Coupling CFD and visualisation to model the behaviour and effect on visibility of small particles in air

The use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and lighting simulation software is becoming commonplace in building design. This study looks at a novel linkage between these two tools in the visualization of droplets or particles suspended in air. CFD is used to predict the distribution of the particles, which is then processed and passed to the lighting simulation tool. The mechanism for transforming CFD contaminant concentration predictions to a form suitable for visual simulation is explained in detail and an example presented which demonstrates this linkage. The CFD-visualisation simulations described in this paper have applications in both automotive and fire safety through the modelling of fog and smoke respectively. Historically, smoke and fog effects have been rendered in images with no attempt at modelling physical reality. The novelty of the work presented in this paper is that, for the first time, an attempt is made to model both the fluid mechanics and optical physics of small particles suspended in a primary fluid

Developing 21st Century Skills with Online Curation and Social Annotation

Comprend des références bibliographiques

Influence of dietary phytochemicals and microbiota on colon cancer risk.

Colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed type of cancer in the United States. Lifestyle and dietary patterns influence colon cancer risk both positively and negatively. Among the dietary factors, several plant-derived compounds have been found to afford colon cancer protection. These compounds potentially influence all aspects of colonic cellular regulation and develop complex interrelationships with the colonic microbiome. Increasing understanding of the role of microorganisms in determining the colonic environment has led to awareness of this important interrelationship among dietary factors and the microbial population. Plant-derived polyphenols are active mediators of cellular events, target key carcinogenic pathways, and modulate colonic microbial populations. In turn, the colonic microorganisms metabolize dietary compounds and mediate cellular events. In addition, the role of estrogen receptors in colon cancer and the importance of dietary components that mediate estrogen receptor-β are increasingly being discovered. Hence, dietary bioactive compounds and the intestinal microbiota create a complex milieu that directly affects the carcinogenic events of the colon. These relationships must be carefully characterized in future research to provide dietary recommendations that will reduce colon cancer risk

Antiepileptic Drug Mechanisms of Action

Clinically used antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) decrease membrane excitability by interacting with ion channels or neurotransmitter receptors. Currently available AEDs appear to act on sodium channels, GABA A receptors, or calcium channels. Phenytoin, carbamazepine, and possibly valproate (VPA) decrease high-frequency repetitive firing of action potentials by enhancing sodium channel inactivation. Benzodiazepines and barbiturates enhance GABA A receptor-mediated inhibition. Ethosuximide and possibly VPA reduce a low-threshold calcium current. The mechanisms of action of AEDs currently under development are less clear. Lamotrigine may decrease sustained high-frequency repetitive firing. The mechanisms of action of felbamate are unknown. Gabapentin (GBP) appears to bind to a specific binding site in the central nervous system with a restricted regional distribution, but the identity of the binding site and the mechanism of action of GBP remain uncertain.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66291/1/j.1528-1157.1993.tb05918.x.pd

The construction of a vocabulary test for the intermediate grades,

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

Moral reform and the rise of the burlesque industry in London, Ontario.

This study examines the various ways that the reform movement contributed to the rise of the burlesque industry in London, Ontario, during the period of 1885 to 1917. The purpose of this research is to draw attention to the uneven and contradictory ways that the behaviour of burlesque dancers and other wage-earning women were regulated. Moving beyond the stated aims of moral reform groups and their campaigns, this thesis focuses on the regulatory techniques used to control women at the turn of the century. Analysis of theatre programs, promotional advertisements, press releases, local newspapers and other accounts, highlights the ways that burlesque dancers and single wage-earning women were morally regulated. It is argued that middle class moral reform groups constructed an agenda that would protect and secure their social, political and economic interests in the name of morality. This research, however, reveals that these women were the victims of moral corruption, not by male procurers or the temptations of city life, but by reformers themselves. The moral reform campaign invented the category of female delinquent to legitimate the constant examination of women\u27s moral characters. London moral reformers did more to produce and maintain images of women as sexual delinquents than to prevent them from sexual danger.Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1999 .M334. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 43-05, page: 1634. Adviser: Suzan Ilcan. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1999

Ecological values of Hamilton urban streams (North Island, New Zealand): constraints and opportunities for restoration

Urban streams globally are characterised by degraded habitat conditions and low aquatic biodiversity, but are increasingly becoming the focus of restoration activities. We investigated habitat quality, ecological function, and fish and macroinvertebrate community composition of gully streams in Hamilton City, New Zealand, and compared these with a selection of periurban sites surrounded by rural land. A similar complement of fish species was found at urban and periurban sites, including two threatened species, with only one introduced fish widespread (Gambusia affinis). Stream macroinvertebrate community metrics indicated low ecological condition at most urban and periurban sites, but highlighted the presence of one high value urban site with a fauna dominated by sensitive taxa. Light-trapping around seepages in city gullies revealed the presence of several caddisfly species normally associated with native forest, suggesting that seepage habitats can provide important refugia for some aquatic insects in urban environments. Qualitative measures of stream habitat were not significantly different between urban and periurban sites, but urban streams had significantly lower hydraulic function and higher biogeochemical function than periurban streams. These functional differences are thought to reflect, respectively, (1) the combined effects of channel modification and stormwater hydrology, and (2) the influence of riparian vegetation providing shade and enhancing habitat in streams. Significant relationships between some macroinvertebrate community metrics and riparian vegetation buffering and bank protection suggest that riparian enhancement may have beneficial ecological outcomes in some urban streams. Other actions that may contribute to urban stream restoration goals include an integrated catchment approach to resolving fish passage issues, active reintroduction of wood to streams to enhance cover and habitat heterogeneity, and seeding of depauperate streams with native migratory fish to help initiate natural recolonisation

The genetic basis of adaptation to copper pollution in Drosophila melanogaster

Introduction: Heavy metal pollutants can have long lasting negative impacts on ecosystem health and can shape the evolution of species. The persistent and ubiquitous nature of heavy metal pollution provides an opportunity to characterize the genetic mechanisms that contribute to metal resistance in natural populations. Methods: We examined variation in resistance to copper, a common heavy metal contaminant, using wild collections of the model organism Drosophila melanogaster. Flies were collected from multiple sites that varied in copper contamination risk. We characterized phenotypic variation in copper resistance within and among populations using bulked segregant analysis to identify regions of the genome that contribute to copper resistance. Results and Discussion: Copper resistance varied among wild populations with a clear correspondence between resistance level and historical exposure to copper. We identified 288 SNPs distributed across the genome associated with copper resistance. Many SNPs had population-specific effects, but some had consistent effects on copper resistance in all populations. Significant SNPs map to several novel candidate genes involved in refolding disrupted proteins, energy production, and mitochondrial function. We also identified one SNP with consistent effects on copper resistance in all populations near CG11825, a gene involved in copper homeostasis and copper resistance. We compared the genetic signatures of copper resistance in the wild-derived populations to genetic control of copper resistance in the Drosophila Synthetic Population Resource (DSPR) and the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP), two copper-naïve laboratory populations. In addition to CG11825, which was identified as a candidate gene in the wild-derived populations and previously in the DSPR, there was modest overlap of copper-associated SNPs between the wild-derived populations and laboratory populations. Thirty-one SNPs associated with copper resistance in wild-derived populations fell within regions of the genome that were associated with copper resistance in the DSPR in a prior study. Collectively, our results demonstrate that the genetic control of copper resistance is highly polygenic, and that several loci can be clearly linked to genes involved in heavy metal toxicity response. The mixture of parallel and population-specific SNPs points to a complex interplay between genetic background and the selection regime that modifies the effects of genetic variation on copper resistance

Movers and shakers: exploring the complex dynamics of aquatic biological invasions

Human-mediated introductions of non-native species have provoked innumerable biological invasions, which can have a suite of adverse effects on the communities into which they are introduced. Despite extensive research, there remains a need in invasion ecology for simple methods of predicting how an introduced species will spread and become established. While I predicted that spread can be modelled simply using the characteristics of the invading population, establishment should be explained by the characteristics of the receiving ecosystem. Using the brown trout (Salmo trutta) invasion on the Island of Newfoundland as a case study, I fit a reaction-diffusion model to brown trout population data to predict expected spread and test these predictions against extensive occurrence data. I use statistical models to test the influence of a suite of environmental variables on the establishment of brown trout within the invasion range. I find that observed spread in Newfoundland is slow compared to invasions elsewhere and that two landscape environmental variables show evidence of explaining establishment patterns, but their influence is likely moderated by other factors. My study contextualises the mechanisms contributing to slow aquatic invasions, revealing that studies need to integrate a variety of methods to elucidate the processes governing biological invasions