Development of an integrated heat pipe-thermal storage system for a solar receiver

The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) Solar Dynamic Power System (SDPS) is one of the candidates for Space Station prime power application. In the low Earth orbit of the Space Station approximately 34 minutes of the 94-minute orbital period is spent in eclipse with no solar energy input to the power system. For this period the SDPS will use thermal energy storage (TES) material to provide a constant power output. An integrated heat-pipe thermal storage receiver system is being developed as part of the ORC-SDPS solar receiver. This system incorporates potassium heat pipe elements to absorb and transfer the solar energy within the receiver cavity. The heat pipes contain the TES canisters within the potassium vapor space with the toluene heater tube used as the condenser region of the heat pipe. During the insolation period of the Earth orbit, solar energy is delivered to the heat pipe in the ORC-SDPS receiver cavity. The heat pipe transforms the non-uniform solar flux incident in the heat pipe surface within the receiver cavity to an essentially uniform flux at the potassium vapor condensation interface in the heat pipe. During solar insolation, part of the thermal energy is delivered to the heater tube and the balance is stored in the TES units. During the eclipse period of the orbit, the balance stored in the TES units is transferred by the potassium vapor to the toluene heater tube

Light sheet fluorescence microscopy optimized for long-term imaging of arabidopsis root development.

Light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) allows sustained and repeated optical sectioning of living specimens at high spatial and temporal resolution, with minimal photodamage. Here, we describe in detail both the hardware and the software elements of a live imaging method based on LSFM and optimized for tracking and 3D scanning of Arabidopsis root tips grown vertically in physiological conditions. The system is relatively inexpensive and with minimal footprint; hence it is well suited for laboratories of any size

Externally imposed electric field enhances plant root tip regeneration

In plants, shoot and root regeneration can be induced in the distinctive conditions of tissue culture (in vitro), but is also observed in intact individuals (in planta) recovering from tissue damage. Roots, for example, can regenerate their fully excised meristems in planta, even in mutants with impaired apical stem cell niches. Unfortunately, to date a comprehensive understanding of regeneration in plants is still missing. Here, we provide evidence that an imposed electric field can perturb apical root regeneration in Arabidopsis. Crucially, we explored both spatial and temporal competences of the stump to respond to electrical stimulation, respectively by varying the position of the cut and the time interval between excision and stimulation. Our data indicate that a brief pulse of an electric field parallel to the root is sufficient to increase by up to two-fold the probability of its regeneration, and to perturb the local distribution of the hormone auxin, as well as cell division regulation. Remarkably, the orientation of the root towards the anode or the cathode is shown to play a role

Pengaruh Faktor Kontekstual terhadap Niat Berwirausaha pada Mahasiswa Program S1 di Feb Universitas Udayana

Pengangguran merupakan masalah utama dunia kerja bagi lulusan universitas saat ini. Tidak sedikit dari mereka yang pada akhirnya menganggur karena terlalu terpaku pada pencarian pekerjaan yang mereka anggap sesuai. Solusi yang ada dan terbilang efektif adalah menciptakan lapangan pekerjaan itu sendiri atau disebut wirausahaTujuan dari penelitian ini adalah mengetahui pengaruh Academic support, Structural support dan Relational support dalam memengaruhi niat berwirausaha pada mahasiswa program S1 Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis di Universitas Udayana. Penelitian ini dilakukan di Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis Universitas Udayana. Jumlah sampel yang digunakan sebanyak 108 responden, dengan menggunakan teknik nonprobability sampling, atau lebih lanjut dengan menggunakan purposive sampling dengan kriteria sudah menempuh mata kuliah kewirausahaan. Hasil dari penelitian menunjukkan bahwa academic support berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap niat berwirausaha. Lalu structural support juga menunjukkan pengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap niat berwirausaha. Hasil yang sama yaitu positif dan signifikan juga ditunjukkan pada pengaruh relational support terhadap niat berwirausaha

Enhanced germination and electrotactic behaviour of Phytophthora palmivora zoospores in weak electric fields

Soil-dwelling microorganisms use a variety of chemical and physical signals to navigate their environment. Plant roots produce endogenous electric fields which result in characteristic current profiles. Such electrical signatures are hypothesised to be used by pathogens and symbionts to track and colonise plant roots.
The oomycete pathogen Phytophthora palmivora generates motile zoospores which swim towards the positive pole when exposed to an external electric field in vitro.
Here, we provide a quantitative characterization of their electrotactic behaviour in 3D. We found that a weak electric field (0.7 - 1.0 V/cm) is sufficient to induce an accumulation of zoospore at the positive pole, without affecting their encystment rate. We also show that the same external electric field increases the zoospore germination rate and orients the germ tube's growth. We conclude that several early stages of the P. palmivora infection cycle are affected by external electric fields.
Taken together, our results are compatible with the hypothesis that pathogens use plant endogenous electric fields for host targeting.&#xD

Phylogenetic and Functional Diversity of Faecal Microbiome of Pack Animals

The present chapter describes the microbial diversity of faecal microbiomes of pack animals. The sequencing data generated through ion semiconductor sequencing technology were analysed using EBI metagenomics and MG‐RAST server tools. Bacteria were the major domain in all the pack animals. At the phylogenetic level, Firmicutes was the major phylum. Clostridiales was the major order. Ruminococcus flavefaciens was the major species in camel, whereas the top‐most species existing in Equidae family was Streptococcus equinus. Among the 28 major functional categories, protein metabolism functionality was dominant in pack animals. The genes associated with protein processing and modification as well as for protein folding are higher in mules and in camel they are lowest. Central carbohydrate metabolism was the major functional group under carbohydrate metabolism in pack animals. Variation in the amino acids and its derivatives was seen in pack animals. Genes associated with proline and 4‐hydroxy prolines were present in Equidae family only. Clustering using ward with Bray‐Curtis distance matrix for the functional categories showed that donkey and mule are most closely related and clustered with the horse metagenome

Anti-Ri-associated paraneoplastic ophthalmoplegia-ataxia syndrome in a woman with breast cancer. A case report and review of the literature

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. However, in the management of breast cancer, paraneoplastic neurological syndromes represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. The diagnosis of paraneoplastic neurological syndromes is difficult due to the heterogeneity of symptoms, the timing of presentation, and the absence of antibodies, and it generally occurs before the diagnosis of breast cancer in 80% of patients who develop paraneoplastic neurological syndromes. We describe a 72-year-old woman with subacute ophthalmoplegia-ataxia syndrome who was subsequently diagnosed as having breast cancer and anti-Ri antibodies. Case presentation: A 72-year-old post-menopausal Caucasian woman, with a positive medical history for diabetes mellitus and hypertension, presented with a 3-month onset of blurred vision, diplopia, and progressive gait disturbance. Serological tests were positive for well-characterized onconeural antibodies (anti-Ri). A whole-body computed tomography scan revealed a nodular opacity under her left nipple and axillary adenopathy. A biopsy of her left breast was performed, and histological examination showed ductal carcinoma. She underwent a superoexternal quadrantectomy with left axillary dissection. The final diagnosis showed infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast (T1c N1 M0, stage IIA) associated with paraneoplastic ophthalmoplegia-ataxia syndrome. At a 6-month follow-up, she showed no clinical or instrumental evidence of neoplastic recurrence with partial clinical improvement of neurological symptoms, such as ataxia and diplopia. Conclusion: The diagnosis of paraneoplastic neurological syndromes is often late, as in this patient, but treatment at an early stage may provide a good prognosis. Furthermore, this is one of several cases of an anti-Ri paraneoplastic neurological syndrome not associated with myoclonus, which reinforces the belief that opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome is not pathognomonic of the associated anti-Ri paraneoplastic neurological syndromes

Fish oil in aquaculture : in retrospect

The use of fish oils by aquaculture is the key impediment on the future growth and sustainability of the industry. Fish oil, the key provider of health-beneficial omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, fluctuates drastically in supply and cost, and is extracted unsustainably from world oceans. Resultantly, its persistent use has fueled a heated global debate and sparked a generation of research focus into possible means of reducing the aquaculture industry\u27s dependence on this resource. This chapter introduces the subject of fish oil usage in aquaculture on a global basis, and briefly traces the history of related issues. Accordingly, the major fish species utilized for fish meal and fish oil production are traced and the chemical and nutritional characteristics of fish oils of different origins are provided. The future expected availability of fish oil for aquaculture and the sustainability of the reduction industry are subsequently discussed.<br /

BIOMARCADORES DA LONGEVIDADE HUMANA E BIOATIVIDADE DO EXOPOLISSACARÍDEO BOTRIOSFERANA NO ENVELHECIMENTO

Nas últimas décadas, observou-se crescimento mundial da população idosa, associado ao aumento da longevidade. Múltiplos fatores, entre eles, ambientais, comportamentais e genéticos, podem influenciar na longevidade humana. Existe grande interesse no desenvolvimento de produtos naturais com propriedades funcionais e/ou de saúde. Exopolissacarídeos (EPS) fúngicos, como a (1&#8594;3;1&#8594;6)-&#946;-D-glucana botriosferana, sintetizado por Botryosphaeria rhodina MAMB-05, são candidatos promissores por serem considerados modificadores da resposta biológica. O presente estudo visou: a) investigar em seres humanos possíveis biomarcadores da longevidade, por meio da avaliação da frequência de polimorfismos nos genes FOXO3 (rs2802292), SOD2 (rs4880), APOE (rs429358 e rs7412) e SIRT1 (rs2273773) em amostra de idosos da Grande Vitória, ES, bem como seu estado de estresse oxidativo e o nível de integridade do DNA; b) avaliar antimutagenicidade, mutagenicidade e citotoxicidade da botriosferana, em camundongos Swiss, jovens e idosos, de ambos os sexos, bem como seus potenciais hipolipidêmico, hipoglicêmico e antiaterogênico em camundongos idosos knockout para receptor de LDL (LDLr-/-), e seu background (C57BL/6). Para alcançar os objetivos: a) na amostra de idosos, foram caracterizados dados demográficos, sócioeconômicos, antropométricos, bioquímicos, clínicos e estilo de vida. Polimorfismos genéticos foram analisados pela reação em cadeia da polimerase em tempo real; malondialdeído, por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência e danos genômicos, pelo Ensaio do Cometa em grupos de longevos e controles (&#8805; 85 anos e 70-75 anos); b) com animais - botriosferana, foi administrada, via gavage (doses 7,5, 15 e 30 mg/kg p.c./dia), em protocolo de pré-tratamento de 30 dias (camundongos jovens) e 15 dias (camundongos idosos) para investigar seus potenciais mutagênico e anticitogenotóxico contra danos induzidos pela ciclofosfamida. O teste do Micronúcleo foi realizado em eritrócitos de sangue periférico e medula óssea dos camundongos. Efeitos glicolipidêmico e ateroprotetor do EPS (30 mg/kg p.c./dia, por gavage) entre animais LDLr-/-, que receberam dieta aterogênica, foram verificados por meio das medidas de glicose plasmática e perfil lipídico, após tratamento de 15 dias, com kits colorimétricos comerciais. A lesão aterosclerótica foi quantificada por meio da análise da deposição lipídica aórtica (en face), com Oil-Red-O. A análise estatística foi realizada por meio dos testes &#967;², exato de Fisher, Tukey, t Student, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis e Equilíbrio de Hardy-Weinberg (HW) (p<0,05). Entre os idosos longevos e controles, os níveis plasmáticos de malondialdeído e dano ao DNA apresentaram valores semelhantes. Observou-se associação positiva entre o rs2802292 FOXO3 e longevidade. Características 12 bioquímicas e antropométricas, relacionadas ao envelhecimento saudável, mostraram resultados significativos. Nos ensaios in vivo, botriosferana, nas três doses, não foi mutagênica, nem citotóxica, exerceu efeito antimutagênico e ainda reduziu o percentual de danos entre animais jovens e idosos (Swiss, C57BL/6 e LDLr-/-). Houve redução nos níveis plasmáticos de glicose (36%), melhora no perfil lipídico (reduções de 53,8-84,3%) e diminuição da deposição lipídica aórtica (32,8%) de LDLr-/- ateroscleróticos tratados com esse EPS. Nossos resultados constituem informações inéditas acerca da longevidade humana, na população brasileira, e contribuem para o futuro promissor da geriatria genômica e da medicina personalizada. Além disso, indicam que botriosferana possui efeitos biológicos relevantes, sendo candidato promissor no desenvolvimento de novos produtos terapêuticos