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Far Upstream (far + upstream)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Earth and Environmental Science	33%

Selected Abstracts

Large eddy simulations of turbulent swirling flows in a dump combustor: a sensitivity study

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 2 2005
P. Wang
Abstract Large eddy simulations (LES) of confined turbulent swirling flows in a model dump combustor are carried out. The simulations are based on a high-order finite difference method on a Cartesian grid, with the sub-grid scale stress tensor modelled using a scale-similarity model. The aims of this work are to study the physics of the flow and to evaluate the performance of LES method for simulation of the major features of turbulent swirling flows,the vortex breakdown, the highly anisotropic and fast-decaying turbulence structure. Influences of inflow/outflow conditions, combustor geometry, inlet swirl profile and Reynolds numbers on the vortex breakdown and turbulence structures are investigated. At very high swirl levels, the influence of the outflow conditions and the outlet geometry is fairly significant, not only at downstream near the outlet, but also at far upstream. At low Reynolds numbers, the onset of vortex breakdown is fairly sensitive to the change of Reynolds number; however, at high Reynolds numbers it is rather insensitive to the Reynolds number. Comparisons of LES results with experimental data are made. The LES results are shown to be in reasonably good agreement with the experimental data if appropriate inflow and outflow boundary conditions are imposed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Evolution and dynamics of summertime blocking over the Far East and the associated surface Okhotsk high

THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 599 2004
Hisashi Nakamura
Abstract Time evolution and dynamics of an upper-level blocking ridge over the Far East and the associated surface high over the Sea of Okhotsk that give rise to abnormal summertime coolness over eastern Japan are investigated through a composite analysis applied to distinct surface high events. The formation mechanism and vertical structure of the blocking differ fundamentally between May and July, attributable to seasonal changes in the jet structure, storm-track activity over the Far East and the land,sea thermal contrast within the Okhotsk region. In May, forcing from migratory eddies is strong enough for precursory anticyclonic anomalies retrograding slowly over the North Pacific to develop into a blocking ridge. The ridge remains equivalent barotropic under the weak land,sea thermal contrast in the Okhotsk region. In contrast, the eddy forcing is no longer the primary factor for the blocking formation in July, in the presence of the weakened and split westerlies. Rather, the propagation of a stationary Rossby wave packet that has emanated from precursory anticyclonic anomalies over northern Europe stagnates over the Far East, and the subsequent local breaking of the packet leads to the blocking formation. In a particular case in July 1993, a wave packet involved in blocking formation could be traced back as far upstream as the east coast of North America over the two previous weeks. Acting on the strong thermal contrast in July between the cool sea surface and a warm land mass to the west, the anomalous surface easterlies induced by the blocking ridge can build up a cold surface anticyclone through cold advection, rendering the blocking anomalies distinctly baroclinic. Copyright © 2004 Royal Meteorological Society [source]

The modulator is a constitutive enhancer of a developmentally regulated sea urchin histone H2A gene

BIOESSAYS, Issue 9 2002
Giovanni Spinelli
Going back to the late 1970s and early 1980s, we trace the Xenopus oocyte microinjection experiments that led to the emergence of the concept of "modulator". The finding that the modulator could transactivate transcription from far upstream and in either orientation suggested that a new genetic element, different from the classical prokaryotic promoter sequences, had been discovered. This particular enhancer transactivates transcription of the sea urchin early (,) histone H2A gene which is regulated in early sea urchin development. We summarise the data from sea urchin microinjection experiments that confirm and extend the results obtained with Xenopus oocytes. We conclude that the H2A enhancer is bipartite, is located approx. 100 bp upstream of the TATAAATA box in the H2A gene of two sea urchin species and enhances transcription when placed at a position far upstream or far downstream of the gene unless an insulator intervenes between enhancer and promoter. Evidence from microinjection experiments with sea urchin embryos suggests that the developmental control of H2A expression resides not with the enhancer, which is constitutively active, but with a striking chromatin structure with two positioned nucleosomes near the 3, end of the gene. Within this structure, there is an insulator element. BioEssays 24:850,857, 2002. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

Kootenai River velocities, depth, and white sturgeon spawning site selection , a mystery unraveled?

JOURNAL OF APPLIED ICHTHYOLOGY, Issue 6 2009
V. L. Paragamian
Summary The Kootenai River white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus population in Idaho, US and British Columbia (BC), Canada became recruitment limited shortly after Libby Dam became fully operational on the Kootenai River, Montana, USA in 1974. In the USA the species was listed under the Endangered Species Act in September of 1994. Kootenai River white sturgeon spawn within an 18-km reach in Idaho, river kilometer (rkm) 228.0,246.0. Each autumn and spring Kootenai River white sturgeon follow a ,short two-step' migration from the lower river and Kootenay Lake, BC, to staging reaches downstream of Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Initially, augmented spring flows for white sturgeon spawning were thought to be sufficient to recover the population. Spring discharge mitigation enhanced white sturgeon spawning but a series of research investigations determined that the white sturgeon were spawning over unsuitable incubation and rearing habitat (sand) and that survival of eggs and larvae was negligible. It was not known whether post-Libby Dam management had changed the habitat or if the white sturgeon were not returning to more suitable spawning substrates farther upstream. Fisheries and hydrology researchers made a team effort to determine if the spawning habitat had been changed by Libby Dam operations. Researchers modeled and compared velocities, sediment transport, and bathymetry with post-Libby Dam white sturgeon egg collection locations. Substrate coring studies confirmed cobbles and gravel substrates in most of the spawning locations but that they were buried under a meter or more of post-Libby Dam sediment. Analysis suggested that Kootenai River white sturgeon spawn in areas of highest available velocity and depths over a range of flows. Regardless of the discharge, the locations of accelerating velocities and maximum depth do not change and spawning locations remain consistent. Kootenai River white sturgeon are likely spawning in the same locations as pre-dam, but post-Libby Dam water management has reduced velocities and shear stress, thus sediment is now covering the cobbles and gravels. Although higher discharges will likely provide more suitable spawning and rearing conditions, this would be socially and politically unacceptable because it would bring the river elevation to or in excess of 537.66 m, which is flood stage. Thus, support should be given to habitat modifications incorporated into a management plan to restore suitable habitat and ensure better survival of eggs and larvae. [source]

Transcription factor HNF and hepatocyte differentiation

HEPATOLOGY RESEARCH, Issue 10 2008
Masahito Nagaki
To know the precise mechanisms underlying the life or death and the regeneration or differentiation of cells would be relevant and useful for the development of a regenerative therapy for organ failure. Liver-specific gene expression is controlled primarily at a transcriptional level. Studies on the transcriptional regulatory elements of genes expressed in hepatocytes have identified several liver-enriched transcriptional factors, including hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)-1, HNF-3, HNF-4, HNF-6 and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein families, which are key components of the differentiation process for the fully functional liver. The transcriptional regulation by these HNFs, which form a hierarchical and cooperative network, is both essential for hepatocyte differentiation during mammalian liver development and also crucial for metabolic regulation and liver function. Among these liver-enriched transcription factors, HNF-4 is likely to act the furthest upstream as a master gene in transcriptional cascade and interacts with other liver-enriched transcriptional factors to stimulate hepatocyte-specific gene transcription. A link between the extracellular matrix, changes in cytoskeletal filament assembly and hepatocyte differentiation via HNF-4 has been shown to be involved in the transcriptional regulation of liver-specific gene expression. This review provides an overview of the roles of liver-enriched transcription factors in liver function. [source]