Modelagem numérica do efeito da variação nas condições de contorno na estimativa de propriedades hidráulicas na zona vadosa

An accurate estimation of hydraulic fluxes in the vadose zone is essential for the prediction of water, nutrient and contaminant transport in natural systems. The objective of this study was to simulate the effect of variation of boundary conditions on the estimation of hydraulic properties (i.e. water content, effective unsaturated hydraulic conductivity and hydraulic flux) in a one-dimensional unsaturated flow model domain. Unsaturated one-dimensional vertical water flow was simulated in a pure phase clay loam profile and in clay loam interlayered with silt loam distributed according to the third iteration of the Cantor Bar fractal object Simulations were performed using the numerical model Hydrus 1D. The upper and lower pressure heads were varied around average values of -55 cm for the near-saturation range. This resulted in combinations for the upper and lower constant head boundary conditions, respectively, of -50 and -60 cm, -40 and -70 cm, -30 and -80 cm, -20 and -90 cm, and -10 and -100 cm. For the drier range the average head between the upper and lower boundary conditions was set to -550 cm, resulting in the combinations -500 and -600 cm, -400 and -700 cm, -300 and -800 cm, -200 and -900 cm, and -100 and -1,000 cm, for upper and lower boundary conditions, respectively. There was an increase in water contents, fluxes and hydraulic conductivities with the increase in head difference between boundary conditions. Variation in boundary conditions in the pure phase and interlayered one-dimensional profiles caused significant deviations in fluxes, water contents and hydraulic conductivities compared to the simplest case (a head difference between the upper and lower constant head boundaries of 10 cm in the wetter range and 100 cm in the drier range).A estimativa precisa e acurada de fluxos hidráulicos na zona vadosa é um fator crítico para simular o transporte de água, nutrientes e contaminantes em sistemas naturais. O objetivo deste estudo foi simular o efeito de variações nas condições de contorno na estimativa de propriedades hidráulicas do solo (isto é, conteúdo de água, condutividade hidráulica efetiva em condições não saturadas e fluxo hidráulico) em um modelo de fluxo não saturado unidimensional. Fluxo vertical não saturado unidimensional foi simulado em um perfil de material franco-argiloso puro e em material franco-argiloso intercalado com camadas de material franco-siltoso distribuído seguindo a terceira iteração de um modelo do objeto fractal Conjunto de Cantor. As simulações foram realizadas no modelo numérico Hydrus 1D. Os potenciais totais superiores e inferiores na coluna unidimensional foram variados ao redor do valor médio de -55 cm para a faixa de valores próxima da saturação. Isso resultou em combinações para potenciais constantes nos limites superior e inferior da coluna de -50 e -60 cm; -40 e -70 cm; -30 e -80 cm; -20 e -90 cm; e -10 e -100 cm, para as condições de contorno superior e inferior, respectivamente. Para o intervalo de umidade definido como mais seco o valor médio de potencial de água no solo foi fixado em -550 cm, resultando em combinações de -500 e -600 cm; -400 e -700 cm; -300 e -800 cm; -200 e -900 cm; e -100 e -1.000 cm, para as condições de contorno superior e inferior, respectivamente. Houve aumento nos conteúdos de água, fluxos e condutividades hidráulicas com o aumento no gradiente entre os valores estipulados nos limites superior e inferior do domínio. Variação nas condições de contorno nos sistemas de fase pura e em camadas resultou em desvios significativos nos fluxos, conteúdos de água e condutividades hidráulicas com relação ao caso mais simples (uma diferença de potencial total entre os limites superior e inferior fixada em 10 cm para o intervalo mais úmido e 100 cm para o intervalo mais seco)

Black Box Chimera Check (B2C2): a Windows-Based Software for Batch Depletion of Chimeras from Bacterial 16S rRNA Gene Datasets

The existing chimera detection programs are not specifically designed for "next generation" sequence data. Technologies like Roche 454 FLX and Titanium have been adapted over the past years especially with the introduction of bacterial tag-encoded FLX/Titanium amplicon pyrosequencing methodologies to produce over one million 250-600 bp 16S rRNA gene reads that need to be depleted of chimeras prior to downstream analysis. Meeting the needs of basic scientists who are venturing into high-throughput microbial diversity studies such as those based upon pyrosequencing and specifically providing a solution for Windows users, the B2C2 software is designed to be able to accept files containing large multi-FASTA formatted sequences and screen for possible chimeras in a high throughput fashion. The graphical user interface (GUI) is also able to batch process multiple files. When compared to popular chimera screening software the B2C2 performed as well or better while dramatically decreasing the amount of time required generating and screening results. Even average computer users are able to interact with the Windows .Net GUI-based application and define the stringency to which the analysis should be done. B2C2 may be downloaded from http://www.researchandtesting.com/B2C2

Long-Term Secondary Care Costs of Endometrial Cancer: A Prospective Cohort Study Nested within the United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS).

BACKGROUND: There is limited evidence on the costs of Endometrial Cancer (EC) by stage of disease. We estimated the long-term secondary care costs of EC according to stage at diagnosis in an English population-based cohort. METHODS: Women participating in UKCTOCS and diagnosed with EC following enrolment (2001-2005) and prior to 31st Dec 2009 were identified to have EC through multiple sources. Survival was calculated through data linkage to death registry. Costs estimates were derived from hospital records accessed from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) with additional patient level covariates derived from case notes and patient questionnaires. Missing and censored data was imputed using Multiple Imputation. Regression analysis of cost and survival was undertaken. RESULTS: 491 of 641 women with EC were included. Five year total costs were strongly dependent on stage, ranging from £9,475 (diagnosis at stage IA/IB) to £26,080 (diagnosis at stage III). Stage, grade and BMI were the strongest predictors of costs. The majority of costs for stage I/II EC were incurred in the first six months after diagnosis while for stage III / IV considerable costs accrued after the first six months. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to survival advantages, there are significant cost savings if patients with EC are detected earlier.The analysis underpinning this study was supported with a grant from Cancer Research UK (CRUK Grant No: A16008) awarded to RL (http://www.cancerresearchuk. org/funding-for-researchers). The trial (UKCTOCS) for which the patients in this study form a subgroup was funded by the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, the Department of Health and the Eve Appeal

Spatially, Temporally and Polarization-Resolved Photoluminescence Exploration of Excitons in Crystalline Phthalocyanine Thin Films

The lack of long range order in organic semiconductor thin films prevents the unveiling of the complete nature of excitons in optical experiments, because the diffraction limited beam diameters in the bandgap region far exceed typical crystalline grain sizes. Here we present spatially-, temporally- and polarization-resolved dual photoluminescence/linear dichroism microscopy experiments that investigate exciton states within a single crystalline grain in solution-processed phthalocyanine thin films. These experiments reveal the existence of a delocalized singlet exciton, polarized along the high mobility axis in this quasi-1D electronic system. The strong delocalized {\pi} orbitals overlap controlled by the molecular stacking along the high mobility axis is responsible for breaking the radiative recombination selection rules. Using our linear dichroism scanning microscopy setup we further established a rotation of molecules (i.e. a structural phase transition) that occurs above 100 K prevents the observation of this exciton at room temperature.Comment: submitted to Journal of Chem Phys letter

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Efficacy of Fuzzy c-Means Cluster Analysis of Naturally Occurring Radioisotope Datasets for Improved Groundwater Resource Management under the Continued Risk of Climate Change

Global change is recognized as an additional potential stressor on already over-tapped groundwater systems. Mitigation of impacts due to global change requires planning for sustainable use of groundwater systems. Identifying and developing mitigation plans for sustainable use of groundwater resources require detailed knowledge of aquifer dynamics and temporal behavior for a higher level of certainty on which decisions can be made by a knowledgeable group of stakeholders. The principal hypothesis of this study was that a robust set of uranium (238U) and thorium (232Th) decay series data from multiple wellfields representing different confining and geochemical conditions would cluster in a meaningful manner using a fuzzy c-means technique for better understanding of aquifer dynamics for management purposes. Three conceptual models were represented by the wellfields: 1) a well-confined artesian aquifer; 2) an area receiving recharge via a confining layer window; and 3) a regional recharge zone where the aquifer sub-crops near the land surface. These conceptual models were defined as C1, C2, and C3 according to the respective definitions. Eleven samples from the three wellfields were analyzed for ten parameters consisting of 238U and 232Th decay series isotopes. The data clustered successfully into three cluster types providing discrimination of behavior within each wellfield. Clusters C2 and C3 were characterized by the higher values of 222Rn, 226Ra, 228Ra, and 224Ra. Whereas, C1 was characterized by a higher values of 228Th, which was mostly absent from C2 and C3. The data clustered as expected between the well-confined, window, and regional recharge conceptual models with insights into individual well behavior. The data offer a robust conceptualization of aquifer dynamics in the regional area that may benefit decision makers