6957792 research outputs found
Sort by
UCRL-89475 PREPRINT Post Emplacement Environment of Waste Packages UCRL--G94 7 POST EMPLACEMENT ENVIRONMENT OF WASTE PACKAGES DE64 C042 8
No full textABSTRACT Experiments have been conducted as part of the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations Project to determine the changes in water chemistry due to reaction of the Topopah Spring tuff with natural groundwater at temperatures up to 150°C. The reaction extent has been investigated as a function of rock-to-water ratio, temperature, reaction time, physical state of the samples, and geographic location of the samples within the tuff unit. Results of these experiments will be used to provide information on the water chemistry to be expected if a high level waste repository were to be constructed in the Topopah Spring tuff
Special Issue Paper Multiple time scales in multi-state models
No full textIn multi-state models, it has been the tradition to model all transition intensities on one time scale, usually the time since entry into the study ('clock-forward' approach). The effect of time since an intermediate event has been accommodated either by changing the time scale to time since entry to the new state ('clock-back' approach) or by including the time at entry to the new state as a covariate. In this paper, we argue that the choice of time scale for the various transitions in a multi-state model should be dealt with as an empirical question, as also the question of whether a single time scale is sufficient. We illustrate that these questions are best addressed by using parametric models for the transition rates, as opposed to the traditional Cox-model-based approaches. Specific advantages are that dependence of failure rates on multiple time scales can be made explicit and described in informative graphical displays. Using a single common time scale for all transitions greatly facilitates computations of probabilities of being in a particular state at a given time, because the machinery from the theory of Markov chains can be applied. However, a realistic model for transition rates is preferable, especially when the focus is not on prediction of final outcomes from start but on the analysis of instantaneous risk or on dynamic prediction. We illustrate the various approaches using a data set from stem cell transplant in leukemia and provide supplementary online material in R
Alleviation of Salt Stress in Legumes by Co-inoculation with Pseudomonas and Rhizobium
No full textAbstract Numerous studies have shown that soil salinity decreases nodulation and dramatically reduces N 2 fi xation and nitrogenase activity of nodulated legumes. Thus, the development of salt-tolerant symbioses is an absolute necessity to enable cultivation of leguminous crops in salt-affected soils. Dual inoculation of legumes with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and rhizobia has been reported to increase the number of nodules compared to those formed by a rhizobial strain alone. The production of IAA by Pseudomonas strains represents a benefi cial mechanism that promoted enlargement of root system and thereby further enhanced nutrient uptake, nodulation, and shoot growth of leguminous plants. When PGPR are able to alleviate salt stress experienced by the plant, more nodules might develop into nitrogen-fi xing ones, thereby enabling the plant to obtain part of its nitrogen from the atmosphere. Co-inoculation techniques could be a new approach to increas
Integrated marketing communications as a function of brand development
No full textABSTRACT Modern brand management represents the integrated management of all contacts of the brand with the consumer. Brand is also an instrument and a subject of market communications. In this respect, it is necessary to harmonize the different forms of communication with the company's defined brand strategy. Authors put forward the hypothesis that the appropriate choice of the communication resources and the message sent to consumer are in direct positive correlation with effects that can be produced to existing and potential customers in order to stimulate the purchase. The ultimate goal is to devise a communication method (message) which would be adequately understood and received in the appropriate environment and that would produce the desired effects for the advertisers
Human Nature and Pop Culture
Get PDFHe who understands baboon would do more toward metaphysics than Locke. Charles Darwin, M Notebook, 1838 You might be asking yourself, why a special issue on evolutionary approaches to studying popular culture? After all, isn't evolutionary psychology focused on reproductive success and the ancestral environment? The aspects of pop culture featured in this issue, such as TV shows and horror films, were not a feature of our ancestral world. They don't seem to directly relate to reproductive success. They don't have obvious ties to the environment (whether it be geographical or temporal) in which we evolved. So, what could an evolutionary perspective possibly add to our understanding of them as aspects of our modern world? The punch line is that we created these media products using our evolved brains, and that we interact with them using these brains. There might not actually be werewolves running around New York City, but we evolved the capacity to imagine them, to consider problems that need solutions, and to play out situations that evoke a sense of astonishment. Indeed, there are many aspects of our modern environment and our behavior that are best understood under the light of an evolutionary perspective. For example, much attention has been focused in recent years on the increase in obesity, especially in the United States, and how one possible cause includes the overconsumption of fast food. The reality is, that for millions of years, humans who stored fat during times of abundance had an advantage over others when food was scarce, and hence they were favored by natural selection. A taste for fatty and sweet foods would also have been favored by natural selection, as they were relatively rare (e.g., honey, ripe fruit) or required hard work to obtain (e.g., hunting for meat) and yet were important sources of calories Evolutionary approaches have already been used in the fields of literary theory and art. The field of Darwinian literary studies, which is quickly gaining considerable momentum, has provided evidence that humankind's evolved history influences the topics of texts Like pop culture, literary theory (and the study of art) has been dominated by a variety of perspectives, such as social constructivism, postmodernism, and deconstructionism (including Marxist, feminist, and psychoanalytic frameworks), which have focused more on a blank-slate view of human behavior. Even those working within these fields have commented on the stagnation that has resulted from this narrow perspective of human behavior (e.g., Carroll, 1995). Psychologists should not be surprised; after all, Freud and Lacan, e.g., are basically footnotes in our understanding of human behavior in modern psychology programs. We've achieved a better understanding of the human mind since the 1930s (which was the last decade of Freud's life). At last, the study of literature and art is starting to benefit from the work of those who are applying that new understanding. For examples from the literary and art fields, there are a number of anthologies including to its appeal to universal aspects of human nature, and how much is due to other factors (such as attached prestige, celebrity of promoters, etc.)? By using evolution to inform our scholarly endeavors, we arrive at a far more satisfying and comprehensive understanding (see Saad, this issue for a general review of these issues, as well as for a detailed discussion on the success and the resistance to the evolutionary framework)
Screening of vascular calcifications in patients with end-stage renal diseases
Get PDFAbstract. Vascular calcifications (VC) are a major contributor to the massively increased mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The present study aimed to detect arterial media and intima calcifications in HD patients and to evaluate potential risk factors. 214 patients aged 59.0 ± 11.0 years on HD for 6.39 ± 4.59 years were studied. VC were scored based on to plain radiographs. Potential risk factors were assessed. Out of the 214 patients studied, only 14% did not display any detectable VC. Using plain radiographs calcifications could be detected in 136 (63.6%) patients. Calcified plaques on carotid arteries were detected in 168 (78.4%) patients. There was the highest frequency of patients with the most pronounced calcifications. Calcifications of heart valves were detected in 89 (44.1%) patients. Univariante analysis indicate that risk to develop VC is present in older patients, patients with longer dialysis vintage, thicker intima media, higher lumen diameter and mitral valve calcifications. Multivariate multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed these factors as independent predictors of VC in dialysis patients. Our data confirm a high prevalence of VC in HD patients, their association with older ages, longer dialysis vintage, and presence of valvular calcifications and early markers of atherosclerosis
ScienceDirect 2013 AASRI Conference on Parallel and Distributed Computing and Systems 5-Layered Architecture of Cloud Database Management System
Get PDFAbstract Cloud Database Management System is a new emerging concept recently introduced in the world. In Cloud the concept of Standard architecture of Cloud Database Management System is not yet been implemented. In this paper we are proposing a framework for 5-layered architecture in cloud database management system. First layer introduced is the External Layer, this layer is closest to the user, in which manageability, providing transparency and security are the important issue that should be considered. Second layer is the Conceptual Middleware Layer, as there are heterogeneous databases and clouds are available in the market, so here interoperability is the major issue. Third layer is the Conceptual Layer in which programming techniques, transaction management, query processing and optimization are the issues that should be considered. Forth layer is the Physical Middleware Layer, as there are various platforms available so here also, interoperability between various platforms are the biggest issue and the last layer is the Physical Layer in which how data can be stored so that it can be easily accessible without so much overhead so here data security, storage, backup, load balancing, partitioning, scaling, elasticity, fault tolerance and replication are the important issues that should be considered
Callus induction and regeneration of elite Indian maize inbreds
Get PDFFive elite Indian maize inbreds namely; HKI1105, HKI1105, HKI335, CM300 and LM5 were evaluated for callus induction and regeneration. Immature embryos obtained 14 days after pollination were used as explants. Genotype, medium, type of auxin and their concentrations influenced callus induction. N 6 medium supplemented with different concentration of 2,4-D (1, 2 and 3 mg/l) and Dicamba (1, 2 and 3 mg/l) were used for callus induction. N 6 supplemented with 2 mg/l of 2,4-D has shown highest percentage of embryogenic callus induction. Among the five genotypes tested, CM300 gave highest percentage of embryogenic calli. CM300 and LM5 both have shown higher regeneration percentage of 12.22%