Thermodynamic performance testing of the orbiter flash evaporator system

System level testing of the space shuttle orbiter's development flash evaporator system (FES) was performed in a thermal vacuum chamber capable of simulating ambient ascent, orbital, and entry temperature and pressure profiles. The test article included the evaporator assembly, high load and topping exhaust duct and nozzle assemblies, and feedwater supply assembly. Steady state and transient heat load, water pressure/temperature and ambient pressure/temperature profiles were imposed by especially designed supporting test hardware. Testing in 1978 verified evaporator and duct heater thermal design, determined FES performance boundaries, and assessed topping evaporator plume characteristics. Testing in 1979 combined the FES with the other systems in the orbiter active thermal control subsystem (ATCS). The FES met or exceeded all nominal and contingency performance requirements during operation with the integrated ATCS. During both tests stability problems were encountered during steady state operations which resulted in subsequent design changes to the water spray nozzle and valve plate assemblies

Uncivil Twitter: A sociopragmatic analysis

Language Use in Past and Presen

Procesado masivo y automático de trazas en redes celulares

The introduction of new services in mobile communications usually requires extensive evaluation campaigns. Even though new services and devices may have undergone conformance testing, it is important to ensure they do properly work in real live networks, where some parameters, signalling procedures or timer values may differ from those used in conformance testing. It is also important to diagnose error sources. This paper describes a tool that automatically analyses traces captured by the mobile terminal. Its design addresses two main challenges: the efficient handling of the large amount of information captured by the terminal and the extraction of relevant information from traces generated by different sources.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Spanish Government (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad) and FEDER under grant TEC2016-80090-C2-1-

Modifying effect of dual antiplatelet therapy on incidence of stent thrombosis according to implanted drug-eluting stent type

Aim To investigate the putative modifying effect of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) use on the incidence of stent thrombosis at 3 years in patients randomized to Endeavor zotarolimus-eluting stent (E-ZES) or Cypher sirolimus-eluting stent (C-SES). Methods and results Of 8709 patients in PROTECT, 4357 were randomized to E-ZES and 4352 to C-SES. Aspirin was to be given indefinitely, and clopidogrel/ticlopidine for ≥3 months or up to 12 months after implantation. Main outcome measures were definite or probable stent thrombosis at 3 years. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was applied, with stent type, DAPT, and their interaction as the main outcome determinants. Dual antiplatelet therapy adherence remained the same in the E-ZES and C-SES groups (79.6% at 1 year, 32.8% at 2 years, and 21.6% at 3 years). We observed a statistically significant (P = 0.0052) heterogeneity in treatment effect of stent type in relation to DAPT. In the absence of DAPT, stent thrombosis was lower with E-ZES vs. C-SES (adjusted hazard ratio 0.38, 95% confidence interval 0.19, 0.75; P = 0.0056). In the presence of DAPT, no difference was found (1.18; 0.79, 1.77; P = 0.43). Conclusion A strong interaction was observed between drug-eluting stent type and DAPT use, most likely prompted by the vascular healing response induced by the implanted DES system. These results suggest that the incidence of stent thrombosis in DES trials should not be evaluated independently of DAPT use, and the optimal duration of DAPT will likely depend upon stent type (Clinicaltrials.gov number NCT00476957

Impact of Compost Application during 5 Years on Crop Production, Soil Microbial Activity, Carbon Fraction, and Humification Process

Compost amendment is considered as a practical tool to increase the soil organic matter (SOM), which contributes to agricultural sustainability. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the impacts of organic soil management over 5 years on orchard prune production (Prunus salicina), microbial activity, soil carbon (C) fraction, and stabilization degrees of soil humification. Plot experiment was designed with two different soil managements: i) for minimizing anthropogenic disturbances, only mulching of orchard residues derived from prune tree plot area was applied to soil surface (S + V); and ii) the amendment of composted manure was annually practiced in addition to the utilization of orchard residues inside the plot area (S + V + C). After 5 years, the soil with the continuous compost application (S + V + C) showed higher productivity of Prunus salicina (21.4%), greater fruit diameter (7.8%), and heavier fruit weight (22.4%) than the soil without compost application (S + V). Nutrient content in foliar analysis showed no difference between the two treatments (S + V and S + V + C). By contrast, the amended soil by compost (S + V + C) increased the SOM and water-soluble C fraction in parallel with the increase of microbial parameters (microbial biomass C, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), basal respiration, and dehydrogenase). Analyzing soil humic acid character by chemical spectra techniques of Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (13C-NMR), gradual reformation of a more stabilized structure was shown in both soils (S + V and S + V + C), due to the selective biodegradation and humification process after the amendments over 5 years. Especially, in the soil treated with compost application (S + V + C), the increase of functional C groups (aromatic and carboxylic groups), which reinforce the recalcitrant character of soil humified fraction, was clearly observed. The continuous application of composted manure for the duration of 5 years improved the orchard soil fertility as well as productivity. Abbreviations: ATP, adenosine triphosphate; CPMAS, cross-polarization magic angle spinning; EC, electrical conductivity; FT-IR, Fourier-transform infrared; HA, humic acid; HS, humic substance; INTF, iodonitrotetrazolium formazan; K, Potassium; LSD, least significant differences, N, nitrogen; NMR, nuclear magnetic resonance; O, oxygen; OM, organic matter; MBC, microbial biomass C; P, phosphorous; SD, standard deviation; SE, standard error; SOM, soil organic matter; TOC, total organic carbon; WSC, water-soluble C; WS-Ch, water-soluble carbohydrat

Unmet diagnostic needs in contact oral mucosal allergies

The oral mucosa including the lips is constantly exposed to several noxious stimuli, irritants and allergens. However, oral contact pathologies are not frequently seen because of the relative resistance of the oral mucosa to irritant agents and allergens due to anatomical and physiological factors. The spectrum of signs and symptoms of oral contact allergies (OCA) is broad and a large number of condition can be the clinical expression of OCA such as allergic contact stomatitis, allergic contact cheilitis, geographic tongue, oral lichenoid reactions, burning mouth syndrome. The main etiological factors causing OCA are dental materials, food and oral hygiene products, as they contain flavouring agents and preservatives. The personal medical history of the patient is helpful to perform a diagnosis, as a positive history for recent dental procedures. Sometimes histology is mandatory. When it cannot identify a direct cause of a substance, in both acute and chronic OCA, patch tests can play a pivotal role in the diagnosis. However, patch tests might have several pitfalls. Indeed, the presence of metal ions as haptens and specifically the differences in their concentrations in oral mucosa and in standard preparation for patch testing and in the differences in pH of the medium might result in either false positive/negative reactions or non-specific irritative reactions. Another limitation of patch test results is the difficulty to assess the clinical relevance of haptens contained in dental materials and only the removal of dental materials or the avoidance of other contactant and consequent improvement of the disease may demonstrate the haptens' responsibility. In conclusion, the wide spectrum of clinical presentations, the broad range of materials and allergens which can cause it, the difficult interpretation of patch-test results, the clinical relevance assessment of haptens found positive at patch test are the main factors that make sometimes difficult the diagnosis and the management of OCA that requires an interdisciplinary approach to the patient