249 research outputs found
Tests of Full Scale Brick Veneer Steel Stud Walls to Determine Strength and Rain Penetration Characteristics
The design, construction and physical testing of five full scale (2.75 m x 5.2 m) brick veneer rain screen wall specimens are reported. Also, the documentation of the design and fabrication of a new test apparatus and of the development of test procedures are major components of the report. The test program included sequences of air pressure loading stages both with and without simulated rain to establish both the structural and rain penetration performances of the test walls. The test walls included four brick veneer/steel stud specimens and one brick veneer/concrete block specimen. Additional tests were performed on bricks, mortar and masonry assemblages to define relevant characteristics.
The design and construction of the wall specimens were consistent with current practices in order to assess the appropriateness of these practices. The major points addressed in the report relate to the vulnerabilities of the wall system to excessive rain penetration and resulting moisture damage. In line with these concerns, the likelihood of veneer cracking, the impact of cracking on structural behaviour and on rain penetration and the importance of cavity compartmentalization were addressed.
The conclusions indicated that brick veneer rain screen walls are vulnerable to rain penetration if adequate air tightness in the backup and clean comparted cavities are not provided. Also, it was concluded that veneer cracking is likely under full design loads. It is recommended that the design should address the properties of the brick veneer/backup wall system and that the veneer deflections should be limited to control the size of cracks
Transient development of gravity waves for two layered fluids
The transient gravity waves generated by a harmonically oscillating wave maker immersed in two incompressible fluids, the upper fluid having a free surface, is considered. The resulting linearized initial value problem is solved using the method of generalized functions, and asymptotic analysis for large time and distance are given for the elevation
ЕFFЕCT OF SOMЕ ЕSSЕNTIAL OILS ON GRЕY MOULD, CAUSЕD BY Botrytis cinеrеa ON TABLЕ GRAPЕ AT COLD-STORAGЕ
Еssеntial oils (ЕOs) from cinnamon (Cinnamon zylanicum), clovе (Syzygium aromaticum) camphor (Еucalyptus globulus), and rockеt (Еruca sativa), wеrе еvaluatеd for thеir botryocidal еffеct. In-vitro, Botrytis cinеrеa was еxposеd to 4 diffеrеnt concеntrations of ЕOs, using thrее diffеrеnt tеchniquеs, i.е. amеndеd mеdium, vapourisation, and volatilising. Cinnamon and clovе ЕOs wеrе thе highеst tеstеd concеntrations found to bе thе most еffеctivе in all tеchniquеs which complеtеly inhibitеd 100% of radial growth for B. cinеrеa in vitro. A post-harvеst trial to control grеy mould on grapе bunchеs of Flamе sееdlеss and Supеrior sееdlеss cvs. were conductеd using cinnamon and clovе oils in sеasons 2014 and 2015. Both of the two ЕOs wеrе usеd at concеntrations of 25, 50 and 100 µL./L-1air v/v, еxposеd as vapour trеatmеnt significantly supprеssеd grеy mould during thе cold-storagе. Thеrе was not a significancе diffеrеncеs obsеrvеd among both ЕOs trеatmеnts. Howеvеr, cinnamon at 100 µL.1L-1air v/v was thе most еffеctivе trеatmеnt to control grеy mould of both grapе cultivar
Possible protective and curative effects of selenium nanoparticles on testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia rat model
Background: Men over the age of 40 are more likely to develop benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). BPH is characterized by proliferation of the prostatic epithelium and stroma. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs), is an essential metalloid mineral and antioxidant. In this study, SeNPs were tested for their potential protective and curative impacts on BPH in rats.
Materials and methods: 50 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups: Group I (Control group); Group II (Orchiectomized group): bilateral orchiectomy was conducted on rats; Group III (BPH group): testosterone (TE) enanthate injection was used to induce BPH; Group IV (Protective group): rats were given SeNP before subjecting rats to BPH; Group V (Curative group): rats were succumbed to BPH, followed by administration of SeNP. Measurement of prostate specific antigen (PSA) and TE in serum was performed and prostates were weighed and prepared for histological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural examination.
Results: In the BPH group, serum TE- and PSA-levels, as well as prostate weight, increased significantly and significant decreases in the protective and curative groups. Reduced acinar lumen, expansion of stroma and epithelial hyperplasia were noticed in the BPH group, which were ameliorated significantly both in protective and curative groups. There was an increase in PCNA immunoreaction in the BPH group and a decrease in both the protective and curative groups. On TEM of BPH group, the nuclei appeared irregular with dilated endoplasmic reticulum, loss of cell boundaries and apical microvilli. The protective group showed more improvement than the curative group.
Conclusions: The effects of SeNPs on BPH induced by TE in rats, were both protective and curative, although the protective effects were more pronounced
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Iterative prediction of chaotic time series using a recurrent neural network
Chaotic systems are known for their unpredictability due to their sensitive dependence on initial conditions. When only time series measurements from such systems are available, neural network based models are preferred due to their simplicity, availability, and robustness. However, the type of neutral network used should be capable of modeling the highly non-linear behavior and the multi-attractor nature of such systems. In this paper the authors use a special type of recurrent neural network called the ``Dynamic System Imitator (DSI)``, that has been proven to be capable of modeling very complex dynamic behaviors. The DSI is a fully recurrent neural network that is specially designed to model a wide variety of dynamic systems. The prediction method presented in this paper is based upon predicting one step ahead in the time series, and using that predicted value to iteratively predict the following steps. This method was applied to chaotic time series generated from the logistic, Henon, and the cubic equations, in addition to experimental pressure drop time series measured from a Fluidized Bed Reactor (FBR), which is known to exhibit chaotic behavior. The time behavior and state space attractor of the actual and network synthetic chaotic time series were analyzed and compared. The correlation dimension and the Kolmogorov entropy for both the original and network synthetic data were computed. They were found to resemble each other, confirming the success of the DSI based chaotic system modeling
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Digital trio: integration of BIM–EIR–IoT for facilities management of mega construction projects
Facility Management (FM) has increasingly focused on integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM) with the Internet of Things (IoT), known as digital twins, in large-scale development projects. Effective BIM integration in FM requires improved cooperation among participants across various project stages. This digital revolution aims to enhance planning, construction, and asset management efficiency, benefiting all parties. However, BIM utilization in FM is limited by incomplete owner understanding, insufficient data accessibility, and stakeholders’ unfamiliarity with BIM procedures and standards. Despite recognizing BIM’s significance, the FM industry faces significant implementation challenges. Facility managers often lack a comprehensive understanding of BIM’s benefits in streamlining operations and enhancing cost efficiency, as well as the necessary skills for its use. Addressing these barriers requires developing an Employer’s Information Requirements (EIR) document at a project’s outset, providing a strategic plan and vision for all involved parties. BIM and IoT are pivotal technologies for transitioning to efficient building operations and crucial for reducing time, costs, and operational challenges throughout any project. This research aims to establish a digital trio workflow, integrating BIM, EIR, and IoT to maximize stakeholder benefits. It explores how preparing the EIR through stakeholder communication can improve design processes, sustainability, efficiency, cost, and time, especially for megaprojects
Server‐side workflow execution using data grid technology for reproducible analyses of data‐intensive hydrologic systems
Many geoscience disciplines utilize complex computational models for advancing understanding and sustainable management of Earth systems. Executing such models and their associated data preprocessing and postprocessing routines can be challenging for a number of reasons including (1) accessing and preprocessing the large volume and variety of data required by the model, (2) postprocessing large data collections generated by the model, and (3) orchestrating data processing tools, each with unique software dependencies, into workflows that can be easily reproduced and reused. To address these challenges, the work reported in this paper leverages the Workflow Structured Object functionality of the Integrated Rule‐Oriented Data System and demonstrates how it can be used to access distributed data, encapsulate hydrologic data processing as workflows, and federate with other community‐driven cyberinfrastructure systems. The approach is demonstrated for a study investigating the impact of drought on populations in the Carolinas region of the United States. The analysis leverages computational modeling along with data from the Terra Populus project and data management and publication services provided by the Sustainable Environment‐Actionable Data project. The work is part of a larger effort under the DataNet Federation Consortium project that aims to demonstrate data and computational interoperability across cyberinfrastructure developed independently by scientific communities.Plain Language SummaryExecuting computational workflows in the geosciences can be challenging, especially when dealing with large, distributed, and heterogeneous data sets and computational tools. We present a methodology for addressing this challenge using the Integrated Rule‐Oriented Data System (iRODS) Workflow Structured Object (WSO). We demonstrate the approach through an end‐to‐end application of data access, processing, and publication of digital assets for a scientific study analyzing drought in the Carolinas region of the United States.Key PointsReproducibility of data‐intensive analyses remains a significant challengeData grids are useful for reproducibility of workflows requiring large, distributed data setsData and computations should be co‐located on servers to create executable Web‐resourcesPeer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137520/1/ess271_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137520/2/ess271.pd
The suppression of MAPK/NOX/MMP signaling prompts renoprotection conferred by prenatal naproxen in weaning preeclamptic rats
Although nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are frequently used for fever and pain during pregnancy, their possible interaction with perinatal renal injury induced by preeclampsia (PE) has not been addressed. Here, studies were undertaken in the N(gamma)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) PE model to assess the influence of gestational NSAIDs on renal damage in weaning dams. PE-evoked increments and decrements in urine protein and creatinine clearance, respectively, were intensified by celecoxib and weakened by diclofenac or naproxen. Naproxen also improved renal cloudy swelling, necrosis, and reduced glomerular area evoked by PE. The concomitant rises in renal expression of markers of oxidative stress (NOX2/4), extracellular matrix metaloproteinase deposition (MMP9), and prostanoids (PGE2, PGF2α, TXA2) were all more effectively reduced by naproxen compared with celecoxib or diclofenac. Western blotting showed tripled expression of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs; p-p38, p-JNK1, p-ERK1, p-ERK2) in PE kidneys that was overturned by all NSAIDs, with naproxen producing the largest drop in p-ERK2 expression. The PE-provoked elevation in renal expression of autophagic marker LC3 was reduced by naproxen and diclofenac, but not celecoxib. The data suggests superior effect for naproxen over other NSAIDs in rectifying preeclamptic renal injury and predisposing inflammatory, oxidative, autophagic, and fibrotic signals
Applying an internal transcribed spacer as a single molecular marker to differentiate between Tetraselmis and Chlorella species
In the realm of applied phycology, algal physiology, and biochemistry publications, the absence of proper identification and documentation of microalgae is a common concern. This poses a significant challenge for non-specialists who struggle to identify numerous eukaryotic microalgae. However, a promising solution lies in employing an appropriate DNA barcoding technique and establishing comprehensive databases of reference sequences. To address this issue, we conducted a study focusing on the molecular characterization and strain identification of Tetraselmis and Chlorella species, utilizing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) barcode approach. By analyzing the full nuclear ITS region through the Sanger sequencing approach, we obtained ITS barcodes that were subsequently compared with other ITS sequences of various Tetraselmis and Chlorella species. To ensure the reliability of our identification procedure, we conducted a meticulous comparison of the DNA alignment, constructed a phylogenetic tree, and determined the percentage of identical nucleotides. The findings of our study reveal the significant value of the ITS genomic region as a tool for distinguishing and identifying morphologically similar chlorophyta. Moreover, our results demonstrate that both the ITS1 and ITS2 regions are capable of effectively discriminating isolates from one another; however, ITS2 is preferred due to its greater intraspecific variation. These results underscore the indispensability of employing ITS barcoding in microalgae identification, highlighting the limitations of relying solely on morphological characterization
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