Thesis advisor: Alan L. Kafka / Discerning the interrelated effects of space and time on the potential for wastewater well injection to induce earthquakes in Oklahoma is important for accurately mapping seismic hazards. This study explores how distance from wells and time after initiation of injection affect the possibility that injection activity might induce earthquakes under different conditions of operational lifetime, injection volume, and well depth. A unique feature of this study is filtering of the injection well database to isolate, as much as possible, the effect of specific well injection on the potential to induce earthquakes. The method used here is a modified version of “Cellular Seismology”, termed “Modified Cellular Seismology” (CS, MCS), where “CS Predictability” (CSP) is used as an operational definition of the extent to which injection wells are associated with earthquakes. I hypothesize that earthquakes associated with injection are most likely to occur within about 15 km of wells and within approximately the same year as active injection. Evidence shows that induced earthquake activity peaks primarily between about 2.5 and 3.5 km away from any given well, and this distance increases while CSP decreases over time. Temporal analyses suggest that CSP decreases by an average of about 5% over a period of five to seven years for any given well (or about 1% decrease per year), though there exists considerable scatter in this relationship. This change is variable across wells of different conditions, ranging from a decrease of 26% to an increase of 8% over the five to seven years covered by this study. Additionally, CSP tended to peak at least a year after injection for the most spatiotemporally isolated wells, suggesting that there may be, on average, at least a year of lag before any given well is likely to induce earthquakes. / Thesis (MS) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Earth and Environmental Sciences.

No description available.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in ful lment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering, Johannesburg, September 2019 / The objective of this research was to develop an integrated Port Hamiltonian model of the human outer, middle and inner ear. The developed Port Hamiltonian model of the human ear is based on the Dirac structure. The outer, middle and inner ear are developed in segments, tested and validated prior to the system being coupled. The outer, middle and inner ear are validated against existing literature and the results are found to be comparable. The application of the developed Port Hamiltonian model is illustrated using a developed feedback based noise policy management model for mine workers. This feedback based measurement system can be used to monitor mine workers in the mines hence provide the mine administrators with the current state of hearing of the individual worker. The information obtained from the system may be used by the administration to provide an early intervention and as a result the mine workers are protected from experiencing signi cant hearing threshold shifts. A control engineering approach is then used to formulate the mining noise occupational policies as a control law. Both social and measurements aspects of this system are explored. The International Standard Organization guide ISO:1999 is used to generate data and develop a basic feedback model. The basic feedback model is further re ned into a dynamic model which includes a Port Hamiltonian integrated ear model and the mining policies. The feedback based noise policy management model is validated using real data from the mine documented in open source literature. The models are implemented using MATLAB as a modelling platform and the results are generated using the Simulink model. This research work has been given an ethical clearance certi cate by the Human Research Ethics Committee (Medical), therefore, allowing for the ndings of the investigations to be published. In conclusion,to be developed is an integrated Port Hamiltonian model of the Human outer, middle and inner ear to be used for estimation of Noise induced hearing loss. The use of this model is then illustrated using a feedback based noise policy monitoring system for mine workers. / PH2020

This study investigated effects of experimentally-induced subacromial pain, induced via hypertonic saline injection, on shoulder muscles activity. Electromyographic activity of 20 healthy participants was assessed for humeral elevation and descent for the control and experimental pain conditions, using fine wire electrodes for subscapularis and supraspinatus and surface electrodes for middle deltoid, upper trapezius, lower trapezius, infraspinatus, and serratus anterior. Normalized mean amplitudes were analyzed for each muscle for four phases for elevation and descent, respectively. Repeated measures analysis of variances (ANOVAs) were used to determine differences between muscle activity in the control and experimental condition for the four phases of elevation and descent. Differences for mean normalized amplitudes were not significant during humeral elevation. Increased activity was found for the pain condition for serratus anterior and middle deltoid during the first (120-90°) and third (60-30°) parts and decreased activity for infraspinatus in the second half of descent (60-0°). No significant differences were found during descent for upper and lower trapezius, subscapularis and supraspinatus. While increased serratus anterior activity during 60-30° of descent may be protective, increased middle deltoid and decreased infraspinatus activity during the same range may threaten subacromial tissues in that range. Overall the changes in muscle activation were individual specific, particularly during the concentric elevation phase.

No description available.

The D-variant of encephalomyocarditis (EMC-D) virus was given to SJUJ mice by the artificial, intraperitoneal (ip) route of infection , or by the natural routes of infection per os (po) or intranasal (i.n .), in comparable concentrations. The po route of infection was found to be ineffective. Mice given virus by either the ip or i.n. routes of infection became diabetic. Mice were more resistant to the infectious and diabetogenic properties of the virus when given by the i.n. than when given by the ip route. Glycosuria in mice given virus i.n. usually lagged one day behind that in mice given virus ip. Measurement of glucose in mouse urine by use of Diastix® reagent strips was found to be a reliable indicator of diabetes. This test was easily and quickly accomplished without harm or pain to the mice. Crude virus preparations were compared to purified virus preparations for their diabetogenic and infectious properties in mice. No statistically significant differences in either parameter were observed. Virus prepared by a single passage in BHK-21 cells was fully diabetogenic, contrary to a previously published report. Male SJUJ mice were infected with a diabetogenic dose of EMC-D virus by the i.n. route. Relative times of development of virus infection and mouse resistance parameters were compared to the time of development of signs of diabetes in the mice. A rapid decrease of plasma interferon titer corresponded to the time of development of signs of diabetes in the infected mice. Whether this was coincidental or has some significance in development of diabetes is unknown. Tissue sections from pancreas, spleen , kidney, liver, lung , heart, and thymus were studied by immunohistochemical staining techniques for the presence of virus antigen, insulin, and the three types of mouse interferon (α, β, and γ). Glucose was excreted in the saliva of mice with glycosuria. Previous reports of this excretion in diabetic mice have not been found in the literature. Mice without glycosuria did not excrete measurable (by Clinistix® or Diastix®) glucose in saliva. Some mice were able to control the polyuria, polydipsia, and polyphagia normally seen in diabetes mellitus. These mice eventually reverted from having signs of diabetes to a normal state of plasma glucose and urine devoid of glucose. The mechanisms by which the mice were able to do this are unknown at this time.

This study measures Radiation Induced Conductivity (RIC) in five insulating polymeric materials over temperatures ranging from ~110 K to ~350 K: polyimide (PI or Kapton HNTM and Kapton ETM), polytetraflouroethylene (PTFE or TeflonTM), ethylene-tetraflouroethylene (ETFE or TefzelTM), and Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE). RIC occurs when incident ionizing radiation deposits energy and excites electrons into the conduction band of insulators. Conductivity was measured when a voltage was applied across vacuum-baked, thin film polymer samples in a parallel plate geometry. RIC was calculated as the difference in sample conductivity under no incident radiation and under an incident ~4 MeV electron beam at low incident dose rates of 0.01 rad/sec to 10 rad/sec. The steady-state RIC was found to agree well with the standard power law relation, σRIC(D) = kRIC(T) DÄ(T) between conductivity, óRIC and adsorbed dose rate, D. Both the proportionality constant, kRIC, and the power, Ä, were found to be temperature-dependent above ~250 K, with behavior consistent with photoconductivity models developed for localized trap states in disordered semiconductors. Below ~250 K, kRIC and Ä exhibited little change in any of the materials.

The objectives of this study were to implement a system to measure mixing in nonreacting flows and to study the mass transfer characteristics of two actively excited turbulent jets. This thesis describes the acquisition and analysis of phase-locked concentration field data using planar Mie scattering from smoke particles and planar laser-induced fluorescence of acetone. Both techniques were shown to be effective in providing information for the actively excited nozzles. However, the laser-induced fluorescence technique was superior for revealing detail in the flowfield structure. Spatial mode control techniques were applied to a triangular nozzle with vibrating actuators as the three sides and a swirl nozzle with pulsating tangential air jets. The effect of the different spatial modes on jet column development and the far fields of both nozzles is presented. Two- and three-dimensional iso-intensity contours, showing the relative intensity of light scattered by the nozzle fluid marker, were generated to show the flow structure. The areas inside the iso-intensity contours in the far field were also measured to determine relative effectiveness of nozzle fluid transport. Large scale structures were visible in the three-dimensional iso-intensity contours from both nozzles. In addition, the transport of seeded nozzle fluid was enhanced by the spatial mode excitation for both nozzles. Spatial mode excitation was also able to affect the shape of the far field contour. In particular, the first counterrotating helical mode, m=±1, generated the greatest effect on nozzle fluid transport and the most pronounced elliptical contour shape in the far field. / Master of Science

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第18893号 / 医博第4004号 / 新制||医||1009(附属図書館) / 31844 / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 山下 潤, 教授 羽賀 博典, 教授 瀬原 淳子 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

The increasing reliance on drugs from natural sources has led to the development of several drugs from traditional plants which are present in abundance in Southern Africa. With the rapid increase of incidence of type 2 diabetes in South Africa with potentially devastating effects on healthcare, the need for alternative therapeutics is a priority. In this study, Schkuhria pinnata (Lam.) Kuntze was investigated for its antidiabetic potential. Initial screening of two different solvent extracts of S. pinnata identified an aqueous extract that lowered blood glucose concentrations in a hyperglycaemic streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat. The classical bioassay approach was followed by using different solvents, drying processes and fractionation in order to produce the most active extract and attempt to isolate an active compound(s). An aqueous freeze dried extract was found to be the most active at stimulating glucose uptake activity in C2C12 and Chang cells. Fractionation of this extract in an attempt to identify the active compound yielded a novel crystalline compound 1 by NMR analysis. Screening for bioactivity of the extract and compound 1 using C2C12 muscle and Chang cells revealed that both extract and compound 1 were biologically active, however the activity of the aqueous extract was more significant overall. A butanone/pentane extract prepared for possible commercialization purposes was also shown to be active in vitro. To establish antidiabetic activity, the aqueous freeze dried extract, butanone/pentane extract and the enriched compound 1 fraction were tested in a streptozotocin (STZ) diabetic rat model showing hypoglycaemic effects for the aqueous freeze dried extract. Messenger RNA and protein studies on C2C12 muscle cells revealed that the aqueous freeze dried extract and compound 1 enhanced insulin receptor, GLUT-4, glycogen synthase, pyruvate kinase and pyruvate carboxylase expression, suggestive of an insulin mimetic mode of action, while the butanone/pentane extract enhanced adenosine monophosphate-activated kinase (AMPK) protein expression by a non-insulin dependent mechanism. A pharmacokinetic study (PK) established bioavailability of compound 1 following oral administration of the extracts, but not from the compound 1 enriched fraction. From this study, the traditional use of S. pinnata has been scientifically validated as having antidiabetic properties. In vitro and in vivo bioassays, confirmed that an aqueous freeze dried extract which was prepared as per the traditional method had the most promising antidiabetic iii activity. Compound 1 isolated from an active fraction was proven to be almost as effective as the parent extract in in vitro studies. This compound could therefore be the major active ingredient responsible for the uptake of glucose in cells and the hypoglycaemic activity in vivo. In this study, the antidiabetic activities together with the mechanism of action of S. pinnata extracts and compound 1 were elucidated. The highlight of the study was the identification of a bioactive novel chemical entity (NCE) compound 1 (identified as 2-(2-{[(2E)-4-hydroxy2-(hydroxymethyl)but-2-enoyl]oxy}-4,7-dimethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-1-yl)prop-2- enoic acid) isolated from an active fraction of S. pinnata that was proven to be almost as effective as the parent extract in in vitro studies. This compound could therefore be the major active ingredient responsible for the uptake of glucose in cells and the hypoglycaemic activity in vivo. The cellular mechanism of action of the S. pinnata extracts and compound 1 demonstrated both insulin mimetic and non-insulin dependent mechanisms (AMPK) in C2C12 muscle cells. Further research in the form of preclinical and clinical trials need to be undertaken to make this extract or biologically active compound available as a herbal remedy or nutraceutical therapeutic for diabetes. To achieve this; safety, efficacy and mode of action studies will have to be established. The synthesis of compound 1 and/or analogues should also be investigated as an antidiabetic drug candidate.