Development of an integrated heat pipe-thermal storage system for a solar receiver

The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) Solar Dynamic Power System (SDPS) is one of the candidates for Space Station prime power application. In the low Earth orbit of the Space Station approximately 34 minutes of the 94-minute orbital period is spent in eclipse with no solar energy input to the power system. For this period the SDPS will use thermal energy storage (TES) material to provide a constant power output. An integrated heat-pipe thermal storage receiver system is being developed as part of the ORC-SDPS solar receiver. This system incorporates potassium heat pipe elements to absorb and transfer the solar energy within the receiver cavity. The heat pipes contain the TES canisters within the potassium vapor space with the toluene heater tube used as the condenser region of the heat pipe. During the insolation period of the Earth orbit, solar energy is delivered to the heat pipe in the ORC-SDPS receiver cavity. The heat pipe transforms the non-uniform solar flux incident in the heat pipe surface within the receiver cavity to an essentially uniform flux at the potassium vapor condensation interface in the heat pipe. During solar insolation, part of the thermal energy is delivered to the heater tube and the balance is stored in the TES units. During the eclipse period of the orbit, the balance stored in the TES units is transferred by the potassium vapor to the toluene heater tube

Quality and validity of large animal experiments in stroke : a systematic review

An important factor for successful translational stroke research is study quality. Low-quality studies are at risk of biased results and effect overestimation, as has been intensely discussed for small animal stroke research. However, little is known about the methodological rigor and quality in large animal stroke models, which are becoming more frequently used in the field. Based on research in two databases, this systematic review surveys and analyses the methodological quality in large animal stroke research. Quality analysis was based on the Stroke Therapy Academic Industry Roundtable and the Animals in Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments guidelines. Our analysis revealed that large animal models are utilized with similar shortcomings as small animal models. Moreover, translational benefits of large animal models may be limited due to lacking implementation of important quality criteria such as randomization, allocation concealment, and blinded assessment of outcome. On the other hand, an increase of study quality over time and a positive correlation between study quality and journal impact factor were identified. Based on the obtained findings, we derive recommendations for optimal study planning, conducting, and data analysis/reporting when using large animal stroke models to fully benefit from the translational advantages offered by these models

Enhanced germination and electrotactic behaviour of Phytophthora palmivora zoospores in weak electric fields

Soil-dwelling microorganisms use a variety of chemical and physical signals to navigate their environment. Plant roots produce endogenous electric fields which result in characteristic current profiles. Such electrical signatures are hypothesised to be used by pathogens and symbionts to track and colonise plant roots.
The oomycete pathogen Phytophthora palmivora generates motile zoospores which swim towards the positive pole when exposed to an external electric field in vitro.
Here, we provide a quantitative characterization of their electrotactic behaviour in 3D. We found that a weak electric field (0.7 - 1.0 V/cm) is sufficient to induce an accumulation of zoospore at the positive pole, without affecting their encystment rate. We also show that the same external electric field increases the zoospore germination rate and orients the germ tube's growth. We conclude that several early stages of the P. palmivora infection cycle are affected by external electric fields.
Taken together, our results are compatible with the hypothesis that pathogens use plant endogenous electric fields for host targeting.&#xD

Pengembangan Sistem Informasi Geografis (Sig) Pada Platform Google Untuk Penanggulangan Kebakaran Di Jakarta Selatan

Penelitian yang dilakukan bertujuan untuk pengembangan sistem informasi geografis pada platform googlemengenai letak posisi daerah rawan kebakaran di wilayah Jakarta Selatan beserta titik-titik pendukungpenanggulangan dan juga sebagai alat analisis untuk pengembangan dan penambahan komponen pendukungdalam penanganan dan penanggulangan bencana kebakaran. Metodologi yang digunakan dalam penelitian inimenggunakan metodologi waterfall model yang terdiri berbagai tahapan seperti: requirements, analysis,design, coding, testing dan maintenance. Kesimpulan yang yang dapat ditarik dari penelitian ini antara lainadalah pemanfaatan aplikasi dari sistem informasi geografis (SIG) khususnya yang berbasis web berguna untukSUDIN pemadam kebakaran sebagai alat bantu untuk menanggulangi bahaya kebakaran khususnya di JakartaSelatan. Pemanfaatan SIG ini juga memberikan informasi yang berguna bagi masyarakat mengenai persebarantitik rawan kebakaran dan titik penanggulangan terdekat sehingga masyarakat harus tetap wasapada terhadappotensi kebakaran yang dapat terjadi setiap saat

Blackface : Otelo nas faces de Orson Welles e Laurence Olivier.

Programa de P?s-Gradua??o em Letras. Departamento de Letras, Instituto de Ci?ncias Humanas e Sociais, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto.The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, uma das grandes trag?dias de Willian Shakespeare, foi encenada pela primeira vez em 1604. Do mesmo modo que Shakespeare bebeu de v?rias fontes para escrever sua obra, as pe?as s?o alvo das mais variadas formas de adapta??o. As quest?es abordadas pelo dramaturgo na pe?a Otelo e os motivos que o levaram a abord?-las tornam-se claros no momento em que entendemos o contexto social e cultural em que ele estava inserido. A obra de Shakespeare passa a ser disseminadora de significados culturais a partir de sua produ??o e, posteriormente, atrav?s de suas adapta??es em outros tempos em outras sociedades. A estrutura do nosso trabalho tem como foco central as quest?es raciais desenvolvidas por Shakespeare na pe?a Otelo a partir da caracteriza??o do mouro. Ademais, ? sabido que no teatro elisabetano o personagem Otelo era representado atrav?s da pr?tica do blackface. Ou seja, um ator branco que se pintava de negro para desempenhar o papel do mouro. Assim sendo, observamos que a pr?tica conhecida como blackface ? termo que tomamos emprestado dos blackface minstrel shows americanos ? na representa??o do personagem do mouro ocorre tanto nas encena??es renascentistas da pe?a, quanto nas adapta??es f?lmicas que foram escolhidas para serem analisadas neste trabalho, a saber, o filme Othello de 1952, dirigido e estrelado por Orson Welles, e o de 1965, protagonizado por Laurence Olivier. O cerne de nossa pesquisa se concentra na an?lise do personagem Otelo a partir das formas de representa??o dele, o que implica nas constru??es do negro no meio social. Assim sendo, examinaremos como essas representa??es do personagem foram elaboradas dentro do contexto hist?rico de cada adapta??o tendo em vista a pr?tica do blackface.The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, one of William Shakespeare's great tragedies, was performed for the first time in 1604. In the same way that Shakespeare drew from various sources to write his work, the plays are targets of the most varied forms of adaptation. The issues addressed by the playwright in the play Othello and the reasons that led him to address them become clear when we understand the social and cultural context in which he was immersed. Shakespeare's work ends up being a disseminator of cultural meanings based on its production and, subsequently, undergoes its adaptations in other times in other societies. The structure of this work has as its main focus racial issues addressed by Shakespeare in the play Othello based on the characterization of the Moor. Moreover, it is known that in Elizabethan theatre the character Othello was performed with the practice of blackface. In other words, a white actor that would paint himself black, to play the role of the Moor. Thus, we observe that the practice known as blackface ? a term that we borrow from the American blackface minstrel shows ? in playing the role of the Moor, occurs as much in Renaissance enactments of the play, as in the film adaptations which were chosen to be analyzed in this paper, namely, the film Othello from 1952, directed and performed by Orson Welles, and the 1965 film performed by Laurence Olivier. The core of our research focuses on the analysis of the character Othello based on how he is performed, which implicates how black people are perceived in society. Therefore, we will examine how these representations of the character were drawn up within the historical context of each adaptation bearing in mind the practice of blackface

Ekstraksi Selulosa dari Serbuk Gergaji Kayu Sengon melalui Proses Delignifikasi Alkali Ultrasonik

Kayu sengon (Albizia chinensis) merupakan salah satu jenis kayu yangmelimpah di Indonesia. Kandungan selulosa pada kayu sengon cukup tinggi sebesar 41,17%. Proses ekstraksi selulosa dari kayu sengon dapat dilakukan melalui proses delignifikasi atau penghilangan kandungan lignin. Umumnya, proses delignifikasi dilakukan dengan larutan alkali pada konsentrasi tinggi, suhu tinggi dan waktu yang lama.Agar konsentrasi alkali yang digunakan rendah dan waktu lebih pendek, proses delignifikasi dapat dilakukan dengan bantuan ultrasonik. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah mengetahui pengaruh kondisi operasi (suhu dan waktu) proses delignifikasi dengan ultrasonik terhadap kadar selulosa yang diperoleh. Proses delignifikasi dilakukan denganmencampur serbuk kayu sengon (40 mesh) dengan larutan NaOH (0,3M) dengan perbandingan 1:30 (w/v). Kondisi operasi yang digunakan adalah suhu 30 °C dan 40 °C pada berbagai waktu (10menit hingga 70menit). Setelah proses delignifikasi, produk di bleaching dengan NaOCl hingga warnanya menjadi putih. Analisis yang dilakukan antara lain adalah metode Chesson, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) dan Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Hasil dari analisa menunjukkan bahwa kristalinitas tertinggi diperoleh sebesar 77,05 % pada 40 °C selama 30 menit dan kadar lignin turun hingga mencapai 0,41%

Identificação de plantas atacadas pela lagarta Elasmo (Elasmopalpus lignosellus) em imagens digitais de plantas de milho.

A crescente demanda por técnica para minimização de custos, otimização de mão de obra e redução da contaminação do meio ambiente em sistemas de produção agrícola, vem abrindo portas para a implantação da tecnologia de Agricultura de Precisão. A lagarta (Elasmopalpus lignosellus) é uma praga que ataca a planta de milho no início de seu desenvolvimento ocasionando redução na população, com reflexos na produtividade da cultura. O desenvolvimento de um sistema de visão artificial pode ser uma boa alternativa para manejo e controle da praga de maneira localizada. O objetivo deste trabalho foi elaborar um algoritmo de processamento de imagens para identificação de plantas de milho atacadas pela lagarta elasmo utilizando redes neurais artificiais, associado à limiarização interativa e índices espectrais. Os resultados preliminares da avaliação do algoritmo proposto, com 100% de acerto utilizando 5 imagens de plantas atacadas e 5 de plantas não atacadas, mostram-se promissores

Seleção de bucha vegetal por agricultores familiares.

Este trabalho consistiu em dois ensaios de seleção participativa de bucha vegetal. O primeiro ensaio foi implantado na comunidade Cacimba do Baltazar, Petrolina, PE sendo avaliadas quatro variedades locais (VLs) em canteiros de diversidade com seis plantas por VL. O outro ensaio foi conduzido no Campo Experimental de Bebedouro da Embrapa Semiárido com seis VLs em blocos ao acaso com três repetições e seis plantas por parcela. As avaliações foram realizadas por agricultores familiares das comunidades Cacimba do Baltazar, Tanque Novo, Casa Nova, BA e Lagoa do Mari, Sento Sé, BA, usando as ferramentas participativas seleção com espetos de madeira, tempestade de ideias e matriz de classificação. As características definidas pelos agricultores das três comunidades para a seleção foram praticamente as mesmas, ou seja, tamanho do fruto, textura da fibra, produtividade e adequação para artesanato. Os agricultores familiares da Cacimba do Baltazar selecionaram a VL2, seguida pela VL3, VL4 e VL5. No entanto a VL4 recebeu mais votos para tamanho do fruto. Os agricultores familiares da Lagoa do Mari e Tanque Novo selecionaram a VL6, seguida pela VL4, VL7, VL8, VL3 e VL5. As VLs selecionadas serão usadas em programas de melhoramento participativo conforme interesse dos agricultores familiare

Incidência e Características dos Recém-Nascidos de Peso Insuficiente de Uma Coorte de Neonatos de Um Hospital Público Regional de Área Metropolitana

AbstractIntroduction: birth weight is an indicator for the evaluation of intrauterine growth (IUGR) as well as a mortality risk index. There are already a large number of studies on newborns (NB) with low birth weight (LBW), while studies on those with insufficient birth weight (IB) are rare, including those related to adequate or limited intrauterine growth. Objective: to estimate the incidence of underweight among infants born at term and the proportion of those who are small for their gestational age, within an urban clientele of the Brazilian public health system, Sistema Único de Saúde, SUS. Methods: observational study in a public maternity department of the hospital Regional de Cotia, in the metropolitan area of †São Paulo, which cares for of SUS patients. A universe of live births were evaluated in the last trimester of 2009, determining the proportion of IB infants and the adequacy of weight, based on gestational age and sex. Results: the incidence of insufficient birth weight was similar to that observed in the last two decades in Brazil, corresponding to 1/4 of the total number of births. The proportion of small gestational age newborns (NB SGA) was small, affecting only 4.2% of the IB infants. In 90% of these infants no pathology was identified to explain IB. The proportion of cesarean births (47.1%) among IB newborns as well as the difference in gestational age that they had in relation to the newborns of adequate weight, around four days, from the standpoint of IUGR does not justify the difference in mean weight between the two groups. Conclusion: the incidence of IB was high, however only a small proportion of these infants were small for gestational age. The data indicates the need for continued research on IB, including providing incentives for the continued improvement of public policies and programs regarding pre and peri-natal care.ResumoIntrodução: o peso de nascimento é um indicador utilizado na avaliação do crescimento intrauterino (IU) além de um marcador de risco de morbimortalidade. Já existe um número elevado de pesquisas sobre recém-nascidos (RN) de baixo peso (BPN), enquanto os sobre RN de peso de nascimento insuficiente (PNI) são raros, inclusive quanto às suas relações com o crescimento IU adequado ou restrito. Objetivo: estimar a incidência de peso insuficiente entre os recém-nascidos a termo e a proporção de pequenos para a idade gestacional entre os mesmos, em uma clientela urbana do SUS. Método: estudo observacional, em maternidade pública, do hospital Regional de Cotia, da região metropolitana de São Paulo que atende o SUS. Avaliou-se o universo de nascimentos vivos no último trimestre de 2009, determinando-se a proporção de RNPNI e a adequação do seu peso, segundo sexo e idade gestacional. Resultados: a incidência de PNI foi semelhante à observada no Brasil nas duas últimas décadas, correspondendo a 1/4 do total de nascimentos. A proporção de RN PIG foi pequena, afetando apenas 4,2% dos RN de PNI. Em 90% destes RN não se identificou patologias que explicassem o PNI. A proporção de nascimentos de partos cesáreos (47,1%) entre os RN de PNI, bem como a diferença de idade gestacional que os mesmos apresentavam em relação aos RN de peso adequado, cerca de 4 dias, do ponto de vista de crescimento IU não justificariam a diferença na média de peso existente entre os dois grupos. Conclusão: a incidência de PNI foi elevada, mas apenas uma pequena proporção destes RN era PIG. Os dados indicam a necessidade de se continuar pesquisando acerca do PNI, inclusive para fornecer subsídios que possam contribuir para melhorar a política e os programas de assistência pré e peri-natal

Systematic review and stratified meta-analysis of the efficacy of RhoA and Rho kinase inhibitors in animal models of ischaemic stroke

There is currently only one clinically approved drug, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), for the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke. The RhoA pathway, including RhoA and its downstream effector Rho kinase (ROCK), has been identified as a possible therapeutic target. Our aim was to assess the impact of study design characteristics and study quality on reported measures of efficacy and to assess for the presence and impact of publication bias. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on publications describing the efficacy of RhoA and ROCK inhibitors in animal models of focal cerebral ischaemia where outcome was assessed as a change in lesion size or neurobehavioural score, or both. We identified 25 published papers which met our inclusion criteria. RhoA and ROCK inhibitors reduced lesion size by 37.3% in models of focal cerebral ischaemia (95% CI, 28.6% to 46.0%, 41 comparisons), and reduced neurobehavioural data by 40.5% (33.4% to 47.7%, 30 comparisons). Overall study quality was low (median=4, interquartile range 3-5) and measures to reduce bias were seldom reported. Publication bias was prevalent and associated with a substantial overstatement of efficacy for lesion size. RhoA and ROCK inhibitors appear to be effective in animal models of stroke. However the low quality score, publication bias and limited number of studies are areas which need attention prior to conducting clinical trials