A Study On The Flow Characteristics Influenced By Hydraulic Structure At A Channel Junction

Natural riversare consisting of various networks as junction andstreams. And sediment and erosion are occurred by specific stream condition. When flood season,large discharge flew in the river and river bed changed by high flow velocity. Especially junction area’s flow characteristics are very complex. The purpose of this study is to analyze the flow characteristics in channel junction, which are most influenced by large discharge like flooding and input water from tributary. We investigate the flow characteristics by using hydrodynamics and transport module in MIKE 3 FM. MIKE 3 FM model was helpful tool to analysis 3D hydrodynamics, erosion and sediment effect from channel bed. We analyze flow characteristics at channel junction. Also we consider hydraulic structures like a bridge pier which is influencing flow characteristics like a flow velocity, water level, erosion and scour depth in channel bed. In the model, we controlled discharge condition according to Froude Number and reflect various grain diameter size and flow ratio change in main stream and tributary. In the result, flow velocity, water level, erosion and sediment depth are analyzed. Additionally, we suggest a these result relationship with equations. This study will help the understand flow characteristics and influence of hydraulic structure in channel junction. Acknowledgments This research was supported by a grant (12-TI-C01) from Advanced Water Management Research Program funded by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Korean government.

KittyCat: a cognitive model of structure-form discovery

Cognition is a core subject to understand how humans think and behave. In that sense, it is clear that Cognition is a great ally to Management, as the later deals with people and is very interested in how they behave, think, and make decisions. However, even though Cognition shows great promise as a field, there are still many topics to be explored and learned in this fairly new area. Kemp & Tenembaum (2008) tried to a model graph-structure problem in which, given a dataset, the best underlying structure and form would emerge from said dataset by using bayesian probabilistic inferences. This work is very interesting because it addresses a key cognition problem: learning. According to the authors, analogous insights and discoveries, understanding the relationships of elements and how they are organized, play a very important part in cognitive development. That is, this are very basic phenomena that allow learning. Human beings minds do not function as computer that uses bayesian probabilistic inferences. People seem to think differently. Thus, we present a cognitively inspired method, KittyCat, based on FARG computer models (like Copycat and Numbo), to solve the proposed problem of discovery the underlying structural-form of a dataset.

Population structure, habitat use and conservation of short-finned pilot whales Globicephala macrorhynchus in the Archipelago of Madeira

This thesis provides information on the grouping structure, survival, abundance, dive characteristics and habitat preferences of short-finned pilot whales occurring in the oceanic archipelago of Madeira (Portugal, NE Atlantic), based on data collected between 2001-2011, and contributes for its conservation. Photo-identification methods and genetic analyses demonstrated that there is a large degree of variability in site fidelity, including resident, regular visitor and transient whales, and that they may not be genetically isolated. It is proposed that the pilot whales encountered in Madeira belong to a single population encompassing several clans, possibly three clans of island-associated (i.e. resident and regular visitor) whales and others of transients, each containing two to three matrilineal pods. Mark-recapture methods estimated that the island-associated community is composed of less than 150 individuals and that their survival rate is within the range of other long-lived cetacean species, and that around 300 whales of different residency patterns uses the southern area of the island of Madeira from mid-summer to mid-autumn. No significant trend was observed between years. Time-depth recorders deployed in adult whales during daytime revealed that they spend over ¾ of their time at the surface, that they have a low diving rate, and that transient whales also forage during their passage. The analyses of visual data collected from nautical and aerial line-transect surveys indicate a core/preferred habitat area in the south-east of the island of Madeira. That area is used for resting, socializing, foraging, breeding, calving and birthing. Thus, that area should be considered as an important habitat for this species, at least seasonally (during autumn) when the species is more abundant, and included in conservation plans. No direct threat needing urgent measures was identified, although the impact of some activities like whale-watching or marine traffic should be assessed.

Structure-function relationship of new crotamine isoform from the Crotalus durissus cascavella

In this work we isolated a novel crotamine like protein from the Crotalus durissus cascavella venom by combination of molecular exclusion and analytical reverse phase HPLC. Its primary structure was:YKRCHKKGGHCFPKEKICLPPSSDLGKMDCRWKRK-CCKKGS GK. This protein showed a molecular mass of 4892.89 da that was determined by Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. The approximately pI value of this protein was determined in 9.9 by two-dimensional electrophoresis. This crotamine-like protein isolated here and that named as Cro 2 produced skeletal muscle spasm and spastic paralysis in mice similarly to other crotamines like proteins. Cro 2 did not modify the insulin secretion at low glucose concentration (2.8 and 5.6 mM), but at high glucose concentration (16.7 mM) we observed an insulin secretion increasing of 2.7-3.0-fold than to control. The Na+ channel antagonist tetrodoxin (6 mM) decreased glucose and Cro 2-induced insulin secretion. These results suggested that Na+ channel are involved in the insulin secretion. In this article, we also purified some peptide fragment from the treatment of reduced and carboxymethylated Cro 2 (RC-Cro 2) with cyanogen bromide and protease V8 from Staphylococcus aureus. The isolated pancreatic beta-cells were then treated with peptides only at high glucose concentration (16.7 mM), in this condition only two peptides induced insulin secretion. The amino acid sequence homology analysis of the whole crotamine as well as the biologically-active peptide allowed determining the consensus region of the biologically-active crotamine responsible for insulin secretion was KGGHCFPKE and DCRWKWKCCKKGSG.

Nesting architecture and population structure of the fungus-growing ant Cyphomyrmex transversus (Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Attini) in the Brazilian coastal zone of Ilheus, Bahia

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Biochemical and functional properties of a thrombin-like enzyme isolated from Bothrops pauloensis snake venom

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Odometria visual baseada em técnicas de structure from motion

Visual Odometry is the process that estimates camera position and orientation based solely on images and in features (projections of visual landmarks present in the scene) extraced from them. With the increasing advance of Computer Vision algorithms and computer processing power, the subarea known as Structure from Motion (SFM) started to supply mathematical tools composing localization systems for robotics and Augmented Reality applications, in contrast with its initial purpose of being used in inherently offline solutions aiming 3D reconstruction and image based modelling. In that way, this work proposes a pipeline to obtain relative position featuring a previously calibrated camera as positional sensor and based entirely on models and algorithms from SFM. Techniques usually applied in camera localization systems such as Kalman filters and particle filters are not used, making unnecessary additional information like probabilistic models for camera state transition. Experiments assessing both 3D reconstruction quality and camera position estimated by the system were performed, in which image sequences captured in reallistic scenarios were processed and compared to localization data gathered from a mobile robotic platform

Defensive-like behaviors and antinociception induced by NMDA injection into the periaqueductal gray of mice depend on nitric oxide synthesis

Glutamate NMDA receptor activation within the periaqueductal gray (PAG) leads to antinociceptive, autonomic and behavioral responses characterized as the fear reaction. Considering that NMDA receptor triggers activation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), enzyme that produces nitric oxide (NO), this study investigated the effects of intra-PAG infusions of NPLA (N omega-propyl-L-arginine), an nNOS inhibitor, on behavioral and antinociceptive responses induced by local injection of NMDA receptor agonist in mice. The behaviors measured were frequency of jumping and rearing as well as duration (in seconds) of running and freezing. Nociception was assessed during the second phase of the formalin test (injection of 50 mu l of formalin 2.5% into the dorsal surface of the right hind paw). Five to seven days after stereotaxic surgery for intracerebral cannula implantation, mice were injected with formalin into the paw, and 10 min later, they received intra-dPAG injection of NPLA (0, 0.2, or 0.4 nmol/0.1 mu l). Ten minutes later, they were injected with NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate: 0 or 0.04 nmol/0.1 mu l) into the same midbrain site and were immediately placed in glass holding cage for recording the defensive behavior and the time spent on licking the injected paw with formalin during a period of 10 min. Microinjections of NMDA significantly decreased nociception response and produced jumping, running, and freezing reactions. Intra-dPAG injections of NPLA (0.4 nmol) completely blocked the NMDA effects without affecting either behavioral or nociceptive responses in intra-dPAG saline-injected animals, except for the rearing frequency that was increased by the nNOS inhibitor. These results strongly suggest the involvement of NO within the PAG in the antinociceptive and defensive reactions induced by local glutamate NMDA receptor activation in this midbrain structure. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dirac-like monopoles in three dimensions and their possible influences on the dynamics of particles

Dirac-like monopoles are studied in three-dimensional Abelian Maxwell and Maxwell-Chern-Simons models. Their scalar nature is highlighted and discussed through a dimensional reduction of four-dimensional electrodynamics with electric and magnetic sources. Some general properties and similarities whether considered in Minkowski or Euclidean space are mentioned. However, by virtue of the structure of the space-time in which they are studied, a number of differences among them occur. Furthermore, we pay attention to some consequences of these objects when they act upon the usual particles. Among other subjects, special attention is given to the study of a Lorentz-violating nonminimal coupling between neutral fermions and the field generated by a monopole alone. In addition, an analogue of the Aharonov-Casher effect is discussed in this framework.

Optical and structural properties of PEO-like plasma polymers

This paper deals with the study of optical, structural and biocompatible properties of PEO-like plasma polymerized films resulting from RF excited diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (CH3O(CH2CH2O)(2)CH3 diglyme) glow discharges. The study was carried out using visible-ultraviolet and FTIR spectroscopies and contact angle measurements. FTIR spectra of plasma polymerized diglyme showed a stronger presence of ethylene glycol groups in film structure for lower RF power levels. The contact angle measurements for water revealed an increasing from 30degrees to 62,5degrees when the RF power was varied from 2 to 45 W, indicating the decreasing of the hydrophilic character of diglyme films with the increasing of RF power. This trend is in agreement with FTIR results. The data from visible-ultraviolet reflectance and transmittance spectra revealed alterations on optical properties of plasma polymerized diglyme films. The film's optical gap varied from 3.8 to 3 eV for RF power running from 5 to 45 W.

Restrictions over two-dimensional gauge models with Thirring-like interaction

Some years ago, it was shown how fermion self-interacting terms of the Thirring-type impact the usual structure of massless two-dimensional gauge theories [1]. In that work only the cases of pure vector and pure chiral gauge couplings have been considered and the corresponding Thirring term was also pure vector and pure chiral respectively, such that the vector ( or chiral) Schwinger model should not lose its chirality structure due to the addition of the quartic interaction term. Here we extend this analysis to a generalized vector and axial coupling both for the gauge interaction and the quartic fermionic interactions. The idea is to perform quantization without losing the original structure of the gauge coupling. In order to do that we make use of an arbitrariness in the definition of the Thirring-like interaction.

Mesoscopic structure evidenced by AC dielectric nonlinearities in Sr(0.75)Ba(0.25)Nb(2)O(6) relaxor ferroelectric thin films

The AC electric field and temperature dependences of the dielectric permittivity for strontium barium niobate (Sr(0.75)Ba(0.25)Nb(2)O(6)) relaxor ferroelectric thin films have been investigated. The results indicate the existence of a true mesoscopic structure evidenced by the nonlinear dielectric response of these films, which is similar to those observed for bulk relaxor ferroelectrics. A tendency for a temperature dependent crossover from a linear to a quadratic behaviour of the dielectric nonlinearity was observed, indicating an evolution from paraelectric to glass-like behaviour on cooling the samples towards the freezing temperature transition.

Crystal structures of BnSP-7 and BnSP-6, two Lys49-phospholipases A(2): quaternary structure and inhibition mechanism insights

Phospholipases A(2) are components of Bothrops venoms responsible for disruption of cell membrane integrity via hydrolysis of its phospholipids. A class of PLA(2)-like proteins has been described which despite PLA(2) activity on artificial substrate, due to a D49K mutation, is still highly myonecrotic. This work reports the X-ray structure determination of two Lys49-PLA(2)s from Bothrops neuwiedi pauloensis (BnSP-7 and BnSP-6) and, for the first time, the comparison of eight dimeric Lys49-PLA2s. This comparison reveals that there are not just two (open and closed) but at least six different conformations. The binding of fatty acid observed in three recent Lys49-PLA(2) structures seems to be independent of their quaternary conformation. Cys29 polarization by Lys122 is not significant for BnSP-7 and BnSP-6 or other structures not bound by fatty acids. These structures may be in an active state when nothing is bound to them and the Lys122/Cys29 interactions are weak or absent. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ontogeny and Structure of the Pericarp of Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi (Anacardiaceae)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Interfacial surface charge and free accessibility to the PLA(2)-active site-like region are essential requirements for the activity of Lys49 PLA(2) homologues

Lys49 phospholipase A(2) homologues are highly myotoxic and cause extensive tissue damage but do not display hydrolytic activity towards natural phospholipids. The binding of heparin, heparin derivatives and polyanionic compounds such as suramin result in partial inhibition (up to 60%) of the myotoxic effects due to a change in the overall charge of the interfacial surface. In vivo experiments demonstrate that polyethylene glycol inhibits more than 90% of the myotoxic effects without exhibiting secondary toxic effects. The crystal structure of bothropstoxin-I complexed with polyethylene glycol reveals that this inhibition is due to steric hindrance of the access to the PLA(2)-active site-like region. These two inhibitory pathways indicate the roles of the overall surface charge and free accessibility to the PLA2-active site-like region in the functioning of Lys49 phospholipases A(2) homologues. Molecular dynamics simulations, small angle X-ray scattering and structural analysis indicate that the oligomeric states both in solution and in the crystalline states of Lys49 phospholipases A2 are principally mediated by hydrophobic contacts formed between the interfacial surfaces. These results provide the framework for the potential application of both clinically approved drugs for the treatment of Viperidae snakebites. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.