Solar battery with interconnecting means for plural cells Patent

Solar battery with interconnecting means for plural cell

LSA project technology development update

The state of low cost solar array technology is discussed. The goal of achieving $500/kW by 1986 is also discussed

Resolving distance ambiguities towards 6.7 GHz methanol masers

Distances to most star forming regions are determined using kinematics, through the assumption that the observed radial velocity arises from the motion of the source with respect to the Sun resulting from the differential rotation of Galaxy. The primary challenge associated with the application of this technique in the inner Galaxy is the kinematic distance ambiguity. In this work, we aim to resolve the kinematic distance ambiguity towards a sample of 6.7 GHz methanol masers, which are signposts of the early stages of massive star formation. We measured 21 cm HI absorption spectra using the Very Large Array in C and CnB configurations. A comparison of the maximum velocity of HI absorption with the source velocity and tangent point velocity was used to resolve the kinematic distance ambiguity. We resolved the distance ambiguity towards 41 sources. Distance determinations that are in conflict with previous measurements are discussed. The NE2001 spiral arm model is broadly consistent with the locations of the star forming complexes. We find that the use of vertical scale height arguments to resolve the distance ambiguity can lead to erroneous classifications for a significant fraction of sources.Comment: Accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysic

Ultrasound increases the aqueous extraction of phenolic compounds with high antioxidant activity from olive pomace

Olive pomace is a waste produced by the olive oil industry in massive quantities each year. Disposal of olive pomace is difficult due to high concentrations of phenolic compounds, which is an environmental concern. However, phenolic compounds have applications in the health industry. Therefore, extraction of phenolic compounds from olive pomace has the potential to remove an environmentally hazardous portion of pomace while creating an additional source of income for farmers and producers. Using advanced technologies including Ultrasound Assisted Extraction (UAE), combined with water as an extraction solvent, has recently gained popularity. The present study outlines the optimal UAE conditions for the extraction of phenolic compounds with high antioxidant activity from olive pomace. Optimal conditions were developed using RSM for parameters power, time and sample-to-solvent ratio. Total phenolic compounds determined by Folin Ciocalteu method and total major bioactive compounds determined by HPLC as well as antioxidant capacity (DPPH and CUPRAC) were investigated. The optimal conditions for the extraction of phenolic compounds with high antioxidant activity were 2 g of dried pomace/100 mL of water at 250 W power for 75 min. UAE improved the extraction efficiency of water and yielded extracts with high levels of phenolic compounds and strong antioxidant activity

A Herschel [C II] Galactic plane survey II: CO-dark H2 in clouds

ABRIDGED: Context: HI and CO large scale surveys of the Milky Way trace the diffuse atomic clouds and the dense shielded regions of molecular hydrogen clouds. However, until recently, we have not had spectrally resolved C+ surveys to characterize the photon dominated interstellar medium, including, the H2 gas without C, the CO-dark H2, in a large sample of clouds. Aims: To use a sparse Galactic plane survey of the 1.9 THz [C II] spectral line from the Herschel Open Time Key Programme, Galactic Observations of Terahertz C+ (GOT C+), to characterize the H2 gas without CO in a statistically significant sample of clouds. Methods: We identify individual clouds in the inner Galaxy by fitting [CII] and CO isotopologue spectra along each line of sight. We combine these with HI spectra, along with excitation models and cloud models of C+, to determine the column densities and fractional mass of CO-dark H2 clouds. Results: We identify 1804 narrow velocity [CII] interstellar cloud components in different categories. About 840 are diffuse molecular clouds with no CO, 510 are transition clouds containing [CII] and 12CO, but no 13CO, and the remainder are dense molecular clouds containing 13CO emission. The CO-dark H2 clouds are concentrated between Galactic radii 3.5 to 7.5 kpc and the column density of the CO-dark H2 layer varies significantly from cloud-to-cloud with an average 9X10^(20) cm-2. These clouds contain a significant fraction of CO-dark H2 mass, varying from ~75% for diffuse molecular clouds to ~20% for dense molecular clouds. Conclusions: We find a significant fraction of the warm molecular ISM gas is invisible in HI and CO, but is detected in [CII]. The fraction of CO-dark H2 is greatest in the diffuse clouds and decreases with increasing total column density, and is lowest in the massive clouds.Comment: 21 pages, 19 figures, accepted for publication in A&A (2014

Wave climate model of the Mid-Atlantic shelf and shoreline (Virginian Sea): Model development, shelf geomorphology, and preliminary results

A computerized wave climate model is developed that applies linear wave theory and shelf depth information to predict wave behavior as they pass over the continental shelf as well as the resulting wave energy distributions along the coastline. Reviewed are also the geomorphology of the Mid-Atlantic Continental Shelf, wave computations resulting from 122 wave input conditions, and a preliminary analysis of these data

Managing Scarce Resources in Training Projects

Every training organization has a limited amount of people, time and/or money available to complete a project, and this limited resource availability undoubtedly will affect the scope and success of projects the organization undertakes. Busby and Goldsmith discuss the knowledge and skills thing in the instructional design field will need to successfully address these circumstances. The authors begin the chapter by defining what they mean by resources and resource scarcity, and then go on to describe how resource availability and the scope of a project affect one another. They then discuss such basic economic concepts as supply and demand and the economic cycle, factors that have a profound influence on resource availability. The authors then conclude by providing strategies a training manager can adopt to address the problems presented by resource scarcity

The olive biophenols oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol selectively reduce proliferation, influence the cell cycle, and induce apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells

Current chemotherapy drugs for pancreatic cancer only offer an increase in survival of up to six months. Additionally, they are highly toxic to normal tissues, drastically affecting the quality of life of patients. Therefore, the search for novel agents, which induce apoptosis in cancer cells while displaying limited toxicity towards normal cells, is paramount. The olive biophenols, oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol, have displayed cytotoxicity towards cancer cells without affecting non-tumorigenic cells in cancers of the breast and prostate. However, their activity in pancreatic cancer has not been investigated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the anti-pancreatic cancer potential of oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol. Pancreatic cancer cells (MIA PaCa-2, BxPC-3, and CFPAC-1) and non-tumorigenic pancreas cells (HPDE) were treated with oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol to determine their effect on cell viability. Oleuropein displayed selective toxicity towards MIA PaCa-2 cells and hydroxytyrosol towards MIA PaCa-2 and HPDE cells. Subsequent analysis of Bcl-2 family proteins and caspase 3/7 activation determined that oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol induced apoptosis in MIA PaCa-2 cells, while oleuropein displayed a protective effect on HPDE cells. Gene expression analysis revealed putative mechanisms of action, which suggested that c-Jun and c-Fos are involved in oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol induced apoptosis of MIA PaCa-2 cells