Geodetic measurements at sea floor spreading centers

A network of 8 or more precision transponder units mounted on the sea floor and interrogated periodically from an instrument package towed near bottom through the area to provide the necessary spatial averaging could provide a practical system for observing the pattern of buildup of strain at intermediate and fast spreading centers

Near-bottom seismic profiling: High lateral variability, anomalous amplitudes, and estimates of attenuation

For almost a decade the Marine Physical Laboratory of Scripps Institution of Oceanography has been conducting near‐bottom geophysical surveys involving quantitative seismic profiling. Operating initially at 4 kHz and more recently at 6 kHz, this system has provided a wealth of fine scale quantitative data on the acoustic properties of ocean sediments. Over lateral distances of a few meters, 7‐dB changes in overall reflected energy as well as 10‐dB changes from individual reflectors have been observed. Anomalously high amplitudes from deep reflectors have been commonly observed, suggesting that multilayer interference is prevalent in records from such pulsed cw profilers. This conclusion is supported by results from sediment core physical property work and related convolution modeling, as well as by the significant differences observed between 4‐ and 6‐kHz profiles. In general, however, lateral consistency has been adequate in most areas surveyed to permit good estimates of acoustic attenuation from returns from dipping reflectors and sediment wedges

Acceleration measurements in the deep ocean

The study of surface waves in the deep ocean can be carried out effectively by using a new technique: measurement of accelerations of a small water mass well below the surface. Instrumentation for carrying out such measurements is described in detail, including a special accelerometer, neutrally buoyant case, long lightweight slack wire, and data-recording equipment. Some initial results achieved with this equipment are shown and the possibility of broader applications of this technique for wave and gravity measurements at sea are discussed briefly

Analysis of a method for precisely relating a seafloor point to a distant point on land

A study of the environmental constraints and engineering aspects of the acoustic portion of a system for making geodetic ties between undersea reference points and others on land is described. Important areas in which to make such observations initially would be from the California mainland out to oceanic points seaward of the San Andreas fault, and across the Aleutian Trench. The overall approach would be to operate a GPS receiver in a relative positioning (interferometric) mode to provide the long range element of the baseline determination (10 to 1,000 km) and an array of precision sea floor acoustic transponders to link the locally moving sea surface GPS antenna location to a fixed sea floor point. Analyses of various environmental constrants (tides, waves, currents, sound velocity variations) lead to the conclusion that, if one uses a properly designed transponder having a remotely controllable precise retransmission time delay, and is careful with regard to methods for installing these on the sea floor, one should, in many ocean locations, be able to achieve sub-decimeter overall system accuracy. Achievements of cm accuracy or better will require additional understanding of time and space scales of variation of sound velocity structure in the ocean at relevant locations

Method and system for measuring sound velocity

A method and system for determining the speed of sound in a fluidic medium by determining the travel time of an acoustical signal a predetermined distance in a fluidic medium by generating a cyclical reference signal of a predetermined frequency and transmitting a portion of the reference signal through the medium. The transmitted portion of the reference signal is received after travelling a predetermined distance in the fluidic medium. The cycles of the cyclical reference signal are counted during the period of time between the transmitting and receiving of the portion of the reference signal wherein the travel time of the portion of the reference signal, is the number of cycle counts divided by the frequency. The speed of the acoustical signal through the fluidic medium is a function of the path length divided by the travel time

SeisCORK meeting report

SeisCORK meeting, November 15 and 16, 2004, Stress/Mohr Engineering, Houston, Texas 77041-1205The purpose of this meeting was to explore design options to simultaneously acquire borehole seismic data and hydro-geological data (pressure, temperature, fluid sampling and microbiological sampling) on a single CORK system. The scientific focus was to add a seismic component to the Juan de Fuca Hydrogeology program. By permanently installing a sensor string in the borehole our goal was to enable: l) time-lapse VSP's and offset VSP's with sufficient data quality to study amplitude versus offset, shear wave anisotropy, and lateral heterogeneity; 2) monitoring of micro- and nano- earthquake activity around the site for correlation with pressure transients. Because of the difficulty in ensuring adequate coupling through multiple casing strings we concluded that it was impractical to install the vertical seismic array with 10m spacing (50-60 nodes) that would be necessary for VSP's and time-lapse VSP's. We did describe a scenario for a vertical seismic array with approximately 100m spacing (5-6 nodes) that could be used for offset-VSP's and seismic monitoring. This uses some unique technology and involves two seismic strings: one in the annulus between the 4- 1/2" and 10-3/4" casings and one in the middle of the 4-1/2" casing.Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. OCE-0450318

Rigorous Model-Based Design and Experimental Verification of Enzyme-Catalyzed Carboligation under Enzyme Inactivation

Enzyme catalyzed reactions are complex reactions due to the interplay of the enzyme, the reactants, and the operating conditions. To handle this complexity systematically and make use of a design space without technical restrictions, we apply the model based approach of elementary process functions (EPF) for selecting the best process design for enzyme catalysis problems. As a representative case study, we consider the carboligation of propanal and benzaldehyde catalyzed by benzaldehyde lyase from Pseudomonas fluorescens (PfBAL) to produce (R)-2-hydroxy-1-phenylbutan-1-one, because of the substrate dependent reaction rates and the challenging substrate dependent PfBAL inactivation. The apparatus independent EPF concept optimizes the material fluxes influencing the enzyme catalyzed reaction for the given process intensification scenarios. The final product concentration is improved by 13% with the optimized feeding rates, and the optimization results are verified experimentally. In general, the rigorous model driven approach could lead to selecting the best existing reactor, designing novel reactors for enzyme catalysis, and combining protein engineering and process systems engineering concept

The future of antiviral immunotoxins

Abstract There is a constant need for new therapeutic interventions in a wide range of infectious diseases. Over the past few years, the immunotoxins have entered the stage as promising antiviral treatments. Immunotoxins have been extensively explored in cancer treatment and have achieved FDA approval in several cases. Indeed, the design of new anticancer immunotoxins is a rapidly developing field. However, at present, several immunotoxins have been developed targeting a variety of different viruses with high specificity and efficacy. Rather than blocking a viral or cellular pathway needed for virus replication and dissemination, immunotoxins exert their effect by killing and eradicating the pool of infected cells. By targeting a virus-encoded target molecule, it is possible to obtain superior selectivity and drastically limit the side effects, which is an immunotoxin-related challenge that has hindered the success of immunotoxins in cancer treatment. Therefore, it seems beneficial to use immunotoxins for the treatment of virus infections. One recent example showed that targeting of virus-encoded 7 transmembrane (7TM) receptors by immunotoxins could be a future strategy for designing ultraspecific antiviral treatment, ensuring efficient internalization and hence efficient eradication of the pool of infected cells, both in vitro and in vivo. In this review, we provide an overview of the mechanisms of action of immunotoxins and highlight the advantages of immunotoxins as future anti-viral therapies.</jats:p