A possible shock effect associated with seaquakes

The effects of earthquakes felt on board vessels at sea are discussed along with the possibility of cohesive shock wave propagating through the ocean. The large earthquake of shallow focus which occurred on 29 April 1970, in the Guatemala Basin is analyzed. The thermal information recorded by ITOS-1 spacecraft showed an anomalous temperature enhancement of +3 K in the immediate vicinity, indicating a thermal effect attributed to shock waves

Atmospheric and Oceanographic Information Processing System (AOIPS) system description

The development of hardware and software for an interactive, minicomputer based processing and display system for atmospheric and oceanographic information extraction and image data analysis is described. The major applications of the system are discussed as well as enhancements planned for the future

Dendrochronological dating of coal mine workings at the Joggins Fossil Cliffs, Nova Scotia, Canada

Joggins, Nova Scotia was one of the first places in North America where coal was mined. In this paper we employ dendrochronology to date timber pit props preserved within relic coal mine workings on the closely adjacent Fundy and Dirty seams. These remains comprise a system of adits created through ‘room and pillar’ mining. Of the seventy-three samples collected, forty-eight were successfully cross-dated against a local red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) master chronology thereby establishing the year in which each individual sample was cut as a live tree. Results indicate cut dates of 1849-1875 which are generally consistent with written archival records of mining activity on these coal seams. Our analysis of fourteen separate adits allows us to distinguish two phases of mining. Most adits (numbers 1-9 and 11-12 with cut dates of 1849-1868) are relics of an initial operation by the General Mining Association (1865-1871), which opened a mine entered at beach level. Dendrochronological dates preceding the opening of this mine may suggest that timber stockpiled from the nearby Joggins Mine (opened 1847) was used in its construction. The remaining adits (numbers 10 and 13-14 with cut dates of 1873-1875) are probably relics of a later mine opened by the Joggins Coal Mining Company (1872-1877). Although this mine was centered ~500 m inland, its western peripheral workings passed through the earlier workings to the shore. Findings improve knowledge of the industrial archaeology of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and help refine the regional master red spruce chronology for future dendrochronological studies

It is unprecedented : trial management during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

Funding: UKTMN is funded by the Nuffield Department of Population Health (NDPH) at the University of Oxford. Acknowledgments: We thank Graeme MacLennan, Director of the Centre for Health Care Randomised Trials (CHaRT) for the inspiration for this article and UKTMN members for their input into its content. We also thank the huge clinical trial community, both nationally and internationally, for continuing to run clinical trials in these challenging times, and for regulatory agencies to adapting their processes to enable efficiencies.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Improved THETA-1 for light olefins oligomerization to diesel: Influence of textural and acidic properties

The increase in diesel demand, especially in Europe, and the need for high fuel quality requirements are forcing refiners to move into additional processes for production of high cetane diesel in order to meet the present market trends. Oligomerization of light olefins into middle distillate range products is a viable option. The fuel produced through this technology is environmentally friendly, free of sulfur and aromatics, and the adequate choice of the heterogeneous catalyst will direct the selectivity towards low branched oligomers, which will result in a high quality product. In this work we show the benefits of combining basic desilication treatments for generation of additional mesoporosity in mono-directional Theta-1 zeolite, with selective acid dealumination steps that restore not only the microporosity to values close to those of the parent samples, but also the total and strong Bronsted acidity. These modified Theta-1 zeolites present an outstanding catalytic behavior for oligomerization of propene, with a largely increased initial activity, a much higher resistance to deactivation with time on stream, and an improved selectivity to products in the diesel fraction, as compared to the original microporous Theta-1.The authors thank BP Products of North America for their financial support and permission to publish this work, and Consolider Ingenio 2010-Multicat, the "Severo Ochoa Program", and MAT2012-31657 for financial support. R. Sanchis is acknowledged for technical support.Martínez, C.; Doskocil, EJ.; Corma Canós, A. (2014). Improved THETA-1 for light olefins oligomerization to diesel: Influence of textural and acidic properties. Topics in Catalysis. 57(6-9):668-682. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11244-013-0224-xS668682576-9Bellussi G, Mizia F, Calemma V, Pollesel P, Millini R (2012) Microporous Mesoporous Mater 164:127–134Bellussi G, Carati A, Millini R (2010) In: Cejka J, Corma A, Zones S (eds) Zeolites and Catalysis. Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co., Weinheim, pp 449–491Martinez C, Corma A (2011) Coord Chem Rev 255:1558–1580de Klerk A (2005) Ind Eng Chem Res 44:3887–3893de Klerk A (2006) Energy Fuels 20:439–445de Klerk A (2006) Energy Fuels 20:1799–1805Egloff G (1936) Ind Eng Chem Res 28:1461–1467Degnan TF Jr, Smith CM, Venkat CR (2001) Appl Catal A Gen 221:283–294Apelian MR, Boulton JR, Fung AS (1994) US5284989, to Mobil OilQuann RJ, Green LA, Tabak SA, Krambeck FJ (1988) Ind Eng Chem Res 27:565–570Tabak SA, Krambeck FJ, Garwood WE (1986) AIChE J 32:1526–1531Corma A, Martínez C, Doskocil EJ (2013) J Catal 300:183–196Martens JA, Ravishankar R, Mishin IE, Jacobs PE (2000) Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 39:4376–4379Martens JA, Verrelst WH, Mathys GM, Brown SH, Jacobs PA (2005) Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 117(5833–583):6Pater JPG, Jacobs PA, Martens JA (1998) J Catal 179:477–482Tabak SA (1981) US4254295, to Mobil OilOccelli ML, Hsu JT, Galya LG (1985) J Mol Catal A: Chem 32:377–390Tabak SA (1984) US4504693, to Mobil Oil CorpKholer E, Schmidt F, Wernicke HJ, Pontes MD, Roberts HL (1995, Summer) Hydrocarbon Technology InternationalMartens JA, Verduijn JP (1995) WO95/19945, to Exxon Chemical Patents Inc.Verrelst WH (1995) Martens LRM, WO95/22516, to Exxon Chemical Patents Inc.Verrelst WH, Martens LRM (2000) US6143942, to Exxon Chemical Patents Inc.Verrelst WH, Martens LRM, Verduijn JP (2006) US6013851, to Exxon Chemical Patents Inc.Dakka JM, Mathys GMK, Puttemans MPH (2003) WO03/035583 to Exxon-Mobil Chemical LimitedMatias P, Sa CC, Graca I, Lopes JM, Carvalho AP, Ramoa RF, Guisnet M (2011) Appl Catal A 399:100–109Chal R, Gérardin C, Bulut M, van Donk S (2011) ChemCatChem 3:67–81Perez-Ramirez J, Christensen CH, Egeblad K, Groen JC (2008) Chem Soc Rev 37:2530–2542Verboekend D, Perez-Ramirez J (2011) Catal Sci Technol 1:879–890Serrano DP, Escola JM, Pizarro P (2013) Chem Soc Rev 42:4004–4035Verboekend D, Chabaneix AM, Thomas K, Gilson JP, Perez-Ramirez J (2011) Cryst Eng Comm 13:3408–3416Emeis CA (1993) J Catal 141:347–354Perego C, Peratello S (1999) Catal Today 52:133–145Abello S, Bonilla A, Perez-Ramirez J (2009) Appl Catal A Gen 364:191–198Corma A, Martinez C, Doskocil EJ, Yaluris G (2011) WO2011002631A2, to BP Oil International Limited. BP Corporation North America Inc., UKCorma A, Martinez C, Doskocil EJ, Yaluris G (2011) WO2011002630A2, to BP Oil International Limited. BP Corporation North America Inc, UKHan S, Heck RH, DiGuiseppi FT (1993) US5234875, to Mobil Oil CorporationPeratello S, Molinari M, Bellussi G, Perego C (1999) Catal Today 52:271–27

Ash agglomeration and deposition during combustion of poultry litter in a bubbling fluidized-bed combustor

peer-reviewedn this study, we have characterized the ash resulting from fluidized bed combustion of poultry litter as being dominated by a coarse fraction of crystalline ash composed of alkali-Ca-phosphates and a fine fraction of particulate K2SO4 and KCl. Bed agglomeration was found to be coating-induced with two distinct layers present. The inner layer (0.05–0.09 mm thick) was formed due to the reaction of gaseous potassium with the sand (SiO2) surface forming K-silicates with low melting points. Further chemical reaction on the surface of the bed material strengthened the coating forming a molten glassy phase. The outer layer was composed of loosely bound, fine particulate ash originating from the char. Thermodynamic equilibrium calculations showed slag formation in the combustion zone is highly temperature-dependent, with slag formation predicted to increase from 1.8 kg at 600 °C to 7.35 kg at 1000 °C per hour of operation (5.21 kg of ash). Of this slag phase, SiO2 and K2O were the dominant phases, accounting for almost 95%, highlighting the role of K-silicates in initiating bed agglomeration. The remaining 5% was predicted to consist mainly of Al2O3, K2SO4, and Na2O. Deposition downstream in the low-temperature regions was found to occur mostly through the vaporization–condensation mechanism, with equilibrium decreasing significantly with decreasing temperatures. The dominant alkali chloride-containing gas predicted to form in the combustion zone was KCl, which corresponds with the high KCl content in the fine baghouse ash

The NightLife study — the clinical and cost-effectiveness of thrice-weekly, extended, in-centre nocturnal haemodialysis versus daytime haemodialysis using a mixed methods approach: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Background: In-centre nocturnal haemodialysis (INHD) offers extended-hours haemodialysis, 6 to 8 h thrice-weekly overnight, with the support of dialysis specialist nurses. There is increasing observational data demonstrating potential benefits of INHD on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). There is a lack of randomised controlled trial (RCT) data to confirm these benefits and assess safety. Methods: The NightLife study is a pragmatic, two-arm, multicentre RCT comparing the impact of 6 months INHD to conventional haemodialysis (thrice-weekly daytime in-centre haemodialysis, 3.5–5 h per session). The primary outcome is the total score from the Kidney Disease Quality of Life tool at 6 months. Secondary outcomes include sleep and cognitive function, measures of safety, adherence to dialysis and impact on clinical parameters. There is an embedded Process Evaluation to assess implementation, health economic modelling and a QuinteT Recruitment Intervention to understand factors that influence recruitment and retention. Adults (≥ 18 years old) who have been established on haemodialysis for > 3 months are eligible to participate. Discussion: There are 68,000 adults in the UK that need kidney replacement therapy (KRT), with in-centre haemodialysis the treatment modality for over a third of cases. HRQoL is an independent predictor of hospitalisation and mortality in individuals on maintenance dialysis. Haemodialysis is associated with poor HRQoL in comparison to the general population. INHD has the potential to improve HRQoL. Vigorous RCT evidence of effectiveness is lacking. The NightLife study is an essential step in the understanding of dialysis therapies and will guide patient-centred decisions regarding KRT in the future. Trial registration: Trial registration number: ISRCTN87042063. Registered: 14/07/2020

Acute ingestion of a novel whey-derived peptide improves vascular endothelial responses in healthy individuals: a randomized, placebo controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Whey protein is a potential source of bioactive peptides. Based on findings from <it>in vitro </it>experiments indicating a novel whey derived peptide (NOP-47) increased endothelial nitric oxide synthesis, we tested its effects on vascular function in humans.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study design was used. Healthy men (n = 10) and women (n = 10) (25 ± 5 y, BMI = 24.3 ± 2.3 kg/m²) participated in two vascular testing days each preceded by 2 wk of supplementation with a single dose of 5 g/day of a novel whey-derived peptide (NOP-47) or placebo. There was a 2 wk washout period between trials. After 2 wk of supplementation, vascular function in the forearm and circulating oxidative stress and inflammatory related biomarkers were measured serially for 2 h after ingestion of 5 g of NOP-47 or placebo. Macrovascular and microvascular function were assessed using brachial artery flow mediated dilation (FMD) and venous occlusion strain gauge plethysmography.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Baseline peak FMD was not different for Placebo (7.7%) and NOP-47 (7.8%). Placebo had no effect on FMD at 30, 60, and 90 min post-ingestion (7.5%, 7.2%, and 7.6%, respectively) whereas NOP-47 significantly improved FMD responses at these respective postprandial time points compared to baseline (8.9%, 9.9%, and 9.0%; <it>P </it>< 0.0001 for time × trial interaction). Baseline reactive hyperemia forearm blood flow was not different for placebo (27.2 ± 7.2%/min) and NOP-47 (27.3 ± 7.6%/min). Hyperemia blood flow measured 120 min post-ingestion (27.2 ± 7.8%/min) was unaffected by placebo whereas NOP-47 significantly increased hyperemia compared to baseline (29.9 ± 7.8%/min; <it>P </it>= 0.008 for time × trial interaction). Plasma myeloperoxidase was increased transiently by both NOP-47 and placebo, but there were no changes in markers inflammation. Plasma total nitrites/nitrates significantly decreased over the 2 hr post-ingestion period and were lower at 120 min after placebo (-25%) compared to NOP-47 (-18%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings indicate that supplementation with a novel whey-derived peptide in healthy individuals improves vascular function.</p