Reaction of steam with molybdenum is studied

Comprehensive report studies the reaction of flowing steam with refractory metals /in particular molybdenum/, in the temperature range of 1100 degrees C. The reaction products are hydrogen gas and molybdenum oxide vapor

Reaction studied of steam with niobium and tantalum

Study reveals the kinetics of niobium and tantalum with steam at elevated temperatures to determine the suitability of high melting metals for fabrication of equipment for temperature steam environments. Niobium obeyed linear kinetics from 1050 degrees to 1500 degrees C but tantalum followed a paralinear rate law

Anthropogenic impacts on mosquito populations in North America over the past century.

The recent emergence and spread of vector-borne viruses including Zika, chikungunya and dengue has raised concerns that climate change may cause mosquito vectors of these diseases to expand into more temperate regions. However, the long-term impact of other anthropogenic factors on mosquito abundance and distributions is less studied. Here, we show that anthropogenic chemical use (DDT; dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and increasing urbanization were the strongest drivers of changes in mosquito populations over the last eight decades in areas on both coasts of North America. Mosquito populations have increased as much as tenfold, and mosquito communities have become two- to fourfold richer over the last five decades. These increases are correlated with the decay in residual environmental DDT concentrations and growing human populations, but not with temperature. These results illustrate the far-reaching impacts of multiple anthropogenic disturbances on animal communities and suggest that interactions between land use and chemical use may have unforeseen consequences on ecosystems

On-Line Fatigue Crack Growth Monitoring in Externally Pressurised Vessels Using the Alternating Current Potential Drop (ACPD) Technique

At ARE (Dunfermline) fatigue tests are carried out on internally stiffened, welded steel cylindrical pressure vessels. These vessels are constructed from high yield strength quenched and tempered steels with full penetration butt and T-butt welds

Fatigue Crack Detection and Sizing in Welded Steel Structures

The paper gives an outline of the non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods currently being pursued at the Admiralty Marine Technology Establishment, Dunfermline, Scotland. The methods are being used to locate and characterise fatigue cracks in high yield strength welded steel structures. The techniques have been applied principally to large fatigue models (5\u27 and 9\u27 diameter) as part of a comprehensive fatigue programme, with back-up work on large T-butt welded type test specimens. Results are presented which illustrate the progress made with each technique in detecting and sizing fatigue cracks in welded structures. An indication of the accuracy and reproducibility is given with particular reference to ultrasonic diffraction and ACPD techniques

Endocannabinoid receptor blockade increases hepatocyte growth factor and reduces insulin levels in obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome

There is evidence from animal and in-vitro studies that activation of the endocannabinoid system (EC) through cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB-1) is associated with liver injury, inflammation and hepatocellular carcinoma.1 Data suggests endogenous cannabinoids (EC) are related to fatty liver metabolism with a role in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) through modulating lipid metabolism that may be ameliorated by CB1 receptor antagonism with rimonabant.2 This is of particular importance as NAFLD is the most common cause of chronic liver disease with liver dysfunction leading liver cirrhosis. The diagnosis of NAFLD can only be confirmed by a liver biopsy, as liver enzymes such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) used, as a serum marker may not be elevated

An Exhibition in Student Leadership: The Academic Alternative Spring Break Experience

An Exhibition in Student Leadership: The Academic Alternative Spring Break Experience Ryan Kilpatrick and Elise Glidden Faculty Sponsor: Gail Faris, Women’s Center The Academic Alternative Spring Break program was founded at URI by Gail Faris six years ago in an effort to introduce students to the ideas of service learning, social justice, and what it means to be a concerned citizen. We were first introduced to this idea in the spring of 2009, when we took the course, Classroom without Borders: Academic Alternative Spring Break. It was about a year later that we both decided that our senior project would focus around this concept, but with an added component of student leadership. The idea of an Academic Alternative Spring Break may not be specifically related to our respective majors, but it is one that is both important in our lives and will help us in our future careers, whatever they may be. Our project is unique for two reasons. It is a joint project, and it is also the first AASB to be led by students at the University of Rhode Island. In order to prepare for this trip, we underwent leadership training, planned and coordinated the logistics of the trip, and played a key part in selecting the students who would participate in the pilot program. We also acted as teacher’s assistants in the Spring 2011 Classroom Without Borders in order to familiarize ourselves with the material covered in the class and with the six students we chose for our trip. The spring break trip itself was a culmination of our training and a test of our leadership skills. Our product, a student leadership guide, highlights the numerous steps undertaken to successfully plan and implement an AASB trip from a student leader perspective. It is our hope that this guide is informative and will be passed on and used by future student leaders at URI so that they will have the success that we did. Our presentation will portray the dedication and effort that went into our senior project before, during, and after the spring break trip. It will also include pictures and videos that further capture the spirit of our experience. It is our firm belief that the successful completion of this project has led to both the development of our leadership skills, and our passion to serve as concerned citizens of our local and national communities, and we see this project as a stepping stone to a life of servant leadership and a commitment to social justice

The effect of soy phytoestrogen supplementation on thyroid status and cardiovascular risk markers in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism: A randomized, double-blind, crossover study

Context: There is concern whether soy phytoestrogens may affect thyroid function. If true, soy phytoestrogens may be expected to have a greater impact in subjects with subclinical hypothyroidism. Objective: The primary aim was to determine the effect of soy phytoestrogen supplementation on thyroid function, with a secondary aim of assessing the effects on cardiovascular risk indices in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. Design and Setting: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, crossover study in a tertiary care setting. Participants: Sixty patients with subclinical hypothyroidism participated in the study. Intervention: Patients were randomly assigned to either low-dose phytoestrogen (30 g soy protein with 2 mg phytoestrogens, representative of a Western diet) or high-dose phytoestrogen (30 g soy protein with 16 mg phytoestrogens, representative of a vegetarian diet) supplementation for 8 wk, then crossed over after an 8-wk washout period. Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome was progression to overt hypothyroidism, with secondary outcome measures of blood pressure, insulin resistance, lipids, and highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP). Results: Six female patients in the study progressed into overt hypothyroidism with a standardized rate ratio of 3.6 (95% confidence interval, 1.9, 6.2) after 16-mg phytoestrogen supplementation. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased with 16 mg phytoestrogens, whereas systolic pressure alone decreased with 2 mg phytoestrogens. Insulin resistance (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, 3.5 ± 0.09 vs. 2.6 ± 0.08; P < 0.02) and hsCRP (4.9 ± 0.04 vs. 3.9 ± 0.03; P < 0.01) decreased with 16 mg phytoestrogens. Lipid profile remained unchanged. Conclusion: There is a 3-fold increased risk of developing overt hypothyroidism with dietary supplementation of 16 mg soy phytoestrogens with subclinical hypothyroidism. However, 16-mg soy phytoestrogen supplementation significantly reduces the insulin resistance, hsCRP, and blood pressure in these patients. Copyright © 2011 by The Endocrine Society

Healthcare Barriers of Residents at a Subsidized Housing Community

Introduction: Despite expanded healthcare programs, the low income and elderly lack coverage of vision, hearing, and dental services. Community services are often asked to fill these gaps. To evaluate the situation in Burlington, VT, we surveyed staff and residents in Burlington Housing Authority (BHA) subsidized housing to (1) identify gaps in healthcare coverage and (2) assess barriers to accessing those services in this population.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1207/thumbnail.jp

Nuclear factor I coordinates multiple phases of cerebellar granule cell development via regulation of cell adhesion molecules

A central question is how various stages of neuronal development are integrated as a differentiation program. Here we show that the nuclear factor I (NFI) family of transcriptional regulators is expressed and functions throughout the postmitotic development of cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs). Expression of an NFI dominant repressor in CGN cultures blocked axon outgrowth and dendrite formation and decreased CGN migration. Inhibition of NFI transactivation also disrupted extension and fasciculation of parallel fibers as well as CGN migration to the internal granule cell layer in cerebellar slices. In postnatal day 17 Nfia-deficient mice, parallel fibers were greatly diminished and disoriented, CGN dendrite formation was dramatically impaired, and migration from the external germinal layer (EGL) was retarded. Axonal marker expression also was disrupted within the EGL of embryonic day 18 Nfib-null mice. NFI regulation of axon extension was observed under conditions of homotypic cell contact, implicating cell surface proteins as downstream mediators of its actions in CGNs. Consistent with this, the cell adhesion molecules ephrin B1 and N-cadherin were identified as NFI gene targets in CGNs using inhibitor and Nfi mutant analysis as well as chromatin immunoprecipitation. Functional inhibition of ephrin B1 or N-cadherin interfered with CGN axon extension and guidance, migration, and dendritogenesis in cell culture as well as in situ. These studies define NFI as a key regulator of postmitotic CGN development, in particular of axon formation, dendritogenesis, and migratory behavior. Furthermore, they reveal how a single transcription factor family can control and integrate multiple aspects of neuronal differentiation through the regulation of cell adhesion molecules