Evaporation Estimation Using a Floating Pan

Almost all regions in the United States must accurately estimate evaporation to have effective water management programs. The purpose of this study is to develop a better method for measuring evaporation. Lake evaporation along with meteorological data are measured directly from a floating pan. The floating pan is specifically designed to account for one of the most sensitive parameters of evaporation, the water surface temperature, which the design achieves. However, other design factors such as air movement, solar radiation, stability, heat transfer, wave action, water level range, and site location were also taken into consideration. The evaporation measured from the floating pan is compared to the two aerodynamic methods, with the Sill (1983) method in close agreement. The evaporation estimate for the months of September and October, 2006 from the two aerodynamic methods provide a lower estimate of evaporation compared to the SCDNR land based pan data

Development of polyaniline nanotube electrocatalysts and sesor devices for phenolic-pollutants

Philosophiae Doctor - PhDAs a source of life, water is one of the most precious commodities for all living organisms. Water resources are reported to be declining in numbers or the amount of water present and the existing onses are being polluted as a result of negligent human activities and intense industrialisation. thus, there is an ever increasing demand to monitor the quality of portable and waste water in our surroundings in real time. This study has been directed towards the prepaparation of polyanilines.South Afric

Multiplicity, Invariants and Tensor Product Decomposition of Tame Representations of U(\infty)

The structure of r-fold tensor products of irreducible tame representations of the inductive limit U(\infty) of unitary groups U(n) are are described, versions of contragredient representations and invariants are realized on Bargmann-Segal-Fock spaces.Comment: 48 pages, LaTeX file, to appear in J. Math. Phy

The effect of loss incentives on prospective memory in healthy older adults: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial using ultra-high field fMRI.

BACKGROUND Prospective memory is important for our health and independence but declines with age. Hence, interventions to enhance prospective memory, for example by providing an incentive, may promote healthy ageing. The neuroanatomical correlates of prospective memory and the processing of incentive-related prospective memory changes in older adults are not fully understood. In an fMRI study, we will therefore test whether incentives improve prospective memory in older adults and how prospective memory is processed in the brain in general, and when incentives are provided. Since goals and interests change across adulthood, avoiding losses is becoming more important for older adults than achieving gains. We therefore posit that loss-related incentives will enhance prospective memory, which will be subserved by increased prefrontal and midbrain activity. METHODS We will include n = 60 healthy older adults (60-75 years of age) in a randomized, single-blind, and parallel-group study. We will acquire 7T fMRI data in an incentive group and a control group (n = 30 each, stratified by education, age, and sex). Before and after fMRI, all participants will complete questionnaires and cognitive tests to assess possible confounders (e.g., income, personality traits, sensitivity to reward or punishment). DISCUSSION The results of this study will clarify whether loss-related incentives can enhance prospective memory and how any enhancement is processed in the brain. In addition, we will determine how prospective memory is processed in the brain in general. The results of our study will be an important step towards a better understanding of how prospective memory changes when we get older and for developing interventions to counteract cognitive decline

Effect of a regular consumption of traditional and roasted oat and barley flakes on blood lipids and glucose metabolism–A randomized crossover trial

Background Regular consumption of the soluble dietary fiber β-glucan is associated with decreased total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and blood glucose. Barley and oat flakes as natural sources of β-glucan were roasted to improve sensory quality. The aim of this study was to investigate whether roasting of barley and oat flakes changes the physiological impact of the β-glucan-rich flakes on glucose and lipid metabolism. Method A five-armed randomized crossover trial design was used. The intervention study was conducted from May 2018 to May 2019 and included 32 healthy subjects with moderately increased LDL cholesterol (≥2.5 mmol/L). During the 3-week intervention periods, 80 g of roasted or traditional barley or oat flakes, or four slices of white toast bread per day were consumed for breakfast. At the start and the end of each intervention, fasting and postprandial blood was taken. The intervention periods were separated by 3-week wash-out periods. Results During the interventions with the cereal flakes, TC and LDL cholesterol concentrations were significantly reduced compared to baseline values by mean differences of 0.27–0.33 mmol/L and 0.21–0.30 mmol/L, respectively ( p < 0.05), while high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was only reduced after the intervention with barley flakes ( p < 0.05). After the intervention period with toast, TC and HDL cholesterol increased ( p < 0.05). The fasting levels of triglycerides, fasting blood glucose and insulin did not change in any group. The effects of traditional and roasted varieties on blood lipids did not differ between the groups. Conclusion The regular consumption of traditional or roasted barley and oat flakes contributes to the management of cardiovascular diseases by improving TC and LDL cholesterol. Clinical trial registration https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03648112 , identifier NCT03648112

HYDRAZIDE SCHIFF BASES OF ACETYLACETONATE METAL COMPLEXES: SYNTHESIS, SPECTROSCOPIC AND BIOLOGICAL STUDIES

Objective: The study was focused on the synthesis and spectroscopic studies of metal acetylacetonates and their complexes using bidentate Schiff-base ligands (NO), evaluation of their in-vitro antibacterial potentials against pathogenic microorganism.Methods: Acetylacetonate salts of Cobalt(II), Manganese(II) and Magnesium(II) were prepared by reacting their metal hydroxides with acetylacetone. The metal complexes of N'-{(E)-[4-(diethylamino)-2-hydroxyphenyl]methylidene}-4-nitrobenzohydrazide (HL1), N'-{(E)-[4-(diethylamino)-2-hydroxyphenyl]methylidene}-4-methoxybenzohydrazide (HL2) obtained from the condensation reaction of 4-(diethylamino)-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde and 4-nitrobenzohydrazide/ or 4-methoxybenzohydrazide. The synthesized compounds were characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), proton and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The compounds were screened for their antimicrobial properties against a list of Gram-positive bacterial strains.Results: The FT-IR spectra revealed that the Schiff bases acts as bidentate chelating ligand via nitrogen of the azomethine and phenolic oxygen atoms. NMR reveal the presence of azomethine (HC=N) and aromatic hydrogens at expected chemical shifts confirming the formation of the Schiff base ligands. Thermal decomposition behaviour was studied by thermogravimetry revealing stability up to 260 °C. The compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial potentials against Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis. The manganese acetylacetonato(N'-{(E)-[4-(diethylamino)-2-hydroxyphenyl]methylidene}-4-methoxybenzohydrazide: Mn(acac)(L2) exhibited antimicrobial activities against both Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 398.0 μg/mL.Conclusion: The prepared compounds showed no inhibition against the selected pathogenic microorganisms except for Mn(acac)(L2) Standard antibacterial compounds: ampicillin and ciprofloxacin were used as positive control. The antibacterial activity of the compound depends on the kind of substituent on the benzo hydrazide rings at the para position, thereby suggesting the compound as promising chemotherapeutic agents for further structural optimization.Â

Bimetallic Pt(II)-bipyridyl-diacetylide/Ln(III) tris-diketonate adducts based on a combination of coordinate bonding and hydrogen bonding between the metal fragments: syntheses, structures and photophysical properties

The luminescent Pt(II) complex [Pt(4,4'-Bu-t(2)-bipy){CC-(5-pyrimidinyl)}(2)] (1) was prepared by coupling of [Pt(4,4'-Bu-t(2)-bipy)Cl-2] with 5-ethynyl-pyrimidine, and contains two pyrimidinyl units pendant from a Pt(H) bipyridyl diacetylide core; it shows luminescence at 520 nm which is typical of Pt(II) luminophores of this type. Reaction with [Ln(hfac)(3)(H2O)(2)] (hfac = anion of hexafluoroacetylacetone) affords as crystalline solids the compounds [1 center dot {Ln(hfac)(3)(H2O)}{Ln(hfac)(3)(H2O)(2)}] (Ln = Nd, Gd, Er, Yb), in which the {Ln(hfac)(3)(H2O)} unit is coordinated to one pyrimidine ring via an N atom, whereas the {Ln(hfac)(3)(H2O)(2)} unit is associated with two N atoms, one from each pyrimidine ring of 1, via N center dot center dot center dot HOH hydrogen-bonding interactions involving the coordinated water ligands on the lanthanide centre. Solution spectroscopic studies show that the luminescence of 1 is partly quenched on addition of [Ln(hfac)(3)(H2O)(2)] (Ln = Er, Nd) by formation of Pt(II)/Ln(III) adducts in which Pt(II)-> Ln(III) photoinduced energy-transfer occurs to the low-lying f-f levels of the Ln(Ill) centre. Significant quenching occurs with both Er(Ill) and Nd(III) because both have several f-f states which match well the (MLCT)-M-3 emission energy of 1. Time-resolved luminescence studies show that Pt(II)-Er(III) energy-transfer (7.0 x 10(7) M-1) is around three times faster than Pt(II)-> Nd(III) energy-transfer (approximate to 2 x 10(7) M-1) over the same distance because the luminescence spectrum of l overlaps better with the absorption spectrum of Er(111) than with Nd(III). In contrast Yb(111) causes no significant quenching of 1 because it has only a single f-f excited level which is a poor energy match for the Pt(II)-based excited state

A simple angle-resolved thermal molecular beam reactor: applied to CO oxidation on Pt{110}

We developed a simple form of thermal molecular beam catalytic reactor system which is capable of measuring sticking probabilities and reaction probabilities, together with angle-resolved scattering of molecules and products during catalytic reactions at the surface. This includes very fast determination of the angle dependence of the reaction product flux at steady-state. It was employed to determine the oxidation of CO on Pt{110}-(1 × 2), including individual molecular sticking and scattering. The initial sticking probability of oxygen on Pt{110} shows a small variation between 140 and 750 K surface temperature, from 0.45 to 0.28. The saturation uptake drops from 1.5 ± 0.2 ML at 140 K to 0.6 ML at 300 K and to 0.23 ± 0.02 ML at 750 K. The initial sticking probability of CO at 300 K is 0.80 and decreases to 0.62 at 470 K. Beyond that temperature, it descends steeply down to near zero at 570 K, due to the high desorption rate of CO at that temperature. Kisliuk precursor mobility parameters K were calculated from shape of the sticking curves. For 300 K, a value of 0.11 ± 0.01 was found, which increases to 0.76 ± 0.01 at 470 K, indicating a change from considerable mobility in the precursor state, to more limited mobility before desorption at high temperature. In temperature-programmed CO-O2 reaction experiments, CO2 production was observed to initiate in the temperature region 460–510 K. Using isothermal angle-resolved experiments, the CO2 flux was determined in the [11¯0] plane at temperatures of 470–620 K. Two sharp scattering lobes at positions of ±16° off the surface normal were found, with a high cosine power angle dependence, which were attributed to desorption from the {111}-like microfacets of the 1 × 2 reconstructed surface, with products evolving over a high barrier

Decolorization of synthetic dyes by laccase immobilized on epoxy-activated carriers

The Myceliophthora thermophila laccase was covalently immobilized on polymethacrylate-based polymers (Sepabeads EC-EP3 and Dilbeads NK) activated with epoxy groups. The enzyme immobilized on Sepabeads EC-EP3 exhibited notable activity (203 U/g) along with remarkably improved stability towards pH, temperature and storage time, but no increased resistance to organic solvents. In addition, the immobilized laccase also showed good operational stability, maintaining 84% of its initial activity after 17 cycles of oxidation of ABTS. The immobilized biocatalyst was applied to the decolorization of six synthetic dyes. Immobilized laccase retained 41% activity in the decolorization of Methyl Green in a fixed-bed reactor after five cycles. The features of these biocatalysts are very attractive for their application on the decolorization of dyes in the textile industry in batch and continuous fixed-bed bioreactors. To our knowledge, this is the first report on immobilization of laccase on Sepabeads carriers and its efficient dyes decolorization.We thank Drs. Moreno Daminati and Paolo Caimi (Resindion) and Vyasa Rajasekar (DilComplex) for providing us Sepabeads EC-EP3 and Dilbeads NK polymers, respectively. We are grateful to Ramiro Martínez (Novozymes A/S, Spain) for DeniLite II S samples. This material is based upon work founded by Spanish MEC (Projects VEM2004-08559 and CTQ2005-08925-C02-02/PPQ); European Union (Project NMP2-CT-2006-026456) and CSIC (Project 200580M121). Spanish MEC is also thanked for the post-doctoral fellowship (SB2004-0011) of Dr. A. Kunamneni and for the Ramon y Cajal contracts of Drs. S. Camarero and M. Alcalde.This material is based upon work financed by Spanish MEC (Projects VEM2004-08559 and CTQ2005-08925-C02-02/PPQ); European Union (Project NMP2-CT-2006-026456) and CSIC (Project 200580M121). Spanish MEC is also thanked for the post-doctoral fellowship (SB2004-0011) of Dr. A. Kunamneni and for the Ramon y Cajal contracts of Drs. S. Camarero and M. Alcalde.Peer reviewe

Nutzerintegration bei der Produktentwicklung am Beispiel der Medizintechnik

Aus der Einführung: "Eine systematische Vorgehensweise entsprechend der Konstruktionsmethodik gilt als zielführender Ansatz bei der Findung von technischen Lösungen und der Entwicklung von Produkten. In der Literatur finden sich dazu zahlreiche Veröffentlichungen z. B. Feldhusen & Grote 2013; Ehrlenspiel 2014; Ehrlenspiel 2009; Roth 1994 und Livotov 2013. Die VDI Richtlinie 2221 „Methodik zum Entwickeln und Konstruieren technischer Systeme und Produkte“ (VDI 1993) beschreibt ebenfalls allgemeingültige Regeln bei der systematischen Lösungsfindung. Iterativ wird in mehreren Teilschritten eine zuvor definierte Aufgabe in eine Lösung überführt. Dabei werden die Phasen der Planung, der Konzeption, des Entwurfes und der Ausarbeitung durchschritten. In der Literatur und den Richtlinien ist jedoch keine explizite Rückkopplung mit dem Nutzer gefordert oder angedacht. Gerade vor dem Hintergrund der voranschreitenden Individualisierung der Produkte und kann hierin ein entscheidender Vorteil liegen. Entwicklungszyklen und die Zeit bis zur Markteinführung von Produkten können reduziert werden. Zudem ist von einer höheren Akzeptanz durch den Kunden auszugehen. ...