An Alternative to the Advection Dispersion Model for Interpreting Dye Tracing Studies in Fractured-Rock and Karst Aquifers

Due to the complexity of groundwater fl ow in fractured-rock and karst aquifers, solute transport models for these aquifers are typically stochastic models based on tracer transport studies. Water and tracers do not fl ow at one single advective velocity but experience a wide range of velocities, from rapid fl ow in conduits to near stagnant conditions in adjacent voids. This variance of velocities is referred to as dispersion and is traditionally described mathematically by the advection-dispersion equation (ADE). Analytical solutions to the ADE are available and are referred to as advection-dispersion models (ADM).The ADM is fitted to the tracer data by varying the parameters until a best-fit is achieved between the experimental residence time distribution (RTD) and the model RTD. The major shortcomings of this approach are due to the symmetry of the ADM and its associated prediction of finite concentrations at zero time and its inability to reflect the long upper tail typical in experimental RTD data. This paper presents an alternative conceptual approach to the ADM for modeling solute transport in fractured-rock and karst aquifers. In this approach the variance in fl ow velocities and fl ow path lengths are addressed directly by treating them as random, gamma distributed variables and deriving the RTD from a transformation of random variables based on the ratio of length to velocity and representing the RTD as a conditional probability distribution of time. The resulting four parameter (Gamma-RTD) model is relatively easily parameterized since the fl ow path length is tightly distributed about the known straight line distance between the injection point and the effluent. The model is demonstrated and contrasted to the ADM below by applying it to tracer data from a quantitative tracer study at Mammoth Cave National Park. The results indicate that the Gamma-RTD is superior to the ADM in modeling the shape as well as the area of the experimental RTD

The Effects of Coolant Pipe Geometry and Flow Conditions on Turbine Blade Film Cooling

The performance of gas turbine engines can be improved by increasing the inlet gas temperature. Turbine blades can be damaged by high gas temperature, unless additional cooling mechanisms are incorporated to maintain the blades below an acceptable temperature limit. Film cooling techniques are often used to cool the blades to avoid damages. The performance of film cooling depends on several parameters, however. In this paper past research on film cooling is reviewed and areas in need of further investigation are identified. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are then conducted on the widely-used single-hole film cooling arrangements in which coolant jets are injected into air flows inside a straight channel before issuing onto the blades. Cooling pipe-blade configurations and flow conditions are varied and the resulting flow hydrodynamics are examined. Counter rotating vortex pairs (CRVPs) formed in the flow strongly influence the film cooling performance. Small coolant inclination angles, exit holes enlargement in span wise direction, higher injected fluid density, and higher injectedambient fluid velocity ratios are all found to maintain the CRVPs away from each other and close to wall - both of which promote cooling. Pipe curvature can be used for enhancing cooling by exploiting the centrifugal force effect

Partners in Water Quality Monitoring at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

Water resources are essential to landscape development and maintenance of the extraordinary ecosystem at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky. The National Park Service has implemented many policies and management practices in an effort to maintain and improve the water quality in the park. As part of their resources management, the Park evaluates current hydrologic conditions, as well as, anticipates and responds to emerging issues. With regards to that goal, Mammoth Cave National Park Service partnered with Tennessee State University, the Mammoth Cave International Center for Science and Learning, and the U.S. Geological Survey on a series of water-related projects from 2007-2013. The objective of this paper is to highlight some of the findings and lessons learned from the past 6 years. Many of the results presented in this paper have been presented at other conferences or published in other reports. Collaborative projects included storm-water runoff from parking lots and roads, evaluating storm-water filters, and transport of chemicals in the caves. These projects purposefully engaged students to provide professional experience and educational outreach opportunities. Over 50 student presentations related to these monitoring activities have been made at regional and national conferences in the past 6 years, resulting in numerous awards and publications. Major funding or in-kind services were provided by the partnering agencies and institutions. Additional funding for supplies and student support was provided by the National Science Foundation (Opportunity for Enhancing Diversity in Geoscience, 2007-8; Undergraduate Research and Mentoring, 2009-13), and, the Department of Energy (Massey Chair – NNSA, 2007-13). The following summaries are excerpts from previously published student papers (West et al., 2010; Diehl et al., 2012, Embry, et al., 2012, West et al., 2012)

Sequential simulation (SqS) of clinical pathways: a tool for public and patient engagement in point-of-care diagnostics

Objectives: Public and patient engagement (PPE) is fundamental to healthcare research. To facilitate effective engagement in novel point-of-care tests (POCTs), the test and downstream consequences of the result need to be considered. Sequential simulation (SqS) is a tool to represent patient journeys and the effects of intervention at each and subsequent stages. This case study presents a process evaluation of SqS as a tool for PPE in the development of a volatile organic compound-based breath test POCT for the diagnosis of oesophagogastric (OG) cancer. Setting: Three 3-hour workshops in central London. Participants: 38 members of public attended a workshop, 26 (68%) had no prior experience of the OG cancer diagnostic pathway. Interventions: Clinical pathway SqS was developed from a storyboard of a patient, played by an actor, noticing symptoms of oesophageal cancer and following a typical diagnostic pathway. The proposed breath testing strategy was then introduced and incorporated into a second SqS to demonstrate pathway impact. Facilitated group discussions followed each SqS. Primary and secondary outcome measures: Evaluation was conducted through pre-event and postevent questionnaires, field notes and analysis of audiovisual recordings. Results: 38 participants attended a workshop. All participants agreed they were able to contribute to discussions and like the idea of an OG cancer breath test. Five themes emerged related to the proposed new breath test including awareness of OG cancer, barriers to testing and diagnosis, design of new test device, new clinical pathway and placement of test device. 3 themes emerged related to the use of SqS: participatory engagement, simulation and empathetic engagement, and why participants attended. Conclusions: SqS facilitated a shared immersive experience for participants and researchers that led to the coconstruction of knowledge that will guide future research activities and be of value to stakeholders concerned with the invention and adoption of POCT

Three Examples of Chemical Transport in Storm Runoff at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

The karst landscape at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, was formed by water through the dissolution of soluble rocks forming sinkholes, disappearing streams, emerging springs, closed depressions, and a combination of wet and dry caves. The Park’s cave streams and pools provide a home to unique organisms. Surface waters in the Park tend to rapidly drain into subsurface geologic features and caves. This rapid infiltration makes the subsurface vulnerable to contamination. The objective of this investigation was to characterize chemical transport from the surface into the cave. The preliminary results were achieved by tracer studies and monitoring water chemistry along known flowpaths. The results presented in this paper are the outcome of several studies occurring between 2009-2012 in a partnership between Mammoth Cave National Park, Tennessee State University, Mammoth Cave International Center for Science and Learning, and U.S. Geological Survey. Processes that influenced chemical transport included storm intensity, time between storms, epikarst saturation, dispersion, dilution, and complex fl ow paths in the geology

Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Antagonist Blocks the Development of Endometriosis In Vivo

Endometriosis, a disease of reproductive age women, is a major cause of infertility, menstrual disorders and pelvic pain. Little is known about its etiopathology, but chronic pelvic inflammation is a common feature in affected women. Beside symptomatic treatment of endometriosis-associated pain, only two main suboptimal therapeutic approaches (hormonal and invasive surgery) are generally recommended to patients and no specific targeted treatment is available. Our studies led to the detection of a marked increase in the expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in the eutopic endometrium, the peripheral blood and the peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis, and in early, vascularized and active endometriotic lesions. Herein, we developed a treatment model of endometriosis, where human endometrial tissue was first allowed to implant into the peritoneal cavity of nude mice, to assess in vivo the effect of a specific antagonist of MIF (ISO-1) on the progression of endometriosis and evaluate its efficacy as a potential therapeutic tool. Administration of ISO-1 led to a significant decline of the number, size and in situ dissemination of endometriotic lesions. We further showed that ISO-1 may act by significantly inhibiting cell adhesion, tissue remodeling, angiogenesis and inflammation as well as by altering the balance of pro- and anti-apoptotic factors. Actually, mice treatment with ISO-1 significantly reduced the expression of cell adhesion receptors αv and ß3 integrins (P<0.05), matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) 2 and 9 (P<0.05), vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) (P<0.01), interleukin 8 (IL8) (P<0.05), cyclooxygenease (COX)2 (P<0.001) and the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl2 (P<0.01), but significantly induced the expression of Bax (P<0.05), a potent pro-apoptotic protein. These data provide evidence that specific inhibition of MIF alters endometriotic tissue growth and progression in vivo and may represent a promising potential therapeutic avenue

Communicative competence as a basis for the creative interaction of the professional (vocational-technical) education institution's subjects: the special course for the audience members of the advanced training classes of professional education administra

Матеріали спецкурсу присвячено проблемі комунікативної компетентності керівників, новопризначених керівників та педагогічних працівників обласних навчально-(науково)-методичних центрів (кабінетів), закладів професійної (професійно-технічної) освіти для удосконалення власного досвіду та педагогічної майстерності. Зміст спецкурсу спрямовано на розвиток комунікативної взаємодії суб’єктів освітнього процесу, професійно-особистісного розвитку педагогічних кадрів. Спецкурс підготовлений для слухачів курсів підвищення кваліфікації керівних та педагогічних кадрів професійної (професійно-технічної) освіти у Центральному інституті післядипломної освіти ДВНЗ «Університет менеджменту освіти».The materials of special course are devoted to the problem of communicative competence of managers, newly appointed managers and pedagogical workers of regional educational (scientific) -methodic centers (offices), institutions of professional (vocational-technical) education for improving their own experience and pedagogical skills. The content of the special course aims to develop the communicative interaction between the subjects of the educational process, professional and personal development of teaching staff. The special course has been developed for management and pedagogical staff of vocational (vocational-technical) education refresher training at the Central Institute of Postgraduate Education "University of Education Management"

Dissecting the Shared Genetic Architecture of Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric Disorders, and Known Risk Factors

Background Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, and nonfatal suicide attempts, which occur far more frequently, are a major source of disability and social and economic burden. Both have substantial genetic etiology, which is partially shared and partially distinct from that of related psychiatric disorders. Methods We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 29,782 suicide attempt (SA) cases and 519,961 controls in the International Suicide Genetics Consortium (ISGC). The GWAS of SA was conditioned on psychiatric disorders using GWAS summary statistics via multitrait-based conditional and joint analysis, to remove genetic effects on SA mediated by psychiatric disorders. We investigated the shared and divergent genetic architectures of SA, psychiatric disorders, and other known risk factors. Results Two loci reached genome-wide significance for SA: the major histocompatibility complex and an intergenic locus on chromosome 7, the latter of which remained associated with SA after conditioning on psychiatric disorders and replicated in an independent cohort from the Million Veteran Program. This locus has been implicated in risk-taking behavior, smoking, and insomnia. SA showed strong genetic correlation with psychiatric disorders, particularly major depression, and also with smoking, pain, risk-taking behavior, sleep disturbances, lower educational attainment, reproductive traits, lower socioeconomic status, and poorer general health. After conditioning on psychiatric disorders, the genetic correlations between SA and psychiatric disorders decreased, whereas those with nonpsychiatric traits remained largely unchanged. Conclusions Our results identify a risk locus that contributes more strongly to SA than other phenotypes and suggest a shared underlying biology between SA and known risk factors that is not mediated by psychiatric disorders.Peer reviewe