155 research outputs found

    Cryogenic Insulation System

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    This invention relates to reusable, low density, high temperature cryogenic foam insulation systems and the process for their manufacture. A pacing technology for liquid hydrogen fueled, high speed aircraft is the development of a fully reusable, flight weight cryogenic insulation system for propellant tank structures. In the invention cryogenic foam insulation is adhesively bonded to the outer wall of the fuel tank structure. The cryogenic insulation consists of square sheets fabricated from an array of abutting square blocks. Each block consists of a sheet of glass cloth adhesively bonded between two layers of polymethacrylimide foam. Each block is wrapped in a vapor impermeable membrane, such as Kapton(R) aluminum Kapton(R), to provide a vapor barrier. Very beneficial results can be obtained by employing the present invention in conjunction with fibrous insulation and an outer aeroshell, a hot fuselage structure with an internal thermal protection system

    Advancing socioecological mental health promotion intervention: A mixed methods exploration of Phase 1 Agenda Gap findings

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    Introduction: Protecting and promoting the mental health of youth under 30 years of age is a priority, globally. Yet investment in mental health promotion, which seeks to strengthen the determinants of positive mental health and wellbeing, remains limited relative to prevention, treatment, and recovery. The aim of this paper is to contribute empirical evidence to guide innovation in youth mental health promotion, detailing the early outcomes of Agenda Gap, an intervention centering youth-led policy advocacy to influence positive mental health for individuals, families, communities and society.Methods: Leveraging a convergent mixed methods design, this study draws on data from n = 18 youth (ages 15 to 17) in British Columbia, Canada, who contributed to pre- and post-intervention surveys and post-intervention qualitative interviews following their participation in Agenda Gap from 2020-2021. These data are supplemented by qualitative interviews with n = 4 policy and other adult allies. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed in parallel, using descriptive statistics and reflexive thematic analysis, and then merged for interpretation.Results: Quantitative findings suggest Agenda Gap contributes to improvements in mental health promotion literacy as well as several core positive mental health constructs, such as peer and adult attachment and critical consciousness. However, these findings also point to the need for further scale development, as many of the available measures lack sensitivity to change and are unable to distinguish between higher and lower levels of the underlying construct. Qualitative findings provided nuanced insights into the shifts that resulted from Agenda Gap at the individual, family, and community level, including reconceptualization of mental health, expanded social awareness and agency, and increased capacity for influencing systems change to promote positive mental health and wellbeing.Discussion: Together, these findings illustrate the promise and utility of mental health promotion for generating positive mental health impacts across socioecological domains. Using Agenda Gap as an exemplar, this study underscores that mental health promotion programming can contribute to gains in positive mental health for individual intervention participants whilst also enhancing collective capacity to advance mental health and equity, particularly through policy advocacy and responsive action on the social and structural determinants of mental health

    Modelling biological N fixation and grass-legume dynamics with process-based biogeochemical models of varying complexity

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    This work was conducted by the Models4Pastures consortium project under the auspices of FACCE-JPI. Funding was provided by: the New Zealand Government to support the objectives of the Livestock Research Group of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases; AgResearch’s Strategic Science Investment Fund as a contribution to the Forages for Reduced Nitrate Leaching (FRNL) research programme; the input of UK partners was funded by DEFRA and also contributes to the RCUK-funded projects: N-Circle (BB/N013484/1), UGRASS (NE/M016900/1) and GREENHOUSE (NE/K002589/1). R.M. Rees and C.F.E. Topp also received funding from the Scottish Government Strategic Research Programme. Lutz Merbold and Kathrin Fuchs acknowledge funding received for the Swiss contribution to Models4Pastures (FACCE-JPI project, SNSF funded contract: 40FA40_154245/1) and for the Doc.Mobility fellowship (SNSF funded project: P1EZP2_172121). Lorenzo Brilli, Camilla Dibari and Marco Bindi acknowledge funding received from the Italian Ministry of Agricultural Food and Forestry Policies (MiPAAF).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

    Evaluating the Potential of Legumes to Mitigate N2O Emissions From Permanent Grassland Using Process-Based Models

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    Funding Information: This modeling study was a joint effort of the Models4Pastures project within the framework of FACCE-JPI. Lutz Merbold and Kathrin Fuchs acknowledge funding received for the Swiss contribution to Models4Pastures (FACCE-JPI project, SNSF funded contract: 40FA40_154245/1) and for the Doc. Mobility fellowship (SNSF funded project: P1EZP2_172121). Lutz Merbold further acknowledges the support received for CGIAR Fund Council, Australia (ACIAR), Irish Aid, the European Union, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, UK, USAID, and Thailand for funding to the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) as well as for the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock. The NZ contributors acknowledge funding from the New Zealand Government Ministry of Primary Industries to support the aims of the Livestock Research Group of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases and from AgResearch's Strategic Science Investment Fund (the Forages for Reduced Nitrate Leaching (FRNL) research program). The UK partners acknowledge funding by DEFRA and the RCUK projects: N-Circle (BB/N013484/1), UGRASS (NE/M016900/1), and GREENHOUSE (NE/K002589/1). R.M. Rees and C.F.E. Topp also received funding from the Scottish Government Strategic Research Programme. Lorenzo Brilli, Camilla Dibari, and Marco Bindi received funding from the Italian Ministry of Agricultural Food and Forestry Policies (MiPAAF). The FR partners acknowledge funding from CN-MIP project funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR-13-JFAC-0001) and from ADEME (no. 12-60-C0023). Open access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL Funding Information: This modeling study was a joint effort of the Models4Pastures project within the framework of FACCE‐JPI. Lutz Merbold and Kathrin Fuchs acknowledge funding received for the Swiss contribution to Models4Pastures (FACCE‐JPI project, SNSF funded contract: 40FA40_154245/1) and for the Doc. Mobility fellowship (SNSF funded project: P1EZP2_172121). Lutz Merbold further acknowledges the support received for CGIAR Fund Council, Australia (ACIAR), Irish Aid, the European Union, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, UK, USAID, and Thailand for funding to the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) as well as for the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock. The NZ contributors acknowledge funding from the New Zealand Government Ministry of Primary Industries to support the aims of the Livestock Research Group of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases and from AgResearch's Strategic Science Investment Fund (the Forages for Reduced Nitrate Leaching (FRNL) research program). The UK partners acknowledge funding by DEFRA and the RCUK projects: N‐Circle (BB/N013484/1), UGRASS (NE/M016900/1), and GREENHOUSE (NE/K002589/1). R.M. Rees and C.F.E. Topp also received funding from the Scottish Government Strategic Research Programme. Lorenzo Brilli, Camilla Dibari, and Marco Bindi received funding from the Italian Ministry of Agricultural Food and Forestry Policies (MiPAAF). The FR partners acknowledge funding from CN‐MIP project funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR‐13‐JFAC‐0001) and from ADEME (no. 12‐60‐C0023). Open access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL Publisher Copyright: ©2020. The Authors. Open access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEALPeer reviewedPublisher PD

    Quantifying the habitat and zoogeomorphic capabilities of spawning European barbel Barbus barbus, a lithophilous cyprinid

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    Suitable gravel availability is critical for the spawning success of lithophilous fishes, including redd builders. Redd construction during spawning can alter substrate characteristics, thereby influencing hydraulic conditions and sediment transport, highlighting the importance of spawning as a zoogeomorphic activity. Here, interactions between redd‐building fish and their spawning environment were investigated for European barbel Barbus barbus with a comparative approach across three English rivers: Teme (western), Great Ouse (eastern) and Idle (central). Sediment characteristics of spawning habitats were similar across the rivers, including subsurface fine sediment (<2 mm) content (≈20% dry weight), but elevated subsurface silt content and coarser surface sediments were found in the river Teme. Water velocities were similar at spawning sites despite differences in channel width and depth. Redds were characterized by a pit and tailspill, with no differences in surface grain‐size characteristics between these and the surrounding riverbed, but with topographic alteration (dimensions and tailspill amplitude) in line with those of salmonids. Estimates of the fraction of the bed that spawning barbel were capable of moving exceeded 97% in all rivers. Estimated reproductive potential varied significantly between the rivers Idle and Teme (3,098 to 9,715 eggs/m2), which was largely due to differences in barbel lengths affecting fecundity. Larger barbel, capable of producing and depositing more eggs, but in more spatially extensive redds, meaning fewer redds per given surface area of riverbed. Predictions of barbel egg mortality based on sand content were low across both rivers. The effects of silt on barbel egg and larvae development are unknown, but the levels detected here would significantly impact salmon egg mortality. Similarities in fish length to redd area and the size of moveable grains by spawning barbel and salmon suggest they have similar geomorphic effects on sediments, although fine sediment tolerance is highly divergent

    Internal Jugular Vein Cross-Sectional Area Enlargement Is Associated with Aging in Healthy Individuals.

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    Internal jugular vein (IJV) narrowing has been implicated in central nervous system pathologies, however normal physiological age- and gender-related IJV variance in healthy individuals (HIs) has not been adequately assessed.We assessed the relationship between IJV cross-sectional area (CSA) and aging.This study involved 193 HIs (63 males and 130 females) who received 2-dimensional magnetic resonance venography at 3T. The minimum CSA of the IJVs at cervical levels C2/C3, C4, C5/C6, and C7/T1 was obtained using a semi-automated contouring-thresholding technique. Subjects were grouped by decade. Pearson and partial correlation (controlled for cardiovascular risk factors, including hypertension, heart disease, smoking and body mass index) and analysis of variance analyses were used, with paired t-tests comparing side differences.Mean right IJV CSA ranges were: in males, 41.6 mm2 (C2/C3) to 82.0 mm2 (C7/T1); in females, 38.0 mm2 (C2/C3) to 62.3 mm2 (C7/T1), while the equivalent left side ranges were: in males, 28.0 mm2 (C2/C3) to 52.2 mm2 (C7/T1); in females, 27.2 mm2 (C2/C3) to 47.8 mm2 (C7/T1). The CSA of the right IJVs was significantly larger (p<0.001) than the left at all cervical levels. Controlling for cardiovascular risk factors, the correlation between age and IJV CSA was more robust in males than in the females for all cervical levels.In HIs age, gender, hand side and cervical location all affect IJV CSA. These findings suggest that any definition of IJV stenosis needs to account for these factors

    The Eighth Central European Conference "Chemistry towards Biology": snapshot

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    The Eighth Central European Conference "Chemistry towards Biology" was held in Brno, Czech Republic, on 28 August – 1 September 2016The Eighth Central European Conference "Chemistry towards Biology" was held in Brno, Czech Republic, on 28 August-1 September 2016 to bring together experts in biology, chemistry and design of bioactive compounds; promote the exchange of scientific results, methods and ideas; and encourage cooperation between researchers from all over the world. The topics of the conference covered "Chemistry towards Biology", meaning that the event welcomed chemists working on biology-related problems, biologists using chemical methods, and students and other researchers of the respective areas that fall within the common scope of chemistry and biology. The authors of this manuscript are plenary speakers and other participants of the symposium and members of their research teams. The following summary highlights the major points/topics of the meeting
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