Frio pilot in CO2 sequestration in brine-bearing sandstones: The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology, report to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to accompany a class V application for an experimental technology pilot injection well.

GEOSEQ project (LBNL, LLNL, ORNL), NETL, Schlumberger–Doll Research Center, Transpetco, Sandia TechnologiesJackson School of Geoscience

Identification of a novel picornavirus related to cosaviruses in a child with acute diarrhea

Diarrhea, the third leading infectious cause of death worldwide, causes approximately 2 million deaths a year. Approximately 40% of these cases are of unknown etiology. We previously developed a metagenomic strategy for identification of novel viruses from diarrhea samples. By applying mass sequencing to a stool sample collected in Melbourne, Australia from a child with acute diarrhea, one 395 bp sequence read was identified that possessed only limited identity to known picornaviruses. This initial fragment shared only 55% amino acid identity to its top BLAST hit, the VP3 protein of Theiler's-like virus, suggesting that a novel picornavirus might be present in this sample. By using a combination of mass sequencing, RT-PCR, 5' RACE and 3' RACE, 6562 bp of the viral genome was sequenced, which includes the entire putative polyprotein. The overall genomic organization of this virus was similar to known picornaviruses. Phylogenetic analysis of the polyprotein demonstrated that the virus was divergent from previously described picornaviruses and appears to belong to the newly proposed picornavirus genus, Cosavirus. Based on the analysis discussed here, we propose that this virus represents a new species in the Cosavirus genus, and it has tentatively been named Human Cosavirus E1 (HCoSV-E1)

The short memory limit for long time statistics in a stochastic Coleman-Gurtin model of heat conduction

We study a class of semi-linear differential Volterra equations with polynomial-type potentials that incorporates the effects of memory while being subjected to random perturbations via an additive Gaussian noise. We show that for a broad class of non-linear potentials and sufficiently regular noise the system always admits invariant probability measures, defined on the extended phase space, that possess higher regularity properties dictated by the structure of the nonlinearities in the equation. Furthermore, we investigate the singular limit as the memory kernel collapses to a Dirac function. Specifically, provided sufficiently many directions in the phase space are stochastically forced, we show that there is a unique stationary measure to which the system converges, in a suitable Wasserstein distance, at exponential rates independent of the decay of the memory kernel. We then prove the convergence of the statistically steady states to the unique invariant probability of the classical stochastic reaction-diffusion equation in the desired singular limit. As a consequence, we establish the validity of the small memory approximation for solutions on the infinite time horizon $[0,\infty)$

Adult feeding and mating effects on the biological potential and parasitism of Trichogramma pretiosum and T. acacioi (Hym.: Trichogrammatidae).

ABSTRACT: This work was carried out to study the effects of adult feeding and mating on the biological potential and parasitism of Trichogramma pretiosum and T. acacioi (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) to improve their use in biological control programs. Both species presented higher parasitism and longevity whenever adults were fed. Fed and unmated T. pretiosum females led to low parasitism whereas T. acacioi females did not present parasitism whatsoever. Egg viability of T. pretiosum was similar for fed and mated individuals, but T acacioi showed lower values for this parameter when unfed and without mating. Unmated females produced only males while mated ones had more than 60% female descendents for both Trichogramma species. Therefore, mated and fed female parasitoids should be released in crop systems to increase the biological control. RESUMO: Os efeitos do acasalamento e alimentação no potencial biológico e parasitismo de Trichogramma pretiosum e Trichogramma acacioi (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), foram estudados objetivando-se aprimorar o uso dessas espécies no controle biológico. O parasitismo e longevidade dos adultos de ambas as espécies foram maiores para fêmeas alimentadas e o parasitismo foi nulo e baixo para fêmeas acasaladas e não-alimentadas de T. acacioi e T. pretiosum, respectivamente. A viabilidade de ovos parasitados por T. pretiosum foi semelhante entre os tratamentos, mas para T. acacioi houve uma menor viabilidade do parasitismo realizado por fêmeas sem acasalamento e sem alimento. Descendentes de T. pretiosum e T. acacioi sem acasalamento produziram apenas machos, enquanto fêmeas acasaladas tiveram mais de 60% dos descentes fêmeas para as duas espécies de Trichogramma. Portanto, fêmeas acasaladas e alimentadas devem ser liberadas para o controle biológico

Klassevirus 1, a previously undescribed member of the family Picornaviridae, is globally widespread

Background Diarrhea is the third leading infectious cause of death worldwide and is estimated to be responsible for approximately 2 million deaths a year. While many infectious causes of diarrhea have been established, approximately 40% of all diarrhea cases are of unknown etiology. In an effort to identify novel viruses that may be causal agents of diarrhea, we used high throughput mass sequencing to analyze stool samples collected from patients with acute diarrhea. Results Sequences with limited similarity to known picornaviruses were detected in a stool sample collected in Australia from a child with acute diarrhea. Using a combination of mass sequencing, RT-PCR, 5' RACE and 3' RACE, a 6383 bp fragment of the viral genome was sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that this virus was highly divergent from, but most closely related to, members of the genus Kobuvirus. We have tentatively named this novel virus klassevirus 1. We also detected klassevirus 1 by RT-PCR in a diarrhea specimen collected from a patient in St. Louis, United States as well as in untreated sewage collected in Barcelona, Spain. Conclusion Klassevirus 1 is a previously undescribed picornavirus that is globally widespread and present on at least three continents. Further investigations to determine whether klassevirus 1 is a human pathogen are needed

Structured matrices, continued fractions, and root localization of polynomials

We give a detailed account of various connections between several classes of objects: Hankel, Hurwitz, Toeplitz, Vandermonde and other structured matrices, Stietjes and Jacobi-type continued fractions, Cauchy indices, moment problems, total positivity, and root localization of univariate polynomials. Along with a survey of many classical facts, we provide a number of new results.Comment: 79 pages; new material added to the Introductio

Local asymptotic normality for qubit states

We consider n identically prepared qubits and study the asymptotic properties of the joint state \rho^{\otimes n}. We show that for all individual states \rho situated in a local neighborhood of size 1/\sqrt{n} of a fixed state \rho^0, the joint state converges to a displaced thermal equilibrium state of a quantum harmonic oscillator. The precise meaning of the convergence is that there exist physical transformations T_{n} (trace preserving quantum channels) which map the qubits states asymptotically close to their corresponding oscillator state, uniformly over all states in the local neighborhood. A few consequences of the main result are derived. We show that the optimal joint measurement in the Bayesian set-up is also optimal within the pointwise approach. Moreover, this measurement converges to the heterodyne measurement which is the optimal joint measurement of position and momentum for the quantum oscillator. A problem of local state discrimination is solved using local asymptotic normality.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figures, published versio

Predicted effectiveness of daily and non-daily PrEP for MSM based on sex and pill-taking patterns from HPTN 067/ADAPT

Background: HPTN 067/ADAPT evaluated the feasibility of daily and non-daily HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) regimens among high-risk populations, including men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women, in Bangkok, Thailand and Harlem, New York, U.S. We used a mathematical model to predict the efficacy and effectiveness of different dosing regimens. Methods: An individual-based mathematical model was used to simulate annual HIV incidence among MSM cohorts. PrEP efficacy for covered sex acts, as defined in the HPTN 067/ADAPT protocol, was estimated using subgroup efficacy estimates from the iPrEx trial. Effectiveness was estimated by comparison of the HIV incidence with and without PrEP use. Results: We estimated that PrEP was highly protective (85%–96% efficacy across regimens and sites) for fully covered acts. PrEP was more protective for partially covered acts in Bangkok (71%–88% efficacy) than in Harlem (62%–81% efficacy). Our model projects 80%, 62%, and 68% effectiveness of daily, time-driven, and event-driven PrEP for MSM in Harlem compared with 90%, 85% and 79% for MSM in Bangkok. Halving the efficacy for partially covered acts decreases effectiveness by 8–9 percentage points in Harlem and by 5–9 percentage points in Bangkok across regimens. Conclusions: Our analysis suggests that PrEP was more effective among MSM in Thailand than in the U.S. as a result of more fully covered sex acts and more pills taken around partially covered acts. Overall, non-daily PrEP was less effective than daily PrEP, especially in the U.S. where the sex act coverage associated with daily use was substantially higher

Coupled Numerical Analysis of Variations in the Capacity of Driven Energy Piles in Clay

Energy piles are an emerging alternative for the reduction of energy consumption to heat and cool buildings. Most of the research to date has focused on thermodynamic properties or axial and radial stress and strain of piles. This paper focuses on the effects of temperature fluctuation on the capacity of driven energy piles in clayey soils. Consolidation of clay surrounding driven piles affects the pile capacity (i.e., set up in clay). The heating and cooling periods of energy piles can create the excess pore-water pressure (EPWP, ue) or relax the existing one (e.g., due to pile driving or previous thermal loads) in clayey soils (due to the contraction and expansion of water) affecting the pile capacity. In the meantime, the thermal expansion and contraction of the pile also generate or relax the EPWP in the soil, which can be computed using the cavity-expansion theory. This paper studies the resulting changes in the pile capacity due to the daily and seasonal thermal cycles. The results show that thermal cycles in an energy pile can cause a decrease in the pile capacity leading to a delay in reaching the capacity after a complete clay set up

Soil structural analysis tools and properties for Hanford site waste tank evaluation

As Hanford Site contractors address future structural demands on nuclear waste tanks, built as early as 1943, it is necessary to address their current safety margins and ensure safe margins are maintained. Although the current civil engineering practice guidelines for soil modeling are suitable as preliminary design tools, future demands potentially result in loads and modifications to the tanks that are outside the original design basis and current code based structural capabilities. For example, waste removal may include cutting a large hole in a tank. This report addresses both spring modeling of site soils and finite-element modeling of soils. Additionally seismic dynamic modeling of Hanford Site soils is also included. Of new and special interest is Section 2.2 that Professor Robert D. Holtz of the University of Washington wrote on plane strain soil testing versus triaxial testing with Hanford Site application to large buried waste tanks