by the field. In this paper we propose and demonstrate a mode sorter based on the fractional Fourier transform (FRFT) to efficiently decompose the optical field according to its radial profile. We experimentally characterize the performance of our implementation by separating individual radial modes as well as superposition states. The reported scheme can, in principle, achieve unit efficiency and thus can be suitable for applications that involve quantum states of light. This approach can be readily combined with existing OAM mode sorters to provide a complete characterization of the transverse profile of the optical field

Growth parameters and mortality rates of whipfin silver-biddy (Gerres filamentosus) and longtail silver-biddy (Gerres longirostris) from creeks of Hara protected area in Jask, Iran

Population parameters of Whipfin silver-biddy (Gerres filamentosus) and Longtail silverbiddy (Gerres longirostris) were studied from January to December 2006 in three creeks (Markazi, Khalasi and Gabrik) of Hara protected area in Jask, Oman Sea. All fishes were sampled by boat trawl and beach seine. Growth parameters were determined using the monthly length–frequency parameters. The Mean total length was calculated at 6.2 and 5.4cm for Whipfin silver-biddy and Longtail silver-biddy. The values of L∞ and K for Whipfin silver-biddy were 16.8cm and 0.99 yr-1 and for Longtail silver-biddy, these were 15cm and 0.77 yr-1, respectively. The value of to was calculated at -0.12 year for both species. The longevity was estimated to be 3 years for Whipfin silver-biddy and 3.8 years for Longtail silver-biddy. The length-weight relationship were determined as W= 0.0088 L3.21 and W= 0.0087L 3.18 for Whipfin silver-biddy and Longtail silver-biddy, respectively. Results showed the fish were in their juvenile stage which emphasized the supporting roles of creeks for Gerridae as nursery ground