Reduced MHD in Astrophysical Applications: Two-dimensional or Three-dimensional?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oughton, S. [Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Waikato, Hamilton (New Zealand); Matthaeus, W. H. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, DE 19716 (United States); Dmitruk, P. [Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires-Conicet (Argentina)

2017-04-10

Originally proposed as an efficient approach to computation of nonlinear dynamics in tokamak fusion research devices, reduced magnetohydrodynamics (RMHD) has subsequently found application in studies of coronal heating, flux tube dynamics, charged particle transport, and, in general, as an approximation to describe plasma turbulence in space physics and astrophysics. Given the diverse set of derivations available in the literature, there has emerged some level of discussion and a lack of consensus regarding the completeness of RMHD as a turbulence model, and its applicability in contexts such as the solar wind. Some of the key issues in this discussion are examined here, emphasizing that RMHD is properly neither 2D nor fully 3D, being rather an incomplete representation that enforces at least one family of extraneous conservation laws.

Reducing power consumption while synchronizing a plurality of compute nodes during execution of a parallel application

Science.gov (United States)

Archer, Charles J [Rochester, MN; Blocksome, Michael A [Rochester, MN; Peters, Amanda E [Cambridge, MA; Ratterman, Joseph D [Rochester, MN; Smith, Brian E [Rochester, MN

2012-04-17

Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for reducing power consumption while synchronizing a plurality of compute nodes during execution of a parallel application that include: beginning, by each compute node, performance of a blocking operation specified by the parallel application, each compute node beginning the blocking operation asynchronously with respect to the other compute nodes; reducing, for each compute node, power to one or more hardware components of that compute node in response to that compute node beginning the performance of the blocking operation; and restoring, for each compute node, the power to the hardware components having power reduced in response to all of the compute nodes beginning the performance of the blocking operation.

Reducing power consumption while synchronizing a plurality of compute nodes during execution of a parallel application

Science.gov (United States)

Archer, Charles J [Rochester, MN; Blocksome, Michael A [Rochester, MN; Peters, Amanda A [Rochester, MN; Ratterman, Joseph D [Rochester, MN; Smith, Brian E [Rochester, MN

2012-01-10

Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for reducing power consumption while synchronizing a plurality of compute nodes during execution of a parallel application that include: beginning, by each compute node, performance of a blocking operation specified by the parallel application, each compute node beginning the blocking operation asynchronously with respect to the other compute nodes; reducing, for each compute node, power to one or more hardware components of that compute node in response to that compute node beginning the performance of the blocking operation; and restoring, for each compute node, the power to the hardware components having power reduced in response to all of the compute nodes beginning the performance of the blocking operation.

Potential nanotechnology applications for reducing freshwater consumption at coal fired power plants : an early view.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elcock, D. (Environmental Science Division)

2010-09-17

This report was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Existing Plants Research Program, which has an energy-water research effort that focuses on water use at power plants. This study complements the overall research effort of the Existing Plants Research Program by evaluating water issues that could impact power plants. A growing challenge to the economic production of electricity from coal-fired power plants is the demand for freshwater, particularly in light of the projected trends for increasing demands and decreasing supplies of freshwater. Nanotechnology uses the unique chemical, physical, and biological properties that are associated with materials at the nanoscale to create and use materials, devices, and systems with new functions and properties. It is possible that nanotechnology may open the door to a variety of potentially interesting ways to reduce freshwater consumption at power plants. This report provides an overview of how applications of nanotechnology could potentially help reduce freshwater use at coal-fired power plants. It was developed by (1) identifying areas within a coal-fired power plant's operations where freshwater use occurs and could possibly be reduced, (2) conducting a literature review to identify potential applications of nanotechnology for facilitating such reductions, and (3) collecting additional information on potential applications from researchers and companies to clarify or expand on information obtained from the literature. Opportunities, areas, and processes for reducing freshwater use in coal-fired power plants considered in this report include the use of nontraditional waters in process and cooling water systems, carbon capture alternatives, more efficient processes for removing sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, coolants that have higher thermal conductivities than water alone, energy storage options, and a variety of plant inefficiencies, which

Fipronil application on rice paddy fields reduces densities of common skimmer and scarlet skimmer

Science.gov (United States)

Kasai, Atsushi; Hayashi, Takehiko I.; Ohnishi, Hitoshi; Suzuki, Kazutaka; Hayasaka, Daisuke; Goka, Koichi

2016-01-01

Several reports suggested that rice seedling nursery-box application of some systemic insecticides (neonicotinoids and fipronil) is the cause of the decline in dragonfly species noted since the 1990s in Japan. We conducted paddy mesocosm experiments to investigate the effect of the systemic insecticides clothianidin, fipronil and chlorantraniliprole on rice paddy field biological communities. Concentrations of all insecticides in the paddy water were reduced to the limit of detection within 3 months after application. However, residuals of these insecticides in the paddy soil were detected throughout the experimental period. Plankton species were affected by clothianidin and chlorantraniliprole right after the applications, but they recovered after the concentrations decreased. On the other hand, the effects of fipronil treatment, especially on Odonata, were larger than those of any other treatment. The number of adult dragonflies completing eclosion was severely decreased in the fipronil treatment. These results suggest that the accumulation of these insecticides in paddy soil reduces biodiversity by eliminating dragonfly nymphs, which occupy a high trophic level in paddy fields. PMID:26979488

Island phytophagy: explaining the remarkable diversity of plant-feeding insects.

Science.gov (United States)

Joy, Jeffrey B; Crespi, Bernard J

2012-08-22

Plant-feeding insects have undergone unparalleled diversification among different plant taxa, yet explanations for variation in their diversity lack a quantitative, predictive framework. Island biogeographic theory has been applied to spatially discrete habitats but not to habitats, such as host plants, separated by genetic distance. We show that relationships between the diversity of gall-inducing flies and their host plants meet several fundamental predictions from island biogeographic theory. First, plant-taxon genetic distinctiveness, an integrator for long-term evolutionary history of plant lineages, is a significant predictor of variance in the diversity of gall-inducing flies among host-plant taxa. Second, range size and structural complexity also explain significant proportions of the variance in diversity of gall-inducing flies among different host-plant taxa. Third, as with other island systems, plant-lineage age does not predict species diversity. Island biogeographic theory, applied to habitats defined by genetic distance, provides a novel, comprehensive framework for analysing and explaining the diversity of plant-feeding insects and other host-specific taxa.

Reduced-Rank Shift-Invariant Technique and Its Application for Synchronization and Channel Identification in UWB Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kennedy RodneyA

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract We investigate reduced-rank shift-invariant technique and its application for synchronization and channel identification in UWB systems. Shift-invariant techniques, such as ESPRIT and the matrix pencil method, have high resolution ability, but the associated high complexity makes them less attractive in real-time implementations. Aiming at reducing the complexity, we developed novel reduced-rank identification of principal components (RIPC algorithms. These RIPC algorithms can automatically track the principal components and reduce the computational complexity significantly by transforming the generalized eigen-problem in an original high-dimensional space to a lower-dimensional space depending on the number of desired principal signals. We then investigate the application of the proposed RIPC algorithms for joint synchronization and channel estimation in UWB systems, where general correlator-based algorithms confront many limitations. Technical details, including sampling and the capture of synchronization delay, are provided. Experimental results show that the performance of the RIPC algorithms is only slightly inferior to the general full-rank algorithms.

[Effect of reduced N application on soil N residue and N loss in maize-soybean relay strip intercropping system].

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiao-Ming; Yong, Tai-Wen; Liu, Wen-Yu; Su, Ben-Ying; Song, Chun; Yang, Feng; Wang, Xiao-Chun; Yang, Wen-Yu

2014-08-01

A field experiment was conducted in 2012, including three planting pattern (maize-soybean relay strip intercropping, mono-cultured maize and soybean) and three nitrogen application level [0 kg N x hm(-2), 180 kg N x hm(-2) (reduced N) and 240 kg N x hm(-2) (normal N)]. Fields were assigned to different treatments in a randomized block design with three replicates. The objective of this work was to analyze the effects of planting patterns and nitrogen application rates on plant N uptake, soil N residue and N loss. After fertilization applications, NH4(+)-N and NO3(-)-N levels increased in the soil of intercropped maize but decreased in the soil of intercropped soybean. Compared with mono-crops, the soil N residue and loss of intercropped soybean were reduced, while those of intercropped maize were increased and decreased, respectively. With the reduced rate of N application, N residue rate, N loss rate and ammonia volatilization loss rate of the maize-soybean intercropping relay strip system were decreased by 17.7%, 21.5% and 0.4% compared to mono-cultured maize, but increased by 2.0%, 19.8% and 0.1% compared to mono-cultured soybean, respectively. Likewise, the reduced N application resulted in reductions in N residue, N loss, and the N loss via ammonia volatilization in the maize-soybean relay strip intercropping system compared with the conventional rate of N application adopted by local farmers, and the N residue rate, N loss rate and ammonia volatilization loss rate reduced by 12.0%, 15.4% and 1.2%, respectively.

Land Husbandry: Biochar application to reduce land degradation and erosion on cassava production

Science.gov (United States)

Yuniwati, E. D.

2017-12-01

This field experiment was carried out to examine the effect of increasing crop yield on land degradation and erosion in cassava-based cropping systems. The experiment was also aimed at showing that with proper crop management, the planting of cassava does not result in land degradation, and therefore, a sustainable production system can be obtained. The experiment was done in a farmer's fields in Batu, about 15 km south east of Malang, East Java, Indonesia. The soils are Alfisols with a surface slope of about 8%. There were 8 experimental treatments with two replications. The experiment results show that biochar applications reduce of soil erosion rate of the cassava field were not necessarily higher than those of maize in terms of crop yield and crop management. At low-to-medium yield, also observed the nutrient uptake of cassava was lower than that of maize. At high yield, only the K uptake of cassava was higher than that of maize, whereas the N and P uptake was more or less similar. Soil erosion on the cassava field was significantly higher than that on the maize field; however, this only occurred when there was no suitable crop management. Simple crop managements, such as ridging, biochar application, or manure application could significantly reduce soil erosion. The results also revealed that proper management could prevent land degradation and increase crop yield. In turn, the increase in crop yield could decrease soil erosion and plant nutrient depletion.

Postharvest Exogenous Application of Abscisic Acid Reduces Internal Browning in Pineapple.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qin; Liu, Yulong; He, Congcong; Zhu, Shijiang

2015-06-10

Internal browning (IB) is a postharvest physiological disorder causing economic losses in pineapple, but there is no effective control measure. In this study, postharvest application of 380 μM abscisic acid (ABA) reduced IB incidence by 23.4-86.3% and maintained quality in pineapple fruit. ABA reduced phenolic contents and polyphenol oxidase and phenylalanine ammonia lyase activities; increased catalase and peroxidase activities; and decreased O2(·-), H2O2, and malondialdehyde levels. This suggests ABA could control IB through inhibiting phenolics biosynthesis and oxidation and enhancing antioxidant capability. Furthermore, the efficacy of IB control by ABA was not obviously affected by tungstate, ABA biosynthesis inhibitor, nor by diphenylene iodonium, NADPH oxidase inhibitor, nor by lanthanum chloride, calcium channel blocker, suggesting that ABA is sufficient for controlling IB. This process might not involve H2O2 generation, but could involve the Ca(2+) channels activation. These results provide potential for developing effective measures for controlling IB in pineapple.

Reducing Weight for Transportation Applications: Technology Challenges and Opportunities

Science.gov (United States)

Taub, Alan I.

Today's land, sea and air transportation industries — as a business necessity — are focused on technology solutions that will make vehicles more sustainable in terms of energy, the environment, safety and affordability. Reducing vehicle weight is a key enabler for meeting these challenges as well as increasing payload and improving performance. The potential weight reductions from substituting lightweight metals (advanced high-strength steels, aluminum, magnesium and titanium alloys) are well established. For magnesium castings, weight savings of 60% have been reported [1]. The value of weight reduction depends on the transportation sector and ranges from about 5/kg saved for automobiles to over 500/kg saved for aircraft [2]. The challenge is to optimize the material properties and develop robust, high volume, manufacturing technologies and the associated supply chain to fabricate components and subsystems at the appropriate cost for each application.

Reduced Graphene Oxide Membranes: Applications in Fog Collection and Water Purification

KAUST Repository

Tang, Bo

2017-05-01

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has attracted considerable interest recently as the low cost and chemical stable derivative of pristine graphene with application in many applications such as energy storage, water purification and electronic devices. This dissertation thoroughly investigated stacked rGO membrane fabrication process by vacuum-driven filtration, discovered asymmetry of the two surfaces of the rGO membrane, explored application perspectives of the asymmetric rGO membrane in fog collection and microstructure patterning, and disclosed membrane compaction issue during water filtration and species rejection. In more details, this dissertation revealed that, with suitable pore size, the filtration membrane substrate would leave its physical imprint on the bottom surface of the rGO membrane in the form of surface microstructures, which result in asymmetric dynamic water wettability properties of the two surfaces of the rGO membrane. The asymmetric wettability of the rGO membrane would lead to contrasting fog harvesting behavior of its two surfaces. The physical imprint mechanism was further extended to engineering pre-designed patterns selectively on the bottom surface of the rGO membrane. This dissertation, for the first time, reported the water flux and rejection kinetics, which was related to the compaction of the rGO membrane under pressure in the process of water filtration.

Biochar application reduce ammonia volatilization in a soil-plant system: A closed chamber experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Mandal, Sanchita; Donner, Erica; Smith, Euan; Lombi, Enzo

2017-04-01

Ammonia (NH3) volatilization is considered as one of the major mechanisms responsible for the loss of nitrogen (N) from soil-plant systems worldwide. About 10-30% of N can be lost as NH3 volatilization, which constitutes a significant economic loss. In recent years carbon-based materials such as biochar have created a great research interest because of their ability to increase soil fertility by reducing nutrient loss and pollutants bioavailability in soil. Most of the studies so far have investigated how biochar addition can reduce NH3 volatilization from soils but less information is available for soil-plant systems. In this research, wheat plants (Triticum aestivum, variety: Calingiri) were grown in a calcareous soil (pH 8, calcarosol) inside a closed chamber system to assess both ammonia volatilization and plant N uptake. In this specialized glass chamber air was passed through an inlet where the flow rate was maintained using an air pump (3.5 L min-1). The air outlet was passed through a sulphuric acid trap which was used to capture the volatilized NH3 from the chamber. Plants were watered using the inlet to maintain 50% field capacity throughout the incubation. Two different biochar samples were used in this study: a poultry manure biochar (PM-BC) and a green waste compost biochar (GW-BC) produced at 250 ˚C. Five different application rates were tested (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2%). The soil was mixed with biochar samples, water, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and S for one week before sowing. After one week of germination, plants were transferred to the chamber for further three weeks incubation for NH3 volatilization measurement. The study identified that biochar application reduced the NH3 volatilization and increase the plant biomass. Biochar application at 0.5 and 2% decreased the NH3 volatilization by 36 and 48% respectively. The N uptake of the plants also increased from 2.9 to 28% at 0.5 and 2% application rates respectively. The dry biomass of the plant also increased

Application of poly (p-phenylene oxide) as blocking layer to reduce self-discharge in supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Tevi, Tete; Yaghoubi, Houman; Wang, Jing; Takshi, Arash

2013-11-01

Supercapacitors are electrochemical energy storage devices with high power density. However, application of supercapacitors is limited mainly due to their high leakage current. In this work, application of an ultra-thin layer of electrodeposited poly (p-phenylene oxide) (PPO) has been investigated as a blocking layer to reduce the leakage current. The polymer was first deposited on a glassy carbon electrode. The morphology of the film was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the film thickness was estimated to be ˜1.5 nm by using the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique. The same deposition method was applied to coat the surface of the activated carbon electrodes of a supercapacitor with PPO. The specific capacitance, the leakage current, and the series resistance were measured in two devices with and without the blocking layer. The results demonstrate that the application of the PPO layer reduced the leakage current by ˜78%. However, the specific capacitance was decreased by ˜56%, when the blocking layer was applied. Due to the lower rate of self-discharge, the suggested approach can be applied to fabricate devices with longer charge storage time.

Derivation of gyrotron's reduced equations and its application on the analysis of resonant cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Correa, R.A.; Barroso, J.J.; Montes, A.

1988-05-01

In this paper, it is presented a derivation of a reduced set of equations for the electron motion, based upon Lorentz equation, where the applicability conditions and approximations employed are clearly indicated. As an example of practical interest, scaling relations are discussed in the analysis of cavities appropriate for high efficiency operation. (author)

Application of muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifolia Michx.) pomace extract to reduce carcinogenic acrylamide.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Changmou; Yagiz, Yavuz; Marshall, Sara; Li, Zheng; Simonne, Amarat; Lu, Jiang; Marshall, Maurice R

2015-09-01

Acrylamide is a byproduct of the Maillard reaction and is formed in a variety of heat-treated commercial starchy foods. It is known to be toxic and potentially carcinogenic to humans. Muscadine grape polyphenols and standard phenolic compounds were examined on the reduction of acrylamide in an equimolar asparagine/glucose chemical model, a potato chip model, and a simulated physiological system. Polyphenols were found to significantly reduce acrylamide in the chemical model, with reduced rates higher than 90% at 100 μg/ml. In the potato chip model, grape polyphenols reduced the acrylamide level by 60.3% as concentration was increased to 0.1%. However, polyphenols exhibited no acrylamide reduction in the simulated physiological system. Results also indicated no significant correlation between the antioxidant activities of polyphenols and their acrylamide inhibition. This study demonstrated muscadine grape extract can mitigate acrylamide formation in the Maillard reaction, which provides a new value-added application for winery pomace waste. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of dentine surface preparation and reduced application time of adhesive on bonding strength.

Science.gov (United States)

Saikaew, Pipop; Chowdhury, A F M Almas; Fukuyama, Mai; Kakuda, Shinichi; Carvalho, Ricardo M; Sano, Hidehiko

2016-04-01

This study evaluated the effects of surface preparation and the application time of adhesives on the resin-dentine bond strengths with universal adhesives. Sixty molars were cut to exposed mid-coronal dentine and divided into 12 groups (n=5) based on three factors; (1) adhesive: G-Premio Bond (GP, GC Corp., Tokyo, Japan), Clearfil Universal Bond (CU, Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc., Okayama, Japan) and Scotchbond Universal Adhesive (SB, 3M ESPE, St. Paul, MN, USA); (2) smear layer preparation: SiC paper ground dentine or bur-cut dentine; (3) application time: shortened time or as manufacturer's instruction. Fifteen resin-dentine sticks per group were processed for microtensile bond strength test (μTBS) according to non-trimming technique (1mm(2)) after storage in distilled water (37 °C) for 24h. Data were analyzed by three-way ANOVA and Dunnett T3 tests (α=0.05). Fractured surfaces were observed under scanning electron microscope (SEM). Another 12 teeth were prepared and cut into slices for SEM examination of bonded interfaces. μTBS were higher when bonded to SiC-ground dentine according to manufacturer's instruction. Bonding to bur-cut dentine resulted in significantly lower μTBS (padhesive resin interface. This was more pronounced when adhesives were bonded with a reduced application time and on bur cut dentine. The performance of universal adhesives can be compromised on bur cut dentine and when applied with a reduced application time. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electrodeposited reduced-graphene oxide/cobalt oxide electrodes for charge storage applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

García-Gómez, A. [CQE, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa (Portugal); Eugénio, S., E-mail: s.eugenio@tecnico.ulisboa.pt [CQE, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa (Portugal); Duarte, R.G. [CQE, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa (Portugal); ESTBarreiro, Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, Setúbal (Portugal); Silva, T.M. [CQE, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa (Portugal); ADEM, GI-MOSM, ISEL-Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Lisboa (Portugal); Carmezim, M.J. [CQE, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa (Portugal); ESTSetúbal, Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, Setúbal (Portugal); Montemor, M.F. [CQE, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa (Portugal)

2016-09-30

Highlights: • Electrochemically reduced graphene/CoOx composites were successfully produced by electrodeposition. • The composite material presents a specific capacitance of about 430 F g{sup −1}. • After heat treatment, the capacitance retention of the composite was 76% after 3500 cycles. - Abstract: In the present work, electrochemically reduced-graphene oxide/cobalt oxide composites for charge storage electrodes were prepared by a one-step pulsed electrodeposition route on stainless steel current collectors and after that submitted to a thermal treatment at 200 °C. A detailed physico-chemical characterization was performed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The electrochemical response of the composite electrodes was studied by cyclic voltammetry and charge-discharge curves and related to the morphological and phase composition changes induced by the thermal treatment. The results revealed that the composites were promising materials for charge storage electrodes for application in redox supercapacitors, attaining specific capacitances around 430 F g{sup −1} at 1 A g{sup −1} and presenting long-term cycling stability.

The application of air pressure difference in reducing indoor radon concentration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leung, J.K.C.; Tso, M.Y.W.

2000-01-01

In densely populated tropical cities like Hong Kong, people usually live and work inside high-rise buildings. And because of the hot and humid climate, air conditioning systems are used throughout the year, particularly in commercial buildings. Previous territory-wide surveys have shown that over 10% of commercial buildings in Hong Kong have indoor radon concentrations above 200 Bq m -3 . Since the major source of indoor radon in high-rise buildings is the building materials, increasing ventilation and applying radon barriers on wall surfaces seem to be the only ways to reduce the indoor radon concentration. But it was noted that the ventilation rate the many commercial buildings are not efficient enough to remove the radon because of various reasons such as energy saving, lack of maintenance, etc. In this study, radon mitigation was achieved by reducing the rate of radon exhaled from the building materials. A special laboratory, which has the capability of simulating any meteorological conditions that could be faced by high-rise buildings in Hong Kong, was built. The reduction of radon exhalation rate by applying pressure difference and temperature difference across walls was studied in the laboratory. This paper summarizes the results and tactics for applying pressure difference in existing commercial buildings. A new technique of reducing radon exhalation rate in new buildings by depressurizing the interior of walls was also developed. Tunnels can be embedded in the concrete walls of new buildings during construction. By using simple vacuum pumps, radon exhalation rate from the walls can be reduced significantly by depressurizing the tunnels. The feasibility and applicability of the technique is presented in this paper. (author)

Reducing beam hardening effects and metal artefacts using Medipix3RX: With applications from biomaterial science

OpenAIRE

Rajendran, K.; Walsh, M. F.; de Ruiter, N. J. A.; Chernoglazov, A. I.; Panta, R. K.; Butler, A. P. H.; Butler, P. H.; Bell, S. T.; Anderson, N. G.; Woodfield, T. B. F.; Tredinnick, S. J.; Healy, J. L.; Bateman, C. J.; Aamir, R.; Doesburg, R. M. N.

2013-01-01

This paper discusses methods for reducing beam hardening effects using spectral data for biomaterial applications. A small-animal spectral scanner operating in the diagnostic energy range was used. We investigate the use of photon-processing features of the Medipix3RX ASIC in reducing beam hardening and associated artefacts. A fully operational charge summing mode was used during the imaging routine. We present spectral data collected for metal alloy samples, its analysis using algebraic 3D r...

Assessments and applications to enhance human reliability and reduce risk during less-than-full-power operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hannaman, G.W.; Singh, A.

1992-01-01

Study of events, interviews with plant personnel, and applications of risk studies indicate that the risk of a potential accident during less-than-full-power (LTFP) operation is becoming a greater fraction of the risk as improvements are made to the full-power operations. Industry efforts have been increased to reduce risk and the cost of shutdown operations. These efforts consider the development and application of advanced tools to help utilities proactively identify issues and develop contingencies and interventions to enhance reliability and reduce risk of low-power operations at nuclear power plants. The role for human reliability assessments is to help improve utility outage planning to better achieve schedule and risk control objectives. Improvements are expected to include intervention tools to identify and reduce human error, definition of new instructional modules, and prioritization of risk reduction issues for operators. The Electric Power Research Institute is sponsoring a project to address the identification and quantification of factors that affect human reliability during LTFP operation of nuclear power plants. The results of this project are expected to promote the development of proactively applied interventions and contingencies for enhanced human reliability during shutdown operations

IHadoop: Asynchronous iterations for MapReduce

KAUST Repository

Elnikety, Eslam Mohamed Ibrahim

2011-11-01

MapReduce is a distributed programming frame-work designed to ease the development of scalable data-intensive applications for large clusters of commodity machines. Most machine learning and data mining applications involve iterative computations over large datasets, such as the Web hyperlink structures and social network graphs. Yet, the MapReduce model does not efficiently support this important class of applications. The architecture of MapReduce, most critically its dataflow techniques and task scheduling, is completely unaware of the nature of iterative applications; tasks are scheduled according to a policy that optimizes the execution for a single iteration which wastes bandwidth, I/O, and CPU cycles when compared with an optimal execution for a consecutive set of iterations. This work presents iHadoop, a modified MapReduce model, and an associated implementation, optimized for iterative computations. The iHadoop model schedules iterations asynchronously. It connects the output of one iteration to the next, allowing both to process their data concurrently. iHadoop\\'s task scheduler exploits inter-iteration data locality by scheduling tasks that exhibit a producer/consumer relation on the same physical machine allowing a fast local data transfer. For those iterative applications that require satisfying certain criteria before termination, iHadoop runs the check concurrently during the execution of the subsequent iteration to further reduce the application\\'s latency. This paper also describes our implementation of the iHadoop model, and evaluates its performance against Hadoop, the widely used open source implementation of MapReduce. Experiments using different data analysis applications over real-world and synthetic datasets show that iHadoop performs better than Hadoop for iterative algorithms, reducing execution time of iterative applications by 25% on average. Furthermore, integrating iHadoop with HaLoop, a variant Hadoop implementation that caches

IHadoop: Asynchronous iterations for MapReduce

KAUST Repository

Elnikety, Eslam Mohamed Ibrahim; El Sayed, Tamer S.; Ramadan, Hany E.

2011-01-01

MapReduce is a distributed programming frame-work designed to ease the development of scalable data-intensive applications for large clusters of commodity machines. Most machine learning and data mining applications involve iterative computations over large datasets, such as the Web hyperlink structures and social network graphs. Yet, the MapReduce model does not efficiently support this important class of applications. The architecture of MapReduce, most critically its dataflow techniques and task scheduling, is completely unaware of the nature of iterative applications; tasks are scheduled according to a policy that optimizes the execution for a single iteration which wastes bandwidth, I/O, and CPU cycles when compared with an optimal execution for a consecutive set of iterations. This work presents iHadoop, a modified MapReduce model, and an associated implementation, optimized for iterative computations. The iHadoop model schedules iterations asynchronously. It connects the output of one iteration to the next, allowing both to process their data concurrently. iHadoop's task scheduler exploits inter-iteration data locality by scheduling tasks that exhibit a producer/consumer relation on the same physical machine allowing a fast local data transfer. For those iterative applications that require satisfying certain criteria before termination, iHadoop runs the check concurrently during the execution of the subsequent iteration to further reduce the application's latency. This paper also describes our implementation of the iHadoop model, and evaluates its performance against Hadoop, the widely used open source implementation of MapReduce. Experiments using different data analysis applications over real-world and synthetic datasets show that iHadoop performs better than Hadoop for iterative algorithms, reducing execution time of iterative applications by 25% on average. Furthermore, integrating iHadoop with HaLoop, a variant Hadoop implementation that caches

Application and numerical simulation research on biomimetic drag-reducing technology for gas pipelining

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang Deyuan; Luo Yuehao; Chen Huawei [Beihang Univ., Beijing (China). School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation

2011-06-15

For the purpose of increasing the transmission capacity of gas pipelines, the internal coating technology has been vastly put into application, and a remarkable benefit has been achieved so far. However, with the reduction of wall roughness, the small convex parts are all completely submerged in the viscous sublayer, the gas pipeline becomes a 'hydraulic smooth pipe', even by smoothing the coating surface further, it is difficult to reduce wall friction. Therefore, in order to increase the transportation capacity on the basis of internal coating, the new methods and technologies should be researched and investigated, and perhaps, the biomimetic drag-reducing technology is a good approach. In this paper, according to the planning parameters of the second pipeline of the West-to-East gas transmission project, the best drag reducing effect grooves are calculated and designed, and based on the characteristics and properties of internal coating (AW-01 epoxy resin), the Pre-Cured Micro- Rolling Technology (PCMRT) is discussed and presented, the rolling equipment is also designed and analyzed, the rolling process can be easily added on the available production line. Aiming at the field operating parameters of the gas pipeline in China, and the drag-reducing effect of the grooved surface is analyzed and discussed comprehensively. In addition, the economic benefit of adopting the biomimetic drag reduction technology is investigated. (orig.)

REDUCED DATA FOR CURVE MODELING – APPLICATIONS IN GRAPHICS, COMPUTER VISION AND PHYSICS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Małgorzata Janik

2013-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper we consider the problem of modeling curves in Rn via interpolation without a priori specified interpolation knots. We discuss two approaches to estimate the missing knots for non-parametric data (i.e. collection of points. The first approach (uniform evaluation is based on blind guess in which knots are chosen uniformly. The second approach (cumulative chord parameterization incorporates the geometry of the distribution of data points. More precisely, the difference is equal to the Euclidean distance between data points qi+1 and qi. The second method partially compensates for the loss of the information carried by the reduced data. We also present the application of the above schemes for fitting non-parametric data in computer graphics (light-source motion rendering, in computer vision (image segmentation and in physics (high velocity particles trajectory modeling. Though experiments are conducted for points in R2 and R3 the entire method is equally applicable in Rn.

In situ chemical synthesis of ruthenium oxide/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites for electrochemical capacitor applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Ji-Young; Kim, Kwang-Heon; Yoon, Seung-Beom; Kim, Hyun-Kyung; Park, Sang-Hoon; Kim, Kwang-Bum

2013-08-07

An in situ chemical synthesis approach has been developed to prepare ruthenium oxide/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanocomposites. It is found that as the C/O ratio increases, the number density of RuO2 nanoparticles decreases, because the chemical interaction between the Ru ions and the oxygen-containing functional groups provides anchoring sites where the nucleation of particles takes place. For electrochemical capacitor applications, the microwave-hydrothermal process was carried out to improve the conductivity of RGO in RuO2/RGO nanocomposites. The significant improvement in capacitance and high rate capability might result from the RuO2 nanoparticles used as spacers that make the interior layers of the reduced graphene oxide electrode available for electrolyte access.

Foliar application with nano-silicon reduced cadmium accumulation in grains by inhibiting cadmium translocation in rice plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Rui; Zhang, Changbo; Zhao, Yanling; Huang, Yongchun; Liu, Zhongqi

2018-01-01

Nano-silicon (Si) may be more effective than regular fertilizers in protecting plants from cadmium (Cd) stress. A field experiment was conducted to study the effects of nano-Si on Cd accumulation in grains and other organs of rice plants (Oryza sativa L. cv. Xiangzaoxian 45) grown in Cd-contaminated farmland. Foliar application with 5~25 mM nano-Si at anthesis stage reduced Cd concentrations in grains and rachises at maturity stage by 31.6~64.9 and 36.1~60.8%, respectively. Meanwhile, nano-Si application significantly increased concentrations of potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), and iron (Fe) in grains and rachises, but imposed little effect on concentrations of calcium (Ca), zinc (Zn), and manganese (Mn) in them. Uppermost nodes under panicles displayed much higher Cd concentration (4.50~5.53 mg kg -1 ) than other aerial organs. After foliar application with nano-Si, translocation factors (TFs) of Cd ions from the uppermost nodes to rachises significantly declined, but TFs of K, Mg, and Fe from the uppermost nodes to rachises increased significantly. High dose of nano-Si (25 mM) was more effective than low dose of nano-Si in reducing TFs of Cd from roots to the uppermost nodes and from the uppermost nodes to rachises. These findings indicate that nano-Si supply reduces Cd accumulation in grains by inhibiting translocation of Cd and, meanwhile, promoting translocation of K, Mg, and Fe from the uppermost nodes to rachises in rice plants.

Swine manure injection with low-disturbance applicator and cover crops reduce phosphorus losses.

Science.gov (United States)

Kovar, J L; Moorman, T B; Singer, J W; Cambardella, C A; Tomer, M D

2011-01-01

Injection of liquid swine manure disturbs surface soil so that runoff from treated lands can transport sediment and nutrients to surface waters. We determined the effect of two manure application methods on P fate in a corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] production system, with and without a winter rye (Secale cereale L.)-oat (Avena sativa L.) cover crop. Treatments included: (i) no manure; (ii) knife injection; and (iii) low-disturbance injection, each with and without the cover crop. Simulated rainfall runoff was analyzed for dissolved reactive P (DRP) and total P (TP). Rainfall was applied 8 d after manure application (early November) and again in May after emergence of the corn crop. Manure application increased soil bioavailable P in the 20- to 30-cm layer following knife injection and in the 5- to 20-cm layer following low-disturbance injection. The low-disturbance system caused less damage to the cover crop, so that P uptake was more than threefold greater. Losses of DRP were greater in both fall and spring following low-disturbance injection; however, application method had no effect on TP loads in runoff in either season. The cover crop reduced fall TP losses from plots with manure applied by either method. In spring, DRP losses were significantly higher from plots with the recently killed cover crop, but TP losses were not affected. Low-disturbance injection of swine manure into a standing cover crop can minimize plant damage and P losses in surface runoff while providing optimum P availability to a subsequent agronomic crop.

Reducing beam hardening effects and metal artefacts using Medipix3RX: With applications from biomaterial science

CERN Document Server

Rajendran, K; de Ruiter, N J A; Chernoglazov, A I; Panta, R K; Butler, A P H; Butler, P H; Bell, S T; Anderson, N G; Woodfield, T B F; Tredinnick, S J; Healy, J L; Bateman, C J; Aamir, R; Doesburg, R M N; Renaud, P F; Gieseg, S P; Smithies, D J; Mohr, J L; Mandalika, V B H; Opie, A M T; Cook, N J; Ronaldson, J P; Nik, S J; Atharifard, A; Clyne, M; Bones, P J; Bartneck, C; Grasset, R; Schleich, N; Billinghurst, M

2014-01-01

This paper discusses methods for reducing beam hardening effects using spectral data for biomaterial applications. A small-animal spectral scanner operating in the diagnostic energy range was used. We investigate the use of photon-processing features of the Medipix3RX ASIC in reducing beam hardening and associated artefacts. A fully operational charge summing mode was used during the imaging routine. We present spectral data collected for metal alloy samples, its analysis using algebraic 3D reconstruction software and volume visualisation using a custom volume rendering software. Narrow high energy acquisition using the photon-processing detector revealed substantial reduction in beam hardening effects and metal artefacts.

Potential for beneficial application of sulfate reducing bacteria in sulfate containing domestic wastewater treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

van den Brand, T P H; Roest, K; Chen, G H; Brdjanovic, D; van Loosdrecht, M C M

2015-11-01

The activity of sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) in domestic wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) is often considered as a problem due to H2S formation and potential related odour and corrosion of materials. However, when controlled well, these bacteria can be effectively used in a positive manner for the treatment of wastewater. The main advantages of using SRB in wastewater treatment are: (1) minimal sludge production, (2) reduction of potential pathogens presence, (3) removal of heavy metals and (4) as pre-treatment of anaerobic digestion. These advantages are accessory to efficient and stable COD removal by SRB. Though only a few studies have been conducted on SRB treatment of domestic wastewater, the many studies performed on industrial wastewater provide information on the potential of SRB in domestic wastewater treatment. A key-parameter analyses literature study comprising pH, organic substrates, sulfate, salt, temperature and oxygen revealed that the conditions are well suited for the application of SRB in domestic wastewater treatment. Since the application of SRB in WWTP has environmental benefits its application is worth considering for wastewater treatment, when sulfate is present in the influent.

Efficacy of port-site and intraperitoneal application of bupivacaine in reducing early post-laparoscopic cholecystectomy pain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, J.; Khan, Z.A.; Khan, A.

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the analgesic efficacy of Bupivacaine application at port-site and intraperitoneal infiltration in patients with laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Study Design: Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial. Place and Duration: The study was conducted at Rehman Medical Institute (RMI) Peshawar, Pakistan from June 2009 to June 2012. Materials and Methods: Patients who underwent elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy during the study period were included in the study. Eighty patients were randomized into two groups, study group and control group. The study group received 40 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine intraoperatively as intraperitoneal infiltration and local infiltration at the port sites. Pain assessment was done using visual analogue pain score (VAS) of 0-10 at fixed intervals during the first 24 hours post surgery. Results: The mean VAS score in the study group was less as compared to the control group throughout the 24 hours assessment period, however this difference was statistically significant (p<0.001) only during the first three assessments at 1 hour, 4 hours and 8 hours post surgery. The analgesia requirement was also significantly (p<0.001) decreased in the study group. Conclusion: Port site and intraperitoneal application of local anesthetic bupivacaine significantly reduced pain during the first 8 hours post surgery and total analgesia requirement was also significantly reduced. It is a simple and easily applicable technique which increases patient comfort and can be safely used to decrease post operative pain in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. (author)

Optimal reduced-rank quadratic classifiers using the Fukunaga-Koontz transform with applications to automated target recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Huo, Xiaoming; Elad, Michael; Flesia, Ana G.; Muise, Robert R.; Stanfill, S. Robert; Friedman, Jerome; Popescu, Bogdan; Chen, Jihong; Mahalanobis, Abhijit; Donoho, David L.

2003-09-01

In target recognition applications of discriminant of classification analysis, each 'feature' is a result of a convolution of an imagery with a filter, which may be derived from a feature vector. It is important to use relatively few features. We analyze an optimal reduced-rank classifier under the two-class situation. Assuming each population is Gaussian and has zero mean, and the classes differ through the covariance matrices: ∑1 and ∑2. The following matrix is considered: Λ=(∑1+∑2)-1/2∑1(∑1+∑2)-1/2. We show that the k eigenvectors of this matrix whose eigenvalues are most different from 1/2 offer the best rank k approximation to the maximum likelihood classifier. The matrix Λ and its eigenvectors have been introduced by Fukunaga and Koontz; hence this analysis gives a new interpretation of the well known Fukunaga-Koontz transform. The optimality that is promised in this method hold if the two populations are exactly Guassian with the same means. To check the applicability of this approach to real data, an experiment is performed, in which several 'modern' classifiers were used on an Infrared ATR data. In these experiments, a reduced-rank classifier-Tuned Basis Functions-outperforms others. The competitive performance of the optimal reduced-rank quadratic classifier suggests that, at least for classification purposes, the imagery data behaves in a nearly-Gaussian fashion.

Polyacrylamide application versus forest residue mulching for reducing post-fire runoff and soil erosion.

Science.gov (United States)

Prats, Sergio Alegre; Martins, Martinho António Dos Santos; Malvar, Maruxa Cortizo; Ben-Hur, Meni; Keizer, Jan Jacob

2014-01-15

For several years now, forest fires have been known to increase overland flow and soil erosion. However, mitigation of these effects has been little studied, especially outside the USA. This study aimed to quantify the effectiveness of two so-called emergency treatments to reduce post-fire runoff and soil losses at the microplot scale in a eucalyptus plantation in north-central Portugal. The treatments involved the application of chopped eucalyptus bark mulch at a rate of 10-12 Mg ha(-1), and surface application of a dry, granular, anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) at a rate of 50 kg ha(-1). During the first year after a wildfire in 2010, 1419 mm of rainfall produced, on average, 785 mm of overland flow in the untreated plots and 8.4 Mg ha(-1) of soil losses. Mulching reduced these two figures significantly, by an average 52 and 93%, respectively. In contrast, the PAM-treated plots did not differ from the control plots, despite slightly lower runoff but higher soil erosion figures. When compared to the control plots, mean key factors for runoff and soil erosion were different in the case of the mulched but not the PAM plots. Notably, the plots on the lower half of the slope registered bigger runoff and erosion figures than those on the upper half of the slope. This could be explained by differences in fire intensity and, ultimately, in pre-fire standing biomass. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Potential for the Use of Energy Savings Performance Contracts to Reduce Energy Consumption and Provide Energy and Cost Savings in Non-Building Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Williams, Charles; Green, Andrew S.; Dahle, Douglas; Barnett, John; Butler, Pat; Kerner, David

2013-08-01

The findings of this study indicate that potential exists in non-building applications to save energy and costs. This potential could save billions of federal dollars, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, increase energy independence and security, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Federal Government has nearly twenty years of experience with achieving similar energy cost reductions, and letting the energy costs savings pay for themselves, by applying energy savings performance contracts (ESPC) inits buildings. Currently, the application of ESPCs is limited by statute to federal buildings. This study indicates that ESPCs can be a compatible and effective contracting tool for achieving savings in non-building applications.

iHadoop: Asynchronous Iterations Support for MapReduce

KAUST Repository

Elnikety, Eslam

2011-08-01

MapReduce is a distributed programming framework designed to ease the development of scalable data-intensive applications for large clusters of commodity machines. Most machine learning and data mining applications involve iterative computations over large datasets, such as the Web hyperlink structures and social network graphs. Yet, the MapReduce model does not efficiently support this important class of applications. The architecture of MapReduce, most critically its dataflow techniques and task scheduling, is completely unaware of the nature of iterative applications; tasks are scheduled according to a policy that optimizes the execution for a single iteration which wastes bandwidth, I/O, and CPU cycles when compared with an optimal execution for a consecutive set of iterations. This work presents iHadoop, a modified MapReduce model, and an associated implementation, optimized for iterative computations. The iHadoop model schedules iterations asynchronously. It connects the output of one iteration to the next, allowing both to process their data concurrently. iHadoop\\'s task scheduler exploits inter- iteration data locality by scheduling tasks that exhibit a producer/consumer relation on the same physical machine allowing a fast local data transfer. For those iterative applications that require satisfying certain criteria before termination, iHadoop runs the check concurrently during the execution of the subsequent iteration to further reduce the application\\'s latency. This thesis also describes our implementation of the iHadoop model, and evaluates its performance against Hadoop, the widely used open source implementation of MapReduce. Experiments using different data analysis applications over real-world and synthetic datasets show that iHadoop performs better than Hadoop for iterative algorithms, reducing execution time of iterative applications by 25% on average. Furthermore, integrating iHadoop with HaLoop, a variant Hadoop implementation that caches

Foliar Application of the Fungicide Pyraclostrobin Reduced Bacterial Spot Disease of Pepper

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beom Ryong Kang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Pyraclostrobin is a broad-spectrum fungicide that inhibits mitochondrial respiration. However, it may also induce systemic resistance effective against bacterial and viral diseases. In this study, we evaluated whether pyraclostrobin enhanced resistance against the bacterial spot pathogen, Xanthomonas euvesicatora on pepper (Capsicum annuum. Although pyraclostrobin alone did not suppressed the in vitro growth of X. euvesicatoria, disease severity in pepper was significantly lower by 69% after treatments with pyraclostrobin alone. A combination of pyraclostrobin with streptomycin reduced disease by over 90% that of the control plants. The preventive control of the pyraclostrobin against bacterial spot was required application 1-3 days before pathogen inoculation. Our findings suggest that the fungicide pyraclostrobin can be used with a chemical pesticide to control bacterial leaf spot diseases in pepper.

Principles of resource-effectiveness and regulatory-effectiveness for risk-informed applications: Reducing burdens by improving effectiveness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vesely, W.E.

1999-01-01

Principles of resource-effectiveness and regulatory-effectiveness are presented which systematically compare the resources expended on a requirement or activity versus its risk importance. To evaluate resource-effectiveness and regulatory-effectiveness, cost-benefit analysis principles are generalized to resource versus risk importance principles. It is shown that by applying resource-importance analyses, current requirements and activities can be systematically evaluated for their resource-effectiveness and their risk-consistency. Strategies can then be developed to maximize both resource-effectiveness and risk-consistency which reduces unnecessary burdens while maintaining risk or reducing risk. The principles, approaches, and implementation schemes which are presented provide a systematic process for evaluating and optimizing resource-effectiveness and regulatory-effectiveness. The illustrations that are presented show that current NRC and industry actions are not resource-effective. By improving their resource-effectiveness and risk-consistency, significant burden reductions are achievable while risk, e.g. core damage frequency, is maintained or is reduced. The illustrations show that by optimizing industry resources and NRC resources with regard to their risk-effectiveness, significant burden reductions are achievable for both the industry and NRC. Algorithms and software exist for broad-scale implementations. Because of the burden reductions which are identified and the improvements in risk-consistency which result, resource-importance analysis should be the first step in risk-informed applications. Resource-importance analysis is so important and can provide such large benefits that it needs to be carried out on all current requirements that are addressed by risk-informed applications

How inhibiting nitrification affects nitrogen cycle and reduces ...

Science.gov (United States)

We conducted a meta-analysis of 103 nitrification inhibitor (NI) studies, and evaluated how NI application affects crop productivity and other ecosystem services in agricultural systems. Our results showed that, compared to conventional fertilizer practice, applications of NI along with nitrogen (N) fertilizer increased crop nitrogen use efficiency, crop yield, and altered the pathways and the amount of N loss to environment. NI application increased ammonia emission, but reduced nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emission, which led to a reduction of 12.9% of the total N loss. The cost and benefit analysis showed that the economic benefit of reducing N’s environmental impacts offset the cost of NI. NI application could bring additional revenue of $163.72 ha-1 for a maize farm. Taken together, our findings show that NI application may create a win-win scenario that increases agricultural output, while reducing the negative impact on the environment. Policies that encourage NI application would reduce N’s environmental impacts. A group from Chinese Academy of Sciences, US EPA-ORD and North Carolina examined the net environmental and economic effects of nitrification inhibitors to reduce nitrate leaching associated with farm fertilizers. They conducted a meta-analysis of studies examining nitrification inhibitors, and found that NI application increased ammonia emission, but reduced nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emission, which led to a reduction of 12.9

Application of Titanium Compounds to Reduce Fluoride Ion in Water Resources with High Fluoride Ion Contents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fariborz Riahi

2005-06-01

Full Text Available The present work describes studies on the sorption of fluoride ions from water by titanium compounds used in water treatment to reduce fluoride content in water resources. There are different methods of reducing fluoride ion in water, each associated with specific problems such as secondary contamination, environmental contamination, high costs, or the need for primary and secondary treatment. In this study, application of titanium sulfate and Metatitanic acid produced from titanium ore concentrate (ileminite is investigated in the removal of fluoride ion and the possibility of complete purification of fluorine containing wastewater is examined to determine the optimal conditions. Metatitanic acid has a great sorption property for fluoride ion. Also titanium sulfate is a suitable and more effective material for this purpose. Efficiency of this material in reducing fluoride ion content is 99.9% and it is possible to refresh sorbet material for reuse without problems arising from Ti+4 ion contamination.

Programming MapReduce with Scalding

CERN Document Server

Chalkiopoulos, Antonios

2014-01-01

This book is an easy-to-understand, practical guide to designing, testing, and implementing complex MapReduce applications in Scala using the Scalding framework. It is packed with examples featuring log-processing, ad-targeting, and machine learning. This book is for developers who are willing to discover how to effectively develop MapReduce applications. Prior knowledge of Hadoop or Scala is not required; however, investing some time on those topics would certainly be beneficial.

Proceedings of the international meeting on development, fabrication and application of reduced enrichment fuels for research and test reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-08-01

Separate abstracts were prepared for each of the papers presented in the following areas: (1) Reduced Enrichment Fuels for Research and Test Reactors (RERTR) Program Status; (2) Fuel Development; (3) Fuel Demonstrations; (4) General Topics; and (5) Specific Reactor Applications

Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application and Income Verification Practices in School Nutrition Programs in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Junehee; Lee, Yee Ming; Park, Eunhye; Wang, Yujia; Rushing, Keith

2017-01-01

Purpose/Objectives: This study assessed current practices and attitudes of school nutrition program (SNP) management staff regarding free and reduced-price (F-RP) meal application and verification in SNPs. Methods: Stratified, randomly selected 1,500 SNP management staff in 14 states received a link to an online questionnaire and/or a printed…

A non-linear reduced order methodology applicable to boiling water reactor stability analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prill, Dennis Paul

2013-01-01

Thermal-hydraulic coupling between power, flow rate and density, intensified by neutronics feedback are the main drivers of boiling water reactor (BWR) stability behavior. High-power low-flow conditions in connection with unfavorable power distributions can lead the BWR system into unstable regions where power oscillations can be triggered. This important threat to operational safety requires careful analysis for proper understanding. Analyzing an exhaustive parameter space of the non-linear BWR system becomes feasible with methodologies based on reduced order models (ROMs), saving computational cost and improving the physical understanding. Presently within reactor dynamics, no general and automatic prediction of high-dimensional ROMs based on detailed BWR models are available. In this thesis a systematic self-contained model order reduction (MOR) technique is derived which is applicable for several classes of dynamical problems, and in particular to BWRs of any degree of details. Expert knowledge can be given by operational, experimental or numerical transient data and is transfered into an optimal basis function representation. The methodology is mostly automated and provides the framework for the reduction of various different systems of any level of complexity. Only little effort is necessary to attain a reduced version within this self-written code which is based on coupling of sophisticated commercial software. The methodology reduces a complex system in a grid-free manner to a small system able to capture even non-linear dynamics. It is based on an optimal choice of basis functions given by the so-called proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). Required steps to achieve reliable and numerical stable ROM are given by a distinct calibration road-map. In validation and verification steps, a wide spectrum of representative test examples is systematically studied regarding a later BWR application. The first example is non-linear and has a dispersive character

An application of Six Sigma methodology to reduce the engine-overheating problem in an automotive company

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Antony, J. [Glasgow Caledonian University (United Kingdom). Six Sigma and Process Improvement Research Centre; Kumar, M. [Glasgow Caledonian University (United Kingdom). Division of Management; Tiwari, M.K. [National Institute of Foundry and Forge Technology, Ranchi (India). Department of Manufacturing Engineering

2005-08-15

Six Sigma is a systematic methodology for continuous process quality improvement and for achieving operational excellence. The overstatement that often accompanies the presentation and adoption of Six Sigma in industry can lead to unrealistic expectations as to what Six Sigma is truly capable of achieving. This paper deals with the application of Six Sigma based methodology in eliminating an engine-overheating problem in an automotive company. The DMAIC (define-measure-analyse-improve-control) approach has been followed here to solve an underlying problem of reducing process variation and the associated high defect rate. This paper explores how a foundry can use a systematic and disciplined approach to move towards the goal of Six Sigma quality level. The application of the Six Sigma methodology resulted in a reduction in the jamming problem encountered in the cylinder head and increased the process capability from 0.49 to 1.28. The application of DMAIC has had a significant financial impact (saving over $US110 000 per annum) on the bottom-line of the company. (author)

A combined strategy to reduce restenosis for vascular tissue engineering applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Hemang J; Su, Shih-Horng; Patterson, Cam; Nguyen, Kytai T

2006-01-01

Biodegradable polymers including poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) have been used to develop cardiovascular prostheses such as vascular grafts and stents. However, implant-associated thrombosis, inflammation, and restenosis are still major obstacles for the utility of these devices. The lack of an endothelial cell (EC) lining (endothelialization) on the implants and the responses of the immune systems toward the implants have been associated with these complications. In our research strategy, we have combined the drug delivery principle with the strategies of tissue engineering, the controlled release of anti-inflammation drugs and enhanced endothelialization, to reduce the implant-associated adverse responses. We first integrated curcumin, an anti-inflammatory drug and anti-smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferative drug, with PLLA. This curcumin-loaded PLLA material was then modified using adsorptive coating of adhesive proteins such as fibronectin, collagen-I, vitronectin, laminin, and matrigel to improve the endothelial cell (EC) adhesion and proliferation, and ECs were seeded on top of these modified surfaces. Our results showed steady drug release kinetics over the period of 50 days from curcumin-loaded PLLA materials. Additionally, integration of curcumin in PLLA increased the roughness of the scaffold at the nanometric scale using an atomic force microscopic analysis. Moreover, coating with fibronectin on curcumin-loaded PLLA surfaces gave the highest EC adhesion and proliferation compared to other adhesive proteins using PicoGreen DNA assays. The ability of our strategy to release the curcumin for producing anti-inflammation and anti-proliferation responses and to improve EC adhesion and growth after EC seeding suggests this strategy may reduce implant-associated adverse responses and be a better approach for vascular tissue engineering applications.

Foliar Application of Potassium Fertilizer to Reduce the Effects of Salinity in Potato

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H Molahoseini

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction The potato of commerce (Solanum tuberosum L. is an annual dicot species. It is an autotetraploid with 4x=48 chromosomes. In Iran the consumption per capita of potato is over the 35 kg. Potato production is usually done without reducing yield in the irrigation water salinity 1-2 dS m-1, but 4.2 dS m-1 salinity reduces yield by 26 percent. 10, 25 and 50 percent yield reduction have been reported in soil electrical conductivity 2.5, 3.8 and 5.9 dS m-1, respectively . Between the ability of plant species to maintain potassium levels and their tolerance to salinity is positive correlation and on this basis nutritional irregularity due to increased salinity can be compensated by increasing of potassium fertilizer. In tolerant plant species, during times of increased salinity, selective absorption of potassium increased. The ability of plants to maintain a certain level of K/Na within the cell is essential for salt tolerance and sometimes of these ratios is used as indicators of salinity tolerance. Potato yield in response to salt stress, according to a variety of uses, can be reduced from 20 to 85 percent. Harmful effects of salinity in the beginning stages of tubers and tuber growth stage are important, therefore, tuber number and tuber size are two important components of yield which may reduce in the effect of salinity. Accelerate the aging process of the shoot, unwanted earliness, are of the reasons for the reduction in tuber size. Materials and Methods A field experiment was conducted in the agricultural and natural resources research center (31° 32´ N, 51° 51´ E, Isfahan, Islamic Republic of Iran. According to twenty years statistics, rainfall and temperature means for experiment location were 110 mm and 25 °C, respectively. The experiment was conducted as a factorial in a completely randomized block design with four replications. The treatments were three levels of foliar K application (control, K sulphate 10 ppm, and 2.5 ppm

Facile synthesis of iron oxides/reduced graphene oxide composites: application for electromagnetic wave absorption at high temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Lili; Yu, Xinxin; Hu, Hongrui; Li, Yang; Wu, Mingzai; Wang, Zhongzhu; Li, Guang; Sun, Zhaoqi; Chen, Changle

2015-03-19

Iron oxides/reduced graphene oxide composites were synthesized by facile thermochemical reactions of graphite oxide and FeSO4 · 7H2O. By adjusting reaction temperature, α-Fe2O3/reduced graphene oxide and Fe3O4/reduced graphene oxide composites can be obtained conveniently. Graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide sheets were demonstrated to regulate the phase transition from α-Fe2O3 to Fe3O4 via γ-Fe2O3, which was reported for the first time. The hydroxyl groups attached on the graphene oxide sheets and H2 gas generated during the annealing of graphene oxide are believed to play an important role during these phase transformations. These samples showed good electromagnetic wave absorption performance due to their electromagnetic complementary effect. These samples possess much better electromagnetic wave absorption properties than the mixture of separately prepared Fe3O4 with rGO, suggesting the crucial role of synthetic method in determining the product properties. Also, these samples perform much better than commercial absorbers. Most importantly, the great stability of these composites is highly advantageous for applications as electromagnetic wave absorption materials at high temperatures.

Combining in situ chemical oxidation, stabilization, and anaerobic bioremediation in a single application to reduce contaminant mass and leachability in soil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cassidy, Daniel P., E-mail: daniel.cassidy@wmich.edu [Department of Geosciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008 (United States); Srivastava, Vipul J., E-mail: vipul.srivastava@ch2m.com [CH2M HILL, 125S Wacker, Ste 3000, Chicago, IL 60606 (United States); Dombrowski, Frank J., E-mail: frank.dombrowski@we-energies.com [We Energies, 333W Everett St., A231, Milwaukee, WI 53203 (United States); Lingle, James W., E-mail: jlingle@epri.com [Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), 4927W Willow Road, Brown Deer, WI 53223 (United States)

2015-10-30

Highlights: • Portland cement and lime activated persulfate by increasing pH and temperature. • Chemical oxidation achieved BTEX and PAH removal ranging from 55% to 75%. • Activating persulfate with ISS amendments reduced leachability more than NaOH. • Native sulfate-reducing bacteria degraded PAHs within weeks after ISCO finished. • ISCO, ISS, and anaerobic bioremediation were combined in a single application. - Abstract: Laboratory batch reactors were maintained for 32 weeks to test the potential for an in situ remedy that combines chemical oxidation, stabilization, and anaerobic bioremediation in a single application to treat soil from a manufactured gas plant, contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX). Portland cement and slaked lime were used to activate the persulfate and to stabilize/encapsulate the contaminants that were not chemically oxidized. Native sulfate-reducing bacteria degraded residual contaminants using the sulfate left after persulfate activation. The ability of the combined remedy to reduce contaminant mass and leachability was compared with NaOH-activated persulfate, stabilization, and sulfate-reducing bioremediation as stand-alone technologies. The stabilization amendments increased pH and temperature sufficiently to activate the persulfate within 1 week. Activation with both stabilization amendments and NaOH removed between 55% and 70% of PAH and BTEX. However, combined persulfate and stabilization significantly reduced the leachability of residual BTEX and PAH compared with NaOH activation. Sulfide, 2-naphthoic acid, and the abundance of subunit A of the dissimilatory sulfite reductase gene (dsrA) were used to monitor native sulfate-reducing bacteria, which were negatively impacted by activated persulfate, but recovered completely within weeks.

Combining in situ chemical oxidation, stabilization, and anaerobic bioremediation in a single application to reduce contaminant mass and leachability in soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cassidy, Daniel P.; Srivastava, Vipul J.; Dombrowski, Frank J.; Lingle, James W.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Portland cement and lime activated persulfate by increasing pH and temperature. • Chemical oxidation achieved BTEX and PAH removal ranging from 55% to 75%. • Activating persulfate with ISS amendments reduced leachability more than NaOH. • Native sulfate-reducing bacteria degraded PAHs within weeks after ISCO finished. • ISCO, ISS, and anaerobic bioremediation were combined in a single application. - Abstract: Laboratory batch reactors were maintained for 32 weeks to test the potential for an in situ remedy that combines chemical oxidation, stabilization, and anaerobic bioremediation in a single application to treat soil from a manufactured gas plant, contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX). Portland cement and slaked lime were used to activate the persulfate and to stabilize/encapsulate the contaminants that were not chemically oxidized. Native sulfate-reducing bacteria degraded residual contaminants using the sulfate left after persulfate activation. The ability of the combined remedy to reduce contaminant mass and leachability was compared with NaOH-activated persulfate, stabilization, and sulfate-reducing bioremediation as stand-alone technologies. The stabilization amendments increased pH and temperature sufficiently to activate the persulfate within 1 week. Activation with both stabilization amendments and NaOH removed between 55% and 70% of PAH and BTEX. However, combined persulfate and stabilization significantly reduced the leachability of residual BTEX and PAH compared with NaOH activation. Sulfide, 2-naphthoic acid, and the abundance of subunit A of the dissimilatory sulfite reductase gene (dsrA) were used to monitor native sulfate-reducing bacteria, which were negatively impacted by activated persulfate, but recovered completely within weeks

Fabrication of electrospun silk fibroin scaffolds coated with graphene oxide and reduced graphene for applications in biomedicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Aznar-Cervantes, Salvador; Martínez, Jose G; Bernabeu-Esclapez, Antonia; Lozano-Pérez, A Abel; Meseguer-Olmo, Luis; Otero, Toribio F; Cenis, Jose L

2016-04-01

Silk fibroin and graphene are both promising biomaterials described in the bibliography. Hybrid scaffolds combining their properties could be attractive for tissue engineering applications. In this work, a new methodology to produce electrospun fibroin scaffolds coated with graphene materials is provided. The mechanical, electrical and electrochemical properties of the materials attained were characterised. The fibre diameters were measured (from 3.9 to 5.2 μm). The samples coated with reduced grapheme were electronic conductors and electroactive in liquid electrolytes, showing maximum oxidation and reduction (around−0.4 V peak). The chronoamperometric responses showed a reduction shoulder, pointing to the entrance of balancing cations from the solution by nucleation–relaxation: the reaction induced structural changes in the graphene. In order to check the biocompatibility of the materials, they were seeded with L929 fibroblasts. The excellent biocompatibility of silk fibroin meshes was maintained after coating with graphene, being the proliferation results equal in all the treatments 7 days after the seeding (Tukey, p N 0.05).The conductive and electroactive properties of meshes coated with reduced graphene allow the potential application of local electric fields or local ionic currents to cell cultures, biological interfaces or animal models without host response.

Nanofibrous silk fibroin/reduced graphene oxide scaffolds for tissue engineering and cell culture applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Nalvuran, Hande; Elçin, Ayşe Eser; Elçin, Yaşar Murat

2018-03-16

Graphene and silk fibroin (SF) have been extensively investigated in the literature. Hybrid scaffolds of SF and graphene combine the properties of both of the materials and provide promising applications for tissue engineering purposes. In this study, reduced graphene oxide (RGO) (0.5%, 1.0% and 2.0% (w/v)) was incorporated into SF and fabricated into composite nanofibers through electrospinning. The fibers were characterized and analyzed by SEM, XRD, FTIR, TGA, circular dichroism analysis, contact angle measurements and tensile tests. Here, we document that the presence of RGO increases intermolecular forces between RGO and SF molecular chains in the SF matrix, which results in an increased silk II content. Upon the incorporation of RGO, thermal stability and mechanical properties of the fibers significantly improved. Furthermore, in-vitro findings showed that composite nanofibers supported cell viability and were hemocompatible. Finally, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were induced osteogenically on electrospun SF/RGO mats for 30days, which showed that the substrate supported osteogenic differentiation. In this study, a feasible method is proposed to generate biocompatible and versatile SF/RGO-composite nanofibers that can influence biomedical applications. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Repeated soil application of organic waste amendments reduces draught force and fuel consumption for soil tillage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Peltrea, Clément; Nyord, Tavs; Bruun, Sander

2015-01-01

Abstract Soil application of organic waste products (OWP) can maintain or increase soil organic carbon (SOC) content, which in turn could lead to increased porosity and potentially to reduced energy use for soil tillage. Only a few studies have addressed the effect of SOC content on draught force...... for soil tillage, and this still needs to be addressed for fields that receive diverse types of organic waste of urban, agricultural and agro-industrial origin. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of changes in SOC induced by repeated soil application of OWP on draught force for soil...... tillage and tractor fuel consumption. Draught force was measured for tillage with conventional spring tillage tines, as well as bulk density, soil texture and SOC content in the CRUCIAL field experiment, Denmark in which diverse types of OWP had been applied annually for 11 years. The OWP included...

Evaluation the Effect of Corn (Zea mays L. Sowing Pattern and Nitrogen Application Method on Herbicide Optimizing and Reducing Foramsulfuron (Equip® Dose

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Izadi Darbandi

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: In the whole agro ecosystems, weeds had existence as unwanted plant that control of them is necessary. The competition between weeds and corn for moisture, light, nutrients during the growth season is induced reducing the quality and quantity of corn yield. Although the corn is high and powerful crop but is sensitive to competition with the weed and reduction of yield has been reported over 30%. Since the weeds are adapted to conditions, they are successful to completion and reducing the yield. So weed management is important in corn production. Chemical control has not been the unique and best way to manage the weeds and it reduce the sustainability of agro ecosystems. Although developing the herbicides, reduce the pressures caused by the weeds, but by developing rapidly the weed resistance to herbicides and increasing the environmental concerns and its high cost, today need to new, more immune and sustainable techniques for weed management. The main approach for sustainable weed management in an integrated weed management program is increasing crop competitiveness with weeds to reduce herbicide use. In this regard, the planting date, crop rotation, planting density, intercropping, planting pattern, fertilizer type, rate and application method are some of the most crop management strategies. Among the nutrients necessary for plants, nitrogen is the most nutrient in plant competition. Therefore, its application management plays a key role in reducing weed interference with crops and reduced herbicide use. Foramsulfuron herbicide from ALS inhibitors is a post-emergence sulfonylurea herbicide for the control of grasses and certain broadleaf weeds in maize. Unfortunately, these herbicides are also notorious for their ability to select resistant weed populations. Now, there are more weed species that are resistant to ALS-inhibiting herbicides than to any other herbicide group. In several cropping systems, ALS-inhibiting herbicides were

Novel precision enhancement algorithm with reduced image noise in cosmic muon tomography applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee Sangkyu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we present a new algorithm that improves muon-based generated tomography images with increased precision and reduced image noise applicable to the detection of nuclear materials. Cosmic muon tomography is an interrogation-based imaging technique that, over the last decade, has been frequently employed for the detection of high-Z materials. This technique exploits a magnitude of cosmic muon scattering angles in order to construct an image. The scattering angles of the muons striking the geometry of interest are non-uniform, as cosmic muons vary in energy. The randomness of the scattering angles leads to significant noise in the muon tomography image. GEANT4 is used to numerically create data on the momenta and positions of scattered muons in a predefined geometry that includes high-Z materials. The numerically generated information is then processed with the point of closest approach reconstruction method to construct a muon tomography image; statistical filters are then developed to refine the point of closest approach reconstructed images. The filtered images exhibit reduced noise and enhanced precision when attempting to identify the presence of high-Z materials. The average precision from the point of closest approach reconstruction method is 13 %; for the integrated method, 88 %. The filtered image, therefore, results in a seven-fold improvement in precision compared to the point of closest approach reconstructed image.

Synthesis of multilayered structure of nano-dimensional silica glass/reduced graphene oxide for advanced electrochemical applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, Arnab; Miah, Milon; Majumder, Chinmoy; Bag, Shekhar; Chakravorty, Dipankar; Saha, Shyamal Kumar

2018-03-28

During the past few years, intensive research has been carried out to design new functional materials for superior electrochemical applications. Due to low storage capacity and low charge transport, silica based glasses have not yet been investigated for their supercapacitive behavior. Therefore, in the present study, a multilayered structure of silica-based nanoglass and reduced graphene oxide has been designed to remarkably enhance the specific capacitance by exploiting the porosity, large surface area, sufficient dangling bonds in the nanoglass and high electrical conductivity of rGO. The charge transport in the composite structure is also investigated to understand the electrochemical properties. It is found that Simmons tunneling or direct tunneling is the dominant mechanism of charge conduction between the graphene layers via the potential barrier of silica nanoglass phase. We believe that this study will open up a new area in the design of glass-based two-dimensional nanocomposites for superior supercapacitor applications.

Fast temperature optimization of multi-source hyperthermia applicators with reduced-order modeling of 'virtual sources'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng, K-S; Stakhursky, Vadim; Craciunescu, Oana I; Stauffer, Paul; Dewhirst, Mark; Das, Shiva K

2008-01-01

The goal of this work is to build the foundation for facilitating real-time magnetic resonance image guided patient treatment for heating systems with a large number of physical sources (e.g. antennas). Achieving this goal requires knowledge of how the temperature distribution will be affected by changing each source individually, which requires time expenditure on the order of the square of the number of sources. To reduce computation time, we propose a model reduction approach that combines a smaller number of predefined source configurations (fewer than the number of actual sources) that are most likely to heat tumor. The source configurations consist of magnitude and phase source excitation values for each actual source and may be computed from a CT scan based plan or a simplified generic model of the corresponding patient anatomy. Each pre-calculated source configuration is considered a 'virtual source'. We assume that the actual best source settings can be represented effectively as weighted combinations of the virtual sources. In the context of optimization, each source configuration is treated equivalently to one physical source. This model reduction approach is tested on a patient upper-leg tumor model (with and without temperature-dependent perfusion), heated using a 140 MHz ten-antenna cylindrical mini-annular phased array. Numerical simulations demonstrate that using only a few pre-defined source configurations can achieve temperature distributions that are comparable to those from full optimizations using all physical sources. The method yields close to optimal temperature distributions when using source configurations determined from a simplified model of the tumor, even when tumor position is erroneously assumed to be ∼2.0 cm away from the actual position as often happens in practical clinical application of pre-treatment planning. The method also appears to be robust under conditions of changing, nonlinear, temperature-dependent perfusion. The

Biochar application to a contaminated soil reduces the availability and plant uptake of zinc, lead and cadmium.

Science.gov (United States)

Puga, A P; Abreu, C A; Melo, L C A; Beesley, L

2015-08-15

Heavy metals in soil are naturally occurring but may be enhanced by anthropogenic activities such as mining. Bio-accumulation of heavy metals in the food chain, following their uptake to plants can increase the ecotoxicological risks associated with remediation of contaminated soils using plants. In the current experiment sugar cane straw-derived biochar (BC), produced at 700 °C, was applied to a heavy metal contaminated mine soil at 1.5%, 3.0% and 5.0% (w/w). Jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis) and Mucuna aterrima were grown in pots containing soil and biochar mixtures, and control pots without biochar. Pore water was sampled from each pot to confirm the effects of biochar on metal solubility, whilst soils were analyzed by DTPA extraction to confirm available metal concentrations. Leaves were sampled for SEM analysis to detect possible morphological and anatomical changes. The application of BC decreased the available concentrations of Cd, Pb and Zn in 56, 50 and 54% respectively, in the mine contaminated soil leading to a consistent reduction in the concentration of Zn in the pore water (1st collect: 99 to 39 μg L(-1), 2nd: 97 to 57 μg L(-1) and 3rd: 71 to 12 μg L(-1)). The application of BC reduced the uptake of Cd, Pb and Zn by plants with the jack bean translocating high proportions of metals (especially Cd) to shoots. Metals were also taken up by Mucuna aterrima but translocation to shoot was more limited than for jack bean. There were no differences in the internal structures of leaves observed by scanning electron microscopy. This study indicates that biochar application during mine soil remediation reduce plant concentrations of potential toxic metals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Application of biodegradable plastic film to reduce plastic film residual pollution in Chinese agriculture].

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Changrong; He, Wenqing; Xue, Yinghao; Liu, Enke; Liu, Qin

2016-06-25

Plastic film has become an important agriculture production material in recent years. Over the past three decades, the amount and application area of plastic film have increased steadily, and in 2014, which are 1.4 million tons and more than 180 million hm² respectively. It plays a key role for ensuring the supply of agricultural goods in China. Meanwhile, plastic film residual pollution becomes more and more serious, and in some regions, the amount of plastic film residues has reached over 250 kg/hm². In part of the Northwest region, soil structure of farmland has been destroyed by plastic film residues and then crop growth and farming operations were suppressed. It is recognized as a good choice to replace plastic film with biodegradable plastic film, an effective measure to solve the plastic film residue pollution. Now, it is in a critical stage of study and assessment of biodegradable plastic film in China and fortunately some biodegradable plastic films show effects in the production of potatoes, peanuts and tobacco. Overall, a series of challenges has still been faced by the biodegradable plastic film, mainly including improving the quality of biodegradable plastic products, such as tensile strength, flexibility, improving the controllability of rupture and degradation, enhancing the ability of increasing soil temperature and preserving soil moisture, and to satisfy the demand of crops production with mulching. In addition, it is essential to reduce the cost of the biodegradable film and promote the application of biodegradable film on large-scale. With the development of biodegradable plastic technology and agricultural production environment, the application of the biodegradable film will have a good future.

Reducing Severity of Late Blight (Phytophthora infestans and Improving Potato (Solanum tuberosum L. Tuber Yield with Pre-Harvest Application of Calcium Nutrients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yewubnesh Wendimu Seifu

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The efficiency of pre-harvest application of calcium chloride alone, calcium nitrate alone, and combined application of calcium chloride and calcium nitrate (1:1 was evaluated in reducing the severity of P. infestans and improving potato tuber yield. Pot experiment was conducted in randomized complete block design with four replications. The treatments consisted of combination of two potato varieties (Shenkola and Gera and three types of calcium nutrients (calcium chloride alone, calcium nitrate alone, and calcium chloride mixed with calcium nitrate, each at three levels (5, 10, and 15 g per liter per plant and the control treatment (0 g of calcium nutrients. In comparison to the control treatment, the application of calcium nutrients significantly decreased the severity of late blight disease and improved potato tuber yield. The effect of calcium nutrients on the severity of late blight disease and potato tuber yield differed among the two potato varieties. The maximum severity reduction (60% was noticed in the Gera potato variety with the application of calcium chloride mixed with calcium nitrate (1:1, supplied at 15 g per plant. However, the highest average tuber yield was obtained with the application of calcium nitrate at 15 g per plant, and average tuber yield was increased by 77% in both potato varieties. Hence, foliar application of either calcium nitrate alone or calcium nitrate mixed with calcium chloride was found to be more efficient than the application of calcium chloride alone. This result suggests that the nitrate ion present in the calcium nitrate may make a difference in terms of reducing the severity of late blight disease and improving potato tuber yield. The lowered severity of late blight disease and the increased tuber yield in potato plants sprayed with calcium nutrients may be because of the higher accumulation of calcium in the plant tissue.

Application of an EGR system in a direct injection diesel engine to reduce NOx emissions

Science.gov (United States)

De Serio, D.; De Oliveira, A.; Sodré, J. R.

2016-09-01

This work presents the application of an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system in a direct injection diesel engine operating with diesel oil containing 7% biodiesel (B7). EGR rates of up to 10% were applied with the primary aim to reduce oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions. The experiments were conducted in a 44 kW diesel power generator to evaluate engine performance and emissions for different load settings. The use of EGR caused a peak pressure reduction during the combustion process and a decrease in thermal efficiency, mainly at high engine loads. A reduction of NOx emissions of up to 26% was achieved, though penalizing carbon monoxide (CO) and total hydrocarbons (THC) emissions.

Twelve-bit 20-GHz reduced size pipeline accumulator in 0.25 µm SiGe:C technology for direct digital synthesiser applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Brian Sveistrup; Khafaji, M. Mahdi; Johansen, Tom Keinicke

2012-01-01

/Fmax of 180/220 GHz respectively. The accumulator architecture omits the pre-skewing registers of the pipeline, thereby lowering both power consumption and circuit complexity. Some limitations to this design are discussed and the necessary equations for determining the phase jump encountered each time......This article presents a 20 GHz, 12-bit pipeline accumulator with a reduced number of registers, suitable for direct digital synthesizer (DDS) applications. The accumulator is implemented in the IHP SG25H1 (0.25um) SiGe:C technology featuring heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT) with Ft...... the control word (synthesized frequency) is changed are presented. For many applications employing signal processing after detection, this phase shift can then be corrected for. Compared to a full pipeline architecture, the implemented 12-bit accumulator reduces the number of registers by 55% and the power...

Dermal application of nitric oxide releasing acidified nitrite-containing liniments significantly reduces blood pressure in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Opländer, Christian; Volkmar, Christine M; Paunel-Görgülü, Adnana; Fritsch, Thomas; van Faassen, Ernst E; Mürtz, Manfred; Grieb, Gerrit; Bozkurt, Ahmet; Hemmrich, Karsten; Windolf, Joachim; Suschek, Christoph V

2012-02-15

Vascular ischemic diseases, hypertension, and other systemic hemodynamic and vascular disorders may be the result of impaired bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO). NO but also its active derivates like nitrite or nitroso compounds are important effector and signal molecules with vasodilating properties. Our previous findings point to a therapeutical potential of cutaneous administration of NO in the treatment of systemic hemodynamic disorders. Unfortunately, no reliable data are available on the mechanisms, kinetics and biological responses of dermal application of nitric oxide in humans in vivo. The aim of the study was to close this gap and to explore the therapeutical potential of dermal nitric oxide application. We characterized with human skin in vitro and in vivo the capacity of NO, applied in a NO-releasing acidified form of nitrite-containing liniments, to penetrate the epidermis and to influence local as well as systemic hemodynamic parameters. We found that dermal application of NO led to a very rapid and significant transepidermal translocation of NO into the underlying tissue. Depending on the size of treated skin area, this translocation manifests itself through a significant systemic increase of the NO derivates nitrite and nitroso compounds, respectively. In parallel, this translocation was accompanied by an increased systemic vasodilatation and blood flow as well as reduced blood pressure. We here give evidence that in humans dermal application of NO has a therapeutic potential for systemic hemodynamic disorders that might arise from local or systemic insufficient availability of NO or its bio-active NO derivates, respectively. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reuse, Reduce, Recycle.

Science.gov (United States)

Briscoe, Georgia

1991-01-01

Discussion of recycling paper in law libraries is also applicable to other types of libraries. Results of surveys of law libraries that investigated recycling practices in 1987 and again in 1990 are reported, and suggestions for reducing the amount of paper used and reusing as much as possible are offered. (LRW)

Reducing process delays for real-time earthquake parameter estimation - An application of KD tree to large databases for Earthquake Early Warning

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Lucy; Andrews, Jennifer; Heaton, Thomas

2018-05-01

Earthquake parameter estimations using nearest neighbor searching among a large database of observations can lead to reliable prediction results. However, in the real-time application of Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) systems, the accurate prediction using a large database is penalized by a significant delay in the processing time. We propose to use a multidimensional binary search tree (KD tree) data structure to organize large seismic databases to reduce the processing time in nearest neighbor search for predictions. We evaluated the performance of KD tree on the Gutenberg Algorithm, a database-searching algorithm for EEW. We constructed an offline test to predict peak ground motions using a database with feature sets of waveform filter-bank characteristics, and compare the results with the observed seismic parameters. We concluded that large database provides more accurate predictions of the ground motion information, such as peak ground acceleration, velocity, and displacement (PGA, PGV, PGD), than source parameters, such as hypocenter distance. Application of the KD tree search to organize the database reduced the average searching process by 85% time cost of the exhaustive method, allowing the method to be feasible for real-time implementation. The algorithm is straightforward and the results will reduce the overall time of warning delivery for EEW.

Development and Implementation of a Smartphone Application to Promote Physical Activity and Reduce Screen-Time in Adolescent Boys

OpenAIRE

Lubans, David R.; Smith, Jordan J.; Skinner, Geoff; Morgan, Philip J.

2014-01-01

Purpose: The primary aim is to describe the development and implementation of a smartphone application (app) designed to promote physical activity and reduce screen-time in adolescent boys ‘at risk’ of obesity from low-income communities.Methods: An app was developed to support the delivery of a face-to-face school-based obesity prevention program known as the ‘Active Teen Leaders Avoiding Screen-time’ (ATLAS) program. ATLAS was guided by self-determination theory and social cognitive theory ...

ANIMAL MANURE – REDUCED QUALITY BY ANAEROBIC DIGESTION?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Løes, Anne-Kristin; Johansen, Anders; Pommeresche, Reidun

2014-01-01

Anaerobic digestion may reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, but we know little about its impact on soil fertility. Reduced concentrations of easily degradable C in the manure may imply less food for the soil fauna and microflora. A field experiment to study its effect on crop yields and soil...... caused the death of both surface-dwelling and soil-living earthworms shortly after application, but the long-term effect of manure application seemed more positive, especially at low application levels. So far, we have observed only small differences in the effects of digested and undigested manure...

Application of Glomus sp. and Pseudomonas diminuta Reduce the Use of Chemical Fertilizers in Production of Potato Grown on Different Soil Types

Science.gov (United States)

Nurbaity, A.; Sofyan, E. T.; Hamdani, J. S.

2016-08-01

The use of high chemical fertilizer rates in potato production has been applied on the farm in Indonesia. Application of biofertilizer consists of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi has been tested to reduce the use of NPK rates in production of potato and to determine whether different soil types will have different response to this biofertilizer. A greenhouse experiment was conducted using mixtures of spores of Glomus sp. and inoculant of mycorrhizal helper bacteria Pseudomonas diminuta, applied at different rates of NPK fertilizer (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% of recommended rates) and different soil types (Andisols and Inceptisols). Results of experiment showed that application of Glomus sp. and P. diminuta reduced the use of NPK up to 50%, where the growth (plant height and tuber number), N,P,K uptake and tuber yields of potato had similar effect to the highest recommendation rate of NPK fertilizer. Inceptisols in general had better response to the biofertiliser compared to Andisols. Findings from this experiment confirmed the evidences that biofertilizer could reduce the use of chemical fertilizer, and the widely distributed soil in Indonesia such as Inceptisols, is potential to be used as a medium for potato production.

Development of next generation tempered and ODS reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels for fusion energy applications

Science.gov (United States)

Zinkle, S. J.; Boutard, J. L.; Hoelzer, D. T.; Kimura, A.; Lindau, R.; Odette, G. R.; Rieth, M.; Tan, L.; Tanigawa, H.

2017-09-01

Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels are currently the most technologically mature option for the structural material of proposed fusion energy reactors. Advanced next-generation higher performance steels offer the opportunity for improvements in fusion reactor operational lifetime and reliability, superior neutron radiation damage resistance, higher thermodynamic efficiency, and reduced construction costs. The two main strategies for developing improved steels for fusion energy applications are based on (1) an evolutionary pathway using computational thermodynamics modelling and modified thermomechanical treatments (TMT) to produce higher performance reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels and (2) a higher risk, potentially higher payoff approach based on powder metallurgy techniques to produce very high strength oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels capable of operation to very high temperatures and with potentially very high resistance to fusion neutron-induced property degradation. The current development status of these next-generation high performance steels is summarized, and research and development challenges for the successful development of these materials are outlined. Material properties including temperature-dependent uniaxial yield strengths, tensile elongations, high-temperature thermal creep, Charpy impact ductile to brittle transient temperature (DBTT) and fracture toughness behaviour, and neutron irradiation-induced low-temperature hardening and embrittlement and intermediate-temperature volumetric void swelling (including effects associated with fusion-relevant helium and hydrogen generation) are described for research heats of the new steels.

Fe3O4/Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite: Synthesis and Its Application for Toxic Metal Ion Removal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nguyen Thi Vuong Hoan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The synthesis of reduced graphene oxide modified by magnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4/rGO and its application for heavy metals removal were demonstrated. The obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD, nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR, and magnetic measurement. The results showed that the obtained graphene oxide (GO contains a small part of initial graphite as well as reduced oxide graphene. GO exhibits very high surface area in comparison with initial graphite. The morphology of Fe3O4/rGO consists of very fine spherical iron nanooxide particles in nanoscale. The formal kinetics and adsorption isotherms of As(V, Ni(II, and Pb(II over obtained Fe3O4/rGO have been investigated. Fe3O4/rGO exhibits excellent heavy metal ions adsorption indicating that it is a potential adsorbent for water sources contaminated by heavy metals.

Can local application of Tranexamic acid reduce post-coronary bypass surgery blood loss? A randomized controlled trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Latter David

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Diffuse microvascular bleeding remains a common problem after cardiac procedures. Systemic use of antifibrinolytic reduces the postoperative blood loss. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of local application of tranexamic acid to reduce blood loss after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG. Methods Thirty eight patients scheduled for primary isolated coronary artery bypass grafting were included in this double blind, prospective, randomized, placebo controlled study. Tranexamic acid (TA group (19 patients received 1 gram of TA diluted in 100 ml normal saline. Placebo group (19 patients received 100 ml of normal saline only. The solution was purred in the pericardial and mediastinal cavities. Results Both groups were comparable in their baseline demographic and surgical characteristics. During the first 24 hours post-operatively, cumulative blood loss was significantly less in TA group (median of 626 ml compared to Placebo group (median of 1040 ml (P = 0.04. There was no significant difference in the post-op Packed RBCs transfusion between both groups (median of one unit in each (P = 0.82. Significant less platelets transfusion required in TA group (median zero unit than in placebo group (median 2 units (P = 0.03. Apart from re-exploration for excessive surgical bleeding in one patient in TA group, no difference was found in morbidity or mortality between both groups. Conclusion Topical application of tranexamic acid in patients undergoing primary coronary artery bypass grafting led to a significant reduction in postoperative blood loss without adding extra risk to the patient.

Implementing Parallel Google Map-Reduce in Eden

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berthold, Jost; Dieterle, Mischa; Loogen, Rita

2009-01-01

Recent publications have emphasised map-reduce as a general programming model (labelled Google map-reduce), and described existing high-performance implementations for large data sets. We present two parallel implementations for this Google map-reduce skeleton, one following earlier work, and one...... of the Google map-reduce skeleton in usage and performance, and deliver runtime analyses for example applications. Although very flexible, the Google map-reduce skeleton is often too general, and typical examples reveal a better runtime behaviour using alternative skeletons....

Reduced turning frequency and delayed poultry manure addition reduces N loss from sugarcane compost.

Science.gov (United States)

Bryndum, S; Muschler, R; Nigussie, A; Magid, J; de Neergaard, A

2017-07-01

Composting is an effective method to recycle biodegradable waste as soil amendment in smallholder farming systems. Although all essential plant nutrients are found in compost, a substantial amount of nitrogen is lost during composting. This study therefore investigated the potential of reducing N losses by (i) delaying the addition of nitrogen-rich substrates (i.e. poultry manure), and (ii) reducing the turning frequency during composting. Furthermore, we tested the effect of compost application method on nitrogen mineralization. Sugarcane-waste was composted for 54days with addition of poultry manure at the beginning (i.e. early addition) or after 21days of composting (delayed addition). The compost pile was then turned either every three or nine days. Composts were subsequently applied to soil as (i) homogeneously mixed, or (ii) stratified, and incubated for 28days to test the effect of compost application on nitrogen mineralization. The results showed that delayed addition of poultry manure reduced total nitrogen loss by 33% and increased mineral nitrogen content by >200% compared with early addition. Similarly, less frequent turning reduced total N loss by 12% compared with frequent turning. Stratified placement of compost did not enhance N mineralization compared to a homogeneous mixing. Our results suggested that simple modifications of the composting process (i.e. delayed addition and/or turning frequency) could significantly reduce N losses and improve the plant-nutritional value of compost. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi with Pseudomonas aeruginosa UPMP3 reduces the development of Ganoderma basal stem rot disease in oil palm seedlings.

Science.gov (United States)

Sundram, Shamala; Meon, Sariah; Seman, Idris Abu; Othman, Radziah

2015-07-01

The effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in combination with endophytic bacteria (EB) in reducing development of basal stem rot (BSR) disease in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) was investigated. BSR caused by Ganoderma boninense leads to devastating economic loss and the oil palm industry is struggling to control the disease. The application of two AMF with two EB as biocontrol agents was assessed in the nursery and subsequently, repeated in the field using bait seedlings. Seedlings pre-inoculated with a combination of Glomus intraradices UT126, Glomus clarum BR152B and Pseudomonas aeruginosa UPMP3 significantly reduced disease development measured as the area under disease progression curve (AUDPC) and the epidemic rate (R L) of disease in the nursery. A 20-month field trial using similar treatments evaluated disease development in bait seedlings based on the rotting area/advancement assessed in cross-sections of the seedling base. Data show that application of Glomus intraradices UT126 singly reduced disease development of BSR, but that combination of the two AMF with P. aeruginosa UPMP3 significantly improved biocontrol efficacy in both nursery and fields reducing BSR disease to 57 and 80%, respectively. The successful use of bait seedlings in the natural environment to study BSR development represents a promising alternative to nursery trial testing in the field with shorter temporal assessment.

An overview of the Hadoop/MapReduce/HBase framework and its current applications in bioinformatics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, Ronald C.

2010-01-01

Bioinformatics researchers are increasingly confronted with analysis of ultra large-scale data sets, a problem that will only increase at an alarming rate in coming years. Recent developments in open source software, that is, the Hadoop project and associated software, provide a foundation for scaling to petabyte scale data warehouses on Linux clusters, providing fault-tolerant parallelized analysis on such data using a programming style named MapReduce. An overview is given of the current usage within the bioinformatics community of Hadoop, a top-level Apache Software Foundation project, and of associated open source software projects. The concepts behind Hadoop and the associated HBase project are defined, and current bioinformatics software that employ Hadoop is described. The focus is on next-generation sequencing, as the leading application area to date.

Application of lens capsules tension reducing capsulorhexis and conventional capsulorhexis in the white cataract phacoemulsification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rong-Feng Liu

2017-09-01

group. Conclusions: The method of reducing capsulorhexis can make white cataract patients get better vision after operation, and reduce the degree of corneal edema, with higher clinical application value.

Pipeline Drag Reducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marawan, H.

2004-01-01

Pipeline drag reducers have proven to be an extremely powerful tool in fluid transportation. High molecular weight polymers are used to reduce the frictional pressure loss ratio in crude oil pipelines, refined fuel and aqueous pipelines. Chemical structure of the main used pipeline drag reducers is one of the following polymers and copolymers classified according to the type of fluid to ; low density polyethylene, copolymer of I-hexane cross linked with divinyl benzene, polyacrylamide, polyalkylene oxide polymers and their copolymers, fluorocarbons, polyalkyl methacrylates and terpolymer of styrene, alkyl acrylate and acrylic acid. Drag reduction is the increase in pump ability of a fluid caused by the addition of small amounts of an additive to the fluid. The effectiveness of a drag reducer is normally expressed in terms of percent drag reduction. Frictional pressure loss in a pipeline system is a waste of energy and it costly. The drag reducing additive minimizes the flow turbulence, increases throughput and reduces the energy costs. The Flow can be increased by more than 80 % with existing assets. The effectiveness of the injected drag reducer in Mostorod to Tanta crude oil pipeline achieved 35.4 % drag reduction and 23.2 % flow increase of the actual performance The experimental application of DRA on Arab Petroleum Pipeline Company (Summed) achieved a flow increase ranging from 9-32 %

pH sensing characteristics and biosensing application of solution-gated reduced graphene oxide field-effect transistors.

Science.gov (United States)

Sohn, Il-Yung; Kim, Duck-Jin; Jung, Jin-Heak; Yoon, Ok Ja; Thanh, Tien Nguyen; Quang, Trung Tran; Lee, Nae-Eung

2013-07-15

Solution-gated reduced graphene oxide field-effect transistors (R-GO FETs) were investigated for pH sensing and biochemical sensing applications. A channel of a networked R-GO film formed by self-assembly was incorporated as a sensing layer into a solution-gated FET structure for pH sensing and the detection of acetylcholine (Ach), which is a neurotransmitter in the nerve system, through enzymatic reactions. The fabricated R-GO FET was sensitive to protons (H(+)) with a pH sensitivity of 29 mV/pH in terms of the shift of the charge neutrality point (CNP), which is attributed to changes in the surface potential caused by the interaction of protons with OH surface functional groups present on the R-GO surface. The R-GO FET immobilized with acetylcholinesterase (AchE) was used to detect Ach in the concentration range of 0.1-10mM by sensing protons generated during the enzymatic reactions. The results indicate that R-GO FETs provide the capability to detect protons, demonstrating their applicability as a biosensing device for enzymatic reactions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparing Web Applications with Desktop Applications: An Empirical Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pop, Paul

2002-01-01

In recent years, many desktop applications have been ported to the world wide web in order to reduce (multiplatform) development, distribution and maintenance costs. However, there is little data concerning the usability of web applications, and the impact of their usability on the total cost...... of developing and using such applications. In this paper we present a comparison of web and desktop applications from the usability point of view. The comparison is based on an empirical study that investigates the performance of a group of users on two calendaring applications: Yahoo!Calendar and Microsoft...... Calendar. The study shows that in the case of web applications the performance of the users is significantly reduced, mainly because of the restricted interaction mechanisms provided by current web browsers....

Polyethyleneglycol/silver functionalized reduced graphene oxide aerogel for environmental application

Science.gov (United States)

Kumari, G. Vanitha; Asha, S.; Ananth, A. Nimrodh; Rajan, M. A. Jothi; Mathavan, T.

2018-04-01

Polyethylene glycol (PEG)/Silver (Ag) functionalized reduced graphene oxide aerogel (RGOA) was synthesized. PEG/Ag decorated reduced graphene oxide aerogel was characterized using XRD, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The surface morphology of PEG/Ag/RGOA was analyzed using scanning electron microscope. The non-covalent interaction between reduced graphene oxide layers and the interaction between PEG and Ag on RGOA were studied by FT-IR spectra. It was observed that the interaction between Ag and PEG could enhance the properties of RGOA. Methyl Orange (MO) dye degradation was observed from UV-Vis Spectra. The process was studied by monitoring the simultaneous decrease in the height of UV-Vis absorption peak of dye solution. The results show that PEG/RGOA and PEG/Ag/RGOA are an efficient catalyst for dye degradation.

Reduced-Dimensionality Semiclassical Transition State Theory: Application to Hydrogen Atom Abstraction and Exchange Reactions of Hydrocarbons.

Science.gov (United States)

Greene, Samuel M; Shan, Xiao; Clary, David C

2015-12-17

Quantum mechanical methods for calculating rate constants are often intractable for reactions involving many atoms. Semiclassical transition state theory (SCTST) offers computational advantages over these methods but nonetheless scales exponentially with the number of degrees of freedom (DOFs) of the system. Here we present a method with more favorable scaling, reduced-dimensionality SCTST (RD SCTST), that treats only a subset of DOFs of the system explicitly. We apply it to three H abstraction and exchange reactions for which two-dimensional potential energy surfaces (PESs) have previously been constructed and evaluated using RD quantum scattering calculations. We differentiated these PESs to calculate harmonic frequencies and anharmonic constants, which were then used to calculate cumulative reaction probabilities and rate constants by RD SCTST. This method yielded rate constants in good agreement with quantum scattering results. Notably, it performed well for a heavy-light-heavy reaction, even though it does not explicitly account for corner-cutting effects. Recent extensions to SCTST that improve its treatment of deep tunneling were also evaluated within the reduced-dimensionality framework. The success of RD SCTST in this study suggests its potential applicability to larger systems.

Applications of the MapReduce programming framework to clinical big data analysis: current landscape and future trends.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammed, Emad A; Far, Behrouz H; Naugler, Christopher

2014-01-01

The emergence of massive datasets in a clinical setting presents both challenges and opportunities in data storage and analysis. This so called "big data" challenges traditional analytic tools and will increasingly require novel solutions adapted from other fields. Advances in information and communication technology present the most viable solutions to big data analysis in terms of efficiency and scalability. It is vital those big data solutions are multithreaded and that data access approaches be precisely tailored to large volumes of semi-structured/unstructured data. THE MAPREDUCE PROGRAMMING FRAMEWORK USES TWO TASKS COMMON IN FUNCTIONAL PROGRAMMING: Map and Reduce. MapReduce is a new parallel processing framework and Hadoop is its open-source implementation on a single computing node or on clusters. Compared with existing parallel processing paradigms (e.g. grid computing and graphical processing unit (GPU)), MapReduce and Hadoop have two advantages: 1) fault-tolerant storage resulting in reliable data processing by replicating the computing tasks, and cloning the data chunks on different computing nodes across the computing cluster; 2) high-throughput data processing via a batch processing framework and the Hadoop distributed file system (HDFS). Data are stored in the HDFS and made available to the slave nodes for computation. In this paper, we review the existing applications of the MapReduce programming framework and its implementation platform Hadoop in clinical big data and related medical health informatics fields. The usage of MapReduce and Hadoop on a distributed system represents a significant advance in clinical big data processing and utilization, and opens up new opportunities in the emerging era of big data analytics. The objective of this paper is to summarize the state-of-the-art efforts in clinical big data analytics and highlight what might be needed to enhance the outcomes of clinical big data analytics tools. This paper is concluded by

Reducing the Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 for its application to an industrial wastewater treatment plant treating winery effluent wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Diéguez, Carlos; Bernard, Olivier; Roca, Enrique

2013-03-01

The Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) is a complex model which is widely accepted as a common platform for anaerobic process modeling and simulation. However, it has a large number of parameters and states that hinder its calibration and use in control applications. A principal component analysis (PCA) technique was extended and applied to simplify the ADM1 using data of an industrial wastewater treatment plant processing winery effluent. The method shows that the main model features could be obtained with a minimum of two reactions. A reduced stoichiometric matrix was identified and the kinetic parameters were estimated on the basis of representative known biochemical kinetics (Monod and Haldane). The obtained reduced model takes into account the measured states in the anaerobic wastewater treatment (AWT) plant and reproduces the dynamics of the process fairly accurately. The reduced model can support on-line control, optimization and supervision strategies for AWT plants. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A reduced-order, single-bubble cavitation model with applications to therapeutic ultrasound.

Science.gov (United States)

Kreider, Wayne; Crum, Lawrence A; Bailey, Michael R; Sapozhnikov, Oleg A

2011-11-01

Cavitation often occurs in therapeutic applications of medical ultrasound such as shock-wave lithotripsy (SWL) and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). Because cavitation bubbles can affect an intended treatment, it is important to understand the dynamics of bubbles in this context. The relevant context includes very high acoustic pressures and frequencies as well as elevated temperatures. Relative to much of the prior research on cavitation and bubble dynamics, such conditions are unique. To address the relevant physics, a reduced-order model of a single, spherical bubble is proposed that incorporates phase change at the liquid-gas interface as well as heat and mass transport in both phases. Based on the energy lost during the inertial collapse and rebound of a millimeter-sized bubble, experimental observations were used to tune and test model predictions. In addition, benchmarks from the published literature were used to assess various aspects of model performance. Benchmark comparisons demonstrate that the model captures the basic physics of phase change and diffusive transport, while it is quantitatively sensitive to specific model assumptions and implementation details. Given its performance and numerical stability, the model can be used to explore bubble behaviors across a broad parameter space relevant to therapeutic ultrasound.

How uncertainty analysis of streamflow data can reduce costs and promote robust decisions in water management applications

Science.gov (United States)

McMillan, Hilary; Seibert, Jan; Petersen-Overleir, Asgeir; Lang, Michel; White, Paul; Snelder, Ton; Rutherford, Kit; Krueger, Tobias; Mason, Robert; Kiang, Julie

2017-07-01

Streamflow data are used for important environmental and economic decisions, such as specifying and regulating minimum flows, managing water supplies, and planning for flood hazards. Despite significant uncertainty in most flow data, the flow series for these applications are often communicated and used without uncertainty information. In this commentary, we argue that proper analysis of uncertainty in river flow data can reduce costs and promote robust conclusions in water management applications. We substantiate our argument by providing case studies from Norway and New Zealand where streamflow uncertainty analysis has uncovered economic costs in the hydropower industry, improved public acceptance of a controversial water management policy, and tested the accuracy of water quality trends. We discuss the need for practical uncertainty assessment tools that generate multiple flow series realizations rather than simple error bounds. Although examples of such tools are in development, considerable barriers for uncertainty analysis and communication still exist for practitioners, and future research must aim to provide easier access and usability of uncertainty estimates. We conclude that flow uncertainty analysis is critical for good water management decisions.

Reduced size dual band pass filters for RFID applications with excellent bandpass/bandstop characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Abdalla, M. A.; Choudhary, D. Kumar; Chaudhary, R. Kumar

2018-02-01

This paper presents the design of two reduced size dual-band metamaterial bandpass filters and its simulation followed by measurements of proposed filters. These filters are supporting different frequency bands and primarily could be utilize in radio frequency identification (RFID) application. The filter includes three cells in which two are symmetrical and both inductively coupled with the third cell which is present in between them. In the proposed designs, three different metamaterial composite right/left handed (CRLH) cell resonators have been analysed for compactness. The CRLH cell consists of an interdigital capacitor, a stub/meander line/spiral inductor and a via to connect the top of the structure and ground plane. Finally, the proposed dual band bandpass filters (using meander line and spiral inductor) are showing size reduction by 65% and 50% (with 25% operating frequency reduction), respectively, in comparison with reference filter using stub inductor. More than 30 dB attenuation has been achieved between the two passbands.

Application of bacteriophages to reduce biofilms formed by hydrogen sulfide producing bacteria on surfaces in a rendering plant.

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Chao; Jiang, Xiuping

2015-08-01

Hydrogen sulfide producing bacteria (SPB) in raw animal by-products are likely to grow and form biofilms in the rendering processing environments, resulting in the release of harmful hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas. The objective of this study was to reduce SPB biofilms formed on different surfaces typically found in rendering plants by applying a bacteriophage cocktail. Using a 96-well microplate method, we determined that 3 SPB strains of Citrobacter freundii and Hafnia alvei are strong biofilm formers. Application of 9 bacteriophages (10(7) PFU/mL) from families of Siphoviridae and Myoviridae resulted in a 33%-70% reduction of biofilm formation by each SPB strain. On stainless steel and plastic templates, phage treatment (10(8) PFU/mL) reduced the attached cells of a mixed SPB culture (no biofilm) by 2.3 and 2.7 log CFU/cm(2) within 6 h at 30 °C, respectively, as compared with 2 and 1.5 log CFU/cm(2) reductions of SPB biofilms within 6 h at 30 °C. Phage treatment was also applied to indigenous SPB biofilms formed on the environmental surface, stainless steel, high-density polyethylene plastic, and rubber templates in a rendering plant. With phage treatment (10(9) PFU/mL), SPB biofilms were reduced by 0.7-1.4, 0.3-0.6, and 0.2-0.6 log CFU/cm(2) in spring, summer, and fall trials, respectively. Our study demonstrated that bacteriophages could effectively reduce the selected SPB strains either attached to or in formed biofilms on various surfaces and could to some extent reduce the indigenous SPB biofilms on the surfaces in the rendering environment.

Platinum-decorated reduced graphene oxide/polyaniline:poly(4-styrenesulfonate) hybrid paste for flexible dipole tag-antenna applications

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jun Seop; Kim, Minkyu; Lee, Choonghyeon; Cho, Sunghun; Oh, Jungkyun; Jang, Jyongsik

2015-02-01

With recent developments in technology, tremendous effort has been devoted to producing materials for flexible device systems. As a promising approach, solution-processed conducting polymers (CPs) have been extensively studied owing to their facile synthesis, high electrical conductivity, and various morphologies with diverse substrates. Here, we report the demonstration of platinum decorated reduced graphene oxide intercalated polyanililne:poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (Pt_rGO/PANI:PSS) hybrid paste for flexible electric devices. First, platinum decorated reduced graphene oxide (Pt_rGO) was fabricated through the chemical reduction of platinum cations and subsequent heat reduction of GO sheets. Then, the Pt_rGO was mixed with PANI:PSS solution dispersed in diethylene glycol (DEG) using sonication to form a hybrid PANI-based paste (Pt_rGO/PANI:PSS). The Pt_rGO/PANI:PSS was printed as a micropattern and exhibited high electrical conductivity (245.3 S cm-1) with flexible stability. Moreover, it was used in a dipole tag antenna application, where it displayed 0.15 GHz bandwidth and high transmitted power efficiency (99.6%).With recent developments in technology, tremendous effort has been devoted to producing materials for flexible device systems. As a promising approach, solution-processed conducting polymers (CPs) have been extensively studied owing to their facile synthesis, high electrical conductivity, and various morphologies with diverse substrates. Here, we report the demonstration of platinum decorated reduced graphene oxide intercalated polyanililne:poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (Pt_rGO/PANI:PSS) hybrid paste for flexible electric devices. First, platinum decorated reduced graphene oxide (Pt_rGO) was fabricated through the chemical reduction of platinum cations and subsequent heat reduction of GO sheets. Then, the Pt_rGO was mixed with PANI:PSS solution dispersed in diethylene glycol (DEG) using sonication to form a hybrid PANI-based paste (Pt_rGO/PANI:PSS). The Pt

Combining in situ chemical oxidation, stabilization, and anaerobic bioremediation in a single application to reduce contaminant mass and leachability in soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Cassidy, Daniel P; Srivastava, Vipul J; Dombrowski, Frank J; Lingle, James W

2015-10-30

Laboratory batch reactors were maintained for 32 weeks to test the potential for an in situ remedy that combines chemical oxidation, stabilization, and anaerobic bioremediation in a single application to treat soil from a manufactured gas plant, contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX). Portland cement and slaked lime were used to activate the persulfate and to stabilize/encapsulate the contaminants that were not chemically oxidized. Native sulfate-reducing bacteria degraded residual contaminants using the sulfate left after persulfate activation. The ability of the combined remedy to reduce contaminant mass and leachability was compared with NaOH-activated persulfate, stabilization, and sulfate-reducing bioremediation as stand-alone technologies. The stabilization amendments increased pH and temperature sufficiently to activate the persulfate within 1 week. Activation with both stabilization amendments and NaOH removed between 55% and 70% of PAH and BTEX. However, combined persulfate and stabilization significantly reduced the leachability of residual BTEX and PAH compared with NaOH activation. Sulfide, 2-naphthoic acid, and the abundance of subunit A of the dissimilatory sulfite reductase gene (dsrA) were used to monitor native sulfate-reducing bacteria, which were negatively impacted by activated persulfate, but recovered completely within weeks. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Topical application of ST266 reduces UV-induced skin damage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guan L

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Linna Guan,1 Amanda Suggs,1 Emily Galan,1 Minh Lam,1 Elma D Baron1,2 1Department of Dermatology, Case Western Reserve University, 2Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA Abstract: Ultraviolet radiation (UVR has a significant impact on human skin and is the major environmental factor for skin cancer formation. It is also believed that 80% of the signs of skin aging are attributed to UVR. UVR induces inflammatory changes in the skin via the increase in oxidative stress, DNA damage vascular permeability, and fluctuation in a myriad of cytokines. Acutely, UVR causes skin inflammation and DNA damage, which manifest as sunburn (erythema. ST266 is the secretome of proprietary amnion-derived cells that have been shown to reduce inflammation and accelerate healing of various wounds by promoting migration of keratinocytes and fibroblasts in preclinical animal studies. We hypothesized that ST266 has anti-inflammatory effects that can be used to reduce ultraviolet (UV erythema and markers of inflammation. In this study, we examined the in vivo effects of ST266 on post UV-irradiated skin by measuring erythema, level of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD, and expression level of xeroderma pigmentosum, complementation group A (XPA. We demonstrated that ST266 has the potential to reduce the acute effects of UV-induced skin damage when applied immediately after the initial exposure. In addition, ST266 is shown to reduce erythema, increase XPA DNA repair protein, and decrease damaged DNA. Keywords: ST266, photoaging, erythema, CPD, XPA, UV-induced DNA damage

Innovative approaches to reduce animal testing : replace whenever possible, reduce through refinement and mechanistic understanding

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ravenzwaay, van B.

2013-01-01

'Many of the in vitro toxicological studies have not been sufficiently validated to determine their applicability domain, even less have gained regulatory acceptance. Major advantage of in vitro testing today is the early identification of significant hazards in compound development and reduced and

Phytophagy of the predator Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas, 1851 (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae fed on prey and Brassicaceae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. F. J. Grigolli

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the development and reproduction of the zoophytophagous predator Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae fed kale, broccoli and cabbage affects its. Nymphs and adults of this predator were fed on larvae of Plutella xylostella (L. (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae as prey with kale, cabbage, or broccoli. In the nymph period, the duration and prey consumption were similar with all the Brassicacea cultivar. However, nymph viability was higher for predators with broccoli leaves. The mean weight of 5th-instar nymphs, newly emerged females and the sex ratio were similar among the Brassicacea cultivars, while newly emerged males were heavier with kale and broccoli leaves. The supply of broccoli leaves resulted in greater oviposition, higher number of eggs per egg mass and longer longevity of P. nigrispinus males and females. Furthermore, the consumption of P. xylostella larvae by adult predators was higher with these cultivars. The net reproductive rate (R0 and mean generation time (T were highest for predators with prey and broccoli leaves. The reproductive parameters of P. nigrispinus were enhanced when fed on P. xylostella larvae with and broccoli leaves, which can be an alternative diet in laboratory rearing of this predator.

Reducing IT costs and ensuring safe operation with application of the portfolio management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Livia Alice Mozsar Kovacsne

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Large companies need to give focus on their cost components related to their information technology. Business growths is supported by their IT and hundreds or thousands of applications worldwide. Top level management needs to focus more on their information strategy and the applications they need to manage. A structured and transparent application landscape supports not only the current business but it also enables faster business growth for the future as well. Structuring and organizing the applications related to the various risks supports secure business and information operations within a company. Capturing the applications gives the companies an overview of their information costs and provides the possibility of measurement and control of their IT costs elements. Application portfolio management and information security management are important elements of the corporate strategies.

The Use Of Alternative Methods In Reducing Menopausal ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Millions of women experience menopause every year, therefore the aim of this study is to determine the rates of application of alternative methods applied by women in order to reduce their complaints caused by menopause and alternative application methods. Materials and Methods: This study was carried ...

OpenDBDDAS Toolkit: Secure MapReduce and Hadoop-like Systems

KAUST Repository

Fabiano, Enrico

2015-06-01

The OpenDBDDAS Toolkit is a software framework to provide support for more easily creating and expanding dynamic big data-driven application systems (DBDDAS) that are common in environmental systems, many engineering applications, disaster management, traffic management, and manufacturing. In this paper, we describe key features needed to implement a secure MapReduce and Hadoop-like system for high performance clusters that guarantees a certain level of privacy of data from other concurrent users of the system. We also provide examples of a secure MapReduce prototype and compare it to another high performance MapReduce, MR-MPI.

In situ synthesis and catalytic application of reduced graphene oxide supported cobalt nanowires

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Zhiqiang; Long, Qin; Deng, Yi; Liao, Li

2018-05-01

Controlled synthesis of magnetic nanocomposite with outstanding catalytic performances is a promising strategy in catalyst industry. We proposed a novel concept for fabrication of reduced graphene oxide-supported cobalt nanowires (RGO/Co-NWs) nanocomposite as high-efficient magnetic catalyst. Unlike the majority of experiments necessitating harsh synthesis conditions such as high-pressure, high-temperature and expensive template, here the RGO/Co-NWs were successfully prepared in aqueous solution under mild conditions with the assistance of external magnetic field. The synthetic process was facile and external magnetic force was adopted to induce the unidirectional self-assembly of cobalt crystals on graphene oxide to form RGO/Co-NWs. The possible formation mechanism laid on the fact that the dipole magnetic moments of the nanoparticles were aligned along the magnetic induction lines with the external magnetic field direction resulting in the formation of nanowires elongating in the direction of the magnetization axis. Simultaneously, a series of controlled reactions were conducted to illuminate the effect of graphene oxide, external magnetic field and PVP on the morphology and size of RGO/Co-NWs in the present approach. More importantly, the nanocomposite exhibited a high catalytic performance towards ammonia borane. Hence the novel nanocomposite holds a great potential for technological applications such as catalyst industry.

Foliar application of two silica sols reduced cadmium accumulation in rice grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Chuanping; Li Fangbai; Luo Chunling; Liu Xinming; Wang Shihua; Liu Tongxu; Li Xiangdong

2009-01-01

In the present study, pot experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of foliar application of two silica (Si) sols on the alleviation of cadmium (Cd) toxicity in contaminated soil to rice. Results showed that the foliar application of Si sols significantly increased the dry weight of grains (without husk) and shoots in rice grown in Cd contaminated soil, whereas the Cd concentration in the grains and shoots decreased obviously. The total accumulation of Cd in rice grains also decreased with the application of both of the Si sols, but no significant effect was found on the Cd accumulation in the shoots. For the optimal effect, Si-sol-B should be foliar applied at the tillering-stage during rice growth. The mechanism of Si foliar application to alleviate the toxicity and accumulation of Cd in grains of rice may be related to the probable Cd sequestration in the shoot cell walls

Sequential application of non-pharmacological interventions reduces the severity of labour pain, delays use of pharmacological analgesia, and improves some obstetric outcomes: a randomised trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rubneide Barreto Silva Gallo

2018-01-01

Trial registration: NCT01389128. [Gallo RBS, Santana LS, Marcolin AC, Duarte G, Quintana SM (2018 Sequential application of non-pharmacological interventions reduces the severity of labour pain, delays use of pharmacological analgesia, and improves some obstetric outcomes: a randomised trial. Journal of Physiotherapy 64: 33–40

Application of heat in postcook meat chillers reduces Listeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Eglezos, Sofroni; Dykes, Gary A

2011-06-01

Electrical air-blowing heaters were used to heat and dry out holding chillers used for postcook commercial processed meats in an attempt to control the presence of Listeria. A baseline study of the prevalence of Listeria in holding chillers in seven facilities was undertaken. Listeria was detected in four of the seven chillers, and swab samples showed Listeria prevalence ranging from 7 (7.8%) of 90 to 6 (20%) of 30, depending on the facility. Two of the facilities with established Listeria contamination (A and E) were chosen for further studies. The heating trials consisted of three individual heating interventions at each of the two facilities, with 2 weeks of postintervention sampling after each treatment. The initial Listeria prevalence in chiller A was 19 (10.6%) of 180, and treatment at 37°C for 36 h reduced prevalence to 3 (1.7%) of 180. The initial Listeria prevalence in chiller E was 7 (7.8%) of 90, and treatment at 50°C for 2 h reduced prevalence to 0 of 90. Both reductions were statistically significant at P prevalence of Listeria in chillers.

Reducing Uncertainties in Hydrocarbon Prediction through Application of Elastic Domain

Science.gov (United States)

Shamsuddin, S. Z.; Hermana, M.; Ghosh, D. P.; Salim, A. M. A.

2017-10-01

The application of lithology and fluid indicators has helped the geophysicists to discriminate reservoirs to non-reservoirs from a field. This analysis is conducted to select the most suitable lithology and fluid indicator for the Malaysian basins that could lead to better eliminate pitfalls of amplitude. This paper uses different rock physics analysis such as elastic impedance, Lambda-Mu-Rho, and SQp-SQs attribute. Litho-elastic impedance log is generated by correlating the gamma ray log with extended elastic impedance log. The same application is used for fluid-elastic impedance by correlation of EEI log with water saturation or resistivity. The work is done on several well logging data collected from different fields in Malay basin and its neighbouring basin. There's an excellent separation between hydrocarbon sand and background shale for Well-1 from different cross-plot analysis. Meanwhile, the Well-2 shows good separation in LMR plot. The similar method is done on the Well-3 shows fair separation of silty sand and gas sand using SQp-SQs attribute which can be correlated with well log. Based on the point distribution histogram plot, different lithology and fluid can be separated clearly. Simultaneous seismic inversion results in acoustic impedance, Vp/Vs, SQp, and SQs volumes. There are many attributes available in the industry used to separate the lithology and fluid, however some of the methods are not suitable for the application to the basins in Malaysia.

New electric technologies to reduce global warming impacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Courtright, H.A.

1994-01-01

Advanced electric technologies hold significant potential to reduce global warming impact through reduction of primary fuel needed to power end-use applications. These reductions can occur in two forms: (1) reduced kilowatt-hour usage and power plant emissions through efficiency improvements and technological enhancements of existing electrically-driven applications; (2) the development of new electric technologies to replace traditional fossil-fuel driven applications which can result in less overall primary energy consumption and lower overall emissions. Numerous new electric technologies are presently being developed by the Electric Power Research Institute. The technologies reviewed in this paper include: Microwave Fabric Dryer, Advanced Heat Pumps, Heat Pump Water Heater, Infrared Sand Reclaimer, Freeze Concentration, Membrane Water Recovery, Microwave Petrochemical Production, Infrared Drying, and Electric Vehicles. Full commercialization of these technologies can result in significant energy savings and CO 2 reductions, in addition to improving the competitiveness of businesses using these technologies

The European Procedure on Reduced Value Claims

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandrina Zaharia

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Maintaining and developing the area of freedom, security and justice is a major objective of theEuropean Community, which guarantees the free movement of persons. As a result of litigations regardingthe applications with a reduced value arising among physical or legal persons, it was felt the need for acommunity legislation that would guarantee identical conditions, both for creditors and debtors throughoutthe entire European Union territory. The European procedure regarding the debts recovery of reducedvalue facilitates the access to justice and it is characterized by simplifying and expediting the settling of thetransboundary litigations, reducing costs, the recognition and execution of the court order in a MemberState given in another Member State. This procedure is available to litigants as an alternative to theprocedures provided by the laws of Member States. The Regulation (EC no. 861/2007 establishing aEuropean procedure regarding the applications with reduced value applies in civil and commercial matters inthe transboundary cases, regardless the nature of the court when the application value, without taking intoaccount the interest, expenditures and other costs, does not exceed 2000 Euro at the time of receiving theapplication form by the competent court. This procedure does not apply to revenue, customs oradministrative matters or in regard to state responsibility for acts or omissions in exercising the publicauthority, and other matters specifically referred to in the Regulation. A cause is transboundary in naturewhen one of the parties has its habitual residence in a Member State, other than the one where the courtreceives such application. The proper procedure of application resolution for the recovery of debts withreduced value is governed by the rules of procedural law of the Member State in which the proceedings areconducted, and the execution of court of law is made by state legislation in which it takes place. The

AN OVERVIEW OF REDUCED ORDER MODELING TECHNIQUES FOR SAFETY APPLICATIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mandelli, D.; Alfonsi, A.; Talbot, P.; Wang, C.; Maljovec, D.; Smith, C.; Rabiti, C.; Cogliati, J.

2016-10-01

The RISMC project is developing new advanced simulation-based tools to perform Computational Risk Analysis (CRA) for the existing fleet of U.S. nuclear power plants (NPPs). These tools numerically model not only the thermal-hydraulic behavior of the reactors primary and secondary systems, but also external event temporal evolution and component/system ageing. Thus, this is not only a multi-physics problem being addressed, but also a multi-scale problem (both spatial, µm-mm-m, and temporal, seconds-hours-years). As part of the RISMC CRA approach, a large amount of computationally-expensive simulation runs may be required. An important aspect is that even though computational power is growing, the overall computational cost of a RISMC analysis using brute-force methods may be not viable for certain cases. A solution that is being evaluated to assist the computational issue is the use of reduced order modeling techniques. During the FY2015, we investigated and applied reduced order modeling techniques to decrease the RISMC analysis computational cost by decreasing the number of simulation runs; for this analysis improvement we used surrogate models instead of the actual simulation codes. This article focuses on the use of reduced order modeling techniques that can be applied to RISMC analyses in order to generate, analyze, and visualize data. In particular, we focus on surrogate models that approximate the simulation results but in a much faster time (microseconds instead of hours/days).

The Application of Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy to Reduce Stress among Mother with Leukemia Children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuni Sufyanti Arief

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction: A child who is diagnosed with Leukemia will undergo several procedures are long and painful action. During the process of hospitalization due to leukemia children and parents can experience a variety of events or actions handling according to various studies shown by the experience very traumatic and stressful (Supartini 2004 in Arif, SY, 2007. Some of the methods used to deal with anxiety is psikoprofilaksis, relaxation and imagination (Reeder et al., 2011. Rational-emotive behavior therapy by Albert Ellis in 1990 describes a unique man who is basically have a tendency to think rational and irrational. Methods: aim of this study is to explain the effect of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT for stress levels of mothers with children suffering from Leukemia. The study design used was a pre-experiment Quasy-post control group design. The sample was 10 mothers of children diagnosed with leukemia are treated in a child hematology ward Soetomo hospital. Variable in this study is the level of depression and anxiety mothers with children suffering from leukemia. Result: Based on the results obtained Wilcoxon statistical test p = 0.025 in the treatment group and p = 0.32 in the control group. Mann Whitney test results obtained p = 0.012. Conclution: Rational-emotive behavior therapy can reduce levels of depression and anxiety (stress mothers with children suffering from leukemia. It is expected that the application of rational -emotive behavior therapy can be done to reduce depression and anxiety in women with chronic disease cases while maintaining the effectiveness the goal of REBT. Keywords: stress, anxiety, depression, rational-emotive behavior

Methods for Engineering Sulfate Reducing Bacteria of the Genus Desulfovibrio

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chhabra, Swapnil R; Keller, Kimberly L.; Wall, Judy D.

2011-03-15

Sulfate reducing bacteria are physiologically important given their nearly ubiquitous presence and have important applications in the areas of bioremediation and bioenergy. This chapter provides details on the steps used for homologous-recombination mediated chromosomal manipulation of Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough, a well-studied sulfate reducer. More specifically, we focus on the implementation of a 'parts' based approach for suicide vector assembly, important aspects of anaerobic culturing, choices for antibiotic selection, electroporation-based DNA transformation, as well as tools for screening and verifying genetically modified constructs. These methods, which in principle may be extended to other sulfate-reducing bacteria, are applicable for functional genomics investigations, as well as metabolic engineering manipulations.

Sugary drinks taxation as a measure to reduce obesity in Spain. Effectiveness analysis and evaluation of its application in other countries.

OpenAIRE

Aroca Gamero, Maria del Carmen

2018-01-01

Obesity is reaching epidemic proportions, and according to experts, if this trend in not reversed in the coming years, non-transmissible diseases could be the cause of 73% of the deaths. In addition, the World Health Organization decided to launch a recommendation, in which point out that the policies promoting a 20% increase in the sale price to the final consumer of sugary drinks could reduce its consumption in a proportional way. In order to know about the tax, its application in Spain and...

Evaluating input- and stock-based tax incentives to reduce and reallocate phosphor application across farm types

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Line Block; Hasler, Berit; Thorsen, Bo Jellesmark

addresses all P sources at the farm, including the soil P content, whereas a mineral-fertilizer P tax addresses only the fertilizer input. Taking the temporal and spatial dynamics of a catchment area into account, this paper focuses on how the two economic instruments can be used to improve the interactions......A non-linear agricultural optimisation model for a water catchment area is constructed and used to analyse the effect on agricultural soil-P accumulation from implementation of two tax systems. Regulation of P in the agricultural sector is central to reduce the risk of damaging aquatic eco......-system. The two systems considered are: a P surplus tax, which depend on soil P stock, and a tax on mineral-fertilizer P. Analysis shows, that the two tax systems creates different incentives for the utilisation of P between farm types as they address the application of P in different ways. A P surplus tax...

Reducing operational costs through MIPS management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kwiatkowski, L.M.; Verhoef, C.

2015-01-01

We focus on an approach to reducing the costs of running applications. MIPS, which is a traditional acronym for millions of instructions per second, have evolved to become a measurement of processing power and CPU resource consumption. The need for controlling MIPS attributed costs is indispensable

Reduced risk HTGR concept for industrial heat application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boardman, C.E.; Lipps, A.J.

1982-01-01

The industrial process heat market has been identified as major market for the High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR), however, this market introduces stringent availability requirements on the reactor system relative to electric plants which feed a large existing grid. The characteristics and requirements of the industrial heat markets are summarized; the risks associated with serving this market with a single large HTGR will be discussed; and the modular concept, which has the potential to reduce both safety and investment risks, will be described. The reference modular concept described consists of several small, relatively benign nuclear heat sources linked together to supply heat energy to a balance-of-plant incorporating a process gas train/thermochemical pipe line system and a normal steam-electric plant

Polycaprolactone-templated reduced-graphene oxide liquid crystal nanofibers towards biomedical applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jalili-Firoozinezhad, Sasan; Hasan Mohamadzadeh Moghadam, Mohamad; Ghanian, Mohammad Hossein

2017-01-01

Here, we report a facile method to generate electrically conductive nanofibers by coating and subsequently chemically reducing graphene oxide (GO) liquid crystals on a polycaprolactone (PCL) mat. Ultra large GO sheets obtained are in favor of charge carrier mobility and oriented morphology...... of the GO coating. We showed that coating the reduced GO (rGO) not only retains the three-dimensional topography, fiber orientation and size of the template PCL, but also makes it electroconductive. Our preliminary in vitro assessments using mesenchymal stem cells revealed no induced cytotoxicity yet...... increased cellular metabolism on PCL-templated rGO fibers....

Perron-Frobenius theory and frequency convergence for reducible substitutions

OpenAIRE

Lustig, Martin; Uyanik, Caglar

2016-01-01

We prove a general version of the classical Perron-Frobenius convergence property for reducible matrices. We then apply this result to reducible substitutions and use it to produce limit frequencies for factors and hence invariant measures on the associated subshift. The analogous results are well known for primitive substitutions and have found many applications, but for reducible substitutions the tools provided here were so far missing from the theory.

Beyond Predation: The Zoophytophagous Predator Macrolophus pygmaeus Induces Tomato Resistance against Spider Mites.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria L Pappas

Full Text Available Many predatory insects that prey on herbivores also feed on the plant, but it is unknown whether plants affect the performance of herbivores by responding to this phytophagy with defence induction. We investigate whether the prior presence of the omnivorous predator Macrolophus pygmaeus (Rambur on tomato plants affects plant resistance against two different herbivore species. Besides plant-mediated effects of M. pygmaeus on herbivore performance, we examined whether a plant defence trait that is known to be inducible by herbivory, proteinase inhibitors (PI, may also be activated in response to the interactions of this predator with the tomato plant. We show that exposing tomato plants to the omnivorous predator M. pygmaeus reduced performance of a subsequently infesting herbivore, the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch, but not of the greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood. The spider-mite infested tomato plants experience a lower herbivore load, i.e., number of eggs deposited and individuals present, when previously exposed to the zoophytophagous predator. This effect is not restricted to the exposed leaf and persists on exposed plants for at least two weeks after the removal of the predators. The decreased performance of spider mites as a result of prior exposure of the plant to M. pygmaeus is accompanied by a locally and systemically increased accumulation of transcripts and activity of proteinase inhibitors that are known to be involved in plant defence. Our results demonstrate that zoophytophagous predators can induce plant defence responses and reduce herbivore performance. Hence, the suppression of populations of certain herbivores via consumption may be strengthened by the induction of plant defences by zoophytophagous predators.

Physiology and application of sulfur-reducing microorganisms from acidic environments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Florentino, Anna Patrícya

2017-01-01

Sulfur cycle is one of the main geochemical cycles on Earth. Oxidation and reduction reactions of sulfur are mostly biotic and performed by microorganisms. In anaerobic conditions – marine and some freshwater systems, dissimilatory sulfur- and sulfate-reducing bacteria and archaea are key players

Fabrication of ultralong hybrid microfibers from nanosheets of reduced graphene oxide and transition-metal dichalcogenides and their application as supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Gengzhi; Liu, Juqing; Zhang, Xiao; Wang, Xuewan; Li, Hai; Yu, Yang; Huang, Wei; Zhang, Hua; Chen, Peng

2014-11-10

Two-dimensional materials have attracted increasing research interest owing to their unique electronic, physical, optical, and mechanical properties. We thus developed a general strategy for the fabrication of ultralong hybrid microfibers from a mixture of reduced graphene oxide and transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), including MoS2 , TiS2 , TaS2 , and NbSe2 . Furthermore, we prepared fiber-based solid-state supercapacitors as a proof-of-concept application. The performance of thus-prepared supercapacitors was greatly improved by the introduction of the TMDs. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Reducing Mission Logistics with Multipurpose Cargo Transfer Bags

Science.gov (United States)

Baccus, Shelley; Broyan, James Lee, Jr.; Borrego, Melissa

2016-01-01

The Logistics Reduction (LR) project within Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) is tasked with reducing logistical mass and repurposing logistical items. Multipurpose Cargo Transfer Bags (MCTB) have been designed such that they can serve the same purpose as a Cargo Transfer Bag (CTB), the common logistics carrying bag for the International Space Station (ISS). After use as a cargo carrier, a regular CTB becomes trash, whereas the MCTB can be unfolded into a flat panel for reuse. Concepts and potential benefits for various MCTB applications will be discussed including partitions, crew quarters, solar radiation storm shelters, acoustic blankets, and forward osmosis water processing. Acoustic MCTBs are currently in use on ISS to reduce the noise generated by the T2 treadmill, which reaches the hazard limit at high speeds. The development of the AMCTB included identification of keep-out zones, acoustic properties, deployment considerations, and structural testing. Features developed for these considerations are applicable to MCTBs for all crew outfitting applications.

Comments on applications of reduced enrichment fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winkler, M.H.

1983-01-01

Full text: I will briefly describe the experience gained using different fuels in the SAPHIR reactor in Switzerland. The SAPHIR has been operating since 1957 and was the first swimming pool reactor built outside of the United States, which was originally known as the Geneva Conference Reactor. The first core was loaded with 20 percent enriched high density UO 2 fuel with a density of about 2.5 grams per cc, fabricated in 1955 by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. After a few years of operation at a power level of one MW, more than one batch of the elements released small amounts of fission products mainly Xe and Kr. When these releases were discovered, high enriched fuel was becoming available so that the fuel fabricators began to produce the lower density high enriched fuels. During this transition from fabrication of low to high enriched fuels no one could foresee that the stone age of nuclear fuel fabrication would come back again. Therefore, we did not investigate the reasons for the fission product release from the high density low enriched UO 2 fuel. The second fuel type used in the SAPHIR was the 90 percent enriched low density U 3 O 8 fuel fabricated by NUKEM. This high enriched fuel has performed satisfactorily over the years. Since 1968, the core has been using improved 23 plate fuel elements with a loading of 280 grams of uranium. The reactor power has been recently increased to five MW. An additional increase in the power level to 10 MW is planned at the end of next year so that heavier loaded elements will be needed. In order to follow the recommendations of the INFCE working group 8C and in cooperation with the reduced enrichment program, we intend to initially reduce the fuel enrichment to 45 percent. Last year we ordered five fuel elements with a loading of 320 grams 235 U/element and 45 percent enrichment for full power tests. Unfortunately, the delivery of the necessary enriched fuel uranium has been delayed and it is not available at this time. If

In-situ reduced silver nanoparticles on populus fiber and the catalytic application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Miaomiao; Gong, Yumei, E-mail: ymgong@dlpu.edu.cn; Wang, Wenheng; Xu, Guangpeng; Liu, Yuanfa; Guo, Jing, E-mail: guojing8161@163.com

2017-02-01

Highlights: • A composite involved in in-situ chelating AgNPs on natural cellulose was prepared. • Polyamidoxime grafted from the cellulose adsorbed Ag+ which was reduced to AgNPs. • The composite exhibits excellent catalytic activity in reducing 4-nitrophenol. - Abstract: One kind of composites involved in silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) loading in-situ on natural populus fiber (PF) matrix was prepared by polyamidoxime (PAO) functionalized the cellulose fiber. In which PAO worked as trapping and stabilizing agents chelating silver ions and made it reduced in-situ to obtain AgNPs by borohydride at room temperature. The synthesized composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, the composites showed significant catalytic activity 1.87 s{sup −1} g{sup −1} and repeated usability more than 7 cycles in reducing 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) into 4-aminophenol (4-AP) detected by UV–vis spectrophotometer in aqueous solution due to the surface-enhanced immobility and large amount of AgNPs. The natural cellulose fiber provides a green platform to react and support other noble metals for wide catalytic reactions.

MARIANE: MApReduce Implementation Adapted for HPC Environments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fadika, Zacharia; Dede, Elif; Govindaraju, Madhusudhan; Ramakrishnan, Lavanya

2011-07-06

MapReduce is increasingly becoming a popular framework, and a potent programming model. The most popular open source implementation of MapReduce, Hadoop, is based on the Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS). However, as HDFS is not POSIX compliant, it cannot be fully leveraged by applications running on a majority of existing HPC environments such as Teragrid and NERSC. These HPC environments typicallysupport globally shared file systems such as NFS and GPFS. On such resourceful HPC infrastructures, the use of Hadoop not only creates compatibility issues, but also affects overall performance due to the added overhead of the HDFS. This paper not only presents a MapReduce implementation directly suitable for HPC environments, but also exposes the design choices for better performance gains in those settings. By leveraging inherent distributed file systems' functions, and abstracting them away from its MapReduce framework, MARIANE (MApReduce Implementation Adapted for HPC Environments) not only allows for the use of the model in an expanding number of HPCenvironments, but also allows for better performance in such settings. This paper shows the applicability and high performance of the MapReduce paradigm through MARIANE, an implementation designed for clustered and shared-disk file systems and as such not dedicated to a specific MapReduce solution. The paper identifies the components and trade-offs necessary for this model, and quantifies the performance gains exhibited by our approach in distributed environments over Apache Hadoop in a data intensive setting, on the Magellan testbed at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC).

Twelve-bit 20-GHz reduced size pipeline accumulator in 0.25 μm SiGe:C technology for direct digital synthesiser applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Brian Sveistrup; Khafaji, M. M.; Johansen, T. K.

2012-01-01

/Fmax of 180/220 GHz. The accumulator architecture omits the pre-skewing registers of the pipeline, thereby lowering both power consumption and circuit complexity. Some limitations to this design are discussed and the necessary equations for determining the phase jump encountered each time the control word...... (synthesised frequency) is changed are presented. For many applications employing signal processing after detection, this phase shift can then be corrected for. Compared to a full pipeline architecture (omitting the input circuitry for the most significant bit, as is customary for such designs......This article presents a 20 GHz, 12-bit pipeline accumulator with a reduced number of registers, suitable for direct digital synthesiser (DDS) applications. The accumulator is implemented in the IHP SG25H1 (0.25 μm) SiGe:C technology featuring heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) with Ft...

1-Hexadecylamine as both reducing agent and stabilizer to synthesize Au and Ag nanoparticles and their SERS application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hou Xiaomiao; Zhan, Xiaoling; Fang Yan; Chen Shutang; Li Na; Zhou Qi

2011-01-01

1-Hexadecylamine (HDA)-capped Au and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) have been successfully prepared by a one-pot solution growth method. The HDA is used as both reducing agent and stabilizer in the synthetic process is favorable for investigating the capping mechanism of Au and Ag NPs’ surface. The growth process and characterization of Au and Ag NPs are determined by Ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Experimental results demonstrate that the HDA-capped Au and Ag NPs are highly crystalline and have good optical properties. Furthermore, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of 2-thionaphthol are obtained on the Au and Ag NPs modified glass surface, respectively, indicating that the as-synthesized noble metal NPs have potentially high sensitive optical detection application.

1-Hexadecylamine as both reducing agent and stabilizer to synthesize Au and Ag nanoparticles and their SERS application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hou Xiaomiao; Zhan, Xiaoling, E-mail: zhangxl@bit.edu.cn [Beijing Institute of Technology, Department of Chemistry, School of Science (China); Fang Yan, E-mail: fangyan@mail.cnu.edu.cn [Capital Normal University, Beijing Key Lab for Nano-Photonics and Nano-Structure (NPNS), Department of Physics (China); Chen Shutang; Li Na; Zhou Qi [Beijing Institute of Technology, Department of Chemistry, School of Science (China)

2011-05-15

1-Hexadecylamine (HDA)-capped Au and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) have been successfully prepared by a one-pot solution growth method. The HDA is used as both reducing agent and stabilizer in the synthetic process is favorable for investigating the capping mechanism of Au and Ag NPs' surface. The growth process and characterization of Au and Ag NPs are determined by Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Experimental results demonstrate that the HDA-capped Au and Ag NPs are highly crystalline and have good optical properties. Furthermore, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of 2-thionaphthol are obtained on the Au and Ag NPs modified glass surface, respectively, indicating that the as-synthesized noble metal NPs have potentially high sensitive optical detection application.

Microgravity science and applications projects and payloads

Science.gov (United States)

Crouch, R. K.

1987-01-01

An overview of work conducted by the Microgravity Science and Applications Division of NASA is presented. The goals of the program are the development and implementation of a reduced-gravity research, science and applications program, exploitation of space for human benefits, and the application of reduced gravity research for the development of advanced technologies. Space research of fluid dynamics and mass transport phenomena is discussed and the facilities available for reduced gravity experiments are presented. A program for improving communication with the science and applications communities and the potential use of the Space Station for microgravity research are also examined.

Chromium content in human skin after in vitro application of ordinary cement and ferrous-sulphate-reduced cement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fullerton, A; Gammelgaard, Bente; Avnstorp, C

1993-01-01

The amount of chromium found in human skin after in vitro application of cement suspensions on full-thickness human skin in diffusion cells was investigated. Cement suspensions made from ordinary Portland cement or Portland cement with the chromate reduced with added ferrous sulphate were used....... The cement suspensions were either applied on the skin surface under occlusion for 48 h or applied repeatedly every 24 h for 96 h. No statistically significant difference in chromium content of skin layers between skin exposed to ordinary Portland cement, skin exposed to cement with added ferrous sulphate...... and unexposed skin was observed, despite a more permeable skin barrier at the alkaline pH of the cement suspensions, i.e., pH 12.5. Increased chromium levels in epidermis and dermis were seen when ordinary Portland cement was applied as a suspension with added sodium sulphate (20%) on the skin surface for 96 h...

Developing the Librarians' Role in Supporting Grant Applications and Reducing Waste in Research: Outcomes from a Literature Review and Survey in the NIHR Research Design Service

Science.gov (United States)

Edmunds Otter, Mary L.; Wright, Judy M.; King, Natalie V.

2017-01-01

Librarians and information specialists' involvement during the development of grant applications for external funding can save researchers' time, provide specialist support, and contribute to reducing avoidable waste in research. This article presents a survey of information specialists working for the National Institute for Health Research's…

Energy-efficient induction motors designing with application of a modified criterion of reduced costs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V.S. Petrushin

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The paper introduces a modified criterion of reduced costs that employs coefficients of operation significance and priority of ohmic loss accounting to allow matching maximum efficiency with minimum reduced costs. Impact of the inflation factor on the criterion of reduced costs is analyzed.

Composting as a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paul, J.W.; Wagner-Riddle, C.; Thompson, A.; Fleming, R.; MacAlpine, A.

2001-01-01

Composting animal manure has the potential to reduce emissions of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and methane (CH 4 ) from agriculture. Agriculture has been recognized as a major contributor of greenhouse gases, releasing an estimated 81% and 70% of the anthropogenic emissions of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and methane (CH 4 ), respectively. A significant amount of methane is emitted during the storage of liquid manure, whereas nitrous oxide is emitted from the storage of manure and from soil following manure or fertilizer application. Composting animal manure can reduce GHG emissions in two ways; by reducing nitrous oxide and methane emissions during manure storage and application, and by reducing the amount of manufactured fertilizers and the GHG associated with their production and use. We will present information of GHG emissions and potentials for reduction based on available data, and on specific composting experiments. Nitrous oxide and methane emissions were monitored on an enclosed composting system processing liquid hog manure. Measurements indicated that total GHG emissions during composting were 24% of the Tier 2 IPCC estimates for traditional liquid hog manure management on that farm. Previous research has also indicated little nitrous oxide emission following application of composted manure to soil. The method of composting has a large impact on GHG emissions, where GHG emissions are higher from outdoor windrow composting systems than from controlled aerated systems. Further research is required to assess the whole manure management system, but composting appears to have great potential to reduce GHG emissions from agriculture. The bonus is that composting also addresses a number of other environmental concerns such as pathogens, surface and groundwater quality and ammonia emissions. (author)

A feasibility study of microgrids for reducing energy use and GHG emissions in an industrial application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Mengyu; Zhang, Xiongwen; Li, Guojun; Jiang, Chaoyang

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A life cycle assessment is conducted on the microgrids for an industry application. • The effect of renewable energy on the LCA performances of microgrids is illustrated. • The minimal life cycle energy use and GHG emissions of microgrids are evaluated. • The LCA of different pathways for electricity, heat and hydrogen are presented. - Abstract: Microgrids provide a new energy paradigm with the benefits of higher energy supply reliability, lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through a higher penetration of renewable sources, higher energy efficiencies through the use of local waste heat and the avoidance of losses in transmission and distribution. This study reports a life cycle assessment (LCA) of microgrids for an industry application of an ammonia plant in central Inner Mongolia, China. The life cycle energy use and GHG emissions of the microgrids are evaluated and compared to the existing fossil fuel-based energy system. The electricity, heat and hydrogen fuel loads of the ammonia plant are all modelled in the study. An optimization model is developed to estimate the minimum life cycle energy use and GHG emissions with the microgrids under three scenarios (natural gas (NG)-based, optimized, and maximum renewable energy microgrids). The results indicate that the use of wind and solar in the NG-based microgrid can only slightly reduce the energy use and GHG emissions. If there are no land area limitations on the deployment of solar and wind power, the maximum renewable energy microgrid offers significant reductions of fossil fuel energy of up to 56.9% and GHG emissions reductions of up to 66.3% compared to the existing energy system.

Novel Dental Cement to Combat Biofilms and Reduce Acids for Orthodontic Applications to Avoid Enamel Demineralization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ning Zhang

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Orthodontic treatments often lead to biofilm buildup and white spot lesions due to enamel demineralization. The objectives of this study were to develop a novel bioactive orthodontic cement to prevent white spot lesions, and to determine the effects of cement compositions on biofilm growth and acid production. 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC, nanoparticles of silver (NAg, and dimethylaminohexadecyl methacrylate (DMAHDM were incorporated into a resin-modified glass ionomer cement (RMGI. Enamel shear bond strength (SBS was determined. Protein adsorption was determined using a micro bicinchoninic acid method. A dental plaque microcosm biofilm model with human saliva as inoculum was used to investigate metabolic activity, colony-forming units (CFU and lactic acid production. Incorporating 3% of MPC, 1.5% of DMAHDM, and 0.1% of NAg into RMGI, and immersing in distilled water at 37 °C for 30 days, did not decrease the SBS, compared to control (p > 0.1. RMGI with 3% MPC + 1.5% DMAHDM + 0.1% NAg had protein amount that was 1/10 that of control. RMGI with triple agents (MPC + DMAHDM + NAg had much stronger antibacterial property than using a single agent or double agents (p < 0.05. Biofilm CFU on RMGI with triple agents was reduced by more than 3 orders of magnitude, compared to commercial control. Biofilm metabolic activity and acid production were also greatly reduced. In conclusion, adding MPC + DMAHDM + NAg in RMGI substantially inhibited biofilm viability and acid production, without compromising the orthodontic bracket bond strength to enamel. The novel bioactive cement is promising for orthodontic applications to hinder biofilms and plaque buildup and enamel demineralization.

Connected vehicle applications : safety.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

Connected vehicle safety applications are designed to increase situational awareness : and reduce or eliminate crashes through vehicle-to-infrastructure, vehicle-to-vehicle, : and vehicle-to-pedestrian data transmissions. Applications support advisor...

Heat Pipes Reduce Engine-Exhaust Emissions

Science.gov (United States)

Schultz, D. F.

1986-01-01

Increased fuel vaporization raises engine efficiency. Heat-pipe technology increased efficiency of heat transfer beyond that obtained by metallic conduction. Resulted in both improved engine operation and reduction in fuel consumption. Raw material conservation through reduced dependence on strategic materials also benefit from this type of heat-pipe technology. Applications result in improved engine performance and cleaner environment.

The Effect of Aptamer Concetration towards Reduced Graphene Oxide-Field Effect Transistor Surface Channel for Biosensor Application

Science.gov (United States)

Syafiq Zainol Abidin, Azrul; Rahim, Ruslinda Abdul; Huan, Chow Yong; Maidin, Nur Nasyifa Mohd; Atiqah Ahmad, Nurul; Hashwan, Saeed S. Ba; Faudzi, Fatin Nabilah Mohd; Hong, Voon Chun

2018-03-01

Aptamer are artificially produce bioreceptor that has been developed to bind with various target biomolecules such as ion, cells, protein and small molecules. In this research, an aptamer concentration of 0.5 nM, 1 nM, 5 nM, 10 nM, and 50 nM were immobilized on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) integrated with field effect transistor (FET) respectively to study the effect of aptamer concentration toward rGO surface for stable biosensing platform. The 0.5 nM concentration of aptamer shows the highest current result of 84.3 µA at 1 V applied through the source and drain. After immobilized with aminated aptamer, the conductivity shows significant reduction due to the formation of amide bond on rGO surface between aminated aptamer and carboxyl group on rGO. The electrical performance of FET integrated with rGO shows stable electrical performance suitable to be used in the biosensing application.

Multipurpose Cargo Transfer Bags fro Reducing Exploration Mission Logistics

Science.gov (United States)

Baccus, Shelley; Broyan, James Lee, Jr.; Borrego, Melissa

2016-01-01

The Logistics Reduction (LR) project within the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) division is tasked with reducing logistical mass and repurposing logistical items. Multipurpose Cargo Transfer Bags (MCTB) have been designed such that they can serve the same purpose as a Cargo Transfer Bag (CTB), the common logistics carrying bag for the International Space Station (ISS). After use as a cargo carrier, a regular CTB becomes trash, whereas the MCTB can be unfolded into a flat panel for reuse. Concepts and potential benefits for various MCTB applications will be discussed including partitions, crew quarters, solar radiation storm shelters, acoustic blankets, and forward osmosis water processing. Acoustic MCTBs are currently in use on ISS to reduce the noise generated by the T2 treadmill, which reaches the hazard limit at high speeds. The development of the AMCTB included identification of keep out zones, acoustic properties, deployment considerations, and structural testing. Features developed for these considerations are applicable to MCTBs for all crew outfitting applications.

Physical and electrical characterization of reduced graphene oxide

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The wide-range industrial application of graphene-related compounds has led to ... The method completely avoids the use of toxic and environmentally harmful reducing agents commonly used in the chemical reduction of GO to obtain RGO.

Phosphorus application reduces aluminum toxicity in two Eucalyptus clones by increasing its accumulation in roots and decreasing its content in leaves.

Science.gov (United States)

Teng, Weichao; Kang, Yachao; Hou, Wenjuan; Hu, Houzhen; Luo, Wenji; Wei, Jie; Wang, Linghui; Zhang, Boyu

2018-01-01

Under acidic conditions, aluminum (Al) toxicity is an important factor limiting plant productivity; however, the application of phosphorus (P) might alleviate the toxic effects of Al. In this study, seedlings of two vegetatively propagated Eucalyptus clones, E. grandis × E. urophylla 'G9' and E. grandis × E. urophylla 'DH32-29'were subjected to six treatments (two levels of Al stress and three levels of P). Under excessive Al stress, root Al content was higher, whereas shoot and leaf Al contents were lower with P application than those without P application. Further, Al accumulation was higher in the roots, but lower in the shoots and leaves of G9 than in those of DH32-29. The secretion of organic acids was higher under Al stress than under no Al stress. Further, under Al stress, the roots of G9 secreted more organic acids than those of DH32-29. With an increase in P supply, Al-induced secretion of organic acids from roots decreased. Under Al stress, some enzymes, including PEPC, CS, and IDH, played important roles in organic acid biosynthesis and degradation. Thus, our results indicate that P can reduce Al toxicity via the fixation of elemental Al in roots and restriction of its transport to stems and leaves, although P application cannot promote the secretion of organic acid anions. Further, the higher Al-resistance of G9 might be attributed to the higher Al accumulation in and organic acid anion secretion from roots and the lower levels of Al in leaves.

Phosphorus application reduces aluminum toxicity in two Eucalyptus clones by increasing its accumulation in roots and decreasing its content in leaves.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weichao Teng

Full Text Available Under acidic conditions, aluminum (Al toxicity is an important factor limiting plant productivity; however, the application of phosphorus (P might alleviate the toxic effects of Al. In this study, seedlings of two vegetatively propagated Eucalyptus clones, E. grandis × E. urophylla 'G9' and E. grandis × E. urophylla 'DH32-29'were subjected to six treatments (two levels of Al stress and three levels of P. Under excessive Al stress, root Al content was higher, whereas shoot and leaf Al contents were lower with P application than those without P application. Further, Al accumulation was higher in the roots, but lower in the shoots and leaves of G9 than in those of DH32-29. The secretion of organic acids was higher under Al stress than under no Al stress. Further, under Al stress, the roots of G9 secreted more organic acids than those of DH32-29. With an increase in P supply, Al-induced secretion of organic acids from roots decreased. Under Al stress, some enzymes, including PEPC, CS, and IDH, played important roles in organic acid biosynthesis and degradation. Thus, our results indicate that P can reduce Al toxicity via the fixation of elemental Al in roots and restriction of its transport to stems and leaves, although P application cannot promote the secretion of organic acid anions. Further, the higher Al-resistance of G9 might be attributed to the higher Al accumulation in and organic acid anion secretion from roots and the lower levels of Al in leaves.

The application of Lean Six Sigma methodology to reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections in surgery departments.

Science.gov (United States)

Montella, Emma; Di Cicco, Maria Vincenza; Ferraro, Anna; Centobelli, Piera; Raiola, Eliana; Triassi, Maria; Improta, Giovanni

2017-06-01

Nowadays, the monitoring and prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is a priority for the healthcare sector. In this article, we report on the application of the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology to reduce the number of patients affected by sentinel bacterial infections who are at risk of HAI. The LSS methodology was applied in the general surgery department by using a multidisciplinary team of both physicians and academics. Data on more than 20 000 patients who underwent a wide range of surgical procedures between January 2011 and December 2014 were collected to conduct the study using the departmental information system. The most prevalent sentinel bacteria were determined among the infected patients. The preintervention (January 2011 to December 2012) and postintervention (January 2013 to December 2014) phases were compared to analyze the effects of the methodology implemented. The methodology allowed the identification of variables that influenced the risk of HAIs and the implementation of corrective actions to improve the care process, thereby reducing the percentage of infected patients. The improved process resulted in a 20% reduction in the average number of hospitalization days between preintervention and control phases, and a decrease in the mean (SD) number of days of hospitalization amounted to 36 (15.68), with a data distribution around 3 σ. The LSS is a helpful strategy that ensures a significant decrease in the number of HAIs in patients undergoing surgical interventions. The implementation of this intervention in the general surgery departments resulted in a significant reduction in both the number of hospitalization days and the number of patients affected by HAIs. This approach, together with other tools for reducing the risk of infection (surveillance, epidemiological guidelines, and training of healthcare personnel), could be applied to redesign and improve a wide range of healthcare processes. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reduced combustion mechanism for C1-C4 hydrocarbons and its application in computational fluid dynamics flare modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Damodara, Vijaya; Chen, Daniel H; Lou, Helen H; Rasel, Kader M A; Richmond, Peyton; Wang, Anan; Li, Xianchang

2017-05-01

Emissions from flares constitute unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide (CO), soot, and other partially burned and altered hydrocarbons along with carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and water. Soot or visible smoke is of particular concern for flare operators/regulatory agencies. The goal of the study is to develop a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model capable of predicting flare combustion efficiency (CE) and soot emission. Since detailed combustion mechanisms are too complicated for (CFD) application, a 50-species reduced mechanism, LU 3.0.1, was developed. LU 3.0.1 is capable of handling C 4 hydrocarbons and soot precursor species (C 2 H 2 , C 2 H 4 , C 6 H 6 ). The new reduced mechanism LU 3.0.1 was first validated against experimental performance indicators: laminar flame speed, adiabatic flame temperature, and ignition delay. Further, CFD simulations using LU 3.0.1 were run to predict soot emission and CE of air-assisted flare tests conducted in 2010 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, using ANSYS Fluent software. Results of non-premixed probability density function (PDF) model and eddy dissipation concept (EDC) model are discussed. It is also noteworthy that when used in conjunction with the EDC turbulence-chemistry model, LU 3.0.1 can reasonably predict volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions as well. A reduced combustion mechanism containing 50 C 1 -C 4 species and soot precursors has been developed and validated against experimental data. The combustion mechanism is then employed in the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) of modeling of soot emission and combustion efficiency (CE) of controlled flares for which experimental soot and CE data are available. The validated CFD modeling tools are useful for oil, gas, and chemical industries to comply with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) mandate to achieve smokeless flaring with a high CE.

An overview of advanced reduction processes for bromate removal from drinking water: Reducing agents, activation methods, applications and mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Qian; Yu, Shuili; Li, Lei; Wang, Ting; Liao, Xinlei; Ye, Yubing

2017-02-15

Bromate (BrO 3 - ) is a possible human carcinogen regulated at a strict standard of 10μg/L in drinking water. Various techniques to eliminate BrO 3 - usually fall into three main categories: reducing bromide (Br - ) prior to formation of BrO 3 - , minimizing BrO 3 - formation during the ozonation process, and removing BrO 3 - from post-ozonation waters. However, the first two approaches exhibit low degradation efficiency and high treatment cost. The third workaround has obvious advantages, such as high reduction efficiency, more stable performance and easier combination with UV disinfection, and has therefore been widely implemented in water treatment. Recently, advanced reduction processes (ARPs), the photocatalysis of BrO 3 - , have attracted much attention due to improved performance. To increase the feasibility of photocatalytic systems, the focus of this work concerns new technological developments, followed by a summary of reducing agents, activation methods, operational parameters, and applications. The reaction mechanisms of two typical processes involving UV/sulfite homogeneous photocatalysis and UV/titanium dioxide heterogeneous photocatalysis are further summarized. The future research needs for ARPs to reach full-scale potential in drinking water treatment are suggested accordingly. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Application of rape pod sealants to reduce adverse environmental impacts.

Science.gov (United States)

Bauša, Laimis; Steponavičius, Dainius; Jotautienė, Eglė; Kemzūraitė, Aurelija; Zaleckas, Ernestas

2018-04-01

Rape (Brassica napus L.) is a major global oilseed crop characterized by its high potential as an alimentary oil and in biodiesel production. The two most popular pod sealants (PS) used to reduce rape pod shattering are products in the pinolene range (di-1-p-menthene) and latex polymer products. Reports on the effective preservation of seed yield by these products are fairly contradictory. With this in mind, an experimental PS (PS4) that contained the active agents acrylic and trisiloxane was developed. Comparative experimental trials of the developed PS4 and three other PS (PS1, PS2 and PS3) containing active agents that are generally used for sealant production were conducted. The studies showed that the static and dynamic surface tension of PS4 was the lowest at the same concentration (2.0 g kg -1 ), consequently demonstrating the lowest spray drift. The chemical substances from PS had not penetrated the rape seeds in any of the PSs. The results indicate that treatment with PS4 exerts a beneficial effect in reducing rape seed yield loss (68-104 kg ha -1 in 2014 and 194-305 kg ha -1 in 2015) compared to other investigated PS. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Characterization and Potential Applications of a Selenium Nanoparticle Producing and Nitrate Reducing Bacterium Bacillus oryziterrae sp. nov.

Science.gov (United States)

Bao, Peng; Xiao, Ke-Qing; Wang, Hui-Jiao; Xu, Hao; Xu, Peng-Peng; Jia, Yan; Häggblom, Max M.; Zhu, Yong-Guan

2016-09-01

A novel nitrate- and selenite reducing bacterium strain ZYKT was isolated from a rice paddy soil in Dehong, Yunnan, China. Strain ZYKT is a facultative anaerobe and grows in up to 150, 000 ppm O2. The comparative genomics analysis of strain ZYKT implies that it shares more orthologues with B. subtilis subsp. subtilis NCIB 3610T (ANIm values, 85.4-86.7%) than with B. azotoformans NBRC 15712T (ANIm values, 84.4-84.7%), although B. azotoformans NBRC 15712T (96.3% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) is the closest Bacillus species according to 16S rRNA gene comparison. The major cellular fatty acids of strain ZYKT were iso-C14:0 (17.8%), iso-C15:0 (17.8%), and C16:0 (32.0%). The polar lipid profile consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and an unidentified aminophospholipid. Based on physiological, biochemical and genotypic properties, the strain was considered to represent a novel species of the genus Bacillus, for which the name Bacillus oryziterrae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ZYKT (=DSM 26460T =CGMCC 1.5179T). Strain ZYKT can reduce nitrate to nitrite and ammonium and possesses metabolic genes for nitrate reduction including nar, nap and nrf. Biogenic selenium nanoparticles of strain ZYKT show a narrow size distribution and agree with the gaussian distribution. These selenium nanoparticles show significant dose-dependent inhibition of the lung cancer cell line H157, which suggests potential for application in cancer therapy.

A STRATEGIC PROGRAM TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GASES EMISSIONS PRODUCED FROM FOOD INDUSTRY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A. Kilic [Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, University of Nigde, Nigde (Turkey); A. Midilli [Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Nigde (Turkey); I. Dincer [Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON (Canada)

2008-09-30

Greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions are at every stage of conventional food production (planting, harvesting, irrigation, food production, transportation, and application of pesticides and fertilizers, etc.). In this study, a strategic program is proposed to reduce GHGs emissions resulting during conventional food production. The factors which form the basis of this strategic program are energy, environment and sustainability. The results show that the application of sustainable food processing technologies can significantly reduce GHGs emissions resulting from food industry. Moreover, minimizing the utilization of fossil-fuel energy sources and maximizing the utilization of renewable energy sources results in the reduction of GHGs emissions during food production, which in turn reduces the effect of global warming.

Reduced turning frequency and delayed poultry manure addition reduces N loss from sugarcane compost

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bryndum, Sofie; Muschler, R.; Nigatu, Abebe Nigussie

2017-01-01

Composting is an effective method to recycle biodegradable waste as soil amendment in smallholder farming systems. Although all essential plant nutrients are found in compost, a substantial amount of nitrogen is lost during composting. This study therefore investigated the potential of reducing N...... losses by (i) delaying the addition of nitrogen-rich substrates (i.e. poultry manure), and (ii) reducing the turning frequency during composting. Furthermore, we tested the effect of compost application method on nitrogen mineralization. Sugarcane-waste was composted for 54days with addition of poultry...... manure at the beginning (i.e. early addition) or after 21days of composting (delayed addition). The compost pile was then turned either every three or nine days. Composts were subsequently applied to soil as (i) homogeneously mixed, or (ii) stratified, and incubated for 28days to test the effect...

Connected vehicle application : safety.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

Connected vehicle safety applications are designed to increase situational awareness : and reduce or eliminate crashes through vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), and vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) data transmissions. Applications...

Structural and reduced-form modeling and forecasting with application to Armenia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poghosyan, K.

2012-01-01

The thesis deals with structural and reduced-form modeling and forecasting of key macroeconomic variables (real growth of GDP, inflation, exchange rate, and policy interest rate). The central part of the thesis (Chapters 2-4) consists of three chapters. Chapter 2 considers the structural DSGE model

43 CFR 429.26 - When may Reclamation reduce or waive costs or fees?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... Reductions or Waivers of Application Fees, Administrative Costs, and Use Fees § 429.26 When may Reclamation reduce or waive costs or fees? (a) As determined appropriate and approved and documented by the applicable Regional Director, the application fees may be waived, and charges for administrative costs or use...

Opportunities for reducing environmental emissions from forage-based dairy farms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tom Misselbrook

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Modern dairy production is inevitably associated with impacts to the environment and the challenge for the industry today is to increase production to meet growing global demand while minimising emissions to the environment. Negative environmental impacts include gaseous emissions to the atmosphere, of ammonia from livestock manure and fertiliser use, of methane from enteric fermentation and manure management, and of nitrous oxide from nitrogen applications to soils and from manure management. Emissions to water include nitrate, ammonium, phosphorus, sediment, pathogens and organic matter, deriving from nutrient applications to forage crops and/or the management of grazing livestock. This paper reviews the sources and impacts of such emissions in the context of a forage-based dairy farm and considers a number of potential mitigation strategies, giving some examples using the farm-scale model SIMSDAIRY. Most of the mitigation measures discussed are associated with systemic improvements in the efficiency of production in dairy systems. Important examples of mitigations include: improvements to dairy herd fertility, that can reduce methane and ammonia emissions by up to 24 and 17%, respectively; diet modification such as the use of high sugar grasses for grazing, which are associated with reductions in cattle N excretion of up to 20% (and therefore lower N losses to the environment and potentially lower methane emissions, or reducing the crude protein content of the dairy cow diet through use of maize silage to reduce N excretion and methane emissions; the use of nitrification inhibitors with fertiliser and slurry applications to reduce nitrous oxide emissions and nitrate leaching by up to 50%. Much can also be achieved through attention to the quantity, timing and method of application of nutrients to forage crops and utilising advances made through genetic improvements.

Hybrid cloud and cluster computing paradigms for life science applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, Judy; Ekanayake, Jaliya; Gunarathne, Thilina; Choi, Jong Youl; Bae, Seung-Hee; Li, Hui; Zhang, Bingjing; Wu, Tak-Lon; Ruan, Yang; Ekanayake, Saliya; Hughes, Adam; Fox, Geoffrey

2010-12-21

Clouds and MapReduce have shown themselves to be a broadly useful approach to scientific computing especially for parallel data intensive applications. However they have limited applicability to some areas such as data mining because MapReduce has poor performance on problems with an iterative structure present in the linear algebra that underlies much data analysis. Such problems can be run efficiently on clusters using MPI leading to a hybrid cloud and cluster environment. This motivates the design and implementation of an open source Iterative MapReduce system Twister. Comparisons of Amazon, Azure, and traditional Linux and Windows environments on common applications have shown encouraging performance and usability comparisons in several important non iterative cases. These are linked to MPI applications for final stages of the data analysis. Further we have released the open source Twister Iterative MapReduce and benchmarked it against basic MapReduce (Hadoop) and MPI in information retrieval and life sciences applications. The hybrid cloud (MapReduce) and cluster (MPI) approach offers an attractive production environment while Twister promises a uniform programming environment for many Life Sciences applications. We used commercial clouds Amazon and Azure and the NSF resource FutureGrid to perform detailed comparisons and evaluations of different approaches to data intensive computing. Several applications were developed in MPI, MapReduce and Twister in these different environments.

Lattice Boltzmann flow simulations with applications of reduced order modeling techniques

KAUST Repository

Brown, Donald

2014-01-01

With the recent interest in shale gas, an understanding of the flow mechanisms at the pore scale and beyond is necessary, which has attracted a lot of interest from both industry and academia. One of the suggested algorithms to help understand flow in such reservoirs is the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM). The primary advantage of LBM is its ability to approximate complicated geometries with simple algorithmic modificatoins. In this work, we use LBM to simulate the flow in a porous medium. More specifically, we use LBM to simulate a Brinkman type flow. The Brinkman law allows us to integrate fast free-flow and slow-flow porous regions. However, due to the many scales involved and complex heterogeneities of the rock microstructure, the simulation times can be long, even with the speed advantage of using an explicit time stepping method. The problem is two-fold, the computational grid must be able to resolve all scales and the calculation requires a steady state solution implying a large number of timesteps. To help reduce the computational complexity and total simulation times, we use model reduction techniques to reduce the dimension of the system. In this approach, we are able to describe the dynamics of the flow by using a lower dimensional subspace. In this work, we utilize the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) technique, to compute the dominant modes of the flow and project the solution onto them (a lower dimensional subspace) to arrive at an approximation of the full system at a lowered computational cost. We present a few proof-of-concept examples of the flow field and the corresponding reduced model flow field.

Optimizing the MapReduce Framework on Intel Xeon Phi Coprocessor

OpenAIRE

Lu, Mian; Zhang, Lei; Huynh, Huynh Phung; Ong, Zhongliang; Liang, Yun; He, Bingsheng; Goh, Rick Siow Mong; Huynh, Richard

2013-01-01

With the ease-of-programming, flexibility and yet efficiency, MapReduce has become one of the most popular frameworks for building big-data applications. MapReduce was originally designed for distributed-computing, and has been extended to various architectures, e,g, multi-core CPUs, GPUs and FPGAs. In this work, we focus on optimizing the MapReduce framework on Xeon Phi, which is the latest product released by Intel based on the Many Integrated Core Architecture. To the best of our knowledge...

ECONOMIC RETURNS FROM REDUCING POULTRY LITTER PHOSPHORUS WITH MICROBIAL PHYTASE

OpenAIRE

Bosch, Darrell J.; Zhu, Minkang; Kornegay, Ervin T.

1997-01-01

Requiring that crop applications of manure be based on phosphorus content (P-standard) could increase poultry litter disposal costs. Microbial phytase reduces litter P content and could reduce litter disposal costs under a P-standard. For a representative Virginia turkey farm, phytase costs $2,500 and could increase value of litter used for fertilizer on the turkey farm by $390 and reduce supplemental P feed costs by $1,431. Based on assumed litter demand and supply, estimated litter export p...

Sharing Vital Signs between mobile phone applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Karlen, Walter; Dumont, Guy A; Scheffer, Cornie

2014-01-01

We propose a communication library, ShareVitalSigns, for the standardized exchange of vital sign information between health applications running on mobile platforms. The library allows an application to request one or multiple vital signs from independent measurement applications on the Android OS. Compatible measurement applications are automatically detected and can be launched from within the requesting application, simplifying the work flow for the user and reducing typing errors. Data is shared between applications using intents, a passive data structure available on Android OS. The library is accompanied by a test application which serves as a demonstrator. The secure exchange of vital sign information using a standardized library like ShareVitalSigns will facilitate the integration of measurement applications into diagnostic and other high level health monitoring applications and reduce errors due to manual entry of information.

Cogeneration, renewables and reducing greenhouse gas emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naughten, B.; Dlugosz, J.

1996-01-01

The MENSA model is used to assess the potential role of cogeneration and selected new renewable energy technologies in cost-effectively reducing Greenhouse gas emissions. The model framework for analyzing these issues is introduced, together with an account of relevant aspects of its application. In the discussion of selected new renewable energy technologies, it is shown how microeconomic reform may encourage these technologies and fuels, and thereby reduce sector wide carbon dioxide emissions. Policy scenarios modelled are described and the simulation results are presented. Certain interventions in microeconomic reform may result in economic benefits while also reducing emissions: no regrets' opportunities. Some renewable energy technologies are also shown to be cost-effective in the event that targets and timetables for reducing Greenhouse gas emissions are imposed. However, ad hoc interventions in support of particular renewables options are unlikely to be consistent with a least cost approach to achieving environmental objectives. (author). 5 tabs., 5 figs., 21 refs

Early application of airway pressure release ventilation may reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation in acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yongfang; Jin, Xiaodong; Lv, Yinxia; Wang, Peng; Yang, Yunqing; Liang, Guopeng; Wang, Bo; Kang, Yan

2017-11-01

Experimental animal models of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have shown that the updated airway pressure release ventilation (APRV) methodologies may significantly improve oxygenation, maximize lung recruitment, and attenuate lung injury, without circulatory depression. This led us to hypothesize that early application of APRV in patients with ARDS would allow pulmonary function to recover faster and would reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation as compared with low tidal volume lung protective ventilation (LTV). A total of 138 patients with ARDS who received mechanical ventilation for mechanical ventilation from enrollment to day 28. The secondary endpoints included oxygenation, P plat , respiratory system compliance, and patient outcomes. Compared with the LTV group, patients in the APRV group had a higher median number of ventilator-free days {19 [interquartile range (IQR) 8-22] vs. 2 (IQR 0-15); P mechanical ventilation and ICU stay.

Application of a Reduced Order Kalman Filter to Initialize a Coupled Atmosphere-Ocean Model: Impact on the Prediction of El Nino

Science.gov (United States)

Ballabrera-Poy, Joaquim; Busalacchi, Antonio J.; Murtugudde, Ragu

2000-01-01

A reduced order Kalman Filter, based on a simplification of the Singular Evolutive Extended Kalman (SEEK) filter equations, is used to assimilate observed fields of the surface wind stress, sea surface temperature and sea level into the nonlinear coupled ocean-atmosphere model. The SEEK filter projects the Kalman Filter equations onto a subspace defined by the eigenvalue decomposition of the error forecast matrix, allowing its application to high dimensional systems. The Zebiak and Cane model couples a linear reduced gravity ocean model with a single vertical mode atmospheric model of Zebiak. The compatibility between the simplified physics of the model and each observed variable is studied separately and together. The results show the ability of the model to represent the simultaneous value of the wind stress, SST and sea level, when the fields are limited to the latitude band 10 deg S - 10 deg N. In this first application of the Kalman Filter to a coupled ocean-atmosphere prediction model, the sea level fields are assimilated in terms of the Kelvin and Rossby modes of the thermocline depth anomaly. An estimation of the error of these modes is derived from the projection of an estimation of the sea level error over such modes. This method gives a value of 12 for the error of the Kelvin amplitude, and 6 m of error for the Rossby component of the thermocline depth. The ability of the method to reconstruct the state of the equatorial Pacific and predict its time evolution is demonstrated. The method is shown to be quite robust for predictions I up to six months, and able to predict the onset of the 1997 warm event fifteen months before its occurrence.

Application of conjugated heparin-albumin microparticles with laser-balloon angioplasty: a potential method for reducing adverse biologic reactivity after angioplasty

Science.gov (United States)

Kundu, Sourav K.; McMath, Linda P.; Zaidan, Jonathan T.; Spears, J. Richard

1991-05-01

Laser-balloon angioplasty (LBA) may potentially be used for local application of pharmacologically active agents which will reduce thrombogenic and proliferative responses after the angioplasty. In this study, the feasibility of applying covalently conjugated heparin- albumin microparticles onto arterial luminal surface was demonstrated. The covalent linkages were formed by reaction with 1-ethyl-3-dimethyl-aminopropyl-carbodiimide (EDC), and the resultant conjugates were used for preparation of microparticles by employing standard emulsification and heat-crosslinking techniques. The heparin release rate from the microparticles was found to be dependent upon the degree of crosslinking. When a thin coagulum of a suspension of microparticles was formed with heat on a glass surface, the treated surface demonstrated resistance to clot formation in contact with non-anticoagulated blood. A suspension of the microparticles applied during laser-balloon angioplasty onto the luminal surface of dog carotid and femoral arteries showed persistence for up to one week without thrombus formation or occlusion of the vessel. Since the rate of biodegradation is primarily dictated by the extent of crosslinking, an optimal degree of thermal denaturation will permit longer persistence of the carrier while allowing adequate release of the entrapped pharmacologic agent. A variety of antithrombotic and antiinflammatory agents are being considered as candidate bioprotective materials for local application after angioplasty.

Doxycycline reduces nitric oxide production in guinea pig inner ears.

Science.gov (United States)

Helling, Kai; Wodarzcyk, Karl; Brieger, Jürgen; Schmidtmann, Irene; Li, Huige; Mann, Wolf J; Heinrich, Ulf-Rüdiger

2011-12-01

Gentamicin application is an important therapeutic option to control vertigo spells in Ménière's disease. However, even in the case of low-dose intratympanic application, gentamicin might contribute to a pathological NO-increase leading to cochlear damage and hearing impairment. The study was performed to evaluate the nitric oxide (NO) reducing capacity of doxycycline in the inner ear after NO-induction by gentamicin. In a prospective animal study, a single dose of gentamicin (10mg/kg body weight) was injected intratympanically into male guinea pigs (n=48). The auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) were recorded prior to application and 3, 5 and 7 days afterwards. The organ of Corti and the lateral wall of 42 animals were isolated after 7 days and incubated separately for 6h in cell culture medium. Doxycycline was adjusted to organ cultures of 5 animals. Two NOS inhibitors, N(G)-Nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) and NG-monomethyl-l-arginine monoacetate (l-NMMA), were applied in three different concentrations to the organ cultures of 30 animals in total (5 animals per concentration). As controls, seven animals received no further substance except gentamicin. The NO-production was quantified by chemiluminescence. Additional six gentamicin-treated animals were used for immunohistochemical studies. The ABRs declined continuously from the first to the seventh day after gentamicin application. Doxycycline reduced NO-production in the lateral wall by 54% (p=.029) comparable to the effect of the applied nitric oxide inhibitors. In the organ of Corti, NO-production was reduced by about 41% showing no statistical significance in respect to great inter-animal variations. The application of doxycycline might offer a new therapeutic approach to prevent NO-induced cochlea damage through ototoxic substances. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tablet-Based Education to Reduce Depression-Related Stigma

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Catherine; Winkelman, Megan; Wong, Shane Shucheng

2016-01-01

Objectives: This study investigated the efficacy of a tablet-based multimedia education application, the Project Not Alone Depression Module, in improving depression literacy and reducing depression stigma among a community-based mental health clinic population. Methods: A total of 93 participants completed either a tablet-based multimedia…

Scalability of Parallel Scientific Applications on the Cloud

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Satish Narayana Srirama

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Cloud computing, with its promise of virtually infinite resources, seems to suit well in solving resource greedy scientific computing problems. To study the effects of moving parallel scientific applications onto the cloud, we deployed several benchmark applications like matrix–vector operations and NAS parallel benchmarks, and DOUG (Domain decomposition On Unstructured Grids on the cloud. DOUG is an open source software package for parallel iterative solution of very large sparse systems of linear equations. The detailed analysis of DOUG on the cloud showed that parallel applications benefit a lot and scale reasonable on the cloud. We could also observe the limitations of the cloud and its comparison with cluster in terms of performance. However, for efficiently running the scientific applications on the cloud infrastructure, the applications must be reduced to frameworks that can successfully exploit the cloud resources, like the MapReduce framework. Several iterative and embarrassingly parallel algorithms are reduced to the MapReduce model and their performance is measured and analyzed. The analysis showed that Hadoop MapReduce has significant problems with iterative methods, while it suits well for embarrassingly parallel algorithms. Scientific computing often uses iterative methods to solve large problems. Thus, for scientific computing on the cloud, this paper raises the necessity for better frameworks or optimizations for MapReduce.

Strategic materials: Technologies to reduce US import vulnerability

Science.gov (United States)

1985-05-01

Three nations, South Africa, Zaire, and the U.S.S.R., account for over half of the world's production of chromium, cobalt, manganese, and platinum group metals. These metals are essential in the production of high-temperature alloys, steel and stainless steel, industrial and automotive catalysts, electronics, and other applications that are critical to the U.S. economy and the national defense. With minor exceptions, there is no domestic mine production of any of the four metals. Government actions to assure secure supplies of metals critical to the United States have been limited largely to reliance on the national defense stockpile to ensure the availability of materials required for national defense in time of war, leaving it to the free market to provide a diversity of suppliers for the industrial economy. An overall strategy to reduce U.S. reliance on uncertain sources of supply of strategic materials should be based on a combination of three technical approaches: increase the diversity of the world supply of strategic metals through the development of promising deposits; decrease demand for strategic metals through the implementation of improved manufacturing processes and recycling of strategic materials from scrap and waste; and identify and test substitute materials for current applications and develop new materials with reduced strategic material content for future applications.

Using cold air for reducing needle-injection pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Qarqaz, Firas; Al-Aboosi, Mustafa; Al-shiyab, Diala; Al Dabbagh, Ziad

2012-07-01

Pain is associated with skin injections. Reducing injection-associated pain is important especially when multiple injections are needed in difficult areas, such as the palms. We present a new safe application for cold air used in laser therapy. The main objectives of this study are to see whether cold air can reduce needle-injection pain and to evaluate the safety of this new application. Patients undergoing skin injection (n=40) were included. Assessment of pain level using visual analog scale (VAS) was done using cold air and again without cold air in the same patient. Comparison of pain scores was performed. Thirty-three patients had lower VAS scores using cold air. Five patients had worse VAS scores, and two patients did not have any change in their pain score. In the group of patients where injections were made to the palms (n=5), there was even more reduction in VAS scores. There were no significant immediate or delayed side effects. Cold air seems to be useful in reducing needle-injection pain in the majority of patients, especially in the palms. This procedure is safe, apart from immediate tolerable discomfort when used around the nose. © 2012 The International Society of Dermatology.

Bisimulation reduction of big graphs on MapReduce

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Luo, Y.; Lange, de Y.; Fletcher, G.H.L.; De Bra, P.M.E.; Hidders, A.J.H.; Gottlob, G.; Grasso, G.; Olteanu, D.; Schallhart, C.

2013-01-01

Computing the bisimulation partition of a graph is a fundamental problem which plays a key role in a wide range of basic applications. Intuitively, two nodes in a graph are bisimilar if they share basic structural properties such as labeling and neighborhood topology. In data management, reducing a

Reducing the capacitance of piezoelectric film sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

González, Martín G., E-mail: mggonza@fi.uba.ar [Grupo de Láser, Óptica de Materiales y Aplicaciones Electromagnéticas (GLOMAE), Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paseo Colón 850, C1063ACV Buenos Aires (Argentina); Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), C1425FQB Buenos Aires (Argentina); Sorichetti, Patricio A.; Santiago, Guillermo D. [Grupo de Láser, Óptica de Materiales y Aplicaciones Electromagnéticas (GLOMAE), Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paseo Colón 850, C1063ACV Buenos Aires (Argentina)

2016-04-15

We present a novel design for large area, wideband, polymer piezoelectric sensor with low capacitance. The large area allows better spatial resolution in applications such as photoacoustic tomography and the reduced capacitance eases the design of fast transimpedance amplifiers. The metalized piezoelectric polymer thin film is segmented into N sections, electrically connected in series. In this way, the total capacitance is reduced by a factor 1/N{sup 2}, whereas the mechanical response and the active area of the sensor are not modified. We show the construction details for a two-section sensor, together with the impedance spectroscopy and impulse response experimental results that validate the design.

Reducing the capacitance of piezoelectric film sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

González, Martín G.; Sorichetti, Patricio A.; Santiago, Guillermo D.

2016-01-01

We present a novel design for large area, wideband, polymer piezoelectric sensor with low capacitance. The large area allows better spatial resolution in applications such as photoacoustic tomography and the reduced capacitance eases the design of fast transimpedance amplifiers. The metalized piezoelectric polymer thin film is segmented into N sections, electrically connected in series. In this way, the total capacitance is reduced by a factor 1/N"2, whereas the mechanical response and the active area of the sensor are not modified. We show the construction details for a two-section sensor, together with the impedance spectroscopy and impulse response experimental results that validate the design.

On the electrocatalytic activity of nitrogen-doped reduced graphene ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

... battery applications. The heteroatom-doped graphene/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) ... over, in the membrane electrode assembly of fuel cell, the carbon supported ..... Wang Y, Shao Y, Matson D W, Li J and Lin Y 2010. ACS Nano 4 1790.

Effect of Tillage in Day or Night and Application of Reduced Dosage of Imazethapyr and Trifluralin on Weed Control, Yield and Yield Components of Chickpea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A Abbasian

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This Experiment was arranged as a strip-plot on the base of a completely randomized block design with three replications to study the effect of tillage (whether in day or night or in day by light-proof cover and application of reduced dosage of imazethapyr and trifluralin on weed control, yield and yield components of chickpea. Main plots consisted of tillage methods and subplots consisted of trifluralin (at doses of 480, 960 and 1440 g ai /ha and imazethapyr (at doses of 50, 100 and 150 g ai /ha, plus weed free and weedy checks. Results showed weed biomass in day tillage, night tillage and in light-proof cover tillage were respectively 86, 127 and 148 g m-2. Therefore tillage at night or by light-proof cover in day time showed not enough efficiency in weed control. Weed biomass increased when application dose of herbicides decreased. Chickpea grain yield showed significant differences when different doses of herbicides applied. The minimum and the maximum seed yield were obtained respectively in weed free (by 208 g m-2 and weedy checks (by 123 g m-2. Reduced dosage of imazethapyr and trifluralin could control weeds good enough by no significant decrease in chickpea yield. Efficacy of imazethapyr to control weeds grown in chickpea was significantly better than that of trifluralin

Writing and querying MapReduce views in CouchDB

CERN Document Server

Holt, Bradley

2011-01-01

If you want to use CouchDB to support real-world applications, you'll need to create MapReduce views that let you query this document-oriented database for meaningful data. With this short and concise ebook, you'll learn how to create a variety of MapReduce views to help you query and aggregate data in CouchDB's large, distributed datasets. You'll get step-by-step instructions and lots of sample code to create and explore several MapReduce views through the course of the book, using an example database you construct. To work with these different views, you'll learn how to use the Futon web a

Application of fungistatics in soil reduces N uptake by an arctic ericoid shrub (Vaccinium vitis-idaea)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walker, J.F.; Johnson, L.; Simpson, N.B.; Bill, M.; Jumpponen, A.

2009-11-01

In arctic tundra soil N is highly limiting, N mineralization is slow and organic N greatly exceeds inorganic N. We studied the effects of fungistatics (azoxystrobin [Quadris{reg_sign}] or propiconazole [Tilt{reg_sign}]) on the fungi isolated from ericaceous plant roots in vitro. In addition to testing the phytotoxicity of the two fungistatics we also tested their effects on growth and nitrogen uptake of an ericaceous plant (Vaccinium uliginosum) in a closed Petri plate system without root-associated fungi. Finally, to evaluate the fungistatic effects in an in vivo experiment we applied fungistatics and nitrogen isotopes to intact tundra soil cores from Toolik Lake, Alaska, and examined the ammonium-N and glycine-N use by Vaccinium vitis-idaea with and without fungistatics. The experiments on fungal pure cultures showed that Tilt{reg_sign} was more effective in reducing fungal colony growth in vitro than Quadris{reg_sign}, which was highly variable among the fungal strains. Laboratory experiments aiming to test the fungistatic effects on plant performance in vitro showed that neither Quadris{reg_sign} nor Tilt{reg_sign} affected V. uliginosum growth or N uptake. In this experiment V. uliginosum assimilated more than an order of magnitude more ammonium-N than glycine-N. The intact tundra core experiment provided contrasting results. After 10 wk of fungistatic application in the growth chamber V. vitis-idaea leaf %N was 10% lower and the amount of leaf {sup 15}N acquired was reduced from labeled ammonium (33%) and glycine (40%) during the 4 d isotope treatment. In contrast to the in vitro experiment leaf {sup 15}N assimilation from glycine was three times higher than from {sup 15}NH{sub 4} in the treatments that received no-fungistatics. We conclude that the function of the fungal communities is essential to the acquisition of N from organic sources and speculate that N acquisition from inorganic sources is mainly inhibited by competition with complex soil microbial

MapReduce Based Parallel Neural Networks in Enabling Large Scale Machine Learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yang; Yang, Jie; Huang, Yuan; Xu, Lixiong; Li, Siguang; Qi, Man

2015-01-01

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been widely used in pattern recognition and classification applications. However, ANNs are notably slow in computation especially when the size of data is large. Nowadays, big data has received a momentum from both industry and academia. To fulfill the potentials of ANNs for big data applications, the computation process must be speeded up. For this purpose, this paper parallelizes neural networks based on MapReduce, which has become a major computing model to facilitate data intensive applications. Three data intensive scenarios are considered in the parallelization process in terms of the volume of classification data, the size of the training data, and the number of neurons in the neural network. The performance of the parallelized neural networks is evaluated in an experimental MapReduce computer cluster from the aspects of accuracy in classification and efficiency in computation.

Electromagnetic therapeutic coils design to reduce energy loss

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syrek Przemyslaw

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The article introduces the problem of power loss reduction in applicators used in magnetotherapy. To generate magnetic field whose distribution is optimal and to reduce the power loss, the authors establish a set of parameters to evaluate the model of device. Results make it possible to infer that the real power input necessary to operate the magnetic field generator properly may vary significantly depending on construction and localization. The issues raised in this paper should be treated as a basis for further discussion on the construction of applicators used, e.g., in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.

Application of botulinum toxin to reduce the saliva in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Manrique, Dayse

2005-01-01

To demonstrate the effect of local application of Botox(R) in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), following our 2002 institutional protocol of sialorrhea treatment. Clinical prospective. Five patients with ALS assisted at Clinic of Otolaryngology of AACD (Associação de Assistência à Criança Deficiente). They were all submitted to local application of Botox in salivary glands and followed up for a year. The protocol consisted of clinical questionnaire about the inability of swallowing saliva and its repercussions in quality of life. Patients were submitted to previous odontological treatment, had intolerance to the adverse effects of anti-cholinergic agents and had not used Botox for at least six months. The application was guided by ultrasound and the doses were 30U in one point for submandibular gland, and 20U in two points for each parotid gland, after topic anesthetic with prilocaine. Five patients with ALS with sialorrhea, aged 45 to 59 years, were submitted to Botox salivary glands application. We observed that the symptoms of sialorrhea changed dramatically in four patients. Three patients stayed almost four months without complaints with repercussion in quality of life. No patient presented local or systemic effects with local injection of Botox.

Commercial applications for COIL

Science.gov (United States)

Solomon, Wayne C.; Carroll, David L.; King, D. M.; Fockler, L. A.; Stromberg, D. S.; Sexauer, M.; Milmoe, A.; Sentman, Lee H.

2000-01-01

The chemical oxygen-iodine laser (COIL) is a high power, fiber deliverable tool, which can be used for a number of different industrial applications. COIL is of particular interest because of its short fiber deliverable wavelength, high scaleable continuous wave power, and excellent material interaction properties. In past research the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign identified and decommissioning and decontamination (DD) of nuclear facilities as a primary focus for COIL technology. DD will be a major challenge in the coming decades. The use of a robotically driven fiber delivered cutting/ablation tool in contaminated areas promises to lower risks to workers for the DD mission. Further, the high cutting speed of COIL will significantly reduce the time required to cut contaminated equipment, reducing costs. The high power of COIL will permit the dismantling of thick stacks of piping and equipment as well as reactor vessels. COIL is very promising for the removal of material from contaminated surfaces, perhaps to depths thicker than an inch. Laser cutting and ablation minimizes dust and fumes, which reduces the required number of high efficiency particulate accumulator filters, thus reducing costly waste disposal. Other potential industrial applications for COIL are shipbuilding, automotive manufacturing, heavy machinery manufacturing, tasks requiring underwater cutting or welding, and there appear to be very promising applications for high powers lasers in the oil industry.

The role of information technology (IT) in reducing offshore operating costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stern, M.J.

1993-01-01

The rapid changes in information technology (IT) and its application have helped to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs offshore. Developments in IT itself, in terms of technology, organization and standards together with cultural change have created new opportunities. In the application of IT, the most significant impact on operations costs and effectiveness has come from the use of information throughout the life cycle, and improved telecommunications. This paper describes recent developments in IT and its application, and cites examples where oil companies have derived major benefits

Reduced Reactivity of Amines against Nucleophilic Substitution via Reversible Reaction with Carbon Dioxide

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fiaz S. Mohammed

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The reversible reaction of carbon dioxide (CO2 with primary amines to form alkyl-ammonium carbamates is demonstrated in this work to reduce amine reactivity against nucleophilic substitution reactions with benzophenone and phenyl isocyanate. The reversible formation of carbamates has been recently exploited for a number of unique applications including the formation of reversible ionic liquids and surfactants. For these applications, reduced reactivity of the carbamate is imperative, particularly for applications in reactions and separations. In this work, carbamate formation resulted in a 67% reduction in yield for urea synthesis and 55% reduction for imine synthesis. Furthermore, the amine reactivity can be recovered upon reversal of the carbamate reaction, demonstrating reversibility. The strong nucleophilic properties of amines often require protection/de-protection schemes during bi-functional coupling reactions. This typically requires three separate reaction steps to achieve a single transformation, which is the motivation behind Green Chemistry Principle #8: Reduce Derivatives. Based upon the reduced reactivity, there is potential to employ the reversible carbamate reaction as an alternative method for amine protection in the presence of competing reactions. For the context of this work, CO2 is envisioned as a green protecting agent to suppress formation of n-phenyl benzophenoneimine and various n-phenyl–n-alky ureas.

Reduced Graphene Oxide/Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Films Using Various p-Type Dopants and Their Application to GaN-Based Light-Emitting Diodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Byeong Ryong; Kim, Tae Geun

2017-01-01

This article reports the electrical and optical properties of the reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) films using various p-type dopants and their application to GaN-based light-emitting diodes. To enhance the current injection and spreading of the RGO/SWCNT films on the light-emitting diodes (LEDs), we increased the work function (Φ) of the films using chemical doping with AuCl₃, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) oxidized with poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and MoO₃; thereby reduced the Schottky barrier height between the RGO/SWCNT films and p-GaN. By comparison, LEDs fabricated with work-function-tuned RGO/SWCNT film doped with MoO₃ exhibited the decrease of the forward voltage from 5.3 V to 5.02 V at 20 mA and the increase of the output power up to 1.26 times. We also analyzed the current injection mechanism using ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Reduced Graphene Oxide/Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Film Using Various p-Type Dopants and Its Application to GaN-Based Light-Emitting Diodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Byeong Ryong; Kim, Tae Geun

2016-06-01

This paper reports the electrical and optical properties of the reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) films using various p-type dopants and its application to GaN-based light-emitting diodes. To enhance the current injection and spreading of the RGO/SWNT films on the light-emitting diodes (LEDs), we increased the work function (φ) of the films using chemical doping with AuCl3, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) oxidized with poly(4-styrenesulfonate) ( PSS) and MoO3; thereby reduced the Schottky barrier height between the RGO/SWNT films and p-GaN. By comparison, LEDs fabricated with work-function-tuned RGO/SWNT film doped with MoO3 exhibited the decrease of the forward voltage from 5.3 V to 5.02 V at 20 mA and the increase of the output power up to 1.26 times. We also analyzed the current injection mechanism using ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Reduced minimax filtering by means of differential-algebraic equations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

V. Mallet; S. Zhuk (Sergiy)

2011-01-01

htmlabstractA reduced minimax state estimation approach is proposed for high-dimensional models. It is based on the reduction of the ordinary differential equation with high state space dimension to the low-dimensional Differential-Algebraic Equation (DAE) and on the subsequent application of the

Low polymer hydraulic fracturing applications in Reconcavo basin wells can reduce cost and improve conductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzart, Joao Walter Pereira; Araujo, Paulo Fernando de

2000-01-01

Gels used for hydraulic-fracturing treatments generally contain high concentrations of polymer. The polymer helps the fracturing fluid achieve the level of viscosity necessary for transporting proppant through the rock matrix. However, high-polymer gels leave greater amounts of residue in the formation and can therefore cause formation damage. This paper describes how low polymer (L P) gels can be used for hydraulic-fracturing operations to reduce job costs and increase conductivity by reducing formation damage while maintaining the characteristics of a high-polymer gel. The L P fluid system has a low p H and contains an appropriate breaker concentration. Operators have achieved positive results with this system, which allows them to measure robust gel breaks and reduces the necessity for well cleaning. Consequently, formation damage can be significantly reduced. (author)

Flywheels: Mobile applications

Science.gov (United States)

Rabenhorst, D. W.

1981-06-01

The characteristics of modern flywheel energy storage systems uniquely qualify the flywheel for use in a variety of road vehicles, off road vehicles and rail vehicles. About sixty studies and vehicle demonstration programs in a dozen countries indicate that future such flywheel powered vehicles will have improved performance, reduced energy and fuel consumption and reduced life cycle cost. Flywheel capabilities and mobile applications were reviewed.

Reducing the risk of nuclear terrorism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hibbs, R.

2005-01-01

Full text: The March 2005 'International conference on nuclear security, global directions for the future' noted that nuclear terrorism is one of the greatest threats to society. Eminent members of a multi-national panel stated that there is no one principal activity to reduce the risk of nuclear terrorism and that a combination of activities is required. This paper seeks to identify those activities by analyzing the elements that comprise the risk of nuclear terrorism. For the purpose of the analysis, risk is the product of the probability of a terrorist attack (A p ), the success of a terrorist act (S p ) and the consequence (C) of the attack: R=A p * S p * C. The paper examines each of these three elements of risk with the objective of identifying what we are doing and what else we could be doing to reduce risk. It takes into consideration some historic catastrophes, examines how they might have been prevented or their consequences reduced, and if there are lessons that are applicable to reducing the risk of nuclear terrorism. The paper demonstrates that we have concentrated on only one of the three elements of risk and offer suggestions for diminishing the risk of nuclear terrorism by addressing all the elements. (author)

Draft Genome Sequence of a Novel Desulfobacteraceae Member from a Sulfate-Reducing Bioreactor Metagenome

OpenAIRE

Almstrand, Robert; Pinto, Ameet J.; Figueroa, Linda A.; Sharp, Jonathan O.

2016-01-01

Sulfate-reducing bacteria are important players in the global sulfur cycle and of considerable commercial interest. The draft genome sequence of a sulfate-reducing bacterium of the family Desulfobacteraceae, assembled from a sulfate-reducing bioreactor metagenome, indicates that heavy-metal? and acid-resistance traits of this organism may be of importance for its application in acid mine drainage mitigation.

A novel loss reduced modulation strategy for matrix converters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Helle, Lars; Munk-Nielsen, Stig

2001-01-01

This paper presents a new modulation strategy for three-phase to three-phase matrix converters. The new modulation strategy is applicable whenever the output voltage reference is below half the input voltage. By applying this new modulation method, the switching losses are reduced by 15-35% compa...

Barium borate nanorod decorated reduced graphene oxide for optical power limiting applications

Science.gov (United States)

Muruganandi, G.; Saravanan, M.; Vinitha, G.; Jessie Raj, M. B.; Sabari Girisun, T. C.

2018-01-01

By simple hydrothermal method, nanorods of barium boate were successfully loaded on reduced graphene oxide sheets. Powder XRD confirms the incorporation of barium borate (2θ = 29°, (202)) along with the transition of graphene oxide (2θ = 12°, (001)) into reduced graphene oxide (2θ = 25°, (002)). In the FTIR spectra, presence of characteristic absorption peaks of rGO (1572 and 2928 cm-1) and barium borate (510, 760 and 856 cm-1) further evidences the formation of BBO:rGO nanocomposite. FESEM images potray the existence of graphene sheets as thin layers and growth of barium borate as nanorods on the sheets of reduced graphene oxide. Ground state absorption studies reveal the hypsochromic shift in the absorption maxima of the graphene layers due to reduction of graphene oxide and hypochromic shift in the absorbance intensity due to the inclusion of highly transparent barium bortae. The photoluminescence of BBO:rGO shows maximum emission in the UV region arising from the direct transitions involving the valence band and conduction band in the band gap region. Z-scan technique using CW diode pumped Nd:YAG laser (532 nm, 50 mW) exposes that both nanocomposite and individual counterpart possess saturable absorption and self-defocusing behavior. Third-order nonlinear optical coefficients of BBO:rGO nanocomposite is found to be higher than bare graphene oxide. In particular the nonlinear refractive index of nanocomposite is almost four times higher than GO which resulted in superior optical power limiting action. Strong nonlinear refraction (self-defocusing) and lower onset limiting thershold makes the BBO:rGO nanocomposite preferable candidate for laser safety devices.

MapReduce Based Parallel Neural Networks in Enabling Large Scale Machine Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Liu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Artificial neural networks (ANNs have been widely used in pattern recognition and classification applications. However, ANNs are notably slow in computation especially when the size of data is large. Nowadays, big data has received a momentum from both industry and academia. To fulfill the potentials of ANNs for big data applications, the computation process must be speeded up. For this purpose, this paper parallelizes neural networks based on MapReduce, which has become a major computing model to facilitate data intensive applications. Three data intensive scenarios are considered in the parallelization process in terms of the volume of classification data, the size of the training data, and the number of neurons in the neural network. The performance of the parallelized neural networks is evaluated in an experimental MapReduce computer cluster from the aspects of accuracy in classification and efficiency in computation.

Aiming at super long term application of nuclear energy. Scope and subjects on the water cooled breeder reactor, the 'reduced moderation water reactor'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Osamu; Tatematsu, Kenji; Tanaka, Yoji

2001-01-01

In order to make possible on nuclear energy application for super long term, development of sodium cooling type fast breeder reactor (FBR) has been carried out before today. However, as it was found that its commercialization was technically and economically difficult beyond expectation, a number of nations withdrew from its development. And, as Japan has continued its development, scope of its actual application is not found yet. Now, a research and development on a water cooling type breeder reactor, the reduced moderation water reactor (RMWR)' using LWR technology has now been progressed under a center of JAERI. This RMWR is a reactor intending a jumping upgrade of conversion ratio by densely arranging fuel bars to shift neutron spectrum to faster region. The RMWR has a potential realizable on full-dress plutonium application at earlier timing through its high conversion ratio, high combustion degree, plutonium multi-recycling, and so on. And, it has also feasibility to solve uranium resource problem by realization of conversion ratio with more than 1.0, to contribute to super long term application of nuclear energy. Here was investigated on an effect of reactor core on RMWR, especially of its conversion ratio and plutonium loading on introduction effect as well as on how RMWR could be contributed to reduction of uranium resource consumption, by drawing some scenario on development of power generation reactor and fuel cycle in Japan under scope of super long term with more than 100 years in future. And, trial calculation on power generation cost of the RMWR was carried out to investigate some subjects at a viewpoint of upgrading on economy. (G.K.)

Effectiveness and Application of an Online Leadership Intervention to Promote Mental Health and Reduce Depression-Related Stigma in Organizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Shann, Clare; Martin, Angela; Chester, Andrea; Ruddock, Scott

2018-01-04

Addressing the stigma of mental illness and its effect in the workplace is a contemporary issue in occupational health. The role of leaders is a vital but relatively unexplored dimension of this phenomenon. This study examined the effectiveness and application of an online intervention to reduce depression-related stigma in organizational leaders. A randomized controlled, "in the field" study was conducted with 196 leaders. Participants completed an online survey and were randomly assigned to either the experimental or wait-list control group. One week later, participants in the experimental group were given access to a brief online workplace mental health intervention and asked to complete a postsurvey, whereas the control group had to only complete the online postsurvey. Six months later, participants completed a follow-up online survey. Results revealed significant reductions in behavioral and affective depression-related stigma scores among leaders who completed the intervention, compared with the control group. These reductions were similar at 6 months. The factors that enabled or hindered training transfer from the intervention were examined through semistructured interviews with 16 of the participating leaders. Results showed that positive attitudes and high levels of knowledge are not sufficient to ensure leaders apply intervention learning in their work environments. Factors including the nature of the work environment, the collective readiness and capability of the organization to address these issues, the attitudes of others at work, and the broader political context affected the application of learning from the intervention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

QoS oriented MapReduce Optimization for Hadoop Based BigData Application

OpenAIRE

Burhan Ul Islam Khan; Rashidah F. Olanrewaju

2014-01-01

International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications (IJERA) is an open access online peer reviewed international journal that publishes research and review articles in the fields of Computer Science, Neural Networks, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Information Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Plastic Engineering, Food Technology, Textile Engineering, Nano Technology & science, Power Electronics, Electronics & Communication Engineering, Computa...

Spatial repellents on strips of camouflage netting reduce mosquito collections in a field environment

Science.gov (United States)

Barrier treatments can be effective in reducing host seeking mosquito vectors and provide an additional layer of passive defense, reducing disease risk. Devices designed to release spatial repellents or direct application of spatial repellents to artificial surfaces can serve as efficient barriers r...

Application of denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography for monitoring sulfate-reducing bacteria in oil fields.

Science.gov (United States)

Priha, Outi; Nyyssönen, Mari; Bomberg, Malin; Laitila, Arja; Simell, Jaakko; Kapanen, Anu; Juvonen, Riikka

2013-09-01

Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) participate in microbially induced corrosion (MIC) of equipment and H2S-driven reservoir souring in oil field sites. Successful management of industrial processes requires methods that allow robust monitoring of microbial communities. This study investigated the applicability of denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) targeting the dissimilatory sulfite reductase ß-subunit (dsrB) gene for monitoring SRB communities in oil field samples from the North Sea, the United States, and Brazil. Fifteen of the 28 screened samples gave a positive result in real-time PCR assays, containing 9 × 10(1) to 6 × 10(5) dsrB gene copies ml(-1). DHPLC and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) community profiles of the PCR-positive samples shared an overall similarity; both methods revealed the same samples to have the lowest and highest diversity. The SRB communities were diverse, and different dsrB compositions were detected at different geographical locations. The identified dsrB gene sequences belonged to several phylogenetic groups, such as Desulfovibrio, Desulfococcus, Desulfomicrobium, Desulfobulbus, Desulfotignum, Desulfonatronovibrio, and Desulfonauticus. DHPLC showed an advantage over DGGE in that the community profiles were very reproducible from run to run, and the resolved gene fragments could be collected using an automated fraction collector and sequenced without a further purification step. DGGE, on the other hand, included casting of gradient gels, and several rounds of rerunning, excising, and reamplification of bands were needed for successful sequencing. In summary, DHPLC proved to be a suitable tool for routine monitoring of the diversity of SRB communities in oil field samples.

Fixed-point image orthorectification algorithms for reduced computational cost

Science.gov (United States)

French, Joseph Clinton

Imaging systems have been applied to many new applications in recent years. With the advent of low-cost, low-power focal planes and more powerful, lower cost computers, remote sensing applications have become more wide spread. Many of these applications require some form of geolocation, especially when relative distances are desired. However, when greater global positional accuracy is needed, orthorectification becomes necessary. Orthorectification is the process of projecting an image onto a Digital Elevation Map (DEM), which removes terrain distortions and corrects the perspective distortion by changing the viewing angle to be perpendicular to the projection plane. Orthorectification is used in disaster tracking, landscape management, wildlife monitoring and many other applications. However, orthorectification is a computationally expensive process due to floating point operations and divisions in the algorithm. To reduce the computational cost of on-board processing, two novel algorithm modifications are proposed. One modification is projection utilizing fixed-point arithmetic. Fixed point arithmetic removes the floating point operations and reduces the processing time by operating only on integers. The second modification is replacement of the division inherent in projection with a multiplication of the inverse. The inverse must operate iteratively. Therefore, the inverse is replaced with a linear approximation. As a result of these modifications, the processing time of projection is reduced by a factor of 1.3x with an average pixel position error of 0.2% of a pixel size for 128-bit integer processing and over 4x with an average pixel position error of less than 13% of a pixel size for a 64-bit integer processing. A secondary inverse function approximation is also developed that replaces the linear approximation with a quadratic. The quadratic approximation produces a more accurate approximation of the inverse, allowing for an integer multiplication calculation

One-Step Laser Patterned Highly Uniform Reduced Graphene Oxide Thin Films for Circuit-Enabled Tattoo and Flexible Humidity Sensor Application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rowoon Park

2018-06-01

Full Text Available The conversion of graphene oxide (GO into reduced graphene oxide (rGO is imperative for the electronic device applications of graphene-based materials. Efficient and cost-effective fabrication of highly uniform GO films and the successive reduction into rGO on a large area is still a cumbersome task through conventional protocols. Improved film casting of GO sheets on a polymeric substrate with quick and green reduction processes has a potential that may establish a path to the practical flexible electronics. Herein, we report a facile deposition process of GO on flexible polymer substrates to create highly uniform thin films over a large area by a flow-enabled self-assembly approach. The self-assembly of GO sheets was successfully performed by dragging the trapped solution of GO in confined geometry, which consisted of an upper stationary blade and a lower moving substrate on a motorized translational stage. The prepared GO thin films could be selectively reduced and facilitated from the simple laser direct writing process for programmable circuit printing with the desired configuration and less sample damage due to the non-contact mode operation without the use of photolithography, toxic chemistry, or high-temperature reduction methods. Furthermore, two different modes of the laser operating system for the reduction of GO films turned out to be valuable for the construction of novel graphene-based high-throughput electrical circuit boards compatible with integrating electronic module chips and flexible humidity sensors.

Considering dominance in reduced single-step genomic evaluations.

Science.gov (United States)

Ertl, J; Edel, C; Pimentel, E C G; Emmerling, R; Götz, K-U

2018-06-01

Single-step models including dominance can be an enormous computational task and can even be prohibitive for practical application. In this study, we try to answer the question whether a reduced single-step model is able to estimate breeding values of bulls and breeding values, dominance deviations and total genetic values of cows with acceptable quality. Genetic values and phenotypes were simulated (500 repetitions) for a small Fleckvieh pedigree consisting of 371 bulls (180 thereof genotyped) and 553 cows (40 thereof genotyped). This pedigree was virtually extended for 2,407 non-genotyped daughters. Genetic values were estimated with the single-step model and with different reduced single-step models. Including more relatives of genotyped cows in the reduced single-step model resulted in a better agreement of results with the single-step model. Accuracies of genetic values were largest with single-step and smallest with reduced single-step when only the cows genotyped were modelled. The results indicate that a reduced single-step model is suitable to estimate breeding values of bulls and breeding values, dominance deviations and total genetic values of cows with acceptable quality. © 2018 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Novel dielectric reduces corona breakdown in ac capacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Loehner, J. L.

1972-01-01

Dielectric system was developed which consists of two layers of 25-gage paper separated by one layer of 50-gage polypropylene to reduce corona breakdown in ac capacitors. System can be used in any alternating current application where constant voltage does not exceed 400 V rms. With a little research it could probably be increased to 700 to 800 V rms.

Reduced Stress Tensor and Dissipation and the Transport of Lamb Vector

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jie-Zhi; Zhou, Ye; Wu, Jian-Ming

1996-01-01

We develop a methodology to ensure that the stress tensor, regardless of its number of independent components, can be reduced to an exactly equivalent one which has the same number of independent components as the surface force. It is applicable to the momentum balance if the shear viscosity is constant. A direct application of this method to the energy balance also leads to a reduction of the dissipation rate of kinetic energy. Following this procedure, significant saving in analysis and computation may be achieved. For turbulent flows, this strategy immediately implies that a given Reynolds stress model can always be replaced by a reduced one before putting it into computation. Furthermore, we show how the modeling of Reynolds stress tensor can be reduced to that of the mean turbulent Lamb vector alone, which is much simpler. As a first step of this alternative modeling development, we derive the governing equations for the Lamb vector and its square. These equations form a basis of new second-order closure schemes and, we believe, should be favorably compared to that of traditional Reynolds stress transport equation.

Using the adaptive SMA composite cylinder concept to reduce radial dilation in composite pressure vessels

Science.gov (United States)

Paine, Jeffrey S.; Rogers, Craig A.

1995-05-01

Composite materials are widely used in the design of pressurized gas and fluid vessels for applications ranging from underground gasoline storage tanks to rocket motors for the space shuttle. In the design of a high pressure composite vessel (Pi > 12 Ksi), thick-wall (R/h short term dilation and long term creep are not problematic for applications requiring only the containment of the pressurized fluid. In applications where metallic liners are required, however, substantial dilation and creep causes plastic yielding which leads to reduced fatigue life. To applications such as a hydraulic accumulator, where a piston is employed to fit and seal the fluid in the composite cylinder, the dilation and creep may allow leakage and pressure loss around the piston. A concept called the adaptive composite cylinder is experimentally presented. Shape memory alloy wire in epoxy resin is wrapped around or within polymer matrix composite cylinders to reduce radial dilation of the cylinder. Experimental results are presented that demonstrate the ability of the SMA wire layers to reduce radial dilation. Results from experimental testing of the recovery stress fatigue response of nitinol shape memory alloy wires is also presented.

Reducing Vibrio load in Artemia nauplii using antimicrobial photodynamic therapy: a promising strategy to reduce antibiotic application in shrimp larviculture

Science.gov (United States)

Asok, Aparna; Arshad, Esha; Jasmin, C.; Somnath Pai, S.; Bright Singh, I. S.; Mohandas, A.; Anas, Abdulaziz

2012-01-01

Summary We propose antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) as an alternative strategy to reduce the use of antibiotics in shrimp larviculture systems. The growth of a multiple antibiotic resistant Vibrio harveyi strain was effectively controlled by treating the cells with Rose Bengal and photosensitizing for 30 min using a halogen lamp. This resulted in the death of > 50% of the cells within the first 10 min of exposure and the 50% reduction in the cell wall integrity after 30 min could be attributed to the destruction of outer membrane protein of V. harveyi by reactive oxygen intermediates produced during the photosensitization. Further, mesocosm experiments with V. harveyi and Artemia nauplii demonstrated that in 30 min, the aPDT could kill 78.9% and 91.2% of heterotrophic bacterial and Vibrio population respectively. In conclusion, the study demonstrated that aPDT with its rapid action and as yet unreported resistance development possibilities could be a propitious strategy to reduce the use of antibiotics in shrimp larviculture systems and thereby, avoid their hazardous effects on human health and the ecosystem at large. PMID:21951316

Reduced multiple empirical kernel learning machine.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhe; Lu, MingZhe; Gao, Daqi

2015-02-01

Multiple kernel learning (MKL) is demonstrated to be flexible and effective in depicting heterogeneous data sources since MKL can introduce multiple kernels rather than a single fixed kernel into applications. However, MKL would get a high time and space complexity in contrast to single kernel learning, which is not expected in real-world applications. Meanwhile, it is known that the kernel mapping ways of MKL generally have two forms including implicit kernel mapping and empirical kernel mapping (EKM), where the latter is less attracted. In this paper, we focus on the MKL with the EKM, and propose a reduced multiple empirical kernel learning machine named RMEKLM for short. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first to reduce both time and space complexity of the MKL with EKM. Different from the existing MKL, the proposed RMEKLM adopts the Gauss Elimination technique to extract a set of feature vectors, which is validated that doing so does not lose much information of the original feature space. Then RMEKLM adopts the extracted feature vectors to span a reduced orthonormal subspace of the feature space, which is visualized in terms of the geometry structure. It can be demonstrated that the spanned subspace is isomorphic to the original feature space, which means that the dot product of two vectors in the original feature space is equal to that of the two corresponding vectors in the generated orthonormal subspace. More importantly, the proposed RMEKLM brings a simpler computation and meanwhile needs a less storage space, especially in the processing of testing. Finally, the experimental results show that RMEKLM owns a much efficient and effective performance in terms of both complexity and classification. The contributions of this paper can be given as follows: (1) by mapping the input space into an orthonormal subspace, the geometry of the generated subspace is visualized; (2) this paper first reduces both the time and space complexity of the EKM-based MKL; (3

Orthodontic Treatment in Adult Patient with Reduced Periodontium: A Case Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Shintcovsk, Ricardo Lima; Knop, Luegya Amorim Henriques; Pinto, Ary Santos; Gandini, Luiz Gonzaga; Martins, Lídia Parsekian

2015-01-01

Patients presenting reduced periodontium represent a major concern for orthodontists. The purpose of this article is to present the clinical case of an adult patient who presented sequel of periodontal disease (diastemas) compromising her dental aesthetics. She was subjected to an orthodontic treatment with the application of light forces distant from the teeth with reduced periodontium. A periodontal support therapy was successfully implemented. The final stage of the treatment indicated satisfactory occlusal and periodontal characteristics.

Ventilation Guidance for Spray Polyurethane Foam Application

Science.gov (United States)

Properly designed ventilation can reduce airborne levels of aerosols, mists, and vapors generated during spray application and can help protect SPF applicators, helpers, and others who may be working in adjacent areas.

Effect of additives in reducing ash sintering and slagging in biomass combustion applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Liang

2012-07-01

formation of low temperature melting potassium rich silicates and phosphates, causing severe sintering of the WCob ash at elevated temperatures. In contrast, both the Pioneer corn cob (PCob) and Surcin corn cob (SCob) contained high contents of Cl, Ca and Mg that promote K release from the ashes to a certain extent and inhibit formation of low temperature melting K rich silicates and phosphates. In addition, abundance of Ca and Mg in the PCob and SCob facilitated formation of high temperature melting Ca/Mg-K-silicates and Ca/Mg-K-phosphates, reducing sintering degrees of ashes derived from these two corn cobs. Utilizing additives is an efficient way to mitigate ash related operational problems in biomass combustion applications. The useful additives can be proximately categorized into Al-Si-based, S-based, calcium-based and phosphorus-based, according to the major chemical composition in the additives. After fed into biomass combustion systems with different approaches, the additives can decrease amounts of problematic ash species through five possible mechanisms, which prevent and/or abate ash related problems consequently. It is interesting to exploit additives from waste materials, which are normally characterized with rather high chemical reactivity, physical adsorption capacity, abundance of refractory compounds themselves and low costs. More detailed studies are needed to clarify effects of these additives on ash transformation during biomass combustion processes. Sintering characteristics of biomass ashes and effects of additives were investigated. The work revealed that severe fusion of wheat straw ash was associated with intensive formation and melting of potassium silicates under heating. Whereas, sintering of wood waste ash was caused by generation of low temperature melting potassium/sodium aluminum silicates and potassium/sodium calcium silicates. The best anti-sintering effect was achieved by using the marble sludge as additive. The dilution effect from the

Nitric oxide reduces oxidative damage induced by water stress in sunflower plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Inês Cechin

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Drought is one of the main environmental constraints that can reduce plant yield. Nitric oxide (NO is a signal molecule involved in plant responses to several environmental stresses. The objective of this study was to investigate the cytoprotective effect of a single foliar application of 0, 1, 10 or 100 µM of the NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP in sunflower plants under water stress. Water stressed plants treated with 1μM SNP showed an increase in the relative water content compared with 0 μM SNP. Drought reduced the shoot dry weight but SNP applications did not result in alleviation of drought effects. Neither drought nor water stress plus SNP applications altered the content of photosynthetic pigments. Stomatal conductance was reduced by drought and this reduction was accompanied by a significant reduction in intercellular CO2 concentration and photosynthesis. Treatment with SNP did not reverse the effect of drought on the gas exchange characteristics. Drought increased the level of malondialdehyde (MDA and proline and reduced pirogalol peroxidase (PG-POD activity, but did not affect the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD. When the water stressed plants were treated with 10 μM SNP, the activity of PG-POD and the content of proline were increased and the level of MDA was decreased. The results show that the adverse effects of water stress on sunflower plants are dependent on the external NO concentration. The action of NO may be explained by its ability to increase the levels of antioxidant compounds and the activity of ROS-scavenging enzymes.

Use of swelling clays to reduce permeability and its potential application to nuclear waste repository sealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, D.E.; Morrow, C.A.; Byerlee, J.D.

1982-01-01

The injection of swelling-clay slurries into joints or faults at a deep-burial nuclear waste disposal site may result in signficant permeability reductions for the effective containment of radioactive wastes. In an experiment conducted to illustrate the permeability change accompanying clay swelling, a coarse stone with interconnected pore spaces was injected with a clay-electrolyte slurry, modelling the pressure-grouting of a fractured repository rock. Subsequently, solutions with lower electroylte concentrations were driven through the clay-filled stone, corresponding to migration of lower salinity ground-waters through the clay-grouted fracture. The initial injection procedure reduced the permeability of the stone from 1--10 darcies to 700 nanodarcies; the changes in solution composition decreased permeability by more than 2 additional orders of magnitude to 3 nanodarcies. For application at a nuclear waste repository, the electrolyte concentration of the injected clay slurry should be made higher than that of the ground-water in the host rock. Subesquent interaction of the ground-water with the clays would initiate swelling and create the additional, post-injection permeability reductions that may be important in preventing the escape of buried radioactive wastes. The measured permeability of the clay filling is considerably lower than that of cement tested for borehole plugging. Clays also have the advantage over cement and chemical grouts in that they are geologically stable at relatively low temperatures and have a high capacity for radionuclide adsorption

Meteorological Data Analysis Using MapReduce

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Fang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In the atmospheric science, the scale of meteorological data is massive and growing rapidly. K-means is a fast and available cluster algorithm which has been used in many fields. However, for the large-scale meteorological data, the traditional K-means algorithm is not capable enough to satisfy the actual application needs efficiently. This paper proposes an improved MK-means algorithm (MK-means based on MapReduce according to characteristics of large meteorological datasets. The experimental results show that MK-means has more computing ability and scalability.

Cosmic anisotropy with reduced relativistic gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Castardelli dos Reis, Simpliciano [Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Departamento de Fisica, ICE, Juiz de Fora, MG (Brazil); Shapiro, Ilya L. [Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Departamento de Fisica, ICE, Juiz de Fora, MG (Brazil); Tomsk State Pedagogical University, Tomsk (Russian Federation); Tomsk State University, Tomsk (Russian Federation)

2018-02-15

The dynamics of cosmological anisotropies is investigated for Bianchi type I universe filled by a relativistic matter represented by the reduced relativistic gas model (RRG), with equation of state interpolating between radiation and matter. Previously it was shown that the interpolation is observed in the background cosmological solutions for homogeneous and isotropic universe and also for the linear cosmological perturbations. We extend the application of RRG to the Bianchi type I anisotropic model and find that the solutions evolve to the isotropic universe with the pressureless matter contents. (orig.)

Development Of Design Equations For A Square-tube Subbase Supporting A Shaft-mounted Speed Reducer

OpenAIRE

Brown III, William E.

2002-01-01

Shaft mounted speed reducers are used in material handling applications, such as conveyor systems for transporting ore out of mine shafts. A subbase joins the reducer with an electric motor, and serves to limit the misalignment between the motor shaft and the reducer input shaft. The entire assembly is supported at two points: the axis of rotation of the reducer output shaft, which is fixed, and a clevis-pin joint under the motor, which prevents rotation of the assembly about the reducer ou...

Application of Reduced Order Transonic Aerodynamic Influence Coefficient Matrix for Design Optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Pak, Chan-gi; Li, Wesley W.

2009-01-01

Supporting the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate guidelines, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA] Dryden Flight Research Center is developing a multidisciplinary design, analysis, and optimization [MDAO] tool. This tool will leverage existing tools and practices, and allow the easy integration and adoption of new state-of-the-art software. Today s modern aircraft designs in transonic speed are a challenging task due to the computation time required for the unsteady aeroelastic analysis using a Computational Fluid Dynamics [CFD] code. Design approaches in this speed regime are mainly based on the manual trial and error. Because of the time required for unsteady CFD computations in time-domain, this will considerably slow down the whole design process. These analyses are usually performed repeatedly to optimize the final design. As a result, there is considerable motivation to be able to perform aeroelastic calculations more quickly and inexpensively. This paper will describe the development of unsteady transonic aeroelastic design methodology for design optimization using reduced modeling method and unsteady aerodynamic approximation. The method requires the unsteady transonic aerodynamics be represented in the frequency or Laplace domain. Dynamically linear assumption is used for creating Aerodynamic Influence Coefficient [AIC] matrices in transonic speed regime. Unsteady CFD computations are needed for the important columns of an AIC matrix which corresponded to the primary modes for the flutter. Order reduction techniques, such as Guyan reduction and improved reduction system, are used to reduce the size of problem transonic flutter can be found by the classic methods, such as Rational function approximation, p-k, p, root-locus etc. Such a methodology could be incorporated into MDAO tool for design optimization at a reasonable computational cost. The proposed technique is verified using the Aerostructures Test Wing 2 actually designed

Science priorities for reducing the threat of invasive species

Science.gov (United States)

E. A. Chornesky; A. M. Bartuska; G. H. Aplet; J. Cummings-Carlson; F. W. Davis; J. Eskow; D. R. Gordon; K. W. Gottschalk; R. A. Haack; A. J. Hansen; R. N. Mack; F. J. Rahel; M. A. Shannon; L. A. Wainger; T. B. Wigley

2005-01-01

Invasive species pose a major, yet poorly addressed, threat to sustainable forestry. Here we set forth an interdisciplinary science strategy of research, development, and applications to reduce this threat. To spur action by public and private entities that too often are slow, reluctant, or unable to act, we recommend (a) better integrating invasive species into...

Leveraging Technology to Reduce Patient Transaction Costs.

Science.gov (United States)

Edlow, Richard C

2015-01-01

Medical practices are under significant pressure to provide superior customer service in an environment of declining or flat reimbursement. The solution for many practices involves the integration of a variety of third-party technologies that conveniently interface with one's electronic practice management and medical records systems. Typically, the applications allow the practice to reduce the cost of each patient interaction. Drilling down to quantify the cost of each individual patient interaction helps to determine the practicality of implementation.

Excess electrons in reduced rutile and anatase TiO2

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Wen-Jin; Wen, Bo; Zhou, Chuanyao; Selloni, Annabella; Liu, Li-Min

2018-05-01

As a prototypical photocatalyst, TiO2 is a material of scientific and technological interest. In photocatalysis and other applications, TiO2 is often reduced, behaving as an n-type semiconductor with unique physico-chemical properties. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the understanding of the fundamental properties and applications of excess electrons in reduced, undoped TiO2. We discuss the characteristics of excess electrons in the bulk and at the surface of rutile and anatase TiO2 focusing on their localization, spatial distribution, energy levels, and dynamical properties. We examine specific features of the electronic states for photoexcited TiO2, for intrinsic oxygen vacancy and Ti interstitial defects, and for surface hydroxyls. We discuss similarities and differences in the behaviors of excess electrons in the rutile and anatase phases. Finally, we consider the effect of excess electrons on the reactivity, focusing on the interaction between excess electrons and adsorbates.

A study on a pedicle-screw-based reduction method for artificially reduced artifacts

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hyun-Ju; Lee, Hae-Kag; Cho, Jae-Hwan

2017-09-01

The purpose of this study is a quantitative analysis of the degree of the reduction of the artifacts that are induced by pedicle screws through the application of the recently developed iterative metallic artifact reduction (I MAR) software. Screw-type implants that are composed of 4.5 g/cm3 titanium (Ti) with an approximate average computed tomography (CT) value of 6500 Hounsfield units (HUs) that are used for the treatment of spinal diseases were placed in paraffin, a tissueequivalent material, and then dried. After the insertion, the scanning conditions were fixed as 120 kVp and 250 mA using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) (Enlarge, Siemens, Germany). The slice thickness and the increment were set at the fields of view (FOVs) of 3 mm and 120 mm, respectively; the pitch is 0.8; the rotation time is 1 s; and the I MAR software was applied to the raw data of the acquired images to compare the CT-value changes of the posterior images. When the I MAR software was applied to animal vertebrae, it was possible to reduce the 65.7% image loss of the black-hole-effect image through the application of the I MAR software. When the I MAR image loss (%) was compared with the white-streak-effect image, the high-intensity image type with the white-streak effect could be reduced by 91.34% through the application of the I MAR software. In conclusion, a metal artifact that is due to a high-density material can be reduced more effectively when the I MAR algorithm is applied compared with that from the application of the conventional MAR algorithm. The I MAR can provide information on the various tissues that form around the artifact and the reduced metal structures, which can be helpful for radiologists and clinicians in their determination of an accurate diagnosis.

Calculation of parameters of radial-piston reducer based on the use of functional semantic networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pashkevich V.M.

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The questions of сalculation of parameters of radial-piston reducer are considered in this article. It is used the approach which is based technologies of functional semantic networks. It is considered possibility applications of functional se-mantic networks for calculation of parameters of radial-piston reducer. Semantic networks to calculate the mass of the radial piston reducer are given.

MULTIPLE IMAGING TECHNIQUES DEMONSTRATE THE MANIPULATION OF SURFACES TO REDUCE BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION

Science.gov (United States)

Surface imaging techniques were combined to determine appropriate manipulation of technologically important surfaces for commercial applications. Stainless steel surfaces were engineered to reduce bacterial contamination, biofilm formation, and corrosion during product processing...

Near field communications technology and the potential to reduce medication errors through multidisciplinary application.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connell, Emer; Pegler, Joe; Lehane, Elaine; Livingstone, Vicki; McCarthy, Nora; Sahm, Laura J; Tabirca, Sabin; O'Driscoll, Aoife; Corrigan, Mark

2016-01-01

Patient safety requires optimal management of medications. Electronic systems are encouraged to reduce medication errors. Near field communications (NFC) is an emerging technology that may be used to develop novel medication management systems. An NFC-based system was designed to facilitate prescribing, administration and review of medications commonly used on surgical wards. Final year medical, nursing, and pharmacy students were recruited to test the electronic system in a cross-over observational setting on a simulated ward. Medication errors were compared against errors recorded using a paper-based system. A significant difference in the commission of medication errors was seen when NFC and paper-based medication systems were compared. Paper use resulted in a mean of 4.09 errors per prescribing round while NFC prescribing resulted in a mean of 0.22 errors per simulated prescribing round (P=0.000). Likewise, medication administration errors were reduced from a mean of 2.30 per drug round with a Paper system to a mean of 0.80 errors per round using NFC (PNFC based medication system may be used to effectively reduce medication errors in a simulated ward environment.

Facile synthesis of iron oxides/reduced graphene oxide composites: application for electromagnetic wave absorption at high temperature

OpenAIRE

Lili Zhang; Xinxin Yu; Hongrui Hu; Yang Li; Mingzai Wu; Zhongzhu Wang; Guang Li; Zhaoqi Sun; Changle Chen

2015-01-01

Iron oxides/reduced graphene oxide composites were synthesized by facile thermochemical reactions of graphite oxide and FeSO4?7H2O. By adjusting reaction temperature, ?-Fe2O3/reduced graphene oxide and Fe3O4/reduced graphene oxide composites can be obtained conveniently. Graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide sheets were demonstrated to regulate the phase transition from ?-Fe2O3 to Fe3O4 via ?-Fe2O3, which was reported for the first time. The hydroxyl groups attached on the graphene oxide ...

Vortex network community based reduced-order force model

Science.gov (United States)

Gopalakrishnan Meena, Muralikrishnan; Nair, Aditya; Taira, Kunihiko

2017-11-01

We characterize the vortical wake interactions by utilizing network theory and cluster-based approaches, and develop a data-inspired unsteady force model. In the present work, the vortical interaction network is defined by nodes representing vortical elements and the edges quantified by induced velocity measures amongst the vortices. The full vorticity field is reduced to a finite number of vortical clusters based on network community detection algorithm, which serves as a basis for a skeleton network that captures the essence of the wake dynamics. We use this reduced representation of the wake to develop a data-inspired reduced-order force model that can predict unsteady fluid forces on the body. The overall formulation is demonstrated for laminar flows around canonical bluff body wake and stalled flow over an airfoil. We also show the robustness of the present network-based model against noisy data, which motivates applications towards turbulent flows and experimental measurements. Supported by the National Science Foundation (Grant 1632003).

Field applications of a radon barrier to reduce indoor airborne progeny

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Culot, M.V.J.; Olson, H.G.; Schiager, K.J.

1978-01-01

The use of uranium mill tailings in the foundations of dwellings has resulted in indoor radon progeny concentrations and gamma exposures in excess of levels presently allowed for the general public. An account is given of the applications of an epoxy coating on the indoor faces of the concrete foundations of three buildings in Grand Junction, Colorado. Epoxy barriers were shown to be effective for preventing radon influx into structures. Gamma exposure rates must be analyzed to ensure that buildup behind the barrier will not introduce an unacceptable gamma exposure level. The use of a sealant is especially economical in situations where structural integrity may be jeopardized by physical removal of uranium mill tailings. (author)

Can gender-fair language reduce gender stereotyping and discrimination?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sabine eSczesny

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Gender-fair language (GFL aims at reducing gender stereotyping and discrimination. Two principle strategies have been introduced to make languages gender-fair and to treat women and men symmetrically: neutralization and feminization. Neutralization is achieved, for example, by replacing male-masculine forms (policeman with gender-unmarked forms (police officer, whereas feminization relies on the use of feminine forms to make female referents visible (i.e., the applicant ... he or she instead of the applicant ... he. Integrating research on language structures, language policies, and individual language behavior, the present paper provides an overview of whether and under what circumstances GFL contributes to the reduction of gender stereotyping and discrimination.

Effects of growth reducer and nitrogen fertilization on morphological variables, SPAD index, interception of radiation and productivity of wheat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elvis Felipe Elli

2015-12-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of growth reducer and nitrogen fertilization on morphological variables, SPAD index, radiation interception, and grain yield of three cultivars of wheat. The experimental design was a randomized block in factorial scheme 3x5x2, with three cultivars (Mestre, Iguaçú and Itaipú, five nitrogen doses (0, 40, 80, 120, 160 Kg ha-1, and application or no application of a growth reducer, with three replications. The following characteristics were evaluated: plant height, SPAD index, leaf area index (LAI, Global Radiation Interception (GRI and grain yield. The Tukey test (p < 0.05 was used for the comparison between the means of cultivar and growth reducer factors, and for a regression analysis to evaluate N levels. Increasing the dose of nitrogen promotes an increase in LAI of plants of wheat crops differently among cultivars, which leads to a greater degree of global radiation interception. At doses higher or equal to 120 Kg ha-1 of nitrogen, there are significant differences in grain yield between treatments with and without the application of the growth reducer. The significant interaction between growth reducer and nitrogen dose, showed that applications of growth reducer increase the GRI at doses above and below 80 Kg ha-1 of nitrogen. Nitrogen rates of 138 and 109 Kg ha-1 are responsible for maximum grain yields of wheat, which is 4235 and 3787 Kg ha-1 with and without the use of growth reducer, respectively.

General principles of passive radar signature reducing – stealth technology and its applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandru Marius PANAIT

2010-03-01

Full Text Available The paper presents passive radar signature reducing principles and technologies and discusses the ways to implement stealthy characteristics in general vehicle design. Stealth is a major requirement to all current-generation military vehicle designs and also a strong selling point for various aircraft and UAVs.

Reducing the Computational Complexity of Reconstruction in Compressed Sensing Nonuniform Sampling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grigoryan, Ruben; Jensen, Tobias Lindstrøm; Arildsen, Thomas

2013-01-01

sparse signals, but requires computationally expensive reconstruction algorithms. This can be an obstacle for real-time applications. The reduction of complexity is achieved by applying a multi-coset sampling procedure. This proposed method reduces the size of the dictionary matrix, the size...

Large-scale synthesis of reduced graphene oxides with uniformly coated polyaniline for supercapacitor applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Salunkhe, Rahul R; Hsu, Shao-Hui; Wu, Kevin C W; Yamauchi, Yusuke

2014-06-01

We report an effective route for the preparation of layered reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with uniformly coated polyaniline (PANI) layers. These nanocomposites are synthesized by chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline monomer in the presence of layered rGO. SEM, TEM, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy analysis results demonstrated that reduced graphene oxide-polyaniline (rGO-PANI) nanocomposites are successfully synthesized. Because of synergistic effects, rGO-PANI nanocomposites prepared by this approach exhibit excellent capacitive performance with a high specific capacitance of 286 F g(-1) and high cycle reversibility of 94 % after 2000 cycles. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Accelerating transient simulation of linear reduced order models.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thornquist, Heidi K.; Mei, Ting; Keiter, Eric Richard; Bond, Brad

2011-10-01

Model order reduction (MOR) techniques have been used to facilitate the analysis of dynamical systems for many years. Although existing model reduction techniques are capable of providing huge speedups in the frequency domain analysis (i.e. AC response) of linear systems, such speedups are often not obtained when performing transient analysis on the systems, particularly when coupled with other circuit components. Reduced system size, which is the ostensible goal of MOR methods, is often insufficient to improve transient simulation speed on realistic circuit problems. It can be shown that making the correct reduced order model (ROM) implementation choices is crucial to the practical application of MOR methods. In this report we investigate methods for accelerating the simulation of circuits containing ROM blocks using the circuit simulator Xyce.

Semiconductor technology for reducing emissions and increasing efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duffin, B.; Frank, R. [Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector, Phoenix, AZ (United States)

1997-12-31

The cooperation and support of all industries are required to significantly impact a worldwide reduction in gaseous emissions that may contribute to climate change. Each industry also is striving to more efficiently utilize the resources that it consumes since this is both conservation for good citizenship and an intelligent approach to business. The semiconductor industry is also extremely concerned with these issues. However, semiconductor manufacturer`s products provide solutions for reduced emissions and increased efficiency in their industry, other industries and areas that can realize significant improvements through control technology. This paper will focus on semiconductor technologies of digital control, power switching and sensing to improve efficiency and reduce emissions in automotive, industrial, and office/home applications. 10 refs., 13 figs.

A new approach to designing reduced scale thermal-hydraulic experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lapa, Celso M.F.; Sampaio, Paulo A.B. de; Pereira, Claudio M.N.A.

2004-01-01

Reduced scale experiments are often employed in engineering because they are much cheaper than real scale testing. Unfortunately, though, it is difficult to design a thermal-hydraulic circuit or equipment in reduced scale capable of reproducing, both accurately and simultaneously, all the physical phenomena that occur in real scale and operating conditions. This paper presents a methodology to designing thermal-hydraulic experiments in reduced scale based on setting up a constrained optimization problem that is solved using genetic algorithms (GAs). In order to demonstrate the application of the methodology proposed, we performed some investigations in the design of a heater aimed to simulate the transport of heat and momentum in the core of a pressurized water reactor (PWR) at 100% of nominal power and non-accident operating conditions. The results obtained show that the proposed methodology is a promising approach for designing reduced scale experiments

Effect of reducing agent on graphene synthesis and its influence on charge storage towards supercapacitor applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramachandran, Rajendran; Saranya, Murugan; Velmurugan, Venugopal; Raghupathy, Bala P.C.; Jeong, Soon Kwan; Grace, Andrews Nirmala

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Chemical reduction route was adopted for graphene preparation. • Electrochemical measurements were carried out in 6 M KOH. • Better electrochemical properties obtained for graphene than graphene oxide. • A high specific capacitance of 284.3 F/g was observed for SR1:10. - Abstract: A simple chemical route was adopted for the preparation of graphene by chemical reduction route using sodium borohydride (NaBH 4 ) as a reducing agent. A systematic study was done to show the effect of NaBH 4 on the reduction and the obtained graphene samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Atomic force microcopy and High resolution transmission electron microscopy. Better reduction of GO was observed at GO and NaBH 4 ratio of 1:10 (denoted as SR1:10). Further, the investigation was emphasized to show the effect of the above GO to reductant ratio on its charge storage properties. Electrochemical measurements were carried out in 6 M KOH electrolyte and the results show that the capacitance performance was increased in the order of GO < SR1:8 < SR1:4 < SR1:12 < SR1:10. A high specific capacitance of 284.3 F/g was observed for SR1:10 electrode at 5 mV/s scan rate could be due to better electrical conductivity of sample. The ratio of GO and NaBH 4 was optimized to 1:10 for high degree reduction of graphene, which has higher capacitance towards supercapacitor applications

Horizontal Gene Transfer Contributes to the Evolution of Arthropod Herbivory.

Science.gov (United States)

Wybouw, Nicky; Pauchet, Yannick; Heckel, David G; Van Leeuwen, Thomas

2016-06-27

Within animals, evolutionary transition toward herbivory is severely limited by the hostile characteristics of plants. Arthropods have nonetheless counteracted many nutritional and defensive barriers imposed by plants and are currently considered as the most successful animal herbivores in terrestrial ecosystems. We gather a body of evidence showing that genomes of various plant feeding insects and mites possess genes whose presence can only be explained by horizontal gene transfer (HGT). HGT is the asexual transmission of genetic information between reproductively isolated species. Although HGT is known to have great adaptive significance in prokaryotes, its impact on eukaryotic evolution remains obscure. Here, we show that laterally transferred genes into arthropods underpin many adaptations to phytophagy, including efficient assimilation and detoxification of plant produced metabolites. Horizontally acquired genes and the traits they encode often functionally diversify within arthropod recipients, enabling the colonization of more host plant species and organs. We demonstrate that HGT can drive metazoan evolution by uncovering its prominent role in the adaptations of arthropods to exploit plants. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Identification and characterization of parasitism genes from the pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus reveals a multilayered detoxification strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Espada, Margarida; Silva, Ana Cláudia; Eves van den Akker, Sebastian; Cock, Peter J A; Mota, Manuel; Jones, John T

2016-02-01

The migratory endoparasitic nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, which is the causal agent of pine wilt disease, has phytophagous and mycetophagous phases during its life cycle. This highly unusual feature distinguishes it from other plant-parasitic nematodes and requires profound changes in biology between modes. During the phytophagous stage, the nematode migrates within pine trees, feeding on the contents of parenchymal cells. Like other plant pathogens, B. xylophilus secretes effectors from pharyngeal gland cells into the host during infection. We provide the first description of changes in the morphology of these gland cells between juvenile and adult life stages. Using a comparative transcriptomics approach and an effector identification pipeline, we identify numerous novel parasitism genes which may be important for the mediation of interactions of B. xylophilus with its host. In-depth characterization of all parasitism genes using in situ hybridization reveals two major categories of detoxification proteins, those specifically expressed in either the pharyngeal gland cells or the digestive system. These data suggest that B. xylophilus incorporates effectors in a multilayer detoxification strategy in order to protect itself from host defence responses during phytophagy. © 2015 BSPP AND JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD.

9 CFR 317.380 - Label statements relating to usefulness in reducing or maintaining body weight.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... other ingredient only if the ingredient is safe for use in the product under the applicable law and... other comparative claims. A product purporting to be “reduced calorie” or otherwise containing fewer... bears another comparative calorie claim in compliance with the applicable provisions in this subpart. (2...

Application of polyacrylamide to reduce phosphorus losses from a Chinese purple soil: a laboratory and field investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Tao; Teng, Lingling; Wei, Shiqiang; Deng, Lili; Luo, Zaibo; Chen, Yupeng; Flanagan, Dennis C

2010-07-01

Use of anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) to control phosphorus (P) losses from a Chinese purple soil was studied in both a laboratory soil column experiment and a field plot experiment on a steep slope (27%). Treatments in the column study were a control, and PAM mixed uniformly into the soil at rates of 0.02, 0.05, 0.08, 0.10, and 0.20%. We found that PAM had an important inhibitory effect on vertical P transport in the soil columns, with the 0.20% PAM treatment having the greatest significant reduction in leachate soluble P concentrations and losses resulting from nine leaching periods. Field experiments were conducted on 5m wide by 21m long natural rainfall plots, that allowed collection of both surface runoff and subsurface drainage water. Wheat was planted and grown on all plots with typical fertilizer applied. Treatments included a control, dry PAM at 3.9 kg ha(-1), dry PAM at 3.9 kg ha(-1) applied together with lime (CaCO(3) at 4.9 t ha(-1)), and dry PAM at 3.9 kg ha(-1) applied together with gypsum (CaSO(4).2H(2)O at 4 t ha(-1)). Results from the field plot experiment in which 5 rainfall events resulted in measurable runoff and leachate showed that all PAM treatments significantly reduced runoff volume and total P losses in surface runoff compared to the control. The PAM treatments also all significantly reduced water volume leached to the tile drain. However, total P losses in the leachate water were not significantly different due to the treatments, perhaps due to the low PAM soil surface application rate and/or high experimental variability. The PAM alone treatment resulted in the greatest wheat growth as indicated by the plant growth indexes of wheat plant height, leaf length, leaf width, grain number per head, and dried grain mass. Growth indexes of the PAM with Calcium treatments were significantly lesser. These results indicate that the selection and use of soil amendments need to be carefully determined based upon the most important management goal at a

SU-F-T-25: Design and Implementation of a Multi-Purpose Applicator for Pelvic Brachytherapy Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bogue, J; Parsai, E [University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, OH (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: The current generation of inflatable multichannel brachytherapy applicators, such as the Varian Capri, have limited implementation to only vaginal and rectal cancers. While there are similar designs utilizing rigid, non-inflatable applicators, these alternatives could cause increased dose to surrounding tissue due to air gaps. Modification of the Capri could allow for easier treatment planning by reducing the number of channels and increased versatility by modifying the applicator to include an attachable single tandem for cervical or multiple tandems for endometrial applications. Methods: A Varian Capri applicator was simulated in water to replicate a patient. Multiple plans were optimized to deliver a prescribed dose of 100 cGy at 5mm away from the exterior of the applicator using six to thirteen existing channels. The current model was expanded upon to include a detachable tandem or multiple tandoms to increase its functionality to both cervical and endometrial cancers. Models were constructed in both threedimensional rendering software and Monte Carlo to allow prototyping and simulations. Results: Treatment plans utilizing six to thirteen channels produced limited dosimetric differences between channel arrangements, with a seven channel plan very closely approximating the thirteen channels. It was concluded that only seven channels would be necessary in future simulations to give an accurate representation of the applicator. Tandem attachments were prototyped for the applicator to demonstrate the ease of which they could be included. Future simulation in treatment planning software and Monte Carlo results will be presented to further define the ideal applicator geometry Conclusion: The current Capri applicator design could be easily modified to increase applicability to include cervical and endometrial treatments in addition to vaginal and rectal cancers. This new design helps in a more versatile single use applicator that can easily be inserted and to

Bio-Kil, a nano-based disinfectant, reduces environmental bacterial burden and multidrug-resistant organisms in intensive care units

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wen-Sen Lee

2017-10-01

Conclusion: Application of Bio-Kil reduced the environmental bacterial burden and MDROs in ICUs. Further studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of this nanotechnology-based disinfectant in reducing HAIs.

Reduced Graphene Oxide-Cadmium Zinc Sulfide Nanocomposite with Controlled Band Gap for Large-Area Thin-Film Optoelectronic Device Application

Science.gov (United States)

Ibrahim, Sk; Chakraborty, Koushik; Pal, Tanusri; Ghosh, Surajit

2017-12-01

Herein, we report the one pot single step solvothermal synthesis of reduced grapheme oxide-cadmium zinc sulfide (RGO-Cd0.5Zn0.5S) composite. The reduction in graphene oxide (GO), synthesis of Cd0.5Zn0.5S (mentioned as CdZnS in the text) nanorod and decoration of CdZnS nanorods onto RGO sheet were done simultaneously. The structural, morphological and optical properties were studied thoroughly by different techniques, such as XRD, TEM, UV-Vis and PL. The PL intensity of CdZnS nanorods quenches significantly after the attachment of RGO, which confirms photoinduced charge transformation from CdZnS nanorods to RGO sheet through the interface of RGO-CdZnS. An excellent photocurrent generation in RGO-CdZnS thin-film device has been observed under simulated solar light irradiation. The photocurrent as well as photosensitivity increases linearly with the solar light intensity for all the composites. Our study establishes that the synergistic effect of RGO and CdZnS in the composite is capable of getting promising applications in the field of optoelectronic devising.

Will nuclear power plant standardization reduce the licensing impact on construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allen, J.M.; Bingham, W.G.; Keith, D.G.

1976-01-01

The NRC and the nuclear industry have been pursuing standardization quite vigorously in an effort to reduce the cost and schedule for the design and construction of nuclear power plants. The NRC is currently reviewing standard plant applications submitted under each of four standardization options. In addition, the NRC has published Standard Review Plans and Standard Technical Specifications. Although problems exist in the implementation of standardization and in areas unaffected by standardization, each of these standardization methods has the potential to reduce the licensing impact on construction

Data-Intensive Text Processing with MapReduce

CERN Document Server

Lin, Jimmy

2010-01-01

Our world is being revolutionized by data-driven methods: access to large amounts of data has generated new insights and opened exciting new opportunities in commerce, science, and computing applications. Processing the enormous quantities of data necessary for these advances requires large clusters, making distributed computing paradigms more crucial than ever. MapReduce is a programming model for expressing distributed computations on massive datasets and an execution framework for large-scale data processing on clusters of commodity servers. The programming model provides an easy-to-underst

Investigación neuroquímica cerebral y aplicación preventiva para la reducción de los índices de criminalidad/Neurochemical brain research and it’s preventive application to reduce the crime statistics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Osvaldo Tieghi (Argentina

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Investigación neuroquímica cerebral y aplicación preventiva para la reducción de los índices de criminalidad Neurochemical brain research and it’s preventive application to reduce the crime statistics

Use of commercial grade item dedication to reduce procurement costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosch, F.

1995-01-01

In the mid-1980s, the Nuclear Regulatory Industry (NRC) began inspecting utility practices of procuring and dedicating commercial grade items intended for plant safety-related applications. As a result of the industry efforts to address NRC concerns, nuclear utilities have enhanced existing programs and procedures for dedication of commercial grade items. Though these programs were originally enhanced to meet NRC concerns, utilities have discovered that the dedication of commercial grade items can also reduce overall procurement costs. This paper will discuss the enhancement of utility dedication programs and demonstrates how utilities have utilized them to reduce procurement costs

­A practical application of reduced-copper antifouling paint in marine biological research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea S. Jerabek

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Biofouling of experimental cages and other field apparatuses can be problematic for scientists and has traditionally been addressed using frequent manual removal (e.g., scraping, scrubbing. Recent environmental restrictions and legislative changes have driven the development of less hazardous antifouling products, making antifouling paint a potential alternative option to manual removal. Consequently, the viability of using these newly developed products as a replacement for the manual cleaning of exclusion cages was experimentally investigated. There were six treatments tested, comprising three with settlement tiles in experimental cages coated with antifouling paint, two with settlement tiles in unpainted experimental cages, and one cage-free suspended tile. The three antifouling treatments comprised two reduced-copper paints (21% Cu2O and 40% Cu2O and one copper-free, Econea™-based paint (labeled “ecofriendly”. Antifouling paints were assessed for performance of preventing fouling of the cages and whether they elicited local effects on settlement tiles contained within them. All three paints performed well to reduce fouling of the cages during the initial six weeks of the experiment, but the efficacy of “ecofriendly” paint began to decrease during an extended deployment that lasted 14 weeks. The macro-community composition, biomass, and percent cover of settled organism on tiles within cages treated with copper-based paints (21% and 40% concentrations were indistinguishable from tiles within the manually scrubbed cages. In contrast, settlement to tiles from the “ecofriendly” treatment was different in composition of macro-community and lower in biomass, suggesting the presence of local effects and therefore rendering it unsuitable for use in settlement experiments. The results of this study suggest that reduced-copper paints have the potential to serve as an alternative to manual maintenance, which may be useful for deployments

APPLICATION OF CHEMICALLY ACCELERATED BIOTREATMENT TO REDUCE RISK IN OIL-IMPACTED SOILS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

J.R. Paterek; W.W. Bogan; L.M. Lahner; A. May

2000-04-01

The overall program objective is to develop and evaluate integrated biological/physical/chemical co-treatment strategies for the remediation of wastes associated with the exploration and production of fossil energy. The specific objectives of this project are: chemical accelerated biotreatment (CAB) technology development for enhanced site remediation, application of the risk based analyses to define and support the rationale for environmental acceptable endpoints (EAE) for exploration and production wastes, and evaluate both the technological technologies in conjugation for effective remediation of hydrocarbon contaminated soils from E&P sites in the USA.

APPLICATION OF CHEMICALLY ACCELERATED BIOTREATMENT TO REDUCE RISK IN OIL-IMPACTED SOILS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

J.R. Paterek; W.W. Bogan; L.M. Lahner; V. Trbovic; E. Korach

2001-05-01

The overall program objective is to develop and evaluate integrated biological/physical/chemical co-treatment strategies for the remediation of wastes associated with the exploration and production of fossil energy. The specific objectives of this project are: chemical accelerated biotreatment (CAB) technology development for enhanced site remediation, application of the risk based analyses to define and support the rationale for environmental acceptable endpoints (EAE) for exploration and production wastes, and evaluate both the technological technologies in conjugation for effective remediation of hydrocarbon contaminated soils from E&P sites in the USA.

The application of an integrated approach to design, procurement and construction in reducing overall nuclear power plant costs. Annex 19

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Didsbury, R.; Shalaby, B.A.; Torgerson, D.F.

2002-01-01

As part of its on-going efforts to reduce the cost of CANDU nuclear power plants, AECL has embarked on an integrated approach to design, procurement and construction activities associated with new CANDU 6 and CANDU 9 projects. The approach is predicated on the fact there is a vast quantity of information that needs to be managed and controlled over the life of a nuclear power plant project. Therefore, ensuring the completeness and correctness of all the information needed by all project participants, facilitating sharing of this information amongst the project's participants, and automating the various deliverable production processes offers significant potential not only for overall project cost (and schedule) savings but also for reducing operations and maintenance costs once the plant enters service. Facilitating and indeed of key importance to this approach is the use of a suite of integrated information technology-based engineering, procurement and project control tools used throughout the design, engineering, procurement and construction phases of the project. A unique and important feature of these tools is their high degree of integration both from a work process and a data perspective. Use of these tools is well underway on AECL's Qinshan Project which is realizing significant benefits in cost and schedule. This paper will describe the approach AECL is taking, along with the tools it has both put in place, and those additional items planned for the future along with the cost, schedule and quality benefits that arise from their use. Progress to date on the Qinshan project also will be discussed as well as the expected application to the plant once it has gone into service will also be discussed. (author)

Reduced-activation steels: present status and future development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klueh, R.L.

2007-01-01

Full text of publication follows: Reduced-activation steels for fusion reactor applications were developed in the 1980's to replace the commercial elevated- temperature steels first considered. In the United States, this involved replacing Sandvik HT9 and modified 9Cr-1Mo steels. Reduced-activation steels, which were developed for more rapid radioactivity decay following exposure in a fusion neutron environment, were patterned after the commercial steels they were to replace. The objective for the reduced-activation steels was that they have strengths (yield stress and ultimate tensile strength from room temperature to 600 deg. C) and impact toughness (measured in a Charpy test) comparable to or better than the steels they were replacing. That objective was achieved in reduced-activation steels developed in Japan, Europe, and the United States. Since the reduced-activation steels were developed in the 1980's, reactor designers have been interested designs for increased efficiency of future fusion plants. This means reactors will need to operate at higher temperatures-above 550 deg. C, which is the upper-temperature limit for the reduced-activation steels. Although the tensile and impact toughness of the reduced-activation steels exceed those of the commercial steels they were patterned after, their creep-rupture properties are inferior to some of the commercial steels they replaced. furthermore, they are much inferior to commercial steels that have been developed since the 1980's. Reasons for why the creep-rupture properties for the new commercial ferritic/martensitic steels are superior to the earlier commercial steels and the reduced-activation steels were examined. The reasons involve compositional changes that were made in the earlier commercial steels to give the new commercial steels their superior properties. Computational thermodynamics calculations were carried out to compare the expected equilibrium phases. It appears that similar changes in composition

Potentials of ionizing radiation in reducing hazards to man and environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mullie, W C; Van Laerhoven, M J.A.M.; Kroes, R

1991-07-01

The main goal of the title study was to compare a relevant number of conventional processes and technologies for a range of uses with the application of ionizing radiation technology. Special emphasis is given to the hazardous effects of contemporary processes and chemicals on man and environment and to the potential role of the radiation processing technology, gamma irradiation in particular, in reducing these hazards. Based on their quantities and on (eco)toxicological criteria, four fields of application were identified a priori as potentially of interest for radiation processing. These fields of application are food preservation, sterilization and sanitization of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, waste water and drinking water disinfection, and disinfection of sewage sludge and infectious hospital waste. Other fields of application as mentioned above are discussed in a more general matter. 12 figs., 31 tabs., 4 apps., refs.

Near field communications technology and the potential to reduce medication errors through multidisciplinary application

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

O’Connell, Emer

2016-07-01

Patient safety requires optimal management of medications. Electronic systems are encouraged to reduce medication errors. Near field communications (NFC) is an emerging technology that may be used to develop novel medication management systems.

Effects of a reducer type on copper flash smelting slag decopperisation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Oleksiak

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In the paper, results of investigations on coke dust, anthracite dust and coal flotation concentrate application in the technology of copper flash smelting slag processing are presented. The results show that the selected reducers can be used as substitutes for the conventional coke.

Facile hydrothermal preparation of titanium dioxide decorated reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Betty Yea Sze; Huang, Nay Ming; An’amt, Mohd Nor; Marlinda, Abdul Rahman; Norazriena, Yusoff; Muhamad, Muhamad Rasat; Harrison, Ian; Lim, Hong Ngee; Chia, Chin Hua

2012-01-01

A simple single-stage approach, based on the hydrothermal technique, has been introduced to synthesize reduced graphene oxide/titanium dioxide nanocomposites. The titanium dioxide nanoparticles are formed at the same time as the graphene oxide is reduced to graphene. The triethanolamine used in the process has two roles. It acts as a reducing agent for the graphene oxide as well as a capping agent, allowing the formation of titanium dioxide nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution (~20 nm). Transmission electron micrographs show that the nanoparticles are uniformly distributed on the reduced graphene oxide nanosheet. Thermogravimetric analysis shows the nanocomposites have an enhanced thermal stability over the original components. The potential applications for this technology were demonstrated by the use of a reduced graphene oxide/titanium dioxide nanocomposite-modified glassy carbon electrode, which enhanced the electrochemical performance compared to a conventional glassy carbon electrode when interacting with mercury(II) ions in potassium chloride electrolyte. PMID:22848166

Implementation of a solution Cloud Computing with MapReduce model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baya, Chalabi

2014-01-01

In recent years, large scale computer systems have emerged to meet the demands of high storage, supercomputing, and applications using very large data sets. The emergence of Cloud Computing offers the potentiel for analysis and processing of large data sets. Mapreduce is the most popular programming model which is used to support the development of such applications. It was initially designed by Google for building large datacenters on a large scale, to provide Web search services with rapid response and high availability. In this paper we will test the clustering algorithm K-means Clustering in a Cloud Computing. This algorithm is implemented on MapReduce. It has been chosen for its characteristics that are representative of many iterative data analysis algorithms. Then, we modify the framework CloudSim to simulate the MapReduce execution of K-means Clustering on different Cloud Computing, depending on their size and characteristics of target platforms. The experiment show that the implementation of K-means Clustering gives good results especially for large data set and the Cloud infrastructure has an influence on these results

Bioremediation: Effectiveness in reducing the ecological impact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scholten, M.C.T.

1992-01-01

Bioremediation becomes an important technique in oil spill combat programmes. The purpose is to shorten the exposure time of biota to oil compounds, in order to reduce long term environmental effects. Although bioremediation products have the advantage of stimulating the natural capacity to degrade oil, there are some limitations to be considered. Application as a technique for first emergency actions following an oil spill is not effective, and can therefore be no alternative for dispersion or mechanical removal of floating or freshly stranded oil slicks. Acute toxic effects are related to the short term exposure to unweathered oils. An immediate removal of oil is necessary to reduce the extent of the environmental impact of an oil spill. Physical processes (transport, dilution and evaporation) are determining the initial fate of environmentally released oil. Biodegradation only becomes important as a process of removing oil in the next phase. It is the only effective way to further reduce the concentration of oil that is left in (intertidal) coastal areas. Bioremediation thus reduces the duration of the environmental impact of an oil spill. This is especially important in ecosystems with a low recovery potential (e.g., salt marshes, rocky shores). The experimental evaluation of bioremediation products is mainly based on the capacity to reduce fresh oil and the acute toxicity of the product itself, rather than on the capacity to enhance the further reduction of weathered oil and the toxicological consequences of higher release rates of intermediate metabolites produced during the biotransformation processes

Viscoelastic property tuning for reducing noise radiated by switched-reluctance machines

Science.gov (United States)

Millithaler, Pierre; Dupont, Jean-Baptiste; Ouisse, Morvan; Sadoulet-Reboul, Émeline; Bouhaddi, Noureddine

2017-10-01

Switched-reluctance motors (SRM) present major acoustic drawbacks that hinder their use for electric vehicles in spite of widely-acknowledged robustness and low manufacturing costs. Unlike other types of electric machines, a SRM stator is completely encapsulated/potted with a viscoelastic resin. By taking advantage of the high damping capacity that a viscoelastic material has in certain temperature and frequency ranges, this article proposes a tuning methodology for reducing the noise emitted by a SRM in operation. After introducing the aspects the tuning process will focus on, the article details a concrete application consisting in computing representative electromagnetic excitations and then the structural response of the stator including equivalent radiated power levels. An optimised viscoelastic material is determined, with which the peak radiated levels are reduced up to 10 dB in comparison to the initial state. This methodology is implementable for concrete industrial applications as it only relies on common commercial finite-element solvers.

Eco-SCC: From Theory to Practical Application

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hüsken, G.; Brouwers, H.J.H.; Shui, Z.; Wu, S.; Yu, J.

2010-01-01

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation on the application of self-compacting concrete (SCC) with reduced cement content and fine stone waste materials. Two SCC mixes containing stone waste material were designed for the application in a new formwork system developed for

Forensics Investigation of Web Application Security Attacks

OpenAIRE

Amor Lazzez; Thabet Slimani

2015-01-01

Nowadays, web applications are popular targets for security attackers. Using specific security mechanisms, we can prevent or detect a security attack on a web application, but we cannot find out the criminal who has carried out the security attack. Being unable to trace back an attack, encourages hackers to launch new attacks on the same system. Web application forensics aims to trace back and attribute a web application security attack to its originator. This may significantly reduce the sec...

Reducing The Risk Of Fires In Conveyor Transport

Science.gov (United States)

Cheremushkina, M. S.; Poddubniy, D. A.

2017-01-01

The paper deals with the actual problem of increasing the safety of operation of belt conveyors in mines. Was developed the control algorithm that meets the technical requirements of the mine belt conveyors, reduces the risk of fires of conveyors belt, and enables energy and resource savings taking into account random sort of traffic. The most effective method of decision such tasks is the construction of control systems with the use of variable speed drives for asynchronous motors. Was designed the mathematical model of the system "variable speed multiengine drive - conveyor - control system of conveyors", that takes into account the dynamic processes occurring in the elements of the transport system, provides an assessment of the energy efficiency of application the developed algorithms, which allows to reduce the dynamic overload in the belt to (15-20)%.

Spin theory of the density functional: reduced matrices and density functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavlov, R.; Delchev, Y.; Pavlova, K.; Maruani, J.

1993-01-01

Expressions for the reduced matrices and density functions of N-fermion systems of arbitrary order s (1<=s<=N) are derived within the frame of rigorous spin approach to the density functional theory (DFT). Using the local-scale transformation method and taking into account the particle spin it is shown that the reduced matrices and density functions are functionals of the total one-fermion density. Similar dependence is found for the distribution density of s-particle aggregates. Generalization and applicability of DFT to the case of s-particle ensembles and aggregates is discussed. 14 refs

Are vacuum-filtrated reduced graphene oxide membranes symmetric?

KAUST Repository

Tang, Bo; Zhang, Lianbin; Li, Renyuan; Wu, Jinbo; Hedhili, Mohamed Neijib; Wang, Peng

2015-01-01

Graphene or reduced graphene oxide (rGO) membrane-based materials are promising for many advanced applications due to their exceptional properties. One of the most widely used synthesis methods for rGO membranes is vacuum filtration of graphene oxide (GO) on a filter membrane, followed by reduction, which shows great advantages such as operational convenience and good controllability. Despite vacuum-filtrated rGO membranes being widely used in many applications, a fundamental question is overlooked: are the top and bottom surfaces of the membranes formed at the interfaces with air and with the filter membrane respectively symmetric or asymmetric? This work, for the first time, reports the asymmetry of the vacuum-filtrated rGO membranes and discloses the filter membranes’ physical imprint on the bottom surface of the rGO membrane, which takes place when the filter membrane surface pores have similar dimension to GO sheets. This result points out that the asymmetric surface properties should be cautiously taken into consideration while designing the surface-related applications for GO and rGO membranes.

Are vacuum-filtrated reduced graphene oxide membranes symmetric?

KAUST Repository

Tang, Bo

2015-12-02

Graphene or reduced graphene oxide (rGO) membrane-based materials are promising for many advanced applications due to their exceptional properties. One of the most widely used synthesis methods for rGO membranes is vacuum filtration of graphene oxide (GO) on a filter membrane, followed by reduction, which shows great advantages such as operational convenience and good controllability. Despite vacuum-filtrated rGO membranes being widely used in many applications, a fundamental question is overlooked: are the top and bottom surfaces of the membranes formed at the interfaces with air and with the filter membrane respectively symmetric or asymmetric? This work, for the first time, reports the asymmetry of the vacuum-filtrated rGO membranes and discloses the filter membranes’ physical imprint on the bottom surface of the rGO membrane, which takes place when the filter membrane surface pores have similar dimension to GO sheets. This result points out that the asymmetric surface properties should be cautiously taken into consideration while designing the surface-related applications for GO and rGO membranes.

40 CFR 1027.120 - Can I qualify for reduced fees?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... United States. (2) The full fee for an application for certification for a model year exceeds 1.0% of the... sales area and model year as the requested certificate for the converted vehicle or engine. (3) For... information available at the time of the fee payment. (6) You may submit a reduced fee as described in this...

Reducing Environmental Allergic Triggers: Policy Issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Abramson, Stuart L

The implementation of policies to reduce environmental allergic triggers can be an important adjunct to optimal patient care for allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma. Policies at the local level in schools and other public as well as private buildings can make an impact on disease morbidity. Occupational exposures for allergens have not yet been met with the same rigorous policy standards applied for exposures to toxicants by Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Further benefit may be obtained through policies by local, county, state, and national governments, and possibly through international cooperative agreements. The reduction of allergenic exposures can and should be affected by policies with strong scientific, evidence-based derivation. However, a judicious application of the precautionary principle may be needed in circumstances where the health effect of inaction could lead to more serious threats to vulnerable populations with allergic disease. This commentary covers the scientific basis, current implementation, knowledge gaps, and pro/con views on policy issues in reducing environmental allergic triggers. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

IRIS pre-application licensing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carelli, Mario D.; Kling, Charles L.; Ritterbusch, Stanley E.

2003-01-01

This paper presents the approach to pre-application licensing by the International Reactor Innovative and Secure (IRIS), and advanced, integral reactor design with a thermal power of 1000 MW. The rationale for the pre-application licensing is discussed. Since IRIS technology is based on proven LWR experience, the project will rely on AP600/AP1000 precedent and will focus during the pre-application on long lead and novel items. A discussion of the evolution of the project to significantly reduce licensing issues is provided, followed by a summary of the IRIS safety-by-design which provides a formidable first step in the Defense in Depth approach. The effects of the safety-by-design, as well as of passive systems, on the IRIS safety will be investigated in a proposed testing program that will be reviewed by NRC during the pre-application. Documentation to be provided to NRC is discussed. Early design analyses indicate that the benefits of the IRIS safety-by-design approach are so significant that the basic premise of current emergency planning regulations (i.e., likelihood of core damage) will be reduced to the extent that special emergency response planning beyond the exclusion area boundary may not be needed. How this very significant outcome can be effected through a highly risk-informed licensing is discussed. (author)

Spatially differentiated strategies for reducing nitrate loads from agriculture in two Danish catchments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hashemi, Fatemeh; Olesen, Jørgen Eivind; Hansen, Anne Lausten

2018-01-01

Nutrient loss from agriculture is the largest source of diffuse water pollution in Denmark. To reduce nutrient loads a number of solutions have been implemented, but this has been insufficient to achieve the environmental objectives without unacceptable repercussions for agricultural production...... reducing the source loading or enhancing the natural reduction (denitrification) of N after it is leached from the root zone of agricultural crops. In this study, a new method of spatially differentiated analysis for two Danish catchments (Odense and Norsminde) was conducted that reach across...... the individual farms to achieve selected N-load reduction targets. It includes application of cover crops within current crop rotations, set-a-side application on high N-load areas, and changes in agricultural management based on maps of N-reduction available for two different spatial scales, considering soil...

21 CFR 105.66 - Label statements relating to usefulness in reducing or maintaining body weight.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... sweetener or other ingredient only if the ingredient is safe for use in the food under the applicable law...) “Reduced calorie” foods and other comparative calorie claims. A food purporting to be “reduced calorie” or... comparative calorie claim in compliance with part 101 of this chapter and this section. (2) Paragraph (e)(1...

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DEVELOPING SINGLE PAGE APPLICATION AND TRADITIONAL WEB APPLICATION BASED ON MECHATRONICS ROBOT LABORATORY ONAFT APPLICATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Solovei

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Today most of desktop and mobile applications have analogues in the form of web-based applications.  With evolution of development technologies and web technologies web application increased in functionality to desktop applications. The Web application consists of two parts of the client part and the server part. The client part is responsible for providing the user with visual information through the browser. The server part is responsible for processing and storing data.MPA appeared simultaneously with the Internet. Multiple-page applications work in a "traditional" way. Every change eg. display the data or submit data back to the server. With the advent of AJAX, MPA learned to load not the whole page, but only a part of it, which eventually led to the appearance of the SPA. SPA is the principle of development when only one page is transferred to the client part, and the content is downloaded only to a certain part of the page, without rebooting it, which allows to speed up the application and simplify the user experience of using the application to the level of desktop applications.Based on the SPA, the Mechatronics Robot Laboratory ONAFT application was designed to automate the management process. The application implements the client-server architecture. The server part consists of a RESTful API, which allows you to get unified access to the application functionality, and a database for storing information. Since the client part is a spa, this allows you to reduce the load on the connection to the server and improve the user experience

Hamilton-Jacobi theorems for regular reducible Hamiltonian systems on a cotangent bundle

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hong

2017-09-01

In this paper, some of formulations of Hamilton-Jacobi equations for Hamiltonian system and regular reduced Hamiltonian systems are given. At first, an important lemma is proved, and it is a modification for the corresponding result of Abraham and Marsden (1978), such that we can prove two types of geometric Hamilton-Jacobi theorem for a Hamiltonian system on the cotangent bundle of a configuration manifold, by using the symplectic form and dynamical vector field. Then these results are generalized to the regular reducible Hamiltonian system with symmetry and momentum map, by using the reduced symplectic form and the reduced dynamical vector field. The Hamilton-Jacobi theorems are proved and two types of Hamilton-Jacobi equations, for the regular point reduced Hamiltonian system and the regular orbit reduced Hamiltonian system, are obtained. As an application of the theoretical results, the regular point reducible Hamiltonian system on a Lie group is considered, and two types of Lie-Poisson Hamilton-Jacobi equation for the regular point reduced system are given. In particular, the Type I and Type II of Lie-Poisson Hamilton-Jacobi equations for the regular point reduced rigid body and heavy top systems are shown, respectively.

18 CFR 344.1 - Applicability.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... OF ENERGY REGULATIONS UNDER THE INTERSTATE COMMERCE ACT FILING QUOTATIONS FOR U.S. GOVERNMENT SHIPMENTS AT REDUCED RATES § 344.1 Applicability. The provisions of this part will apply to quotations or...

Preliminary Evaluation of MapReduce for High-Performance Climate Data Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Duffy, Daniel Q.; Schnase, John L.; Thompson, John H.; Freeman, Shawn M.; Clune, Thomas L.

2012-01-01

MapReduce is an approach to high-performance analytics that may be useful to data intensive problems in climate research. It offers an analysis paradigm that uses clusters of computers and combines distributed storage of large data sets with parallel computation. We are particularly interested in the potential of MapReduce to speed up basic operations common to a wide range of analyses. In order to evaluate this potential, we are prototyping a series of canonical MapReduce operations over a test suite of observational and climate simulation datasets. Our initial focus has been on averaging operations over arbitrary spatial and temporal extents within Modern Era Retrospective- Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) data. Preliminary results suggest this approach can improve efficiencies within data intensive analytic workflows.

Electrochemical Synthesis of Polypyrrole, Reduced Graphene Oxide, and Gold Nanoparticles Composite and Its Application to Hydrogen Peroxide Biosensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Baoyan Wu

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Here we report a facile eco-friendly one-step electrochemical approach for the fabrication of a polypyrrole (PPy, reduced graphene oxide (RGO, and gold nanoparticles (nanoAu biocomposite on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE. The electrochemical behaviors of PPy–RGO–nanoAu and its application to electrochemical detection of hydrogen peroxide were investigated by cyclic voltammetry. Graphene oxide and pyrrole monomer were first mixed and casted on the surface of a cleaned GCE. After an electrochemical processing consisting of the electrooxidation of pyrrole monomer and simultaneous electroreduction of graphene oxide and auric ions (Au3+ in aqueous solution, a PPy–RGO–nanoAu biocomposite was synthesized on GCE. Each component of PPy–RGO–nanoAu is electroactive without non-electroactive substance. The obtained PPy–RGO–nanoAu/GCE exhibited high electrocatalytic activity toward hydrogen peroxide, which allows the detection of hydrogen peroxide at a negative potential of about −0.62 V vs. SCE. The amperometric responses of the biosensor displayed a sensitivity of 40 µA/mM, a linear range of 32 µM–2 mM, and a detection limit of 2.7 µM (signal-to-noise ratio = 3 with good stability and acceptable reproducibility and selectivity. The results clearly demonstrate the potential of the as-prepared PPy–RGO–nanoAu biocomposite for use as a highly electroactive matrix for an amperometric biosensor.

Reducing environmental risk of excessively fertilized soils and improving cucumber growth by Caragana microphylla-straw compost application in long-term continuous cropping systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Yongqiang; Wang, Qing; Zhang, Weihua; Gao, Lihong

2016-02-15

Continuous cropping is a common agricultural practice in the word. In China, farmers often apply excessive fertilizers to fields in an attempt to maintain yields in continuous cropping systems. However, this practice often results in high nutrient concentrations in soils, nutrient pollution in leaching water and more crop disease. Here, we investigated 8 different soils from continuously cropped cucumbers in Northern China that grouped into those with extremely high nutrient levels (EHNL) and those with lower nutrient levels (LNL). All soils were treated with Caragana microphylla-straw (CMS) compost addition, and then were used to measure soil physiochemical and microbial properties, leaching water quality, plant root growth and cucumber fruit yield. In general, the EHNL-soil showed higher nitrate, phosphorus and potassium concentrations in the leaching water compared to the LNL-soil. However, the CMS compost application increased soil nutrient and water holding capacities, total microbial biomass (bacteria and fungi), root length, plant biomass and fruit yields, but decreased nutrient concentrations in the leaching water from the EHNL-soil. In addition, the CMS compost decreased the number of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum in soils with very high concentration of mineral nitrogen. Our results infer that CMS compost application was an effective method for reducing environmental risk of excessively fertilized soils. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

GREEN APPROACH TO BULK AND TEMPLATE-FREE SYNTHESIS OF THERMALLY STABLE REDUCED POLYANILINE NANOFIBERS FOR CAPACITOR APPLICATIONS

Science.gov (United States)

An extremely simple green approach is described that generates bulk quantities of nanofibers of the electronic polymer polyaniline in fully reduced state (leucoemeraldine form) in one step without using any reducing agent, surfactants, and/or large amounts of insoluble templates....

Natural biostimulants reduce the incidence of BER in sweet yellow pepper plants (Capsicum annuum L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nada Parađiković

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Modern greenhouse pepper production should evolve towards more sustainable systems. The growing technique which combines soilless culture and biostimulants may reduce nutrient and water use with beneficial impact on the environment. Therefore, this work aimed to investigate effects of biostimulants application on hydroponically produced pepper plants (Capsicum annuum L. in conditions of reduced fertilization. Positive influence of biostimulant treatment on yield parameters was observed along with significant decrease in incidence of blossom-end rot (BER in two pepper cultivars. Biostimulants application resulted in overall increase in macro- and microelement content in fruits of treated pepper cultivars. Generally, biostimulants improved the yield of pepper plants grown hydroponically by increasing the nutrient uptake and decreasing the occurrence of BER. Thus, the application of biostimulants could be considered as a good production strategy for obtaining high yields of nutritionally valuable vegetables with lower impact on the environment.

9 CFR 381.480 - Label statements relating to usefulness in reducing or maintaining body weight.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... only if the ingredient is safe for use in the product under the applicable law and regulations of this... criteria set forth for such foods in § 381.460. (d) “Reduced calorie” foods and other comparative claims. A... misleading, and the product is labeled “low calorie” or “reduced calorie” or bears another comparative...

Sparse reduced-rank regression with covariance estimation

KAUST Repository

Chen, Lisha

2014-12-08

Improving the predicting performance of the multiple response regression compared with separate linear regressions is a challenging question. On the one hand, it is desirable to seek model parsimony when facing a large number of parameters. On the other hand, for certain applications it is necessary to take into account the general covariance structure for the errors of the regression model. We assume a reduced-rank regression model and work with the likelihood function with general error covariance to achieve both objectives. In addition we propose to select relevant variables for reduced-rank regression by using a sparsity-inducing penalty, and to estimate the error covariance matrix simultaneously by using a similar penalty on the precision matrix. We develop a numerical algorithm to solve the penalized regression problem. In a simulation study and real data analysis, the new method is compared with two recent methods for multivariate regression and exhibits competitive performance in prediction and variable selection.

Sparse reduced-rank regression with covariance estimation

KAUST Repository

Chen, Lisha; Huang, Jianhua Z.

2014-01-01

Improving the predicting performance of the multiple response regression compared with separate linear regressions is a challenging question. On the one hand, it is desirable to seek model parsimony when facing a large number of parameters. On the other hand, for certain applications it is necessary to take into account the general covariance structure for the errors of the regression model. We assume a reduced-rank regression model and work with the likelihood function with general error covariance to achieve both objectives. In addition we propose to select relevant variables for reduced-rank regression by using a sparsity-inducing penalty, and to estimate the error covariance matrix simultaneously by using a similar penalty on the precision matrix. We develop a numerical algorithm to solve the penalized regression problem. In a simulation study and real data analysis, the new method is compared with two recent methods for multivariate regression and exhibits competitive performance in prediction and variable selection.

Facile synthesis of reduced graphene oxide/peroxomolybdate(VI)-citrate composite and its potential energy storage application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ciszewski, Mateusz; Benke, Grzegorz; Leszczynska-Sejda, Katarzyna; Kopyto, Dorota [Institute of Non Ferrous Metals, Department of Hydrometallurgy, Gliwice (Poland)

2017-11-15

A new energy storage material based on molybdate active species has been presented. Molybdenum seems to be a perspective material in supercapacitors because of numerous possible metal oxidation states, electrolyte storage by means of various chemical reactions and availability in comparison to other refractory metals. Material synthesized within this research was composed of reduced graphene oxide matrix and peroxomolybdate(VI)-citrate active dimers. It was showed that peroxomolybdate(VI)-citrate structure enhanced electrochemical activity of symmetric supercapacitor. Simple methodology was used to synthesize a composite with pH adjustment as the key step. The specific capacity calculated from galvanostatic charge/discharge curves was as high as 250 F/g. Material was distinguished by good cyclability with 5% capacity loss after 1000 cycles. The increase in charge transfer resistance, induced by metal-oxygen compound within the carbon matrix was relatively low, compared to parent reduced graphene oxide. Amorphous structure of peroxomolybdate(VI)-modified material was observed with slight increase in the interlayer distance in comparison to parent reduced graphene oxide. The height and lateral size of crystallites were also determined. Significant decrease in the specific surface area of peroxomolybdate(VI)-modified composite was observed, in comparison to the parent reduced graphene oxide. (orig.)

Facile synthesis of reduced graphene oxide/peroxomolybdate(VI)-citrate composite and its potential energy storage application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ciszewski, Mateusz; Benke, Grzegorz; Leszczynska-Sejda, Katarzyna; Kopyto, Dorota

2017-01-01

A new energy storage material based on molybdate active species has been presented. Molybdenum seems to be a perspective material in supercapacitors because of numerous possible metal oxidation states, electrolyte storage by means of various chemical reactions and availability in comparison to other refractory metals. Material synthesized within this research was composed of reduced graphene oxide matrix and peroxomolybdate(VI)-citrate active dimers. It was showed that peroxomolybdate(VI)-citrate structure enhanced electrochemical activity of symmetric supercapacitor. Simple methodology was used to synthesize a composite with pH adjustment as the key step. The specific capacity calculated from galvanostatic charge/discharge curves was as high as 250 F/g. Material was distinguished by good cyclability with 5% capacity loss after 1000 cycles. The increase in charge transfer resistance, induced by metal-oxygen compound within the carbon matrix was relatively low, compared to parent reduced graphene oxide. Amorphous structure of peroxomolybdate(VI)-modified material was observed with slight increase in the interlayer distance in comparison to parent reduced graphene oxide. The height and lateral size of crystallites were also determined. Significant decrease in the specific surface area of peroxomolybdate(VI)-modified composite was observed, in comparison to the parent reduced graphene oxide. (orig.)

Programming Language Software For Graphics Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Beckman, Brian C.

1993-01-01

New approach reduces repetitive development of features common to different applications. High-level programming language and interactive environment with access to graphical hardware and software created by adding graphical commands and other constructs to standardized, general-purpose programming language, "Scheme". Designed for use in developing other software incorporating interactive computer-graphics capabilities into application programs. Provides alternative to programming entire applications in C or FORTRAN, specifically ameliorating design and implementation of complex control and data structures typifying applications with interactive graphics. Enables experimental programming and rapid development of prototype software, and yields high-level programs serving as executable versions of software-design documentation.

Using humor in systematic desensitization to reduce fear.

Science.gov (United States)

Ventis, W L; Higbee, G; Murdock, S A

2001-04-01

Effectiveness of systematic desensitization for fear reduction, using humorous hierarchy scenes without relaxation, was tested. Participants were 40 students highly fearful of spiders. Using a 24-item behavioral approach test with an American tarantula, participants were matched on fear level and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups: (a) systematic desensitization, (b) humor desensitization, and (c) untreated controls. Each participant was seen for 6 sessions, including pretest and posttest. Analyses of covariance of posttest scores revealed that the 2 treatment groups showed greater reduction in fear than the controls on 3 measures but did not differ from each other. Therefore, humor in systematic desensitization reduced fear as effectively as more traditional desensitization. This finding may have therapeutic applications; however, it may also be applicable in advertising to desensitize fear of a dangerous product, such as cigarettes.

Reduced order methods for modeling and computational reduction

CERN Document Server

Rozza, Gianluigi

2014-01-01

This monograph addresses the state of the art of reduced order methods for modeling and computational reduction of complex parametrized systems, governed by ordinary and/or partial differential equations, with a special emphasis on real time computing techniques and applications in computational mechanics, bioengineering and computer graphics.  Several topics are covered, including: design, optimization, and control theory in real-time with applications in engineering; data assimilation, geometry registration, and parameter estimation with special attention to real-time computing in biomedical engineering and computational physics; real-time visualization of physics-based simulations in computer science; the treatment of high-dimensional problems in state space, physical space, or parameter space; the interactions between different model reduction and dimensionality reduction approaches; the development of general error estimation frameworks which take into account both model and discretization effects. This...

Application of Chemically Accelerated Biotreatment to Reduce Risk in Oil-Impacted Soils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paterek, J.R.; Bogan, W.W.; Lahner, L.M.; Trbovic, V.

2003-03-06

Conducted research in the following major focus areas: (1) Development of mild extraction approaches to estimate bioavailable fraction of crude oil residues in contaminated soils; (2) Application of these methods to understand decreases in toxicity and increases in sequestration of hydrocarbons over time, as well as the influence of soil properties on these processes; (3) Measurements of the abilities of various bacteria (PAH-degraders and others more representative of typical soil bacteria) to withstand oxidative treatments (i.e. Fenton's reaction) which would occur in CBT; and (4) Experiments into the biochemical/genetic inducibility of PAH degradation by compounds formed by the chemical oxidation of PAH.

ATTEMPT TO REDUCE ACRYLAMIDE CONTENT IN ROASTED CHICORY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriela Zięć

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to reduce the formation of acrylamide during roasting of chicory roots by soaking the fresh roots in a solution of calcium chloride, by the use of different temperature and time of roasting of dried roots, as well as by the addition of the enzyme (asparaginase during roasting of dried roots. It was shown, that with increasing roasting temperature of chicory roots from 100 - 175 ° C the acrylamide content also increased, while at a temperature of 210 ° C the growth was inhibited. Increasing roasting time from 10 - 25 minutes resulted in an increased acrylamide content. Soaking the roots in the CaCl2 solution for 20 minutes reduced the formation of acrylamide during the roasting approximately by 40%, similarly as the application of asparaginase to the dried roots during the roasting process.

The preparation and characteristic of poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite and its application for supercapacitor electrode

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mao, Xiling [State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, School of Optoelectronic Information, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu 610054 (China); Yang, Wenyao [School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Engineering Research Center of Electronic Information Technology and Application, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences, Chongqing 402160 (China); He, Xin; Chen, Yan; Zhao, Yuetao; Zhou, Yujiu; Yang, Yajie [State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, School of Optoelectronic Information, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu 610054 (China); Xu, Jianhua, E-mail: jianhuaxu8023@126.com [State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, School of Optoelectronic Information, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu 610054 (China)

2017-02-15

Highlights: • A facile method to prepare PEDOT/rGO nanocomposite. • Taking full advantages of electrochemical polymerization and laser-writing methods. • The PEDOT/rGO nanocomposite possesses excellent electrochemical properties. - Abstract: Here we demonstrate a facile electrochemical polymerization and laser induction process to fabricate poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/reduced graphene oxide (PEDOT/rGO) nanocomposite, which can be used as supercapacitor electrode material. Firstly, a PEDOT film is deposited on ITO substrate using an electrochemical polymerization method and a graphene oxide (GO) film is successively deposited on as-prepared PEDOT film through a spin-coating method. Then, by using a laser-writing method, the GO film is transformed into the rGO and a PEDOT/rGO nanocomposite is obtained. The resulting nanocomposite shows high areal capacitance about 43.75 mF/cm{sup 2}, which is nearly 3 times higher than that of the PEDOT film at a current density of 0.2 mA/cm{sup 2}. The PEDOT/rGO nanocomposite exhibits excellent cyclic stability, which can retain 83.6% of its initial capacitance after 1000 charge-discharge cycles. Furthermore, this nanocomposite can be deposited on varied substrates as electrode materials, which shows promising application to prepare high performance energy storage materials.

Proceedings of the international meeting on development, fabrication, and application of Reduced Enrichment fuels for Research and Test Reactors (RERTR). Base technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1983-08-01

The international effort to develop new fuel materials and designs which will make it feasible to fuel research and test reactors throughout the world with low-enrichment uranium, instead of high-enrichment uranium, has made significant progress during the past year. This progress has taken place at research centers located in many different countries, and is of crucial interest to reactor operators and licensors whose geographical distribution is even more varied. It is appropriate, therefore, that international meetings be held periodically to foster direct communication among the specialists in this area. To achieve this purpose, the Reduced Enrichment Research and Test Reactor (RERTR) Program, at the Argonne National Laboratory, sponsored this meeting as the third of a series which begun in 1978. The papers presented at this meeting were divided into sessions according to relevant subject: status of RERTR program and safety issues; development of new fuel types; testing of new fuel elements; specific reactor applications. These proceedings were edited by various members of the RERTR Program.

Proceedings of the international meeting on development, fabrication, and application of Reduced Enrichment fuels for Research and Test Reactors (RERTR). Base technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-08-01

The international effort to develop new fuel materials and designs which will make it feasible to fuel research and test reactors throughout the world with low-enrichment uranium, instead of high-enrichment uranium, has made significant progress during the past year. This progress has taken place at research centers located in many different countries, and is of crucial interest to reactor operators and licensors whose geographical distribution is even more varied. It is appropriate, therefore, that international meetings be held periodically to foster direct communication among the specialists in this area. To achieve this purpose, the Reduced Enrichment Research and Test Reactor (RERTR) Program, at the Argonne National Laboratory, sponsored this meeting as the third of a series which begun in 1978. The papers presented at this meeting were divided into sessions according to relevant subject: status of RERTR program and safety issues; development of new fuel types; testing of new fuel elements; specific reactor applications. These proceedings were edited by various members of the RERTR Program

Bond Strength of Resin Composite to Dentin with Different Adhesive Systems: Influence of Relative Humidity and Application Time.

Science.gov (United States)

Amsler, Fabienne; Peutzfeldt, Anne; Lussi, Adrian; Flury, Simon

2015-06-01

To investigate the influence of relative humidity and application time on bond strength to dentin of different classes of adhesive systems. A total of 360 extracted human molars were ground to mid-coronal dentin. The dentin specimens were treated with one of six adhesive systems (Syntac Classic, OptiBond FL, Clearfil SE Bond, AdheSE, Xeno Select, or Scotchbond Universal), and resin composite (Filtek Z250) was applied to the treated dentin surface under four experimental conditions (45% relative humidity/application time according to manufacturers' instructions; 45% relative humidity/reduced application time; 85% relative humidity/application time according to manufacturers' instructions; 85% relative humidity/reduced application time). After storage (37°C, 100% humidity, 24 h), shear bond strength (SBS) was measured and data analyzed with nonparametric ANOVA followed by Kruskal-Wallis tests and Mann-Whitney U-tests with Bonferroni-Holm correction for multiple testing (level of significance: α = 0.05). Increased relative humidity and reduced application time had no effect on SBS for Clearfil SE Bond and Scotchbond Universal (p = 1.00). For Syntac Classic, OptiBond FL, AdheSE, and Xeno Select there was no effect on SBS of reduced application time of the adhesive system (p ≥ 0.403). However, increased relative humidity significantly reduced SBS for Syntac Classic, OptiBond FL, and Xeno Select irrespective of application time (p ≤ 0.003), whereas for AdheSE, increased relative humidity significantly reduced SBS at recommended application time only (p = 0.002). Generally, increased relative humidity had a detrimental effect on SBS to dentin, but reduced application time had no effect.

Reducing the risk of cyber threats in utilities through log management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Patnaik, A. [ArcSight, Cupertino, CA (United States)

2010-01-15

Electrical blackouts caused by terrorists hacking into targeted control systems have already occurred in Brazil. A patchwork of security tools is needed to reduce potential threats. The continuous collection and analysis of data is also needed to detect cyber threats. The real time correlation of logs across all systems, applications and users is needed to ensure the reliability and security of the power grid. Solutions must also integrate well with identity management sources in order to prevent remote access account hijacking. Effective log management can be used to detect threats and reduce the risk of power outages. 1 fig.

Reducing Agricultural Water Footprints at the Farm Scale: A Case Study in the Beijing Region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Huang

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Beijing is one of the most water-stressed regions in the world. Reducing agricultural water use has long been the basis of local policy for sustainable water use. In this article, the potential to reduce the life cycle (cradle to gate water footprints of wheat and maize that contribute to 94% of the local cereal production was assessed. Following ISO 14046, consumptive and degradative water use for the wheat-maize rotation system was modeled under different irrigation and nitrogen (N application options. Reducing irrigation water volume by 33.3% compared to current practice did not cause a significant yield decline, but the water scarcity footprint and water eutrophication footprint were decreased by 27.5% and 23.9%, respectively. Similarly, reducing the N application rate by 33.3% from current practice did not cause a significant yield decline, but led to a 52.3% reduction in water eutrophication footprint while maintaining a similar water scarcity footprint. These results demonstrate that improving water and fertilizer management has great potential for reducing the crop water footprints at the farm scale. This situation in Beijing is likely to be representative of the challenge facing many of the water-stressed regions in China, where a sustainable means of agricultural production must be found.

Parallelism and Scalability in an Image Processing Application

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Morten Sleth; Stuart, Matthias Bo; Karlsson, Sven

2008-01-01

parallel programs. This paper investigates parallelism and scalability of an embedded image processing application. The major challenges faced when parallelizing the application were to extract enough parallelism from the application and to reduce load imbalance. The application has limited immediately......The recent trends in processor architecture show that parallel processing is moving into new areas of computing in the form of many-core desktop processors and multi-processor system-on-chip. This means that parallel processing is required in application areas that traditionally have not used...

Parallelism and Scalability in an Image Processing Application

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Morten Sleth; Stuart, Matthias Bo; Karlsson, Sven

2009-01-01

parallel programs. This paper investigates parallelism and scalability of an embedded image processing application. The major challenges faced when parallelizing the application were to extract enough parallelism from the application and to reduce load imbalance. The application has limited immediately......The recent trends in processor architecture show that parallel processing is moving into new areas of computing in the form of many-core desktop processors and multi-processor system-on-chips. This means that parallel processing is required in application areas that traditionally have not used...

Hydrophobically associating polymers for oil field applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taylor, K.C. [Taylor Industrial Research Inc., Victoria, BC (Canada); Nasr-El-Din, H.A. [Saudi Aramco, Dharhan (Saudi Arabia). R and D Center

2007-07-01

This paper discussed developments in water soluble hydrophobically associating polymers and their use in oilfield applications. The polymers are now being investigated for the potential application in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) as well as in completion fluids and profile modifications. The polymers are also purported to selectively reduce water permeability in sandstones. This study showed that the adsorption behaviour of the associating polymers is of greater significance than the rheology, particularly in non-damaging completion fluids and in profile modification. Issues related to acid diversion and conformance control applications were discussed, and drag reducing agents were reviewed. The study also discussed drilling and completion fluids; adsorption behaviour; rheology; and synthesis and characterization. It was concluded that gels are now being developed for conformance control and continued use for modification of water relative permeability. 35 refs., 5 figs.

Nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide electrodes for electrochemical supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Nolan, Hugo; Mendoza-Sanchez, Beatriz; Ashok Kumar, Nanjundan; McEvoy, Niall; O'Brien, Sean; Nicolosi, Valeria; Duesberg, Georg S

2014-02-14

Herein we use Nitrogen-doped reduced Graphene Oxide (N-rGO) as the active material in supercapacitor electrodes. Building on a previous work detailing the synthesis of this material, electrodes were fabricated via spray-deposition of aqueous dispersions and the electrochemical charge storage mechanism was investigated. Results indicate that the functionalised graphene displays improved performance compared to non-functionalised graphene. The simplicity of fabrication suggests ease of up-scaling of such electrodes for commercial applications.

Reducing of Manufacturing Lead Time by Implementation of Lean Manufacturing Principles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hussein Salem Ketan

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Many organizations today are interesting to implementing lean manufacturing principles that should enable them to eliminating the wastes to reducing a manufacturing lead time. This paper concentrates on increasing the competitive level of the company in globalization markets and improving of the productivity by reducing the manufacturing lead time. This will be by using the main tool of lean manufacturing which is value stream mapping (VSM to identifying all the activities of manufacturing process (value and non-value added activities to reducing elimination of wastes (non-value added activities by converting a manufacturing system to pull instead of push by applying some of pull system strategies as kanban and first on first out lane (FIFO. ARENA software is used to simulate the current and future state. This work is executed in the state company for electrical industries in Baghdad. The obtained results of the application showed that implementation of lean principles helped on reducing of a manufacturing lead time by 33%.

Energy-efficient pulse-coupled synchronization strategy design for wireless sensor networks through reduced idle listening

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yongqiang; Núñez, Felipe; Doyle, Francis J.

2013-01-01

Synchronization is crucial to wireless sensor networks due to their decentralized structure. We propose an energy-efficient pulse-coupled synchronization strategy to achieve this goal. The basic idea is to reduce idle listening by intentionally introducing a large refractory period in the sensors’ cooperation. The large refractory period greatly reduces idle listening in each oscillation period, and is analytically proven to have no influence on the time to synchronization. Hence, it significantly reduces the total energy consumption in a synchronization process. A topology control approach tailored for pulse-coupled synchronization is given to guarantee a k-edge strongly connected interaction topology, which is tolerant to communication-link failures. The topology control approach is totally decentralized and needs no information exchange among sensors, and it is applicable to dynamic network topologies as well. This facilitates a completely decentralized implementation of the synchronization strategy. The strategy is applicable to mobile sensor networks, too. QualNet case studies confirm the effectiveness of the synchronization strategy. PMID:24307831

REDUCING THE INTENSITY OF TAKEAWAY PULVERIZED COAL BY USING SPECIAL SOLUTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. M. Biliaiev

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The article is aimed: 1 to develop the coal coating solution in open railway cars or to cover coal piles to minimize the coal dust losses; 2 creating a mathematical model of the process of the solution feeding to the surface of coal. Methodology. To solve this problem, it was developed a special solution containing cheap industrial wastes and semiproducts of chemical industries. It was conducted a physical experiment to assess the intensity of coal dust loss when using the developed solution. A mathematical model based on the use of the motion equations of the ideal fluid and mass transfer was developed. The developed numerical models are the basis of the application program package created for assessing the quality of processing the coal surface by special solution. Findings. The results of the conducted physical experiment to assess the magnitude of the coal dust loss on the model of the coal pile in the processing of its surface with a special solution and without processing are presented in the article. It is shown that the application of the proposed solution for surface processing of coal can significantly reduce the coal dust loss. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of economic losses and reduce the level of air dust pollution in work areas. The results of computational experiments carried out on the basis of the constructed numerical models are presented in the article. Originality. Authors proposed a new solution for the coal surface processing in order to minimize the removal of pulverized coal from the coal pile, which substantially reduces the coal losses. There were created numerical models to take into account the relevant factors influencing the solution dispersion process in the atmosphere from coal processing in gondola cars. Practical value. Solution, proposed in the article has a low price, because it can be created on the basis of industrial production wastes. Application of this solution can significantly

The special trench design near the through silicon vias (TSVs) to reduce the keep-out zone for application in three-dimensional integral circuits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liao, M-H

2013-01-01

Trench structure is designed and used to release process induced stress, resulting from the different material thermal expansion coefficients, in three-dimensional integral circuits (3DICs). The stress in the designed trench structure is measured by atomic force microscope Raman technique experimentally, and simulated by the full process simulation model. With the help of this simulation model, the optimized trench structure near the copper-filled TSV is designed and reported. The experimental data demonstrate that the tensile stress near the TSV can be reduced from 600 MPa to 150 MPa and the corresponding keep-out zone (KOZ) can also be decreased ∼4 times with the designed trench structure having a depth of 10 µm and spacing distance of 8 µm to the TSV. This work provides one potential solution to release process induced stress for real application of 3DICs. (paper)

Reduced scale PWR passive safety system designing by genetic algorithms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cunha, Joao J. da; Alvim, Antonio Carlos M.; Lapa, Celso Marcelo Franklin

2007-01-01

This paper presents the concept of 'Design by Genetic Algorithms (DbyGA)', applied to a new reduced scale system problem. The design problem of a passive thermal-hydraulic safety system, considering dimensional and operational constraints, has been solved. Taking into account the passive safety characteristics of the last nuclear reactor generation, a PWR core under natural circulation is used in order to demonstrate the methodology applicability. The results revealed that some solutions (reduced scale system DbyGA) are capable of reproducing, both accurately and simultaneously, much of the physical phenomena that occur in real scale and operating conditions. However, some aspects, revealed by studies of cases, pointed important possibilities to DbyGA methodological performance improvement

Effects of growth reducer and nitrogen fertilization on morphological variables, SPAD index, interception of radiation and productivity of wheat

OpenAIRE

Elvis Felipe Elli; Braulio Otomar Caron; Sandro Luis Petter Medeiros; Elder Eloy; Gean Charles Monteiro; Denise Schmidt

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of growth reducer and nitrogen fertilization on morphological variables, SPAD index, radiation interception, and grain yield of three cultivars of wheat. The experimental design was a randomized block in factorial scheme 3x5x2, with three cultivars (Mestre, Iguaçú and Itaipú), five nitrogen doses (0, 40, 80, 120, 160 Kg ha-1), and application or no application of a growth reducer, with three replications. The following characteri...

A Best-Estimate Reactor Core Monitor Using State Feedback Strategies to Reduce Uncertainties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, Robert P.; Edwards, Robert M.

2000-01-01

The development and demonstration of a new algorithm to reduce modeling and state-estimation uncertainty in best-estimate simulation codes has been investigated. Demonstration is given by way of a prototype reactor core monitor. The architecture of this monitor integrates a control-theory-based, distributed-parameter estimation technique into a production-grade best-estimate simulation code. The Kalman Filter-Sequential Least-Squares (KFSLS) parameter estimation algorithm has been extended for application into the computational environment of the best-estimate simulation code RELAP5-3D. In control system terminology, this configuration can be thought of as a 'best-estimate' observer. The application to a distributed-parameter reactor system involves a unique modal model that approximates physical components, such as the reactor, by describing both states and parameters by an orthogonal expansion. The basic KFSLS parameter estimation is used to dynamically refine a spatially varying (distributed) parameter. The application of the distributed-parameter estimator is expected to complement a traditional nonlinear best-estimate simulation code by providing a mechanism for reducing both code input (modeling) and output (state-estimation) uncertainty in complex, distributed-parameter systems

CoffeeScript application development

CERN Document Server

Young, Ian

2013-01-01

CoffeeScript Application Development is a practical, hands-on guide with step-by-step instructions. Follow the smooth and easy tutorial approach, covering examples that build in complexity. By the final chapter you'll be wondering why you didn't try CoffeeScript sooner.If you are a JavaScript developer who wants to save time and add power to your code, then this is the book that will help you do it. With minimal fuss you will learn a whole new language which will reduce your application development time from weeks to days.

Technical Note: Reducing the spin-up time of integrated surface water–groundwater models

KAUST Repository

Ajami, H.

2014-06-26

One of the main challenges in catchment scale application of coupled/integrated hydrologic models is specifying a catchment\\'s initial conditions in terms of soil moisture and depth to water table (DTWT) distributions. One approach to reduce uncertainty in model initialization is to run the model recursively using a single or multiple years of forcing data until the system equilibrates with respect to state and diagnostic variables. However, such "spin-up" approaches often require many years of simulations, making them computationally intensive. In this study, a new hybrid approach was developed to reduce the computational burden of spin-up time for an integrated groundwater-surface water-land surface model (ParFlow.CLM) by using a combination of ParFlow.CLM simulations and an empirical DTWT function. The methodology is examined in two catchments located in the temperate and semi-arid regions of Denmark and Australia respectively. Our results illustrate that the hybrid approach reduced the spin-up time required by ParFlow.CLM by up to 50%, and we outline a methodology that is applicable to other coupled/integrated modelling frameworks when initialization from equilibrium state is required.

Technical Note: Reducing the spin-up time of integrated surface water–groundwater models

KAUST Repository

Ajami, H.

2014-12-12

One of the main challenges in the application of coupled or integrated hydrologic models is specifying a catchment\\'s initial conditions in terms of soil moisture and depth-to-water table (DTWT) distributions. One approach to reducing uncertainty in model initialization is to run the model recursively using either a single year or multiple years of forcing data until the system equilibrates with respect to state and diagnostic variables. However, such "spin-up" approaches often require many years of simulations, making them computationally intensive. In this study, a new hybrid approach was developed to reduce the computational burden of the spin-up procedure by using a combination of model simulations and an empirical DTWT function. The methodology is examined across two distinct catchments located in a temperate region of Denmark and a semi-arid region of Australia. Our results illustrate that the hybrid approach reduced the spin-up period required for an integrated groundwater–surface water–land surface model (ParFlow.CLM) by up to 50%. To generalize results to different climate and catchment conditions, we outline a methodology that is applicable to other coupled or integrated modeling frameworks when initialization from an equilibrium state is required.

Hyaluronan- and heparin-reduced silver nanoparticles with antimicrobial properties

Science.gov (United States)

Kemp, Melissa M; Kumar, Ashavani; Clement, Dylan; Ajayan, Pulickel; Mousa, Shaker

2009-01-01

Aims Silver nanoparticles exhibit unique antibacterial properties that make these ideal candidates for biological and medical applications. We utilized a clean method involving a single synthetic step to prepare silver nanoparticles that exhibit antimicrobial activity. Materials & methods These nanoparticles were prepared by reducing silver nitrate with diaminopyridinylated heparin (DAPHP) and hyaluronan (HA) polysaccharides and tested for their efficacy in inhibiting microbial growth. Results & discussion The resulting silver nanoparticles exhibit potent antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and modest activity against Escherichia coli. Silver–HA showed greater antimicrobial activity than silver–DAPHP, while silver–glucose nanoparticles exhibited very weak antimicrobial activity. Neither HA nor DAPHP showed activity against S. aureus or E. coli. Conclusion These results suggest that DAPHP and HA silver nanoparticles have potential in antimicrobial therapeutic applications. PMID:19505245

Eliminating Ground Current in a Transformerless Photovoltaic Application

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lopez, Ocar; Freijedo, Francisco D.; Yepes, Alejandro G.

2010-01-01

For low-power grid-connected applications, a singlephase converter can be used. In photovoltaic (PV) applications, it is possible to remove the transformer in the inverter to reduce losses, costs, and size. Galvanic connection of the grid and the dc sources in transformerless systems can introduce...

Towards Application Portability on Blockchains

OpenAIRE

Shudo, Kazuyuki; Saito, Kenji

2018-01-01

We pose a fundamental problem of public blockchain, "incentive mismatch." It is an open problem, but application portability is a provisional solution to the problem. Portability is also a desirable property for an application on a private blockchain. It is not even clear to be able to define a common API for various blockchain middlewares, but it is possible to improve portability by reducing dependency on a blockchain. We present an example of such middleware designs that provide applicatio...

Potential impacts of nanotechnology on energy transmission applications and needs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elcock, D.; Environmental Science Division

2007-11-30

The application of nanotechnologies to energy transmission has the potential to significantly impact both the deployed transmission technologies and the need for additional development. This could be a factor in assessing environmental impacts of right-of-way (ROW) development and use. For example, some nanotechnology applications may produce materials (e.g., cables) that are much stronger per unit volume than existing materials, enabling reduced footprints for construction and maintenance of electricity transmission lines. Other applications, such as more efficient lighting, lighter-weight materials for vehicle construction, and smaller batteries having greater storage capacities may reduce the need for long-distance transport of energy, and possibly reduce the need for extensive future ROW development and many attendant environmental impacts. This report introduces the field of nanotechnology, describes some of the ways in which processes and products developed with or incorporating nanomaterials differ from traditional processes and products, and identifies some examples of how nanotechnology may be used to reduce potential ROW impacts. Potential environmental, safety, and health impacts are also discussed.

Reducing Turbulent Transport in Toroidal Configurations via Shaping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mynick, H.E.; Pomphrey, N.; Xanthopoulos, P.

2011-01-01

Recent progress in reducing turbulent transport in stellarators and tokamaks by 3D shaping using a stellarator optimization code in conjunction with a gyrokinetic code is presented. The original applications of the method focussed on ion temperature gradient transport in a quasi-axisymmetric stellarator design. Here, an examination of both other turbulence channels and other starting configurations is initiated. It is found that the designs evolved for transport from ion temperature gradient turbulence also display reduced transport from other transport channels whose modes are also stabilized by improved curvature, such as electron temperature gradient and ballooning modes. The optimizer is also applied to evolving from a tokamak, finding appreciable turbulence reduction for these devices as well. From these studies, improved understanding is obtained of why the deformations found by the optimizer are beneficial, and these deformations are related to earlier theoretical work in both stellarators and tokamaks.

Application of sunscreen--theory and reality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Bibi; Wulf, Hans Christian

2013-01-01

We present research on sunscreen use with possible pitfalls and discuss theory vs. reality. A literature review in PubMed was conducted using the terms 'sunscreen application', 'sunscreen use' and 'sun protection factor'. The sun protection factor (SPF) of sunscreens are tested using a thickness...... for the discrepancy between the amounts of sunscreen applied during testing and in reality, and that sunscreen application can be improved by education of consumers. Missing areas and ultraviolet radiation exposure before sunscreen application are other pitfalls that reduce the protective effect of sunscreens...

Sparsity enabled cluster reduced-order models for control

Science.gov (United States)

Kaiser, Eurika; Morzyński, Marek; Daviller, Guillaume; Kutz, J. Nathan; Brunton, Bingni W.; Brunton, Steven L.

2018-01-01

Characterizing and controlling nonlinear, multi-scale phenomena are central goals in science and engineering. Cluster-based reduced-order modeling (CROM) was introduced to exploit the underlying low-dimensional dynamics of complex systems. CROM builds a data-driven discretization of the Perron-Frobenius operator, resulting in a probabilistic model for ensembles of trajectories. A key advantage of CROM is that it embeds nonlinear dynamics in a linear framework, which enables the application of standard linear techniques to the nonlinear system. CROM is typically computed on high-dimensional data; however, access to and computations on this full-state data limit the online implementation of CROM for prediction and control. Here, we address this key challenge by identifying a small subset of critical measurements to learn an efficient CROM, referred to as sparsity-enabled CROM. In particular, we leverage compressive measurements to faithfully embed the cluster geometry and preserve the probabilistic dynamics. Further, we show how to identify fewer optimized sensor locations tailored to a specific problem that outperform random measurements. Both of these sparsity-enabled sensing strategies significantly reduce the burden of data acquisition and processing for low-latency in-time estimation and control. We illustrate this unsupervised learning approach on three different high-dimensional nonlinear dynamical systems from fluids with increasing complexity, with one application in flow control. Sparsity-enabled CROM is a critical facilitator for real-time implementation on high-dimensional systems where full-state information may be inaccessible.

The production of reduced graphene oxide by a low-cost vacuum system for supercapacitors applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cardoso, Q.A.; Sakata, S.K.; Faria, R.N.; Silva, F.M.; Vieira, L.S.; Casini, J.C.S.

2016-01-01

Graphene (G) has attracted great interest for its excellent electrical properties. However, the large-scale production of graphene is still currently under investigations. Graphene oxide (GO) can be partially reduced to graphene-like sheets by removing the oxygen-containing groups with the recovery of a conjugated structure. It can be produced using inexpensive graphite as raw material by cost-effective chemical methods. High vacuum and temperature (10 -7 mbar/1100 deg C) is well established as an effective route for reduced powder preparation on a laboratory scale. However, a high vacuum reduction system, which can be routinely operated at 10 -7 mbar, has a considerable capital, operational and maintenance cost to be used in a large scale. In the present work, a low-cost route aiming large scale reduction of graphene oxide has been investigated. A stainless steel vessel has been evacuated to backing-pump pressure (10 -2 mbar) to process graphene oxide at low and high temperatures. Attempts of reducing GO powder using low vacuum pressures have been carried out and investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The experimental results of processing graphene oxide powder at various temperatures (200-1000°C) at relatively low pressures have been reported. The microstructures of the processed material have been investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and chemical microanalyses employing energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). (author)

Design Improvement of an X-ray Tube Applicator to Reduce ORE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Juhyuk; Kim, Hyun Nam; Park, Han Beom; Cho, Sung Oh

2017-01-01

Radiation therapy has many advantages to treat cancer relative to other therapies. It does not induce scar or hair loss, and could can cover larger area than others. However, one the most critical issues about radiation therapy is shielding. Not only unnecessary exposure to patients but also those to doctors or nurses who participate in the treatment have to be lowered as possible. Occupational radiation exposure (ORE) is limited to 50 mSv per year by NCRP's recommendation. In this study, MC simulations were performed to evaluate the effective dose induced by the miniature x-ray tube. It was confirmed that when the applicator is adopted to the tube, the effective dose to doctor is less than the occupational radiation exposure limit recommended by ICRP. All assumptions used in this calculation were too highly conservative enough to have reliability. However some limitations still exist; for example, the more accurate results could be obtained if most recent version of conversion factors was used or we specified the organs irradiated and weighted the values by the radiation sensitivity.

Determination of kinetic constants from tests of reducibility and their application for modelling in metallurgy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pustejovska, P.; Silvie, B.

2013-01-01

The paper analyses details for renewal of the research in blast furnace process within Research Centre ENET at VSB - Technical University of Ostrava. A newly established laboratory for reducibility testing is an impuls to overcome the former limits and renew a research in its coherence after years. The paper deals with the possibilities of optimization of blast furnace operation. In the introduction, it sums up different approaches how to model blast furnace operation. It discusses the variety of optimal operation for different kinds of iron making technologies. It evaluates reduction course and reducing gas consumption in the stack of reduction aggregate. In the experimental, it creates kinetics model of blast furnace operating using Matlab mathematical library. It determines kinetic and heat limits of carbon consumption for different process conditions. (author)

Leaching of Carbothermic Reduced Titanium-bearing Blast Furnace Slag by Acid

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

ZHEN Yulan; ZHANG Guohua; CHOU Kuochih

2016-01-01

The kinetics of the leaching of carbothermic reduced titanium-bearing blast furnace slag in Panzhihua Iron and Steel Company with acid system under atmosphere pressure was studied. The results show that the temperature and concentration have significant influence on leaching of carbothermic reduced titanium-bearing blast furnace slag by ac-id. The experimental data of leaching indicate that the shrinking core model with chemical reaction controlled process is most applicable for the acid leaching. The apparent activation energy can be estimated to be from 23 to 32 kJ/mol. Fur-thermore, the main products are TiC and SiO2 after leaching.

Reduced Multivariate Polynomial Model for Manufacturing Costs Estimation of Piping Elements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nibaldo Rodriguez

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses the development and evaluation of an estimation model of manufacturing costs of piping elements through the application of a Reduced Multivariate Polynomial (RMP. The model allows obtaining accurate estimations, even when enough and adequate information is not available. This situation typically occurs in the early stages of the design process of industrial products. The experimental evaluations show that the approach is capable, with a low complexity, of reducing uncertainties and to predict costs with significant precision. Comparisons with a neural network showed also that the RMP performs better considering a set of classical performance measures with the corresponding lower complexity and higher accuracy.

Effect of reduced enrichment on the fuel cycle for research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Travelli, A.

1982-01-01

The new fuels developed by the RERTR Program and by other international programs for application in research reactors with reduced uranium enrichment (<20% EU) are discussed. It is shown that these fuels, combined with proper fuel-element design and fuel-management strategies, can provide at least the same core residence time as high-enrichment fuels in current use, and can frequently significantly extend it. The effect of enrichment reduction on other components of the research reactor fuel cycle, such as uranium and enrichment requirements, fuel fabrication, fuel shipment, and reprocessing are also briefly discussed with their economic implications. From a systematic comparison of HEU and LEU cores for the same reference research reactor, it is concluded that the new fuels have a potential for reducing the research reactor fuel cycle costs while reducing, at the same time, the uranium enrichment of the fuel

Service Oriented Architecture for High Level Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu, P.

2012-01-01

Standalone high level applications often suffer from poor performance and reliability due to lengthy initialization, heavy computation and rapid graphical update. Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is trying to separate the initialization and computation from applications and to distribute such work to various service providers. Heavy computation such as beam tracking will be done periodically on a dedicated server and data will be available to client applications at all time. Industrial standard service architecture can help to improve the performance, reliability and maintainability of the service. Robustness will also be improved by reducing the complexity of individual client applications.

Time-dependent occupation numbers in reduced-density-matrix-functional theory: Application to an interacting Landau-Zener model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Requist, Ryan; Pankratov, Oleg

2011-01-01

We prove that if the two-body terms in the equation of motion for the one-body reduced density matrix are approximated by ground-state functionals, the eigenvalues of the one-body reduced density matrix (occupation numbers) remain constant in time. This deficiency is related to the inability of such an approximation to account for relative phases in the two-body reduced density matrix. We derive an exact differential equation giving the functional dependence of these phases in an interacting Landau-Zener model and study their behavior in short- and long-time regimes. The phases undergo resonances whenever the occupation numbers approach the boundaries of the interval [0,1]. In the long-time regime, the occupation numbers display correlation-induced oscillations and the memory dependence of the functionals assumes a simple form.

Research on Heat Recovery Technology for Reducing the Energy Consumption of Dedicated Ventilation Systems: An Application to the Operating Model of a Laboratory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lian Zhang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this research, the application of heat pipes in the air handler dedicated to decoupling dehumidification from cooling to reduce energy consumption was simulated and investigated by simulations and experimental studies. The cooling load profiles and heat pipes with effectiveness of 0.45 and 0.6, respectively, were evaluated in achieving the desired space conditions and calculated hour by hour. The results demonstrated that for all examined cases, a heat pipe heat exchanger (HPHX can be used to save over 80% of the energy during the hours of operation of air conditioning. The overall energy reduction rate was from 3.2% to 4.5% under air conditioning system conditions. It was found that the energy saving potential of a laboratory was higher than for other kinds of buildings. Therefore, the dedicated ventilation system combined with heat recovery technology can be efficiently applied to buildings, especially for laboratories in subtropical areas.

Functionalized carbon nanotubes: biomedical applications

Science.gov (United States)

Vardharajula, Sandhya; Ali, Sk Z; Tiwari, Pooja M; Eroğlu, Erdal; Vig, Komal; Dennis, Vida A; Singh, Shree R

2012-01-01

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are emerging as novel nanomaterials for various biomedical applications. CNTs can be used to deliver a variety of therapeutic agents, including biomolecules, to the target disease sites. In addition, their unparalleled optical and electrical properties make them excellent candidates for bioimaging and other biomedical applications. However, the high cytotoxicity of CNTs limits their use in humans and many biological systems. The biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity of CNTs are attributed to size, dose, duration, testing systems, and surface functionalization. The functionalization of CNTs improves their solubility and biocompatibility and alters their cellular interaction pathways, resulting in much-reduced cytotoxic effects. Functionalized CNTs are promising novel materials for a variety of biomedical applications. These potential applications are particularly enhanced by their ability to penetrate biological membranes with relatively low cytotoxicity. This review is directed towards the overview of CNTs and their functionalization for biomedical applications with minimal cytotoxicity. PMID:23091380

The production of reduced graphene oxide by a low-cost vacuum system for supercapacitors applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cardoso, Q.A.; Sakata, S.K.; Faria, R.N. [Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Silva, F.M.; Vieira, L.S.; Casini, J.C.S., E-mail: julio.casini@ifro.edu.br [Instituto Federal de Ciencia e Tecnologia de Rondonia (IFRO), RO (Brazil)

2016-07-01

Graphene (G) has attracted great interest for its excellent electrical properties. However, the large-scale production of graphene is still currently under investigations. Graphene oxide (GO) can be partially reduced to graphene-like sheets by removing the oxygen-containing groups with the recovery of a conjugated structure. It can be produced using inexpensive graphite as raw material by cost-effective chemical methods. High vacuum and temperature (10{sup -7}mbar/1100 deg C) is well established as an effective route for reduced powder preparation on a laboratory scale. However, a high vacuum reduction system, which can be routinely operated at 10{sup -7} mbar, has a considerable capital, operational and maintenance cost to be used in a large scale. In the present work, a low-cost route aiming large scale reduction of graphene oxide has been investigated. A stainless steel vessel has been evacuated to backing-pump pressure (10{sup -2} mbar) to process graphene oxide at low and high temperatures. Attempts of reducing GO powder using low vacuum pressures have been carried out and investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The experimental results of processing graphene oxide powder at various temperatures (200-1000°C) at relatively low pressures have been reported. The microstructures of the processed material have been investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and chemical microanalyses employing energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). (author)

Reduced graphene oxide aerogel networks with soft interfacial template for applications in bone tissue regeneration

Science.gov (United States)

Asha, S.; Ananth, A. Nimrodh; Jose, Sujin P.; Rajan, M. A. Jothi

2018-05-01

Reduced Graphene Oxide aerogels (A-RGO), functionalized with chitosan, were found to induce and/or accelerate the mineralization of hydroxyapatite. The functionalized chitosan acts as a soft interfacial template on the surface of A-RGO assisting the growth of hydroxyapatite particles. The mineralization on these soft aerogel networks was performed by soaking the aerogels in simulated body fluid, relative to time. Polymer-induced mineralization exhibited an ordered arrangement of hydroxyapatite particles on reduced graphene oxide aerogel networks with a higher crystalline index (IC) of 1.7, which mimics the natural bone formation indicating the importance of the polymeric interfacial template. These mineralized aerogels which mimic the structure and composition of natural bone exhibit relatively higher rate of cell proliferation, osteogenic differentiation and osteoid matrix formation proving it to be a potential scaffold for bone tissue regeneration.

Smartphone Applications Utilizing Biofeedback Can Aid Stress Reduction

Science.gov (United States)

Dillon, Alison; Kelly, Mark; Robertson, Ian H.; Robertson, Deirdre A.

2016-01-01

Introduction: Stress is one of the leading global causes of disease and premature mortality. Despite this, interventions aimed at reducing stress have low adherence rates. The proliferation of mobile phone devices along with gaming-style applications allows for a unique opportunity to broaden the reach and appeal of stress-reduction interventions in modern society. We assessed the effectiveness of two smartphone applications games combined with biofeedback in reducing stress. Methods: We compared a control game to gaming-style smartphone applications combined with a skin conductance biofeedback device (the Pip). Fifty participants aged between 18 and 35 completed the Trier Social Stress Test. They were then randomly assigned to the intervention (biofeedback game) or control group (a non-biofeedback game) for thirty minutes. Perceived stress, heart rate and mood were measured before and after participants had played the games. Results: A mixed factorial ANOVA showed a significant interaction between time and game type in predicting perceived stress [F(1,48) = 14.19, p biofeedback intervention had significantly reduced stress compared to the control group. There was also a significant interaction between time and game in predicting heart rate [F(1,48) = 6.41, p biofeedback intervention showed significant reductions in heart rate compared to the control group. Discussion: This illustrates the potential for gaming-style smartphone applications combined with biofeedback as stress reduction interventions. PMID:27378963

On the Use of Surface Porosity to Reduce Unsteady Lift

Science.gov (United States)

Tinetti, Ana F.; Kelly, Jeffrey J.; Bauer, Steven X. S.; Thomas, Russell H.

2001-01-01

An innovative application of existing technology is proposed for attenuating the effects of transient phenomena, such as rotor-stator and rotor-strut interactions, linked to noise and fatigue failure in turbomachinery environments. A computational study was designed to assess the potential of passive porosity technology as a mechanism for alleviating interaction effects by reducing the unsteady lift developed on a stator airfoil subject to wake impingement. The study involved a typical high bypass fan Stator airfoil (solid baseline and several porous configurations), immersed in a free field and exposed to the effects of a transversely moving wake. It was found that, for the airfoil under consideration, the magnitude of the unsteady lift could be reduced more than 18% without incurring significant performance losses.

An Online Method for Interpolating Linear Parametric Reduced-Order Models

KAUST Repository

Amsallem, David; Farhat, Charbel

2011-01-01

A two-step online method is proposed for interpolating projection-based linear parametric reduced-order models (ROMs) in order to construct a new ROM for a new set of parameter values. The first step of this method transforms each precomputed ROM into a consistent set of generalized coordinates. The second step interpolates the associated linear operators on their appropriate matrix manifold. Real-time performance is achieved by precomputing inner products between the reduced-order bases underlying the precomputed ROMs. The proposed method is illustrated by applications in mechanical and aeronautical engineering. In particular, its robustness is demonstrated by its ability to handle the case where the sampled parameter set values exhibit a mode veering phenomenon. © 2011 Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

Efeito da aplicação de nitrato na redução biogênica de sulfeto sob diferentes concentrações iniciais de bactérias redutoras de nitrato e sulfato Effect of nitrate application on reduction of biogenic sulphide under different initial concentrations of nitrate and sulphate-reducing bacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kally Alves de Sousa

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The effect of sodium nitrate application in the reduction of biogenic sulphide was evaluated through a 2k complete factorial design, using as variable response the production of sulfide at intervals of incubation of 7, 14 and 28 days. The most effective condition for reducing the sulphide production (final concentrations from 0.4 to 1.6 mg S2- L-1 was obtained with an initial population of sulphate-reducing bacteria and nitrate-reducing bacteria of 10(4 MPN mL-1 and 427.5 mg L-1 nitrate. The results also suggested that the applications of nitrate to control the process of souring should follow a continuous scheme.

Reducing pesticide drift by considering propeller rotation effects from aerial application and near buffer zones

Science.gov (United States)

Off-target drift of chemical from agricultural spraying can damage sensitive crops, destroy beneficial insects, and intrude on human and domestic animal habitats, threatening environmental quality. Reduction of drift from aerial application can be facilitated at the edge of a field by offsetting spr...

Ohmic Heating: Concept and Applications-A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaur, Nimratbir; Singh, A K

2016-10-25

Ohmic heating, also known as Joule heating, electrical resistance heating, and direct electrical resistance heating, is a process of heating the food by passing electric current. In ohmic heating the energy is dissipated directly into the food. Electrical conductivity is a key parameter in the design of an effective ohmic heater. A large number of potential applications exist for ohmic heating, including blanching, evaporation, dehydration, fermentation, sterilization, pasteurization, and heating of foods. Beyond heating, applied electric field under ohmic heating causes electroporation of cell membranes, which increase extraction rates, and reduce gelatinization temperature and enthalpy. Ohmic heating results in faster heating of food along with maintenance of color and nutritional value of food. Water absorption index, water solubility index, thermal properties, and pasting properties are altered with the application of ohmic heating. Ohmic heating results in pre-gelatinized starches, which reduce energy requirement during processing. But its higher initial cost, lack of its applications in foods containing fats and oils, and less awareness limit its use.

Sustainable Modular Adaptive Redundancy Technique Emphasizing Partial Reconfiguration for Reduced Power Consumption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Al-Haddad

2011-01-01

Full Text Available As reconfigurable devices' capacities and the complexity of applications that use them increase, the need for self-reliance of deployed systems becomes increasingly prominent. Organic computing paradigms have been proposed for fault-tolerant systems because they promote behaviors that allow complex digital systems to adapt and survive in demanding environments. In this paper, we develop a sustainable modular adaptive redundancy technique (SMART composed of a two-layered organic system. The hardware layer is implemented on a Xilinx Virtex-4 Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA to provide self-repair using a novel approach called reconfigurable adaptive redundancy system (RARS. The software layer supervises the organic activities on the FPGA and extends the self-healing capabilities through application-independent, intrinsic, and evolutionary repair techniques that leverage the benefits of dynamic partial reconfiguration (PR. SMART was evaluated using a Sobel edge-detection application and was shown to tolerate stressful sequences of injected transient and permanent faults while reducing dynamic power consumption by 30% compared to conventional triple modular redundancy (TMR techniques, with nominal impact on the fault-tolerance capabilities. Moreover, PR is employed to keep the system on line while under repair and also to reduce repair time. Experiments have shown a 27.48% decrease in repair time when PR is employed compared to the full bitstream configuration case.

Reduced local immune response with continuous positive airway pressure during one-lung ventilation for oesophagectomy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verhage, R. J. J.; Boone, J.; Rijkers, G. T.; Cromheecke, G. J.; Kroese, A. C.; Weijs, T. J.; Borel Rinkes, I. H. M.; van Hillegersberg, R.

2014-01-01

Background. Transthoracic oesophagectomy requires prolonged one-lung ventilation causing systemic and local inflammatory responses. Application of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to the collapsed lung potentially reduces pulmonary damage, hypoxia, and consequent inflammation. This

Reducing Thermal Losses and Gains With Buried and Encapsulated Ducts in Hot-Humid Climates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shapiro, C.; Magee, A.; Zoeller, W.

2013-02-01

The Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) monitored three houses in Jacksonville, FL, to investigate the effectiveness of encapsulated and encapsulated/buried ducts in reducing thermal losses and gains from ductwork in unconditioned attics. Burying ductwork beneath loose-fill insulation has been identified as an effective method of reducing thermal losses and gains from ductwork in dry climates, but it is not applicable in humid climates where condensation may occur on the outside of the duct jacket. By encapsulating the ductwork in closed cell polyurethane foam (ccSPF) before burial beneath loose-fill mineral fiber insulation, the condensation potential may be reduced while increasing the R-value of the ductwork.

I/O Sharing in a Multi-core Kernel for Mixed-Criticality Applications

OpenAIRE

Li , Gang; Top , Søren

2013-01-01

Part 8: Real-Time Aspects in Distributed Systems; International audience; In a mixed-criticality system, applications with different safety criticality levels are usually required to be implemented upon one platform for several reasons( reducing hardware cost, space, power consumption). Partitioning technology is used to enable the integration of mixed-criticality applications with reduced certification cost. In the partitioning architecture of strong spatial and temporal isolation, fault pro...

High-Performance Signal Detection for Adverse Drug Events using MapReduce Paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Kai; Sun, Xingzhi; Tao, Ying; Xu, Linhao; Wang, Chen; Mao, Xianling; Peng, Bo; Pan, Yue

2010-11-13

Post-marketing pharmacovigilance is important for public health, as many Adverse Drug Events (ADEs) are unknown when those drugs were approved for marketing. However, due to the large number of reported drugs and drug combinations, detecting ADE signals by mining these reports is becoming a challenging task in terms of computational complexity. Recently, a parallel programming model, MapReduce has been introduced by Google to support large-scale data intensive applications. In this study, we proposed a MapReduce-based algorithm, for common ADE detection approach, Proportional Reporting Ratio (PRR), and tested it in mining spontaneous ADE reports from FDA. The purpose is to investigate the possibility of using MapReduce principle to speed up biomedical data mining tasks using this pharmacovigilance case as one specific example. The results demonstrated that MapReduce programming model could improve the performance of common signal detection algorithm for pharmacovigilance in a distributed computation environment at approximately liner speedup rates.

Performance Comparison of OpenMP, MPI, and MapReduce in Practical Problems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sol Ji Kang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available With problem size and complexity increasing, several parallel and distributed programming models and frameworks have been developed to efficiently handle such problems. This paper briefly reviews the parallel computing models and describes three widely recognized parallel programming frameworks: OpenMP, MPI, and MapReduce. OpenMP is the de facto standard for parallel programming on shared memory systems. MPI is the de facto industry standard for distributed memory systems. MapReduce framework has become the de facto standard for large scale data-intensive applications. Qualitative pros and cons of each framework are known, but quantitative performance indexes help get a good picture of which framework to use for the applications. As benchmark problems to compare those frameworks, two problems are chosen: all-pairs-shortest-path problem and data join problem. This paper presents the parallel programs for the problems implemented on the three frameworks, respectively. It shows the experiment results on a cluster of computers. It also discusses which is the right tool for the jobs by analyzing the characteristics and performance of the paradigms.

Improving Precision and Reducing Runtime of Microscopic Traffic Simulators through Stratified Sampling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khewal Bhupendra Kesur

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the application of Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS and Antithetic Variables (AVs to reduce the variance of estimated performance measures from microscopic traffic simulators. LHS and AV allow for a more representative coverage of input probability distributions through stratification, reducing the standard error of simulation outputs. Two methods of implementation are examined, one where stratification is applied to headways and routing decisions of individual vehicles and another where vehicle counts and entry times are more evenly sampled. The proposed methods have wider applicability in general queuing systems. LHS is found to outperform AV, and reductions of up to 71% in the standard error of estimates of traffic network performance relative to independent sampling are obtained. LHS allows for a reduction in the execution time of computationally expensive microscopic traffic simulators as fewer simulations are required to achieve a fixed level of precision with reductions of up to 84% in computing time noted on the test cases considered. The benefits of LHS are amplified for more congested networks and as the required level of precision increases.

Reduced Rank Regression

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johansen, Søren

2008-01-01

The reduced rank regression model is a multivariate regression model with a coefficient matrix with reduced rank. The reduced rank regression algorithm is an estimation procedure, which estimates the reduced rank regression model. It is related to canonical correlations and involves calculating...

Modification of reduced-charge montmorillonites by a series of Gemini surfactants: Characterization and application in methyl orange removal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo, Zhongxin; Gao, Manglai; Ye, Yage; Yang, Senfeng

2015-01-01

Highlights: • RCMs were modified by three Gemini surfactants with different spacer length. • The adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics of MO on organoclays were investigated. • Both the spacer length and clay layer charge have significant effects on the removal of MO. • The removal efficiency of MO increased with increasing clay layer charge. • Gemini surfactants modified RCMs were low-cost and high efficient adsorbents for the uptake of MO. - Abstract: The influences that the spacer chain length of Gemini surfactants and clay layer charge have on the structures and sorption characteristics of organoclays have been investigated. Organoclays were obtained by modifying a series of reduced charge montmorillonites (RCMs) using three Gemini surfactants with different spacer length. And their structures and sorption characteristics for methyl orange (MO) were examined. It was suggested that the amount, spacer length of Gemini surfactant and clay layer charge had significant effects on the microstructure of the organoclays. The adsorption experiments results claimed that the uptake of MO onto organoclays was in the order: 16-4-16-Mt > 16-8-16-Mt > 16-6-16-Mt, while it increased with increasing clay layer charge. The adsorption isotherms of MO onto the organoclays could be best described by Langmuir equation, and the adsorption kinetic was in good agreement with the pseudo-second-order model. Thermodynamic parameters demonstrated that the sorption process was spontaneous and endothermic in nature. This work will provide a deep insight into the interaction of Gemini-modified clays and MO, which pave the way for their practical applications in anionic dye adsorption

Modification of reduced-charge montmorillonites by a series of Gemini surfactants: Characterization and application in methyl orange removal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luo, Zhongxin; Gao, Manglai, E-mail: mlgao@cup.edu.cn; Ye, Yage; Yang, Senfeng

2015-01-01

Highlights: • RCMs were modified by three Gemini surfactants with different spacer length. • The adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics of MO on organoclays were investigated. • Both the spacer length and clay layer charge have significant effects on the removal of MO. • The removal efficiency of MO increased with increasing clay layer charge. • Gemini surfactants modified RCMs were low-cost and high efficient adsorbents for the uptake of MO. - Abstract: The influences that the spacer chain length of Gemini surfactants and clay layer charge have on the structures and sorption characteristics of organoclays have been investigated. Organoclays were obtained by modifying a series of reduced charge montmorillonites (RCMs) using three Gemini surfactants with different spacer length. And their structures and sorption characteristics for methyl orange (MO) were examined. It was suggested that the amount, spacer length of Gemini surfactant and clay layer charge had significant effects on the microstructure of the organoclays. The adsorption experiments results claimed that the uptake of MO onto organoclays was in the order: 16-4-16-Mt > 16-8-16-Mt > 16-6-16-Mt, while it increased with increasing clay layer charge. The adsorption isotherms of MO onto the organoclays could be best described by Langmuir equation, and the adsorption kinetic was in good agreement with the pseudo-second-order model. Thermodynamic parameters demonstrated that the sorption process was spontaneous and endothermic in nature. This work will provide a deep insight into the interaction of Gemini-modified clays and MO, which pave the way for their practical applications in anionic dye adsorption.

Omnivore-herbivore interactions: thrips and whiteflies compete via the shared host plant.

Science.gov (United States)

Pappas, Maria L; Tavlaki, Georgia; Triantafyllou, Anneta; Broufas, George

2018-03-05

Phytophagy is a common feature among pure herbivorous insects and omnivores that utilise both plant and prey as food resources; nevertheless, experimental evidence for factors affecting their interactions is restricted to intraguild predation and predator-mediated competition. We herein focused on plant-mediated effects that could result from plant defence activation or quality alteration and compared the performance of an omnivore, the western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis, and a pure herbivore, the greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum, on cucumber plants previously infested with either species. Furthermore, we recorded their behavioural responses when given a choice among infested and clean plants. Whiteflies laid less eggs on plants previously exposed to thrips but more on whitefly-infested plants. Thrips survival was negatively affected on whitefly-infested than on thrips-infested or clean plants. Notably, whiteflies developed significantly faster on plants infested with conspecifics. In accordance, whiteflies avoided thrips-infested plants and preferred whitefly-infested over clean plants. Thrips showed no preference for either infested or clean plants. Our study is a first report on the role of plant-mediated effects in shaping omnivore-herbivore interactions. Considering the factors driving such interactions we will likely better understand the ecology of the more complex relationships among plants and pest organisms.

Application of electrostatic prevention technology on polyethylene silos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gong, Hong; Liu, Quanzhen; Tan, Fenggui; Zhang, Yunpeng

2013-01-01

The main reasons of static electric explosion accidents in polyolefin plant silos were analyzed in this paper, and the study finds that the reasons include control failure of flammable gas content in the feed, high electrification caused by the wind supply, and frequent electrostatic discharge in silos. The electrostatic-reducing technologies of polyolefin powder were introduced, and its application performance in polyolefin plant silos was also clarified. In addition, the methods including FDCS and DGES for evaluation of electrostatic explosion in polyolefin plant silo were proposed. In the end, the risk of electrostatic explosion in PE plant blended silo was evaluated before and after application of electrostatic reducing technology.

The Application of Sulphate-Reducing Bacteria for the Heavy Metals Elimination from Acid Mine Drainage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alena Luptáková

2004-12-01

Full Text Available One of the most important problems affecting mining companies around the world is the treatment of acid mine drainage (AMD. AMD is characterised by its high acidity, high concentration of metals (Cu, Zn, Cd,… and high concentration of dissolved sulphates. The techniques traditionally used for the treatment of AMD have been based on chemical methods of neutralization and precipitation. A possible alternative to the chemical treatment of AMD is bioremediation using anaerobic sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB. The treatment of AMD by SRB is based on the ability of SRB to reduce sulphates to hydrogen sulphide, which binds readily with metals to form sparingly soluble precipitates. In this study we have attempted to investigate the feasibility of anaerobic biotreatment of the copper contaminated model solution and a real effluent AMD from the shaft Pech (the locality Smolnik using SRB. This method involves three stages: The H2S production by sulphate-reducing bacteria, the metals precipitation by the biologically produced H2S and the metal sulphides filtration. The studies confirm that copper was effectively recovered from the solution using bacterial produced H2S. An initial copper concentration 10 mg.l-1 was decreased to less than 0.05 mg.l-1 after 3 hours. The most adequate pH value for cooper precipitation was 2.5. Results of the copper precipitation from the areal effluent indicates that the optimal pH value for the copper precipitation is 3.5, but the created precipitates contain a mixture of copper and iron sulphides.

Mass-reduced quantum numbers: application to the isotopic lithium hydrides (X1B+)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, K.C.; Stwalley, W.C.

1977-01-01

The massed-reduced quantum number (MRQN) method of combining isotopic data is applied to the lithium hydride X 1 Σ + ground state. The ΔG(eta) = μ/sup 1 / 2 / ΔG(v), B(eta) = μB(v) and D(eta) = μ 2 D(v) isotopically-combined functions are obtained. An isotopically-combined Rydberg-Klein Rees (ICRKR) potential is constructed using the G(eta) and B(eta) functions. Evidence for breakdown of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation is presented and examined. The Dunham, Simons-Parr-Finlan, and Thakkar methods of potential expansion are also applied to lithium hydride and compared to the RKR Potential

Food irradiation - a viable technology for reducing postharvest losses of food

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loaharanu, P.

1985-01-01

Research and development in the past 30 years have clearly demonstrated that food irradiation is a safe, effective and environmentally clean process of food preservation. Twenty-seven countries have approved over 40 irradiated foods or groups of related food items for human consumption, either on an unconditional or a restricted basis. The technology is beginning to play an important role in reducing post-harvest losses of food and in facilitating wider distribution of food in the trade. Its wide application in solving microbial spoilage losses of food, insect disinfestation, improving hygienic qualities, slowing down physiological processes of foods is reviewed. Special emphasis is placed on applications of direct relevance to countries in Asia and the Pacific region

Application opportunities in wireless communications. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abbott, R.E.; Blevins, R.P.; Olmstead, C.

1998-07-01

This report presents the results of examinations of wireless technologies and applications that may offer potential to utilities. Five different wireless technology areas are reviewed. Three areas--Communication Networks, Monitored Security Services, and Home Automation--potentially represent new business ventures for utilities. Two areas--Automatic Vehicle Location and Automated Field-Force Management--represent wireless applications with potential for reduced operating costs and improved customer relations

Digital Rights Enforcement for Pervasive Computing Applications

OpenAIRE

Dahlem, Dominik

2005-01-01

Increasingly, application software is expanding from the desktop into mobile application environments, such as handset devices and embedded systems which are more limited in resources and volatile in their network connectivity. An integrated architecture that can protect intellectual property for both types of environments should offer the promise of reduced software maintenance costs. Software licensing is an existing mechanism by which specific license agreements are enforced be...

Application of Human-Autonomy Teaming (HAT) Patterns to Reduced Crew Operations (RCO)

Science.gov (United States)

Shively, R. Jay; Brandt, Summer L.; Lachter, Joel; Matessa, Mike; Sadler, Garrett; Battiste, Henri

2016-01-01

As part of the Air Force - NASA Bi-Annual Research Council Meeting, slides will be presented on recent Reduced Crew Operations (RCO) work. Unmanned aerial systems, robotics, advanced cockpits, and air traffic management are all examples of domains that are seeing dramatic increases in automation. While automation may take on some tasks previously performed by humans, humans will still be required, for the foreseeable future, to remain in the system. The collaboration with humans and these increasingly autonomous systems will begin to resemble cooperation between teammates, rather than simple task allocation. It is critical to understand this human-autonomy teaming (HAT) to optimize these systems in the future. One methodology to understand HAT is by identifying recurring patterns of HAT that have similar characteristics and solutions. A methodology for identifying HAT patterns to an advanced cockpit project is discussed.

Review of pump suction reducer selection: Eccentric or concentric reducers

OpenAIRE

Mahaffey, R M; van Vuuren, S J

2014-01-01

Eccentric reducers are traditionally recommended for the pump suction reducer fitting to allow for transportation of air through the fitting to the pump. The ability of a concentric reducer to provide an improved approach flow to the pump while still allowing air to be transported through the fitting is investigated. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) were utilised to analyse six concentric and six eccentric reducer geometries at four different inlet velocities to determine the flow velocity ...

n=3 differential calculus and gauge theory on a reduced quantum plane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El Baz, M.; El Hassouni, A.; Hassouni, Y.; Zakkari, E.H.

2003-01-01

We discuss the algebra of NxN matrices as a reduced quantum plane. A n=3-nilpotent deformed differential calculus involving a complex parameter q is constructed. The two cases, q 3rd and Nth root of unity are completely treated. As an application, we establish a gauge field theory for the particular cases n=2 and n=3

Riboflavin enhanced fluorescence of highly reduced graphene oxide

Science.gov (United States)

Iliut, Maria; Gabudean, Ana-Maria; Leordean, Cosmin; Simon, Timea; Teodorescu, Cristian-Mihail; Astilean, Simion

2013-10-01

The improvement of graphene derivates' fluorescence properties is a challenging topic and very few ways were reported up to now. In this Letter we propose an easy method to enhance the fluorescence of highly reduced graphene oxide (rGO) through non-covalent binding to a molecular fluorophore, namely the riboflavin (Rb). While the fluorescence of Rb is quenched, the Rb - decorated rGO exhibits strong blue fluorescence and significantly increased fluorescence lifetime, as compared to its pristine form. The data reported here represent a promising start towards tailoring the optical properties of rGOs, having utmost importance in optical applications.

Linear Parameter Varying Versus Linear Time Invariant Reduced Order Controller Design of Turboprop Aircraft Dynamics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Widowati

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The applicability of parameter varying reduced order controllers to aircraft model is proposed. The generalization of the balanced singular perturbation method of linear time invariant (LTI system is used to reduce the order of linear parameter varying (LPV system. Based on the reduced order model the low-order LPV controller is designed by using synthesis technique. The performance of the reduced order controller is examined by applying it to lateral-directional control of aircraft model having 20th order. Furthermore, the time responses of the closed loop system with reduced order LPV controllers and reduced order LTI controller is compared. From the simulation results, the 8th order LPV controller can maintain stability and to provide the same level of closed-loop systems performance as the full-order LPV controller. It is different with the reduced-order LTI controller that cannot maintain stability and performance for all allowable parameter trajectories.

76 FR 29005 - Endangered Plants and Wildlife; Receipt of Applications for Enhancement of Survival Permits

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-19

..., Hilo, Hawaii. The permittee requests an amendment to remove and reduce to possession (collect plants.... Permit No. TE-39185A Applicant: Pei-Luen Lu, Honolulu, Hawaii. The applicant requests a permit to remove and reduce to possession (collect plant parts) Pleomele hawaiiensis (halapepe) at Hawaii Volcanoes...

A facile and green preparation of reduced graphene oxide using Eucalyptus leaf extract

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chengyang; Zhuang, Zechao; Jin, Xiaoying; Chen, Zuliang

2017-11-01

In this paper, a green and facile synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (GO) by Eucalyptus leaf extract (EL-RGO) was investigated, which was characterized with ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Thermal gravimetric analysis (TG). Eucalyptus leaf extract also play both reducing and capping stabilizing agents prepared EL-RGO as shown a good stability and electrochemical properties. This approach could provide an alternative method to prepare EL-RGO in large-scale production. Moreover, the good electrochemical property and biocompatibility can be used in various applications. In addition, the merit of this study is that both the oxidized products and the reducing agents are environmental friendly by green reduction.

Novel Applications of Modified Ultrafiltration and Autologous Priming Techniques to Reduce Blood Product Exposure on ECMO.

Science.gov (United States)

Neal, James R; Blau, Caitlin L; Cornelius, Amanda M; Pike, Roxann B; Dearani, Joseph A; Mora, Bassem N

2016-03-01

Patients needing the assistance of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are at risk of hemodilution and, in some instances, may require exposure to large amounts of allogeneic blood products. Patient outcomes can be improved by taking steps to reduce transfusions and hemodilution. Currently, modified ultrafiltration (MUF) is used across the world to reduce hemodilution after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Another common technique during bypass initiation is autologous priming. By applying modified versions of these techniques, ECMO patients may potentially benefit. Usually, patients requiring immediate transition from CPB to ECMO are not stable enough to tolerate MUF. Through alterations of the CPB and ECMO circuit tubing, MUF can be performed once on ECMO. Another technique to potentially lower the transfusion requirements for ECMO patients is a complete circuit blood transfer during an ECMO circuit exchange. While selective component changes are preferred if possible, occasionally a complete circuit change must be done. To minimize hemodilution or prevent priming with blood products, the original ECMO circuit's blood can be transferred to the new ECMO circuit before connecting to the patient. Both of these techniques, in our opinion, helped to reduce the number of transfusions that our ECMO patients have seen during these critical time periods.

Process systems engineering issues and applications towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions through conversion technologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Roh, Kosan; Frauzem, Rebecca; Gani, Rafiqul

2016-01-01

This paper reviews issues and applications for design of sustainable carbon dioxide conversion processes, specifically through chemical conversion, and the integration of the conversion processes with other systems from a process systems engineering (PSE) view-point. Systematic and computer......-aided methods and tools for reaction network generation, processing route generation, process design/optimization, and sustainability analysis are reviewed with respect to carbon dioxide conversion. Also, the relevant gaps and opportunities are highlighted. In addition, the integration of carbon dioxide...

Automated Testing of Event-Driven Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Casper Svenning

may be tested by selecting an interesting input (i.e. a sequence of events), and deciding if a failure occurs when the selected input is applied to the event-driven application under test. Automated testing promises to reduce the workload for developers by automatically selecting interesting inputs...... and detect failures. However, it is non-trivial to conduct automated testing of event-driven applications because of, for example, infinite input spaces and the absence of specifications of correct application behavior. In this PhD dissertation, we identify a number of specific challenges when conducting...... automated testing of event-driven applications, and we present novel techniques for solving these challenges. First, we present an algorithm for stateless model-checking of event-driven applications with partial-order reduction, and we show how this algorithm may be used to systematically test web...

Investigating And Evaluating Of Network Failures And Performance Over Distributed WAN In Application Protocol Layer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Enoch Okoh Kofi

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The Experiment was done to find out network failures and application performance relationship over distributed Wide Area Net WAN. In order to access related application over the cloud there must be an internet connectivity which will help the respective workstations to access the remote server for applications being deployed over the network. Bandwidth improvement helps in reducing utilization over the network and it also helps in improving Application Efficiency of these Applications in terms of Response Time. Routers were configured under Enhance Interior Gateway Routing Protocol EIGRP to reduce utilization and to ensure load sharing over the network. Three scenarios were modeled and their performance efficiency was evaluated. A modeled computer Network with and without a fail Router under different scenarios and such Network was simulated with emphasis on the Application Performance. The Experiment was done for fifty workstations under three scenarios and these three scenarios were accessed and evaluated on experimental basis using Riverbed modeler to show the Effect of Application Network performance. The performance results show that increasing the bandwidth reduces utilization and also with the failure of one communication bandwidth users can still access Network Application with a minimal cost.

Bio-Reduction of Graphene Oxide Using Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria and Its Implication on Anti-Biocorrosion.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Tian-Shun; Tan, Wei-Min; Xie, Jingjing

2018-08-01

In this paper, we developed an environmental friendly, cost effective, simple and green approach to reduce graphene oxide (GO) by a sulfate-reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio desulfuricans. The D. desulfuricans reduces exfoliated GO to reduced graphene oxide (rGO) at 25 °C in an aqueous solution without any toxic and environmentally harmful reducing agents. The rGO was characterized with X-ray Diffraction, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscope, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Raman Spectroscopy. The analysis results showed that rGO had excellent properties and multi-layer graphene sheets structure. Furthermore, we demonstrated that D. desulfuricans, one of the primary bacteria responsible for the biocorrosion of various metals, might reduce GO to rGO on the surface of copper and prevented the corrosion of copper, which confirmed that electrophoretic deposition of GO on the surface of metals had great potential on the anti-biocorrosion applications.

Reducing Environmental Risks by Information Disclosure: Evidence in Residential Lead Paint Disclosure Rule

Science.gov (United States)

Bae, Hyunhoe

2012-01-01

Recently, there has been a surge in environmental regulations that require information disclosure. However, existing empirical evidence is limited to certain applications and has yet to generalize the effectiveness of this approach as a policy strategy to reduce environmental risks. This study evaluates the disclosure rule of the residential lead…

Possibility of reducing CO2 emissions from internal combustion engines

Science.gov (United States)

Drabik, Dawid; Mamala, Jarosław; Śmieja, Michał; Prażnowski, Krzysztof

2017-10-01

Article defines on the possibility of reduction CO2 of the internal combustion engine and presents the analysis based on originally conducted studies. The increase in overall engine efficiency is sought after by all engineers dealing with engine construction, one of the major ways to reduce CO2 emissions is to increase the compression ratio. The application of the compression ratio that has been increased constructional in the engine will, on one hand, bring about the increase in the theoretical efficiency, but, on the other hand, require a system for pressure control at a higher engine load in order to prevent engine knocking. For the purposes of the article there was carried out a number of studies and compiled results, and on their basis determined what have a major impact on the reducing CO2.

Simple and green synthesis of piperazine-grafted reduced graphene oxide and its application for the detection of Hg(II)

Science.gov (United States)

Zuo, Yinxiu; Xu, Jingkun; Xing, Huakun; Duan, Xuemin; Lu, Limin; Ye, Guo; Jia, Haiyan; Yu, Yongfang

2018-04-01

In this paper, piperazine-grafted reduced graphene oxide (NH-rGO) was synthesized via a simple and green two-step procedure: (i) opening of the resulting epoxides of graphene oxide (GO) with piperazine (NH) through nucleophilic substitution; (ii) reduction of GO with ascorbic acid. Its structure and morphology were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The NH-rGO modified glassy carbon electrode was explored as an electrochemical sensor for the determination of Hg(II) using a differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry technique. Hg(II) can be efficiently accumulated and deposited on the surface of a modified electrode by strong coordination chemical bonds formed between Hg(II) and NH. And then the anodic stripping current can be significantly enhanced by rGO with the merits of large specific surface area and high conductivity, which served as a signal amplifier, finally realizing the highly sensitive determination of Hg(II). The experimental parameters including the pH value of the acetate buffer, deposition potential and deposition time were optimized. Under optimal conditions, the developed sensor exhibited a wide linear range from 0.4-12 000 nM with a low limit of detection of 0.2 nM, which is well below the guideline value in drinking water set by the WHO. Moreover, the practical application of this method was confirmed by an assay of Hg(II) in tap water samples with acceptable results.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of kinesiotaping in reducing delayed onset muscle soreness of the biceps brachii

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boguszewski Dariusz

2016-07-01

Full Text Available biological regeneration in athletes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the application of lymphatic kinesiotaping in reducing delayed onset muscle soreness of biceps brachii.

Simulation of sediment settling in reduced gravity

Science.gov (United States)

Kuhn, Nikolaus; Kuhn, Brigitte; Rüegg, Hans-Rudolf; Gartmann, Andres

2015-04-01

Gravity has a non-linear effect on the settling velocity of sediment particles in liquids and gases due to the interdependence of settling velocity, drag and friction. However, Stokes' Law or similar empirical models, the common way of estimating the terminal velocity of a particle settling in a gas or liquid, carry the notion of a drag as a property of a particle, rather than a force generated by the flow around the particle. For terrestrial applications, this simplifying assumption is not relevant, but it may strongly influence the terminal velocity achieved by settling particles on other planetary bodies. False estimates of these settling velocities will, in turn, affect the interpretation of particle sizes observed in sedimentary rocks, e.g. on Mars and the search for traces of life. Simulating sediment settling velocities on other planets based on a numeric simulation using Navier-Stokes equations and Computational Fluid Dynamics requires a prohibitive amount of time and lacks measurements to test the quality of the results. The aim of the experiments presented in this study was therefore to quantify the error incurred by using settling velocity models calibrated on Earth at reduced gravities, such as those on the Moon and Mars. In principle, the effect of lower gravity on settling velocity can be achieved by reducing the difference in density between particle and liquid. However, the use of such analogues creates other problems because the properties (i.e. viscosity) and interaction of the liquids and sediment (i.e. flow around the boundary layer between liquid and particle) differ from those of water and mineral particles. An alternative for measuring the actual settling velocities of particles under reduced gravity, on Earth, is offered by placing a settling tube on a reduced gravity flight and conduct settling velocity measurements within the 20 to 25 seconds of Martian gravity that can be simulated during such a flight. In this presentation, the results

Iontophoresis: principles and applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eddy Krueger

Full Text Available Introduction Iontophoresis is a noninvasive technique used to increase transdermal penetration of substances through the skin layer (epidermis, dermis and hypodermis in a controlled manner. Technological advance in recent decades have provided reduced cost of equipment needed for implementation, which allowed for the expansion of this technique. Objective The aim of this paper is to present the state of the art on iontophoresis, ranging from the atomic characteristics of the ion formation to the current applications of the technique. Methods Were researched papers from databases: IOP publishing, ScienceDirect, Pubmed, Springer, IEEE Xplore, Google Scholar and books with keywords iontophoresis, ions, topical applications between 1967 and 2010. Results Were selected (number of papers and database 1 IOP Publishing, 1 from ScienceDirect, Central, 1 from Springer, 2 from PubMed, 11 from IEEE Xplore, 35 from Google Scholar, and 15 books, totaling 66 references and websites with nationally marketed electrotherapy products. Conclusion Iontophoresis is suitable for applications such as acetic acid (calcific tendinitis and myositis ossificans, calcium chloride and magnesium sulfate (control of musculoskeletal spasms, dexamethasone (inflammation, lidocaine (inflammation of soft tissues, zinc oxide (rheumatoid arthritis. It is also used in cosmetic applications with devices attached to the skin and for eye treatment aimed at specific tissues of the eye, providing a treatment option for various eye diseases, reducing the complications secondary to traditional methods of treatment. The advantages are the significant increase in the release and control of therapeutic agents, including drugs with high molecular weight. The disadvantages of iontophoresis are the complexity of the drug release system and prolonged exposure of the skin to an electrical current.

Reduced humic acid nanosheets and its uses as nanofiller

Science.gov (United States)

Duraia, El-shazly M.; Henderson, B.; Beall, Gary W.

2015-10-01

Leonardite is highly oxidized form of lignite coal and contains a number of carboxyl groups around the edges of a graphene-like core. A novel approach has been developed to synthesize graphene oxide-like nanosheets in large scale utilizing leonardite as a starting material. Humic acid extracted from leonardite has been reduced by performing a high pressure catalytic hydrogenation. The reaction was carried out inside a high pressure stirred reactor at 150 °C and 750 psi (~5.2×106 Pa). Morphology of the as-synthesized samples showed porous platy particles and EDAX analysis indicates the carbon and oxygen atomic ratios as 96:4-97:3%. The as-synthesized material has been used as nanofiller in polyurethane. The reduced humic acid-polyurethane nanocomposite showed over 250% increase of Young's modulus. This new approach provides a low cost and scalable source for graphene oxide-like nanosheets in nanocomposite applications.

Efficacy trial of Camouflage Syringe to reduce dental fear and anxiety.

Science.gov (United States)

Ujaoney, S; Mamtani, M; Thakre, T; Tote, J; Hazarey, V; Hazarey, P; Kulkarni, H

2013-12-01

Dental fear and anxiety in early childhood are widely prevalent and contribute to dental problems and behaviour in adulthood. Novel ways to reduce dental fear and anxiety in children are needed. Our aim was to conduct an efficacy trial of a novel Camouflage Syringe to reduce dental fear and anxiety in children. randomised controlled trial of efficacy of the Camouflage Syringe. We designed a Camouflage Syringe with a toy-like appearance that veils the conventional syringe to permit topical application and injection of local anaesthesia and ensure more involvement of the patient in the treatment process. We conducted a concurrent parallel, randomised controlled trial (NCT01398007) on the efficacy of this Camouflage Syringe to reduce the dental fear and anxiety in children seeking dental treatment who required the use of local anaesthesia. Using Venham's clinical rating scale, Venham's picture test, parental stress questionnaire and recall questionnaire, the efficacy of the Camouflage Syringe to reduce dental fear and anxiety ranged from 82% to 97% for various outcomes and from 60% to 100% for prevention of related adverse outcomes. For all outcomes, the number needed to treat was close to unity. Our results strongly favour the use of Camouflage Syringe to reduce dental fear and anxiety in children.

A Novel PPFHB Bidirectional DC-DC Converter for Supercapacitor Application

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Zhe; Thomsen, Ole Cornelius; Andersen, Michael Andreas E.

2009-01-01

This paper presents a novel bidirectional DC-DC converter for the supercapacitor application. In the proposed converter, push-pull forward with half bridge (PPFHB) voltage doubler structure is used to reduce the number of the power switches and get higher voltage gain. Based on phase-shift modula......This paper presents a novel bidirectional DC-DC converter for the supercapacitor application. In the proposed converter, push-pull forward with half bridge (PPFHB) voltage doubler structure is used to reduce the number of the power switches and get higher voltage gain. Based on phase...

MapReduce particle filtering with exact resampling and deterministic runtime

Science.gov (United States)

Thiyagalingam, Jeyarajan; Kekempanos, Lykourgos; Maskell, Simon

2017-12-01

Particle filtering is a numerical Bayesian technique that has great potential for solving sequential estimation problems involving non-linear and non-Gaussian models. Since the estimation accuracy achieved by particle filters improves as the number of particles increases, it is natural to consider as many particles as possible. MapReduce is a generic programming model that makes it possible to scale a wide variety of algorithms to Big data. However, despite the application of particle filters across many domains, little attention has been devoted to implementing particle filters using MapReduce. In this paper, we describe an implementation of a particle filter using MapReduce. We focus on a component that what would otherwise be a bottleneck to parallel execution, the resampling component. We devise a new implementation of this component, which requires no approximations, has O( N) spatial complexity and deterministic O((log N)2) time complexity. Results demonstrate the utility of this new component and culminate in consideration of a particle filter with 224 particles being distributed across 512 processor cores.

Study on spraying water soluble resin to reduce pollution for Fukushima daiichi NPP accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Qiong; Guo Ruiping; Zhang Chunming; Han Fujuan; Hua Jie; Zhang Jiankui

2012-01-01

After Fukushima nuclear accident, Tokyo electric power company used the method of spraying water soluble resin synthesis at the scene of the accident, to restrain and control the spread of the radioactive dust, by forming consolidation layer in pollution area surface. This paper briefly introduced the accident, motivation of spraying water soluble resin, spraying range and implementation process. According to the relevant report on Fukushima nuclear accident, the effect of spraying water soluble resin for reducing pollution was analyzed. The mechanism of reducing pollution for water soluble resin and the application prospect were discussed. Spraying water soluble resin for fixing radioactive dust has reasonable reducing pollution effect. It is worth to use as reference and study in China. (authors)

Application of a particle separation device to reduce inductively coupled plasma-enhanced elemental fractionation in laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guillong, Marcel; Kuhn, Hans-Rudolf; Guenther, Detlef

2003-01-01

The particle size distribution of laser ablation aerosols are a function of the wavelength, the energy density and the pulse duration of the laser, as well as the sample matrix and the gas environment. Further the size of the particles affects the vaporization and ionization efficiency in the inductively coupled plasma (ICP). Some matrices produce large particles, which are not completely vaporized and ionized in the ICP. The previous work has shown that analytical results such as matrix-independent calibration, accuracy and precision can be significantly influenced by the particle sizes of the particles. To minimize the particle size related incomplete conversion of the sample to ions in the ICP a particle separation device was developed, which allows effective particle separation using centrifugal forces in a thin coiled tube. In this device, the particle cut-off size is varied by changing the number of turns in the coil, as well as by changing the gas flow and the tube diameter. The interaction of the laser with the different samples leads to varying particle size distributions. When carrying out quantitative analysis with non-matrix matched calibration reference materials, it was shown that different particle cut-off sizes were required depending on the ICP conditions and the instrument used for analysis. Various sample materials were investigated in this study to demonstrate the applicability of the device. For silicate matrices, the capability of the ICP to produce ions was significantly reduced for particles larger than 0.5 μm, and was dependent on the element monitored. To reduce memory effects caused by the separated particles, a washout procedure was developed, which additionally allowed the analysis of the trapped particles. These results clearly demonstrate the very important particle size dependent ICP-MS signal response and the potential of the described particle size based separator for the reduction of ICP induced elemental fractionation

Reduced Order Models for Dynamic Behavior of Elastomer Damping Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Morin, B.; Legay, A.; Deü, J.-F.

2016-09-01

In the context of passive damping, various mechanical systems from the space industry use elastomer components (shock absorbers, silent blocks, flexible joints...). The material of these devices has frequency, temperature and amplitude dependent characteristics. The associated numerical models, using viscoelastic and hyperelastic constitutive behaviour, may become computationally too expensive during a design process. The aim of this work is to propose efficient reduced viscoelastic models of rubber devices. The first step is to choose an accurate material model that represent the viscoelasticity. The second step is to reduce the rubber device finite element model to a super-element that keeps the frequency dependence. This reduced model is first built by taking into account the fact that the device's interfaces are much more rigid than the rubber core. To make use of this difference, kinematical constraints enforce the rigid body motion of these interfaces reducing the rubber device model to twelve dofs only on the interfaces (three rotations and three translations per face). Then, the superelement is built by using a component mode synthesis method. As an application, the dynamic behavior of a structure supported by four hourglass shaped rubber devices under harmonic loads is analysed to show the efficiency of the proposed approach.

Lean manufacturing implementation in reducing waste for electronic assembly line

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zakaria Nurul Husna

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Lean manufacturing is the most convenient way to eliminate unnecessary waste and can provide what customers demand. This paper presents possibilities and sustainability of application of lean manufacturing method by using a virtual simulation of the workers performance in a line production of small and medium industry. Actual case study and Witness simulation were used in this study to find the waste that exists in the production and identified the performance of workers in the production line. Lean manufacturing concept has identified and rectified problems related to low productivity in the assembly line. The case study is involved a line production for electronic part assembly. The result of this preliminary study should illustrate the relationship of worker’s performance by lean manufacturing method as well as the productivity improvements which help to reduce cost for manufacturer. Lean manufacturing method has been used during the study to reduce the cost when waste is eliminated by reducing the workstation without reducing the performance of the production. The performance of the production is increased when allocating the labor in a needed working area. Lastly, the study also proves that the new layout has improved the process to be used for future production process.

Increased intracellular proteolysis reduces disease severity in an ER stress-associated dwarfism.

Science.gov (United States)

Mullan, Lorna A; Mularczyk, Ewa J; Kung, Louise H; Forouhan, Mitra; Wragg, Jordan Ma; Goodacre, Royston; Bateman, John F; Swanton, Eileithyia; Briggs, Michael D; Boot-Handford, Raymond P

2017-10-02

The short-limbed dwarfism metaphyseal chondrodysplasia type Schmid (MCDS) is linked to mutations in type X collagen, which increase ER stress by inducing misfolding of the mutant protein and subsequently disrupting hypertrophic chondrocyte differentiation. Here, we show that carbamazepine (CBZ), an autophagy-stimulating drug that is clinically approved for the treatment of seizures and bipolar disease, reduced the ER stress induced by 4 different MCDS-causing mutant forms of collagen X in human cell culture. Depending on the nature of the mutation, CBZ application stimulated proteolysis of misfolded collagen X by either autophagy or proteasomal degradation, thereby reducing intracellular accumulation of mutant collagen. In MCDS mice expressing the Col10a1.pN617K mutation, CBZ reduced the MCDS-associated expansion of the growth plate hypertrophic zone, attenuated enhanced expression of ER stress markers such as Bip and Atf4, increased bone growth, and reduced skeletal dysplasia. CBZ produced these beneficial effects by reducing the MCDS-associated abnormalities in hypertrophic chondrocyte differentiation. Stimulation of intracellular proteolysis using CBZ treatment may therefore be a clinically viable way of treating the ER stress-associated dwarfism MCDS.

The application of reduced-processing decision support systems to facilitate the acquisition of decision-making skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Perry, Nathan C; Wiggins, Mark W; Childs, Merilyn; Fogarty, Gerard

2013-06-01

The study was designed to examine whether the availability of reduced-processing decision support system interfaces could improve the decision making of inexperienced personnel in the context of Although research into reduced-processing decision support systems has demonstrated benefits in minimizing cognitive load, these benefits have not typically translated into direct improvements in decision accuracy because of the tendency for inexperienced personnel to focus on less-critical information. The authors investigated whether reduced-processing interfaces that direct users' attention toward the most critical cues for decision making can produce improvements in decision-making performance. Novice participants made incident command-related decisions in experimental conditions that differed according to the amount of information that was available within the interface, the level of control that they could exert over the presentation of information, and whether they had received decision training. The results revealed that despite receiving training, participants improved in decision accuracy only when they were provided with an interface that restricted information access to the most critical cues. It was concluded that an interface that restricts information access to only the most critical cues in the scenario can facilitate improvements in decision performance. Decision support system interfaces that encourage the processing of the most critical cues have the potential to improve the accuracy and timeliness of decisions made by inexperienced personnel.

APPLICATION OF ANTIOXIDANTS AND EDIBLE STARCH COATING TO REDUCE BROWNING OF MINIMALLY - PROCESSED CASSAVA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

DANIEL GOMES COELHO

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to evaluate the quality of minimally - processed cassava treated with antioxidants and a starch - based edible coating. Cassava roots were washed, cooled, immersed in cold water, peeled and then cut. Root pieces were then immersed in a chloride solution, centrifuged, and subsequently immersed in either a starch suspension (3%, a solution containing antioxidants (3% citric acid and 3% ascorbic acid, or in both the coating and antioxidant solutions. Coated root pieces were dried at 18 ± 2°C for 1 hour, then packaged into polypropylene bags (150 g per pack and kept at 5 ± 2°C for 15 days, and assessed every 3 days. A completely randomized design was used in a 4 × 6 factorial consisting of the treatment (control, coating, antioxidant, or coating and antioxidant and the storage period (0, 3 6, 9, 12 or 15 days, with three replicates in each group. The pH, blackened area and peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase activities of the cassava was reduced in treatments containing antioxidants and the scores of visual analysis and phenolic content were higher. Therefore, treatment with antioxidants was effective for reducing browning in minimally - processed cassava, retaining the quality of cassava pieces stored for 15 days at 5 ± 2°C. The combination of antioxidants and the edible coating showed no improvement compared to treatment with antioxidants alone.

Reduced modeling of signal transduction – a modular approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ederer Michael

2007-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Combinatorial complexity is a challenging problem in detailed and mechanistic mathematical modeling of signal transduction. This subject has been discussed intensively and a lot of progress has been made within the last few years. A software tool (BioNetGen was developed which allows an automatic rule-based set-up of mechanistic model equations. In many cases these models can be reduced by an exact domain-oriented lumping technique. However, the resulting models can still consist of a very large number of differential equations. Results We introduce a new reduction technique, which allows building modularized and highly reduced models. Compared to existing approaches further reduction of signal transduction networks is possible. The method also provides a new modularization criterion, which allows to dissect the model into smaller modules that are called layers and can be modeled independently. Hallmarks of the approach are conservation relations within each layer and connection of layers by signal flows instead of mass flows. The reduced model can be formulated directly without previous generation of detailed model equations. It can be understood and interpreted intuitively, as model variables are macroscopic quantities that are converted by rates following simple kinetics. The proposed technique is applicable without using complex mathematical tools and even without detailed knowledge of the mathematical background. However, we provide a detailed mathematical analysis to show performance and limitations of the method. For physiologically relevant parameter domains the transient as well as the stationary errors caused by the reduction are negligible. Conclusion The new layer based reduced modeling method allows building modularized and strongly reduced models of signal transduction networks. Reduced model equations can be directly formulated and are intuitively interpretable. Additionally, the method provides very good

Future directions for ferritic/martensitic steels for nuclear applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klueh, R.L.; Swindeman, R.W.

2000-01-01

High-chromium (7-12% Cr) ferritic/martensitic steels are being considered for nuclear applications for both fission and fusion reactors. Conventional 9-12Cr Cr-Mo steels were the first candidates for these applications. For fusion reactors, reduced-activation steels were developed that were patterned on the conventional steels but with molybdenum replaced by tungsten and niobium replaced by tantalum. Both the conventional and reduced-activation steels are considered to have an upper operating temperature limit of about 550degC. For improved reactor efficiency, higher operating temperatures are required. For ferritic/martensitic steels that could meet such requirements, oxide dispersion-strengthened (ODS) steels are being considered. In this paper, the ferritic/martensitic steels that are candidate steels for nuclear applications will be reviewed, the prospect for ODS steel development and the development of steels produced by conventional processes will be discussed. (author)

Application of Bacillus sp. TAT105 to reduce ammonia emissions during pilot-scale composting of swine manure.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuroda, Kazutaka; Tanaka, Akihiro; Furuhashi, Kenich; Nakasaki, Kiyohiko

2017-12-01

Thermophilic ammonium-tolerant bacterium Bacillus sp. TAT105 grows and reduces ammonia (NH 3 ) emissions by assimilating ammonium nitrogen during composting of swine feces. To evaluate the efficacy of a biological additive containing TAT105 at reducing NH 3 emissions, composting tests of swine manure on a pilot scale (1.8 m 3 ) were conducted. In the TAT105-added treatment, NH 3 emissions and nitrogen loss were lower than those in the control treatment without TAT105. No significant difference was detected in losses in the weight and volatile solids between the treatments. Concentration of thermophilic ammonium-tolerant bacteria in the compost increased in both treatments at the initial stage of composting. In the TAT105-added treatment, bacterial concentration reached ~10 9 colony-forming units per gram of dry matter, several-fold higher than that in the control and stayed at the same level until the end. These results suggest that TAT105 grows during composting and reduces NH 3 emissions in TAT105-added treatment.

Quantifying the Impact of Seasonal and Short-term Manure Application Decisions on Phosphorus Loss in Surface Runoff.

Science.gov (United States)

Vadas, Peter A; Good, Laura W; Jokela, William E; Karthikeyan, K G; Arriaga, Francisco J; Stock, Melanie

2017-11-01

Agricultural phosphorus (P) management is a research and policy issue due to P loss from fields and water quality degradation. Better information is needed on the risk of P loss from dairy manure applied in winter or when runoff is imminent. We used the SurPhos computer model and 108 site-years of weather and runoff data to assess the impact of these two practices on dissolved P loss. Model results showed that winter manure application can increase P loss by 2.5 to 3.6 times compared with non-winter applications, with the amount increasing as the average runoff from a field increases. Increased P loss is true for manure applied any time from late November through early March, with a maximum P loss from application in late January and early February. Shifting manure application to fields with less runoff can reduce P loss by 3.4 to 7.5 times. Delaying manure application when runoff is imminent can reduce P loss any time of the year, and sometimes quite significantly, but the number of times that application delays will reduce P loss is limited to only 3 to 9% of possible spreading days, and average P loss may be reduced by only 15% for winter-applied manure and 6% for non-winter-applied manure. Overall, long-term strategies of shifting manure applications to low runoff seasons and fields can potentially reduce dissolved P loss in runoff much more compared with near-term, tactical application decisions of avoiding manure application when runoff is imminent. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

A reduced set of gyrofluid equations for plasma flow in a diverging magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robertson, Scott

2016-01-01

Plasmas are often generated in a small diameter source with a strong magnetic field and subsequently flow into a region with greater diameter and smaller field. The magnetic mirror force that accelerates plasma in a diverging magnetic field appears in the gyrofluid equations developed for applications to toroidal devices, but this force is often absent from fluid equations. A set of gyrofluid equations with reduced complexity is developed in which drifts are assumed negligible and the mirror force is retained. The Chew–Goldberger–Low equations of state are used for a simple closure. These reduced gyrofluid equations are applied to plasma equilibrium in a magnetic mirror, to acceleration of plasma in a magnetic nozzle, and to space charge neutralization of an ion beam by electrons in a diverging magnetic field. The results from gyrofluid theory are compared with results from drift kinetic theory to find the accuracy of the gyrofluid approximation in these applications.

Synthesis and characterization of a nanocomposite of goethite nanorods and reduced graphene oxide for electrochemical capacitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shou Qingliang; Cheng Jipeng; Zhang Li; Nelson, Bradley J.; Zhang Xiaobin

2012-01-01

We report a one-step synthesis of a nanocomposite of goethite (α-FeOOH) nanorods and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) using a solution method in which ferrous cations serve as a reducing agent of graphite oxide (GO) to graphene and a precursor to grow goethite nanorods. As-prepared goethite nanorods have an average length of 200 nm and a diameter of 30 nm and are densely attached on both sides of the RGO sheets. The electrochemical properties of the nanocomposite were characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronopotentiometry (CP) charge–discharge tests. The results showed that goethite/RGO composites have a high electrochemical capacitance of 165.5 F g −1 with an excellent recycling capability making the material promising for electrochemical capacitors. - Graphical abstract: The reduced graphene oxide sheets are decorated with goethite nanorods. The as-prepared composite exhibits a high electrochemical capacitance with good recycling capability, which is promising for supercapacitor applications. Higlights: ► Ferrous ions act as reductant of graphite oxide and precursor of goethite nanorods. ► Goethite nanorods are attached on both sides of the reduced graphene oxide sheets. ► Composite exhibits a high specific capacitance and a good recycling capability. ► Composite is promising for supercapacitor applications.

Evidence-based blood pressure reducing actions of electroacupuncture: mechanisms and clinical application.

Science.gov (United States)

Longhurst, John C; Tjen-A-Looi, Stephanie C

2017-10-25

Hypertension is a serious world-wide health problem as it increases cardiovascular atherosclerotic risk, stroke and attending morbidity and mortality. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressures and particularly systolic pressure increase with aging. The downsides from pharmacological therapy have led to consideration of additional treatments, including acupuncture, which evokes endogenous neural-hormonal systems to lower blood pressure. Using basic science studies to guide clinical approaches to research, it is apparent that low frequency, low intensity electroacupuncture reduces sympathetic outflow in approximately 70% of patients with mild to moderate hypertension who are off antihypertensive drugs. Systolic and, to a lesser extent, diastolic arterial blood pressures can be lowered over two to four weeks for prolonged periods, lasting as long as one month, after cessation of an eight weeks of once weekly stimulation. Many questions about long-term therapy, treatment of resistant patients and efficacy in patients on medication remain to be studied. Current data, however, suggest that there may be a role of acupuncture in treatment of hypertension.

Simulation Application for the LHCb Experiment

CERN Document Server

Belyaev, I; Easo, S; Mato, P; Palacios, J; Pokorski, Witold; Ranjard, F; Van Tilburg, J; Charpentier, Ph.

2003-01-01

We describe the LHCb detector simulation application (Gauss) based on the Geant4 toolkit. The application is built using the Gaudi software framework, which is used for all event-processing applications in the LHCb experiment. The existence of an underlying framework allows several common basic services such as persistency, interactivity, as well as detector geometry description or particle data to be shared between simulation, reconstruction and analysis applications. The main benefits of such common services are coherence between different event-processing stages as well as reduced development effort. The interfacing to Geant4 toolkit is realized through a facade (GiGa) which minimizes the coupling to the simulation engine and provides a set of abstract interfaces for configuration and event-by-event communication. The Gauss application is composed of three main blocks, i.e. event generation, detector response simulation and digitization which reflect the different stages performed during the simulation job...

Complex functionality with minimal computation: Promise and pitfalls of reduced-tracer ocean biogeochemistry models

Science.gov (United States)

Galbraith, Eric D.; Dunne, John P.; Gnanadesikan, Anand; Slater, Richard D.; Sarmiento, Jorge L.; Dufour, Carolina O.; de Souza, Gregory F.; Bianchi, Daniele; Claret, Mariona; Rodgers, Keith B.; Marvasti, Seyedehsafoura Sedigh

2015-12-01

Earth System Models increasingly include ocean biogeochemistry models in order to predict changes in ocean carbon storage, hypoxia, and biological productivity under climate change. However, state-of-the-art ocean biogeochemical models include many advected tracers, that significantly increase the computational resources required, forcing a trade-off with spatial resolution. Here, we compare a state-of-the art model with 30 prognostic tracers (TOPAZ) with two reduced-tracer models, one with 6 tracers (BLING), and the other with 3 tracers (miniBLING). The reduced-tracer models employ parameterized, implicit biological functions, which nonetheless capture many of the most important processes resolved by TOPAZ. All three are embedded in the same coupled climate model. Despite the large difference in tracer number, the absence of tracers for living organic matter is shown to have a minimal impact on the transport of nutrient elements, and the three models produce similar mean annual preindustrial distributions of macronutrients, oxygen, and carbon. Significant differences do exist among the models, in particular the seasonal cycle of biomass and export production, but it does not appear that these are necessary consequences of the reduced tracer number. With increasing CO2, changes in dissolved oxygen and anthropogenic carbon uptake are very similar across the different models. Thus, while the reduced-tracer models do not explicitly resolve the diversity and internal dynamics of marine ecosystems, we demonstrate that such models are applicable to a broad suite of major biogeochemical concerns, including anthropogenic change. These results are very promising for the further development and application of reduced-tracer biogeochemical models that incorporate "sub-ecosystem-scale" parameterizations.

75 FR 38592 - Solicitation of Applications and Notice of Funding Availability for Reducing the Effects of...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-02

... and psychological distress, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the more immediate... applicability of current knowledge about post traumatic interventions and to advance evidence-based... knowledge about post traumatic interventions and to advance evidence-based recommendations for controlling...

Low-Cost Composite Materials and Structures for Aircraft Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Deo, Ravi B.; Starnes, James H., Jr.; Holzwarth, Richard C.

2003-01-01

A survey of current applications of composite materials and structures in military, transport and General Aviation aircraft is presented to assess the maturity of composites technology, and the payoffs realized. The results of the survey show that performance requirements and the potential to reduce life cycle costs for military aircraft and direct operating costs for transport aircraft are the main reasons for the selection of composite materials for current aircraft applications. Initial acquisition costs of composite airframe components are affected by high material costs and complex certification tests which appear to discourage the widespread use of composite materials for aircraft applications. Material suppliers have performed very well to date in developing resin matrix and fiber systems for improved mechanical, durability and damage tolerance performance. The next challenge for material suppliers is to reduce material costs and to develop materials that are suitable for simplified and inexpensive manufacturing processes. The focus of airframe manufacturers should be on the development of structural designs that reduce assembly costs by the use of large-scale integration of airframe components with unitized structures and manufacturing processes that minimize excessive manual labor.

Biofabrication of a novel biomolecule-assisted reduced graphene oxide: an excellent biocompatible nanomaterial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang X

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Xi-Feng Zhang,1 Sangiliyandi Gurunathan2 1College of Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea Abstract: Graphene has been shown much interest, both in academics and industry due to its extraordinary physical, chemical, and biological proprieties. It shows great promises in biotechnological and biomedical applications as an antibacterial and anticancer agent, nanocarrier, sensor, etc. However, many studies demonstrated the toxicity of graphene in several cell lines, which is an obstacle to its use in biomedical applications. In this study, to improve the biocompatibility of graphene, we used nicotinamide (NAM as a reducing and stabilizing agent to catalyze the reduction of graphene oxide (GO to reduced graphene oxide (rGO. The resulted smaller-sized GO (NAM-rGO showed excellent biocompatibility with mouse embryonic fibroblast cells, evidenced by various cellular assays. Furthermore, NAM-rGO had no effect on mitochondrial membrane permeability and caspase-3 activity compared to GO. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis allowed us to identify the molecular mechanisms responsible for NAM-rGO-induced biocompatibility. NAM-rGO significantly induced the expression of genes encoding tight junction proteins (TJPs such as zona occludens-1 (Tjp1 and claudins (Cldn3 without any effect on the expression of cytoskeleton proteins. Furthermore, NAM-rGO enhances the expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP gene, and it does this in a time-dependent manner. Overall, our study depicted the molecular mechanisms underlying NAM-rGO biocompatibility depending on upregulation of TJPs and ALP. This potential quality of graphene could be used in diverse applications including tissue regeneration and tissue engineering. Keywords: biocompatibility, graphene oxide, nicotinamide, reduced

Phenylboronic acid functionalized reduced graphene oxide based fluorescence nano sensor for glucose sensing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Basiruddin, SK; Swain, Sarat K., E-mail: swainsk2@yahoo.co.in

2016-01-01

Reduced graphene has emerged as promising tools for detection based application of biomolecules as it has high surface area with strong fluorescence quenching property. We have used the concept of fluorescent quenching property of reduced graphene oxide to the fluorescent probes which are close vicinity of its surface. In present work, we have synthesized fluorescent based nano-sensor consist of phenylboronic acid functionalized reduced graphene oxide (rGO–PBA) and di-ol modified fluorescent probe for detection of biologically important glucose molecules. This fluorescent graphene based nano-probe has been characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), Atomic force microscope (AFM), UV–visible, Photo-luminescence (PL) and Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Finally, using this PBA functionalized reduced GO based nano-sensor, we were able to detect glucose molecule in the range of 2 mg/mL to 75 mg/mL in aqueous solution of pH 7.4. - Highlights: • Easy and simple synthesis of PBA functionalized reduced GO based nano probe. • PBA functionalized reduced GO graphene based nano-probes are characterized. • PBA functionalized reduced GO nano probe is used to detect glucose molecules. • It is very cost-effective and enzyme-free detection of glucose in solution.

Lattice Symmetry and Identification-The Fundamental Role of Reduced Cells in Materials Characterization.

Science.gov (United States)

Mighell, A D

2001-01-01

In theory, physical crystals can be represented by idealized mathematical lattices. Under appropriate conditions, these representations can be used for a variety of purposes such as identifying, classifying, and understanding the physical properties of materials. Critical to these applications is the ability to construct a unique representation of the lattice. The vital link that enabled this theory to be realized in practice was provided by the 1970 paper on the determination of reduced cells. This seminal paper led to a mathematical approach to lattice analysis initially based on systematic reduction procedures and the use of standard cells. Subsequently, the process evolved to a matrix approach based on group theory and linear algebra that offered a more abstract and powerful way to look at lattices and their properties. Application of the reduced cell to both database work and laboratory research at NIST was immediately successful. Currently, this cell and/or procedures based on reduction are widely and routinely used by the general scientific community: (i) for calculating standard cells for the reporting of crystalline materials, (ii) for classifying materials, (iii) in crystallographic database work (iv) in routine x-ray and neutron diffractometry, and (v) in general crystallographic research. Especially important is its use in symmetry determination and in identification. The focus herein is on the role of the reduced cell in lattice symmetry determination.

[Effectiveness of implementing the reiki method to reduce the weaning failure. A clinical trial].

Science.gov (United States)

Saiz-Vinuesa, M D; Rodríguez-Moreno, E; Carrilero-López, C; García Vitoria, J; Garrido-Moya, D; Claramonte-Monedero, R; Piqueras-Carrión, A M

2016-01-01

Admission to intensive care unit (ICU) is a difficult and stressful time for the patient, with the application of different techniques, such as intubation and ventilation support withdrawal or "weaning", which may fail due to anxiety. To determine whether Reiki is useful in reducing weaning failure, as well as reducing the number of days of mechanical ventilation (MV), length of stay in ICU, amount of sedatives, amines, and antipsychotics. Randomized clinical trial. ICU of a Level III University Hospital. ICU patients connected to Mechanical Ventilation for more than 48hours, with a signed informed consent. Patients in a terminal condition or potential organ donors were excluded. 256 patients divided into two groups: intervention group (GI) and placebo (GP). The intervention involves the application of Reiki, and a simulated technique within the placebo group. An analysis was made of the absolute and relative frequencies, with a significance level of PReiki reduces the agitation of patients. A decrease was objectively observed in the number of days of Mechanical Ventilation, length of stay, lower doses of sedatives, and a slight decrease in the weaning failure in the GI. No statistically significant difference was found in the main variable. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEEIUC. All rights reserved.

An analytic study of applying Miller cycle to reduce NOx emission from petrol engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Yaodong; Lin Lin; Roskilly, Anthony P.; Zeng Shengchuo; Huang, Jincheng; He Yunxin; Huang Xiaodong; Huang Huilan; Wei Haiyan; Li Shangping; Yang Jing

2007-01-01

An analytic investigation of applying Miller cycle to reduce nitrogen oxides (NO x ) emissions from a petrol engine is carried out. The Miller cycle used in the investigation is a late intake valve closing version. A detailed thermodynamic analysis of the cycle is presented. A comparison of the characters of Miller cycle with Otto cycle is presented. From the results of thermodynamic analyses, it can be seen that the application of Miller cycle is able to reduce the compression pressure and temperature in the cylinder at the end of compression stroke. Therefore, it lowers down the combustion temperature and NO x formation in engine cylinder. These results in a lower exhaust temperature and less NO x emissions compared with that of Otto cycle. The analytic results also show that Miller cycle ratio is a main factor to influence the combustion temperature, and then the NO x emissions and the exhaust temperature. The results from the analytic study are used to analyse and to compare with the previous experimental results. An empirical formula from the previous experimental results that showed the relation of NO x emissions with the exhaust temperature at different engine speed is presented. The results from the study showed that the application of Miller cycle may reduce NO x emissions from petrol engine

Design and implementation of Ad-Hoc collaborative proxying scheme for reducing network energy waste

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafiullah Khan

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Network devices are equipped with low power states but they are rarely activated due to their inability of maintaining network connectivity. Recently, Network Connectivity Proxy (NCP concept has been proposed in literature as an effective mechanism to exploit full potential of low power features on network devices by impersonating their virtual presence. However, the NCP concept faces several open issues and challenges especially related to proxying of TCP connections and majority of daily used proprietary closed-source applications. This paper presents a new approach for reducing network energy waste through intelligent collaboration among daily used devices (e.g., desktop computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc. It guarantees to run applications on only and only one user device that is under active use at that specific moment. To reduce energy waste and allow idle devices to sleep, our approach also takes benefit from a light-weight home gateway proxy with very basic practically realizable functionalities. The proposed system not just reduces energy waste of fixed devices but also enables mobile devices to significantly improve their battery life. Our developed software prototypes allow devices to autonomously and seamlessly collaborate with each other without requiring any configuration or user input. Further, this paper also presents the basic performance evaluation of developed prototypes in real networking environments.

Sponge-like reduced graphene oxide/silicon/carbon nanotube composites for lithium ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Menglu; Wang, Zhao; Chen, Xiaojun; Guan, Shiyou

2018-04-01

Three-dimensional sponge-like reduced graphene oxide/silicon/carbon nanotube composites were synthesized by one-step hydrothermal self-assembly using silicon nanoparticles, graphene oxide and amino modified carbon nanotubes to develop high-performance anode materials of lithium ion batteries. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy images show the structure of composites that Silicon nanoparticles are coated with reduced graphene oxide while amino modified carbon nanotubes wrap around the reduced graphene oxide in the composites. When applied to lithium ion battery, these composites exhibit high initial specific capacity of 2552 mA h/g at a current density of 0.05 A/g. In addition, reduced graphene oxide/silicon/carbon nanotube composites also have better cycle stability than bare Silicon nanoparticles electrode with the specific capacity of 1215 mA h/g after 100 cycles. The three-dimension sponge-like structure not only ensures the electrical conductivity but also buffers the huge volume change, which has broad potential application in the field of battery.

Fabrication and characterization on reduced graphene oxide field effect transistor (RGOFET) based biosensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rashid, A. Diyana [School of Microelectronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Pauh, Perlis (Malaysia); Ruslinda, A. Rahim, E-mail: ruslinda@unimap.edu.my; Fatin, M. F. [Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), 01000 Kangar, Perlis (Malaysia); Hashim, U.; Arshad, M. K. [School of Microelectronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Pauh, Perlis (Malaysia); Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), 01000 Kangar, Perlis (Malaysia)

2016-07-06

The fabrication and characterization on reduced graphene oxide field effect transistor (RGO-FET) were demonstrated using a spray deposition method for biological sensing device purpose. A spray method is a fast, low-cost and simple technique to deposit graphene and the most promising technology due to ideal coating on variety of substrates and high production speed. The fabrication method was demonstrated for developing a label free aptamer reduced graphene oxide field effect transistor biosensor. Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was obtained by heating on hot plate fixed at various temperatures of 100, 200 and 300°C, respectively. The surface morphology of RGO were examined via atomic force microscopy to observed the temperature effect of produced RGO. The electrical measurement verify the performance of electrical conducting RGO-FET at temperature 300°C is better as compared to other temperature due to the removal of oxygen groups in GO. Thus, reduced graphene oxide was a promising material for biosensor application.

Application of source biasing technique for energy efficient DECODER circuit design: memory array application

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Neha; Parihar, Priyanka; Neema, Vaibhav

2018-04-01

Researchers have proposed many circuit techniques to reduce leakage power dissipation in memory cells. If we want to reduce the overall power in the memory system, we have to work on the input circuitry of memory architecture i.e. row and column decoder. In this research work, low leakage power with a high speed row and column decoder for memory array application is designed and four new techniques are proposed. In this work, the comparison of cluster DECODER, body bias DECODER, source bias DECODER, and source coupling DECODER are designed and analyzed for memory array application. Simulation is performed for the comparative analysis of different DECODER design parameters at 180 nm GPDK technology file using the CADENCE tool. Simulation results show that the proposed source bias DECODER circuit technique decreases the leakage current by 99.92% and static energy by 99.92% at a supply voltage of 1.2 V. The proposed circuit also improves dynamic power dissipation by 5.69%, dynamic PDP/EDP 65.03% and delay 57.25% at 1.2 V supply voltage.

Biochar reduces copper toxicity in Chenopodium quinoa Willd. In a sandy soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Buss, Wolfram; Kammann, Claudia; Koyro, Hans-Werner

2012-01-01

Mining, smelting, land applications of sewage sludge, the use of fungicides containing copper (Cu), and other human activities have led to widespread soil enrichment and contamination with Cu and potentially toxic conditions. Biochar (BC) can adsorb several substances, ranging from herbicides to plant-inhibiting allelochemicals. However, the range of potential beneficial effects on early-stage plant growth with regard to heavy metal toxicity is largely unexplored. We investigated the ameliorating properties of a forestry-residue BC under Cu toxicity conditions on early plant growth. Young quinoa plants () were grown in the greenhouse in the presence of 0, 2, and 4% BC application (w/w) added to a sandy soil with 0, 50, or 200 μg g Cu supplied. The plants without BC showed severe stress symptoms and reduced growth shortly after Cu application of 50 μg g and died at 200 μg Cu g. Increasing BC concentrations in the growth medium significantly increased the plant performance without Cu toxicity or under Cu stress. At the 4% BC application rate, the plants with 200 μg g Cu almost reached the same biomass as in the control treatment. In the presence of BC, less Cu entered the plant tissues, which had reduced Cu concentrations in the order roots, shoots, leaves. The amelioration effect also was reflected in the plant-soil system CO gas exchange, which showed clear signs of improvement with BC presence. The most likely ameliorating mechanisms were adsorption of Cu to negatively charged BC surfaces and an improvement of the water supply. Overall, BC seems to be a beneficial amendment with the potential to ameliorate Cu toxicity in sandy soils. Further research with a broad spectrum of different soil types, BCs, and crop plants is required. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

A standardized multidisciplinary approach reduces the use of allogeneic blood products in patients undergoing cardiac surgery

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Linden, P.; de Hert, S.; Daper, A.; Trenchant, A.; Jacobs, D.; de Boelpaepe, C.; Kimbimbi, P.; Defrance, P.; Simoens, G.

2001-01-01

PURPOSE: Individual and institutional practices remain an independent predictor factor for allogeneic blood transfusion. Application of a standardized multidisciplinary transfusion strategy should reduce the use of allogeneic blood transfusion in major surgical patients. METHODS: This prospective

Methods Reduce Cost, Enhance Quality of Nanotubes

Science.gov (United States)

2009-01-01

For all the challenges posed by the microgravity conditions of space, weight is actually one of the more significant problems NASA faces in the development of the next generation of U.S. space vehicles. For the Agency s Constellation Program, engineers at NASA centers are designing and testing new vessels as safe, practical, and cost-effective means of space travel following the eventual retirement of the space shuttle. Program components like the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, intended to carry astronauts to the International Space Station and the Moon, must be designed to specific weight requirements to manage fuel consumption and match launch rocket capabilities; Orion s gross liftoff weight target is about 63,789 pounds. Future space vehicles will require even greater attention to lightweight construction to help conserve fuel for long-range missions to Mars and beyond. In order to reduce spacecraft weight without sacrificing structural integrity, NASA is pursuing the development of materials that promise to revolutionize not only spacecraft construction, but also a host of potential applications on Earth. Single-walled carbon nanotubes are one material of particular interest. These tubular, single-layer carbon molecules - 100,000 of them braided together would be no thicker than a human hair - display a range of remarkable characteristics. Possessing greater tensile strength than steel at a fraction of the weight, the nanotubes are efficient heat conductors with metallic or semiconductor electrical properties depending on their diameter and chirality (the pattern of each nanotube s hexagonal lattice structure). All of these properties make the nanotubes an appealing material for spacecraft construction, with the potential for nanotube composites to reduce spacecraft weight by 50 percent or more. The nanotubes may also feature in a number of other space exploration applications, including life support, energy storage, and sensor technologies. NASA s various

Can Reduced-Step Polishers Be as Effective as Multiple-Step Polishers in Enhancing Surface Smoothness?

Science.gov (United States)

Kemaloglu, Hande; Karacolak, Gamze; Turkun, L Sebnem

2017-02-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of various finishing and polishing systems on the final surface roughness of a resin composite. Hypotheses tested were: (1) reduced-step polishing systems are as effective as multiple-step systems on reducing the surface roughness of a resin composite and (2) the number of application steps in an F/P system has no effect on reducing surface roughness. Ninety discs of a nano-hybrid resin composite were fabricated and divided into nine groups (n = 10). Except the control, all of the specimens were roughened prior to be polished by: Enamel Plus Shiny, Venus Supra, One-gloss, Sof-Lex Wheels, Super-Snap, Enhance/PoGo, Clearfil Twist Dia, and rubber cups. The surface roughness was measured and the surfaces were examined under scanning electron microscope. Results were analyzed with analysis of variance and Holm-Sidak's multiple comparisons test (p One-gloss, Enamel Plus Shiny, and Venus Supra groups. (1) The number of application steps has no effect on the performance of F/P systems. (2) Reduced-step polishers used after a finisher can be preferable to multiple-step systems when used on nanohybrid resin composites. (3) The effect of F/P systems on surface roughness seems to be material-dependent rather than instrument- or system-dependent. Reduced-step systems used after a prepolisher can be an acceptable alternative to multiple-step systems on enhancing the surface smoothness of a nanohybrid composite; however, their effectiveness depends on the materials' properties. (J Esthet Restor Dent 29:31-40, 2017). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Efficacy test of a toothpaste in reducing extrinsic dental stain

Science.gov (United States)

Agustanti, A.; Ramadhani, S. A.; Adiatman, M.; Rahardjo, A.; Callea, M.; Yavuz, I.; Maharani, D. A.

2017-08-01

This clinical trial compared the external dental stain reduction achieved by tested toothpaste versus placebo in adult patients. In this double-blind, parallel, randomised clinical trial, 45 female volunteers with a mean age of 20 years old were included. All study subjects front teeth were topically applicated with Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) to create external dental stains. Subjects were randomized into test (n=22) and control (n=23) groups. Toothpastes were used for two days to analyse the effects of removing external stains on the labial surfaces of all anterior teeth. VITA Easyshade Advance 4.0 was used to measure dental extrinsic stains changes. The analysis showed statistically significant efficacy of the tested toothpaste in reducing external dental stain caused by SDF, comparing to the placebo toothpaste, after one and two days of usage. The tested toothpaste was effective in reducing dental stain.

Reducing Visual Discomfort with HMDs Using Dynamic Depth of Field.

Science.gov (United States)

Carnegie, Kieran; Rhee, Taehyun

2015-01-01

Although head-mounted displays (HMDs) are ideal devices for personal viewing of immersive stereoscopic content, exposure to VR applications on them results in significant discomfort for the majority of people, with symptoms including eye fatigue, headaches, nausea, and sweating. A conflict between accommodation and vergence depth cues on stereoscopic displays is a significant cause of visual discomfort. This article describes the results of an evaluation used to judge the effectiveness of dynamic depth-of-field (DoF) blur in an effort to reduce discomfort caused by exposure to stereoscopic content on HMDs. Using a commercial game engine implementation, study participants report a reduction of visual discomfort on a simulator sickness questionnaire when DoF blurring is enabled. The study participants reported a decrease in symptom severity caused by HMD exposure, indicating that dynamic DoF can effectively reduce visual discomfort.

Towards Reducing the Data Exfiltration Surface for the Insider Threat

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schlicher, Bob G [ORNL; MacIntyre, Lawrence Paul [ORNL; Abercrombie, Robert K [ORNL

2016-01-01

Unauthorized data exfiltrations from both insiders and outsiders are costly and damaging. Network communication resources can be used for transporting data illicitly out of the enterprise or cloud. Combined with built-in malware copying utilities, we define this as comprising the Data Exfiltration Surface (DXS). For securing valuable data, it is desirable to reduce the DXS and maintain controls on the egress points. Our approach is to host the data in a protected enclave that includes novel software Data Diode (SDD) installed on a secured, border gateway. The SDD allows copying data into the enclave systems but denies data from being copied out. Simultaneously, it permits remote access with remote desktop and console applications. Our tests demonstrate that we are able to effectively reduce the DXS and we are able to protect data from being exfiltrated through the use of the SDD.

Application of the guided lock technique to Advanced Virgo's high-finesse cavities using reduced actuation

Science.gov (United States)

Bersanetti, Diego

2018-02-01

The recent upgrades of the Advanced Virgo experiment required an update of the locking strategy for the long, high-finesse arm cavities of the detector. In this work we will present a full description of the requirements and the constraints of such system in relation to the lock acquisition of the cavities; the focus of this work is the strategy used to accomplish this goal, which is the adaptation and use of the guided lock technique, which dynamically slows down a suspended optical cavity in order to make the lock possible. This work describes the first application of such locking technique to 3km long optical cavities, which are affected by stringent constraints as the low force available on the actuators, the high finesse and the maximum sustainable speed of the cavities, which is quite low due to a number of technical reasons that will be explained. A full set of optical time domain simulations has been developed in order to study the feasibility and the performance of this algorithm and will be throughout discussed, while finally the application on the real Advanced Virgo's arm cavities will be reported.

Platinum-TM (TM = Fe, Co) alloy nanoparticles dispersed nitrogen doped (reduced graphene oxide-multiwalled carbon nanotube) hybrid structure cathode electrocatalysts for high performance PEMFC applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Vinayan, B P; Ramaprabhu, S

2013-06-07

The efforts to push proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) for commercial applications are being undertaken globally. In PEMFC, the sluggish kinetics of oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) at the cathode can be improved by the alloying of platinum with 3d-transition metals (TM = Fe, Co, etc.) and with nitrogen doping, and in the present work we have combined both of these aspects. We describe a facile method for the synthesis of a nitrogen doped (reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs)) hybrid structure (N-(G-MWNTs)) by the uniform coating of a nitrogen containing polymer over the surface of the hybrid structure (positively surface charged rGO-negatively surface charged MWNTs) followed by the pyrolysis of these (rGO-MWNTs) hybrid structure-polymer composites. The N-(G-MWNTs) hybrid structure is used as a catalyst support for the dispersion of platinum (Pt), platinum-iron (Pt3Fe) and platinum-cobalt (Pt3Co) alloy nanoparticles. The PEMFC performances of Pt-TM alloy nanoparticle dispersed N-(G-MWNTs) hybrid structure electrocatalysts are 5.0 times higher than that of commercial Pt-C electrocatalysts along with very good stability under acidic environment conditions. This work demonstrates a considerable improvement in performance compared to existing cathode electrocatalysts being used in PEMFC and can be extended to the synthesis of metal, metal oxides or metal alloy nanoparticle decorated nitrogen doped carbon nanostructures for various electrochemical energy applications.

Comparing and improving proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) to reduce the complexity of groundwater models

Science.gov (United States)

Gosses, Moritz; Nowak, Wolfgang; Wöhling, Thomas

2017-04-01

Physically-based modeling is a wide-spread tool in understanding and management of natural systems. With the high complexity of many such models and the huge amount of model runs necessary for parameter estimation and uncertainty analysis, overall run times can be prohibitively long even on modern computer systems. An encouraging strategy to tackle this problem are model reduction methods. In this contribution, we compare different proper orthogonal decomposition (POD, Siade et al. (2010)) methods and their potential applications to groundwater models. The POD method performs a singular value decomposition on system states as simulated by the complex (e.g., PDE-based) groundwater model taken at several time-steps, so-called snapshots. The singular vectors with the highest information content resulting from this decomposition are then used as a basis for projection of the system of model equations onto a subspace of much lower dimensionality than the original complex model, thereby greatly reducing complexity and accelerating run times. In its original form, this method is only applicable to linear problems. Many real-world groundwater models are non-linear, tough. These non-linearities are introduced either through model structure (unconfined aquifers) or boundary conditions (certain Cauchy boundaries, like rivers with variable connection to the groundwater table). To date, applications of POD focused on groundwater models simulating pumping tests in confined aquifers with constant head boundaries. In contrast, POD model reduction either greatly looses accuracy or does not significantly reduce model run time if the above-mentioned non-linearities are introduced. We have also found that variable Dirichlet boundaries are problematic for POD model reduction. An extension to the POD method, called POD-DEIM, has been developed for non-linear groundwater models by Stanko et al. (2016). This method uses spatial interpolation points to build the equation system in the

Some experience in applying the REDUCE algebraic system to the calculation of scattering processes in QED and QCD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohring, H.J.; Schiller, A.

1980-01-01

The problems arising in the use of the REDUCE algebraic system for calculating traces of the Dirac matrix products describing scattering processes in quantum electrodynamics (QED) and quantum chromodynamics (QCD) are considered. Application of the REDUCE system for describing two-photon processes in e + e - reactions is discussed. An example of using the REDUCE system for calculating matrix elements of elementary processes of hard scattering is described. The calculations were performed by means of the REDUCE2 version on an EC1040 computer. The computations take almost 10 minutes of machine time and computer storage capacity of abo t 800 kiuobites

New Trends on MEMS Sensor Technology for Harsh Environment Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patricia M. NIEVA

2007-10-01

Full Text Available MEMS and NEMS sensor systems that can operate in the presence of high temperatures, corrosive media, and/or high radiation hold great promise for harsh environment applications. They would reduce weight, improve machine reliability and reduce cost in strategic market sectors such as automotive, avionics, oil well logging, and nuclear power. This paper presents a review of the recent advances in harsh-environment MEMS and NEMS sensors focusing on materials and devices. Special emphasis is put on high-temperature operation. Wide-bandgap semiconductor materials for high temperature applications are discussed from the device point of view. Micro-opto mechanical systems (MOEMS are presented as a new trend for high temperature applications. As an example of a harsh environment MOEMS sensor, a vibration sensor is presented.

Food irradiation - a viable technology for reducing post harvest losses of food

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loaharanu, O.

1985-01-01

Research and development in the past 30 years have clearly demonstrated that food irradiation is a safe, effective and environmentally clean process of food preservation. Twenty-seven countries have approved over 40 irradiated foods or groups of related food items for human consumption, either on an unconditional or a restricted basis. The technology is beginning to play an important role in reducing post-harvest losses of food in facilitating wider distribution of food in the trade. Its wide application in solving microbial spoilage loss of food, insect disinfestation, improving hygenic qualities, slowing down physiological processes of foods is reviewed. Special emphasis is placed on applications of direct relevance to countries in Asia and the Pacific region. (author)

Reducing Interaction Costs for Self-interested Agents

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yunqi; Larson, Kate

In many multiagent systems, agents are not able to freely interact with each other or with a centralized mechanism. They may be limited in their interactions by cost or by the inherent structure of the system. Using a combinatorial auction application as motivation, we study the impact of interaction costs and structure on the strategic behaviour of self-interested agents. We present a particular model of costly agent-interaction, and argue that self-interested agents may wish to coordinate their actions with their neighbours so as to reduce their individual costs. We highlight the issues that arise in such a setting, propose a cost-sharing mechanism that agents can use, and discuss group coordination procedures. Experimental work validates our model.

Distinguishing iron-reducing from sulfate-reducing conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Chapelle, F.H.; Bradley, P.M.; Thomas, M.A.; McMahon, P.B.

2009-01-01

Ground water systems dominated by iron- or sulfate-reducing conditions may be distinguished by observing concentrations of dissolved iron (Fe2+) and sulfide (sum of H2S, HS-, and S= species and denoted here as "H2S"). This approach is based on the observation that concentrations of Fe2+ and H2S in ground water systems tend to be inversely related according to a hyperbolic function. That is, when Fe2+ concentrations are high, H2S concentrations tend to be low and vice versa. This relation partly reflects the rapid reaction kinetics of Fe2+ with H2S to produce relatively insoluble ferrous sulfides (FeS). This relation also reflects competition for organic substrates between the iron- and the sulfate-reducing microorganisms that catalyze the production of Fe2+ and H 2S. These solubility and microbial constraints operate in tandem, resulting in the observed hyperbolic relation between Fe2+ and H 2S concentrations. Concentrations of redox indicators, including dissolved hydrogen (H2) measured in a shallow aquifer in Hanahan, South Carolina, suggest that if the Fe2+/H2S mass ratio (units of mg/L) exceeded 10, the screened interval being tapped was consistently iron reducing (H2 ???0.2 to 0.8 nM). Conversely, if the Fe 2+/H2S ratio was less than 0.30, consistent sulfate-reducing (H2 ???1 to 5 nM) conditions were observed over time. Concomitantly high Fe2+ and H2S concentrations were associated with H2 concentrations that varied between 0.2 and 5.0 nM over time, suggesting mixing of water from adjacent iron- and sulfate-reducing zones or concomitant iron and sulfate reduction under nonelectron donor-limited conditions. These observations suggest that Fe2+/H2S mass ratios may provide useful information concerning the occurrence and distribution of iron and sulfate reduction in ground water systems. ?? 2009 National Ground Water Association.

Applications of Nanofluids: Current and Future

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaufui V. Wong

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Nanofluids are suspensions of nanoparticles in fluids that show significant enhancement of their properties at modest nanoparticle concentrations. Many of the publications on nanofluids are about understanding their behavior so that they can be utilized where straight heat transfer enhancement is paramount as in many industrial applications, nuclear reactors, transportation, electronics as well as biomedicine and food. Nanofluid as a smart fluid, where heat transfer can be reduced or enhanced at will, has also been reported. This paper focuses on presenting the broad range of current and future applications that involve nanofluids, emphasizing their improved heat transfer properties that are controllable and the specific characteristics that these nanofluids possess that make them suitable for such applications.

Characterization of genome-reduced Bacillus subtilis strains and their application for the production of guanosine and thymidine.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yang; Zhu, Xujun; Zhang, Xueyu; Fu, Jing; Wang, Zhiwen; Chen, Tao; Zhao, Xueming

2016-06-03

Genome streamlining has emerged as an effective strategy to boost the production efficiency of bio-based products. Many efforts have been made to construct desirable chassis cells by reducing the genome size of microbes. It has been reported that the genome-reduced Bacillus subtilis strain MBG874 showed clear advantages for the production of several heterologous enzymes including alkaline cellulase and protease. In addition to enzymes, B. subtilis is also used for the production of chemicals. To our best knowledge, it is still unknown whether genome reduction could be used to optimize the production of chemicals such as nucleoside products. In this study, we constructed a series of genome-reduced strains by deleting non-essential regions in the chromosome of B. subtilis 168. These strains with genome reductions ranging in size from 581.9 to 814.4 kb displayed markedly decreased growth rates, sporulation ratios, transformation efficiencies and maintenance coefficients, as well as increased cell yields. We re-engineered the genome-reduced strains to produce guanosine and thymidine, respectively. The strain BSK814G2, in which purA was knocked out, and prs, purF and guaB were co-overexpressed, produced 115.2 mg/L of guanosine, which was 4.4-fold higher compared to the control strain constructed by introducing the same gene modifications into the parental strain. We also constructed a thymidine producer by deleting the tdk gene and overexpressing the prs, ushA, thyA, dut, and ndk genes from Escherichia coli in strain BSK756, and the resulting strain BSK756T3 accumulated 151.2 mg/L thymidine, showing a 5.2-fold increase compared to the corresponding control strain. Genome-scale genetic manipulation has a variety of effects on the physiological characteristics and cell metabolism of B. subtilis. By introducing specific gene modifications related to guanosine and thymidine accumulation, respectively, we demonstrated that genome-reduced strains had greatly improved

Smartphone-based Music Listening to Reduce Pain and Anxiety Before Coronarography: A Focus on Sex Differences.

Science.gov (United States)

Guétin, Stéphane; Brun, Luc; Deniaud, Maelle; Clerc, Jean-Michel; Thayer, Julian F; Koenig, Julian

2016-07-01

Background • Music Care is a smartphone-based application providing a musical intervention for the management of pain and anxiety in a clinical setting. Coronarography is a medical procedure frequently associated with examination anxiety. Objectives • The study intended to perform an initial evaluation of the application for use with patients undergoing a coronarography. Design • The research team performed an uncontrolled, observational study. Setting • The study took place at Nouméa General Hospital in Nouméa, New Caledonia, France. Participants • Participants were 35 patients, 17 women and 18 men, who were undergoing a coronarography between November 2010 and April 2011 at the Nouméa General Hospital. Intervention • Participants listened to a standardized musical sequence of adjustable length by choosing a preferred style of music (eg, classic rock or folk music) from a variety of choices that the research team had chosen to include in the application. Outcome Measures • Before and after listening to the music, all participants were asked to rate their anxiety and pain on an 11-item, visual analogue scale and to complete a questionnaire on their satisfaction with use of the application. Results • The paired sample t test revealed a significant reduction in participants' anxiety (t33 = 4.12, P music. No significant reduction in self-reported pain occurred; however, only a few participants reported pain associated with the procedure. No significant sex differences existed. Women and men both showed reduced anxiety after listening to music as well as reported a high level of satisfaction in using the Music Care application. Conclusions • The smartphone-based Music Care application is an easy-to-use tool to reduce anxiety in patients undergoing coronarography. Future large-scale, controlled trials are necessary to compare its effectiveness with other interventions. Both women and men can benefit from the use of the application.

Field theoretic renormalization study of reduced quantum electrodynamics and applications to the ultrarelativistic limit of Dirac liquids

Science.gov (United States)

Teber, S.; Kotikov, A. V.

2018-04-01

The field theoretic renormalization study of reduced quantum electrodynamics (QED) is performed up to two loops. In the condensed matter context, reduced QED constitutes a very natural effective relativistic field theory describing (planar) Dirac liquids, e.g., graphene and graphenelike materials, the surface states of some topological insulators, and possibly half-filled fractional quantum Hall systems. From the field theory point of view, the model involves an effective (reduced) gauge field propagating with a fractional power of the d'Alembertian in marked contrast with usual QEDs. The use of the Bogoliubov-Parasiuk-Hepp-Zimmermann prescription allows for a simple and clear understanding of the structure of the model. In particular, in relation with the ultrarelativistic limit of graphene, we straightforwardly recover the results for both the interaction correction to the optical conductivity C*=(92 -9 π2)/(18 π ) and the anomalous dimension of the fermion field γψ(α ¯ ,ξ )=2 α ¯ (1 -3 ξ )/3 -16 (ζ2NF+4 /27 ) α¯ 2+O (α¯ 3) , where α ¯=e2/(4 π )2 and ξ is the gauge-fixing parameter.

A Fault-tolerant RISC Microprocessor for Spacecraft Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Timoc, Constantin; Benz, Harry

1990-01-01

Viewgraphs on a fault-tolerant RISC microprocessor for spacecraft applications are presented. Topics covered include: reduced instruction set computer; fault tolerant registers; fault tolerant ALU; and double rail CMOS logic.

Learning to REDUCE: A Reduced Electricity Consumption Prediction Ensemble

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aman, Saima; Chelmis, Charalampos; Prasanna, Viktor

2016-02-12

Utilities use Demand Response (DR) to balance supply and demand in the electric grid by involving customers in efforts to reduce electricity consumption during peak periods. To implement and adapt DR under dynamically changing conditions of the grid, reliable prediction of reduced consumption is critical. However, despite the wealth of research on electricity consumption prediction and DR being long in practice, the problem of reduced consumption prediction remains largely un-addressed. In this paper, we identify unique computational challenges associated with the prediction of reduced consumption and contrast this to that of normal consumption and DR baseline prediction.We propose a novel ensemble model that leverages different sequences of daily electricity consumption on DR event days as well as contextual attributes for reduced consumption prediction. We demonstrate the success of our model on a large, real-world, high resolution dataset from a university microgrid comprising of over 950 DR events across a diverse set of 32 buildings. Our model achieves an average error of 13.5%, an 8.8% improvement over the baseline. Our work is particularly relevant for buildings where electricity consumption is not tied to strict schedules. Our results and insights should prove useful to the researchers and practitioners working in the sustainable energy domain.

[Intra-Articular Application of Tranexamic Acid Significantly Reduces Blood Loss and Transfusion Requirement in Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty].

Science.gov (United States)

Lošťák, J; Gallo, J; Špička, J; Langová, K

2016-01-01

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The aim of this prospective study was to investigate the effect of topical application of tranexamic acid (TXA, Exacyl) on the amount of post-operative blood loss, and blood transfusion requirement in patients undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Attention was paid to early complications potentially associated with TXA administration, such as haematoma, wound exudate, or knee swelling. In addition, the economic benefit of TXA treatment was also taken into account. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included 238 patients (85 men and 153 women) who underwent primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) at our department between January 2013 and November 2015. A group of 119 patients (41 men and 78 women) received intraarticular TXA injections according to the treatment protocol (TXA group). A control group matched in basic characteristics to the TXA group also consisted of 119 patients. The average age in the TXA group was 69.8 years, and the most frequent indication for TKA surgery was primary knee osteoarthritis (81.5%). In each patient, post-operative volume of blood lost from drains and total blood loss including hidden blood loss were recorded, as well as post-operative haemoglobin and haematocrit levels. On discharge of each patient from hospital, the size and site of a haematoma; wound exudate, if present after post-operative day 4; joint swelling; range of motion and early revision surgery, if performed, were evaluated. Requirements of analgesic drugs after surgery were also recorded. RESULTS In the TXA group, blood losses from drains were significantly lower than in the control group (456.7 ± 270.8 vs 640.5 ±448.2; p = 0.004). The median value for blood losses from drains was lower by 22% and the average value for total blood loss, including hidden losses, was also lower than in the control group (762.4 ± 345.2 ml vs 995.5 ± 457.3 ml). The difference in the total amount of blood loss between the two groups was significant (p = 0

Power requirements reducing of FBG based all-optical switching

Science.gov (United States)

Scholtz, Ľubomír.; Solanská, Michaela; Ladányi, Libor; Müllerová, Jarmila

2017-12-01

Although Fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) are well known devices, their using as all-optical switching elements has been still examined. Current research is focused on optimization of their properties for their using in future all-optical networks. The main problem are high switching intensities needed for achieving the changes of the transmission state. Over several years switching intensities have been reduced from hundreds of GW/cm2 to tens of MW/cm2 by selecting appropriate gratings and signal parameters or using suitable materials. Two principal nonlinear effects with similar power requirements can result in the bistable transmission/reflection of an input optical pulse. In the self-phase modulation (SPM) regime switching is achieved by the intense probe pulse itself. Using cross-phase modulation (XPM) a strong pump alters the FBG refractive index experienced by a weak probe pulse. As a result of this the detuning of the probe pulse from the center of the photonic band gap occurs. Using of XPM the effect of modulation instability is reduced. Modulation instability which is the main SPM degradation mechanism. We focused on nonlinear FBGs based on chalcogenide glasses which are very often used in various applications. Thanks to high nonlinear parameters chalcogenide glasses are suitable candidates for reducing switching intensities of nonlinear FBGs.

Calculating Buffer Zones: A Guide for Applicators

Science.gov (United States)

Buffer zones provide distance between the application block (i.e., edge of the treated field) and bystanders, in order to control pesticide exposure risk from soil fumigants. Distance requirements may be reduced by credits such as tarps.

Next-generation nozzle check valve significantly reduces operating costs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roorda, O. [SMX International, Toronto, ON (Canada)

2009-01-15

Check valves perform an important function in preventing reverse flow and protecting plant and mechanical equipment. However, the variety of different types of valves and extreme differences in performance even within one type can change maintenance requirements and life cycle costs, amounting to millions of dollars over the typical 15-year design life of piping components. A next-generation non-slam nozzle check valve which prevents return flow has greatly reduced operating costs by protecting the mechanical equipment in a piping system. This article described the check valve varieties such as the swing check valve, a dual-plate check valve, and nozzle check valves. Advancements in optimized design of a non-slam nozzle check valve were also discussed, with particular reference to computer flow modelling such as computational fluid dynamics; computer stress modelling such as finite element analysis; and flow testing (using rapid prototype development and flow loop testing), both to improve dynamic performance and reduce hydraulic losses. The benefits of maximized dynamic performance and minimized pressure loss from the new designed valve were also outlined. It was concluded that this latest non-slam nozzle check valve design has potential applications in natural gas, liquefied natural gas, and oil pipelines, including subsea applications, as well as refineries, and petrochemical plants among others, and is suitable for horizontal and vertical installation. The result of this next-generation nozzle check valve design is not only superior performance, and effective protection of mechanical equipment but also minimized life cycle costs. 1 fig.

Reducing and filtering point clouds with enhanced vector quantization.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrari, Stefano; Ferrigno, Giancarlo; Piuri, Vincenzo; Borghese, N Alberto

2007-01-01

Modern scanners are able to deliver huge quantities of three-dimensional (3-D) data points sampled on an object's surface, in a short time. These data have to be filtered and their cardinality reduced to come up with a mesh manageable at interactive rates. We introduce here a novel procedure to accomplish these two tasks, which is based on an optimized version of soft vector quantization (VQ). The resulting technique has been termed enhanced vector quantization (EVQ) since it introduces several improvements with respect to the classical soft VQ approaches. These are based on computationally expensive iterative optimization; local computation is introduced here, by means of an adequate partitioning of the data space called hyperbox (HB), to reduce the computational time so as to be linear in the number of data points N, saving more than 80% of time in real applications. Moreover, the algorithm can be fully parallelized, thus leading to an implementation that is sublinear in N. The voxel side and the other parameters are automatically determined from data distribution on the basis of the Zador's criterion. This makes the algorithm completely automatic. Because the only parameter to be specified is the compression rate, the procedure is suitable even for nontrained users. Results obtained in reconstructing faces of both humans and puppets as well as artifacts from point clouds publicly available on the web are reported and discussed, in comparison with other methods available in the literature. EVQ has been conceived as a general procedure, suited for VQ applications with large data sets whose data space has relatively low dimensionality.

CloudDOE: a user-friendly tool for deploying Hadoop clouds and analyzing high-throughput sequencing data with MapReduce.

Science.gov (United States)

Chung, Wei-Chun; Chen, Chien-Chih; Ho, Jan-Ming; Lin, Chung-Yen; Hsu, Wen-Lian; Wang, Yu-Chun; Lee, D T; Lai, Feipei; Huang, Chih-Wei; Chang, Yu-Jung

2014-01-01

Explosive growth of next-generation sequencing data has resulted in ultra-large-scale data sets and ensuing computational problems. Cloud computing provides an on-demand and scalable environment for large-scale data analysis. Using a MapReduce framework, data and workload can be distributed via a network to computers in the cloud to substantially reduce computational latency. Hadoop/MapReduce has been successfully adopted in bioinformatics for genome assembly, mapping reads to genomes, and finding single nucleotide polymorphisms. Major cloud providers offer Hadoop cloud services to their users. However, it remains technically challenging to deploy a Hadoop cloud for those who prefer to run MapReduce programs in a cluster without built-in Hadoop/MapReduce. We present CloudDOE, a platform-independent software package implemented in Java. CloudDOE encapsulates technical details behind a user-friendly graphical interface, thus liberating scientists from having to perform complicated operational procedures. Users are guided through the user interface to deploy a Hadoop cloud within in-house computing environments and to run applications specifically targeted for bioinformatics, including CloudBurst, CloudBrush, and CloudRS. One may also use CloudDOE on top of a public cloud. CloudDOE consists of three wizards, i.e., Deploy, Operate, and Extend wizards. Deploy wizard is designed to aid the system administrator to deploy a Hadoop cloud. It installs Java runtime environment version 1.6 and Hadoop version 0.20.203, and initiates the service automatically. Operate wizard allows the user to run a MapReduce application on the dashboard list. To extend the dashboard list, the administrator may install a new MapReduce application using Extend wizard. CloudDOE is a user-friendly tool for deploying a Hadoop cloud. Its smart wizards substantially reduce the complexity and costs of deployment, execution, enhancement, and management. Interested users may collaborate to improve the

CloudDOE: a user-friendly tool for deploying Hadoop clouds and analyzing high-throughput sequencing data with MapReduce.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei-Chun Chung

Full Text Available Explosive growth of next-generation sequencing data has resulted in ultra-large-scale data sets and ensuing computational problems. Cloud computing provides an on-demand and scalable environment for large-scale data analysis. Using a MapReduce framework, data and workload can be distributed via a network to computers in the cloud to substantially reduce computational latency. Hadoop/MapReduce has been successfully adopted in bioinformatics for genome assembly, mapping reads to genomes, and finding single nucleotide polymorphisms. Major cloud providers offer Hadoop cloud services to their users. However, it remains technically challenging to deploy a Hadoop cloud for those who prefer to run MapReduce programs in a cluster without built-in Hadoop/MapReduce.We present CloudDOE, a platform-independent software package implemented in Java. CloudDOE encapsulates technical details behind a user-friendly graphical interface, thus liberating scientists from having to perform complicated operational procedures. Users are guided through the user interface to deploy a Hadoop cloud within in-house computing environments and to run applications specifically targeted for bioinformatics, including CloudBurst, CloudBrush, and CloudRS. One may also use CloudDOE on top of a public cloud. CloudDOE consists of three wizards, i.e., Deploy, Operate, and Extend wizards. Deploy wizard is designed to aid the system administrator to deploy a Hadoop cloud. It installs Java runtime environment version 1.6 and Hadoop version 0.20.203, and initiates the service automatically. Operate wizard allows the user to run a MapReduce application on the dashboard list. To extend the dashboard list, the administrator may install a new MapReduce application using Extend wizard.CloudDOE is a user-friendly tool for deploying a Hadoop cloud. Its smart wizards substantially reduce the complexity and costs of deployment, execution, enhancement, and management. Interested users may collaborate

Simulation Application for the LHCb Experiment

CERN Document Server

Pokorski, Witold

2003-01-01

We describe the LHCb detector simulation application (Gauss) based on the Geant4 toolkit. The application is built using the Gaudi software framework, which is used for all event-processing applications in the LHCb experiment. The existence of an underlying framework allows several common basic services such as persistency, interactivity, as well as detector geometry description or particle data to be shared between simulation, reconstruction and analysis applications. The main benefits of such common services are coherence between different event-processing stages as well as reduced development effort. The interfacing to Geant4 toolkit is realized through a façade (GiGa) which minimizes the coupling to the simulation engine and provides a set of abstract interfaces for configuration and event-by-event communication. The Gauss application is composed of three main blocks, i.e. event generation, detector response simulation and digitization which reflect the different stages performed during the simulation jo...

Economics of site-specific and variable-dose herbicide application

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ørum, Jens Erik; Kudsk, Per; Jensen, Peter Kryger

2017-01-01

Site-specific application of pesticides has so far focused mainly on herbicides. The purpose of precision farming technologies in relation to herbicide use is to reduce herbicide cost and environmental impact from spraying, but at the same time to achieve acceptable weed control. Another purpose...... is to increase the spraying capacity, to reduce the number of sprayer refills, and finally to minimize time spent on weed monitoring. In this chapter the relevance and profitability of four precision herbicide application technologies, two weed detection technologies and a low dose decision support system (DSS......) is analysed. With a low dose herbicide, cost can be reduced by 20–50%. It requires, however, proper monitoring of weeds, which can be a time-consuming task that again requires that the farmer is able to identify the dominant weed species. The current development of high-speed camera and software systems can...

Chemical application strategies to protect water quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Rice, Pamela J; Horgan, Brian P; Barber, Brian L; Koskinen, William C

2018-07-30

Management of turfgrass on golf courses and athletic fields often involves application of plant protection products to maintain or enhance turfgrass health and performance. However, the transport of fertilizer and pesticides with runoff to adjacent surface waters can enhance algal blooms, promote eutrophication and may have negative impacts on sensitive aquatic organisms and ecosystems. Thus, we evaluated the effectiveness of chemical application setbacks to reduce the off-site transport of chemicals with storm runoff. Experiments with water soluble tracer compounds confirmed an increase in application setback distance resulted in a significant increase in the volume of runoff measured before first off-site chemical detection, as well as a significant reduction in the total percentage of applied chemical transported with the storm runoff. For example, implementation of a 6.1 m application setback reduced the total percentage of an applied water soluble tracer by 43%, from 18.5% of applied to 10.5% of applied. Evaluation of chemographs revealed the efficacy of application setbacks could be observed with storms resulting in lesser (e.g. 100 L) and greater (e.g. > 300 L) quantities of runoff. Application setbacks offer turfgrass managers a mitigation approach that requires no additional resources or time inputs and may serve as an alternative practice when buffers are less appropriate for land management objectives or site conditions. Characterizing potential contamination of surface waters and developing strategies to safeguard water quality will help protect the environment and improve water resource security. This information is useful to grounds superintendents for designing chemical application strategies to maximize environmental stewardship. The data will also be useful to scientists and regulators working with chemical transport and risk models. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Application of ionizing irradiation for food preservation and for reducing microbiological contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiss, I.

1992-01-01

Ionizing irradiation can be an alternative or combinatory technique for food preservation. Several experiments proved that relatively small dosage (2-6 kGy) effectively reduces the number of microscopic fungi and bacteria in food. In addition the survivors had become more sensitive to salt and heat. No change in the quality of the treated food has been observed while their storability improved substantially. Some results of an extended experiment using Co-60 and Co-137 radioactive isotopes are listed below: (1) The storability of raw, sliced pork and beef improved 3-4 times after a 2 kGy dosage of irradiation. (2) The storability of chicken after the same treatment can be prolonged by 4-5 times. (3) 2.5 kGy dosage allowed to keep strawberries 2-3 times longer in the cold storage. (4) Wet (18-23 water) wheat's storability can be prolonged to 60 days by a 4 kGy treatment. (5) By using irradiated spices Fo=3 heat load was satisfactory instead of the usual Fo=4-5 when making canned meat

Reduced-impact sliding pressure control valve for pneumatic hammer drill

Science.gov (United States)

Polsky, Yarom [Oak Ridge, TN; Grubelich, Mark C [Albuquerque, NM; Vaughn, Mark R [Albuquerque, NM

2012-05-15

A method and means of minimizing the effect of elastic valve recoil in impact applications, such as percussive drilling, where sliding spool valves used inside the percussive device are subject to poor positioning control due to elastic recoil effects experienced when the valve impacts a stroke limiting surface. The improved valve design reduces the reflected velocity of the valve by using either an energy damping material, or a valve assembly with internal damping built-in, to dissipate the compression stress wave produced during impact.

Reduced graphene oxide wrapped Ag nanostructures for enhanced SERS activity

Science.gov (United States)

Nair, Anju K.; Kala, M. S.; Thomas, Sabu; Kalarikkal, Nandakumar

2018-04-01

Graphene - metal nanoparticle hybrids have received great attention due to their unique electronic properties, large specific surface area, very high conductivity and more charge transfer. Thus, it is extremely advantages to develop a simple and efficient process to disperse metal nanostructures over the surface of graphene sheets. Herein, we report a hydrothermal assisted strategy for developing reduced graphene oxide /Ag nanomorphotypes (cube, wire) for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) applications, considering the advantages of synergistic effect of graphene and plasmonic properties of Ag nanomorphotypes.

How sulphate-reducing microorganisms cope with stress: Lessons from systems biology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, J.; He, Q.; Hemme, C.L.; Mukhopadhyay, A.; Hillesland, K.; Zhou, A.; He, Z.; Nostrand, J.D. Van; Hazen, T.C.; Stahl, D.A.; Wall, J.D.; Arkin, A.P.

2011-04-01

Sulphate-reducing microorganisms (SRMs) are a phylogenetically diverse group of anaerobes encompassing distinct physiologies with a broad ecological distribution. As SRMs have important roles in the biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen, sulphur and various metals, an understanding of how these organisms respond to environmental stresses is of fundamental and practical importance. In this Review, we highlight recent applications of systems biology tools in studying the stress responses of SRMs, particularly Desulfovibrio spp., at the cell, population, community and ecosystem levels. The syntrophic lifestyle of SRMs is also discussed, with a focus on system-level analyses of adaptive mechanisms. Such information is important for understanding the microbiology of the global sulphur cycle and for developing biotechnological applications of SRMs for environmental remediation, energy production, biocorrosion control, wastewater treatment and mineral recovery.

LIGHT-WEIGHT, NON-CONTACT MAGNETIC TRANSMISSION FOR UAV AND ROTORCRAFT APPLICATIONS, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Speed reducing units consisting of mechanical gears are widely used in applications to match high speed prime movers to low speed loads. All aerospace applications...

Preemptive application of QX-314 attenuates trigeminal neuropathic mechanical allodynia in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Jeong-Ho; Son, Jo-Young; Kim, Min-Ji; Kang, Song-Hee; Ju, Jin-Sook; Bae, Yong-Chul; Ahn, Dong-Kuk

2018-05-01

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of preemptive analgesia on the development of trigeminal neuropathic pain. For this purpose, mechanical allodynia was evaluated in male Sprague-Dawley rats using chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve (CCI-ION) and perineural application of 2% QX-314 to the infraorbital nerve. CCI-ION produced severe mechanical allodynia, which was maintained until postoperative day (POD) 30. An immediate single application of 2% QX-314 to the infraorbital nerve following CCI-ION significantly reduced neuropathic mechanical allodynia. Immediate double application of QX-314 produced a greater attenuation of mechanical allodynia than a single application of QX-314. Immediate double application of 2% QX-314 reduced the CCI-ION-induced upregulation of GFAP and p-p38 expression in the trigeminal ganglion. The upregulated p-p38 expression was co-localized with NeuN, a neuronal cell marker. We also investigated the role of voltage-gated sodium channels (Navs) in the antinociception produced by preemptive application of QX-314 through analysis of the changes in Nav expression in the trigeminal ganglion following CCI-ION. Preemptive application of QX-314 significantly reduced the upregulation of Nav1.3, 1.7, and 1.9 produced by CCI-ION. These results suggest that long-lasting blockade of the transmission of pain signaling inhibits the development of neuropathic pain through the regulation of Nav isoform expression in the trigeminal ganglion. Importantly, these results provide a potential preemptive therapeutic strategy for the treatment of neuropathic pain after nerve injury.

Solid Fuel - Oxygen Fired Combustion for Production of Nodular Reduced Iron to Reduce CO2 Emissions and Improve Energy Efficiencies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Donald R. Fosnacht; Richard F. Kiesel; David W. Hendrickson; David J. Englund; Iwao Iwasaki; Rodney L. Bleifuss; Mathew A. Mlinar

2011-12-22

The current trend in the steel industry is an increase in iron and steel produced in electric arc furnaces (EAF) and a gradual decline in conventional steelmaking from taconite pellets in blast furnaces. In order to expand the opportunities for the existing iron ore mines beyond their blast furnace customer base, a new material is needed to satisfy the market demands of the emerging steel industry while utilizing the existing infrastructure and materials handling capabilities. This demand creates opportunity to convert iron ore or other iron bearing materials to Nodular Reduced Iron (NRI) in a recently designed Linear Hearth Furnace (LHF). NRI is a metallized iron product containing 98.5 to 96.0% iron and 2.5 to 4% C. It is essentially a scrap substitute with little impurity that can be utilized in a variety of steelmaking processes, especially the electric arc furnace. The objective of this project was to focus on reducing the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) through reducing the energy intensity using specialized combustion systems, increasing production and the use of biomass derived carbon sources in this process. This research examined the use of a solid fuel-oxygen fired combustion system and compared the results from this system with both oxygen-fuel and air-fuel combustion systems. The solid pulverized fuels tested included various coals and a bio-coal produced from woody biomass in a specially constructed pilot scale torrefaction reactor at the Coleraine Minerals Research Laboratory (CMRL). In addition to combustion, the application of bio-coal was also tested as a means to produce a reducing atmosphere during key points in the fusion process, and as a reducing agent for ore conversion to metallic iron to capture the advantage of its inherent reduced carbon footprint. The results from this study indicate that the approaches taken can reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and the associated energy intensity with the Linear Hearth Furnace process for converting

Environmental biotechnology: Reducing risks from environmental chemicals through biotechnology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Omenn, G.S.

1988-01-01

This book contains 34 papers on various aspects of hazardous waste management through biotechnology. The articles stress the three basic strategies of waste management; minimize the amount of waste generated; reduce the toxicity of the wastes; and find more satisfactory ways of disposing of wastes. Part I of this collection describes the use of microbial ecology, molecular biology, and other scientific disciplines to combat these problems. Part II describes the application of present technology to current problems. Part III describes the effect of policy and regulations on biotechnology. Individual papers are processed separately for the data base

APPLICATION OF CHEMICALLY ACCELERATED BIOTREATMENT TO REDUCE RISKIN OIL-IMPACTED SOILS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

J.R. Paterek; W.W.Bogan; V. Trbovic; W. Sullivan

2003-01-07

The drilling and operation of gas/petroleum exploratory wells and the operations of natural gas and petroleum production wells generate a number of waste materials that are usually stored and/or processed at the drilling/operations site. Contaminated soils result from drilling operations, production operations, and pipeline breaks or leaks where crude oil and petroleum products are released into the surrounding soil or sediments. In many cases, intrinsic biochemical remediation of these contaminated soils is either not effective or is too slow to be an acceptable approach. This project targeted petroleum-impacted soil and other wastes, such as soil contaminated by: accidental release of petroleum and natural gas-associated organic wastes from pipelines or during transport of crude oil or natural gas; production wastes (such as produced waters, and/or fuels or product gas). Our research evaluated the process designated Chemically-Accelerated Biotreatment (CAB) that can be applied to remediate contaminated matrices, either on-site or in situ. The Gas Technology Institute (GTI) had previously developed a form of CAB for the remediation of hydrocarbons and metals at Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) sites and this research project expanded its application into Exploration and Production (E&P) sites. The CAB treatment was developed in this project using risk-based endpoints, a.k.a. environmentally acceptable endpoints (EAE) as the treatment goal. This goal was evaluated, compared, and correlated to traditional analytical methods (Gas Chromatography (GC), High Precision Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), or Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (CGMS)). This project proved that CAB can be applied to remediate E&P contaminated soils to EAE, i.e. those concentrations of chemical contaminants in soil below which there is no adverse affect to human health or the environment. Conventional approaches to risk assessment to determine ''how clean is clean'' for soils

Development and implementation of a smartphone application to promote physical activity and reduce screen-time in adolescent boys.

Science.gov (United States)

Lubans, David R; Smith, Jordan J; Skinner, Geoff; Morgan, Philip J

2014-01-01

To describe the development and implementation of a smartphone application (app) designed to promote physical activity and reduce screen-time in adolescent boys considered "at-risk" of obesity. An app was developed to support the delivery of a face-to-face school-based obesity prevention program known as the "Active Teen Leaders Avoiding Screen-time" (ATLAS) program. ATLAS was guided by self-determination theory and social cognitive theory and evaluated using a cluster randomized controlled trial with 361 boys (12.7 ± 0.5 years) in 14 secondary schools. Following the completion of the study, participants in the intervention group completed a process evaluation questionnaire and focus groups were conducted with 42 students to explore their general perceptions of the ATLAS program and their experience with the smartphone app. Barriers and challenges encountered in the development, implementation, and evaluation of the app are also described. Participation in the study was not contingent on ownership of a smartphone, but 70% of participants in the intervention group reported having access to a smartphone or tablet device. Focus group participants reported an enjoyment of the program, and felt that it had provided them with new skills, techniques, and routines for the future. However, their engagement with the smartphone app was limited, due to a variety of reasons. Barriers to the implementation and evaluation of the app included limited access to smartphone devices, technical problems with the push notifications, lack of access to usage data, and the challenges of maintaining participants' interest in using the app. Although participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the ATLAS program in general, the smartphone app was not used extensively. Additional strategies and features may be needed to enhance engagement in adolescent boys.

Development and Implementation of a Smartphone Application to Promote Physical Activity and Reduce Screen-time in Adolescent Boys

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Revalds Lubans

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The primary aim is to describe the development and implementation of a smartphone application (app designed to promote physical activity and reduce screen-time in adolescent boys ‘at risk’ of obesity from low-income communities.Methods: An app was developed to support the delivery of a face-to-face school-based obesity prevention program known as the ‘Active Teen Leaders Avoiding Screen-time’ (ATLAS program. ATLAS was guided by self-determination theory and social cognitive theory and evaluated using a cluster randomized controlled trial with 361 boys (12.7± 0.5 years in 14 secondary schools. Following the completion of the study, participants in the intervention group completed a process evaluation questionnaire and focus groups were conducted with 42 students to explore their general perceptions of the ATLAS program and their experience with the smartphone app. Barriers and challenges encountered in the development, implementation and evaluation of the app are also described.Results: Participation in the study was not contingent on ownership of a smartphone, but 70% of participants in the intervention group reported having access to a smartphone or tablet device. Focus group participants reported an enjoyment of the program, and felt that it had provided them with new skills, techniques, and routines for the future. However, their engagement with the smartphone app was limited, due to a variety of reasons. Barriers to the implementation and evaluation of the app included limited access to smartphone devices, technical problems with the push notifications, lack of access to usage data and the challenges of maintaining participants’ interest in using the app.Conclusions: Although participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the ATLAS program in general, the smartphone app was not used extensively. Additional strategies and features may be needed to enhance engagement in adolescent boys.

Timing of glyphosate applications to wheat cover crops to reduce onion stunting caused by Rhizoctonia solani

Science.gov (United States)

Stunting caused by Rhizoctonia spp. is economically important in irrigated onion bulb crops in the semi-arid Columbia Basin of Oregon and Washington, where cereal winter cover crops commonly are planted the previous fall to prevent wind erosion of soil. The cover crop is killed with herbicide applic...

Current Status of Non-Electric Applications of Nuclear Energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Young Joon; Lee, Jun; Lee, Tae Hoon

2009-05-01

IAEA Technical Meeting(I3-TM-37394) on 'Non-Electric Applications of Nuclear Energy' has been successfully held from March 3 to 6 in 2009 at KAERI/INTEC. The 24 experts from 12 countries participated in this meeting and provided 17 presentations and their opinions and comments in desalination, hydrogen production, and heat application sessions. All of the participants from 12 countries agreed that nuclear power should be the potential carbon-free energy source to replace crude oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the fields of non-electric applications such as desalination, hydrogen production, district heating, and industrial processes applications

Radioactivity from Plowshare applications - Safety considerations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tewes, H A [Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, University of California, Livermore, CA (United States)

1970-05-01

When the Plowshare Program was first being seriously considered some 13 years ago, a number of applications immediately suggested themselves. However, it soon became obvious that most of these applications had the drawback of producing and distributing appreciable quantities of radioactivity to the environment. Thus, the Atomic Energy Commission, together with its contractors, formulated and put into effect a program aimed at dealing with this problem, both from the standpoint of reducing the amount of radioactivity released to the environment and understanding the impact of this radioactivity on the biosphere.

Radioactivity from Plowshare applications - Safety considerations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tewes, H.A.

1970-01-01

When the Plowshare Program was first being seriously considered some 13 years ago, a number of applications immediately suggested themselves. However, it soon became obvious that most of these applications had the drawback of producing and distributing appreciable quantities of radioactivity to the environment. Thus, the Atomic Energy Commission, together with its contractors, formulated and put into effect a program aimed at dealing with this problem, both from the standpoint of reducing the amount of radioactivity released to the environment and understanding the impact of this radioactivity on the biosphere

Design and Implement a MapReduce Framework for Executing Standalone Software Packages in Hadoop-based Distributed Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chao-Chun Chen

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The Hadoop MapReduce is the programming model of designing the auto scalable distributed computing applications. It provides developer an effective environment to attain automatic parallelization. However, most existing manufacturing systems are arduous and restrictive to migrate to MapReduce private cloud, due to the platform incompatible and tremendous complexity of system reconstruction. For increasing the efficiency of manufacturing systems with minimum modification of existing systems, we design a framework in this thesis, called MC-Framework: Multi-uses-based Cloudizing-Application Framework. It provides the simple interface to users for fairly executing requested tasks worked with traditional standalone software packages in MapReduce-based private cloud environments. Moreover, this thesis focuses on the multiuser workloads, but the default Hadoop scheduling scheme, i.e., FIFO, would increase delay under multiuser scenarios. Hence, we also propose a new scheduling mechanism, called Job-Sharing Scheduling, to explore and fairly share the jobs to machines in the MapReduce-based private cloud. Then, we prototype an experimental virtual-metrology module of a manufacturing system as a case study to verify and analysis the proposed MC-Framework. The results of our experiments indicate that our proposed framework enormously improved the time performance compared with the original package.

I/O Sharing in a Multi-core Kernel for Mixed-criticality Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Gang; Top, Søren

2013-01-01

In a mixed-criticality system, applications with different safety criticality levels are usually required to be implemented upon one platform for several reasons( reducing hardware cost, space, power consumption). Partitioning technology is used to enable the integration of mixed-criticality appl......In a mixed-criticality system, applications with different safety criticality levels are usually required to be implemented upon one platform for several reasons( reducing hardware cost, space, power consumption). Partitioning technology is used to enable the integration of mixed......, a certifiable I/O sharing approach is implemented based on a safe message mechanism, in order to support the partitioning architecture, enable individual certification of mixed-criticality applications and thus achieve minimized total certification cost of the entire system....

EVALUATION OF POLLUTION PREVENTION OPTIONS TO REDUCE STYRENE EMISSIONS FROM FIBER-REINFORCED PLASTIC OPEN MOLDING PROCESSES

Science.gov (United States)

Pollution prevention (P2) options to reduce styrene emissions, such as new materials, and application equipment, are commercially available to the operators of open molding processes. However, information is lacking on the emissions reduction that these options can achieve. To me...

Exploring microdischarges for portable sensing applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Gianchandani, Y B; Wright, S A; Eun, C K; Wilson, C G; Mitra, B

2009-10-01

This paper describes the use of microdischarges as transducing elements in sensors and detectors. Chemical and physical sensing of gases, chemical sensing of liquids, and radiation detection are described. These applications are explored from the perspective of their use in portable microsystems, with emphasis on compactness, power consumption, the ability to operate at or near atmospheric pressure (to reduce pumping challenges), and the ability to operate in an air ambient (to reduce the need for reservoirs of carrier gases). Manufacturing methods and performance results are described for selected examples.

Can use of online measurements in EVOP designs reduce the time to locate production optimum?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Heidi Mai-Lis; Jørgensen, Erik; Pedersen, Lene Juul

2015-01-01

The purpose of this project is to investigate if application of online sensor measurements can improve the use of Evolutionary operation (EVOP) tools in livestock farms by reducing manual recording and by observing intermediate problem measures at an early stage. An example with reduction of tail...

System dynamics analysis of strategies to reduce energy use in aluminum-intensive sectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hanes, Rebecca J.; Nicholson, Scott; 25-29 June 2017, Carpenter, Alberta

2017-07-13

Aluminum is one of the most widely used materials in industry, with applications in buildings, vehicles, aircraft, and consumer products. Its ubiquity is also on the rise: aluminum is beginning to supplant steel in lightweight vehicles and aircraft, and is used in many green or LEED-certified buildings. Although aluminum tends to be highly recycled, particularly by manufacturers of aluminum products, the sector as a whole is still far from a closed system. As a result, the increase in aluminum consumption also means an increase in primary aluminum production-an energy-intensive process-and an increase in consumption of the raw material bauxite, which in the U.S. is almost entirely imported. Our objectives for this study are to identify and analyze aluminum sector technologies and practices that reduce the energy required to manufacture aluminum products and reduce U.S. dependence on imported aluminum and bauxite. To accomplish these objectives, we will develop a system dynamics (SD) model of aluminum production, use and recycling in key application areas, including aerospace, ground vehicles and consumer products. The model will cover the entire aluminum supply chain as it exists in the U.S., from bauxite importing and refining, to the manufacture of products, to the product use phase and end-of-life processing steps. Aluminum flows throughout the model will be determined by the annual domestic demand for each application area as well as demand projections that extend to 2030. Energy consumption will be tracked based on the flows of aluminum through each step of the supply chain. Using the SD model, we will evaluate several technologies and practices that have the potential to reduce energy consumption and reliance on imported bauxite. These include implementation of advanced primary aluminum production technologies, increased recycling within and between application areas, increased material efficiency and increased product lifetimes. Each of these strategies

Multifunctional Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery Applications Imaging, Targeting, and Delivery

CERN Document Server

Prud'homme, Robert

2012-01-01

This book clearly demonstrates the progression of nanoparticle therapeutics from basic research to applications. Unlike other books covering nanoparticles used in medical applications, Multifunctional Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery Applications presents the medical challenges that can be reduced or even overcome by recent advances in nanoscale drug delivery. Each chapter highlights recent progress in the design and engineering of select multifunctional nanoparticles with topics covering targeting, imaging, delivery, diagnostics, and therapy.

Behavior Life Style Analysis for Mobile Sensory Data in Cloud Computing through MapReduce

Science.gov (United States)

Hussain, Shujaat; Bang, Jae Hun; Han, Manhyung; Ahmed, Muhammad Idris; Amin, Muhammad Bilal; Lee, Sungyoung; Nugent, Chris; McClean, Sally; Scotney, Bryan; Parr, Gerard

2014-01-01

Cloud computing has revolutionized healthcare in today's world as it can be seamlessly integrated into a mobile application and sensor devices. The sensory data is then transferred from these devices to the public and private clouds. In this paper, a hybrid and distributed environment is built which is capable of collecting data from the mobile phone application and store it in the cloud. We developed an activity recognition application and transfer the data to the cloud for further processing. Big data technology Hadoop MapReduce is employed to analyze the data and create user timeline of user's activities. These activities are visualized to find useful health analytics and trends. In this paper a big data solution is proposed to analyze the sensory data and give insights into user behavior and lifestyle trends. PMID:25420151

Self-Adapting Routing Overlay Network for Frequently Changing Application Traffic in Content-Based Publish/Subscribe System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meng Chi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In the large-scale distributed simulation area, the topology of the overlay network cannot always rapidly adapt to frequently changing application traffic to reduce the overall traffic cost. In this paper, we propose a self-adapting routing strategy for frequently changing application traffic in content-based publish/subscribe system. The strategy firstly trains the traffic information and then uses this training information to predict the application traffic in the future. Finally, the strategy reconfigures the topology of the overlay network based on this predicting information to reduce the overall traffic cost. A predicting path is also introduced in this paper to reduce the reconfiguration numbers in the process of the reconfigurations. Compared to other strategies, the experimental results show that the strategy proposed in this paper could reduce the overall traffic cost of the publish/subscribe system in less reconfigurations.

A novel system for commissioning brachytherapy applicators: example of a ring applicator

Science.gov (United States)

Fonseca, Gabriel P.; Van den Bosch, Michiel R.; Voncken, Robert; Podesta, Mark; Verhaegen, Frank

2017-11-01

A novel system was developed to improve commissioning and quality assurance of brachytherapy applicators used in high dose rate (HDR). It employs an imaging panel to create reference images and to measure dwell times and dwell positions. As an example: two ring applicators of the same model were evaluated. An applicator was placed on the surface of an imaging panel and a HDR 192Ir source was positioned in an imaging channel above the panel to generate an image of the applicator, using the gamma photons of the brachytherapy source. The applicator projection image was overlaid with the images acquired by capturing the gamma photons emitted by the source dwelling inside the applicator. We verified 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 cm interdwell distances for different offsets, applicator inclinations and transfer tube curvatures. The data analysis was performed using in-house developed software capable of processing the data in real time, defining catheters and creating movies recording the irradiation procedure. One applicator showed up to 0.3 cm difference from the expected position for a specific dwell position. The problem appeared intermittently. The standard deviations of the remaining dwell positions (40 measurements) were less than 0.05 cm. The second ring applicator had a similar reproducibility with absolute coordinate differences from expected values ranging from  -0.10 up to 0.18 cm. The curvature of the transfer tube can lead to differences larger than 0.1 cm whilst the inclination of the applicator showed a negligible effect. The proposed method allows the verification of all steps of the irradiation, providing accurate information about dwell positions and dwell times. It allows the verification of small interdwell positions (⩽0.1 cm) and reduces measurement time. In addition, no additional radiation source is necessary since the HDR 192Ir source is used to generate an image of the applicator.

Reduced order modeling of flashing two-phase jets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gurecky, William, E-mail: william.gurecky@utexas.edu; Schneider, Erich, E-mail: eschneider@mail.utexas.edu; Ballew, Davis, E-mail: davisballew@utexas.edu

2015-12-01

Highlights: • Accident simulation requires ability to quickly predict two-phase flashing jet's damage potential. • A reduced order modeling methodology informed by experimental or computational data is described. • Zone of influence volumes are calculated for jets of various upstream thermodynamic conditions. - Abstract: In the event of a Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA) in a pressurized water reactor, the escaping coolant produces a highly energetic flashing jet with the potential to damage surrounding structures. In LOCA analysis, the goal is often to evaluate many break scenarios in a Monte Carlo style simulation to evaluate the resilience of a reactor design. Therefore, in order to quickly predict the damage potential of flashing jets, it is of interest to develop a reduced order model that relates the damage potential of a jet to the pressure and temperature upstream of the break and the distance from the break to a given object upon which the jet is impinging. This work presents framework for producing a Reduced Order Model (ROM) that may be informed by measured data, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, or a combination of both. The model is constructed by performing regression analysis on the pressure field data, allowing the impingement pressure to be quickly reconstructed for any given upstream thermodynamic condition within the range of input data. The model is applicable to both free and fully impinging two-phase flashing jets.

Reburning technology - a means to reduce NOx emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kremer, H.; Lorra, M.

1999-01-01

Nitrogen oxide emission control technologies can be classified as either combustion modifications to minimize the NO production or post-combustion flue gas treatment to reduce the NO concentration afterwards. The techniques for minimizing NOx Production includes the use of low-NOx burners, overfire air (staged combustion) and boiler combustion optimization. Procedures for flue gas treatment can be subdivided into selective catalytic reduction (SCR) or selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR). The re burning process is a selective non-catalytic technology which is applicable to a wide variety of boilers and can be implemented within a relatively short period of time. The NOx reduction potential of this technique is in the range of 50 % up to 70 %. (author)

Synergistic Effect between Ultra-Small Nickel Hydroxide Nanoparticles and Reduced Graphene Oxide sheets for the Application in High-Performance Asymmetric Supercapacitor.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yonghuan; Wang, Rutao; Yan, Xingbin

2015-06-08

Nanoscale electrode materials including metal oxide nanoparticles and two-dimensional graphene have been employed for designing supercapacitors. However, inevitable agglomeration of nanoparticles and layers stacking of graphene largely hamper their practical applications. Here we demonstrate an efficient co-ordination and synergistic effect between ultra-small Ni(OH)2 nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets for synthesizing ideal electrode materials. On one hand, to make the ultra-small Ni(OH)2 nanoparticles work at full capacity as an ideal pseudocapacitive material, RGO sheets are employed as an suitable substrate to anchor these nanoparticles against agglomeration. As a consequence, an ultrahigh specific capacitance of 1717 F g(-1) at 0.5 A g(-1) is achieved. On the other hand, to further facilitate ion transfer within RGO sheets as an ideal electrical double layer capacitor material, the ultra-small Ni(OH)2 nanoparticles are introduced among RGO sheets as the recyclable sacrificial spacer to prevent the stacking. The resulting RGO sheets exhibit superior rate capability with a high capacitance of 182 F g(-1) at 100 A g(-1). On this basis, an asymmetric supercapacitor is assembled using the two materials, delivering a superior energy density of 75 Wh kg(-1) and an ultrahigh power density of 40 000 W kg(-1).

Clinical efficacy of Jalaukawacharana (leech application) in Thrombosed piles.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhagat, Pradnya J; Raut, Subhash Y; Lakhapati, Arun M

2012-04-01

'Arsha' (hemorrhoids) is an ailment that affects all economical groups of population. Though the disease is within the limits of management, it has its own complications like severe hemorrhage, inflammation, and thrombosis, by which a patient gets severe pain and is unable to continue his routine work. Prior to surgical treatment of hemorrhoids, associated conditions like inflammation, strangulation, thrombosis, etc. need to be managed. Thrombosed piles possibly occur due to high venous pressure associated with severe anal pain. Leech (Hirudina medicanalis) application is found to be effective in reducing pain. In thrombosed piles, leech application has shown thrombolytic action, which contributes in re-establishment of circulation. It is observed in the study that, pus and mucous discharge have been reduced after leech application; which may be due to antimicrobial and mucolytic properties of leech. This method of treatment is found to be effective and increase the quality of life in patients suffering with thrombosed piles.

[VR and AR Applications in Medical Practice and Education].

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Min-Chai; Lin, Yu-Hsuan

2017-12-01

As technology advances, mobile devices have gradually turned into wearable devices. Furthermore, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) are being increasingly applied in medical fields such as medical education and training, surgical simulation, neurological rehabilitation, psychotherapy, and telemedicine. Research results demonstrate the ability of VR, AR, and MR to ameliorate the inconveniences that are often associated with traditional medical care, reduce incidents of medical malpractice caused by unskilled operations, and reduce the cost of medical education and training. What is more, the application of these technologies has enhanced the effectiveness of medical education and training, raised the level of diagnosis and treatment, improved the doctor-patient relationship, and boosted the efficiency of medical execution. The present study introduces VR, AR, and MR applications in medical practice and education with the aim of helping health professionals better understand the applications and use these technologies to improve the quality of medical care.

Reducing the rank of gauge groups in orbifold compactification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Hikaru

1989-01-01

The report introduces general twisted boundary conditions on fermionic string variables and shows that a non-Abelian embedding is possible when background gauge field is introduced on orbifold. This leads to reduction of the rank of the gauge group. The report presents a procedure to obtain the lower-rank gauge groups by the use of non-Abelian Wilson lines. The unbroken gauge group is essentially determined by the eigen vector which should obey the level-matching conditions. The gauge symmetry is determined by certain conditions. In a particular application, it is not necessary to introduce explicit form of the non-Abelian Wilson lines. The procedure starts with introduction of desired eigen vectors which are supposed to be obtained by diagonalization of the boundary conditions with the appropriate transformation matrix. The rank is reduced by one by using the Wilson lines which transform as 3 of SU(2) R or SU(2) in SU(4). A possible way of reducing the rank by two is to use the Wilson lines from SU(2) R x SU(2) or SU(3) in SU(4). The rank is reduced by three by means of the Wilson lines which transform as SU(4) or SU(2) R SU(3). Finally the rank is reduced by four when the Wilson lines with full symmetry of SU(2) R x SU(4) are used. The report tabulates the possible lower-rank gauge groups obtained by the proposed method. Massless fermions corresponding to the eigen vectors are also listed. (N.K.)

Credit scoring using ensemble of various classifiers on reduced feature set

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dahiya Shashi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Credit scoring methods are widely used for evaluating loan applications in financial and banking institutions. Credit score identifies if applicant customers belong to good risk applicant group or a bad risk applicant group. These decisions are based on the demographic data of the customers, overall business by the customer with bank, and loan payment history of the loan applicants. The advantages of using credit scoring models include reducing the cost of credit analysis, enabling faster credit decisions and diminishing possible risk. Many statistical and machine learning techniques such as Logistic Regression, Support Vector Machines, Neural Networks and Decision tree algorithms have been used independently and as hybrid credit scoring models. This paper proposes an ensemble based technique combining seven individual models to increase the classification accuracy. Feature selection has also been used for selecting important attributes for classification. Cross classification was conducted using three data partitions. German credit dataset having 1000 instances and 21 attributes is used in the present study. The results of the experiments revealed that the ensemble model yielded a very good accuracy when compared to individual models. In all three different partitions, the ensemble model was able to classify more than 80% of the loan customers as good creditors correctly. Also, for 70:30 partition there was a good impact of feature selection on the accuracy of classifiers. The results were improved for almost all individual models including the ensemble model.

Ground Robotic Hand Applications for the Space Program study (GRASP)

Science.gov (United States)

Grissom, William A.; Rafla, Nader I. (Editor)

1992-01-01

This document reports on a NASA-STDP effort to address research interests of the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) through a study entitled, Ground Robotic-Hand Applications for the Space Program (GRASP). The primary objective of the GRASP study was to identify beneficial applications of specialized end-effectors and robotic hand devices for automating any ground operations which are performed at the Kennedy Space Center. Thus, operations for expendable vehicles, the Space Shuttle and its components, and all payloads were included in the study. Typical benefits of automating operations, or augmenting human operators performing physical tasks, include: reduced costs; enhanced safety and reliability; and reduced processing turnaround time.

Maintenance-Ready Web Application Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ion IVAN

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The current paper tackles the subject of developing maintenance-ready web applications. Maintenance is presented as a core stage in a web application’s lifecycle. The concept of maintenance-ready is defined in the context of web application development. Web application maintenance tasks types are enunciated and suitable task types are identified for further analysis. The research hypothesis is formulated based on a direct link between tackling maintenance in the development stage and reducing overall maintenance costs. A live maintenance-ready web application is presented and maintenance related aspects are highlighted. The web application’s features, that render it maintenance-ready, are emphasize. The cost of designing and building the web-application to be maintenance-ready are disclosed. The savings in maintenance development effort facilitated by maintenance ready features are also disclosed. Maintenance data is collected from 40 projects implemented by a web development company. Homogeneity and diversity of collected data is evaluated. A data sample is presented and the size and comprehensive nature of the entire dataset is depicted. Research hypothesis are validated and conclusions are formulated on the topic of developing maintenance-ready web applications. The limits of the research process which represented the basis for the current paper are enunciated. Future research topics are submitted for debate.

A Balanced-Fed Dual Inverted-F Antenna with Reduced Human Body Effects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang-Sang Lee

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A balanced-fed dual inverted-F antenna with reduced human body effects for WLAN applications at 2.45 GHz is presented. In order to reduce the influence by a close proximity or a touch of a human body, the proposed antenna employs an impedance matching using a lumped LC-balun which has the simple and compact structure applying for mobile handsets. The resonant frequency of the proposed antenna is fixed at 2.45 GHz regardless of the close proximity of a human body. By applying for the L-shape ground plane, the proposed antenna has the wide impedance bandwidth of about 150 MHz and the peak realized gain of about 4 dBi.

Climate Leadership Awards Application Process, Eligibility, and Evaluation Criteria

Science.gov (United States)

Learn about evaluation criteria and access applications for the 2018 Climate Leadership Awards, which publicly recognizes individuals and organizations for their outstanding leadership in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

A Laplace transform certified reduced basis method; application to the heat equation and wave equation

OpenAIRE

Knezevic, David; Patera, Anthony T.; Huynh, Dinh Bao Phuong

2010-01-01

We present a certified reduced basis (RB) method for the heat equation and wave equation. The critical ingredients are certified RB approximation of the Laplace transform; the inverse Laplace transform to develop the time-domain RB output approximation and rigorous error bound; a (Butterworth) filter in time to effect the necessary “modal” truncation; RB eigenfunction decomposition and contour integration for Offline–Online decomposition. We present numerical results to demonstrate the accura...

IOS SAFETY APPLICATION FOR UITM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MOHAMAD FAHMI HUSSIN

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an iOS application, which is developed, to ensure that every task related to safety and health such as inspection, deviation analysis and accident reporting becomes more simple and easier. Normally, these three (3 tasks are done separately and the data are saved in different ways. These situations make the tasks become complicated and consume a lot of time. Therefore, this application is developed to overcome all the problems that occurred. The main objective of this application is to allow the user to handle inspection checklist, deviation analysis and accident reporting efficiently by using iOS devices such as iPhone and iPad. Hence, using iOS device, instead of using a lot of paper, can do all the tasks. Using Xcode SDK, which is the software that is used to develop iOS application, developed this application. Xcode use Objective-C as the programming language, which is quite similar with other programming languages such as C and C++. The final result of this project is that this application can handle all the three (3 tasks and the form or the findings can be emailed to the Safety and Health Officer (SHO. This application will reduce time consume to conduct safety inspection, deviation and reporting tasks as well as avoid delay that might happen while using the traditional method.

Liquid metal cooling concepts in solar power application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deegan, P.B.; Mangus, J.D.; Whitlow, G.A.

1978-01-01

The thermodynamic and thermophysical properties and proven technology of a liquid sodium heat transport system provide numerous advantages and benefits for application in a central receiver solar thermal power plant concept. The major advantages of utilizing liquid sodium are: attainment of high thermodynamic cycle efficiencies, reduced relative costs, and achievement of these goals by the mid-1980's through the utilization of proven liquid metal technology developed in the power industry, without the need for extensive development programs. The utilization of liquid sodium reduces the complexity of the design of these systems, thus providing confidence in system reliability. The implementation of the proven technology in liquid metal systems also provides assurance of reliability. In addition, the ease of transition from liquid metal breeder reactor systems to solar application provides immediate availability of this technology

Setting Priorities in Behavioral Interventions: An Application to Reducing Phishing Risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Canfield, Casey Inez; Fischhoff, Baruch

2018-04-01

Phishing risk is a growing area of concern for corporations, governments, and individuals. Given the evidence that users vary widely in their vulnerability to phishing attacks, we demonstrate an approach for assessing the benefits and costs of interventions that target the most vulnerable users. Our approach uses Monte Carlo simulation to (1) identify which users were most vulnerable, in signal detection theory terms; (2) assess the proportion of system-level risk attributable to the most vulnerable users; (3) estimate the monetary benefit and cost of behavioral interventions targeting different vulnerability levels; and (4) evaluate the sensitivity of these results to whether the attacks involve random or spear phishing. Using parameter estimates from previous research, we find that the most vulnerable users were less cautious and less able to distinguish between phishing and legitimate emails (positive response bias and low sensitivity, in signal detection theory terms). They also accounted for a large share of phishing risk for both random and spear phishing attacks. Under these conditions, our analysis estimates much greater net benefit for behavioral interventions that target these vulnerable users. Within the range of the model's assumptions, there was generally net benefit even for the least vulnerable users. However, the differences in the return on investment for interventions with users with different degrees of vulnerability indicate the importance of measuring that performance, and letting it guide interventions. This study suggests that interventions to reduce response bias, rather than to increase sensitivity, have greater net benefit. © 2017 Society for Risk Analysis.

Fractal MapReduce decomposition of sequence alignment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Almeida Jonas S

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The dramatic fall in the cost of genomic sequencing, and the increasing convenience of distributed cloud computing resources, positions the MapReduce coding pattern as a cornerstone of scalable bioinformatics algorithm development. In some cases an algorithm will find a natural distribution via use of map functions to process vectorized components, followed by a reduce of aggregate intermediate results. However, for some data analysis procedures such as sequence analysis, a more fundamental reformulation may be required. Results In this report we describe a solution to sequence comparison that can be thoroughly decomposed into multiple rounds of map and reduce operations. The route taken makes use of iterated maps, a fractal analysis technique, that has been found to provide a "alignment-free" solution to sequence analysis and comparison. That is, a solution that does not require dynamic programming, relying on a numeric Chaos Game Representation (CGR data structure. This claim is demonstrated in this report by calculating the length of the longest similar segment by inspecting only the USM coordinates of two analogous units: with no resort to dynamic programming. Conclusions The procedure described is an attempt at extreme decomposition and parallelization of sequence alignment in anticipation of a volume of genomic sequence data that cannot be met by current algorithmic frameworks. The solution found is delivered with a browser-based application (webApp, highlighting the browser's emergence as an environment for high performance distributed computing. Availability Public distribution of accompanying software library with open source and version control at http://usm.github.com. Also available as a webApp through Google Chrome's WebStore http://chrome.google.com/webstore: search with "usm".

Slow brushing reduces heat pain in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Liljencrantz, J; Strigo, I; Ellingsen, D M; Krämer, H H; Lundblad, L C; Nagi, S S; Leknes, S; Olausson, H

2017-08-01

C-tactile (CT) afferents are unmyelinated low-threshold mechanoreceptors optimized for signalling affective, gentle touch. In three separate psychophysical experiments, we examined the contribution of CT afferents to pain modulation. In total, 44 healthy volunteers experienced heat pain and CT optimal (slow brushing) and CT sub-optimal (fast brushing or vibration) stimuli. Three different experimental paradigms were used: Concurrent application of heat pain and tactile (slow brushing or vibration) stimulation; Slow brushing, applied for variable duration and intervals, preceding heat pain; Slow versus fast brushing preceding heat pain. Slow brushing was effective in reducing pain, whereas fast brushing or vibration was not. The reduction in pain was significant not only when the CT optimal touch was applied simultaneously with the painful stimulus but also when the two stimuli were separated in time. For subsequent stimulation, the pain reduction was more pronounced for a shorter time interval between brushing and pain. Likewise, the effect was more robust when pain was preceded by a longer duration of brush stimulation. Strong CT-related pain reduction was associated with low anxiety and high calmness scores obtained by a state anxiety questionnaire. Slow brushing - optimal for CT activation - is effective in reducing pain from cutaneous heating. The precise mechanisms for the pain relief are as yet unknown but possible mechanisms include inhibition of nociceptive projection neurons at the level of the dorsal horn as well as analgesia through cortical mechanisms. Slow brushing stimuli - optimal for activation of C-tactile fibres - can reduce pain from cutaneous heating. No such effect was seen with fast brushing or vibration. These observations indicate the role of C-tactile fibres in pain modulation. © 2017 European Pain Federation - EFIC®.

Variational integrators for reduced magnetohydrodynamics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kraus, Michael, E-mail: michael.kraus@ipp.mpg.de [Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Boltzmannstraße 2, 85748 Garching (Germany); Technische Universität München, Zentrum Mathematik, Boltzmannstraße 3, 85748 Garching (Germany); Tassi, Emanuele, E-mail: tassi@cpt.univ-mrs.fr [Aix-Marseille Université, Université de Toulon, CNRS, CPT, UMR 7332, 163 avenue de Luminy, case 907, 13288 cedex 9 Marseille (France); Grasso, Daniela, E-mail: daniela.grasso@infm.polito.it [ISC-CNR and Politecnico di Torino, Dipartimento Energia, C.so Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino (Italy)

2016-09-15

Reduced magnetohydrodynamics is a simplified set of magnetohydrodynamics equations with applications to both fusion and astrophysical plasmas, possessing a noncanonical Hamiltonian structure and consequently a number of conserved functionals. We propose a new discretisation strategy for these equations based on a discrete variational principle applied to a formal Lagrangian. The resulting integrator preserves important quantities like the total energy, magnetic helicity and cross helicity exactly (up to machine precision). As the integrator is free of numerical resistivity, spurious reconnection along current sheets is absent in the ideal case. If effects of electron inertia are added, reconnection of magnetic field lines is allowed, although the resulting model still possesses a noncanonical Hamiltonian structure. After reviewing the conservation laws of the model equations, the adopted variational principle with the related conservation laws is described both at the continuous and discrete level. We verify the favourable properties of the variational integrator in particular with respect to the preservation of the invariants of the models under consideration and compare with results from the literature and those of a pseudo-spectral code.

Novel functional magnetic materials fundamentals and applications

CERN Document Server

2016-01-01

This book presents current research on advanced magnetic materials and multifunctional composites. Recent advances in technology and engineering have resulted from the development of advanced magnetic materials with improved functional magnetic and magneto-transport properties. Certain industrial sectors, such as magnetic sensors, microelectronics, and security, demand cost-effective materials with reduced dimensionality and desirable magnetic properties such as enhanced magnetic softness, giant magnetic field sensitivity, and large magnetocaloric effect.  Expert chapters present the most up-to-date information on the fabrication process, processing, tailoring of properties, and applications of different families of modern functional materials for advanced smart applications. Topics covered include novel magnetic materials and applications; amorphous and nanocrystalline magnetic materials and applications; hard magnetic materials; magnetic shape memory alloys; and magnetic oxides. The book's highly interdis...

Proceedings of the INAC 2005: International nuclear atlantic conference. Nuclear energy reducing global warming; 14. Brazilian national meeting on reactor physics and thermal hydraulics; 7. Brazilian national meeting on nuclear applications