bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Status of the Automotive Ceramic Gas Turbine Development Program — Seven Years’ Progress
Authors: Nakazawa Norio , Sasaki Masafumi , Nishiyama Tsubura , Iwai Masumi , Katagiri Haruo , Handa Noritoshi 
Published: December 2014

The Petroleum Energy Center (PEC) in Japan is overseeing a seven year development program with the purpose of determining the potential of an automotive ceramic gas turbine (CGT), utilizing funding from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. This program is scheduled to be completed in fiscal year 1996. A Regenerative-Type Single-Shaft Engine was developed, having a target turbine inlet temperature (TIT) of 1350°C and output power of 100kW.
Each component has achieved or nearly met the respective design target level and the output performance tests of the engine have reached their final stage. Durability tests of some components have been completed, and others are ongoing. A 100hr durability test of the engine has also started.
This development project started in FY 1990 after a two year feasibility study and preliminary design effort. After deciding on the engine specifications and completing the structural design, development and testing of individual and multiple components was carried out. Then the developmental progress of each component technology was reviewed and quantified, the results summarized, and corrective measures were applied during the latter half of the CGT development project. Anticipated difficulties, problem areas, and other obstacles which arose during the development were given extra emphasis during the individual component tests and full assembly tests. Many advanced technologies in component performance improvement, application of ceramic materials, engine structures and so forth were accumulated throughout the seven year development period.
A Parallel Unstructured Turbomachinery Code
Authors: Hustad C-W. , Vilmin S. 
Published: December 2014

Parallel computing is maturing to become a viable approach for increasing CFD mesh resolution and reducing turnaround times — many of todays commercial programs are already available for parallel architecture machines, and software tools exist to help with automated parallelization of irregular (unstructured) scientific problems. However, despite numerous impressive demonstrations of applications, it is still not exactly clear when and how these will really impact on the way we do turbomachinery CFD. The current paper does not even attempt to answer such a general question, but instead presents the authors experience and views obtained while developing parallel codes for both industry and in conjunction with their own research work.
We give a brief review of events leading up to the present situation, and explain why parallel processing is the accepted route to follow. We then describe our parallel unstructured code; discuss practical issues relating to parallel performance; present some sample test case calculations; and finally consider a possible scenario regarding the role and requirements for similar computations in the future.
A Study of Cycle Performance of Ceramic Gas Turbines
Authors: Sugishita H. , Mori H. , Chikami R. , Tsukuda Y. , Yoshino S. , Tsuchiya T. , Furuse Y. 
Published: December 2014

A study has been carried out to assess the performance improvement of a combined cycle used for an industrial power plant when ceramic turbine components are employed. This paper presents the details of this study. Performance improvement is obtained as a result of reduced blade cooling air. In this study four different kinds of combined cycles were investigated and these are listed below:
A. Combined cycle with a simple gas turbine.
B. Combined cycle with an inter-cooled gas turbine.
C. Combined cycle with a reheat gas turbine.
D. Combined cycle with an inter-cooled reheat gas turbine.
Results of this study indicate that the combined cycle with a simple gas turbine is the most practical of the four cycles studied with an efficiency of higher than 60%. The combined cycle with reheat gas turbine has the highest efficiency if a higher compressor exit air temperature and a high gas temperature (over 1000°C) to reheat the combustion system are used. A higher pressure ratio is required to optimize the cycle performance of the combined cycle with the ceramic turbine components than that with the metal turbine components because of reduced blade cooling air. To minimize leakage air for these higher pressure ratios, advanced seal technology should be applied to the gas turbines.
The WISC Gas Turbine Engine
Authors: Shouman A. Radey , Shouman A. R. 
Published: December 2014

Combined gas turbine-steam turbine cycles have gained widespread acceptance as the most efficient utilization of the gas turbine for power generation, particularly for large power plants. In order to maximize the achievable thermal efficiency, more than one exhaust heat recovery boiler is used. The current trend is to use three boilers at three different operating pressures, which improves thermal efficiency but significantly increases the initial cost of the plant.
There are advantages in replacing an exhaust heat recovery system using multiple boilers by a single heat exchanger in which the water side pressure is above the critical pressure of water; we shall refer to such a heat exchanger as a supercritical heat exchanger. The supercritical steam leaving the heat exchanger is expanded in a two phase turbine and then fed into the engine combustor. A condenser and a water treatment system are used to recover most of the water in the exhaust stream. A turbine system identical to the basic engine turbine system is added in parallel in order to allow for the operation with increased mass flow due to the steam injection. To achieve maximum efficiency such a turbine should be provided with variable area nozzles. With this arrangement, it becomes possible to inject sufficient steam to produce stoichiometric combustion at the desired turbine inlet temperature. We shall refer to this cycle as the Water Injected Stoichiometric Combustion (WISC) gas turbine cycle. The various components described above can be added to any existing gas turbine engine to change it to the WISC configuration.
The WISC engine offers significant economical advantages. The specific power output per pound of air for the WISC engine is more than five times that of the basic engine, the thermal efficiency is 75% higher than that of the basic engine. This produces a significant reduction in the initial investment in the plant as well as its operating expenses.
Tn
6249
, a New Tn
6162
Transposon Derivative Carrying a Double-Integron Platform and Involved with Acquisition of the
bla
VIM-1
Metallo-β-Lactamase Gene in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Di Pilato Vincenzo , Pollini Simona , Rossolini Gian Maria 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACT

The In70.2 integron platform appears to be a conserved structure involved in the dissemination of the
bla
VIM-1
metallo-β-lactamase gene in
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
. The genetic context of the In70.2 integron platform from
P. aeruginosa
VR-143/97, the VIM-1-producing index strain isolated in Italy in 1997, was fully characterized by a next-generation sequencing approach refined by conventional sequencing. The In70.2 integron platform from VR-143/97 was found to be associated with a defective Tn
402
-like transposon inserted into the
urf2
gene of a Tn
3
family transposon of an original structure, named Tn
6249
, which also carried a partially deleted
mer
operon and an In90 integron platform in a tail-to-tail orientation. Tn
6249
was inserted into a PACS171b-like genomic island, which was in turn inserted into the
endA
gene of the
Pseudomonas
chromosomal backbone. Tn
6249
showed a similar structure and a conserved location with respect to that of Tn
6060
, a Tn
3
family transposon associated with In70.2 and carrying a double-integron platform, which was detected in a VIM-1-producing
P. aeruginosa
strain isolated in Australia in 2008. Both Tn
6249
and Tn
6060
are apparently derived from Tn
6162
, a mercury resistance transposon carrying an integron platform, which was found in
P. aeruginosa
isolates from different geographic locations. The conservation of the genetic context of Tn
6249
and Tn
6060
suggests an
in situ
evolution of these elements after the insertion of a Tn
6162
-like ancestor into the PACS171b-like genomic island (GI) present in the genome of a successful widespread
P. aeruginosa
clonal lineage.
Influenza Viral Load and Peramivir Kinetics after Single Administration and Proposal of Regimens for Peramivir Administration against Resistant Variants
Authors: Sato Masatoki , Ito Masaki , Suzuki Shigeo , Sakuma Hiroko , Takeyama Aya , Oda Shinichi , Watanabe Masahiro , Hashimoto Koichi , Miyazaki Kyohei , Kawasaki Yukihiko , Hosoya Mitsuaki 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACT

We estimated the efficacy of the current single administration of peramivir on the basis of peramivir pharmacokinetics in the upper respiratory tract (URT) and determined the predictive peramivir concentration-time curve to assess its efficacy against viruses with decreased susceptibility to neuraminidase inhibitors. Serum, nasal swab, or aspiration samples were collected from 28 patients treated with 10 mg/kg body weight peramivir. The sequential influenza viral RNA load and susceptibility after peramivir administration were measured using a quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR and neuraminidase inhibition assay. The peramivir concentrations in the serum and URT after a single administration at 10 mg/kg were measured, and the predictive blood and URT peramivir concentration-time curves were determined to assess various administration regimens against resistant variants. The peramivir concentration decreased to <0.1% of the maximum concentration of drug in serum (
C
max
) at 24 h after administration. Rapid elimination of peramivir from the URT by 48 h after administration may contribute to an increase in the influenza A viral load after day 3 but not to a decrease in the influenza B viral load, despite the absence of a decrease in the susceptibility to peramivir. A longer maintenance of a high level of peramivir in the URT is expected by divided administration rather than once-daily administration. When no clinical improvement is observed in patients with normal susceptibility influenza A and B, peramivir readministration should be considered. In severe cases caused by resistant variants, better inhibitory effectiveness and less frequent adverse events are expected by divided administration rather than once-daily administration with an increased dosage.
Tigecycline Treatment Causes a Decrease in Fibrinogen Levels
Authors: Zhang Qian , Zhou Suming , Zhou Jing 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACT
The objective of this study was to assess the impact of tigecycline treatment on coagulation parameters, specifically fibrinogen, in patients with severe infections. We examined 20 cases of tigecycline-treated patients with severe infections, including hospital-acquired pneumonia, complicated intra-abdominal infections, complicated skin and soft tissue infections, and bloodstream infections. We monitored the relative markers of coagulation and renal and liver function before, during, and after treatment. Fibrinogen (FIB) levels decreased significantly after the use of tigecycline and normalized after the cessation of treatment. FIB levels significantly decreased in the patients treated with the recommended dose or a higher treatment dose. The FIB levels decreased more in the higher-treatment-dose group. There was no difference in the decrease in FIB levels or the FIB level recovery by age. Prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), and thrombin time (TT) were prolonged after tigecycline use. The TT decreased after the cessation of treatment, and the PT and APTT also decreased but not to a significant level. There was no change in platelet, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), or creatinine (Cr) levels associated with treatment. The use of tigecycline was associated with decreased FIB levels, which returned to normal after the cessation of treatment. A high-dose treatment group showed greater decreases in FIB levels than did patients treated with the recommended dose. The decline in FIB was not related to patient age. The use of tigecycline was associated with prolonged PT, APTT, and TT.
Malonic Semialdehyde Reductase from the Archaeon Nitrosopumilus maritimus Is Involved in the Autotrophic 3-Hydroxypropionate/4-Hydroxybutyrate Cycle
Authors: Otte Julia , Mall Achim , Schubert Daniel M. , Könneke Martin , Berg Ivan A. 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACT

The recently described ammonia-oxidizing archaea of the phylum
Thaumarchaeota
are highly abundant in marine, geothermal, and terrestrial environments. All characterized representatives of this phylum are aerobic chemolithoautotrophic ammonia oxidizers assimilating inorganic carbon via a recently described thaumarchaeal version of the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle. Although some genes coding for the enzymes of this cycle have been identified in the genomes of
Thaumarchaeota
, many other genes of the cycle are not homologous to the characterized enzymes from other species and can therefore not be identified bioinformatically. Here we report the identification and characterization of malonic semialdehyde reductase Nmar_1110 in the cultured marine thaumarchaeon
Nitrosopumilus maritimus
. This enzyme, which catalyzes the reduction of malonic semialdehyde with NAD(P)H to 3-hydroxypropionate, belongs to the family of iron-containing alcohol dehydrogenases and is not homologous to malonic semialdehyde reductases from
Chloroflexus aurantiacus
and
Metallosphaera sedula
. It is highly specific to malonic semialdehyde (

K
m

, 0.11 mM;
V
max
, 86.9 μmol min
−1
mg
−1
of protein) and exhibits only low activity with succinic semialdehyde (

K
m

, 4.26 mM;
V
max
, 18.5 μmol min
−1
mg
−1
of protein). Homologues of
N. maritimus
malonic semialdehyde reductase can be found in the genomes of all
Thaumarchaeota
sequenced so far and form a well-defined cluster in the phylogenetic tree of iron-containing alcohol dehydrogenases. We conclude that malonic semialdehyde reductase can be regarded as a characteristic enzyme for the thaumarchaeal version of the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle.
Production of Buttery-Odor Compounds and Transcriptome Response in Leuconostoc gelidum subsp. gasicomitatum LMG18811
T
during Growth on Various Carbon Sources
Authors: Jääskeläinen Elina , Vesterinen Sanna , Parshintsev Jevgeni , Johansson Per , Riekkola Marja-Liisa , Björkroth Johanna 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACT

Leuconostoc gelidum
subsp.
gasicomitatum
is a common spoilage bacterium in meat products packaged under oxygen-containing modified atmospheres. Buttery off-odors related to diacetyl/acetoin formation are frequently associated with the spoilage of these products. A whole-genome microarray study, together with gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry (MS) analyses of the pathway end products, was performed to investigate the transcriptome response of
L. gelidum
subsp.
gasicomitatum
LMG18811
T
growing on semidefined media containing glucose, ribose, or inosine, which are essential carbon sources in meat. Generally, the gene expression patterns with ribose and inosine were quite similar, indicating that catabolism of ribose and nucleosides is closely linked. Diacetyl/acetoin concentrations as high as 110 or 470 μM were measured when growth was based on inosine or ribose, respectively. The gene expression results for pyruvate metabolism (upregulation of α-acetolactate synthase, downregulation of
l
-lactate dehydrogenase and pyruvate dehydrogenase) were as expected when diacetyl and acetoin were the end products. No diacetyl production (<7.5 μM) was detected with the glucose-containing medium, even though the cell counts of LMG18811
T
was 6 or 10 times higher than that on inosine or ribose, respectively. Although glucose was the most effective carbon source for the growth of
L. gelidum
subsp.
gasicomitatum
, utilization of inosine and ribose resulted in the production of the unwanted buttery-odor compounds. These results increase our understanding of which compounds are likely to enhance the formation of buttery odors during meat spoilage caused by
L. gelidum
subsp.
gasicomitatum
.
Iron Corrosion Induced by Nonhydrogenotrophic Nitrate-Reducing Prolixibacter sp. Strain MIC1-1
Authors: Iino Takao , Ito Kimio , Wakai Satoshi , Tsurumaru Hirohito , Ohkuma Moriya , Harayama Shigeaki 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACT

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) of metallic materials imposes a heavy economic burden. The mechanism of MIC of metallic iron (Fe
0
) under anaerobic conditions is usually explained as the consumption of cathodic hydrogen by hydrogenotrophic microorganisms that accelerates anodic Fe
0
oxidation. In this study, we describe Fe
0
corrosion induced by a nonhydrogenotrophic nitrate-reducing bacterium called MIC1-1, which was isolated from a crude-oil sample collected at an oil well in Akita, Japan. This strain requires specific electron donor-acceptor combinations and an organic carbon source to grow. For example, the strain grew anaerobically on nitrate as a sole electron acceptor with pyruvate as a carbon source and Fe
0
as the sole electron donor. In addition, ferrous ion and
l
-cysteine served as electron donors, whereas molecular hydrogen did not. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain MIC1-1 was a member of the genus
Prolixibacter
in the order
Bacteroidales
. Thus,
Prolixibacter
sp. strain MIC1-1 is the first Fe
0
-corroding representative belonging to the phylum
Bacteroidetes
. Under anaerobic conditions,
Prolixibacter
sp. MIC1-1 corroded Fe
0
concomitantly with nitrate reduction, and the amount of iron dissolved by the strain was six times higher than that in an aseptic control. Scanning electron microscopy analyses revealed that microscopic crystals of FePO
4
developed on the surface of the Fe
0
foils, and a layer of FeCO
3
covered the FePO
4
crystals. We propose that cells of
Prolixibacter
sp. MIC1-1 accept electrons directly from Fe
0
to reduce nitrate.
The Bacillus cereus Group Is an Excellent Reservoir of Novel Lanthipeptides
Authors: Xin Bingyue , Zheng Jinshui , Xu Ziya , Song Xiaoling , Ruan Lifang , Peng Donghai , Sun Ming 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACT

Lantibiotics are ribosomally synthesized peptides that contain multiple posttranslational modifications. Research on lantibiotics has increased recently, mainly due to their broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, especially against some clinical Gram-positive pathogens. Many reports about various bacteriocins in the
Bacillus cereus
group have been published, but few were about lantibiotics. In this study, we identified 101 putative lanthipeptide gene clusters from 77 out of 223 strains of this group, and these gene clusters were further classified into 20 types according to their gene organization and the homologies of their functional genes. Among them, 18 types were novel and have not yet been experimentally verified. Two novel lantibiotics (thuricin 4A-4 and its derivative, thuricin 4A-4D) were identified in the type I-1 lanthipeptide gene cluster and showed activity against all tested Gram-positive bacteria. The mode of action of thuricin 4A-4 was studied, and we found that it acted as a bactericidal compound. The transcriptional analysis of four structural genes (
thiA1
,
thiA2
,
thiA3
, and
thiA4
) in the thuricin 4A gene cluster showed that only one structural gene,
thiA4
, showed efficient transcription in the exponential growth phase; the other three structural genes did not. In addition, the putative transmembrane protein ThiI was responsible for thuricin 4A-4 immunity. Genome analysis and functional verification illustrated that
B. cereus
group strains were a prolific source of novel lantibiotics.
Impact of the Use of β-Lactam Antimicrobials on the Emergence of Escherichia coli Isolates Resistant to Cephalosporins under Standard Pig-Rearing Conditions
Authors: Cameron-Veas Karla , Solà-Ginés Marc , Moreno Miguel A. , Fraile Lorenzo , Migura-Garcia Lourdes 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to evaluate if the treatments with ceftiofur and amoxicillin are risk factors for the emergence of cephalosporin resistant (CR)
E. coli
in a pig farm during the rearing period. One hundred 7-day-old piglets were divided into two groups, a control (
n
= 50) group and a group parenterally treated with ceftiofur (
n
= 50). During the fattening period, both groups were subdivided in two. A second treatment with amoxicillin was administered in feed to two of the four groups, as follows: group 1 (untreated,
n
= 20), group 2 (treated with amoxicillin,
n
= 26), group 3 (treated with ceftiofur,
n
= 20), and group 4 (treated with ceftiofur and amoxicillin,
n
= 26). During treatment with ceftiofur, fecal samples were collected before treatment (day 0) and at days 2, 7, 14, 21, and 42 posttreatment, whereas with amoxicillin, the sampling was extended 73 days posttreatment. CR
E. coli
bacteria were selected on MacConkey agar with ceftriaxone (1 mg/liter). Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), MICs of 14 antimicrobials, the presence of cephalosporin resistance genes, and replicon typing of plasmids were analyzed. Both treatments generated an increase in the prevalence of CR
E. coli
, which was statistically significant in the treated groups. Resistance diminished after treatment. A total of 47 CR
E. coli
isolates were recovered during the study period; of these, 15 contained
bla
CTX-M-1
, 10 contained
bla
CTX-M-14
, 4 contained
bla
CTX-M-9
, 2 contained
bla
CTX-M-15
, and 5 contained
bla
SHV-12
. The treatment with ceftiofur and amoxicillin was associated with the emergence of CR
E. coli
during the course of the treatment. However, by the time of finishing, CR
E. coli
bacteria were not recovered from the animals.
New Aspects of RpoE in Uropathogenic Proteus mirabilis
Authors: Liu Ming-Che , Kuo Kuan-Ting , Chien Hsiung-Fei , Tsai Yi-Lin , Liaw Shwu-Jen 
Published: December 2014

ABSTRACT

Proteus mirabilis
is a common human pathogen causing recurrent or persistent urinary tract infections (UTIs). The underlying mechanisms for
P. mirabilis
to establish UTIs are not fully elucidated. In this study, we showed that loss of the sigma factor E (RpoE), mediating extracytoplasmic stress responses, decreased fimbria expression, survival in macrophages, cell invasion, and colonization in mice but increased the interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression of urothelial cells and swarming motility. This is the first study to demonstrate that RpoE modulated expression of MR/P fimbriae by regulating
mrpI
, a gene encoding a recombinase controlling the orientation of MR/P fimbria promoter. By real-time reverse transcription-PCR, we found that the IL-8 mRNA amount of urothelial cells was induced significantly by lipopolysaccharides extracted from
rpoE
mutant but not from the wild type. These RpoE-associated virulence factors should be coordinately expressed to enhance the fitness of
P. mirabilis
in the host, including the avoidance of immune attacks. Accordingly,
rpoE
mutant-infected mice displayed more immune cell infiltration in bladders and kidneys during early stages of infection, and the
rpoE
mutant had a dramatically impaired ability of colonization. Moreover, it is noteworthy that urea (the major component in urine) and polymyxin B (a cationic antimicrobial peptide) can induce expression of
rpoE
by the reporter assay, suggesting that RpoE might be activated in the urinary tract. Altogether, our results indicate that RpoE is important in sensing environmental cues of the urinary tract and subsequently triggering the expression of virulence factors, which are associated with the fitness of
P. mirabilis
, to build up a UTI.