Tower and rotor blade vibration test results for a 100-kilowatt wind turbine

The predominant natural frequencies and mode shapes for the tower and the rotor blades of the ERDA-NASA 100-kW wind turbine were determined. The tests on the tower and the blades were conducted both before and after the rotor blades and the rotating machinery were installed on top of the tower. The tower and each blade were instrumented with an accelerometer and impacted by an instrumented mass. The tower and blade structure was analyzed by means of NASTRAN, and computed values agree with the test data

Development of Unit Price Indices and Estimating Inflation for Potable Water and Wastewater Pipeline Capital Works Construction

The importance of sustainable financial management of water and wastewater pipeline infrastructure has grown in recent years due to the increasing backlog of maintenance, renewal and replacement of aging water and wastewater infrastructure. As the water and wastewater infrastructure age, the condition of the water and wastewater infrastructure will continue to deteriorate increasing the cost for renewal and replacement. In response to the aging and deteriorating potable water and wastewater infrastructure Public Sector Accounting Board PS3150 and Regulation 453/07 under the Ontario Safe Drinking Water Act were established. PS3150 requires local governments to report their tangible capital assets along with their depreciation on financial statements. One key component of this reporting is determining the need for and cost of the replacement of these assets. Ontario Regulation 453/07 requires public utilities to prepare and submit long term financial plans for water systems. One key principle of the financial plans is that the expenses of operating water systems should be paid by revenues generated from providing the water systems. A crucial aspect of PS3150, Ontario regulation 453/07 and the financial management of water and wastewater infrastructure are accurate estimates of future capital works construction prices. Historically, construction indices are used to forecast construction prices. Engineering New Record (ENR) Construction Cost Index (CCI), Federal Highway Administration (FWHA) composite National Highway Construction Cost Index (NHCCI) and Consumer Price Index (CPI) have been used to estimate future construction prices of water and wastewater infrastructure in Canada. However, these indices do not accurately represent the circumstance of the water and wastewater infrastructure construction sector, which can lead to errors and inaccuracies in construction price forecasts. It is recommended sector specific construction indices be used to forecast construction prices. However, there are few construction indices available for the water and wastewater infrastructure sector and available indices are not based on actual construction data. This thesis presents a methodology to accurately estimate future construction prices for water and wastewater pipeline capital works based on actual construction price data. The methodology contains three components: construction data processing, development of unit price indices for watermain and sanitary sewer construction, and estimation of inflation in watermain and sanitary sewer construction. The data processing component cleans and transforms actual construction price data from the City of Niagara Falls from 1981 to 2014 into a centralized, organized and auditable construction price dataset. Based on the construction price dataset, unit price indices specific to the watermain and sanitary sewer construction sector were developed. Unit price indices were developed and calculated for watermain projects, pipes, valves, and hydrants, and sanitary sewer projects, pipes, and maintenance holes. Geometric Brownian Motion was used to estimate inflation in and forecast future construction prices for watermain and sanitary sewer capital works construction based on the developed unit price indices. A Microsoft Access relational database containing the data processing function, calculation of watermain and sanitary sewer unit price indices, and estimation of inflation was developed to improve the accuracy, efficiency and consistency of the methodology. Additionally, the methodology allows contractor markup in watermain and sanitary sewer construction and factors influencing watermain and sanitary sewer unit price indices to be examined. The inflation of watermain reference project construction is 5.79% per annum from 1982-2014, while the inflation of sanitary sewer reference project capital works construction is 4.66% per annum from 1981-2014. The inflation rates of watermain pipe, valve and hydrant construction from 1982-2014 are 6.36%, 5.09%, and 2.81% per annum, respectively. The inflation rates of sanitary sewer pipe and maintenance hole construction from 1981-2014 are 7.41% and 5.25% per annum, respectively. Inflation of watermain and sanitary sewer reference projects is above inflation of CPI, NRBCPI and LDCCT at 2.25%, 3.17% and 3.77% per annum, respectively, but below inflation of S&P/TSX composite index at 6.90% per annum. This indicates when forecasting future prices within a construction sector, the use of a proxy index will result in inaccurate estimates of future construction prices. In the water and wastewater pipeline construction sector the use of CPI, NRBCPI or LDCCT will result in significant underestimation of future construction prices. To obtain accurate estimates of future construction prices it is important to use sector specific indices which the developed unit price indices represent for the water and wastewater pipeline construction sector. In this thesis contractor markup is defined as a financial premium in excess of market inflation in the form of a per annum interest rate surcharge. Contractor markup includes risk premiums, overhead and profit. The contractor markups for watermain and sanitary sewer projects are 3.54% and 2.41%, respectively. As the number of tender bids submitted for a project increase, the unit price of reference projects generally decreases. This is caused by an increase in the competition among contractors resulting in a decrease in the unit prices of the reference projects as bidders attempt to win the project. The Infrastructure Stimulus Fund increased the total number of projects and the total value of projects in 2009 and 2010 but did not significantly alter the watermain and sanitary sewer unit price indices

Phagosome maturation during endosome interaction revealed by partial rhodopsin processing in retinal pigment epithelium.

Defects in phagocytosis and degradation of photoreceptor outer segments (POS) by the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) are associated with aging and retinal disease. The daily burst of rod outer segment (ROS) phagocytosis by the RPE provides a unique opportunity to analyse phagosome processing in vivo. In mouse retinae phagosomes containing stacked rhodopsin-rich discs were identified by immuno-electron microscopy. Early apical phagosomes stained with both cytoplasmic and intradiscal domain rhodopsin antibodies. During phagosome maturation a remarkably synchronised loss of the cytoplasmic epitope coincided with movement to the cell body and preceded phagosome:lysosome fusion and disc degradation. Loss of the intradiscal rhodopsin epitope and disc digestion occurred upon fusion with cathepsin D-positive lysosomes. The same sequential stages of phagosome maturation were identified in cultured RPE and macrophages challenged with isolated POS. Loss of the cytoplasmic rhodopsin epitope was insensitive to pH but sensitive to protease inhibition and co-incided with interaction of phagosomes with endosomes. Thus, during prelysosomal maturation of ROS-containing phagosomes limited rhodopsin processing occurs upon interaction with endosomes. This potentially provides a sensitive readout of phagosome:endosome interactions applicable to multiple phagocytes

Photoreceptor phagosome processing defects and disturbed autophagy in retinal pigment epithelium of Cln3Δex1-6 mice modelling juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (Batten disease)

Retinal degeneration and visual impairment are the first signs of juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis caused by CLN3 mutations, followed by inevitable progression to blindness. We investigated retinal degeneration in Cln3Δex1-6 null mice, revealing classic ‘fingerprint’ lysosomal storage in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), replicating the human disease. The lysosomes contain mitochondrial F0-ATP synthase subunit c along with undigested membranes, indicating a reduced degradative capacity. Mature autophagosomes and basal phagolysosomes, the terminal degradative compartments of autophagy and phagocytosis, are also increased in Cln3Δex1-6 RPE, reflecting disruption to these key pathways that underpin the daily phagocytic turnover of photoreceptor outer segments (POS) required for maintenance of vision. The accumulated autophagosomes have post-lysosome fusion morphology, with undigested internal contents visible, while accumulated phagosomes are frequently docked to cathepsin D-positive lysosomes, without mixing of phagosomal and lysosomal contents. This suggests lysosome-processing defects affect both autophagy and phagocytosis, supported by evidence that phagosomes induced in Cln3Δex1-6-derived mouse embryonic fibroblasts have visibly disorganized membranes, unprocessed internal vesicles and membrane contents, in addition to reduced LAMP1 membrane recruitment. We propose that defective lysosomes in Cln3Δex1-6 RPE have a reduced degradative capacity that impairs the final steps of the intimately connected autophagic and phagocytic pathways that are responsible for degradation of POS. A build-up of degradative organellar by-products and decreased recycling of cellular materials is likely to disrupt processes vital to maintenance of vision by the RPE

Conditional ablation of the choroideremia gene causes age-related changes in mouse retinal pigment epithelium.

The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a pigmented monolayer of cells lying between the photoreceptors and a layer of fenestrated capillaries, the choriocapillaris. Choroideremia (CHM) is an X-linked progressive degeneration of these three layers caused by the loss of function of Rab Escort protein-1 (REP1). REP1 is involved in the prenylation of Rab proteins, key regulators of membrane trafficking. To study the pathological consequences of chronic disruption of membrane traffic in the RPE we used a cell type-specific knock-out mouse model of the disease, where the Chm/Rep1 gene is deleted only in pigmented cells (Chm(Flox), Tyr-Cre+). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to quantitate the melanosome distribution in the RPE and immunofluorescent staining of rhodopsin was used to quantitate phagocytosed rod outer segments in retinal sections. The ultrastructure of the RPE and Bruch's membrane at different ages was characterised by TEM to analyse age-related changes occurring as a result of defects in membrane traffic pathways. Chm/Rep1 gene knockout in RPE cells resulted in reduced numbers of melanosomes in the apical processes and delayed phagosome degradation. In addition, the RPE accumulated pathological changes at 5-6 months of age similar to those observed in 2-year old controls. These included the intracellular accumulation of lipofuscin-containing deposits, disorganised basal infoldings and the extracellular accumulation of basal laminar and basal linear deposits. The phenotype of the Chm(Flox), Tyr-Cre+ mice suggests that loss of the Chm/Rep1 gene causes premature accumulation of features of aging in the RPE. Furthermore, the striking similarities between the present observations and some of the phenotypes reported in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) suggest that membrane traffic defects may contribute to the pathogenesis of AMD

Impact of temperature on lethality of kiwifruit puree pasteurization by thermal and microwave processing

The use of pasteurization units (PU) as a measure of the lethal effect of processes was proposed with the aim of comparing conventional and novel thermal technologies. Kiwifruit puree was subjected to microwave (1000 and 900 W) and conventional (97 C) heating. Processing conditions of the treatments were chosen to simulate a pasteurization treatment. The temperature profiles of the samples during processing were recorded at different positions. The coldest and hottest spots of the product were identified and the associated PU numbers were calculated. A significantly (p < 0.05) higher thermal load was necessary in order to stabilize the kiwifruit puree under conventional (19.27 min) than microwave heating mode (0.003e8 min) at any of the conditions studied. The higher effectiveness of microwave heating could be attributed to non-thermal effects associated with this technology.The authors thank the Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia for the financial support given through Projects AGL 2010-22176 and AGL 2010-22206-C02-01 and the grant awarded to the author Maria Benlloch.Benlloch Tinoco, M.; Martínez Navarrete, N.; Rodrigo Aliaga, MD. (2014). Impact of temperature on lethality of kiwifruit puree pasteurization by thermal and microwave processing. Food Control. 35(1):22-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2013.06.035S222535

Remodeling of the Basal Labyrinth of Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells With Osmotic Challenge, Age, and Disease

PURPOSE: The basal surface of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is folded into a complex basal labyrinth thought to facilitate solute and water transport. We aimed to analyze and define the structural organization of the basal labyrinth of the RPE to enable quantitative analysis of structural changes in age and disease and to better understand the relationship between basal labyrinth structure and efficiency of transepithelial transport. METHODS: Conventional transmission and serial block-face scanning electron microscopy and electron tomography were used to examine the structure of the basal labyrinth in mouse eyes of different ages and genotypes and with and without osmotic shock before fixation. RESULTS: We identified structurally distinct zones (stacked and ribbon-like) within the RPE basal labyrinth that are largely organelle free and cisternal elements that make contact with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria. These zones are lost in a hierarchic fashion with age and prematurely in a model of the progressive retinal degenerative disease, choroideremia. Junctional complexes crosslink closely opposed infoldings. Spacing between the basal infoldings was affected by subtle osmotic changes while osmotic shock induced dramatic remodeling of the infoldings. CONCLUSION: The basal labyrinth has complex but ordered structural elements that break down with age and in choroideremia. The geometry of these elements and site of contact with ER and mitochondria likely facilitate the ion transport that drives water transport across the basal RPE surface. Changes in structure in response to local osmotic variation may allow transport to be modulated in order to maintain RPE volume

Flat Clathrin Lattices: stable features of the plasma membrane

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) is a fundamental property of eukaryotic cells. Classical CME proceeds via the formation of clathrin-coated pits (CCP) at the plasma membrane that invaginate to form clathrin-coated vesicles; a process that is well understood. However, clathrin also assembles into flat clathrin lattices (FCL); these structures remain poorly described and their contribution to cell biology is unclear. We have used quantitative imaging to provide the first comprehensive description of FCL and explore their influence on plasma membrane organization. Ultrastructural analysis by electron and super-resolution microscopy revealed two discrete populations of clathrin structures. CCP were typified by their sphericity, small size and homogeneity. FCL were planar, large and heterogeneous, and present on both the dorsal and ventral surfaces of cells. Live microscopy demonstrated that CCP are short-lived and culminate in a peak of dynamin recruitment, consistent with classical CME. In contrast, FCL were long-lived with sustained association with dynamin. We investigated the biological relevance of FCL using the chemokine receptor CCR5 as a model system. Agonist activation leads to sustained recruitment of CCR5 to FCL. Quantitative molecular imaging indicated that FCL partitioned receptors at the cell surface. Our observations suggest that FCL provide stable platforms for the recruitment of endocytic cargo

The Influence of Manga on the Graphic Novel

This material has been published in The Cambridge History of the Graphic Novel edited by Jan Baetens, Hugo Frey, Stephen E. Tabachnick. This version is free to view and download for personal use only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works. © Cambridge University PressProviding a range of cogent examples, this chapter describes the influences of the Manga genre of comics strip on the Graphic Novel genre, over the last 35 years, considering the functions of domestication, foreignisation and transmedia on readers, markets and forms