2,131 research outputs found
Aerodynamic design of gas and aerosol samplers for aircraft
The aerodynamic design of airborne probes for the capture of air and aerosols is discussed. Emphasis is placed on the key parameters that affect proper sampling, such as inlet-lip design, internal duct components for low pressure drop, and exhaust geometry. Inlet designs that avoid sonic flow conditions on the lip and flow separation in the duct are shown. Cross-stream velocities of aerosols are expressed in terms of droplet density and diameter. Flow curvature, which can cause aerosols to cross streamlines and impact on probe walls, can be minimized by means of a proper inlet shape and proper probe orientation, and by avoiding bends upstream of the test section. A NASA panel code called PMARC was used successfully to compute streamlines around aircraft and probes, as well as to compute to local velocity and pressure distributions in inlets. A NACA 1-series inlet with modified lip radius was used for the airborne capture of stratospheric chlorine monoxide at high altitude and high flight speed. The device has a two-stage inlet that decelerates the inflow with little disturbance to the flow through the test section. Diffuser design, exhaust hood design, valve loss, and corner vane geometry are discussed
Draft genome sequences of five recent human uropathogenic Escherichia coli isolates
This study reports the release of draft genome sequences of five isolates of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), isolated from patients suffering from uncomplicated cystitis in 2012 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that these strains belonged to E. coli phylogroups B2 and D and are closely related to known UPEC strains. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that more conserved proteins were shared between these recent isolates and UPEC strains causing cystitis than those causing pyelonephritis. Additional genomic comparisons identified that three isolates encode a type III secretion system (T3SS) and a putative T3SS effector gene cluster along with an invasin‐like outer membrane protein. The presence of T3SS genes is a rare occurrence among UPEC strains. These genomes further substantiate the heterogeneity of the gene pool of UPEC and provide a foundation for comparative genomic studies using recent clinical isolates.This publication briefly describes the draft genomes of five recent human uropathogenic (UPEC) Escherichia coli isolates. UPEC are of increasing importance to human health. The genomes of these new isolates are clearly and simply described and will be of great utility and interest to this research community.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136326/1/fim12059.pd
EXAFS study of lead-free relaxor ferroelectric BaTi(1-x)Zr(x)O3 at the Zr K-edge
Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) experiments at the Zr K-edge
were carried out on perovskite relaxor ferroelectrics BaTi(1-x)Zr(x)O3 (BTZ) (x
= 0.25, 0.30, 0.35), and on BaZrO3 for comparison. Structural information up to
4.5 A around the Zr atoms is obtained, revealing that the local structure
differs notably from the average Pm-3m cubic structure deduced from X-ray
diffraction. In particular, our results show that the distance between Zr atoms
and their first oxygen neighbors is independent of the Zr substitution rate x
and equal to that measured in BaZrO3, while the X-ray cubic cell parameter
increases linearly with x. Furthermore, we show that the Zr atoms tend to
segregate in Zr-rich regions. We propose that the relaxor behavior in BTZ is
linked to random elastic fields generated by this particular chemical
arrangement, rather than to random electric fields as is the case in most
relaxors.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, 4 tables. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Comparison of Thaumarchaeotal populations from four deep sea basins.
The nitrogen cycle in the marine environment is strongly affected by ammonia-oxidizing Thaumarchaeota. In some marine settings, Thaumarchaeotes can comprise a large percentage of the prokaryotic population. To better understand the biogeographic patterns of Thaumarchaeotes, we sought to investigate differences in their abundance and phylogenetic diversity between geographically distinct basins. Samples were collected from four marine basins (The Caspian Sea, the Great Australian Bight, and the Central and Eastern Mediterranean). The concentration of bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA genes and archaeal amoA genes were assessed using qPCR. Minimum entropy decomposition was used to elucidate the fine-scale diversity of Thaumarchaeotes. We demonstrated that there were significant differences in the abundance and diversity of Thaumarchaeotes between these four basins. The diversity of Thaumarchaeotal oligotypes differed between basins with many oligotypes only present in one of the four basins, which suggests that their distribution showed biogeographic patterning. There were also significant differences in Thaumarchaeotal community structure between these basins. This would suggest that geographically distant, yet geochemically similar basins may house distinct Thaumarchaeaotal populations. These findings suggest that Thaumarchaeota are very diverse and that biogeography in part contributes in determining the diversity and distribution of Thaumarchaeotes
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Survival and activity of Streptococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli in tropical freshwater
The survival of Streptococcus facecalis and Escherichia coli was studied in situ in a tropical rain forest watershed using membrane diffusion chambers. Densities were determined by acridine orange direct count and Coulter Counter. Population activity was determined by microautoradiography, cell respiration, and by nucleic acid composition. Densities of S. facecalis and E. coli decreased less than 1 log unit after 105 h as measured by direct count methods. Activity as measured by respiration, acridine orange activity, and microautoradiography indicated that both bacteria remained moderately active during the entire study. After 12 h, E. coli was more active than S. faecalis as measured by nucleic acid composition. E. coli and S. faecalis survived and remained active for more than 5 days. Consequently, both would seem to be unsuitable as indicators of recent fecal contamination in tropical waters
Mineralogy of Vera Rubin Ridge in Gale Crater from the Mars Science Laboratory CheMin instrument
Gale crater was selected as the landing site for the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover because of orbital evidence for a variety of secondary minerals in the lower slopes of Aeolis Mons (aka Mount Sharp) that indicate changes in aqueous conditions over time. Distinct units demonstrate orbital spectral signatures of hematite, phyllosilicate (smectite), and sulfate minerals, which suggest that ancient aqueous environments in Gale crater varied in oxidation potential, pH, and water activity. Vera Rubin ridge (VRR) is the first of these units identified from orbit to have been studied by Curiosity. Orbital near-infrared data from VRR show a strong band at 860 nm indicative of hematite. Before Curiosity arrived at VRR, the hypotheses to explain the formation of hematite included (1) precipitation at a redox interface where aqueous Fe2+ was oxidized to Fe3+, and (2) acidic alteration of olivine in oxic fluids. Studying the composition and sedimentology of the rocks on VRR allow us to test and refine these hypotheses and flesh out the depositional and diagenetic history of the ridge. Here, we focus on the mineralogical results of four rock powders drilled from and immediately below VRR as determined by CheMin
Aircraft-borne, laser-induced fluorescence instrument for the in situ detection of hydroxyl and hydroperoxyl radicals
The odd-hydrogen radicals OH and HO2 are central to most of the gas-phase chemical transformations that occur in the atmosphere. Of particular interest is the role that these species play in controlling the concentration of stratospheric ozone. This paper describes an instrument that measures both of these species at volume mixing ratios below one part in 10(exp 14) in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. The hydroxyl radical (OH) is measured by laser induced fluorescence at 309 nm. Tunable UV light is used to pump OH to the first electric state near 282 nm. the laser light is produced by a high-repetition rate pulsed dye-laser powered with all solid-state pump lasers. HO2 is measured as OH after gas-phase titration with nitric oxide. Measurements aboard a NASA ER-2 aircraft demonstrate the capability of this instrument to perform reliably with very high signal-to-noise ratios (greater than 30) achieved in short integration times (less than 20 sec)
Myeloperoxidase and Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 Play a Central Role in Ventricular Remodeling after Myocardial Infarction
Left ventricular (LV) remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI) results in LV dilation, a major cause of congestive heart failure and sudden cardiac death. Ischemic injury and the ensuing inflammatory response participate in LV remodeling, leading to myocardial rupture and LV dilation. Myeloperoxidase (MPO), which accumulates in the infarct zone, is released from neutrophils and monocytes leading to the formation of reactive chlorinating species capable of oxidizing proteins and altering biological function. We studied acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in a chronic coronary artery ligation model in MPO null mice (MPO−/−). MPO−/− demonstrated decreased leukocyte infiltration, significant reduction in LV dilation, and marked preservation of LV function. The mechanism appears to be due to decreased oxidative inactivation of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) in the MPO−/−, leading to decreased tissue plasmin activity. MPO and PAI-1 are shown to have a critical role in the LV response immediately after MI, as demonstrated by markedly delayed myocardial rupture in the MPO−/− and accelerated rupture in the PAI-1−/−. These data offer a mechanistic link between inflammation and LV remodeling by demonstrating a heretofore unrecognized role for MPO and PAI-1 in orchestrating the myocardial response to AMI
The Antiferromagnetic Band Structure of La2CuO4 Revisited
Using the Becke-3-LYP functional, we have performed band structure
calculations on the high temperature superconductor parent compound, La2CuO4.
Under the restricted spin formalism (rho(alpha) equal to rho(beta)), the
R-B3LYP band structure agrees well with the standard LDA band structure. It is
metallic with a single Cu x2-y2/O p(sigma) band crossing the Fermi level. Under
the unrestricted spin formalism (rho(alpha) not equal to rho(beta)), the UB3LYP
band structure has a spin polarized antiferromagnetic solution with a band gap
of 2.0 eV, agreeing well with experiment. This state is 1.0 eV (per formula
unit) lower than that calculated from the R-B3LYP. The apparent high energy of
the spin restricted state is attributed to an overestimate of on-site Coulomb
repulsion which is corrected in the unrestricted spin calculations. The
stabilization of the total energy with spin polarization arises primarily from
the stabilization of the x2-y2 band, such that the character of the eigenstates
at the top of the valence band in the antiferromagnetic state becomes a strong
mixture of Cu x2-y2/O p(sigma) and Cu z2/O' p(z). Since the Hohenberg-Kohn
theorem requires the spin restricted and spin unrestricted calculations give
exactly the same ground state energy and total density for the exact
functionals, this large disparity in energy reflects the inadequacy of current
functionals for describing the cuprates. This calls into question the use of
band structures based on current restricted spin density functionals (including
LDA) as a basis for single band theories of superconductivity in these
materials.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. B, for more information
see http://www.firstprinciples.co
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