Impacts of thermal aging and associated heat losses on the performance of a Pyromark 2500-coated concentrated solar power central receiver

Pyromark 2500 is a widely used coating for concentrated solar power central receiver systems due to its high absorptivity, ease in application, and relatively low cost. Pyromark's performance is quantified by its figure of merit (FOM), which relates the coating's heat losses to its solar-to-thermal conversion efficiency. After long-term exposure to high temperatures (>750{\deg}C) and irradiance levels, Pyromark's absorptivity and FOM decrease. The aim of this research is to evaluate changes in Pyromark's absorptivity, heat losses, and FOM as a function of thermal aging. This work also compares the most common FOM expression, which neglects convection losses, to an FOM that includes all heat losses experienced by a central receiver. Isothermal aging experiments are conducted on Pyromark-coated Inconel 600 substrates at 750{\deg}C. The spectral, hemispherical absorptivity of the samples is measured at room temperature with a spectrophotometer and input into a finite element analysis model that includes radiation and convection boundary conditions. The heat flux and temperature output by the model are used to determine the heat losses and FOM of the Pyromark samples. After 151 h of thermal aging, the sample with the thinnest Pyromark coat maintains the most stable total, hemispherical absorptivity. Conversely, the total, hemispherical absorptivity of the sample with the thickest Pyromark coat drops by a maximum of 1.73%, and the corresponding maximum drop in FOM is 1.90% when windy conditions (which are expected around central receivers) are assumed. In windy conditions, convection losses constitute between 21% and 24% of the samples' total heat loss; thus, the most common FOM expression in the literature overestimates the samples' FOM by ~4.40%. An analysis of the samples' heat losses indicates that reflection losses exceed emission losses when the absorptivity declines significantly.Comment: 36 pages, 6 figures, 2 table

Biological Control of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Argentina: Releases of Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in Fruit-Producing Semi-Arid Areas of San Juan

The Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) is one of the major pests of fruit crops in Argentina and it is a phytosanitary barrier to the export of fresh fruits. In the Province of San Juan, located in the central-eastern region of Argentina known as Cuyo, control strategies against Medfly in fruit-producing irrigated-valleys have been implemented by the National Fruit Fly Control and Eradication Program (ProCEM) jointly with the provincial government and the producers. This program uses an area-wide integrated pest management approach that includes the use of environment-friendly strategies to suppress or eradicate Medfly, such as the useof the sterile insect technique and the application of new-generation bait sprays, and more recently the release of the Indo-Pacific parasitoid Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead). This exotic larval-prepupal endoparasitoid is being mass-reared on larvae of Vienna 8 TSL C. capitata strain at the BioPlanta San Juan facility. In this respect, the objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of laboratory-reared D. longicaudata females in order to find and successfully parasitize Medfly larvae in different host fruit species once released under semi-arid environmental conditions in ecologically isolated fruit-growing valleys of San Juan. Ground releases were used to disperse parasitoids in 6 fruit-producing valleys. In total, 40,000 adult parasitoids were released at places with various Medfly host plants bearing fruits and in which no insecticides were regularly applied, such as backyards and small orchards. 119 D. longicaudata adults were recovered from 6 Medfly-infested fruit species that were collected in 5 release sites (Pocito, Zonda, Santa Lucía, Caucete, and Rivadavia). The highest number of parasitoids was recovered from fig, followed by grape, rose, orange, tangerine, and persimmon. Data provided from this study open up the possibility of implementing a parasitoid mass-release program in San Juan.Fil: Suárez, Lorena. Provincia de San Juan. Ministerio de Producción y Desarrollo Economico. Secretaria de Agric., Ganaderia y Agroindustria. Programa de Control y Erradicación de Mosca de Los Frutos; ArgentinaFil: Murúa Bruna, Albérico Fernando. Provincia de San Juan. Ministerio de Producción y Desarrollo Economico. Secretaria de Agric., Ganaderia y Agroindustria. Programa de Control y Erradicación de Mosca de Los Frutos; ArgentinaFil: Lara, Natalia. Provincia de San Juan. Ministerio de Producción y Desarrollo Economico. Secretaria de Agric., Ganaderia y Agroindustria. Programa de Control y Erradicación de Mosca de Los Frutos; ArgentinaFil: Escobar, Jorge. Provincia de San Juan. Ministerio de Producción y Desarrollo Economico. Secretaria de Agric., Ganaderia y Agroindustria. Programa de Control y Erradicación de Mosca de Los Frutos; ArgentinaFil: Tareti, Gustavo. Provincia de San Juan. Ministerio de Producción y Desarrollo Economico. Secretaria de Agric., Ganaderia y Agroindustria. Programa de Control y Erradicación de Mosca de Los Frutos; ArgentinaFil: Rubio, Jose Luis. Provincia de San Juan. Ministerio de Producción y Desarrollo Economico. Secretaria de Agric., Ganaderia y Agroindustria. Programa de Control y Erradicación de Mosca de Los Frutos; ArgentinaFil: Van Nieuwenhove, Guido Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiologicos; ArgentinaFil: Bezdjian, Laura Patricia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiologicos; ArgentinaFil: Schliserman, Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiologicos; ArgentinaFil: Ovruski Alderete, Sergio Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiologicos; Argentin

Efficiency of primary spine care as compared to conventional primary care: a retrospective observational study at an Academic Medical Center

Background: Primary Spine Care (PSC) is an innovative model for the primary management of patients with spine-related disorders (SRDs), with a focus on the use of non-pharmacological therapies which now constitute the recommended first-line approach to back pain. PSC clinicians serve as the initial or early point of contact for spine patients and utilize evidence-based spine care pathways to improve outcomes and reduce escalation of care (EoC; e.g., spinal injections, diagnostic imaging, hospitalizations, referrals to a specialist). The present study examined 6-month outcomes to evaluate the efficiency of care for patients who received PSC as compared to conventional primary care. We hypothesized that patients seen by a PSC clinician would have lower rates of EoC compared to patients who received usual care by a primary care (PC) clinician. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study. We evaluated 6-month outcomes for two groups seen and treated for an SRD between February 01, 2017 and January 31, 2020. Patient groups were comprised of N = 1363 PSC patients (Group A) and N = 1329 PC patients (Group B). We conducted Pearson chi-square and logistic regression (adjusting for patient characteristics that were unbalanced between the two groups) to determine associations between the two groups and 6-month outcomes. Results: Within six months of an initial visit for an SRD, a statistically significantly smaller proportion of PSC patients utilized healthcare resources for spine care as compared to the PC patients. When adjusting for patient characteristics, those who received care from the PSC clinician were less likely within 6 months of an initial visit to be hospitalized (OR =.47, 95% CI.23–.97), fill a prescription for an opioid analgesic (OR =.43; 95% CI.29–.65), receive a spinal injection (OR =.56, 95% CI.33–.95), or have a visit with a specialist (OR =.48, 95% CI.35–.67) as compared to those who received usual primary care. Conclusions: Patients who received PSC in an academic primary care clinic experienced significantly less escalation of their spine care within 6 months of their initial visit. The PSC model may offer a more efficient approach to the primary care of spine problems for patients with SRDs, as compared to usual primary care

Association between chiropractic care and use of prescription opioids among older medicare beneficiaries with spinal pain: a retrospective observational study

Background: The burden of spinal pain can be aggravated by the hazards of opioid analgesics, which are still widely prescribed for spinal pain despite evidence-based clinical guidelines that identify non-pharmacological therapies as the preferred first-line approach. Previous studies have found that chiropractic care is associated with decreased use of opioids, but have not focused on older Medicare beneficiaries, a vulnerable population with high rates of co-morbidity and polypharmacy. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the association between chiropractic utilization and use of prescription opioids among older adults with spinal pain. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study in which we examined a nationally representative multi-year sample of Medicare claims data, 2012–2016. The study sample included 55,949 Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with spinal pain, of whom 9,356 were recipients of chiropractic care and 46,593 were non-recipients. We measured the adjusted risk of filling a prescription for an opioid analgesic for up to 365 days following diagnosis of spinal pain. Using Cox proportional hazards modeling and inverse weighted propensity scoring to account for selection bias, we compared recipients of both primary care and chiropractic to recipients of primary care alone regarding the risk of filling a prescription. Results: The adjusted risk of filling an opioid prescription within 365 days of initial visit was 56% lower among recipients of chiropractic care as compared to non-recipients (hazard ratio 0.44; 95% confidence interval 0.40–0.49). Conclusions: Among older Medicare beneficiaries with spinal pain, use of chiropractic care is associated with significantly lower risk of filling an opioid prescription

Submicron Structure Fabrication and Research

Contains reports on six research projects.Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAG29-78-C-0020)Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAG29-80-C-0104)M.I.T. Sloan Fund for Basic ResearchU.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research (Contract N00014-79-C-0908)Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (Subcontract 206-92-09)U.S. Department of Energy (Contract DE-ACO2-80-E10179)Harkness Foundatio

Establishment of a Fruit Fly Parasitoids Mass-Rearing Facility in the Province of San Juan, Argentina

Since 1986, the suppression strategies implemented against Ceratitis capitata through the National Fruit Fly Control and Eradication Program in the province of San Juan (ProCEM San Juan), have been based on integrated use of SIT, cultural and chemical controls, plus a quarantine system. In April/2008, the Biological Control has been incorporated into control activities of the ProCEM San Juan. The first step was the establishment of a colony of the parasitoid Diachasmimorpha longicaudata on third-instar larvae of tsl C. capitata strain VIENNA 8 at the San Juan facility. The rearing cages of D. longicaudata were held in a rearing  5% RH, and 12:12 (L:D) h photoperiod.± 1 ºC, 65 ±room with 24  This parasitoid colony was derived from a strain previously reared on late-third instar Anastrepha fraterculus larvae at the Insectary of PROIMI-CONICET, Biological Control Division, located in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina. However, the colony of D. longicaudata introduced to Argentina was obtained from a strain already adapted to laboratory conditions using Anastrepha ludens (Loew) larvae as a host in the Biological Control Laboratory of the Mexico?s Moscamed-Moscafrut National Program in Metapa de Dominguez, Chiapas, México. Financial support to introduction and establishment of D. longicaudata in Argentina was provided by the Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica, Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva de Argentina (Grants PICT/97 n° 01236 and PICTO/02 n° 12909). Currently, quality control parameters for D. longicaudata reared on tsl C. capitata strain is being analyzed in order to evaluate the rearing process and the final product. In a second phase, is planned a mass rearing of D. longicaudata to reach a weekly production of 5 million parasitoids. In a third phase, the parasitoids will be released in some ecologically isolated fruit-growing areas of San Juan in combination with sterile Medfly releases in order to evaluate parasitoid efficiency once released in the field. Medfly eradication might be reached in those areas with the use of environment-friendly technologies such as SIT and Biological Control.Fil: Suárez, Lorena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Provincia de San Juan. Ministerio de Producción y Desarrollo Económico. Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganadería y Agroindustria. Programa de Control y Erradicación de Mosca de los Frutos; ArgentinaFil: Bezdjian, Laura Patricia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; ArgentinaFil: Beorchia Nigris, Victoria. Provincia de San Juan. Ministerio de Producción y Desarrollo Económico. Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganadería y Agroindustria. Programa de Control y Erradicación de Mosca de los Frutos; ArgentinaFil: Lara, Natalia. Provincia de San Juan. Ministerio de Producción y Desarrollo Económico. Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganadería y Agroindustria. Programa de Control y Erradicación de Mosca de los Frutos; ArgentinaFil: Murua, Fernanado. Provincia de San Juan. Ministerio de Producción y Desarrollo Económico. Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganadería y Agroindustria. Programa de Control y Erradicación de Mosca de los Frutos; ArgentinaFil: Escobar, Jorge. Provincia de San Juan. Ministerio de Producción y Desarrollo Económico. Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganadería y Agroindustria. Programa de Control y Erradicación de Mosca de los Frutos; ArgentinaFil: Van Nieuwenhove, Guido Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; ArgentinaFil: Núñez Campero, Segundo Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; ArgentinaFil: Schliserman, Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; ArgentinaFil: Cancino, Jorge. Programa MOSCAMED; MacaoFil: Ovruski Alderete, Sergio Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina7ma Reunión del Grupo de Trabajo en Moscas de la Fruta del Hemisferio OccidentalMazatlánMéxicoGobierno Federal de México. Secretaría de Agricultura y Desarrollo RuralServicio Nacional de Sanidad, Inocuidad y Calidad AgroalimentariaOrganismo Internacional de Energía AtómicaGobierno Federal de Estados Unidos. Departamento de Agricultur

Superparasitismo en anastrepha fraterculus (diptera: tephritidae) por diachasmimorpha longicaudata (hymenoptera: braconidae)

Bajo el concepto de que Diachasmimorpha longicaudata es un parasitoide con alto potencial biológico para ser empleado como agente de biocontrol contra «moscas de la fruta» de importancia económica en Argentina, se evaluó en una colonia del parasitoide criada sobre larvas de A. fraterculus bajo condiciones de laboratorio, las posibles consecuencias del súper-parasitismo sobre el tiempo de desarrollo de los estados inmaduros del parasitoide, la productividad, eficiencia y longevidad de los adultos, como así también la proporción sexual de la progenie y el tamaño corporal de la descendencia.Fil: Escobar, Lorena Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; ArgentinaFil: Van Nieuwenhove, Guido Alejandro. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; ArgentinaFil: Bezdjian, Laura Patricia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; ArgentinaFil: Ovruski Alderete, Sergio Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; ArgentinaV Reunión Argentina de ParasitoidólogosSan Miguel de TucumánArgentinaFundación Miguel Lill

Genetics of callous-unemotional behavior in children

Callous-unemotional behavior (CU) is currently under consideration as a subtyping index for conduct disorder diagnosis. Twin studies routinely estimate the heritability of CU as greater than 50%. It is now possible to estimate genetic influence using DNA alone from samples of unrelated individuals, not relying on the assumptions of the twin method. Here we use this new DNA method (implemented in a software package called Genome-wide Complex Trait Analysis, GCTA) for the first time to estimate genetic influence on CU. We also report the first genome-wide association (GWA) study of CU as a quantitative trait. We compare these DNA results to those from twin analyses using the same measure and the same community sample of 2,930 children rated by their teachers at ages 7, 9 and 12. GCTA estimates of heritability were near zero, even though twin analysis of CU in this sample confirmed the high heritability of CU reported in the literature, and even though GCTA estimates of heritability were substantial for cognitive and anthropological traits in this sample. No significant associations were found in GWA analysis, which, like GCTA, only detects additive effects of common DNA variants. The phrase ‘missing heritability’ was coined to refer to the gap between variance associated with DNA variants identified in GWA studies versus twin study heritability. However, GCTA heritability, not twin study heritability, is the ceiling for GWA studies because both GCTA and GWA are limited to the overall additive effects of common DNA variants, whereas twin studies are not. This GCTA ceiling is very low for CU in our study, despite its high twin study heritability estimate. The gap between GCTA and twin study heritabilities will make it challenging to identify genes responsible for the heritability of CU

Multi-site genetic analysis of diffusion images and voxelwise heritability analysis : a pilot project of the ENIGMA–DTI working group

The ENIGMA (Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis) Consortium was set up to analyze brain measures and genotypes from multiple sites across the world to improve the power to detect genetic variants that influence the brain. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) yields quantitative measures sensitive to brain development and degeneration, and some common genetic variants may be associated with white matter integrity or connectivity. DTI measures, such as the fractional anisotropy (FA) of water diffusion, may be useful for identifying genetic variants that influence brain microstructure. However, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) require large populations to obtain sufficient power to detect and replicate significant effects, motivating a multi-site consortium effort. As part of an ENIGMA–DTI working group, we analyzed high-resolution FA images from multiple imaging sites across North America, Australia, and Europe, to address the challenge of harmonizing imaging data collected at multiple sites. Four hundred images of healthy adults aged 18–85 from four sites were used to create a template and corresponding skeletonized FA image as a common reference space. Using twin and pedigree samples of different ethnicities, we used our common template to evaluate the heritability of tract-derived FA measures. We show that our template is reliable for integrating multiple datasets by combining results through meta-analysis and unifying the data through exploratory mega-analyses. Our results may help prioritize regions of the FA map that are consistently influenced by additive genetic factors for future genetic discovery studies. Protocols and templates are publicly available at (http://enigma.loni.ucla.edu/ongoing/dti-working-group/)

Control Biológico de Moscas de la Fruta en Argentina: Experiencias de Evaluación de Parasitoides contra Ceratitis capitata y Anastrepha fraterculus (Diptera: Tephritidae) en Distintas Regiones Frutihortícolas

Anastrepha fraterculus y Ceratitis capitata son actualmente importantes plagas de la frutihorticultura argentina. En consecuencia, el control biológico está siendo considerado como un componente clave en las estrategias de manejo de estas dos especies de tefrítidos plagas en distintas regiones agrícolas. Por tal motivo, se realizaron evaluaciones de parasitoides como agentes de biocontrol en la región citrícola del noroeste (subtrópico) y en la región vitivinícola del centro-oeste argentino (desértico continental). El bracónido exótico Diachasmimorpha longicaudata, un endoparasitoide de larvas, y el diaprido nativo Coptera haywardi, un endoparasitoide de pupas, fueron evaluados en condiciones ambientales naturales usando jaulas de campo en la provincia de Tucumán (noroeste). Se partió de la premisa que el uso combinado de ambos parasitoides sería más eficiente para suprimir a A. fraterculus que el uso individual de las especies. Mientras se utilizaron individualmente, la efectividad de D. longicaudata y C. haywardi fue de 75% y 56%, respectivamente. Sin embargo, la eficacia total se incrementó en un 93% cuando se usaron secuencialmente. Asimismo, la eficacia de D. longicaudata para suprimir a C. capitata fue evaluada mediante liberaciones aumentativas del parasitoide en un área productora de higos localizada en un valle frutícola de la provincia de San Juan (centro oeste). Los parasitoides fueron criados masivamente en la BioPlanta San Juan usando larvas de C. capitata de la cepa tsl Vienna-8. Las liberaciones se realizaron durante 9 semanas a una densidad aproximada de 1.200 adultos/ha. La mortalidad de la plaga y la emergencia de C. capitata en las parcelas de liberación fue 3 veces más alta y 2 veces más baja, respectivamente, que aquellas registradas en las parcelas testigos. Según los resultados, el control biológico sería una herramienta válida y complementaria dentro de las estrategias bioracionales de control de moscas de la fruta en Argentina.Fil: Ovruski Alderete, Sergio Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; ArgentinaFil: Van Nieuwenhove, Guido Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; ArgentinaFil: Bezdjian, Laura Patricia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; ArgentinaFil: Sánchez, Guillermo. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Murúa, Fernando. Provincia de San Juan. Ministerio de Producción y Desarrollo Económico. Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganadería y Agroindustria. Programa de Control y Erradicación de Mosca de los Frutos; ArgentinaFil: Suárez, Lorena. Provincia de San Juan. Ministerio de Producción y Desarrollo Económico. Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganadería y Agroindustria. Programa de Control y Erradicación de Mosca de los Frutos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; ArgentinaFil: Schliserman, Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; ArgentinaFil: Bilbao, Mariana. Provincia de San Juan. Ministerio de Producción y Desarrollo Económico. Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganadería y Agroindustria. Programa de Control y Erradicación de Mosca de los Frutos; ArgentinaFil: Pantano, Valeria. Provincia de San Juan. Ministerio de Producción y Desarrollo Económico. Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganadería y Agroindustria. Programa de Control y Erradicación de Mosca de los Frutos; ArgentinaFil: Taret, Gustavo. Provincia de San Juan. Ministerio de Producción y Desarrollo Económico. Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganadería y Agroindustria. Programa de Control y Erradicación de Mosca de los Frutos; ArgentinaXXVI Congresso Brasileiro de Entomología y IX Congreso Latinoamericano de EntomologíaMaceio, AlagoasBrasilSociedade Brasilera de Entomologi