208 research outputs found

    Venturing the Definition of Green Energy Transition:A systematic literature review

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    The issue of climate change has become increasingly noteworthy in the past years, the transition towards a renewable energy system is a priority in the transition to a sustainable society. In this document, we explore the definition of green energy transition, how it is reached, and what are the driven factors to achieve it. To answer that firstly, we have conducted a literature review discovering definitions from different disciplines, secondly, gathering the key factors that are drivers for energy transition, finally, an analysis of the factors is conducted within the context of European Union data. Preliminary results have shown that household net income and governmental legal actions related to environmental issues are potential candidates to predict energy transition within countries. With this research, we intend to spark new research directions in order to get a common social and scientific understanding of green energy transition

    Sanguineous Pericardial Effusion and Cardiac Tamponade in the Setting of Graves’ Disease: Report of a Case and Review of Previously Reported Cases

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    Introduction. Pericardial effusion in the setting of hyperthyroidism is rare. We present a patient with Graves’ disease who developed a sanguineous pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade. Case Description. A 76-year-old man presenting with fatigue was diagnosed with Graves’ disease and treated with methimazole. Two months later, he was hospitalized for uncontrolled atrial fibrillation. Electrocardiography showed diffuse low voltage and atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular rate. Chest radiograph revealed an enlarged cardiac silhouette and left-sided pleural effusion. Thyroid stimulating hormone was undetectable, and free thyroxine was elevated. Diltiazem and heparin were started, and methimazole was increased. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a large pericardial effusion with cardiac tamponade physiology. Pericardiocentesis obtained 1,050 mL of sanguineous fluid. The patient progressed to thyroid storm, treated with propylthiouracil, potassium iodine, hydrocortisone, and cholestyramine. Cultures and cytology of the pericardial fluid were negative. Thyroid hormone markers progressively normalized, and he improved clinically and was discharged. Discussion. We found 10 previously reported cases of pericardial effusions in the setting of hyperthyroidism. Heparin use may have contributed to the sanguineous nature of our patient’s pericardial effusion, but other reported cases occurred without anticoagulation. Sanguineous and nonsanguineous pericardial effusions and cardiac tamponade may be due to hyperthyroidism

    The possible significance of trisomy 8 in acute myeloid leukemia

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    Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disorder that results from a block in the differentiation of haematopoietic progenitor cells along with uncontrolled proliferation. Trisomy 8 is the most common recurring numerical chromosomal aberrations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). It occurs either as a sole anomaly or together with other additional chromosomal aberrations. The prognostic significance of trisomy 8 in presence of other additional chromosomal abnormality depends on clonal cytogenetic changes. The patients with trisomy 8 had shorter survival with significantly increased risk with other chromosomal abnormality.Methods: Total 139 patients were screened between January 2016 to November 2016 who were suspected of AML cases. Bone marrow cultures were set up using conventional cytogenetic methods. Chromosomal preparation was made and subjected to GTG banding technique. Banded metaphases were analysed and karyotyped for further analysis.Results: Cytogenetic evaluation of karyotyped of 139 suspected AML patients showed 52 with t(8;21)(q22;q22), 36 with t(15;17)(q22;q12), and 11 with inv(16)(p13;q22). The rest 40 cases found with additional chromosomal abnormalities, of which 16 were sole trisomy 8 and 24 cases were found with other chromosomal abnormalities In addition, only one person found with t(8;21) and trisomy 8, while  three person having t(15;17) with trisomy 8.Conclusions: AML is considered to be one of the most important cytogenetic prognostic determinants. Recurrent chromosomal translocation with trisomy 8 varying 1.9% for t(8;21) and 8.3% for t(15;17). In the present study trisomy 8 in AML with known favourable anomalies is very small. Therefore, it cannot be taken as a prognostic marker

    The MESSy aerosol submodel MADE3 (v2.0b): description and a box model test

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    We introduce MADE3 (Modal Aerosol Dynamics model for Europe, adapted for global applications, 3rd generation; version: MADE3v2.0b), an aerosol dynamics submodel for application within the MESSy framework (Modular Earth Submodel System). MADE3 builds on the predecessor aerosol submodels MADE and MADE-in. Its main new features are the explicit representation of coarse mode particle interactions both with other particles and with condensable gases, and the inclusion of hydrochloric acid (HCl) / chloride (Cl) partitioning between the gas and condensed phases. The aerosol size distribution is represented in the new submodel as a superposition of nine lognormal modes: one for fully soluble particles, one for insoluble particles, and one for mixed particles in each of three size ranges (Aitken, accumulation, and coarse mode size ranges). <br><br> In order to assess the performance of MADE3 we compare it to its predecessor MADE and to the much more detailed particle-resolved aerosol model PartMC-MOSAIC in a box model simulation of an idealised marine boundary layer test case. MADE3 and MADE results are very similar, except in the coarse mode, where the aerosol is dominated by sea spray particles. Cl is reduced in MADE3 with respect to MADE due to the HCl / Cl partitioning that leads to Cl removal from the sea spray aerosol in our test case. Additionally, the aerosol nitrate concentration is higher in MADE3 due to the condensation of nitric acid on coarse mode particles. MADE3 and PartMC-MOSAIC show substantial differences in the fine particle size distributions (sizes &lesssim; 2 ÎĽm) that could be relevant when simulating climate effects on a global scale. Nevertheless, the agreement between MADE3 and PartMC-MOSAIC is very good when it comes to coarse particle size distributions (sizes &gtrsim; 2 ÎĽm), and also in terms of aerosol composition. Considering these results and the well-established ability of MADE in reproducing observed aerosol loadings and composition, MADE3 seems suitable for application within a global model

    Breeding CMS-based white seeded pigeonpea hybrids

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    Most people in Gujarat prefer vegetarian diets. Their protein requirement is derived from pulses, vegetables, and various milk products. However, tuar dal (pigeonpea) is, by far, the most popular and cheap source of protein in their diets. The state produces 2.4 lakh tonnes of pigeonpea annually, but this quantity is insufficient to meet the ever increasing domestic needs. Since the scope of increasing pigeonpea area in the state is limited, the emphasis is now centered on increasing its productivity. In this context, the recently developed CMS-based hybrid pigeonpea technology has shown a promise and hybrids such as ICPH 4506, ICPH 4503, ICPH 4502 and ICPH 4429 have demonstrated >50% yield advantage over the popular cultivars. The commercial hybrid seed production technology was successfully tested for over two years and, on average, yield of about 1000 kg/ha has been recorded. This paper summarizes the successful joint efforts made byICRISAT and Biogene Agritech, Ahmedabad (a private seed company) in developing and testing the first ever white-seeded high-yielding, and wilt and sterility mosaic disease resistant pigeonpea hybrid for Gujara

    Modeling regional aerosol variability over California and its sensitivity to emissions and long-range transport during the 2010 CalNex and CARES campaigns

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    Abstract. The performance of the Weather Research and Forecasting regional model with chemistry (WRF-Chem) in simulating the spatial and temporal variations in aerosol mass, composition, and size over California is quantified using measurements collected during the California Nexus of Air Quality and Climate Experiment (CalNex) and the Carbonaceous Aerosol and Radiative Effects Study (CARES) conducted during May and June of 2010. The extensive meteorological, trace gas, and aerosol measurements collected at surface sites and along aircraft and ship transects during CalNex and CARES were combined with operational monitoring network measurements to create a single dataset that was used to evaluate the one configuration of the model. Simulations were performed that examined the sensitivity of regional variations in aerosol concentrations to anthropogenic emissions and to long-range transport of aerosols into the domain obtained from a global model. The configuration of WRF-Chem used in this study is shown to reproduce the overall synoptic conditions, thermally-driven circulations, and boundary layer structure observed in region that controls the transport and mixing of trace gases and aerosols. However, sub-grid scale variability in the meteorology and emissions as well as uncertainties in the treatment of secondary organic aerosol chemistry likely contribute to errors at a primary surface sampling site located at the edge of the Los Angeles basin. Differences among the sensitivity simulations demonstrate that the aerosol layers over the central valley detected by lidar measurements likely resulted from lofting and recirculation of local anthropogenic emissions along the Sierra Nevada. Reducing the default emissions inventory by 50% led to an overall improvement in many simulated trace gases and black carbon aerosol at most sites and along most aircraft flight paths; however, simulated organic aerosol was closer to observed when there were no adjustments to the primary organic aerosol emissions. The model performance for some aerosol species was not uniform over the region, and we found that sulfate was better simulated over northern California whereas nitrate was better simulated over southern California. While the overall spatial and temporal variability of aerosols and their precursors were simulated reasonably well, we show cases where the local transport of some aerosol plumes were either too slow or too fast, which adversely affects the statistics regarding the differences between observed and simulated quantities. Comparisons with lidar and in-situ measurements indicate that long-range transport of aerosols from the global model was likely too high in the free troposphere even though their concentrations were relatively low. This bias led to an over-prediction in aerosol optical depth by as much as a factor of two that offset the under-predictions of boundary-layer extinction resulting primarily from local emissions. Lowering the boundary conditions of aerosol concentrations by 50% greatly reduced the bias in simulated aerosol optical depth for all regions of California. This study shows that quantifying regional-scale variations in aerosol radiative forcing and determining the relative role of emissions from local and distant sources is challenging during "clean" conditions and that a wide array of measurements are needed to ensure model predictions are correct for the right reasons. In this regard, the combined CalNex and CARES datasets are an ideal testbed that can be used to evaluate aerosol models in great detail and develop improved treatments for aerosol processes

    Structural determinants of opioid and NOP receptor activity in derivatives of buprenorphine

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    The unique pharmacological profile of buprenorphine has led to its considerable success as an analgesic and as a treatment agent for drug abuse. Activation of nociceptin/orphanin FQ peptide (NOP) receptors has been postulated to account for certain aspects of buprenorphine’s behavioural profile. In order to investigate the role of NOP activation further, a series of buprenorphine analogues has been synthesised with the aim of increasing affinity for the NOP receptor. Binding and functional assay data on these new compounds indicate that the area around C20 in the orvinols is key to NOP receptor activity, with several compounds displaying higher affinity than buprenorphine. One compound, 1b, was found to be a mu opioid receptor partial agonist of comparable efficacy to buprenorphine, but with higher efficacy at NOP receptors

    Quarkonium and hydrogen spectra with spin dependent relativistic wave equation

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    A non-linear non-perturbative relativistic atomic theory introduces spin in the dynamics of particle motion. The resulting energy levels of Hydrogen atom are exactly same as the Dirac theory. The theory accounts for the energy due to spin-orbit interaction and for the additional potential energy due to spin and spin-orbit coupling. Spin angular momentum operator is integrated into the equation of motion. This requires modification to classical Laplacian operator. Consequently the Dirac matrices and the k operator of Dirac's theory are dispensed with. The theory points out that the curvature of the orbit draws on certain amount of kinetic and potential energies affecting the momentum of electron and the spin-orbit interaction energy constitutes a part of this energy. The theory is developed for spin 1/2 bound state single electron in Coulomb potential and then further extended to quarkonium physics by introducing the linear confining potential. The unique feature of this quarkonium model is that the radial distance can be exactly determined and does not have a statistical interpretation. The established radial distance is then used to determine the wave function. The observed energy levels are used as the input parameters and the radial distance and the string tension are predicted. This ensures 100% conformance to all observed energy levels for the heavy quarkonium.Comment: 14 pages, v7: Journal reference adde

    Canonicalizing Knowledge Base Literals

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    Ontology-based knowledge bases (KBs) like DBpedia are very valuable resources, but their usefulness and usability is limited by various quality issues. One such issue is the use of string literals instead of semantically typed entities. In this paper we study the automated canonicalization of such literals, i.e., replacing the literal with an existing entity from the KB or with a new entity that is typed using classes from the KB. We propose a framework that combines both reasoning and machine learning in order to predict the relevant entities and types, and we evaluate this framework against state-of-the-art baselines for both semantic typing and entity matching

    Some of the Specific Crime Investigation Risk Disappearances of Persons

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    Nestanci osoba, osobito oni kod kojih postoje indicije da su nestale osobe žrtve ubojstava, u značajnoj mjeri zaokupljaju stručnu, ali i sveukupnu javnost. Traže se brze i učinkovite aktivnosti policije u razjašnjavanju takvih događaja i pronalaženje počinitelja. Takva kriminalistička istraživanja spadaju u red najsloženijih s obzirom na to da vrlo često u početku nema nedvojbenih dokaza da je uopće počinjeno kazneno djelo. Stoga će ovaj rad ukazati na neke stručne i organizacijske aspekte postupanja policije u takvim slučajevima.Disappearances of persons occupy the public and the media. Interest is particularly great when there is suspicion that the missing person is a victim of murder. Missing person\u27s family also expects from the police fast and efficient activities. These criminal investigations belong to the most complex because frequently in the beginning there is no clear evidence about the murder. The article therefore deals with the expert and organizational aspects of police proceedings
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