Multi-layer light-weight protective coating and method for application

A thin, light-weight, multi-layer coating is provided for protecting metals and their alloys from environmental attack at high temperatures. A reaction barrier is applied to the metal substrate and a diffusion barrier is then applied to the reaction barrier. A sealant layer may also be applied to the diffusion barrier if desired. The reaction barrier is either non-reactive or passivating with respect to the metal substrate and the diffusion barrier. The diffusion barrier is either non-reactive or passivating with respect to the reaction barrier and the sealant layer. The sealant layer is immiscible with the diffusion barrier and has a softening point below the expected use temperature of the metal

Effects of Supplementing Excess Amounts of Metabolizable Protein from a Moderately Abundant Rumen Undegradable Source on Ovarian Function of Beef Cows Consuming Low Quality Forage

The effects of pairing a low quality forage with excess amounts of metabolizable protein (MP) supplementation from a moderately abundant rumen undegradable protein (RUP) source (corn gluten meal; 62% RUP) on ovarian function of beef cows was evaluated in a 60-day trial. Non-pregnant, non-lactating cows (n = 16) were offered ad libitum access to cornstalks and fed 1 of 2 isocaloric diets (0.48 NEm/lb) and supplemented primarily with corn gluten meal to provide 125% MP requirements (MP125) or 150% MP requirements (MP150). It was observed that cows offered MP at 150% in the diet from a moderately abundant RUP source had increased ovulatory follicle diameter, average antral follicle count and corpus luteum (CL) development compared to 125% MP. Therefore, excess dietary CP supplementation from a RUP source at 150% of MP requirements appears to enhance ovarian parameters of beef cows when fed with low quality forage compared to supplementation at 125% of MP requirements

Rapid Targeted Gene Disruption in Bacillus Anthracis

Anthrax is a zoonotic disease recognized to affect herbivores since Biblical times and has the widest range of susceptible host species of any known pathogen. The ease with which the bacterium can be weaponized and its recent deliberate use as an agent of terror, have highlighted the importance of gaining a deeper understanding and effective countermeasures for this important pathogen. High quality sequence data has opened the possibility of systematic dissection of how genes distributed on both the bacterial chromosome and associated plasmids have made it such a successful pathogen. However, low transformation efficiency and relatively few genetic tools for chromosomal manipulation have hampered full interrogation of its genome. Results: Group II introns have been developed into an efficient tool for site-specific gene inactivation in several organisms. We have adapted group II intron targeting technology for application in Bacillus anthracis and generated vectors that permit gene inactivation through group II intron insertion. The vectors developed permit screening for the desired insertion through PCR or direct selection of intron insertions using a selection scheme that activates a kanamycin resistance marker upon successful intron insertion. Conclusions: The design and vector construction described here provides a useful tool for high throughput experimental interrogation of the Bacillus anthracis genome and will benefit efforts to develop improved vaccines and therapeutics.Chem-Bio Diagnostics program from the Department of Defense Chemical and Biological Defense program through the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) B102387MNIH GM037949Welch Foundation F-1607Cellular and Molecular Biolog

Restorative Recreation: A Medical Humanities Course Relating Nature Prescription, Avocation, and Creation Care to Human and Ecosystem Health

Although there is increasing awareness of the relationships between ecosystem health, access to and interaction with nature, and human wellness, examples of instructional activities to convey these issues in medical education are limited. To address this need, P.C.S. developed a five week elective course for up to twelve students within a medical humanities curriculum. Students discuss themes covered in multi-media assignments, hike at a regional nature center, and write a final reflection essay. Discussion topics include nature-deficit disorder, nature immersion, nature prescription, creation care, social determinants of nature access and environmental health, and restorative recreation as an avocation. Follow-up surveys containing 4-point Likert questions and open-ended queries to determine student perceptions of the course were conducted for the course over two academic years. Analysis of survey responses show students felt the course met learning objectives and offered a positive and constructive learning environment. Thematic analyses identified the nature hike as a course highlight, and course content, opportunities for reflection, and discussion of how nature relates to human health as notable strengths. The course design should be viewed as adaptive to local ecosystems, environmental concerns, and ethical foundations to improve relevance to students at a given institution

New Technology for Microfabrication and Testing of a Thermoelectric Device for Generating Mobile Electrical Power

Thermoelectric (TE) power generation is an increasingly important power generation technology. Major advantages include: no moving parts, low-weight, modularity, covertness/silence, high power density, low amortized cost, and long service life with minimum or no required maintenance. Despite low efficiency of power generation, there are many specialized needs for electrical power that TE technologies can uniquely and successfully address. Recent advances in thermoelectric materials technology have rekindled acute interest in thermoelectric power generation. We have developed single crystalline n- and p- type PbTe crystals and are also, developing PbTe bulk nanocomposites using PbTe nano powders and emerging filed assisted sintering technology (FAST). We will discuss the materials requirements for efficient thermoelectric power generation using waste heat at intermediate temperature range (6500 to 8500 K). We will present our recent results on production of n- and p- type PbTe crystals and their thermoelectric characterization. Relative characteristics and performance of PbTe bulk single crystals and nano composites for thermoelectric power generation will be discussed

The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey. IX. Estimating the Efficiency of Galaxy Formation on the Lowest-Mass Scales

The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey has recently determined the luminosity function of galaxies in the core of the Virgo cluster down to unprecedented magnitude and surface brightness limits. Comparing simulations of cluster formation to the derived central stellar mass function, we attempt to estimate the stellar-to-halo-mass ratio (SHMR) for dwarf galaxies, as it would have been before they fell into the cluster. This approach ignores several details and complications, e.g., the contribution of ongoing star formation to the present-day stellar mass of cluster members, and the effects of adiabatic contraction and/or violent feedback on the subhalo and cluster potentials. The final results are startlingly simple, however; we find that the trends in the SHMR determined previously for bright galaxies appear to extend down in a scale-invariant way to the faintest objects detected in the survey. These results extend measurements of the formation efficiency of field galaxies by two decades in halo mass, or five decades in stellar mass, down to some of the least massive dwarf galaxies known, with stellar masses of $\sim 10^5 M_\odot$.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures; published in ApJ July 1st 201