Optimized identification of fecal pollution sources in a rural tidal watershed in coastal New Hampshire

Escherichia coli ribotyping was used to identify fecal contamination sources in Grommet Creek- a tidal creek that drains into Great Bay and contaminates shellfishing beds. Water samples were collected during late summer through late fall. Fecal samples were collected to establish a local source species database. Fecal indicator bacteria were enumerated from water samples and ribotyping was conducted by using EcoR1 restriction enzyme digestion and an automated RiboPrinter(c). There was consistent relative abundance between source types with wild animals and birds as the primary sources. An optimized approach for maximizing source identification involved using a 90% similarity threshold and prioritizing the first (local) database, then the second (larger area), and the third (regional) database for source identification. Using this approach, 67% of the E. coli water sample isolates were identified to sources, mainly as geese, deer, and fox, suggesting that diminishing of these sources could improve water quality

The long period eccentric orbit of the particle accelerator HD167971 revealed by long baseline interferometry

Using optical long baseline interferometry, we resolved for the first time the two wide components of HD167971, a candidate hierarchical triple system known to efficiently accelerate particles. Our multi-epoch VLTI observations provide direct evidence for a gravitational link between the O8 supergiant and the close eclipsing O + O binary. The separation varies from 8 to 15 mas over the three-year baseline of our observations, suggesting that the components evolve on a wide and very eccentric orbit (most probably e>0.5). These results provide evidence that the wide orbit revealed by our study is not coplanar with the orbit of the inner eclipsing binary. From our measurements of the near-infrared luminosity ratio, we constrain the spectral classification of the components in the close binary to be O6-O7, and confirm that these stars are likely main-sequence objects. Our results are discussed in the context of the bright non-thermal radio emission already reported for this system, and we provide arguments in favour of a maximum radio emission coincident with periastron passage. HD167971 turns out to be an efficient O-type particle accelerator that constitutes a valuable target for future high angular resolution radio imaging using VLBI facilities.Comment: 8 pages, including 4 figures, accepted by Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Societ

Chemical Amelioration of Expansive Soils

Expansive soils swell when they absorb water and shrink when water evaporates from them. Hence, lightly loaded civil engineering structures found in these soils are subjected to severe distress. Therefore, there is a need to ameliorate or improve these swelling soils through some innovative methods. This paper discusses chemical stabilisation of expansive soils, a technique in which chemical reagents such as lime and calcium chloride are added to expansive soils to reduce the volumetric changes occurring in expansive soils and also to improve their engineering behaviour

IN VITRO MULTIPLE SHOOT INDUCTION FROM NODAL EXPLANTS OF CITRUS CULTIVARS

Citrus cultivars were explored for multiple shoot induction and root regeneration in different media. The multiple root and shoot induction was found directly proportionate to the increase in the levels of benzyleaminopurine (BA) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) in the modified Murashige and Skoog medium. The study might be promising towards in vitro propagation of sanitated Citrus plant material

Chemical Amelioration of Expansive Soils

Expansive soils swell when they absorb water and shrink when water evaporates from them. Hence, lightly loaded civil engineering structures found in these soils are subjected to severe distress. Therefore, there is a need to ameliorate or improve these swelling soils through some innovative methods. This paper discusses chemical stabilisation of expansive soils, a technique in which chemical reagents such as lime and calcium chloride are added to expansive soils to reduce the volumetric changes occurring in expansive soils and also to improve their engineering behaviour

Effect Change of Speed on Delay and Throughput for Handover Types in Mobile WI-Max Network

Volume 2 Issue 9 (September 2014

HD 152246 - a new high-mass triple system and its basic properties

Analyses of multi-epoch, high-resolution (R ~ 50.000) optical spectra of the O-type star HD 152246 (O9 IV according to the most recent classification), complemented by a limited number of earlier published radial velocities, led to the finding that the object is a hierarchical triple system, where a close inner pair (Ba-Bb) with a slightly eccentric orbit (e = 0.11) and a period of 6.0049 days revolves in a 470-day highly eccentric orbit (e = 0.865) with another massive and brighter component A. The mass ratio of the inner system must be low since we were unable to find any traces of the secondary spectrum. The mass ratio A/(Ba+Bb) is 0.89. The outer system has recently been resolved using long-baseline interferometry on three occasions. The interferometry confirms the spectroscopic results and specifies elements of the system. Our orbital solutions, including the combined radial-velocity and interferometric solution indicate an orbital inclination of the outer orbit of 112{\deg} and stellar masses of 20.4 and 22.8 solar masses. We also disentangled the spectra of components A and Ba and compare them to synthetic spectra from two independent programmes, TLUSTY and FASTWIND. In either case, the fit was not satisfactory and we postpone a better determination of the system properties for a future study, after obtaining observations during the periastron passage of the outer orbit (the nearest chance being March 2015). For the moment, we can only conclude that component A is an O9 IV star with v*sin(i) = 210 +\- 10 km/s and effective temperature of 33000 +\- 500 K, while component Ba is an O9 V object with v*sin(i) = 65 +/- 3 km/s and T_eff = 33600 +\- 600 K.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Extensive small bowel gangrene at mid-term pregnancy with fruitful outcome

Intestinal obstruction during pregnancy is very rare. The mechanical intestinal obstruction was mostly due to adhesion from previous surgery.  Pregnancy may mask the symptoms of intestinal obstruction, and virgin abdomen adds to the ambiguity of the diagnosis. The mortality and morbidity increased for the mother and the fetus in the presence of bowel gangrene. We present a case of intestinal obstruction at mid-term pregnancy with extensive small bowel gangrene which necessitates right hemicolectomy and ends with a good outcome for the mother and fetus