1,828 research outputs found
Effect of soil type on seismic demand
This paper investigates the validity of the soil considerations used in the determination of seismic demand as part of NZS1170.5, which currently specifies seismic design spectra corresponding to 5 different soil types. According to the current provisions stipulated in NZS1170.5, for all natural periods, the building demand for soft soil is either equal to or greater than that for hard soil. It is noted that this is opposite to the basic structural dynamics theory which suggests that an increase in stiffness of a system results in an increase in the acceleration response. In this pretext, a numerical parametric study is undertaken using a 1-D nonlinear site response analysis in order to capture the effect of soil characteristics on structural seismic demand and to scrutinize the validity of the current site specific seismic design spectra. It is identified that the level of input ground motion intensity and shear stiffness of the column (represented by its shear wave velocity, Vs) are the main parameters affecting the surface response. The study found some shortfalls in the way the current code defines seismic design demand, in particular the hierarchy of soil stiffness at low structural periods. It was found that stiff soils generally tend to have a higher spectral acceleration response in comparison to soft soils although this trend is less prominent for high intensity bed rock motions. It was also found that for medium to hard soil types the spectral acceleration response at short period is grossly underestimated by the current NZS1170.5 provisions. Based on the outcomes of the parametric numerical analyses, a revised strategy to determine seismic structural demand is proposed and demonstrated
Quantifying microcracks on fractured bone surfaces – Potential use in forensic anthropology
Bone fracture surface morphology (FSM) can provide valuable information on the cause of failure in forensic and archaeological applications and it depends primarily on three factors, the loading conditions (like strain rate), the ambient conditions (wet or dry bone material) and the quality of bone material itself. The quality of bone material evidently changes in taphonomy as a result of the decomposition process and that in turn is expected to affect FSM. Porcine bones were fractured by a standardised impact during the course of soft tissue decomposition, at 28-day intervals, over 140 days (equivalent to 638 cooling degree days). Measurements of the associated microcracks on the fractured cortical bone surfaces indicated a progressive increase in mean length during decomposition from around 180 μm–375 μm. The morphology of these microcracks also altered, from multiple intersecting microcracks emanating from a central point at 0–28 cumulative cooling degree days, to longer linear cracks appearing to track lamellae as soft tissue decomposition progressed. The implications of these findings are that taphonomic changes of bone may offer the real possibility of distinguishing perimortem and taphonomic damage and also provide a new surrogate parameter for estimation of post-mortem interval (PMI) in forensics
On the dynamical behavior of the ABC model
We consider the ABC dynamics, with equal density of the three species, on the
discrete ring with sites. In this case, the process is reversible with
respect to a Gibbs measure with a mean field interaction that undergoes a
second order phase transition. We analyze the relaxation time of the dynamics
and show that at high temperature it grows at most as while it grows at
least as at low temperature
High glucose represses β-klotho expression and impairs fibroblast growth factor 21 action in mouse pancreatic islets: involvement of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ signaling
Circulating fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) levels are elevated in diabetic subjects and correlate directly with abnormal glucose metabolism, while pharmacologically administered FGF21 can ameliorate hyperglycemia. The pancreatic islet is an FGF21 target, yet the actions of FGF21 in the islet under normal and diabetic conditions are not fully understood. This study investigated the effects of high glucose on islet FGF21 actions in a diabetic mouse model by investigating db/db mouse islet responses to exogenous FGF21, the direct effects of glucose on FGF21 signaling, and the involvement of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) in FGF21 pathway activation. Results showed that both adult db/db mouse islets and normal islets treated with high glucose ex vivo displayed reduced β-klotho expression, resistance to FGF21, and decreased PPARγ expression. Rosiglitazone, an antidiabetic PPARγ ligand, ameliorated these effects. Our data indicate that hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus may lead to FGF21 resistance in pancreatic islets, probably through reduction of PPARγ expression, which provides a novel mechanism for glucose-mediated islet dysfunction
Critical Collapse of the Massless Scalar Field in Axisymmetry
We present results from a numerical study of critical gravitational collapse
of axisymmetric distributions of massless scalar field energy. We find
threshold behavior that can be described by the spherically symmetric critical
solution with axisymmetric perturbations. However, we see indications of a
growing, non-spherical mode about the spherically symmetric critical solution.
The effect of this instability is that the small asymmetry present in what
would otherwise be a spherically symmetric self-similar solution grows. This
growth continues until a bifurcation occurs and two distinct regions form on
the axis, each resembling the spherically symmetric self-similar solution. The
existence of a non-spherical unstable mode is in conflict with previous
perturbative results, and we therefore discuss whether such a mode exists in
the continuum limit, or whether we are instead seeing a marginally stable mode
that is rendered unstable by numerical approximation.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure
Mean Field Fluid Behavior of the Gaussian Core Model
We show that the Gaussian core model of particles interacting via a
penetrable repulsive Gaussian potential, first considered by Stillinger (J.
Chem. Phys. 65, 3968 (1976)), behaves like a weakly correlated ``mean field
fluid'' over a surprisingly wide density and temperature range. In the bulk the
structure of the fluid phase is accurately described by the random phase
approximation for the direct correlation function, and by the more
sophisticated HNC integral equation. The resulting pressure deviates very
little from a simple, mean-field like, quadratic form in the density, while the
low density virial expansion turns out to have an extremely small radius of
convergence. Density profiles near a hard wall are also very accurately
described by the corresponding mean-field free-energy functional. The binary
version of the model exhibits a spinodal instability against de-mixing at high
densities. Possible implications for semi-dilute polymer solutions are
discussed.Comment: 13 pages, 2 columns, ReVTeX epsfig,multicol,amssym, 15 figures;
submitted to Phys. Rev. E (change: important reference added
Review of decontamination protocols for shared non-critical objects in 35 policies of UK NHS acute care organizations
Background
Decontamination of non-critical objects shared by patients is key in reducing hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), but it is a complex process that needs precise guidance from UK National Health Service (NHS) acute care organizations (ACOs).
Aim
To review the indications given by NHS ACOs' policies regarding the decontamination of shared non-critical devices.
Methods
Detailed lists of decontamination protocols for shared non-critical objects were retrieved from cleaning, disinfection and decontamination policies of 35 NHS ACOs. Three parameters were considered for each object: decontamination method, decontamination frequency, and person responsible for decontamination.
Findings
In total, 1279 decontamination protocols regarding 283 different shared non-critical objects were retrieved. Of these, 689 (54%) did not indicate the person responsible for decontamination, and only 425 (33%) were complete, giving indications for all three parameters analysed. Only 2.5% (32/1279) of decontamination protocols were complete and identical in two policies. In policies where cleaning represented the major decontamination method, chemical disinfection was rarely mentioned and vice versa. General agreement among policies was found for four main decontamination methods (detergent and water, detergent wipes, disinfectant wipes, and use of disposable items), two decontamination frequencies (between events and daily) and two responsible person designations (nurses and domestic staff).
Conclusions
Decontamination protocol policies for shared non-critical objects had some similarities but did not concur on how each individual object should be decontaminated. The lack of clear indications regarding the person responsible for the decontamination process put at risk the ability of policies to serve as guidance
Structural and biophysical characterization of bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal proteins Cry34Ab1 and Cry35Ab1
Bacillus thuringiensis strains are well known for the production of insecticidal proteins upon sporulation and these proteins are deposited in parasporal crystalline inclusions. The majority of these insect-specific toxins exhibit three domains in the mature toxin sequence. However, other Cry toxins are structurally and evolutionarily unrelated to this three-domain family and little is known of their three dimensional structures, limiting our understanding of their mechanisms of action and our ability to engineer the proteins to enhance their function. Among the non-three domain Cry toxins, the Cry34Ab1 and Cry35Ab1 proteins from B. thuringiensis strain PS149B1 are required to act together to produce toxicity to the western corn rootworm (WCR) Diabrotica virgifera virgifera Le Conte via a pore forming mechanism of action. Cry34Ab1 is a protein of ∼14 kDa with features of the aegerolysin family (Pfam06355) of proteins that have known membrane disrupting activity, while Cry35Ab1 is a ∼44 kDa member of the toxin_10 family (Pfam05431) that includes other insecticidal proteins such as the binary toxin BinA/BinB. The Cry34Ab1/Cry35Ab1 proteins represent an important seed trait technology having been developed as insect resistance traits in commercialized corn hybrids for control of WCR. The structures of Cry34Ab1 and Cry35Ab1 have been elucidated to 2.15 Å and 1.80 Å resolution, respectively. The solution structures of the toxins were further studied by small angle X-ray scattering and native electrospray ion mobility mass spectrometry. We present here the first published structure from the aegerolysin protein domain family and the structural comparisons of Cry34Ab1 and Cry35Ab1 with other pore forming toxins
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