Evaluation of Electrostatic Particle Ionization and Biocurtain™ Technologies to Reduce Air Pollutants from Broiler Houses

The continuing growth of poultry production, along with the increasing urbanization of rural areas, is leading to more odor-related complaints from neighboring communities and more scrutiny from policy makers. It is, therefore, in the best interest of poultry producers to look at control methods for abating odors. Previous studies have shown that substantial amounts of volatile and odorous compounds are adsorbed and transported by dust particles. Thus, by reducing the amount of dust emitted from poultry facilities such as broiler houses, odor may be reduced as well. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of two commercially available control technologies (BioCurtain™ and electrostatic particle ionization (EPI) system) in reducing the total suspended particulate matter (TSP), particulate matter \u3c10 \u3eμm in diameter (PM10), ammonia (NH3), and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) emitted from a broiler facility in Texas. The study was conducted at a broiler production facility in two identically designed, ventilated, and managed broiler houses where one served as the treatment house and the other, the control. Measurements were done on two consecutive days each in September and December 2010. BioCurtain™ was tested independently on the first day and in combination with and the EPI on the second day. Reductions in the NH3 and H2S emission rates by as much as 8% (1040 vs. 943 g/h for NH3 and 9.2 vs. 8.4 g/h for H2S) and by as much as 43% (396 vs. 227 g/h) for the TSP emission rates were achieved with the BioCurtain ™. The EPI system reduced the NH3, H2S, and TSP emission rates by as much as 17%, 34% and 39%, respectively. Economic analysis showed that operating the automated EPI and BioCurtain™ system for one 14 m wide and 152 m long broiler building housing an average of 23,000 birds will cost $0.06 per bird

High temperature vapor pressure and the critical point of potassium

The vapor pressure of potassium was experimentally determined from 2100 deg F up to-its critical temperature. An empirical equation of the form ln P = A + B/T + C ln T + DT/sup 1.5/ was found to best fit the data. A critical pressure of 2378.2 plus or minus 4.0 psia (161.79 plus or minus 0.27 ata) was measured. The corresponding critical temperature, extrapolated from the pressure-- temperature curve, is 4105.4 plus or minus 5 deg R (2280.8 plus or minus 3 deg K). The technique employed was tae pressure tube method developed earlier in this laboratory and used for determining the vapor pressure of rubidium and cesium. This method measures tae critical pressure directly, as well as the vapor pressure st lower temperatures. (4 tables, 6 figures, 26 references) (auth

Intermediate coupling fixed point study in the overscreened regime of generalized multichannel SU(N) Kondo models

We study a generalized multichannel single-impurity Kondo model, in which the impurity spin is described by a representation of the SU(N) group which combines bosonic and fermionic degrees of freedom. The impurity spin states are described by Abrikosov pseudofermions, and we make use of a method initiated by Popov and Fedotov which allows a proper handling of the fermionic constraint. The partition function is derived within a path integral approach. We use renormalization group techniques to calculate the $\beta$ scaling function perturbatively in powers of the Kondo coupling constant, which is justified in the weak coupling limit. The truncated expansion is valid in the overscreened (Nozieres-Blandin) regime, for an arbitrary SU(N) group and any value of the parameters characterizing the impurity spin representation. The intermediate coupling fixed point is identified. We derive the temperature dependence of various physical quantities at low T, controlled by a unique critical exponent, and show that the physics of the system in the overscreened regime governed by the intermediate coupling fixed point is characterized by a non-Fermi liquid behavior. Our results are in accordance with those obtained by other methods, as Bethe ansatz and boundary conformal field theory, in the case of various impurity spin symmetries. We establish in a unified way that the Kondo models in which the impurity spin is described successively by a fundamental, symmetric, antisymmetric and mixed symmetry representation yield all the same low-energy physics in the overscreened regime. Possible generalizations of the analysis we present to the case of arbitrary impurity spin representations of SU(N) are also discussed.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures, REVTeX; final version accepted for publicatio

Chicamocha Canyon Geopark project: A novel strategy for the socio-economic development of Santander (Colombia) through geoeducation, geotourism and geoconservation

The proposed Chicamocha Canyon Geopark project is starting its way for nomination as a UNESCO Global Geopark under the recognition of the Global Geoparks Network. This paper aims to present the justifications of establishing this geopark. It also assesses the potential role of a geopark figure in Santander as an urgent measure to promote the geoconservation of the Chicamocha Canyon territory. The success of this project will not only improve the living conditions of local communities, but also will be a reference model in terms of geological conservation at national and international level. The Chicamocha Canyon, where is proposed to develop this project, has a great potential for the development of the tourism industry due to climatic conditions of the region, besides possessing a rich cultural and natural heritage that needs to be enhanced and protected. Undoubtedly, this initiative should satisfy all the requirements to be a UNESCO Global Geopark, which include a delimited area that defines a territory, the occurrence of geological features of international importance with scientific, educational and aesthetic value, the presence of other types of heritage such as archaeological sites, as well as a proper access infrastructure that favors the socio-economic development of the region. In order to guarantee the successful consolidation of the proposed geopark within the defined territory, this initiative must count the strong support of the local communities and must involve stakeholders such as government authorities, academic and research institutions, and local businesses

Thermodynamics of the dissipative two-state system: a Bethe Ansatz study

The thermodynamics of the dissipative two-state system is calculated exactly for all temperatures and level asymmetries for the case of Ohmic dissipation. We exploit the equivalence of the two-state system to the anisotropic Kondo model and extract the thermodynamics of the former by solving the thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz equations of the latter. The universal scaling functions for the specific heat $C_{\alpha}(T)$ and static dielectric susceptibility $\chi_{\alpha}(T)$ are extracted for all dissipation strengths $0<\alpha<1$ for both symmetric and asymmetric two-state systems. The logarithmic corrections to these quantities at high temperatures are found in the Kondo limit $\alpha\to 1^{-}$, whereas for $\alpha< 1$ we find the expected power law temperature dependences with the powers being functions of the dissipative coupling $\alpha$. The low temperature behaviour is always that of a Fermi liquid.Comment: 24 pages, 32 PS figures. Typos corrected, final versio

PCR-mediated detection of acidophilic, bioleaching-associated bacteria

The detection of acidophilic microorganisms from mining environments by culture methods is time consuming and unreliable. Several PCR approaches were developed to amplify small-subunit rRNA sequences from the DNA of six bacterial phylotypes associated with acidic mining environments, permitting the detection of the target DNA at concentrations as low as 10 fg

Concurrent use of prescription drugs and herbal medicinal products in older adults: A systematic review

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.The use of herbal medicinal products (HMPs) is common among older adults. However, little is known about concurrent use with prescription drugs as well as the potential interactions associated with such combinations. Objective Identify and evaluate the literature on concurrent prescription and HMPs use among older adults to assess prevalence, patterns, potential interactions and factors associated with this use. Methods Systematic searches in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, Web of Science and Cochrane from inception to May 2017 for studies reporting concurrent use of prescription medicines with HMPs in adults (≥65 years). Quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklists. The Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre (EPPI-Centre) three stage approach to mixed method research was used to synthesise data. Results Twenty-two studies were included. A definition of HMPs or what was considered HMP was frequently missing. Prevalence of concurrent use by older adults varied widely between 5.3% and 88.3%. Prescription medicines most combined with HMPs were antihypertensive drugs, beta blockers, diuretics, antihyperlipidemic agents, anticoagulants, analgesics, antihistamines, antidiabetics, antidepressants and statins. The HMPs most frequently used were: ginkgo, garlic, ginseng, St John’s wort, Echinacea, saw palmetto, evening primrose oil and ginger. Potential risks of bleeding due to use of ginkgo, garlic or ginseng with aspirin or warfarin was the most reported herb-drug interaction. Some data suggests being female, a lower household income and less than high school education were associated with concurrent use. Conclusion Prevalence of concurrent prescription drugs and HMPs use among older adults is substantial and potential interactions have been reported. Knowledge of the extent and manner in which older adults combine prescription drugs will aid healthcare professionals can appropriately identify and manage patients at risk.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Recurrence dynamics does not depend on the recurrence site

Introduction: The dynamics of breast cancer recurrence and death, indicating a bimodal hazard rate pattern, has been confirmed in various databases. A few explanations have been suggested to help interpret this finding, assuming that each peak is generated by clustering of similar recurrences and different peaks result from distinct categories of recurrence. Methods: The recurrence dynamics was analysed in a series of 1526 patients undergoing conservative surgery at the National Cancer Institute of Milan, Italy, for whom the site of first recurrence was recorded. The study was focused on the first clinically relevant event occurring during the follow up (ie, local recurrence, distant metastasis, contralateral breast cancer, second primary tumour), the dynamics of which was studied by estimating the specific hazard rate.Results The hazard rate for any recurrence (including both local and distant disease relapses) displayed a bimodal pattern with a first surge peaking at about 24 months and a second peak at almost 60 months. The same pattern was observed when the whole recurrence risk was split into the risk of local recurrence and the risk of distant metastasis. However, the hazard rate curves for both contralateral breast tumours and second primary tumours revealed a uniform course at an almost constant level. When patients with distant metastases were grouped by site of recurrence (soft tissue, bone, lung or liver or central nervous system), the corresponding hazard rate curves displayed the typical bimodal pattern with a first peak at about 24 months and a later peak at about 60 months.Conclusions The bimodal dynamics for early stage breast cancer recurrence is again confirmed, providing support to the proposed tumour-dormancy-based model. The recurrence dynamics does not depend on the site of metastasis indicating that the timing of recurrences is generated by factors influencing the metastatic development regardless of the seeded organ. This finding supports the view that the disease course after surgical removal of the primary tumour follows a common pathway with well-defined steps and that the recurrence risk pattern results from inherent features of the metastasis development process, which are apparently attributable to tumour cells

Communication, development, and social change in Spain: A field between institutionalization and implosion

This paper renders an account of the rapid institutionalization of the academic field of Communication for Development and Social Change (CDCS) in Spain in recent years following a period of neglect and marginalization. The ongoing expansion of the field of CDSC in the Spanish context is understood as a process of implosion, i.e. a collapse inwards, which results from the inconsistencies and weaknesses of fast and late institutionalization. The methodological approach for this inquiry is a documental review of both academic literature and research and institutional reports produced in Spain between 1980 and 2010. Based on this review, the paper contrasts the trajectory of the field in Spain with the debates at the international level, establishing relevant continuities and differences.This article is part of the Research Project (Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Spain) CSO2014-52005-R titled ‘Evaluation and Monitoring of Communication for Development and Social Change in Spain: design of indicators to measure its social impact’ (2015–2017)17 página