Precipitation estimation in mountainous terrain using multivariate geostatistics

Estimates of average annual precipitation (AAP) are-needed for hydrologic modeling at Yucca Mtn., Nevada, site of a proposed, high-level nuclear waste repository. Historical precipitation data and station elevation were obtained for stations in southern Nevada and southeastern California. Elevations for 1,531 additional locations were obtained from topographic maps. The sample direct-variogram for the transformed variable TAAP = ln(AAP) * 1000 was fit with an isotropic, spherical model with a small nugget and a range of 190,000 ft. The sample direct-variogram for elevation was fit with an isotropic model with four nested structures (nugget, Gaussian, spherical, and linear) with ranges between 0 and 270,000 ft. There was a significant (p = 0.05, r = 0.75) linear correlation between TAAP and station elevation. The sample cross-variogram for TAAP and elevation was fit with two nested structures (Gaussian, spherical) with ranges from 55,000 to 355,000 ft. Alternate model structures and parameters were compared using cross-validation. Isohyetal maps for average annual precipitation (AAP) were prepared from estimates obtained by kriging and cokriging using the selected models. Isohyets based on the kriging estimates were very smooth, increasing gradually from the southwest to the northeast. Isohyets based on the cokriging estimates and the spatial correlation between AAP and elevation were more irregular and displayed known orographic effects. Indirect confirmation of the cokriging estimates were obtained by comparing isohyets prepared with the cokriging estimates to the boundaries of more densely vegetated and/or forested zones. Estimates for AAP at the repository site were 145 and 165 mm for kriging and cokriging, respectively. Cokriging reduced estimation variances at the repository site by 55% relative to kriging. The effectiveness of an existing network of stations for measuring AAP is evaluated and recommendations are made for optimal locations for additional stations

A preliminary characterization of the spatial variability of precipitation at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Isohyetal maps of precipitation and numerical models for simulating precipitation are needed to characterize natural infiltration at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The objective of this study was to characterize the spatial variability of precipitation within the domain of the natural catchments overlying the potential repository, and to define preliminary geostatistical models based on differences in storm type for the numerical simulation of precipitation

Wearable Eye Tracking for Multisensor Physical Activity Recognition

This paper explores the use of wearable eye-tracking to detect physical activities and location information during assembly and construction tasks involving small groups of up to four people. Large physical activities, like carrying heavy items and walking, are analysed alongside more precise, hand-tool activities, like using a drill, or a screwdriver. In a first analysis, gazeinvariant features from the eye-tracker are classified (using Naive Bayes) alongside features obtained from wrist-worn accelerometers and microphones. An evaluation is presented using data from an 8-person dataset containing over 600 physical activity events, performed under real-world (noisy) conditions. Despite the challenges of working with complex, and sometimes unreliable, data we show that event-based precision and recall of 0.66 and 0.81 respectively can be achieved by combining all three sensing modalities (using experiment independent training, and temporal smoothing). In a further analysis, we apply state-ofthe-art computer vision methods like object recognition, scene recognition, and face detection, to generate features from the eye-trackers’ egocentric videos. Activity recognition trained on the output of an object recognition model (e.g., VGG16 trained on ImageNet) could predict Precise activities with an (overall average) f-measure of 0.45. Location of participants was similarly obtained using visual scene recognition, with average precision and recall of 0.58 and 0.56

Defining the baseline transcriptional fingerprint of rabbit hamstring autograft

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common and of high relevance given their significant effects on patient function, quality of life, and posttraumatic arthritis. To date, investigators have reported on the expression of genes classically associated with tendon and ligament reconstruction, including decorin (DCN) and collagen type 1 (COL1A1 and COL1A2). However, the transcriptional fingerprint for hamstring tendons, one of the most common autografts used for ACLR, remains to be determined. The purpose of this study was to characterize the baseline transcriptional state of semitendinosus autografts in a rabbit model for ACLR and to employ such characterization to guide scientifically-driven target gene selection for future analyses. Next generation RNA sequencing was performed on whole semitendinosus autografts from four New Zealand White rabbits (mean age: 193 ± 0 days, mean weight: 2.78 kg ± 0.15 kg) and subsequently analyzed using gene enrichment and protein-protein interaction network analysis. Decorin, Secreted Protein Acidic and Cysteine Rich (SPARC), Collagen type 1, and Proline and Arginine Rich End Leucine Rich Repeat Protein (PRELP) and were determined to be the highest expressed genes with tendon-associated ontology. These results strengthen the association between genes such as DCN, COL1A1, and COL1A2 and tendon tissues as well as provide the novel addition of further high-expression, tendon characteristic genes such as SPARC and PRELP to provide guidance as to which molecules serve as high-signal candidates for future ACL research. In addition, this paper provides open-access to the expression fingerprint of hamstring autograft for ACLR in New Zealand White rabbits, thus providing a readily-accessible collaborative reference, in alignment with ethical animal research principles

Application of soluble bio-organic substances (SBO) as photocatalysts for wastewater treatment: Sensitizing effect and photo-Fenton-like process

Soluble bio-organic substances (SBO) isolated from urban biorefuses have been investigated in photocatalytic processes for wastewater treatment using a cationic dye, namely crystal violet (CV) as target compound. The SBO have been found to enhance the photobleaching of CV solutions with an optimal SBO concentration of ca. 20 mg L-1. Mechanistic investigation based on chemical probes and changes in the absorption spectrum of CV in the presence of SBO seems to indicate that a complex formed between sensitizer and substrate plays a major role in the process. SBO have also been tested for the implementation of photo-Fenton processes at circumneutral media: the observed pseudo first order rate constants for CV decoloration was higher for UV/SBO/Fe(II)/H2O2 (5.5 x 10(-3) min(-1)) than for UV/Fe(II)/H2O2 (1.5 x 10(-3) min(-1)). A modified mechanism, in which HO center dot are less relevant that at the acidic medium, is in agreement with results of experiments carried out with chemical probes. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Gomis Vicens, J.; Vercher Pérez, RF.; Amat Payá, AM.; Martire, DO.; Gonzalez, MC.; Prevot, AB.; Montoneri, E.... (2013). Application of soluble bio-organic substances (SBO) as photocatalysts for wastewater treatment: Sensitizing effect and photo-Fenton-like process. Catalysis Today. 209:176-180. doi:10.1016/j.cattod.2012.08.036S17618020

Identification and Properties of New Flavins in Electron-Transferring Flavoprotein from Peptostreptococcus elsdenii and Pig-Liver Glycolate Oxidase

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65168/1/j.1432-1033.1974.tb03515.x.pd

One life ends, another begins: Management of a brain-dead pregnant mother - A systematic review -

Background: An accident or a catastrophic disease may occasionally lead to brain death (BD) during pregnancy. Management of brain-dead pregnant patients needs to follow special strategies to support the mother in a way that she can deliver a viable and healthy child and, whenever possible, also be an organ donor. This review discusses the management of brain-dead mothers and gives an overview of recommendations concerning the organ supporting therapy. Methods: To obtain information on brain-dead pregnant women, we performed a systematic review of Medline, EMBASE and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). The collected data included the age of the mother, the cause of brain death, maternal medical complications, gestational age at BD, duration of extended life support, gestational age at delivery, indication of delivery, neonatal outcome, organ donation of the mothers and patient and graft outcome. Results: In our search of the literature, we found 30 cases reported between1982 and 2010. A nontraumatic brain injury was the cause of BD in 26 of 30 mothers. The maternal mean age at the time of BD was 26.5 years. The mean gestational age at the time of BD and the mean gestational age at delivery were 22 and 29.5 weeks, respectively. Twelve viable infants were born and survived the neonatal period. Conclusion: The management of a brain-dead pregnant woman requires a multidisciplinary team which should follow available standards, guidelines and recommendations both for a nontraumatic therapy of the fetus and for an organ-preserving treatment of the potential donor