This spring, Newfoundland will send off a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel to the offshore Terra Nova field. The Terra Nova will proceed southeast through Bull Arm, then northeast out of Trinity Bay, then heads southeast to the Jeanne d'Arc Basin on the Grand Banks. The Terra Nova is expected to produce 115,000 barrels of oil per day for six years, when it reaches full capacity. The consortium, headed by Petro-Canada as senior ownership partner and operator, built an environment protection program into every aspect of the project. Some of the features of the environment protection program include glory holes excavated on the ocean floor for the protection of production equipment from icebergs, to a flare stack on the platform, which has four legs to provide stability in rough seas. The FPSO was designed to withstand sea ice, icebergs, and severe winter storms. Flow lines are also protected, and in the event ...
A Software for the Neutron Scattering time-of-flight Spectrometer with 64 independent coded inputs is preset. It performs data acquirement and management. The work platform of the software is the Windows 98 and programmed with Visual Basic 6.0. It supports 64 x 1024 channel analyzer computer system. The friendly interface, convenient operation and high reliability are advantages of the Software
There is a renewed interest in straight wing vertical axis wind turbines (SW-VAWT) which are usually installed on the roofs of high buildings in cities, urban areas and high mountain areas for independent electric power supply. SW-VAWTs have the advantages of simple design and low cost, as well as wind direction independence compared to the horizontal system. However, when SW-VAWTs are installed in cold regions, ice, snow and other attachments can affect its performance. In this study, clay was attached to the leading edge of the blade surface to determine how the performance of SW-VAWTs are affected by the mechanism of icing. Wind tunnel tests were used to study the rotational performance and power performance of the turbine blades. Icing prevention was also investigated. The attachment of clay on the leading edge of blade surface made the rotational performance of the SW-VAWT ...
Viddi, F. A., Hucke-Gaete, R., Torres-Florez, J. P., and Ribeiro, S. 2010. Spatial and seasonal variability in cetacean distribution in the fjords of northern Patagonia, Chile. - ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 959-970. Compared with other Chilean coastal areas, little is known about the diversity and distribution of cetaceans in northern Patagonian fjords. Between December 2000 and November 2001, surveys on platforms of opportunity were undertaken in southern Chile to evaluate species richness and the spatial and seasonal distribution of cetaceans. Nine species were recorded, blue, humpback, and minke whales, Peales dolphin, Chilean dolphin, killer whale, false killer whale, bottlenose dolphin, and Cuviers beaked whale. The pattern of cetacean distribution displayed significant season...
In a nutshell, the existing Internet provides to us content in the forms of videos, emails and information served up in web pages. With Cloud Computing, the next generation of Internet will allow us to "buy" IT services from a web portal, drastic expanding the types of merchandise available beyond those on e-commerce sites such as eBay and Taobao. We would be able to rent from a virtual storefront the basic necessities to build a virtual data center: such as CPU, memory, storage, and add on top of that the middleware necessary: web application servers, databases, enterprise server bus, etc. as the platform(s) to support the applications we would like to either rent from an Independent Software Vendor (ISV) or develop ourselves. Together this is what we call as "IT as a Service," or ITaaS, bundled to us the end users as a virtual data center.
Manitoba Hydro's Ice Storm Management Program to reduce ice damage to overhead power lines in the voltage range of 8 kV to 115 kV is described. Overhead power lines are de-iced either by AC ice melting, which involves placing a three-phase short at a calculated point, or ice rolling, which is a process of mechanically stripping ice from conductors. Direct current heating and underground distribution systems are also accepted prevention measures. Advantages and disadvantages of each of these methods of de-icing are reviewed. Material for this paper has been extracted from a workshop manual prepared for the 1993 and 1998 Ice Storm Management workshops organized by Manitoba Hydro through the Canadian Electrical Association. 1 ref.
Advanced proteomic research efforts involving areas such as systems biology or biomarker discovery are enabled by the use of high level informatics tools that allow the effective analysis of large quantities of differing types of data originating from various studies. Performing such analyses on a large scale is not feasible without a computational platform that performs data processing and management tasks. Such a platform must be able to provide high-throughput operation while having sufficient flexibility to accommodate evolving data analysis tools and methodologies. The Proteomics Research Information Storage and Management System (PRISM) provides a platform that serves the needs of the accurate mass and time tag approach developed at PNNL. PRISM incorporates a diverse set of analysis tools and allows a wide range of operations to be incorporated by using a state machine that is accessible to ...
There are many requirements for cost analysis and estimating within the Department of Energy (DOE). As projects go through the many stages of planning, source evaluation and selection, contracting, and construction, different estimating requirements exist and different techniques are available to the estimator. This cost guide illustrates how quantity takeoff estimating is performed when adequate design data are available, and it shows how statistics can be applied to obtain parametric cost estimates. Parametric techniques will become increasingly useful as the Department's cost data base and Cost Estimating Relationships (CERs) are developed. Other cost guides developed by the Independent Cost Estimating (ICE) Staff will be published and disseminated soon. The section on parametric cost estimating uses Department of Defense examples since the ICE Staff considered this information to be some of the best available ...
The characteristics of solidification and melting are reviewed. The properties of water and ice and the phase diagram of water are discussed with special emphasis on ice density. A concise account of the freezing process and the Stefan problem is presented. To this end, the four stages of freezing are identified, supercooling, nucleation and the formation of dendritic ice, the growth of concentric rings of solid ice at 0{sup o}C and the final cooling of the solid ice are treated in some detail. The subject of bursting of pipes is given particular emphasis. Attention is drawn to a common misconception on pipe bursting and to misleading relationships for the computation of freezing time for ice blockage. Several current applications of melting and freezing systems are outlined. (author)
This paper presents the isothermal characteristics of methanol onto two specimens of activated carbons namely Maxsorb III and Tsurumi activated charcoal. Dubinin Raduskevich (D-R) equation is used to correlate the adsorption isotherms and to form the pressure-temperature-concentration diagram for both of the assorted pairs. Experimental results show that the maximum adsorption capacity of Maxsorb III/methanol pair is 1.76 times that of activated charcoal/methanol pair. Employing a time-independent mathematical model, the performance of adsorption cooling cycle using Maxsorb III/methanol and activated charcoal/methanol pairs has been studied and compared with that of three other types of carbon based adsorbent/methanol pairs. Theoretical calculations show the superiority of Maxsorb III/methanol pair for both of air-conditioning and ice-making applications. (author)
In cold countries, the design of transmission lines and communication networks requires the knowledge of ice loads on conductors. Atmospheric icing is a stochastic phenomenon and therefore probabilistic design is used more and more for structure icing analysis. For strength and reliability assessments, a data base on atmospheric icing is needed to characterize the distributions of ice load and corresponding meteorological parameters. A test site where icing is frequent is used to obtain field data on atmospheric icing. This test site is located on the Mt. Valin, near Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada. The experimental installation is mainly composed of various instrumented but non-energized test cables, meteorological instruments, a data acquisition system, and a video recorder. Several types of icing events can produce large ...
The stability of a solid ice cover subjected to rapidly varying water levels and discharge was investigated. The support from the bank limits the stress in the ice cover and consequently bank contact must be maintained to ensure ice cover stability. An analysis was required of the stability of ice hinges, a flexible connection between a solid ice cover and the riverbank. Phase II and phase III of the research involved a field study of the Peace River, investigating the evolution of ice hinges with water level variation, from initial ice cover cracking parallel to the banks, to a fully developed hinge. A test program of midwinter discharge variations was undertaken to gather specific data and measurements of ice hinge link length, ice thickness, hinge joint behavior, riverbank geometry, and response ...
An overview of climatic factors and impact relative to river ice engineering and science is presented. An explanation of the fundamentals of climatic change is followed by a review of direct and indirect climatic influences that govern river ice breakup and related trends. Known responses of river ice to climatic change and potential future changes to ice breakup processes are described along with the probable ecological and socio-economic consequences of these changes. Changes in engineering approaches to accommodate the present ice regime and predicted changes in climatic variables that affect river ice processes and reduce the vulnerability of infrastructure and ecosystems to climatic change are examined. Future research on the links between river ice and stream ecology is suggested to identify ecological concerns that may result from ...
Ice jamming, known to cause high water levels at even moderate river flows, is described as both the main and least understood source of ice-related bridge damages. This paper describes a joint study by the New Brunswick Department of Transportation, the Department of the Environment, local governments, and the National Water Research Institute, designed to address problems associated with the interaction of ice jams and bridges. The study consists of collecting information at each of four sites in New Brunswick including: historical data on ice jam locations, causes, and water levels; channel bathymetry, width and slope within each study centred at the respective bridge; and documentation of ice conditions throughout the ice season, including measurement of ice cover thickness, observation of breakup mechanisms, times, causes, ...
Glacier ice worms, Mesenchytraeus solifugus and related species, are the largest glacially obligate metazoans. As one component of cold temperature adaptation, ice worms maintain atypically...Full Text Available
DescriptionRates of ice accumulation in Antarctica are not known well, yet they are fundamental to assessing the ice sheet mass balance. Past accumulation rates are less well defined. We are in a unique position to provide detailed accounts of accumulation in Antarctica. We will measure isochronous internal layering across the ice sheet, which can be readily identified in radar data that we hold. Internal layers will be traced to ice-cores (allowing dating) and across wide regions of the ice sheets. A nume [continued...
Development of a strategy for forecasting river ice breakup and jamming on the Saint John River in New Brunswick was described. Methods used to identify ice jam-prone areas by simple temperature-based methods to fairly complex computer models using site specific data, were summarized. Recent technological advances in developing forecasts, including the NWRI probe for remotely measuring ice jam thickness, the RIVJAM model for determining stages upstream of an ice jam, and computational procedures for estimating the thrust exerted by ice jams against bridges, were also reviewed. Criteria and recommendations for river ice breakup and ice jamming for the Saint John River were provided. (Abstract only).
Encouragement and incentives ar being given in many counties to the electricity industry and private sector to install, own and operate renewable energy systems. The impact of renewable energy installations connected to the grid or operating independently is an important issue concerning the technical and economic viability of harnessing these emerging energy sources. This paper brings out the need for developing and implementing a strategy for comprehensive and accurate protection and control systems for these dispersed generator installations. It appears that a combination of discrete and fuzzy logic devices on an integrated platform will be a novel technique for the protection and control schemes. This development has the potential to be cost effective and suits the requirements for operating renewable energy systems safety. (author). 2 figs., 16 refs.
At present, the mostly used and developed mechanism is hardware virtualization which provides a common platform to run multiple operating systems and applications in independent partitions. More precisely, it is all about resource virtualization as the term hardware virtualization is emphasized. In this paper, the aim is to find out the advantages and limitations of current virtualization techniques, analyze their cost and performance and also depict which forthcoming hardware virtualization techniques will able to provide efficient solutions for multiprocessor operating systems. This is done by making a methodical literature survey and statistical analysis of the benchmark reports provided by SPEC (Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation) and TPC (Transaction processing Performance Council). Finally, this paper presents the current aspects of hardware virtualization which will help the IT managers of the large organizations to take ...
Background Photopolymerizable poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels offer a platform to deliver cells in vivo and support three-dimensional cell culture but should be designed to degrade in sync with neotissue development and endure the physiologic environment. Questions/purposes We asked whether (1) incorporation of degradation into PEG hydrogels facilitates tissue development comprised of essential cartilage macromolecules; (2) with early loading before pericellular matrix formation, the duration of load affects matrix production; and (3) dynamic loading in general influences macroscopic tissue development. Methods Primary bovine chondrocytes were encapsulated in hydrogels (n?=?3 for each condition). The independent variables were hydrogel degradation (nondegrading PEG and degrading olig...
Proper balance control is a key aspect of acitivities of daily living. The aim of this study was to determine the contribution of body weight to predict balance stability. The balance stability of 59 male subjects with BMI ranging from 17.4 to 63.8kg/m2 was assessed using a force platform. The subjects were tested with and without vision. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to determine the independent effect of body weight, age, body height and foot length on balance stability (i.e., mean speed of the center of foot pressure). With vision, the stepwise multiple regression revealed that body weight accounted for 52% of the variance of balance stability. The addition of age contributed a further 3% to explain balance control. Without vision, body weight accounted for 54% of the...
The stability of a solid ice cover subjected to rapidly varying water levels and discharge was investigated. The support from the bank limits the stress in the ice cover and consequently bank contact must be maintained to ensure ice cover stability. An analysis was required of the stability of ice hinges, a flexible connection between a solid ice cover and the riverbank. Phase II and phase III of the research involved a field study of the Peace River, investigating the evolution of ice hinges with water level variation, from initial ice cover cracking parallel to the banks, to a fully developed hinge. A test program of midwinter discharge variations was undertaken to gather specific data and measurements of ice hinge link length, ice thickness, hinge joint behavior, riverbank geometry, and response ...
Substantial thermal performance improvement in ice-on-tube cold thermal energy storage systems (TES) is possible by making use of porous copper mesh as a Heat Conducting Enhancement Device (HCED). HCEDs are inexpensive heat transfer augmentation devices that can result in faster rate of ice growth and larger final steady state ice build volume by reducing the controlling thermal conduction resistance of the ice layer. This improves the competitiveness of external ice-on-tube systems as compared to other TES systems, such as dynamic ice harvesters and static internal melt systems. In this study the amount of ice growth enhancement is predicted theoretically, by performing simplified 1-D calculations, and is then validated in the laboratory through carefully controlled experiments. This study shows that ice volume increase ...
The collision of the Earth with extra-terrestrial ice-volatile bodies is proposed as a mechanism to produce rapid changes in the geologic record. These bodies would be analogs of the ice satellites found for the Jovian planets and suspected for comets and certain low density bodies in the Asteroid belt. Five generic end-members are postulated: (1) water ice; (2) dry ice: carbon-carbon dioxide rich, (3) oceanic (chloride) ice; (4) sulfur-rich ice; (5) ammonia hydrate-rich ice; and (6) clathrate: methane-rich ice. Due to the volatile nature of these bodies, evidence for their impact with the Earth would be subtle and probably best reflected geochemically or in the fossil record. Actual boloids impacting the Earth may have a variable composition, generally some admixture with water ice. However for ...
Some considerations regarding ice load in risk-based dam safety analysis are presented for small concrete dams. The most significant physical mechanisms leading to ice thrust on dams (such as thermal expansion and water level fluctuations) are outlined. Published literature on dam ice loads to examine ice load magnitude-return period relationships, sliding and overstressing failure mechanisms and structural performance criteria to resist ice loads, are also reviewed. Related loading combinations for structural safety evaluations were determined regarding the issue of simultaneity of ice loads with other events such as earthquakes. Parametric analyses were conducted on a small gravity dam section, 3m high, and a taller dam, 17.9 m high, to demonstrate the ultimate ice load carrying capability as a function of dam geometry and shear and ...
The main businesses of the Aker Group were outlined. The Aker Group has an operating revenue of 51.7 billion with operational experience in deepwater floaters, subsea infrastructure, onshore oil and gas plants, fixed offshore platforms, petrochemical refining, power generation, pulping, and mining. The company plans and executes capital projects, provides technology solutions and life-cycle operations, service and maintenance. The Aker Group owns 50 per cent of the Aker Kvaener offshore drilling rig located in the North Sea. This presentation outlined the challenges of working in a harsh environment. The area is characterized by a short productive season, low temperatures and limited sunlight. The direct environmental issues include spills and the impact of oil and gas infrastructure. Indirect issues include lowering the entry barriers for other kinds of resource exploitation. Other challenges of field development in Arctic areas include ice ...
retrieve detailed aerosol and cloud particle size distribution and shape ...... but on rain types, and hydrometeor characteristics. ..... of ice streams, decreasing sea ice cover in the Arctic, poleward movement of forest cover, and ...
... small water or ice particles by impaction ... flight recording; principally the hydrometeor charge unit ... capability of directing aircraft movements by radio ...
Surface modification of topography and chemistry in order to achieve a specific water contact angle (CA) has been explored by using a novel combinatorial screening platform. The screening arrays consisted of 507 distinct combinations of micro-topographies and chemical compositions. By performing chemical modifications with 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H perfluoroethyltriethoxy-silane (PFS) and n-octadecyltriethoxysilane (ODS) on standard silicon wafers it was possible to include both superhydrophobic and very hydrophilic pad arrays in the same screening platform. Surfaces modified with PFS were more hydrophobic than surfaces modified with ODS, while the unmodified silicon surfaces were hydrophilic. For the PFS modified surfaces the largest CAs were achieved with a small pillar size of X = 1 {mu}m and an intermediate inter-pillar gap size of Y = 4 {mu}m with superhydrophobic CAs over 170 . Surface analysis with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed ...
Reactor COre Protection System (RCOPS), an advanced core protection calculator system, is a digitized one which provides core protection function based on two reactor core operation parameters, Departure from Nucleate Boiling Ratio (DNBR) and Local Power Density (LPD). It generates a reactor trip signal when the core condition exceeds the DNBR or LPD design limit. It consists of four independent channels adapted a two-out-of-four trip logic. System configuration, hardware platform and an improved algorithm of the newly designed core protection calculator system are described in this paper. One channel of RCOPS was implemented as a single channel facility for this R and D project where we performed final integration software testing. To implement custom function blocks, pSET is used. Software test is performed by two methods. The first method is a 'Software Module Test' and the second method is a 'Software Unit Test'. New features include ...
The invention deals with an offshore drilling or production platform in particular designed for quake-active areas. The platform rests on the sea bed with a low-gravitational weight and anchored to stabilized pile foundations absorbing the horizontal and vertical acting forces from earthquakes. The platform including pillars can be made of different materials, prestressed concrete in particular. 3 figs.
A description of LOOP covers the single point mooring (SPM) system; the offshore pipelines connecting each SPM to the pumping platform; the offshore platform complex, a pumping platform and a control platform; the onshore pipelines; and the Clovelly Dome storage terminal.
This book discusses problems and topics important for the design and construction of fixed offshore platforms used for drilling and producing petroleum from beneath the sea. A general description of offshore platforms serves as an introduction to the whole problem of offshore structures. A chapter on the hydrodynamic analysis of fixed offshore platforms gives the basis for the layout and construction of such structures. A guide to soil investigation methods essential for the geotechnical analysis of foundation designs for all types of offshore structures concentrates on the instrumentation equipment actually used. Detailed information is given on pile foundations with special emphasis on steel jacket platforms. The behaviour of gravity platforms during the final construction stage is analysed. The basis for the design of subsea pipelines and their stability is treated as well as the ...
An actuating mechanism of a mine combine is proposed. It includes a rotating platform in a vertical plane on which by hinges with the possibility of rotation parallel to the plane of the platform there are handles with cutting drums and a mechanism for extension of the handle which has hydraulic cylinders. With a decrease in load on the hinges of the handles from bending forces, on the platform between the front edge of the platform and the site of attachment of the handle hinges there are openings. Each handle has a support projection which is placed in this opening with the possibility of movement. A clamp plank is installed on it which covers the opening. The distance from the center of the projection support to the axis of the corresponding hinge is greater than the height of embedding of this hinge into the platform.
This paper bundles 40 contributions by the IceCube collaboration that were submitted to the 30th International Cosmic Ray Conference ICRC 2007. The articles cover studies on cosmic rays and atmospheric neutrinos, searches for non-localized, extraterrestrial {nu}{sub e}, {nu}{sub {mu}} and {nu}{sub {tau}} signals, scans for steady and intermittent neutrino point sources, searches for dark matter candidates, magnetic monopoles and other exotic particles, improvements in analysis techniques, as well as future detector extensions. The IceCube observatory will be finalized in 2011 to form a cubic-kilometer ice-Cherenkov detector at the location of the geographic South Pole. At the present state of construction, IceCube consists of 52 paired IceTop surface tanks and 22 IceCube strings with a total of 1426 Digital Optical Modules deployed at depths up to 2350 m. The ...
We evaluate the neutrino fluxes to be expected from neutralino lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) annihilations inside the Sun, within the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model with supersymmetry-breaking scalar and gaugino masses constrained to be universal at the grand unified theory scale [the constrained minimal supersymmetric standard model (CMSSM)]. We find that there are large regions of typical CMSSM (m_1_/_2,m_0) planes where the LSP density inside the Sun is not in equilibrium, so that the annihilation rate may be far below the capture rate. We show that neutrino fluxes are dependent on the solar model at the 20% level, and adopt the AGSS09 model of Serenelli et al. for our detailed studies. We find that there are large regions of the CMSSM (m_1_/_2,m_0) planes where the capture rate is not dominated by spin-dependent LSP-proton scattering, e.g., at large m_1_/_2 along the CMSSM coannihilation strip. We calculate neutrino fluxes above various threshold ...
Three independent studies have been conducted for assessing the impact of rocket launches on the earth`s environment. These studies have addressed issues of acid rain in the troposphere, ozone depletion in the stratosphere, toxicity of chemical rocket exhaust products, and the potential impact on global warming from carbon dioxide emissions from rocket launches. Local, regional, and global impact assessments were examined and compared with both natural sources and anthropogenic sources of known atmospheric pollutants with the following conclusions: (1) Neither solid nor liquid rocket launches have a significant impact on the earth`s global environment, and there is no real significant difference between the two. (2) Regional and local atmospheric impacts are more significant than global impacts, but quickly return to normal background conditions within a few hours after launch. And (3) vastly increased space launch activities equivalent to 50 U.S. Space Shuttles or ...
An analytical study of the ice-formation process associated with heat-conducting plates located perpendicularly to isothermally heated and cooled surfaces with some clearance is presented. It is proposed that the onset conditions, which describe whether the ice-volume fraction in a steady state is greater than or less than that without heat-conducting plates, are defined by the dimensionless distances between the heated/cooled walls and the heat-conducting plates. It is shown that the onset conditions are dependent on the pitch and the thickness of the heat-conducting plates and are less dependent on the thermal conductivity of the plates.
This quarterly update contains information on the National Bioenergy Center Biochemical Platform Integration Project, R&D progress and related activities.
... ice, hurricanes, and trees (less likely on high voltage transmission lines ) can bring down above ground power lines. Flooding, Leeching ground ...
Part I of this thesis is on long-term iceberg collision-risk assessment methods for fixed offshore structures. Estimates for the long-term probability that an iceberg will hit a fixed offshore structure are based on estimates of the total volume of produced iceberg, a model for the size distribution of icebergs and a description of how iceberg trajectories ``fill`` the plane (the ocean`s surface). Part II of the thesis discusses methods for analysis of low resolution data in the sense that the size of the area covered by each pixel is not small compared to the dominating floes. Still, this type of data can provide estimates of the ice extent (and hence the ice edge) and ice concentration. The estimates of the ice edge (at least) seem to be physically significant in the sense that ``in some way`` they can reflect ice drift in an image time sequence. A priori this is far from obvious. ...
Individual strains of the plant pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae vary in their ability to produce toxins, nucleate ice, and resist antimicrobial compounds. These phenotypes...Full Text Available
... Finally, the one dimensional, one phase Stefan problem is well known as a model for the melting of ice (see, eg, [5]). There are many approaches to ...
This article addresses the need for new data on indirect effects of natural and anthropogenic aerosol particles on atmospheric ice clouds. Simultaneous measurements of the concentration and composition...Full Text Available
Total concentrations of major and trace elements were determined in samples of the epilithic lichen Umbilicaria decussata from 24 ice-free areas in coastal ...
Jul 26, 2011 ... The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth hosts the best and most complete online collection of astronaut photographs of the Earth.
estimates from 42 years of submarine records (19582000) described by ... area (DRA) of declassified submarine sonar measurements. (covering $38% of the ...
assessment.Both frustumswerein excellentcondition.No missingTPSor debonds/ unbondswere ...... 2) The average time for a 360 degree rotation was 29.9 seconds. ...
Group for Aerospace Research and Development (AGARD) symposium and continue to ...... of vertical structures and flow separation within the tip, platform, ...
HyPac is a french platform on the hydrogen and fuel cells applications, created in 2008. the authors presents the opportunities of the french platform HyPac, the objectives, the participants and the budget. (A.L.B.)
Fluorescent microspheres were applied in a novel fashion during subsurface drilling of permafrost and ground ice in the Canadian High Arctic to monitor the exogenous microbiological contamination of...Full Text Available
The abundant microbial population in a 3,043-m-deep Greenland glacier ice core was dominated by ultrasmall cells (<0.1 μm3) that may represent intrinsically small organisms...Full Text Available
The reinforced concrete artificial iced course, constructed first in Japan as a bobsleigh and luge track for the Nagano Olympic Games, has a total extension of 1,700 m and an altitude difference of 113 m. It contains 15 curves and 2 up-grades and is divided into 43 blocks with spans ranging from 20 m to 80 m, all of which consist of lightwall RC members supported by pile foundations. The surface is cooled to -15 centigrade by the cooling pipes embedded in concrete and is iced by spraying water, and iced surface is shaved to make a course. Since the course scarcely has same profiles, the finished wall thickness is secured by fixing wire gauzes on the required positions without using shutterings. As there is not existed concrete satisfying all the required quality, two kinds of concrete were selected for filling in the arrangement of reinforcement and pipes and for surface finishing. Special notice was taken of the accuracy ...
The South White Rose oilfield, offshore Newfoundland, owned jointly by Husky Oil (82.5 per cent ) and Petro-Canada (17.5 per cent) is being developed using a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) system. Some industry stakeholders claim that the oil should be produced using a concrete gravity base system as used in the Hibernia Field. However, Husky Oil officials are confident that the choice of the FPSO is well justified, based on its cost effectiveness and economic viability. Several production facility options have been assessed, taking into account feasibility, deliverability, economic attributes. risk and safety . The assessment results clearly pointed to FPSO as the preferred system based on its commercial and technical flexibility, proven track record in harsh environments, its ability to produce both oil and gas in sequential development, its promise of production at full capacity earlier than a gravity base system, and easier decommissioning than a GBS-type fixed ...
Bulk micromachining generally refers to processes involving wet chemical etching of structures formed out of the silicon substrate and so is limited to fairly large, crude structures. Surface micromachining allows intricate patterning of thin films of polysilicon and other materials to form essentially two-dimensional layered parts (since the thickness of the parts is limited by the thickness of the deposited films). There is a third type of micromachining in which the part is formed by filling a mold which was defined by photolithographic means. Historically micromachining molds have been formed in some sort of photopolymer, be it with x-ray lithography (``LIGA``) or more conventional UV lithography, with the aim of producing piece parts. Recently, however, several groups including ours at Sandia have independently come up with the idea of forming the mold for mechanical parts by etching into the silicon substrate itself. In Sandia`s mold process, the mold is ...
Recently, independent system operators (ISOs) and others have published reports on the costs of transmission congestion. The magnitude of congestion costs cited in these reports has contributed to the national discussion on the current state of U.S. electricity transmission system and whether it provides an adequate platform for competition in wholesale electricity markets. This report reviews reports of congestion costs and begins to assess their implications for the current national discussion on the importance of the U.S. electricity transmission system for enabling competitive wholesale electricity markets. As a guiding principle, we posit that a more robust electricity system could reduce congestion costs; and thereby, (1) facilitate more vibrant and fair competition in wholesale electricity markets, and (2) enable consumers to seek out the lowest prices for electricity. Yet, examining the details suggests that, sometimes, there will be ...
Ecopa, the European Consensus Platform on 3R-Alternatives, is an international not-for-profit organization that wants to stimulate the development of 3R-alternatives, increase awareness among the public, scientists and regulatory bodies, and help their implementation into the different national legislations. This is done by networking and bringing together National Consensus Platforms on 3R-alternatives. Consensus means that all parties concerned are represented, namely, animal welfare, industry, academia, and governmental institutions. Actually, 14 Member State Platforms exist. Fully complying with the criteria, set by ecopa, are the platforms of Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Under development are the platforms of Denmark, Norway, and Poland. To reach its goals, ecopa uses ...
The performance of more than 3,000 offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico was observed during the passage of Hurricane Andrew in August 1992. This event provided an opportunity to test the procedures used for platform analysis and design. A global bias was inferred for overall platform capacity and loads in the Andrew Joint Industry Project (JIP) Phase 1. It was predicted that the pile foundations of several platforms should have failed, but did not. These results indicated that the biases specific to foundation failure modes may be higher than those of jacket failure modes. The biases in predictions of foundation failure modes were therefore investigated further in this study. The work included capacity analysis and calibration of predictions with the observed behavior for 3 jacket platforms and 3 caissons using Bayesian updating. Bias factors for two foundation failure modes, ...
In this talk, we summarize recent results obtained from the combined neutrino telescopes IceCube and AMANDA. The combined approach, including data taken from both detectors simultaneously, is compared to other analyses that are using IceCube only data. The main benefit of the combined detector is its improved performance at low energies, meaning energies below 1 TeV (close to the energy threshold of the detector). The discussion is focused on the search for extra-terrestrial neutrinos from candidate sources in our Galaxy. Using appropriate cuts, the sensitivity can be optimized for soft spectra neutrino sources. With the resulting data sample, several studies are performed: an unbinned Galactic Plane Scan and a Cygnus region analysis: the Multi Point Source analysis. The current status of these analyses is presented.
A novel PCR based assay was devised to specifically detect contamination of any Salmonella serovar in milk, fruit juice and ice-cream without pre-enrichment. This method utilizes primers against hilA gene which is conserved in all Salmonella serovars and absent from the close relatives of Salmonella. An optimized protocol, in terms time and money, is provided for the reduction of PCR contaminants from milk, ice-cream and juice through the use of routine laboratory chemicals. The simplicity, efficiency (time taken 3-4 h) and sensitivity (to about 5-10 CFU/ml) of this technique confers a unique advantage over other previously used time consuming detection techniques. This technique does not involve pre-enrichment of the samples or extensive sample processing, which was a pre-requisite in mos...
Field investigations of major and damaging ice jamming on the Saint John River at Dickey, Maine , and at Sainte-Anne de-Madawaska, New Brunswick, in 1991, were described. The investigations included measurement of water surface profiles and shear wall heights at both sites. The measurements were supplemented by information from local observers and data collection agencies. Using a simplified equilibrium analysis, ice jam thickness and water level at the Dickey site was found to be generally in agreement with observed values. At Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska sufficient data was obtained to construct and calibrate the numerical model RIVJAM which determined the configuration of the jam in nonequilibrium reaches. Use of the model enabled the successful reproduction of a measured water profile along the jam and the prediction of the approximate thickness of the jam, which was generally less than the measured shear wall height. 14 refs., 11 figs.
BackgroundFeature selection is an important pre-processing task in the analysis of complex data. Selecting an appropriate subset of features can improve classification or clustering...Full Text Available
The paper presents TrustMAS - Trusted Communication Platform for Multi-Agent Systems, which provides trust and anonymity for mobile agents. The platform includes anonymous technique based on random-walk algorithm for providing general purpose anonymous communication for agents. All agents, which take part in the proposed platform, benefit from trust and anonymity that is provided for their interactions. Moreover, in TrustMAS there are StegAgents (SA) that are able to perform various steganographic communication. To achieve that goal, SAs may use methods in different layers of TCP/IP model or specialized middleware enabling steganography that allows hidden communication through all layers of mentioned model. In TrustMAS steganographic channels are used to exchange routing tables between StegAgents. Thus all StegAgents in TrustMAS with their ability to exchange information by using hidden channels form distributed ...
The article presents briefly the plans of the British Petroleum Oil Company for a new hydrogen power plant that includes an offshore platform in the North Sea.
(AIM PAPER 81-1628). Three different examples will be given to illustrate how a ...... Power System (PS), and a Science Applications and Space Platform ...
This paper is focused on TLP and Spar technology as applied to floating production applications. In particular, safety considerations as related to classification and certification requirements are addressed. This covers hull structures, marine systems, production facilities and the relevant mooring systems for each platform type from design approval on through construction, installation and ultimately the ongoing maintenance of the platform to acceptable standards throughout its operating life. The experience of the American Bureau of Shipping with these platforms will be utilized in supporting the practical application of classification and regulatory standards to ensure safe operations and concluding that use of such standards in conjunction with an experienced classification society provides a substantial benefit to companies utilizing these technologies. (author)
equipping the trio of SPHERES on the space station with a Nexus(tm) S handset made by Samsung Electronics and powered by Google's Android(tm) platform. graphic for the NASA mobile...
The ice cover in high mountain lakes breaks up and disappears in about an hour, in part because it has been divided into fragile vertical spindles, which are individual crystals. Contributing to this...Full Text Available
TSS (thermal swing sublimation) method was studied which uses vaporization heat and sensible heat of LNG for solidification and separation of CO2 gas in waste gases of LNG-fired combined cycle power generation system. In experiment, the mixed gas composed of CO2, H2O and N2 was used for simulating waste gas of LNG-fired combined cycle power generation systems, and the growth behavior of ice and dry ice was studied for developing dry ice making technology under low-temperature condition. As the experimental result, the following were clarified: various crystal structures depending on cooling temperature, the effect of gas flow rate on peeling of surface precipitated solids, and solidification characteristics of H2O/CO2 mixed gas. The growth rate of precipitated solid film thickness decreased with an increase in gas flow rate, while increased with CO2 concentration. The shape of a dry ice sublimator ...
BackgroundRadiofrequency ablation (RFA) of tumors by means of internally cooled electrodes (ICE) combined with interstitial infusion of saline may improve clinical results. To date,...Full Text Available
Positive identification of Martian pseudocraters would be a strong indication of past occurrence of ice at or near the surface of Mars. The basis for suggesting that small cones on Mars are pseudocraters includes: (1) small size, (2) abundant but patchy distribution on what appear to be volcanic plains, (3) presence of other features suggestive of surface or subsurface ice, (4) morphological similarities to Icelandic pseudocraters, and (5) the similarity in distribution of crater/cone diameter ratios to Icelandic pseudocraters. This last morphometric parameter may be the most important, since other possible small terrestrial volcanic analogs have very different crater/cone diameter ratio distributions. In a survey of the available high resolution Viking Orbiter imagery, abundant fields of possible pseudocraters were found. However, only a small fraction of the plains forming units imaged at high resolution were found to contain the small cones. ...
time as well, due to the complex patterns of air movement taking place within cumulus clouds. ...... cumulative distribution of XPD, for rain and ice-particle induced ...... CCIR (1986f), Attenuation by Hydrometeors, In Particular ...
BackgroundEchocardiography has been debated as an adjunct for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The aim of this prospective study was to comparatively evaluate intraprocedural guidance using intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). MethodsFifty high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis scheduled for TAVR were randomized to either guidance using ICE (group 1; n = 25) or monitoring using TEE (group 2; n = 25). ResultsIn contrast to TEE, ICE allowed continuous monitoring. The need for probe repositioning during the procedure was much lower in group 1 (0.1 +- 0.3 vs 5.7 +- 0.7 maneuvers, P P = .003). Both coronary ostia were more frequently visualized in group 1 (18 vs 2 cases, P n = 25, r2 = 0.90, P n = 11, P = .012), but ICE did not (m...
Records of past climates contained in ice cores, ocean sediments, and other archives show that large, abrupt, widespread climate changes have occurred repeatedly in the past. These changes were especially...Full Text Available
The Hebron offshore drilling project in Atlantic Canada was discontinued in 2002 due to economic challenges. Chevron-Texaco has conducted small-scale studies to find ways to improve the project's viability. One of the main challenges facing this offshore drilling project is the issue of iceberg scour and its effect on seafloor equipment. This paper demonstrates how advances in ice engineering have resulted in new and cost-effective development concepts for: central gravity base structures; wellhead gravity base structures; floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) subsea facilities; and, long subsea tieback and trench optimization. New studies have provided a better understanding of ice contact pressures, drift velocities, iceberg management and interaction processes. New designs for gravity base structures can reduce wave loads. The selection of a new development concept is determined by economic viability, capital cost, ...
... say for sure if the signal is coming from hail, lots of graupel, or some other hydrometeor . ... Precipitation forms when cloud droplets or ice particles in clouds grow and .... A landslide is the movement of rock, debris, or earth down a slope. ...
Feb 15, 2008 ... hydrological properties (e.g., hydrometeor budgets, cloud ice/water, transports ... cloud fraction, mass and particle size. In combination, these .... anomaly in the LS is not simply due isentropic movement of water vapor relative ...
Bacteria and fungi are ubiquitous in the atmosphere. The diversity and abundance of airborne microbes may be strongly influenced by atmospheric conditions or even influence atmospheric conditions themselves...Full Text Available
The kinetics of HO{sub 2} radicals in UV-irradiated frozen dilute solutions of H{sub 2}O{sub 2} were followed by the ESR technique. Radical disproportionations at the irradiation temperature were found to be adequately described in terms of dispersive kinetics by a second-order equal-concentration kinetic equation with rate parameters changing non-monotonically in the temperature range 100-200 K. These changes are thought to occur due to well separated structural relaxation regions of polycrystalline ice in the above temperature range. (author).
The objective of this research project is to demonstrate sensing, communication, information and control technologies to achieve a seamless integration of multivendor distributed energy resource (DER) units at aggregation levels that meet individual user requirements for facility operations (residential, commercial, industrial, manufacturing, etc.) and further serve as resource options for electric and natural gas utilities. The fully demonstrated DER aggregation system with embodiment of communication and control technologies will lead to real-time, interactive, customer-managed service networks to achieve greater customer value. Work on this Advanced Communication and Control Project (ACCP) consists of a two-phase approach for an integrated demonstration of communication and control technologies to achieve a seamless integration of DER units to reach progressive levels of aggregated power output. Phase I involved design and proof-of-design, and Phase II involves real-world ...
This study by CTES, L.C. meets two main objectives. First, evaluate the feasibility of using coiled tubing (CT) to drill 1.0 inches-2.5 inches diameter directional holes in hard rocks. Second, develop a conceptual design for a micro borehole drilling platform (MBDP) meeting specific size, weight, and performance requirements. The Statement of Work (SOW) in Appendix A contains detailed specifications for the feasibility study and conceptual design.
A brief overview is given of the developments in the Dutch offshore industry where new offshore sites appear to be retrofitted or recycled platforms and contractors take over the work from petroleum companies (e.g. as so-called Floating Production Storage Offloading or FPSO). It is expected that in ten years from now a large number of oil platforms will be disappeared or transported to the Chinese Bohai Sea where a new oil field will be explored.
There are over 4,500 petroleum platforms in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. Explosives are commonly used to remove platforms and have the potential to kill nearby sea turtles. From June 1988-June 1990, the authors used aerial surveys to study turtle density and the spatial relationship between turtles and platforms offshore of Louisiana. They sighted 316 turtles most of which (92%) were loggerheads. Seventy-eight percent were sighted just east of the Mississippi River offshore of the Chandeleur Islands. East of the river, turtle densities ranged from 0.92 (winter) to 4.83 turtles/100 sq km (spring). West of the river, annual densities ranged from 0.11-0.50 turtles/100 sq km. East of the river, three statistical tests indicated that turtles were generally closer to platforms than expected by chance alone. West of the river, turtles were randomly located with respect to platform ...
The classical Stefan problem describes the motion of a solidification front through a uniform half-space in response to a step change in temperature on its boundary. The predictions of such a model can be applied quite accurately to the freezing of water in a porous medium so long as the pore geometry remains unaltered by the passing solidification front. It is observed, however, that in fine-grained porous media, ice has a tendency to form in segregated horizontal bands, known as ice lenses, that disrupt the regular pattern of heat flow through their enhanced consumption of latent heat. This process, known as frost heave, causes significant ground deformation in regions subject to prolonged freezing, and is one of the most important weathering processes in polar and alpine regions. Recent improvements to our understanding of the mechanics of ice lens nucleation and growth are applied here to predict the conditions and ...
Despite advances in polymer and drug technology, the underlying stent platform remains a key determinant of clinical outcome. A clear understanding of stent design and the differences between various stent platforms are of increasing importance for the interventional cardiologist. Reduction in stent strut thickness has been associated with improved stent deliverability, improved procedural outcome, and lower rates of subsequent restenosis. Newer-generation 316L-SS stent designs have enabled reduced strut thickness while retaining radial strength and minimizing recoil, but with significant loss of radiopacity, leading to reduced visibility. Cobalt chromium alloys have enabled a reduction in stent strut thickness to around 80?90 mm while retaining modest radiopacity, but due to higher elasti...
A device is described for transporting loads, especially for moving belt driving stations in open pit mining operations with a propelling mechanism which for lifting a respective load is operable to move into a free space formed by the load with the ground. The device comprises a plurality of lifting mechanisms, by means of which, a lifting platform can be brought into engagement with a supporting surface of the load. The device comprises at least one supporting member which is so designed that it prevents the lifting platform from lifting off lifting mechanisms. Furthermore, means are provided which permit a turning of the lifting platform relative to the lifting mechanisms about a vertical axis which is arranged in a certain relationship to the propelling mechanism.
Genome-wide studies of bacterial gene expression are shifting from microarray technology to second generation sequencing platforms. RNA-seq has a number of advantages over hybridization-based techniques,...Full Text Available
BackgroundFor more than a decade there has been increasing interest in the use of nanotechnology and microarray platforms for diagnostic applications. In this report, we describe...Full Text Available
The Dot/Icm-translocated Ankyrin B (AnkB) F-box effector of Legionella pneumophila is essential for intra-vacuolar proliferation and functions as a platform for the docking of polyubiquitinated...Full Text Available
SummaryConvection-enhanced delivery (CED) of substances within the human brain is becoming a more frequent experimental treatment option in the management of brain tumors, and...Full Text Available
In the interests of fuel economy in motor vehicles, this article discusses the importance of waste heat recovery and then goes on the explore options such as hybrid electric cars, thermal engines with low loss platforms, pure electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles. (UK)
This work reports the design of and experimentation with a topographically patterned cell culture substrate of variable local density and anisotropy as a facile and efficient platform to guide...Full Text Available
This bibliography deals with the foundation of offshore structures like drilling or working platforms (oil and gas exploitation) or offshore tanks. Different kinds of foundations, e.g. pile foundations or shallow foundations, are described. Aspects of soil-structure interaction, engineering geology and soil mechanics are also discussed. (orig.).
The aim of this study is to develop an Automatic Post-processing Tool for four-dimensional (4D) treatment planning (APT4D) that enables the user to perform some necessary procedures related...Full Text Available
AT AFRICA (O.F.) AIDO1 SYMMES CREEK AT AID ALLO1 MAHONING RIVER AT ALLIANCE ALZO1 ALEXANDRIA AMDO1 AMSTERDAM ARMO1 CAPTINA CREEK AT SR 148 AT ARMSTRONG MILLS ASVO1 WALNUT CREEK...
The zebrafish is emerging as a prominent model system for studying the genetics of human development and disease. Genetic alterations that underlie each mutant model can exist in the form of...Full Text Available
BackgroundBiomarkers play a key role in risk assessment, assessing treatment response, and detecting recurrence and the investigation of multiple biomarkers may also prove useful...Full Text Available
Simplification of cell enumeration technologies is necessary, especially for resource-poor countries, where reliable and affordable enumeration systems are greatly needed. In this paper, an immunomagnetic...Full Text Available
The primary method for neuronal communication involves the extracellular release of small molecules that are packaged in secretory vesicles. We have developed a platform to separate, lyse, and...Full Text Available
Risoe`s 40th anniversary was celebrated June 3, 1998 by a symposium held at Risoe. The interaction of research at Risoe with academia and industry was presented in both national and international perspective. Most of the presentations are in English, a few in Danish. (au)
The spin relaxation processes within the pyrochlore Ho{sub 2}Ru{sub 2}O{sub 7} have been investigated by neutron scattering and bulk property techniques. A single-ion process, that is thermally activated, dominates the spin-spin relaxation spectrum above 2 K. Assuming Arrhenius behaviour, we found an activation energy {delta} = (329 {+-} 6) K and characteristic relaxation time {tau}{sub 0} (5.2 {+-} 0.3) x 10{sup -12} s in the paramagnetic state, akin to those found in the spin ice, Ho{sub 2}Ti{sub 2}O{sub 7}. Atlow temperature (T<95 K) the activation energy lowers and below 20 K the entropy and ac susceptibility are similar to that observed in other spin ice compounds within a 10 kOe field.
The spin relaxation processes within the pyrochlore Ho_2Ru_2O_7 have been investigated by neutron scattering and bulk property techniques. A single-ion process, that is thermally activated, dominates the spin-spin relaxation spectrum above 2 K. Assuming Arrhenius behaviour, we found an activation energy #DELTA# = (329 #+-# 6) K and characteristic relaxation time #tau#_0 (5.2 #+-# 0.3) x 10"-"1"2 s in the paramagnetic state, akin to those found in the spin ice, Ho_2Ti_2O_7. Atlow temperature (T<95 K) the activation energy lowers and below 20 K the entropy and ac susceptibility are similar to that observed in other spin ice compounds within a 10 kOe field.
Objectives(i) Investigate the correlation between Antarctic sea-ice and equatorial sea-surface temperature anomalies in a realistically forced ocean model simulation of the last 50 years. (ii) Determine whether and how the enormous seasonal change in distribution of sea-ice modifies the seasonal cycle at the Equator. (iii) Determine the detailed pathways of wave propagation both in a historically-forced simulation and in response to realistic perturbations. (iv) Quantify the amplitude of the response i [continued...]DescriptionIt is well known that the equatorial ocean-atmosphere system plays a key role in global climate events such as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. There is now compelling evidence that changes in the Antarctic can strongly and quickly affect the equatorial ocean and the ENSO cycle. Observations demonstrate statistically significant correlations (teleconnections) between the Antarctic and the Equator with ...
Inverse and direct methods have been used to analyze a large number of borehole temperature logs in order to infer past climatic changes. Results indicate a warming of 1-2[degree]C in eastern and central Canada during the past 150 years. A period of cooling between 500 and 200 years before present, corresponding to the time of the Little Ice Age, has also been identified in the same areas. A regional ground temperature history is estimated for eastern and central Canada from the simultaneous inversion of several temperature logs. The inferred temperature changes appear correlated with the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide as reported from a Greenland ice core, and agree with existing meteorological and dendrochronological records for the area.
During sporting events, injured athletes often return to competition after icing because of the reduction in pain. Although some controversy exists, several studies suggest that cryotherapy causes a decrease in muscle activity, which may lead to a higher risk of injury upon return to play. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a 20-min knee joint cryotherapy application on the electromyographic activity of leg muscles during a single-leg drop jump in twenty healthy subjects, randomly assigned to an experimental and a control group. After the pre-tests, a crushed-ice bag was applied to the knee joint of the experimental group subjects for 20min, while the control group subjects rested for 20min. All subjects were retested immediately after this period and retested again...
In certain regions of the sea floor, water and methane from organic depositions have turned into a burnable form of ice, i.e. methane hydrates which contain more stored energy than all fossil fuel reserves. If they should desintegrate as a result of global heating, methane will be released and will contribute to further global heating. [Deutsch] Im Boden bestimmter Meeresregionen haben sich Wasser und Methan aus organischen Ablagerungen zu einer brennbaren Form von Eis vereinigt. Diese Methanhydrate speichern mehr Energie als alle fossilen Brennstoffvorraete. Wenn sie sich bei einer globalen Erwaermung zersetzen, koennte das entweichende Methan als Treibhausgas die Erde noch mehr aufheizen. (orig.)
The mechanisms involved in the glacial inception are still poorly constrained due to a lack of high resolution and cross-dated climate records at various locations. Using air isotopic measurements in the recently drilled NorthGRIP ice core, we show that no evidence exists for stratigraphic disturbance of the climate record of the last glacial inception ({proportional_to}123-100 kyears BP) encompassing Dansgaard-Oeschger events (DO) 25, 24 and 23, even if we lack sufficient resolution to completely rule out disturbance over DO 25. We quantify the rapid surface temperature variability over DO 23 and 24 with associated warmings of 10{+-}2.5 and 16{+-}2.5 C, amplitudes which mimic those observed in full glacial conditions. We use records of {delta}{sup 18}O of O{sub 2} to propose a common timescale for the NorthGRIP and the Antarctic Vostok ice cores, with a maximum uncertainty of 2,500 years, and to examine the interhemispheric sequence of events ...
The effect of open pit mine motor transport with ICE on the air basin is examined using the example of shale mines and open pits of the production association ''Estonslanets''. Efficient areas of use of different types of open pit mine motor transport, diesel-trolley tracks and electric cars are determined based on technical-economic and ecologic feasibility.
DescriptionChanges in glacier mass balance are critically influenced by the distribution of snow accumulation at the start of the melt season, but models of the winter season lag seriously behind those of the melt season. The overall aim is to test physically-based models of the spatial and temporal evolution of the winter snowpack at a temperate ice cap (Langjokull, Iceland), to assess how effectively and also how efficiently they capture variation in winter accumulation. A three-step modelling approach i [continued...
We developed a model for radar scattering from the lunar reoglith layer using vector radiative transfer theory. From this model, both the radar backscattering coefficient and the circular polarization ratio can be predicted analytically as a function of regolith parameters.
...in your blue fuller says global warming summit on the top general information ...this because a lot of times when we talk about global warming and climate change we really focus on the ice ...site ? one organization is called global warming one-on-one and it's run by ...can actually go to global warming one-on-one and and ...something to ? slow global warming but sometimes you feel alone so the big deal if i changed my life ...
A three-dimensional numerical simulation of mammatus-like clouds is presented. A portion of a cirrus outflow anvil cloud is simulated including cloud ice and snow microphysical representations. The simulated mammatus clouds appear in a cellular pattern and are compared with the few available previously published physical observations of mammatus. Copyright Copyright 2006 Royal Meteorological Society
Greenland is the world's largest island, with an area of 2.2 million square kilometres, 80 % of which is covered by the ice sheet. The climate is Arctic, but as Greenland stretches 2600 km from north to south, there is a huge variability in climate, with temperature decreasing from south to north. Due to the influence of oceanic currents, the west coast is slightly warmer than the east coast. Precipitation also decreases strongly from the south to the north, and also with distance from the coast. Kangerlussuaq is located in the dry, continental area of central west Greenland. The bedrock of Greenland is dominated by Precambrian gneisses, with sedimentary rocks occurring in some areas of East and North Greenland, and smaller areas of basalts. All of Greenland has been glaciated several times and has thus been eroded and shaped by the ice, as it still is at the ice margin. Soils are generally thin, and especially in the ...
Reinterpretation of the South Florida basin reveals that it was a keep-up carbonate shelf during the Lower Cretaceous. Until the Cenomanian, it was connected to the Bahamas and the Cay Sal Bank north of Cuba. The Cenomanian sea level rise was at least partially responsible for the formation of the Florida Straits, isolating the platform. The combination of an abrupt worldwide rise in sea level and subsidence caused the South Florida platform to founder, ending shallow-water and evaporitic sedimentation over the majority of the shelf. The Cay Sal and Bahamian platforms remained as active shallow shelves separated by the Old Bahamas Channel. The Lower Cretaceous sediments are characterized by shallow shelf limestones, dolomites, and evaporites (mostly anhydrite). The evaporite-rich sections, originally thought to represent basinal facies, are reinterpreted as supratidal to shallow subtidal evaporites, based on examination of ...
The structural properties of brain extracellular space (ECS) are summarised by the tortuosity (λ) and the volume fraction (α). To determine if these two parameters were independent,...Full Text Available
Synthetic polypeptide antigens of L amino acids, although bearing repeating sequences, are thymus-dependent (L-TD), whereas the same polymers composed of D amino acids are thymus-independent (D-TI),...Full Text Available
A high-throughput assay for enzyme activity has been developed that is reaction independent. In this assay, a small-molecule yeast three-hybrid system is used to link enzyme catalysis to transcription...Full Text Available
This paper reports that more than 800 miles of pipeline will come into service on the U.K. continental shelf during 1993, surpassing by 75% the previous record set in 1977. About 3,500 miles of pipeline is in place. Commissioning of the Miller natural gas pipeline and Scottish Area Gas Evacuation (SAGE) network this year and start-up of the Central Area Transmission System (CATS) next year will bring more than 600 miles of pipeline into use during 1993. The projects are part of a recent development boom in the central North Sea. In a review of U.K. offshore pipeline, analyst County Natwest Woodmac reported that projects totaling about 1,250 miles of pipeline have been sanctioned but are not yet operating. Two thirds of this total is gas pipeline, while 60s made up of main lines from shore to platform. County Natwest says that in most cases spur lines will be used to connect new fields with existing infrastructure. The analyst sees 57 development projects likely to ...
Today, the analysis of renewable energy places the emphasis on the technological and economic attributes with social and environmental impact assessment providing for a rather static, narrow frame of analysis. The participation and response of social actors and other stakeholders is usually of a traditional type, with consultation documents and public meetings, collection of complaints and suggestion schemes. This often encourages parochialism and an over-concentration on relatively trivial issues. It is, therefore, imperative to establish a new participatory planning platform to incorporate the wider socio-economic aspects of renewable energy systems and to provide for an operational analytical decomposition of them. In this work the issue of decomposition analysis is clarified, and a new agenda for the societal and technological decomposition analysis of renewable energy systems is developed. A case study is disclosed to present the relevance of the established ...
Recent trends in distributed real-time and embedded (DRE) systems motivate the development of tactical information management capabilities that ensure the right information is delivered to the right place at the right time to satisfy quality of service (QoS) requirements in heterogeneous environments. A promising approach to building and evolving large-scale and long-lived tactical information management systems are standards-based QoS-enabled publish/subscribe (pub/sub) platforms that enable applications to communicate by publishing information they have and subscribing to information they need in a timely manner. Since there is little existing evaluation of how well these platforms meet the performance needs of tactical information management, this paper provides two contributions: (1) it describes three common architectures for the OMG Data Distribution Service (DDS), which is a QoS-enabled pub/sub platform standard, and ...
Sub sea pipeline construction at oil and gas fields, with high concentration of on-bottom facilities, becomes more difficult when mooring operations and pipeline approach to a congested platform have to be performed. One method that has often been applied in Brazil is the so-called 'DP (Dynamic Positioning) pull-in', where PETROBRAS owned pipelay Barge, BGL-1, is moored away from the congested area, while a DP anchor handler pulls the rigid pipeline from BGL-1 to a target near the platform. The method was conceived to avoid mooring operations near the congested platforms as well as to minimize risks due to the pipeline initiation process. Inside the congested area the initiation with aid of a 'dead-man' anchor on the sea bottom, which would be a more conventional solution, becomes impossible in most cases. This paper will discuss the engineering work required to perform the 'DP ...
Petrographic and geochemical characteristics of the Pipe Creek Jr. paragenesis record the stratigraphic and burial evolution of the cratonic Silurian platform of Indiana during Late Silurian to Pennsylvanian. A variety of several diagenetic fluids acting over geological time affected the reef. The paragenetic sequence is as follows: (1) precipitation of turbid, fibrous, blotchy cathodoluminescent (CL) cement; (2) dolomitization of mud-rich facies; (3) precipitation of clear, zoned CL equant calcite cements; (4) fracturing and karst formation, partially filled by geopetal silt and sandstone; (5) precipitation of clear, dull CL, ferroan to nonferroan equant calcite cement, ferroan dolomite overgrowth and equant dolomite cement in moldic porosity, caves and fractures; (6) microdissolution and hydrocarbon emplacement; and (7) stylolitization. The New Albany Shale was both the hydrocarbon source and top seal to the fossil Pipe Creek Jr. oil field with original oil in ...
disciplinary methods were used to independently determine the aerodynamic loads, the thermal response, and strardural performance of the hydrogen cooled ...
Achieving device independence for software applications is required for all but a small number of critical real time applications. Device independence is achieved by establishing protocols and building protocol interpreters for the specific devices. Data structures containing pointers to functions provide a flexible architecture for implementing protocol translation. 3 refs., 5 figs.
This paper presents the concept of a biological inspired reconfigurable hardware cell architecture which supports self-organisation and self-healing. Two fundamental processes in biology, namely fertilization-to-birth and cell self-healing have inspired the development of this cell architecture. In biology as well as in our hardware cell architecture it is the DNA which enables these processes. We propose a platform based on the electronic DNA (eDNA) and show through simulation, its capabilities as a new generation of robust reconfigurable hardware platforms. We have created a Java based simulator to simulate our self-organisation and self-healing algorithms and the results obtained from this looks promising.
In this paper, we propose and implement a website of post-processing system for finite element analysis (WebDFEA). Finite element analysis is a computer-aided engineering tool and is popular for static/dynamic structure analysis. It includes three processing systems where post-processing system is to graphically demonstrate the analysis result of a structure model analyzed by finite element method. WebDFEA performs as a website. It is cross-platform because it can auto-detect a client computer platform and auto-download proper OpenGL API for drawing computer graphics. It can draw precise graphics on webpage which can be free controlled by the mouse as a manner in professional software. A database server is involved to store finite element model data and its analysis result. The graphic use...
The aim of the safety calculation is to quantify through numerical modelling the radiological impact (molar flow, human dose) of a potential repository for radioactive waste on the Meuse/Haute Marne site at Bure. A selection process is underway for safety scenarios and their phenomenological and numerical conceptual models upstream from the safety calculation. This involves defining and quantifying the geometric and dimensional representations of the repository for each scenario plus the physical, mathematical and numerical models that reflect its behaviour and the uncertainties associated with all the parameters required to quantify the impact. A summary will be given of these various aspects. The numerical simulations are then performed on the Alliances platform which integrates the various computer codes required for the physical representation of the system. (authors)
The efficient design of computation intensive multidimensional signal processing applications requires dealing with three kinds of constraints: those implied by the data dependencies, the non-functional requirements (real-time, power consumption) and resources availability of the execution platform. Modeling and Analysis of Real-time and Embedded systems (MARTE) UML profile through its repetitive structure modeling (RSM) package is well suited to model the inherent parallelism within these applications, a compact representation of parallel execution platforms and the distributive mapping of one on another. The execution of such a specification respects the whole set of constraints defined upon, while the quality of the scheduling is directly linked to the quality of the mapping of the mult...
Maldives comprise some of the most characteristic and significant atoll systems, but the meiobenthic assemblages of these islands are still largely unknown. A study on meiofauna was conducted on three Maldivian sandy back-reef platforms differently exposed to stronger westerly monsoons. Clear high energy effects of the waves causing currents and erosions were observed at the completely exposed and isolated offshore reef of Thoddoo Island. Wave energy of medium intensity was confirmed at Rasdhoo by depositional structures (finolhu), while a medium to low energy level was recorded at Gulhi on the basis of the presence of a low sandy bar. The meiofaunal assemblage counted 17 major taxa. Copepods and nematodes were dominant, followed by platyhelminthes and polychaetes. The nematode assemblage ...
Background This study aimed to evaluate laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) adrenalectomy via the retroperitoneal approach using the Alexis wound retractor with standard laparoscopic instrumentation. Methods Since October 2009, seven LESS retroperitoneal adrenalectomies have been completed successfully with a homemade single port created using an Alexis wound retractor as an access platform through a 3-cm incision beneath the tip of the 12th rib. Results All the LESS procedures for these seven patients with adrenal tumors (size, 1.3?6.0?cm; 4 right, 1 left) were completed successfully without traditional laparoscopic conversion or complication. The average operative time was 159?min, and the estimated blood loss was 100?ml. The average hospital stay was 2?days (range, 1?3?days). Conclusion...
The Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique (CEA, French Atomic Energy Commission) has set up over the last 10 years an innovative methodology aiming at characterizing radiological contaminations. The application of the latter relies on various tools such as expertise vehicles with impressive detection performances (VEgAS) and recently developed software platform called Kartotrak. A Geographic Information System tailored to radiological needs constitutes the heart of the platform; it is surrounded by several modules aiming at sampling optimization (Stratege), data analysis and geostatistical modeling (Krigeo), real-time monitoring (Kartotrak- RT) and validation of cleaning efficiency (Pescar). This paper presents the different tools which provide exhaustive instruments for the follow-up of decontamination projects, from doubt removal to the verification of the decontamination process. (authors)
Based on the information system characteristics of mine, proposed network architecture design of the mine property. And in this framework based on the design of three-dimensional virtual mine described the application of intelligent management platform. Three-dimensional virtual underground mine that shows the situation, the core application is through remote monitoring system of information exchange between devices (material object communication). Internet of things in the framework of mining three-dimensional virtual reconstruction of mine. On coal mine safety in the production process of human, machine and environment, control elements and their harmony and unity. 3D virtual mine management platform integrates personnel positioning, dust control, gas monitoring, roof pressure monitoring...
Abstract Surface modification of topography and chemistry in order to achieve a specific water contact angle (CA) has been explored by using a novel combinatorial screening platform. The screening arrays consisted of 507 distinct combinations of micro-topographies and chemical compositions. By performing chemical modifications with 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H perfluoroethyltriethoxy-silane (PFS) and n-octadecyltriethoxysilane (ODS) on standard silicon wafers it was possible to include both superhydrophobic and very hydrophilic pad arrays in the same screening platform. Surfaces modified with PFS were more hydrophobic than surfaces modified with ODS, while the unmodified silicon surfaces were hydrophilic. For the PFS modified surfaces the largest CAs were achieved with a small pillar size of X-=-1-m and...
An approximate solution was proposed in which a sensitivity analysis by the storage and release of heat was performed for the subject issues and in which an operating method was thereby determined for the equipment constituting the system by means of a linear programming. Accordingly, a heat storage type energy supply system for a district cooling and heating was taken up as a concrete object to be examined. This system consisted of a gas turbine generator, initial power receiving equipment, gas boiler, electric heat pump for ice heat storage, cooling tower, heat exchanger, steam absorbing refrigerating machine, ice heat storage tank, cold and warm water heat storage tank, etc. As a result of comparison between the proposed method and the resolving method, the former showed -0.92 to 2.58% in the increase in the operating cost compared with the latter. A case where the operating cost of the resolving method was sometimes larger than the proposed ...
ObjectivesThe overall scientific aim of this project is, through development of an appropriate numerical modelling tool, to identify and investigate the mechanisms that control the current observed rapid thinning and acceleration of Greenland outlet glaciers and to investigate their likely future behaviour in the context of climate warming. This aim is addressed through the four major specific objectives below. These objectives build on each and therefore the order of priority is driven by the order in wh [continued...]DescriptionCurrently, the Greenland ice sheet is undergoing rapid changes in the coastal regions which have been attributed to a general warming trend to the regions climate over the last decade. Several of the narrow and fast flowing outlet glaciers that drain the ice sheet into the sea are observed to have accelerated their flow and thinned. For instance, Jakobshavn Isbrae on the West coast of Greenland has almost doubled its ...
Glacier fluctuations exclusively due to internal variations in the climate system are simulated using downscaled integrations of the ECHAM4/OPYC coupled general circulation model (GCM). A process-based modeling approach using a mass balance model of intermediate complexity and a dynamic ice flow model considering simple shearing flow and sliding are applied. Multi-millennia records of glacier length fluctuations for Nigardsbreen (Norway) and Rhonegletscher (Switzerland) are simulated using auto-regressive processes determined by statistically downscaled GCM experiments. Return periods and probabilities of specific glacier length changes using GCM integrations excluding external forcings such as solar irradiation changes, volcanic or anthropogenic effects are analyzed and compared to historical glacier length records. Preindustrial fluctuations of the glaciers as far as observed or reconstructed, including their advance during the ''Little ...
This paper presents an analysis of the applicability of alternative systems for electric vehicle (EV) heating and air conditioning (HVAC). The paper consists of two parts. The first part is a cooling and heating load calculation for electric vehicles. The second part is an evaluation of several systems that can provide the desired cooling and heating in EVs. These systems are ranked according to their overall weight The overall weight is calculated by adding the system weight and the weight of the battery necessary to provide energy for system operation. The system with the minimum overall weight is considered to be the best, because minimum vehicle weight decreases the energy required for propulsion, and therefore increases the vehicle range. Three systems are considered as the best choices for EV HVAC. These are, vapor compression, ice storage and adsorption systems. These systems are evaluated, including calculations of system weight, system volume, and COP. The ...
The AMANDA-II data collected during the period 2000-2003 have been analysed in a search for a diffuse flux of high-energy extra-terrestrial muon neutrinos from the sum of all sources in the Universe. With no excess events seen, an upper limit of E{sub {nu}}{sup 2} xs dN{sub {nu}}/dE{sub {nu}} < 7.4 x 10{sup -8} GeV cm{sup -2} s{sup -1} sr{sup -1} was obtained. The sensitivity of the diffuse analysis of IceCube 9 string for 137 days of data is calculated to be E{sub {nu}}{sup 2} x dN{sub {nu}}/dE{sub {nu}} < 1.3 x 10{sup -7} GeV cm{sup -2} s{sup -1} sr{sup -1}. No excess events are observed, which confirms the AMANDA-II upper limit.
Penicillium crustosum is common in food and feed both in subtropical and temperate regions. Recently, it has also been found occurring frequently in glacier ice, sea ice and sea water of Arctic regions of Svalbard. The aim of the study was to compare isolates of the same fungal species from widely different habitats and geographic regions to see if the nutritional physiology and the profile of secondary metabolites were consistent or depended on the isolation source. All 121 strains examined produced the following families of secondary metabolites: penitrems (100%), roquefortines (100%), terrestric acids (99.2%) and viridicatols (100%), whereas 81 of 83 Arctic isolates additionally produced andrastin A. However, only 8 of 38 non-Arctic isolates produced detectable andrastin A. The quantitative profiles of 96 strains were compared using cluster, principal component and correspondence analyses. There was no clear grouping of Arctic versus ...
The Terra Nova offshore oil project is described, with emphasis on the construction of the Terra Nova Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, the first such vessel constructed for the harsh environment of the North Atlantic off Newfoundland, the site of an oil field that is expected to produce 125,000 to 150,000 barrels of oil per day starting in 2001. The vessel has a double-hull, made of 3,000 tons of reinforced steel to protect it from ice in the form of massive icebergs or crusty 'packs'. The vessel has the world's largest quick release turret, meaning that the vessel can be quickly disconnected from its turret and mooring in the event of an encroaching iceberg, and then reconnected in an environmentally sound way. Apart from its extremely rugged construction, protecting the FPSO vessel against icebergs is accomplished by way of 'hosing down' (by melting by powerful streams of water) or ...
ObjectivesNot EnteredDescriptionMethane hydrate in an ice-like substance consisting of molecules of methane gas combined chemically with water. It is stable at high pressures and low temperatures. Since the ocean floor is normally cold, but temperatures increase with depth inside the Earth, such conditions normally prevail for a few hundred meters below the seafloor where the ocean depth is more than a few hundred metres. Methane beneath the ocean floor is formed by the decomposition of organic material. At the edges of the co [continued...
Recently, a superconducting cryo-electron microscope in which specimens are cooled to the liquid helium temperature (4.2 K) has been developed. The main components and functional features of this new microscope are reported together with application data on polyethylene, poly (4-methyl-1-pentene), valonia cellulose, rock salt, ice crystallites and ceramic superconductor. The resistance to electron radiation damage, of beam-sensitive specimens including polymers has been increased more than ten times. Thus, the microscope has made it possible to take high resolution images and to analyze the crystal-structure of micro-areas. (orig.).
This work contains 27 chapters which cover recent advances in fracture mechanics applied to cement-based composites: concrete, reinforced concrete, and fiber reinforced concrete. The book, based on a NATO Advanced Study Institute, is a comprehensive survey of treating nonlinearity associated with crack growth in brittle materials such as cement composites, rocks and ice. The book is divided into 8 major themes: advances in nonlinear fracture mechanics; fracture processes; numerical modelling of fracture; experimental methods of determining fracture parameters; damage and continuum modelling; strain-rate and dynamic effects of crack propagation; stress-corrosion, time and temperature effects on fracture; and implications for concrete structures.
In one of the first uses of high Tc superconductors in an end-use product, Lake Shore Cryotronics and a Swiss lab have developed a liquid nitrogen level sensor using a high Tc thin film. The probe is manufactured using a seamless stainless steel tube with an yttrium-based zirconium oxide flame-sprayed on the tube. A plasma-sprayed superconductor compound is deposited on top of that. The probe is coated with a sealant that protects the superconducting film from the atmosphere. This manufacturing method has yielded an extremely durable product. Unaffected by ice formation and related mechanical problems, the superconducting level sensor can be kept in the dewar for long periods of time.
We explore the impact of obliquity variations on planetary habitability in hypothetical systems with high mutual inclination. For the hypothetical systems, we restrict our exploration to systems consisting of a solar-mass star, an Earth-mass planet at 1 AU, and 1 or 2 giant planets. We verify that these systems are stable for 108 years with N-body simulations. We then calculate the obliquity variations induced by the orbital architecture on the Earth-mass planets. We find that in some cases the spin axes can rotate through 360 degrees in as little as 10,000 years (John is that right? Can you look through the systems and find the most extreme case of obliquity variation?) Next, we run energy balance models (EBM) on the terrestrial planets to assess surface temperature and ice coverage on the planets' oceans. Finally, we explore differences in the outer edge of the habitable zone for planets with rapid obliquity variations. We run EBM simulations for a range of ...
An increased use of floating production facilities for offshore oil production in the past fifteen years was due in part to advances in technology, the opening of new frontiers and the increased emphasis on value driven development. Throughout the world, a total of 121 floating production systems were in operation in February 2001, and orders had been placed for an additional 27. Located near the nose of the Grand Banks, approximately 350 kilometres east-southeast of St. John's, Newfoundland is the Terra Nova development. Twelve years elapsed between the discovery of the field in 1984 and the granting of the approval for development in 1996. The decision was made to use a floating production system as the Terra Nova was not considered robust enough to support a gravity base, ice resistant structure development concept, especially considering that it came on the heels of the Hibernia development. The first Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) ...
For most cells there exists an optimum cooling rate. Both supraoptimal rates and suboptimal rates can be very damaging. The optimal rate varies enormously from less than or equal to 1/sup 0/C/min for mammalian preimplantation embryos to greater than or equal to 800/sup 0/C/min for the human red cell. Death at supraoptimal rates is the result of the formation of intracellular ice and its recrystallization during warming. Intracellular ice occurs when cells are cooled too rapidly to allow them to equilibrate by the osmotic withdrawal of intracellular water. The definition of too rapid depends chiefly on the size of the cell and its permeability to water. Death at suboptimal rates is a consequence of the major alterations in aqueous solutions produced by ice formation. The chief effects are a major reduction in the fraction of the solution remaining unfrozen at a given temperature and a major increase in the solute ...
This manual describes the use of the Xyce Parallel Electronic Simulator. Xyce has been designed as a SPICE-compatible, high-performance analog circuit simulator, and has been written to support the simulation needs of the Sandia National Laboratories electrical designers. This development has focused on improving capability over the current state-of-the-art in the following areas: (1) Capability to solve extremely large circuit problems by supporting large-scale parallel computing platforms (up to thousands of processors). Note that this includes support for most popular parallel and serial computers. (2) Improved performance for all numerical kernels (e.g., time integrator, nonlinear and linear solvers) through state-of-the-art algorithms and novel techniques. (3) Device models which are specifically tailored to meet Sandia's needs, including some radiation-aware devices (for Sandia users only). (4) Object-oriented code design and implementation using ...
This manual describes the use of the Xyce Parallel Electronic Simulator. Xyce has been designed as a SPICE-compatible, high-performance analog circuit simulator, and has been written to support the simulation needs of the Sandia National Laboratories electrical designers. This development has focused on improving capability over the current state-of-the-art in the following areas: (1) Capability to solve extremely large circuit problems by supporting large-scale parallel computing platforms (up to thousands of processors). Note that this includes support for most popular parallel and serial computers; (2) Improved performance for all numerical kernels (e.g., time integrator, nonlinear and linear solvers) through state-of-the-art algorithms and novel techniques. (3) Device models which are specifically tailored to meet Sandia's needs, including some radiation-aware devices (for Sandia users only); and (4) Object-oriented code design and implementation using ...
The paper sets up a simulation of a geothermal heat pump with a non-azeotropic mixture. The model is modified and verified with experimental data. The results of the simulation show that the systematic model can predict the performance within {+-}12% of the experimental data. As a result, some improvements can be provided on the basis of the simulation platform. (Author)
The second in a series of flights to assemble the Japanese segment of the International Space Station saw the mammoth Kibo module delivered to the complex complements of Discovery and its crew on the STS-124 mission. Kibo, the Japanese word for u201chopeu201d would house dozens of experiments and serve as a platform for external payloads brought to the complex on subsequent Shuttle flights and the Japanese u201cKounotoriu201d H-2 Transfer Vehicle cargo ship.
Saba Bank is a large submerged platform (∼2200 km2), average depth 30 m, located 4 km southwest of Saba Island in Netherlands Antilles, Caribbean Sea. Ships traveling to and from...Full Text Available
... L z xyx 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -V 0 0 0 0 oj A ~ 0 0 1 0 v 0 I - z Fiue2. Inertial Navigation Error Lquation-i in the Platform Frame t 'I A Page 35. ...
This book provides discusses recent developments in oil pollution control instrumentation. Some of the topics covered are as follows: 1. Technical requirements of the IMCO International Performance and Test Specification A393x concerning oil content meters; and 2. Oil in water detection; and 3. Methods for the disposal of recovered oil and oily sludge; and 4. Oil content monitoring at ballast water treatment facilities and offshore production platforms.
This book presents the papers given at a conference on offshore platforms. Topics considered in this book include risk assessment, crack propagation, fracture control, stress corrosion, the reliability of pile foundations, the thermal conductivity of offshore pipeline coating material, economic analysis, hydrodynamics, simulation, Arctic structure design, composite materials, buoys, deep water drilling, corrosion protection, pollution control equipment, and subsea exhaust gas compressors.
Separate abstracts were prepared for 20 papers in this conference report and includes all papers in the ''engineering'' section (program E). Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), moorings, cables, corrosion protection, corrosion testing, coatings, offshore platforms, pipelines, OTEC models and pilot plants, and energy transfer are topics discussed.
Nexans has developed a new type of high voltage sea cable with metal barrier for dynamic application, suited for floating installations such as vessels, floating wind turbines or floating platforms. A brief presentation of the cable's design (ml)
This document describes testing of OSI products conducted at Argonne National Laboratory. Sun, IBM, and Clsco hardware platforms were used. Various software packages that implement file transfer and gateway applications were evaluated. The OSI model and GOSIP compliance are briefly discussed. Technical details on OSI addressing and routing are presented. The relationship of this testing to other OSI activities at Argonne and to activities of the national networking community is discussed. Mention is also made of the relationship of DECnet Phase V transition issues.
... Social Capital Social capital describes circumstances in which individuals and organisations can use membership in groups and networks to secure benefits. Connections within and between networks reinforce the belief that these social networks have a value and can be used as a platform for further social progress. In this light, natural capital and social capital are closely related, and policies that build or destroy one often build ...
We report on the fouling of Focused Ion Beam (FIB)-fabricated silicon oxide nanopores after exposure to tap water for two weeks. Pore clogging was monitored by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) on both bare silicon oxide and chemically functionalized nanopores. While fouling occurred on hydrophilic silicon oxide pore walls, the hydrophobic nature of alkane chains prevented clogging on the chemically functionalized pore walls. These results have implications for nanopore sensing platform design.
Canadian oilfields are a prime breeding ground for talent, technology and industrial management. This paper described how Canadian talent was recognized in 2001 for three major projects which included a cold-ocean production platform in the Sea of Okhotsk in Siberia, a mountain pipeline project in South America, and an in-situ underground extraction technology in the oilsands of Alberta. The cold-ocean production platform project was recruited by Sakhalin Energy Investment Co., an international consortium originally led by Marathon Oil Co which is now led by Royal Dutch Shell. The oil production platform is stationed 16 kilometres offshore of Sakhalin Island in the Sea of Okhotsk. Sakhalin Energy bought and converted the Molikpaq, an innovative platform made in the 1980s for the Beaufort Sea by Gulf Canada Resources Ltd. The second project included Calgary's Hydroconsult EN3 Services Ltd. which ...
Increasingly, utility organizations recognize the value of sharing data and applications among their computing environments. A typical utility`s computing environment may consist of disparate computer platforms. The focus of this paper is to highlight importance of a documented information technology architecture for identifying business perspectives for interoperability, and to brief utility management about the Electric Power Research Institute`s (EPRI) accomplishment along these same lines.
Topics addressed include future trends in IR sensors, IR observer performance modeling ... steer a sensor platform with a thermal camera or an air-to-air missile system. .... Skyship and Sentinel series airships. It also outlines the current .... A layout schematic of the UPS is given. AIAA. A93-55494 ...
INTRODUCTION:Postprandial lipemia is characterized by an increased concentration of circulating lipids after fat intake and is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease....Full Text Available
In response to stress, cells start transcriptional and transcription-independent programs that can lead to adaptation or death. Here, we show that multiple inducers of autophagy, including nutrient...Full Text Available
... and one near-main-sequence star, which will stringently constrain calculations of single-star evolution at high metallicity. Independent of SIM Lite observations ...
In establishing a chronic haemodialysis unit in Brunei the difficulties encountered were less insuperable than had been expected. Quite unsophisticated patients successfully dialysed unattended in...Full Text Available
... 1768 1475 360 to 3400 ... The TSC provided an independent assessment of SA based on ... Complexity of Situation Degree of complication (number of ...
Entanglement swapping allows to establish entanglement between independent particles that never have interacted nor share a common past. This feature makes it an integral constituent of quantum repeaters and a promising tool for future tests of the foundations of quantum physics. Here, we demonstrate entanglement swapping with time-synchronized independent sources with a fidelity high enough to violate a Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) inequality by more than four standard deviations. The fact that both entangled photon pairs are created by fully independent laser sources, which are only electronically connected, ensures that this technique is suitable for future long-distance entanglement swapping and quantum-repeater experiments.
AIM: To search the independent factors determining gastric juice acidity and to investigate the acidity of gastric juices in various benign and malignant upper gastrointestinal diseases.METHODS:...Full Text Available
Eukaryotes may influence pollutant degradation processes in groundwater ecosystems by activities such as predation on bacteria and recycling of nutrients. Culture-independent community profiling and...Full Text Available
density is slightly higher, its electrical conductivity is much higher, and it is slightly ... Sea water has characteristic properties (e.g. density) that are independent of ...
Prolonged disability is best understood as an illness that exists independently of the initiating disease. The disabled individual goes through predictable stages of disability before resolution occurs....Full Text Available
gently constrain calculations of single-star evolution at high metallicity. Independent of SIM Lite observa- tions, we also propose to establish 4) how to ...
Understanding the link between the Sun and climate is vital in the current incidence of global climate change, and 10Be in natural archives constitutes an excellent tracer for this purpose. As cosmic rays enter the atmosphere, cosmogenic isotopes like 10Be and 14C are formed. Variations in solar activity modulate the amount of incoming cosmic rays, and thereby cosmogenic isotope production. Atmospherically produced 10Be enters natural archives such as sediments and glaciers by wet and dry deposition within about a year of production. 10Be from natural archives therefore provides information on past solar activity, and because these archives also contain climate information, solar activity and climate can be linked. One remaining question is to what degree 10Be in natural archives reflects production, and to what extent the local and regional environment overprints the production signal. To explore this, 10Be was measured at annual resolution over the last 600 years in a Greenland ...
The behavior of lead in the graphite furnace during the individual steps of the temperature program was investigated by means of /sup 203/Pb as a radiotracer. The matrix systems include HCl and HNO/sub 3/ solutions, 1% NaCl solution, blood, serum, urine, and the solid samples bovine liver and orchard leaves. Without matrix modificaton, a pyrolysis temperature of up to 500/sup 0/C can be used for all samples. Significant stabilization effects can be achieved in the preatomization steps by using NH/sub 4/H/sub 2/PO/sub 4/ and ammonia as matrix modifiers and by addition of hydrogen to the flowing argon gas. It was found that the use of a L'vov platform also helps to eliminate the matrix effects. With respect to lead stabilization and elimination of matrix effects, optimum experimental conditions are achieved by simultaneous use of a L'vov platform and NH/sub 4/H/sub 2/PO/sub 4/ as the matrix modifier. 34 references, 5 figures, 1 ...
The behavior of lead in the graphite furnace during the individual steps of the temperature program was investigated by means of "2"0"3Pb as a radiotracer. The matrix systems include HCl and HNO_3 solutions, 1% NaCl solution, blood, serum, urine, and the solid samples bovine liver and orchard leaves. Without matrix modificaton, a pyrolysis temperature of up to 500"0C can be used for all samples. Significant stabilization effects can be achieved in the preatomization steps by using NH_4H_2PO_4 and ammonia as matrix modifiers and by addition of hydrogen to the flowing argon gas. It was found that the use of a L'vov platform also helps to eliminate the matrix effects. With respect to lead stabilization and elimination of matrix effects, optimum experimental conditions are achieved by simultaneous use of a L'vov platform and NH_4H_2PO_4 as the matrix modifier. 34 references, 5 figures, 1 table.
An experimental campaign, aiming to investigate the perturbation effects induced by fixed obstacles on turbulence measurements in airflows at the air-sea interface, was carried out at the marine platform of the Italian Navy, located in the harbour of La Spezia (North Ligurian Sea, Italy) on 28., 29., and 30. June 1994. This study was prompted by the ever-growing interest in more reliable estimates of energy, mass, and momentum exchanges between water surfaces and atmosphere, whose measurements are severely limited by the geometrical constraints of floating or fixed platforms where they are installed. Two types of meteorological instruments have been used: fast response (20 and 21 Hz) ultrasonic anemometers and fluxmeters to measure turbulent momentum, sensible, and latent heat fluxes and slow-response sensors (less than 4 Hz and sampled at a rate of 10{sup 2} Hz) to measure average wind and temperature vertical profiles in the perturbed ...
The Zaafarana oilfield development, operated by Zaafarana Oil Co. (Zafco) presented a series of unique challenges, including redeployment of an internal-turret mooring system, use of a turret-based electrical-cable jumper system, and permanent use of cable-deployed electric submersible pumps in the gravel-pack well completions. Following a detailed three-dimensional (3D) seismic program, the field was discovered by the first well in December 1990. Four subsequent appraisal wells were drilled. The discovery well and two of the appraisal wells tested oil at rates ranging from 2,000 to 10,100 B/D. Initial development plans called for the use of two conventional platforms with a pipeline to a shore-based treatment and storage terminal. Data acquired from subsequent wells were incorporated into the mapping and reserve estimates resulting in a sharp downgrade of the estimated recoverable reserves. The reduced estimate, combined with a revised pricing scenario, ...
Production treatment chemicals represent a diverse collection of chemical classes, added at various points from the wellhead to the final flotation cell, to prevent operational upsets and enhance the separation of oil from water. Information in the literature indicates that while many treatment chemicals are thought to partition into oil and not into the produced water, there are cases where a sufficiently water soluble treatment chemical is added at high enough concentrations to suggest that the treatment chemical may add to the aquatic toxicity of the produced water. A study was conducted to evaluate the potential effect of production treatment chemicals on the toxicity of produced waters using the US EPA Seven-day Mysidopsis bahia Survival, Growth and Fecundity Test. Samples of produced water were collected and tested for toxicity from three platforms under normal operating conditions, followed by repeated sampling and testing after a 72-hour period in which ...
The present volume on energy and the environment discusses space power requirements, space power systems, space power systems hardware, space radioisotope systems, space solar arrays, space solar cells, space station power, and terrestrial applications of aerospace technology. Attention is given to NASA future space power requirements and issues, the design of a battery charger for the NASA EOS Space Platform, in situ carbon dioxide fixation on Mars, and a preliminary design update of the CRAF/Cassini Power Subsystem. Topics addressed include concentrator testing using projected images, solar power satellites and demonstraton platforms from nonterrestrial materials, a mass sensitivity analysis of lunar orbiting beam power systems, and a power-beaming-based infrastructure for space power. Also discussed are fiber-optic sensors for aerospace electrical measurements, the preliminary design of a mobile lunar power supply, advanced power systems for ...
In order to perform the structural analysis and stress evaluation for frame structures in the nuclear power plants, ADAMS (AIJ Design Analysis and Modules System) has been developed by the addition of the following functions to the ICES-STRUDL system. 1. Load combination and stress evaluation on the basis of specifications for designing steel structure (issued by the Architecture Institute of Japan). 2. Combination of load and stress evaluation of piping support on the basis of the regulations of Ministry of International Trade and Industry. 3. Addition of other functions than that described above. ADAMS enables structural analysis and stress evaluation exactly and efficiently not only for a large scale structure such as the pipe whip protection structure installed inside of the primary containment vessel for many loading cases but also for a large number of structures such as piping support. This system can be applied not only to nuclear power plant but also other ...
The condensation reaction of furfural (F) on acetone (Ac) gives a high added value product, the 4-(2-furyl)-3-buten-2-one (FAc), used as aroma in alcohol free drinks, ice, candies, gelatines and other products of current life. This synthesis valorises the residues of sugar cane treatment since furfural is obtained by hydrolysis of sugar cane bagasse followed by vapor training extraction. In the face of numerous and complex reactions involved in this synthesis, it is very complicated to define the kinetic laws from exact stoichiometry. A solution allowing to cope the problem consists in identifying an appropriate stoichiometric model. It does not attempt to represent exactly all the reaction mechanisms, but proposes a mathematical support to integrate available knowledge on the transformati...
In this report we present an update on the results from the Amanda-B10 detector which operated in 1997 at depths of 1500 to 2000 meters in the deep Antarctic ice. The goal of Amanda project is to search for extra-terrestrial neutrinos. As a precursor to such a search we have studied atmospheric neutrinos which act as a calibration source for the detector. The observation of atmospheric neutrinos at a rate consistent with Monte-Carlo predictions establishes Amanda-B10 as a neutrino telescope. The Amanda-B10 data has been searched for evidence of several classes of neutrinos and for magnetic monopoles. Searches for a diffuse high energy neutrino flux and for neutrinos in coincidence with gamma-ray bursts have been conducted. Preliminary data analyses show no excess of neutrinos has been found. (A.C.)
An approximate method of calculating the radius of thawing around an injection well is presented. The method is based on the assumption that for a cylindrical system the position of the phase interface in the Stefan problem can be approximated through two functions: one function determines the position of the melting-temperature isotherm in the problem without phase transitions and the second function does not depend on time. The adjusted heating time concept was used to describe the first function. The second function is a known analytical relationship and is expressed in terms of ice content, thermal properties of thawed/frozen formations, formation temperature and the temperature of the injected fluid. Simple approximate formulae are suggested to estimate the duration of the freezeback period. To verify the proposed formulae, the results of numerical solutions were used. An example which shows that the duration of the 'safety period' (free from freezing of water ...
The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) may offer a potential near term, low-carbon alternative to today's gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles. A representative vehicle technology that runs on electricity in addition to conventional fuels was introduced into the MIT Emissions Prediction and Policy Analysis (EPPA) model as a perfect substitute for internal combustion engine (ICE-only) vehicles in two likely early-adopting markets, the United States and Japan. We investigate the effect of relative vehicle cost and all-electric range on the timing of PHEV market entry in the presence and absence of an advanced cellulosic biofuels technology and a strong (450ppm) economy-wide carbon constraint. Vehicle cost could be a significant barrier to PHEV entry unless fairly aggressive goals for re...
The aim of this study is to evaluate the specificities of the irradiation of drugs in frozen aqueous solution. The structures of the degradation products were determined to gain insight into the radiolysis mechanisms occurring in frozen aqueous solutions. Metoclopramide hydrochloride and metoprolol tartrate were chosen as models. The frozen solutions were irradiated at dry ice temperature by high energy electrons at various doses. The drug purity (chemical potency) and the radiolysis products were quantified by HPLC-DAD. Characterization of the degradation products was performed by LC-APCI-MS-MS. The structures of the radiolysis products detected in irradiated frozen aqueous solutions were compared to those detected in solid-state and aqueous solutions (previous studies). For both metoclop...
This two-tomes book brings together the 108 presentations given at the first conference of the international institute of refrigeration (IIF/IIR) about air conditioning in high rise office buildings. The main themes are: general design and control systems, including split systems, radiant panels, fluctuating and gravity ventilation etc..; energy consumption, optimization and heat recovery; cold storage for peak shaving, including ice slurry circulation; indoor air quality; fire and smokes protection, protection against chimney effects and lighting spots; use of fuzzy logic and of neural networks. It includes also a description of the high rise building situation and works in progress in China, Japan and in some other countries. (J.S.)
Since the commissioning of the first 10 strings of the AMANDA neutrino telescope, more than nine years of data has been collected. The proof of principle of high-energy neutrino detection in ice is established. No positive signal of an extra-terrestrial high-energy neutrino flux have been found so far. However, the most stringent upper limits to the flux of cosmic neutrinos-respectively, diffuse, point like or associated with gamma-ray bursts-have been presented. A sample of 3329 up-going muon tracks, representing the largest statistics ever of high-energy neutrino induced events, has been collected between 2000 and 2003. A coincidence of neutrino with an anomalous high-energy gamma-ray flare has been observed from the direction of the Blazar 1ES1959+650-although the observation were not conclusive. Selected results of data taken with the AMANDA detector are here reported.
There are alarming scenarios that state that global heating caused by anthropogenic gaseous emissions will melt the ice caps of Greenland and the Antarctic. This would cause flooding of coastal regions on a global scale. The floods are expected already in the next century, but there are no realistic assessments of the extent of the danger. (orig.) [Deutsch] Alarmierenden Szenarien zufolge koennten durch eine globale Erwaermung, die der Mensch mit dem Ausstoss von Treibhausgasen in die Atmosphaere verursacht, die Eiskappen auf der Antarktis und Groenland abschmelzen. Schon im kommenden Jahrhundert wuerden dadurch weite kuestennahe Gebiete ueberflutet. Noch aber laesst sich schwer abschaetzen, wie real die Gefahr ist. (orig.)
This paper provides both a detailed history of environmental change in the Sierra Nevada over the past 1,800?years and evidence for climate teleconnections between the Sierra Nevada and Greenland during the late Holocene. A review of Greenland ice core data suggests that the magnitudes of abrupt changes in temperature and precipitation increased beginning c. 3,700 and 3,000?years ago, respectively. Precipitation increased abruptly 1,300?years ago. Comparing paleotemperature data from Cirque Peak, CA with paleoprecipitation data from Pyramid Lake, NV suggests that hot temperatures occurred at the beginnings of most severe droughts in the Sierra Nevada over the past 1,800?years. Severe fires and erosion also occurred at Coburn Lake, CA at the beginning of all severe droughts in the Sierra Ne...
Delivering the promise of personalised medicine is the challenge that the current generation of scientists face. The variations in human physiology and disease are considerable, and designing appropriate strategies to deliver what has been promised will require access to tissue from a large number of volunteers. The NHS provides an ideal infrastructure for sample acquisition, but requires two things to make this available?public consent and support for extra manpower and administration. There is a disconnection between the NHS and tissue based research that needs to be addressed on a number of levels to provide a translational platform. This should enable the path to be beaten to provide the ideal tailored treatment for future patients; one that preserves quality of life by curing the dise...
The airborne traffic monitoring system forms a novel technology of detecting vehicle motion. An optical digital camera located on an airborne platform produces a series of images which then are processed to recognized the fixed vehicles. In this way the video data are converted into the time sequence of frames containing the vehicle coordinates. In the present work a three-frame algorithm is developed to identify the succeeding vehicle positions. It is based on finding the neighboring points in the frame sequence characterized by minimal acceleration. To verify and optimize the developed algorithm a ``Virtual Road'' simulator was created. Finally available empirical data are analyzed using the created algorithm.
In this paper we discuss recent work at the Advanced Technology Centre of BAE Systems on photonic technology, in particular photonic crystal fibres, applied to infra-red and electro-optic countermeasure systems. The use of Photonic Crystal fibres or holey fibres in countermeasure systems could significantly simplify platform integration by enabling remote location of laser sources, the generation of multiple wavelengths or continuum generation from a single pump source .The paper will describe the development of these fibres, drawing examples from recent civil collaborative research projects such as PFIDEL and LAMPS.
The online communicative environment is expected to revolutionize political discourse as it expands to cover underrepresented groups and ideas. In this platform, marginalized groups such as indigenous communities from the developing world can articulate claims, strategically mobilize and participate in the forms of meaning-making that constitute them. However, there is skepticism on the actual value of online spaces in effecting agency in an internet-mediated environment. Using James Scott's notion of 'hidden transcripts' and Andrew Feenberg's 'democratic rationalization of technology', the paper explores strategic approaches and historical, social, and political conditions embedded in the construction, negotiation, and transformation of indigenous online activist media. In-depth interview...
This article analyzes the impact of crowdfunding on journalism. Crowdfunding is defined as a way to harness collective intelligence for journalism, as readers' donations accumulate into judgments about the issues that need to be covered. The article is based on a case study about Spot.Us, a platform pioneering community-funded reporting. The study concludes that a crowdfunded journalistic process requires journalists to renegotiate their role and professional identity to succeed in the changing realm of creative work. The study concludes that reader donations build a strong connection from the reporters to the donors, which creates a new sense of responsibility to the journalists. The journalists perceive donors as investors, that cannot be let down. From the donor's perspective, donating ...
This report details an investigation into the efficacy of two approaches to solving the radiation diffusion equation within a radiation hydrodynamic simulation. Because leading-edge scientific computing platforms have evolved from large single-node vector processors to parallel aggregates containing tens to thousands of individual CPU's, the ability of an algorithm to maintain high compute efficiency when distributed over a large array of nodes is critically important. The viability of an algorithm thus hinges upon the tripartite question of numerical accuracy, total time to solution, and parallel efficiency.
A rocket borne experiment to measure the temperature structure of the inner solar corona via the doppler broadening of the resonance hydrogen Lyman-..cap alpha.. (lambda1216A) radiation scattered by ambient neutral hydrogen atoms was attempted during the 16 Feb 1980 solar eclipse. Two Nike-Black Brant V sounding rockets carrying instrumented payloads were launched into the path of the advancing eclipse umbra from the San Marco satellite launch platform 3 miles off the east coast of Kenya.
Faced with a changing business emphasis, plus the need to reduce operations and maintenance costs in the North Sea, the Forties Field engineering partnership between BP and Brown and Root recognised the need to make radical changes in its organisational structure. An innovative change management programme was planned and executed inside 12 months with the purpose of right-sizing the Forties Operations Engineering team. Not only has the initiative succeeded in cutting costs by 40 per cent; it has also enhanced the quality of engineering support services supplied to the BP Forties platforms. (author)
It is shown that pure NQR can be utilized as a platform for quantum computing without applying a high external magnetic field. By exciting each resonance transition between quadrupole energy levels with two radio-frequency fields differing in phase and direction, the double degeneracy of the spin energy spectrum in an electric field gradient is removed. As an example, in the case of I=7/2 (nuclei {sup 133}Cs or {sup 123}Sb) the energy spectrum has eight levels which can be used as three qubits. (orig.)
The theme of the conference was recent developments in airborne remote sensing and their applications. The proceedings contain the papers presented at 14 general sessions and 13 interactive sessions covering airborne platforms, sensor systems, airborne/spaceborne synergy, atmospheric and oceanic measurements, land cover/land use, emergency response and reconnaissance, data handling, forestry, agriculture, water resources, geospatial reference, system calibration, environmental monitoring and planning, and information product advancements. Two papers are abstracted separately.
The Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) for use in Nuclear Power Plant safety-related applications is being developed and tested first time in Korea. This safety-related PLC is being developed with requirements of regulatory guideline and industry standards for safety system. To test that the quality of the developed PLC is sufficient to be used in safety critical system, document review and various product testings were performed over the development documents for S/W, H/W, and V/V. This paper provides the performance testing methodology and its effectiveness for PLC platform conducted by KOPEC
After several years of planning and workshop meetings, a decision was reached in late 2008 to organize PICMG xTCA for Physics Technical Subcommittees to extend the ATCA and MTCA telecom standards for enhanced system performance, availability and interoperability for physics controls and applications hardware and software. Since formation in May-June 2009, the Hardware Technical Subcommittee has developed a number of ATCA, ARTM, AMC, MTCA and RTM extensions to be completed in mid-to-late 2010. The Software Technical Subcommittee is developing guidelines to promote interoperability of modules designed by industry and laboratories, in particular focusing on middleware and generic application interfaces such as Standard Process Model, Standard Device Model and Standard Hardware API. The paper describes the prototype design work completed by the lab-industry partners to date, the timeline for hardware releases to PICMG for approval, and the status of the software guidelines roadmap. The ...
Monitoring and diagnostic systems are of main importance for a safe and efficient operation of nuclear power plants. The author describes new developments with respect to vibration monitoring with a functional extension in the time domain for den secondary circuit, the development of a local system for the surveillance of rotating machines, the structure-borne sound monitoring with improvement of event analysis, esp. the loose part locating, leakage monitoring with a complete system for humidity measurement, and the development of a common platform for all monitoring and diagnostic systems, that allows an efficient access for comparison and cross references.
Nucleic acid extraction and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) genotyping using the NucliSens miniMAG platform and the TruGene HIV-1 genotyping kit gave HIV-1 sequence data from HIV-1-negative plasma spiked with 100 copies/ml reference HIV-1 RNA and from low-viremia clinical samples (<500 copies/ml) without the need for ultracentrifugation or nested second-round PCR. PMID:17122019
ObjectivesObjectives Not AvailableDescriptionThis proposal seeks to extend what is currently the most comprehensive offshore environmental data collection programme at a platform on the UKGS involving continuous collection of wave height and direction, wind speed and direction, current and wave particle kinematics. Data has been collected with this system since 1994 and the proposal is to extend this until 1999 thus providing an extensive set of storm data collected at 5Hz which will allow examination of the joint behaviour of wave, wind [continued...
Inspire is the project name of a new High Energy Physics information system which will integrate present databases and repositories to host the entire corpus of the HEP literature and become the reference HEP scientific information platform worldwide. It is a common project between CERN, DESY, FERMILAB and SLAC. It will empower scientists with new tools to discover and access the results most relevant to their research; enable novel text- and data-mining applications; deploy new metrics to assess the impact of articles and authors. In addition, it will introduce the Web2.0 paradigm of user-enriched content in the domain of sciences with community-based approaches to the peer-review process.
CERN, DESY, Fermilab and SLAC have joined forces to build INSPIRE, the next-generation HEP information platform offering innovative tools for information discovery and communication. Representing a natural community-based evolution of SPIRES, INSPIRE provides fast access to the entire body of HEP literature. As a subject repository it will host fulltexts of preprints, Open Access journal articles and supplementary material like conference slides and multimedia, enabling novel text- and data mining applications. In the spirit of Web2.0 INSPIRE will also supply tools for collaboration and user-enriched content.
This paper is a quarterly report describing the use of a new soil gas collection device which allows the collection of soil gas in the field for later analysis in the laboratory. It describes the installation of this sampling device and the procedure for setting the probe, extraction of soil gas beneath the surface, and sealing of the soil gas for transport. The sites used for initial testing was the top of Yucca Mountain and Crystal Spring in Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. The results from this initial test showed no volatile matter present in the soil at these locations.
We develop methods for accelerating metric similarity search that are effective on modern hardware. Our algorithms factor into easily parallelizable components, making them simple to deploy and efficient on multicore CPUs and GPUs. Despite the simple structure of our algorithms, their search performance is provably sublinear in the size of the database, with a factor dependent only on its intrinsic dimensionality. We demonstrate that our methods provide substantial speedups on a range of datasets and hardware platforms. In particular, we present results on a 48-core server machine, on graphics hardware, and on a multicore desktop.
Recent rapid growth in mobile computing technologies enables telemedicine applications to operate on mobile devices. Our focus is on the design of an integrated electrocardiogram (ECG) beat detector on a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) platform for the health screening process. The ECG beat detector module will be supported by the PDA version of Personal Health Information Management System (PHIMS) and Facilitated Accurate Referral Management System (FARMS) through wireless network infrastructure as a home-based mobile cardiac monitoring solution. PMID:17282192
This article examines the developing market for independent power projects in Canada. The topics of the article include bidding in Ontario, the Quebec market, powering British Columbia, and market forces at work in Canada. Discussed are current projects in all stages of completion from bidding to production and includes gas-fired cogeneration, gas-fired combined-cycle electricity generation and cogeneration, wood-waste fired plants, repowering of existing utility plants, and hydroelectric power plants.
The time-dependent probability distribution of neutrons, precursors and detectrons in a space-independent, low-power, multiplying assembly with a source is developed in the multigroup approximation as forward and backward Kolmogorov equations. The relationship between these as adjoint equations is made explicit in a tensor notation and the equations developed in the generating-function formalism. (author).
We developed prototype chemistry for nucleic acid hybridization on our bead-based diagnostics platform and we established an automatable bead handling protocol capable of 50 part-per-billion (ppb) sensitivity. We are working towards a platform capable of parallel, rapid (10 minute), raw sample testing for orthogonal (in this case nucleic acid and immunoassays) identification of biological (and other) threats in a single sensor microsystem. In this LDRD we developed the nucleic acid chemistry required for nucleic acid hybridization. Our goal is to place a non-cell associated RNA virus (Bovine Viral Diarrhea, BVD) on the beads for raw sample testing. This key pre-requisite to showing orthogonality (nucleic acid measurements can be performed in parallel with immunoassay measurements). Orthogonal detection dramatically reduces false positives. We chose BVD because our collaborators (UC-Davis) can supply samples from persistently infected animals; ...
North American technologies designed to improve electricity transmission and distribution systems were discussed. Legislation in the United States and Canada is now being implemented to ensure the widespread adoption of advanced metering technologies. Grid technologies will also be expected to address carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) emissions, as governments are now encouraging investment in distributed generation technologies such as solar, wind, and biodiesel energy. It is expected that smart grid systems will provide increased reliability, interoperability, 2-way communications, risk management services, and have the capacity to support new power resources. Devices will be added to the overall system in order to support smart metering applications. Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) will use automated measurements of time-of-use energy consumption. Improved outage management detection and restoration monitoring programs will be used, as well as programs designed to meter distribution ...
The Cambro-Ordovician platform was formed along the margin of the old super-continent of Laurentia approximately 470 million years ago, and is a prolific producer of hydrocarbons. This presentation provided a geological review of the region as well as estimates of the amounts of oil in place. A simplified geological cross-section of the formation was presented, as well as a chart of the Anticosti Basin of western Newfoundland. Details of exploration wells targeting the Cambro-Ordovician carbonate platform and current west coast land holdings were provided. An outline of the area's petroleum system included details of source rock, reservoirs, traps and seals and migration and timing. Offshore prospects for the platform were estimated to be in the region of 100 to 200 million barrels. Onshore prospects were estimated to be in the region of 30 million to 150 million barrels. It was noted that limited coverage by ...
A case study of a hypothetical offshore production fixed leg platform facility is presented. The purpose of the case study is to demonstrate the advantages offered by modern, fuel efficient large gas turbines in central power generation service for offshore production. The case study was presented using the Rolls- Royce RB211 large gas turbine with facility production of approximately 240,000 BPD of oil and 540 MMSCFD of associated gas. The gas was subjected to three stages of separation for removal of hydrocarbon liquids and water. The liquids, natural gas, and crude oil were exported from the production platform to an onshore receiving terminal. Gas compression is the service that requires the greatest amount of power for any given production facility. For this case study, gas compression represented approximately 70 per cent of the power load with the remainder represented by the liquid export pumps (16 per cent), and by general utilities ...
Reservoir geometry reconstruction within carbonate platforms has been carried out in the Upper Jurassic of the Paris Basin based on high-resolution sequence stratigraphy correlations (cores and well-logs). 18 cored wells over 25 kM{sup 2} have been correlated (Saint-Clair-sur-Epte field, Gaz de France). During lower and middle Oxfordian the Paris Basin is a carbonate platform prograding southward. This progradational trend can be subdivided into three upper order sequences (parasequences sets, mean duration: one m.y.). The lower parasequence-set is a stacking of shallowing-upward parasequences made up of tidal ooids bars surrounded laterally and backward by more protected environments (large variety of coated grains). The middle parasequence-set is recorded in lagoonal environments with numerous channels and lobes of storm washover-fans. Metric-thick sequences have been correlated over the field. They are ernersive upward (subtidal lagoonal ...
To estimate the success criteria of an operator's action time for a probabilistic safety/risk assessment (PSA/PRA) of a nuclear power plant, the information from a safety analysis report (SAR) and/or that by using a simplified simulation code such as the MAAP code has been used in a conventional PSA. However, the information from these is often too conservative to perform a realistic PSA for a risk-informed application. To reduce the undue conservatism, the use of a best-estimate thermal hydraulic code has become an essential issue in the latest PSA and it is now recognized as a suitable tool. In the same context, the 'ASME PRA standard' also recommends the use of a best-estimate code to improve the quality of a PSA. In Korea, a platform to use a best-estimate thermal hydraulic code called the MARS code has been developed for the PSA of the Korea standard nuclear power plant (KSNP). This study has proposed an estimation method for an operator's action time by using ...
To estimate the success criteria of an operator's action time for a probabilistic safety/risk assessment (PSA/PRA) of a nuclear power plant, the information from a safety analysis report (SAR) and/or that by using a simplified simulation code such as the MAAP code has been used in a conventional PSA. However, the information from these is often too conservative to perform a realistic PSA for a risk-informed application. To reduce the undue conservatism, the use of a best-estimate thermal hydraulic code has become an essential issue in the latest PSA and it is now recognized as a suitable tool. In the same context, the 'ASME PRA standard' also recommends the use of a best-estimate code to improve the quality of a PSA. In Korea, a platform to use a best-estimate thermal hydraulic code called the MARS code has been developed for the PSA of the Korea standard nuclear power plant (KSNP). This study has proposed an estimation method for an ...
Distinguishing between effects of natural and anthropogenic environmental factors on ecosystems is a fundamental problem in environmental science. In river systems the longitudinal gradient of environmental factors is one of the most relevant sources of dissimilarity between communities that could be confounded with anthropogenic disturbances. To test the hypothesis that in macroinvertebrate communities the distribution of species' sensitivity to organic toxicants is independent of natural longitudinal factors, but depends on contamination with organic toxicants, we analysed the relationship between community sensitivity SPEARorganic (average community sensitivity to organic toxicants) and natural and anthropogenic environmental factors in a large-scale river system, from alpine streams to a lowland river. The results show that SPEARorganic is largely independent of natural longitudinal factors, but strongly dependent on contamination with ...
Ewing's sarcoma is the most common malignant bone tumour occurring in children and adolescents and exists in two different clinico pathological entities: osseous Ewing's sarcoma (OES) and extraosseous Ewing's sarcoma (EES). Five cases of primary epidural EES are described, which presented with non-specific symptoms leading to a long diagnostic delay. The median age at diagnosis was 22 years (range 13-36 years). The median diagnostic delay was 3 months. All patients had one or more neurological deficits. All underwent surgical exploration with a laminectomy and partial resection followed by adjuvant radiotherapy to a dose of 46-50 Gy and chemotherapy with VAC (vincristine, adriamycin and cyclophosphamide) alternating with ICE (ifosphamide, cisplatin and etoposide) for at least six cycles. The mean follow-up period is 21.2 months (range 11-32 months). Four of the five patients achieved a complete remission and are disease free at the time of writing this report. Two ...
Tritium is produced in large quantities at heavy water nuclear power reactors via the neutron activation reaction "2H(n,#gamma#)"3H. At Wolsung nuclear power plant which has a CANDU reactor, the tritium concentrations in coolant and in moderator systems are 1.5 Ci/Kg-D_2O and 35 Ci/kg-D_2O, respectively, after 12 years of operation. The airborne tritium concentration in main access area is normally less than 5 MPCa except short-term peaks. The average tritium concentrations in main access controlled areas are normally less than 100 MPCa. Tritium is mainly present in the air of workplace of CANDU reactors as a tritiated water vapour. Airborne tritiated water vapour enters the workers body via inhalation and absorption through skin and can result in a significant dose. The occupational doses from tritium at Wolsung NPP have been maintained below 1 man-Sv per year so far. The tritium contribution to the total plant man-Sv changes between 30 percent and 50 percent. For the mitigation of ...
In 2009 the European Space Agency satellite mission GOCE (Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer) was launched. Its objectives are the precise and detailed determination of the Earth's gravity field and geoid. Its core instrument, a three axis gravitational gradiometer, measures the gravity gradient components V xx , V yy , V zz and V xz (second-order derivatives of the gravity potential V) with high precision and V xy , V yz with low precision, all in the instrument reference frame. The long wavelength gravity field is recovered from the orbit, measured by GPS (Global Positioning System). Characteristic elements of the mission are precise star tracking, a Sun-synchronous and very low (260 km) orbit, angular control by magnetic torquing and an extremely stiff and thermally stable instrument environment. GOCE is complementary to GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment), another satellite gravity mission, launched in 2002. While GRACE is designed to ...
The generation of thermal energy is the great importance for the agribusiness of dairy industry to conservation the quality of milk, taking into account that the electricity is the main source currently used for the thermal energy input. The small agribusiness dairy industry currently practiced in Brazil faces several problems related to the cost of electricity and the distance of rural properties of networks of power. In the current scenario of Brazilian dairy production, there is need for the generation of cold for the milk cooling, and also the heat for the production of hot water around 50 deg C to 60 deg C and also for cleaning of equipment used for milk production and processing. The main objective of this study is the modeling and simulation of integrated recovery process of solid waste, effluents and bioconversion. The specific project objectives are: comparison study of options and technological routes of low cost material for power generation using conventional and innovative ...
This book summarizes the research that has been conducted in Canada over the past five years on the issue of climate change impacts on key sectors such as water resources, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, coastal zones, transportation, and human health and well-being. The book refers to the growing evidence that climate change is occurring. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) believes that these changes have already contributed to increases in annual precipitation, cloud cover and extreme temperatures over the last 50 years. It suggests that it in order to develop an effective strategy for adaptation, it is necessary to understand the vulnerability of each sector to climate change in terms of the nature of climate change, the climatic sensitivity of the region being considered, and the capacity to adapt to the changes. Adaptation will require a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in order to lower the rate of climate change. Problems associated with water resources ...
A stochastic wind simulation for VAWTs (VSTOC) has been developed which yields turbulent wind-velocity fluctuations for rotationally sampled points. This allows three-component wind-velocity fluctuations to be simulated at specified nodal points on the wind-turbine rotor. A first-order convection scheme is used which accounts for the decrease in streamwise velocity as the flow passes through the wind-turbine rotor. The VSTOC simulation is independent of the particular analytical technique used to predict the aerodynamic and performance characteristics of the turbine. The VSTOC subroutine may be used simply as a subroutine in a particular VAWT prediction code or it may be used as a subroutine in an independent processor. The independent processor is used to interact with a version of the VAWT prediction code which is segmented into deterministic and stochastic modules. Using VSTOC in this fashion is very efficient with ...
This paper introduces the application of independent component analysis mixture modelling (ICAMM) in non-destructive testing (NDT). The application consists of discriminating patterns for material quality control from homogeneous and defective materials inspected by impact-echo testing. This problem is modelled as a mixture of independent component analysis (ICA) models, representing a class of defective or homogeneous material by an ICA model whose parameters are learned from the impact-echo signal spectrum. These parameters define a kind of particular signature for the different defects. The proposed procedure is intended to exploit to the maximum the information obtained with the cost efficiency of only a single impact. To illustrate this capability, four levels of classification detail...
Background: High satisfaction rates have been reported after autologous breast reconstruction. Yet, most mastectomy patients receive implant reconstructions (ImBR). Independent and active decision makers have shown mainly to choose for autologous reconstructions, such as the Deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap (DiepBR). To further explore the decision making to opt for either ImBR or DiepBR, we investigated patient knowledge, informational resources used, effect of plastic surgeons' advice, coping style and personal independence. Methods: A total of 153 women, who were planned for DiepBR or ImBR preoperatively, completed a study-specific and standardised validated psychological questionnaire. Analyses were aimed at information-seeking behaviour, personal independence and coping...
BackgroundAntioxidant vitamins are often described as having “independent” associations with risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality. We aimed...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe cachexia-anorexia syndrome impacts on patients' physical independence and quality of life. New treatments are required and need to be evaluated using acceptable and...Full Text Available
The network of coupled neurons in the pre-Bötzinger complex (pBC) of the medulla generates a bursting rhythm, which underlies the inspiratory phase of respiration. In some of these neurons,...Full Text Available
Previous studies have shown that salicylates and protein-calorie malnutrition independently compromise maturation and growth of infants. In the present study, pregnant rats were fed normal-and low-protein...Full Text Available
SUMMARYThe cytolytic activity of natural killer (NK) cells is regulated by inhibitory receptors that detect the absence of self molecules on target cells. Structural studies of...Full Text Available
The demand for cogeneration plants is growing worldwide. For the combination of electricity generation and heat extraction in power stations facilitates an excellent fuel exploitation and makes the operator of the plant independent from external energy suppliers. (orig.)
BackgroundMicrovascular injury plays a key role in normal tissue radiation responses. Statins, in addition to their lipid-lowering effects, have vasculoprotective...Full Text Available
[1] Independent data from the Gulf of Mexico are used to develop and test the hypothesis that the same sequence of physical and ecological events each year allows the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia...Full Text Available
Abnormal fat metabolism plays an important role in the pathogenesis of obesity-related type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study examined whether free fatty acid levels (FFAs), like insulin levels, oscillate...Full Text Available
BACKGROUNDProtocadherin-PC (PCDH-PC) expression is upregulated in apoptosis-resistant sublines of the LNCaP human prostate cancer (CaP) cell line. Here, we assess...Full Text Available
Mapping the restriction fragments of the Brucella melitensis 16M genome with a new restriction endonuclease, PacI, which cut the DNA into only eight fragments, indicated that this species contains two...Full Text Available
We show that the recently constructed complete and ''minimal'' third-order meson-baryon effective chiral Lagrangian can be further reduced from 84 to 78 independent operators. (orig.)
Neutral endopeptidase 24.11 (NEP, CD10) is a cell-surface enzyme expressed by prostatic epithelial cells that cleaves and inactivates neuropeptides implicated in the growth of androgen-independent prostate...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe widespread use of nutritional supplements among athletes is poorly understood. The prevalence of supplement intake and users' knowledge have been researched independently...Full Text Available
Comprised of seven persons with extensive experience in the issues of nuclear waste, the Independent Review Committee (IRC) provides independent and objective review of Defense Transuranic Waste Program (DTWP) activities managed by the Joint Integration Office (JIO), formerly the Defense Transuranic Waste Lead Organization (TLO). The Committee is ensured a broad, interdisciplinary perspective since its membership includes representatives from the fields of nuclear engineering, nuclear waste transportation, industrial quality control, systems and environmental engineering and state and local government. The scope of IRC activities includes overall review of specific TLO plans, projects and activities, and technical review of particular research and development projects. The Committee makes specific suggestions and recommendations based upon expertise in the field of TRU Waste Management. The IRC operates as a consulting group, under an ...
Peptic ulcer bleeding is a common disease and recurrent bleeding is an independent risk factor of mortality. Infusion with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) prevents recurrent bleeding after successful...Full Text Available
Convolutive mixtures of signals, which are common in acoustic environments, can be difficult to separate into their component sources. Here we present a uniform probabilistic framework to separate...Full Text Available
IL-4 and IL-13 are up-regulated during in vivo responses to many nematode parasites, but increasing evidence suggests that increases in IL-13 can also occur independently of...Full Text Available
The purpose of this project was to build a long-range, parallel hybrid gas/electric vehicle capable of driving beyond the communter capabilities of series hybrid vehicles. It was envisioned that since the gas engine would be able to independently propel t...
BackgroundSpecies with heteromorphic sex chromosomes face the challenge of large-scale imbalance in gene dose. Microarray-based studies in several independent male heterogametic...Full Text Available
It is shown that a relativistic point kinematics with one independent dilation of (scalar) proper time for each spatial freedom degree would give a really rigorous physical significance to the ordinary logical resolution of the clock paradox between systems in relative motion.
BackgroundExcessive television (TV) viewing might play an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study was to examine the independent...Full Text Available
Mice lacking acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1), an enzyme that catalyzes the terminal step in triacylglycerol synthesis, have enhanced insulin sensitivity and are protected from...Full Text Available
B lymphocytes can function independently as efficient APCs. However, our previous studies demonstrate that both dendritic cells and macrophages are necessary to propagate immune responses initiated...Full Text Available
Normal reproductive functioning may require secretion of LH independently of FSH. Variation in GnRH pulse frequency and inhibin negative feedback are mechanisms for differential gonadotropin regulation;...Full Text Available
We sequenced 16S rRNA genes from the vaginal swab contents of a postmenopausal woman with asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis (BV). Sequences from Atopobium vaginae were the most commonly...Full Text Available
As requested by the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics) and the Director DARPA, the Defense Science Board task force performed a one-time independent evaluation of the technology investment for the Defense Advanced Research...
The scattering of a charged scalar field on Coulomb potential on de Sitter space-time is studied using the solution of the free Klein-Gordon equation. We find that the scattering amplitude is independent of the choice of the picture and in addition the total energy is conserved in the scattering process.
The goal of community-based services for frail older patients is to help them achieve the greatest degree of functional ability and independence. The services available include case management, geriatric...Full Text Available
BackgroundEchocardiography is widely used in the management of patients with cardiogenic shock (CS). Left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) has been shown to be an independent predictor...Full Text Available
Recently, CID755673 was reported to act as a highly selective inhibitor of protein kinase D (PKD). In the course of experiments using CID755673, we noticed that it exerted unexpected stimulatory...Full Text Available
Published rates of comorbidity between pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been higher than would be expected if they were independent conditions,...Full Text Available
Several independent studies of bacterial degradation of nitrate ester explosives have demonstrated the involvement of flavin-dependent oxidoreductases related to the old yellow enzyme (OYE) of yeast....Full Text Available
Section 204 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007) requires EPA to assess and report to Congress on the impacts to date and likely future impacts of the increased use of biofuels as required by the Clean Air Act, section 211(0). Environmental issues (...
Background:Erectile dysfunction in type-2 diabetes may be an independent marker for coronary artery disease. Present study was undertaken to investigate whether type-2 diabetic...Full Text Available
We used tryptophan auxotrophs of the dicot Arabidopsis thaliana (wall cress) to determine whether tryptophan has the capacity to serve as a precursor to the auxin, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). Quantitative...Full Text Available
The validation parameters for pharmaceutical analyses were examined for the accelerator mass spectrometry measurement of 14C/C ratio, independent of chemical separation procedures....Full Text Available
Decreased cognitive performance reduces independence and quality of life for aging individuals. Healthy brain aging does not involve significant neuronal loss, but little is known about the...Full Text Available
In the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120, open reading frames (ORFs) alr3026, alr3027, and all3028 encode a tripartite ATP-independent...Full Text Available
...retardation, behavioral disorders or...blood. (3) Health protection goals...protecting your health. You are strongly...an independent analysis. The two...impairment of health. One of...although most cases of lead-induced...in the form of behavioral...
IAQ Tools for Schools Program Leaders in Improving Indoor Air Quality in Schools Baldwin Union Free School District, Baldwin, NY El Paso Independent School District, El Paso,...
Nitrite is to be used to inhibit pitting corrosion during Extended Sludge Processing (ESP) at the Savannah River Plant. The required nitrite concentrations are expressed as a function of the slurries' nitrate ion concentration and temperature. In the most dilute slurries, the nitrite inhibitor requirement is independent of the nitrate ion concentration and depends only on the temperature of the waste. The nitrate-independent concentration ensures that there is sufficient inhibitor, in sludge slurries whose nitrate has been depleted by radiolysis, to prevent pitting corrosion induced by other corrosive anions (e.g., sulfate and chloride). The threshold nitrate concentration at which the nitrite level is expressed as a function only of temperature is 0.02 M.
Nitrite is to be used to inhibit pitting corrosion during Extended Sludge Processing (ESP) at the Savannah River Plant. The required nitrite concentrations are expressed as a function of the slurries` nitrate ion concentration and temperature. In the most dilute slurries, the nitrite inhibitor requirement is independent of the nitrate ion concentration and depends only on the temperature of the waste. The nitrate-independent concentration ensures that there is sufficient inhibitor, in sludge slurries whose nitrate has been depleted by radiolysis, to prevent pitting corrosion induced by other corrosive anions (e.g., sulfate and chloride). The threshold nitrate concentration at which the nitrite level is expressed as a function only of temperature is 0.02 M.
Experimental differential cross sections for 104 MeV #alpha#-particle scattering have been analysed using a method recently proposed for model-independent analyses. Reliable values of isoscalar (0"+ -3"1"-) octupole transition rates in _5_0Ti, _5_2Cr and _2_0_8Pb are presented and compared with electromagnetic rates. (author).
Access for independents to retail gas markets was a central concern in European policy reform efforts in the 1990s. Upstream oil and gas companies reacted with strategic intentions of forward integration. By late 2004, forward integration was still weak, however. An important explanation of the gap between announced strategic re-orientation and actual strategy implementation lies in the political failure of EU member states to dismantle market barriers to entry for independents. Variations between companies in downstream strategy implementation are explained by variations in business opportunities and internal company factors.
This report presents the results of the 2003 Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program conducted in accordance with 10 CFR 72.44 for the Fort St. Vrain Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation. A description of the facility and the monitoring program is provided. The results of monitoring the predominant radiation exposure pathway, direct radiation exposure, indicate the facility operation has not contributed to any increase in the estimated maximum potential dose commitment to the general public.
This report presents the results of the 2001 Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program conducted in accordance with 10 CFR 72.44 for the Fort St. Vrain Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation. A description of the facility and the monitoring program is provided. The results of monitoring the predominant radiation exposure pathway, direct and scattered radiation exposure, indicate the facility operation has not contributed to any increase in the estimated maximum potential dose commitment to the general public.
The important role of thyroid hormones in growth and development, maintenance of body temperature, digestion, cardiac function, and normal brain development can be disrupted by environmental contaminants like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). Polychlorinated biphenyls are environmental contaminants that are widespread, persistent, lipophilic, and bioaccumulate through food webs, concentrating in adipose tissue. Placental and lactational PCB exposure of offspring causes metabolic and endocrine disruptions including hypothyroxinemia, spatial learning and memory deficits, neurochemical and neurobehavioral alterations, and reproductive problems. Previous studies in our lab using the individual congeners PCB 47 (2,2',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl, ortho-substituted) and PCB 77 (3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl, non-ortho-substituted) have demonstrated alterations in thyroid hormone levels, alterations in brain choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity, and spatial learning deficits. In the present ...
A solar energy desalination process utilizing solar radiation directly for the evaporation of salt water is described. Ambient air takes on water vapor as the air passes through an evaporative medium. It is then directed between a saline water-covered, solar absorbing surface and a solar collecting housing. The resulting heated and moisture-saturated air is cooled in a heat exchange means where condensation of fresh water occurs. Simultaneously, cool salt water is utilized as the cooling water in the heat exchange means, and takes on the heat of condensation given up by the condensing vapor. The heated salt water from the heat exchange means is partially directed over the solar absorbing surface, and at least a portion of it is also directed to wet the evaporative medium. Several optional sub-processes are described for operation of the system during periods of reduced insolation, and an alternative process is described for operation of the process on a floating ...
The Huqf Supergroup of the Sultanate of Oman provides important information on the geological evolution of the Arabian?Persian Gulf region during a protracted period of continental dispersal and reassembly on the periphery of the Gondwanan supercontinent during the Neoproterozoic, and also provides important constraints on the nature of extreme climate swings during this critical period in the evolution of Earth's biosphere. The Huqf Supergroup spans the period ca. 725?540?Ma, and is composed of three groups. The Abu Mahara Group (ca. 725 to ca.ca. 547?540?Ma), which is known mostly from the subsurface, comprises carbonates, evaporites and organic-rich shales, with interbedded ashes, deposited in a large number of N?S trending troughs and platforms.The three groups of the Huqf Supergroup c...
The Gigabit Link Interface Board (GLIB) is an evaluation platform and an easy entry point for users of high speed optical links in high energy physics experiments. Its intended use ranges from optical link evaluation in the laboratory to control, triggering and data acquisition from remote modules in beam or irradiation tests. The GLIB is an FPGA-based Advanced Mezzanine Card (AMC) conceived to serve a small and simple system residing either inside a Micro Telecommunications Computing Architecture (?TCA) crate, or on a bench with a link to a PC. This paper presents the architecture of the GLIB, its features as well as examples of its use in different setups.
A Real-Time Operating System(RTOS) is an Operating System(OS) intended for real-time applications. Benchmarking is a point of reference by which something can be measured. The QNX is a Real Time Operating System(RTOS) developed by QSSL(QNX Software Systems Ltd.) in Canada. The ELMSYS is the brand name of commercially available Personal Computer(PC) for applications such as Cabinet Operator Module(COM) of Digital Plant Protection System(DPPS) and COM of Digital Engineered Safety Features Actuation System(DESFAS). The ELMSYS PC Hardware is being qualified by KTL(Korea Testing Lab.) for use as a Cabinet Operator Module(COM). The QNX RTOS is being dedicated by Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). This paper describes the outline and benchmarking test results on Context Switching, Message Passing, Synchronization and Deadline Violation of QNX RTOS under the ELMSYS PC platform
The discovery of large reserves of oil has resulted in a proliferation of drilling and production platforms in the North Sea, and other offshore areas around the UK will probably be developed. The exploitation of marginal oil fields, particularly in those developing countries which have only limited energy resources, has been made possible by the development of a floating production, storage and offloading (f.p.s.o.) unit consisting of a large tonnage oil tanker converted for the purpose and moored. The increased electrical power demands imposed by the addition of process plant, extra accommodation, and so on, usually necessitate additions to onboard generation and distribution systems, which must of course be integrated with the existing equipment.
The Morris water maze is widely used to evaluate to evaluate the spatial learning ability of rodents under laboratory settings. The present study demonstrates that reproductive male meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, are able to acquire and retain a spatial water maze task using celestial cues. Voles were able to acquire a modified outdoor Morris water maze task over 4 trials per day, whereby they had to learn and remember the location of a submerged hidden platform, using the position of the sun and associated celestial cues. Their proficiency on this task was related to the availability of the celestial cues, with voles displaying significantly poorer spatial navigation on overcast than clear days and when the testing time (and position of the sun and associated celestial cues) was shifted from morning to afternoon. These findings with meadow voles support the ecological relevance of the water maze task. PMID:8031502
A critical and difficult step in the development and implementation of new technologies for environmental monitoring and characterization is successfully transferring these technologies to industry and government users for routine assessment and compliance activities. The Environmental Sciences Section of the DOE Savannah River Technology Center provides a forum for developers, potential users, and regulatory organizations to evaluate new technologies in comparison with baseline technologies in a well characterized field test bed. The principal objective of this project is to conduct comprehensive, objective field tests of monitoring and characterization technologies that are not currently used in EPA standard methods and evaluate their performance during actual operating conditions against baseline methods. This paper provides an overview of the field test site and a description of some of the technologies demonstrated at the site including their field applications.
Today, component oriented middlewares are used to design, develop and deploy easily distributed applications, by ensuring the heterogeneity, interoperability, and reuse of the software modules, and the separation between the business code encapsulated in the components and the system code managed by the containers. Several standards answer this definition such as: CCM (CORBA Component Model), EJB (Enterprise Java Beans) and .Net. However these standards offer a limited and fixed number of system services, removing any possibility to add system services or to reconfigure dynamically the middleware. Our works propose mechanisms to add and to adapt dynamically the system services, based on a reconfiguration language which is dynamically adaptable to the need of the reconfiguration, and on a tool of dynamic reconfiguration, a prototype was achieved for the OpenCCM platform, that is an implementation of the CCM specification. This work was partially financed by the ...
Moodle is an extended learning management system for developing learning units, including mathematically-based subjects. A wide variety of material can be developed in Moodle which contains facilities for forums, questionnaires, lessons, tasks, wikis, glossaries and chats. Therefore, the Moodle platform provides a meeting point for those working in a mathematics course. Mathematics requires special materials and activities: The material must include mathematical objects and the activities included in the virtual course must be able to do mathematical computations. WIRIS is a powerful software for educational environments. It has libraries for calculus, algebra, geometry and much more. In this article, examples showing the use of WIRIS in numerical methods and examples of using a new tool, ...
After the successful completion of the development program of the 2000 m water depth HVDC Hawaii Deep Water Self Contained Fluid Filled Cable, the interconnection between Hawaii island and Oahu island is examined. Thermal, electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, corrosion, length aspects are developed for both fluid filled and paper impregnated (SOLID) cables which are foreseen in different portions of the approximately 250 km length connection. Considerations are also presented for the requirements of the cable ship: 12 m sheave diameter, 7000 t capacity for the rotating platform. The feasibility of manufacturing, transporting and laying such cables within a practical schedule is discussed in this paper.
A compilation of technical papers, from the 23rd annual Precise Time and Time Interval (PTTI) Applications and Planning Meeting, is presented. Papers were given in the following categories: (1) developments in rubidium, cesium, and hydrogen-based frequency standards, and in cryogenic and trapped-ion technology; (2) international and transnational applications of PTTI technology with emphasis on satellite laser tracking networks, GLONASS timing, comparison of national time scales and international communications; (3) applications of PTTI technology to the telecommunications, power distribution, platform positioning, and geophysical survey industries; (4) applications of PTTI technology to evolving military communications and navigation systems; and (5) dissemination of precise time and frequency by means of GPS, GLONASS, MILSTAR, Loran, and synchronous communications satellites.
Multi-fiber WDM networks are becoming the major telecommunication platforms for transmitting exponentially increasing data traffic. While today's networks are mainly providing circuit-switched connections, optical packet-switching technologies have been investigated for years, aiming at achieving more efficient utilizations of network resources. In this paper, we have evaluated, for the first time, the packet-loss performance of multi-fiber optical packet switches (MOPS). Our main contributions are threefold. Firstly, we have proposed simple and accurate analytical models for analyzing packet-loss performance of (i) the most fundamental MOPS configuration, (ii) MOPS equipped with fiber delay lines (FDLs) and (iii) shared wavelength converters (SWCs). Secondly, we have shown that the MOPS n...
Purpose - The paper aims to outline the managerial challenges faced by the organizations interested in leveraging knowledge and creative talent embedded in online customers' communities to sustain innovation in b-2-c industries. Design/methodology/approach - Through a detailed case study analysis of a leading food producer who launched an online open collaborative platform to gather users' idea for new products the paper aims to highlight the transformational effort that firms have to make in order to leverage knowledge absorption from customers in the context of innovation. Findings - The paper suggests potential strategies for conventional companies to engage consumers in knowledge (co-creation) and collaborative innovation processes, formulating some hypothesis that could support an int...
There is a clear incentive, therefore, for early consideration of the measures required to meet noise and vibration standards. The platform or rig owner and the operator are jointly responsible for agreeing a noise and vibration control policy and approach at the conceptual design stage, and for then passing on their requirements to the engineering design teams. The engineering design teams and acoustic and vibration specialists for their part need to use all their skill and judgement to apply that policy to the intensely complex job of designing and fabricating topsides facilities. With these concerns as background, UEG started, and has nearly completed, a two-phase study to provide detailed guidance to project managers and designers to assist them to develop appropriate policy and procedures and to help them put those procedures into practice. This paper describes the development of UEG's study, its application and benefits.
A new experimental technique to measure material shear strength at high pressures has been developed for use on magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) drive pulsed power platforms. By applying an external static magnetic field to the sample region, the MHD drive directly induces a shear stress wave in addition to the usual longitudinal stress wave. Strength is probed by passing this shear wave through a sample material where the transmissible shear stress is limited to the sample strength. The magnitude of the transmitted shear wave is measured via a transverse VISAR system from which the sample strength is determined.
The phased field development of the Lion and Panthere fields, offshore the Ivory Coast, includes a small floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) tanker with minimal processing capability as an early oil production system (EPS). For the long-term production scheme, the FPSO will be replaced by a converted jack up mobile offshore production system (MOPS) with full process equipment. The development also includes guyed-caisson well platforms, pipeline export for natural gas to fuel an onshore power plant, and a floating storage and offloading (FSO) tanker for oil export. Pipeline export for oil is a future possibility. This array of innovative strategies and techniques seldom has been brought together in a single project. The paper describes the development plan, early oil, jack up MOPS, and transport and installation.
A detailed discussion of airborne CO{sub 2}, DIAL measurements obtained from the first joint N-ABLE field campaign at INEL is presented. System performance characteristics, including return signal strength, averaging statistics, and temporal correlation as well as multi-line DIAL spectral data are discussed. In particular, we review data acquisition and analysis strategies pertinent to chemical detection from a moving platform, such as range determination and correction, and return signal processing (waveform vs. box-car integration, baseline correction). We also report observed effects and variations due to near-field light scattering, pointing and tracking stability, and stack-release plume dynamics.
There is a need for earlier and more accurate cancer diagnostics as well as new targets for cancer immunotherapy. To this end, it is important to identify sets of tumour antigens specific for different cancer forms. Several methods that identify potential tumour antigens in an arrayed and high-throughput format have been developed during the last years of SEREX (serological identification of antigens by recombinant expression cloning) related research. Such techniques may hold the potential to describe the complete immunogenic part of the cancer proteome, also called the cancer immunoproteome.We have developed a powerful platform for automated serological high-throughput filter screening of tumour cDNA libraries. The screening format of this method is 18,000 single cDNAs clones, which is s...
In this work, the half-life of the {sup 155}Sm beta{sup -} decay was determined using enriched {sup 154}Sm samples submitted to irradiation in the IEA-R1 reactor of IPEN; the activity of the samples were followed for 4-5 consecutive half lives using a 198 cm{sup 3} HPGe detector. The data was corrected using a non paralizable dead time correction and fitted to an exponential decay function using a non linear fitting procedure developed on the MatLab platform. The resulting value--T{sub 1/2} = 22.180(26) min--was compatible to the one found in the literature, with a lower uncertainty.
In this work, the half-life of the "1"5"5Sm #beta#"- decay was determined using enriched "1"5"4Sm samples submitted to irradiation in the IEA-R1 reactor of IPEN; the activity of the samples were followed for 4-5 consecutive half lives using a 198 cm"3 HPGe detector. The data was corrected using a non paralizable dead time correction and fitted to an exponential decay function using a non linear fitting procedure developed on the MatLab platform. The resulting value--T_1_/_2 = 22.180(26) min--was compatible to the one found in the literature, with a lower uncertainty.
GPM moves from the clean room to the test chamber on a dolly without wheels. Compressed air is pumped out under airpads that float the Spacecraft on a bed of air. nThe wind generated when the centrifuge moves at its maximum speed are more than 200 mph - that's tornado speed. But since they move with the centrifuge the satellites tested only feel 20 mph winds. nLeaning outward at 45 degrees for one test orientation, GPM comes within 28 inches of the wall. When lifted onto the platform it cleared the ceiling by only five inches. nNatural audio only. nVideo Credit: Brooke Harris n
The use of Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels to develop UK offshore oil fields looks certain to increase. Of the 64 new offshore fields due for development in the next few years, 15 are expected to use FPSO vessels for their production. Most of these are small, short-life fields in the central North Sea which would not justify investment in a fixed platform. Three, however, are large fields west of Shetland, and one, the Foinaven field, is scheduled to be the first commercial development in this area, perhaps setting a precedent. Floating production systems with substantial storage capacity can be the best option in deepwater locations which are remote from existing infrastructure, where the cost of an export pipeline would be prohibitive. (author)
Abstract Here we propose a software for the estimation of the occupied area and volume of fungal cultures. This software was developed using a Matlab platform and allows analysis of high-definition images from optical, electronic or atomic force microscopes. In a first step, a single hypha grown on potato dextrose agar was monitored using optical microscopy to estimate the change in occupied area and volume. Weight measurements were carried out to compare them with the estimated volume, revealing a slight difference of less than 1.5%. Similarly, samples from two different solid-state fermentation cultures were analyzed using images from a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an environmental SEM (ESEM). Occupied area and volume were calculated for both samples, and the results obtained w...
The research project started in April, 2008 before adoption of the cabinet report of the Federal Government to the German strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change. The German Strategy for Adaptation emphasizes the meaning of information about requirements for adaptation and the active involvement of all social groups in the other process of the strategy. For this the research project has made concrete proposals for the information, communication and participation of social groups. These proposals are based in the essentials on an interest analysis about interviews with stakeholders and the economy to their demands and expectations to the German strategy for Adaptation. Besides we have researched international examples for the adaptation to the climate change for the public relations. For the interactive development of the Internet platform www.anpassung.net concrete proposals were developed. (orig.)
Development drilling from Chevron-operated Platform Hermosa, located on OCS-P 0316 of the Point Arguello field, began on January 30, 1987. To date, seven development wells have been drilled in to the northwest-southeast-trending, doubly plunging anticlinal structure. The results from drilling have confirmed the presence of intense folding and fracturing in the targeted Monterey Formation. Over 700 ft of conventional core were recovered from the B-2 well in the lower Sisquoc and Monterey Formations. Analysis of the core material has yielded important information on lithologic variations and fracture patterns in the productive Monterey Formation. Initial results of core studies, DST data, and wireline studies indicate a correlation between rock type and fracturing. Fracture trends and directional permeability suggested by drill-stem testing may affect future drilling patterns in the field.
The objective of this project is to develop multi-dimensional computational models in order to improve the operation of uranium electrorefiners currently used in pyroprocessing technology. These 2-D (US) and 3-D (ROK) mathematical models are based on the fundamental physical and chemical properties of the electrorefiner processes. The validated models by compiled and evaluated experimental data could provide better information for developing advanced electrorefiners for uranium recovery. The research results in this period are as follows: - Successfully assessed a common computational platform for the modeling work and identify spatial characterization requirements. - Successfully developed a 3-D electro-fluid dynamic electrorefiner model. - Successfully validated and benchmarked the two multi-dimensional models with compiled experimental data sets
There has been growing international consensus on issues related to child labour - evident in various declarations, platforms, conventions, programmes of action etc. Child labour is the economic exploitation of children, or performance of any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child's health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development. Poverty is the principal cause of child labour. Mostly the children work to support their families and also for their own survival. Paradoxically, however, child labour further aggravates the poverty syndrome as it usually deprives the children of education and opportunity to acquire skills for developing earning potentials. Other causes of child labour include family indebtedness, the lack or poor quality of schooli...
To study interactions between plants and plant-parasitic nematodes, several omics studies have nowadays become extremely useful. Since most data available so far is derived from sedentary nematodes, we decided to improve the knowledge on migratory nematodes by studying the transcriptome of the nematode Pratylenchus coffeae through generating expressed sequence tags (ESTs) on a 454 sequencing platform. In this manuscript we present the generation, assembly and annotation of over 325,000 reads from P. coffeae. After assembling these reads, 56,325 contigs and singletons with an average length of 353bp were selected for further analyses. Homology searches revealed that 25% of these sequences had significant matches to the Swiss-prot/trEMBL database and 29% had significant matches in nematode E...
To estimate the success criteria of an operators action time for a probabilistic safety/risk assessment (PSA/PRA) of a nuclear power plant, the information from a safety analysis report (SAR) and/or that by using a simplified simulation code such as the MAAP code has been used in a conventional PSA. However, the information from these is often too conservative to perform a realistic PSA for a risk-informed application. To reduce the undue conservatism, the use of a best-estimate thermal hydraulic code has become an essential issue in the latest PSA and it is now recognized as a suitable tool. In the same context, the `ASME PRA standard' also recommends the use of a best-estimate code to improve the quality of a PSA. In Korea, a platform to use a best-estimate thermal hydraulic code called ...
Various theories and examples of modelling, forecasting and optimization designing in the different parts of the petroleum and gas industries are presented, stochastic programming for long term planning in the refining industry, stochastic model for gasoline blending, feedstock optimization, location and sizing for offshore platforms, hydrocarbon exploration simulation rapid method, valuation of oil field development leases, economic models for petroleum allocation, models for oil supply market, trade embargo game theory, stochastic programming of gas contract portfolio management, scheduling transportation of oil and gas, strategic planning in an oil pipeline company, simulation of offshore oil terminal systems, hierarchical selection of oil and gas distribution systems.
Luminescent materials are widely used for imaging and sensing owing to their high sensitivity, rapid response and facile detection by many optical technologies. Typically materials must be chemically tailored to achieve intense, photostable fluorescence, oxygen-sensitive phosphorescence or dual emission for ratiometric sensing, often by blending two dyes in a matrix. Dual-emissive materials combining all of these features in one easily tunable molecular platform are desirable, but when fluorescence and phosphorescence originate from the same dye, it can be challenging to vary relative fluorescence/phosphorescence intensities for practical sensing applications. Heavy-atom substitution alone increases phosphorescence by a given, not variable amount. Here, we report a strategy for modulating ...
The Coastal Zone Sector of the Canadian Climate Impact and Adaptation Research Network (C-CIARN) was established to address concerns regarding climate change in coastal areas. Coastal zones are sensitive to increases in air, sea and ground temperatures as well as to variations in sea level, precipitation, ice thickness, and storm intensity. This report presents the results of a workshop which focused on how coastal communities will be affected by climate induced water level changes, particularly sea-level rise on ocean coasts and decreasing lake levels in the Great Lakes. The workshop addressed issues such as the effects of changing water levels on coastal infrastructure, utilities, community development, and the implications of changing water levels to human safety, cultural resources, tourism, and insurance. The workshop reviewed the current state of understanding on water level fluctuations resulting from climate change. It also identified information and ...
Thin films of the protein, lysozyme, have been deposited by the matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) technique. Frozen targets of 0.3-1.0 wt.% lysozyme dissolved in ultrapure water were irradiated by laser light at 355 nm with a fluence of 2 J/cm{sup 2}. The surface quality of the thin lysozyme films of different thickness deposited on 7 mm x 7 mm Si-<1 0 0>-wafers was investigated with scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Already at comparatively low thickness, {approx}20 nm, the substrate is covered by intact lysozyme molecules and fragments. The concentration of lysozyme in the ice matrix apparently does not play any significant role for the morphology of the film. The morphology obtained with MAPLE has been compared with results for direct laser irradiation of a pressed lysozyme sample (i.e. pulsed laser deposition (PLD))
More details about the construction of the Terra Nova floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel are provided. The vessel was built in the Daewoo shipyard in South Korea, and is now undergoing final fitting at Bull Arm, near St. John's, Newfoundland. When complete, the vessel will operate 350 km offshore, southeast of St. John's. It is 291 metres long and 45.5 metres wide and has a capacity of 960,000 barrels of oil. Although the FPSO will hold less than half of the last giant supertanker which sailed for Irving Oil, it has a crew of 81, four times the size of the supertanker, reflecting the technical uniqueness of the vessel and the intense pre-occupation with safety associated with the combination of winds, ice, waves, and shallow water around the Grand Banks. Also described is the alliance system of partnership between the oil companies and the main contractors. The deal stipulates that if the project ran over its budget, the oil ...
Canisters with spent nuclear fuel can obviously not be located within deformation zones as this might jeopardise their long term mechanical stability and thereby constitute a potential hazard to the biosphere. Less apparent, but equally important, is the fact that earthquakes trigger reactivation, slip, of structures some distance from their hypocentres due to, among many other factors, stress redistribution. Fault slip across a deposition hole might damage the isolation capacity of the canister and thereby jeopardise the overall integrity of the barrier system. Therefore, the following question might be posed: What is the distance from a deformation zone beyond which a canister can be safely emplaced? This respect distance cannot be readily computed because, unknown future events aside, there are some complicated aspects that need to be addressed e.g. degree of conservatism, scale, our ability to model ice sheets and earthquakes, etc. In this report we discuss ...
In 1982 the semi-submersible drilling unit Ocean Ranger capsized and sank off the Grand Banks, resulting in the loss of the entire 84-man crew. A Royal Commission was set up to conduct an enquiry into the incident, and to carry out a process of research and opinion-gathering towards providing recommendations to both federal and Newfoundland governments. The primary purpose of the Commission was to determine why the Ocean Ranger sank, why none of the crew were saved, and how to avoid similar disasters. A number of studies and seminars were held to focus expert knowledge and opinion in several key fields and to update studies and fill gaps in the data base. Summaries of selected study reports and the seminar proceedings are presented in the following areas: the environment, including ice, marine climatology, weather forecasting services, wave climatology, oceanographic information, and seabed information; design, including mobile offshore drilling rig design ...
Propylene and ethylene glycol deicers are commonly used at airports in the US and other countries to remove and retard the accumulation of snow and ice on aircraft. Deicers may not only enter water bodies without treatment, due to excessive storm-related flow, but also may expose terrestrial organisms to high concentrations through surface runoff. Most available toxicity data are for aquatic vertebrates and invertebrate species; this study examined effects on terrestrial and aquatic plants. Terrestrial plant species included both a monocot (rye grass, Lolium perenne) and a dicot (lettuce, Lactuca saliva). Aquatic species included a single cell alga (Selenastrum capricomutum), and an aquatic macrophyte (duckweed, Lemna minor). Glycol deicers were obtained in the formulated mixtures used on aircraft. Pure ethylene and propylene glycol were obtained from Sigma{reg_sign}. Parameters measured included germination, root and shoot length, survival, and growth. Formulated ...
The effect of longer ice-free periods on the seasonal variation and total annual values of phytoplankton primary production was considered along with the efficiency and productivity of the phytoplankton communities at different water temperatures by constant light. The studied pond, Vasikkalampi, is located in the town Jvyaskyla in central Finland. The pond is slightly eutrophic and its water is used for cooling purposes by a 35 MW thermal powerplant. The cooling water is taken in the middle of the pond and it returns as heated effluent to the northern part, near the surface, about 100 m from the intake pipe. This circulation and warming of the water keeps the pond open throughout the year except during the coldest weeks in the winter when some parts freeze over. The increase of the water temperature was not sufficient to be optimal for photosynthesis in the spring. The phytoplankton biomass starts to increase early in the spring when the zooplankton grazing ...
The in-flight wavelength calibration for the Ozone Monitoring Instrument is discussed. The observed variability in the wavelength scale is two orders of magnitude larger than caused by temperature changes in the instrument. These wavelength variations are the result of rapid changes in time in the radiance levels during an individual observation in the presence of clouds or snow and ice. We have developed a data processing method to account and correct for these changes. In February 2005 this correction was implemented in the official data processing stream. We explain in detail how and how accurately this method works. Before correction, the error in the wavelength scale can be as much as a few tenths of a pixel; after correction it is mostly less than 1/100th of a pixel, which is the required preflight accuracy. This means that higher-level products such as the total column amounts of ozone, NO2, and SO2 are not significantly affected. It is expected that these ...
In the advance of fuel cell electric vehicles (EV), hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) can contribute to reduced emissions and energy consumption of personal cars as a short term solution. Trade-offs reveal better emission control for series hybrid vehicles, while parallel hybrid vehicles with different drive trains may significantly reduce fuel consumption as well. At present, costs and marketing considerations favor parallel hybrid vehicles making use of small, high power batteries. With ultra high power density cells in development, exceeding 1 kW/kg, high power batteries can be provided by adapting a technology closely related to consumer cell production. Energy consumption and emissions may benefit from regenerative braking and smoothing of the internal combustion engine (ICE) response as well, with limited additional battery weight. High power supercapacitors may assist the achievement of this goal. Problems to be solved in practice comprise battery management to ...
If the first (PopIII) stars were very massive, their final fate is to collapse into very massive black holes. Once a proto-black hole has formed into the stellar core, accretion continues through a disk. It is widely accepted, although not confirmed, that magnetic fields drive an energetic jet which produces a burst of TeV neutrinos by photon-meson interaction, and eventually breaks out of the stellar envelope appearing as a Gamma Ray Burst (GRB). Based on recent numerical simulations and neutrino emission models, we predict the expected neutrino diffuse flux from these PopIII GRBs and compare it with the capabilities of present and planned detectors as AMANDA and IceCube. If beamed into 1% of the sky, we find that the rate of PopIII GRBs is $\\le 4 \\times 10^6$ yr$^{-1}$. High energy neutrinos from PopIII GRBs could dominate the overall flux in two energy bands [$10^4 - 10^5$] GeV and [$10^5 - 10^6$] GeV of neutrino telescopes. The enhanced sensitivities of ...
Effects of ethanol in vitro on membrane vesicles were evaluated by monitoring "3"6Cl"- influx. Different assay parameters were tested to determine increased or decreased action of ethanol on GABA-activated chloride channels. The ability of 30 mM ethanol to augment "3"6Cl"- flux was seen at 0 degree C, in the absence of GABA, and at 34 degree C in the presence of GABA, using two different assay procedures. Picrotoxin blocked the direct effects of ethanol suggesting GABA_a involvement. Endogenous GABA in the medium surrounding the microsacs was assayed at different temperatures both in the presence and absence of GABA and ethanol. The direct effect of ethanol did not appear to involve the action of endogenous GABA. In addition to temperature effects on the assay, time of membrane storage also influenced ethanol action. Microsacs stored on ice for 2 hours or more lost their ability to respond to ethanol but not to GABA, pentobarbital or flunitrazepam. When these drugs ...
Local blood flow in the thigh was measured with /sup 133/Xe clearance technique in eight male distance runners after compression with a foam rubber compress and a standard elastic bandage. Two degrees of compression were tested, and an initial experiment with rested subjects was followed by a similar experiment immediately after running. Maximum compression exerted a cutaneous pressure of 85 (+/- 8) mm Hg and caused an immediate cessation of intra-muscular blood flow in the compressed area. Moderate compression gave a cutaneous pressure of 40 (+/- 5) mm Hg and resulted in a reduction of blood flow by approximately 50%. During compression, there were no significant differences in the blood flow of rested subjects compared to subjects immediately after running. In acute soft tissue injuries, a maximum compression bandage should effectively reduce or eliminate the formation of an intra-muscular hematoma, and an additive effect on blood flow of ice should not be ...
The report was prepared for the IPCC by Working Group II. The remit of Working Group II was to describe the environmental and socioeconomic implications of possible climate changes over the next decades caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases. The scenarios used include the following features: an effective doubling of atmospheric CO{sub 2} between now and 2025-2050; a consequent increase of global mean temperature of 1.5-4.5{degree}C; an unequal global distribution of the temperature increase; a sea level rise of 0.3 to 0.5m by 2050. The impacts of possible climate change were assessed for the following: agriculture and forestry; natural terrestrial ecosystems; hydrology and water resources; human settlements including the energy, transport and industrial sectors; human health; air quality and changes in UV-B radiation; oceans and coastal zones; seasonal snow cover; ice and permafrost. Further action is recommended. 1015 refs., 34 figs., 26 tabs.
In 1990, 176 million tonnes (mt) of air-traffic fuel was burned, which produced about 550 mt CO{sub 2}, 220 mt water, 3.5 mt NO{sub x} amd 0.18 mt SO{sub 2}. NO{sub x} emissions from air traffic may, by increasing ozone concentrations, be responsible for about 8% of global greenhouse warming. In the stratosphere NO{sub x} from aircraft is partly responsible for ozone depletion. With present technology 500 aircraft in the stratosphere would cause global ozone losses of 20%. Water vapour added by aircraft also contributes to global warming. In the form of ice crystals between 8 to 13 km above sea level, it acts as cirrus clouds. Probably the least damaging cruising altitude for aircraft is 9 km above sea level. Fuel consumption by aircraft is increasing. Air pollution abatement measures include substituting hydrogen fuel for kerosene, developing engines that emit less NO{sub x} and the introduction of internationally negotiated taxes on kerosene. 30 refs.
This paper contains literature from American Power Conference Air Toxics Being Measured Accurately, Controlled Effectively NO{sub x} and SO{sub 2} Emissions Reduced; Surface Condensers Improve Heat Rate; Usable Fuel from Municipal Solid Waste; Cofiring Technology Reduces Gas Turbine Emissions; Trainable, Rugged Microsensor Identifies of Gases; High-Tc Superconductors Fabricated; High-Temperature Superconducting Current Leads; Vitrification of Low-Level Radioactive and Mixed Wastes; Characterization, Demolition, and Disposal of Contaminated Structures; On-Line Plant Diagnostics and Management; Sulfide Ceramic Materials for Improved Batteries; Flywheel Provides Efficient Energy Storage; Battery Systems for Electric Vehicles; Polymer-Electrolyte Fuel Cells for Transportation; Solid-Oxide Fuel Cells for Transportation; Surface Acoustic Wave Sensor Monitors Emissions in Real-Time; Advance Alternative-Fueled Automotive Technologies; Thermal & Mechanical Process; Flow-Induced Vibration ...
Southeastern Finland belongs to the area covered by the Weichselian ice sheet, where the release of the ice load caused a rapid isostatic rebound during the postglacial time. While the mean overall apparent uplift is of the order of 2 mm/yr today, in the early Holocene time it was several times higher. A marked decrease in the rebound rate occurred around 8500 BP, however, since then the uplift rate has remained high until today, with a slightly decreasing trend towards the present time. According to current understanding there have neither been temporary increases nor decreases in the rate of uplift during the postglacial time. Even so, it is not known for sure whether there are regional irregularities on the rebound in Finland. Concurrently with land uplift, relative sea-level changes in the Baltic basin were also strongly affected by the global eustatic rise of sea-level. During the early Litorina Sea stage on the southern coast of Finland ...
Satellite imagery is a cost-effective tool for creating and updating basemaps of coastal zones, especially where existing maps and aerial photographs are unavailable, are out-of-date, or provide limited information. Reliable maps of coastal zones are particularly important for oil spill modelling programs. Color IR (multispectral) images with 20m x 20m ground resolution and black & white (panchromatic) images with 10m x 10m ground resolution of many coastlines around the globe have been acquired from 1986 to present by SPOT Image Corporation. We have digitally merged same-day SPOT panchromatic and multispectral imagery to provide maximum spatial resolution and permit excellent color differentiation of coastal zone features. This combination adequately discriminates individual features, including pipelines, offshore platforms, storage tanks, jetties, and shoreline type. The SPOT images were interpreted within a workstation environment and the coastline ...
Technology developments in semiconductor fabrication along with a rapid expansion of the market for portable devices, such as PDAs and mobile phones, make the energy consumption of embedded systems a major problem. Indeed the need to provide an increasing number of computational intensive applications and at the same time to maximize the battery life of portable devices can be seen as incompatible trends. System simulation is a flexible and convenient method for analyzinging and exploring the performance of a system or sub-system. At the same time, the increasing use of computational intensive applications strengthens the need to maximize the battery life of portable devices. As a consequence, the simulation of embedded systems for energy consumption estimation is becoming essential in order to study and explore the influence of system design choices on the system energy consumption. The original publications presented in the second part of this thesis propose several frameworks for ...
The paleogeography postulated from the distribution of Permian and Triassic sedimentary rocks in the Middle East is shown and related to the paleostructure of the region. The Middle East region as defined here includes the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Iraq, SE Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, West Jordan, and the Sinai Peninsula. Within the limits of the area included in this study, a relatively stable pre-Late Triassic tectonic regime can be recognized and distinguished from a succession of diastrophic events of the Late Triassic epoch, which caused marked changes in the types and distribution of facies. Excluding NE Iran, the Middle East was stable from Late Cambrian to Middle Triassic times, as it formed a part of the Arabian Massif and much of the Middle East Platform, which is a broad shelf bordering the positive Afro-Arabian Massif to the NE and east. The sediments of this platform have undergone no strong deformation and have been subjected ...
A discussion covers the LOOP project to construct an offshore pipeline system, which will connect with onshore facilities at Fourchon, La., and two onshore pipelines (26 mi 48 in. Clovelly line and 53 mi 48 in. LOCAP line) connecting Fourchon with the existing Capline system at St. James, La.; the three-phase construction schedule, the first phase due to begin in the third quarter of 1978 with, e.g., onshore pipeline and salt dome storage facility construction which will yield an expected initial throughput of 1.4 million bbl/day; the marine terminal complex, consisting of control and pumping platforms, and three 7000 hp pumps to operate the system at 45,000-100,000 bbl/hr; the offshore lines, including lines between single-point mooring units and the pumping platform, the 21 mi 48 in. pipe to Fourchon, and corrosion protection of lines by an asphalt-sand mixture or a semiplasticized coal-tar enamel; the onshore system, including the Fourchon ...
We present and characterize an experimental system in which we achieve the integration of an ultrahigh finesse optical cavity with a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). The conceptually novel design of the apparatus for the production of BECs features nested vacuum chambers and an in vacuo magnetic transport configuration. It grants large scale spatial access to the BEC for samples and probes via a modular and exchangeable ''science platform.'' We are able to produce 87Rb condensates of 5x106 atoms and to output couple continuous atom lasers. The cavity is mounted on the science platform on top of a vibration isolation system. The optical cavity works in the strong coupling regime of cavity quantum electrodynamics and serves as a quantum optical detector for single atoms. This system enables us to study atom optics on a single particle level and to further develop the field of quantum atom optics. We describe the technological modules and the ...
The authors describe parts of three third-order depositional sequences and their associated system tracts within seismic-scale outcrops of the Lower-Middle Guadalupian Northwestern shelf-to-Delaware basin transition. These sequences are well exposed along a 20-km dip-oriented transect in the western Guadalupe Mountains, Texas and New Mexico. Systems tracts are defined on the basis of lithofacies distribution, stratal geometry, and bounding (stratal termination) surfaces. These Lower-Middle Guadalupian sequences record (1) carbonate platform retrogradation, basin margin erosion, and sediment starvation followed by platform aggradation and progradation (lower San Andres Formation-Cutoff Formation; transgressive and highstand systems tracts), (2) major basin infill by terrigenous clastics bypassed over the underlying lower San Andres highstand carbonate bank and development of a shelf-margin-restricted carbonate bank and coeval base-of-slope apron ...
The objectives of this study were to evaluate the performance of the NucliSens easyMAG platform for nucleic acid extraction from different clinical specimens compared to NucliSens miniMAG platform and manual QIAGEN extraction. The NucliSens easyMAG and the NucliSens miniMAG showed equal performance on 215 throat swabs since real-time nucleic acid sequence-based amplification scored the same samples positive for Mycoplasma pneumoniae (n=9) and Chlamydia pneumoniae (n=5) RNAs, although internal control RNA was slightly better detected with the NucliSens easyMAG (99.3% versus 96.8%). NucliSens easyMAG extracted nucleic acids more efficiently (higher recovery and/or fewer inhibitors) compared to QIAGEN extraction by showing, on average, lower Ct values in real-time LightCycler PCR, although 4 individual specimen out of 45 were found positive only with QIAGEN. For nine M. pneumoniae-positive throat swabs, the mean difference in Ct values between ...
In pursuing its mission of helping U.S. independent oil and gas producers make timely, informed technology decisions, the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council (PTTC) functions as a cohesive national organization that implements industry's directives through active regional programs. The role of the national headquarters (HQ) organization includes planning and managing the PTTC program, conducting nation-wide technology transfer activities, and implementing a comprehensive communications effort. PTTC relies on 10 Regional Lead Organizations (RLOs) as its main program delivery mechanism to industry. Through its regions, PTTC connects with independent oil and gas producers--through technology workshops, resources centers, websites, newsletters, and other outreach efforts. The organization effectively combines federal, state, and industry funding to achieve important goals for all of these sectors. This integrated funding base, combined ...
We consider a general, neutral, dynamical model of biodiversity. Individuals have i.i.d. lifetime durations, which are not necessarily exponentially distributed, and each individual gives birth independently at constant rate \\lambda. We assume that types are clonally inherited. We consider two classes of speciation models in this setting. In the immigration model, new individuals of an entirely new species singly enter the population at constant rate \\mu (e.g., from the mainland into the island). In the mutation model, each individual independently experiences point mutations in its germ line, at constant rate \\theta. We are interested in the species abundance distribution, i.e., in the numbers, denoted I_n(k) in the immigration model and A_n(k) in the mutation model, of species represented by k individuals, k=1,2,...,n, when there are n individuals in the total population. In the immigration model, we prove that the numbers (I_t(k);k\\ge 1) ...
Independent power producers (IPPs) have had open access to existing power systems ever since the electric power industry was restructured and deregulated. IPPs are small-scale, distributed, and independently operated. Introducing an IPP to the power system can be beneficial to the existing power system because it can increase the security margin or reduce production cost and environmental pollution. The disadvantage is that some IPPs are not subject to dispatch control, consequently, they may reduce the network security. Often IPPs use co-generation, small-scale hydro, even fuel cells or other types of renewable energy sources. An evaluation of IPPs impact on an existing utility power system was determined in a modified IEEE 14 bus system. The total generating cost, environmental impact, transmission line margin, voltage profile, network congestion, security and other power quality measures were evaluated. It was concluded that on balance, an ...
We suggest and describe the use of a binary pseudo-random (BPR) grating as a standard test surface for measurement of the modulation transfer function (MTF) of interferometric microscopes. Knowledge of the MTF of a microscope is absolutely necessary to convert the measured height distribution of a surface undergoing metrology into an accurate power spectral density (PSD) distribution. For an'ideal' microscope with an MTF function independent of spatial frequency out to the Nyquist frequency of the detector array with zero response at higher spatial frequencies, a BPR grating would produce a flat 1D PSD spectrum, independent of spatial frequency. For a'real' instrument, the MTF is found as the square root of the ratio of the PSD spectrum measured with the BPR grating to the'ideal,' spatial frequency independent, PSD spectrum. We present the results from a measurement of the MTF ...
Using a noneikonal expression for the two-body scattering amplitude, consistent with the proton-nucleon scattering data, the cross-section of the 1.04 GeV-proton elastic scattering on {sup 40}Ca is calculated by the Glauber-Sitenko theoretical scheme in the framework of the coherent density fluctuation model (CDFM) as well as of the independent-particle model (IPM). It is shown that the use of the noneikonal amplitude in the CDFM calculations improves the agreement with the experimental data especially at larger scattering angles in contrast to the case of the independent-particle model. To that end a decisive role play the zero-motion flucton correlations taken into account in the CDFM. (orig.).
Using a noneikonal expression for the two-body scattering amplitude, consistent with the proton-nucleon scattering data, the cross-section of the 1.04 GeV-proton elastic scattering on "4"0Ca is calculated by the Glauber-Sitenko theoretical scheme in the framework of the coherent density fluctuation model (CDFM) as well as of the independent-particle model (IPM). It is shown that the use of the noneikonal amplitude in the CDFM calculations improves the agreement with the experimental data especially at larger scattering angles in contrast to the case of the independent-particle model. To that end a decisive role play the zero-motion flucton correlations taken into account in the CDFM. (orig.).
In a forthcoming paper we describe a new approach to rapidity gap survival (RGS) in the production of high-mass systems (H = dijet, Higgs, etc.) in exclusive double-gap diffractive pp scattering, pp -> p + H + p. It is based on the idea that hard and soft interactions are approximately independent (QCD factorization), and allows us to calculate the RGS probability in a model-independent way in terms of the gluon generalized parton distributions (GPDs) in the colliding protons and the pp elastic scattering amplitude. Here we focus on the transverse momentum dependence of the cross section. By measuring the ''diffraction pattern'', one can perform detailed tests of the interplay of hard and soft interactions, and even extract information about the gluon GPD in the proton from the data.
Background.There are no suitably powered epidemiological studies of `transient azotaemia' (TA). The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiology of TA and its independent association with hospital mortality. We hypothesized that TA would be associated with an independent increase in the risk of death. Methods.We retrospectively studied all patients admitted to a university-affiliated hospital in Australia between January 2000 and December 2002. Patients were excluded if they were <15 years old, were on chronic dialysis, had kidney transplant or if their length of hospital stay was <24 hours. We defined TA as rapidly recovering acute kidney injury (AKI) (return to no-AKI risk, injury, failure, loss, end stage (RIFLE) class within 72 hours of onset). We performed descriptive and ...
The penetrance of Lebers hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) in families with primary mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations is very complex. Matrilineal and nuclear genetic background, as well as environmental factors, have been reported to be involved in different affected pedigrees. Here we describe two large Chinese families that show a striking difference in the penetrance of LHON, in which 53.3% and 15.0% of members were affected (Pin vivo mitochondrial oxidative metabolism as described in a previous study. Evolutionary analysis failed to indicate any putatively pathogenic mutation that cosegregated with G11778A in these two pedigrees. Our results suggest that the variable penetrance of LHON in the two Chinese families is independent of both their mtDNA haplotype background and a seconda...
In this work, we address the problem of road interpretation for driver assistance based on an early cognitive vision system. The structure of a road and the relevant traf?c are interpreted in terms of ego-motion estimation of the car, independently moving objects on the road, lane markers and large scale maps of the road. We make use of temporal and spatial disambiguation mechanisms to increase the reliability of visually extracted 2D and 3D information. This information is then used to interpret the layout of the road by using lane markers that are detected via Bayesian reasoning. We also estimate the ego-motion of the car which is used to create large scale maps of the road and also to detect independently moving objects. Sample results for the presented algorithms are shown on a stereo image sequence, that has been collected from a structured road.
We use the semi-classical approximation in perturbative scalar quantum electrodynamics to calculate the quantum correction to the Larmor radiation formula to first order in Planck's constant in the non-relativistic approximation, choosing the initial state of the charged particle to be a momentum eigenstate. We calculate this correction in two cases: in the first case the charged particle is accelerated by a time-dependent but space-independent vector potential whereas in the second case it is accelerated by a time-independent vector potential which is a function of one spatial coordinate. We find that the corrections in these two cases are different even for a charged particle with the same classical motion. The correction in each case turns out to be non-local in time in contrast to the classical approximation.
A new controlled-clearance pressure balance is under development with the aim of improving the hydraulic high-pressure standard up to 1 GPa. This pressure balance consists of three parts: (i) a pressure generation device up to 1 GPa, (ii) a weight-loading unit which can load/unload weights automatically and independently, (iii) a controlled-clearance piston-cylinder which is designed to allow the jacket pressure to be applied independently. Some adjustments were made for loading heavy weights on/off the piston safely, keeping them in balance, then generating the pressure stably. Stability of the generated pressure was checked for several piston-cylinders, and it was found that pressure fluctuation was less than a few parts per million. The jacket pressure coefficient of a 500 MPa controlled-clearance piston-cylinder was precisely evaluated as a function of both the system pressure and the jacket pressure.
A central composite design was employed to optimize the extraction of pectin with citric acid. The independent variables were citric acid concentration (0.086-2.91% w/v) and extraction time (17-102min). The combined effect of these variables on the degree of esterification was investigated. Results have shown that the generated regression models adequately explained the data variation and significantly represented the actual relationship between the independent variables and the responses. Besides that, the citric acid concentration was the most important factor to affect the degree of esterification, as it exerted a significant influence on the dependent variable. Lower citric acid concentration increased the pectin degree of esterification. The surface response showed the relationships b...
Background:- Children with oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder (ODD/CD) have shown deficits in -cool- abstract-cognitive, and -hot- reward-related executive function (EF) tasks. However, it is currently unclear to what extent ODD/CD is associated with neuropsychological deficits, independently of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods:- Fifty-nine adolescents with a history of early-onset oppositional problems, 28 with pure ODD/CD symptoms and 31 with ADHD with or without ODD/CD, and 34 healthy controls were administered a task battery measuring motor response inhibition, sustained attention, cognitive flexibility and reward-related decision-making. Findings were analysed using dimensional and group analyses. Results:- In group analyses both groups with and wit...
Independent component analysis (ICA), an efficient higher order statistics (HOS) based blind source separation technique, has been successfully applied in various fields. In this paper, we provide an overview of the applications of ICA in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication systems, and introduce some of the important issues surrounding them. First, we present an ICA based blind equalization scheme for MIMO orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems, with linear precoding for ambiguity elimination. Second, we discuss three peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) reduction schemes, which do not introduce any spectral overhead. Third, we investigate the application of ICA to blind compensation for inphase/quadrature (I/Q) imbalance in MIMO OFDM systems. Fin...
Abstract Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a highly prevalent condition, is independently associated with increased risks of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and metabolic syndrome. It is unclear, however, if the severity of OSA has any impact on glycemic control among patients with T2D. We therefore aimed to determine the independent association between OSA severity and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in patients with T2D. Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study of 52 consecutive patients attending the diabetes obesity clinic between January 2008 to February 2010 with risk factors for sleep apnea and who underwent polysomnography study. Clinical, demographic, and lifestyle data were recorded using a questionnaire. Results: Prevalence of OSA in this clini...
The chemostat theory on two species competition has shown that the dilution rate where transition of dominance occurs - transition-dilution rate - is independent of limiting-nutrient concentration. However, we obtained the experimental data indicating that the transition-dilution rate changed with variations in limiting-ammonium concentrations, using the chemostat mixed-culture of the cyanobacterium Microcystis novacekii and the green alga Scenedesmus quadricauda. The transition-dilution rate was dependent on the concentration of limiting ammonium in the influx culture medium. We tried to simulate the experimental results. Though the dilution rate has been considered independent of nutrient concentration, we introduce the effective dilution rate that depends on nutrient concentration (ammo...
To test whether the dose addition and independent action models can predict the combined toxicity of the mixtures of phenol and aniline derivatives, six phenolic and two aniline derivatives were selected as the test components. The inhibition toxicity of the derivatives and their mixtures to Vibrio qinghaiensis sp.-Q67 indicated that all dose?response relationships could be effectively described by the Weibull function with correlation coefficients greater than 0.99. The combined toxicity of two equivalent-effect concentration ratio mixtures and eight uniform design concentration ratio mixtures could be predicted successfully by the dose addition model within 95% confidence intervals. However, it was also well predicted by the independent action model, especially at lower concentrations.
Although computer simulation has played a central role in the study of nucleation and growth since the earliest molecular dynamics simulations almost 50 years ago, confusion surrounding the effect of finite size on such simulations have limited their applicability. Modeling solidification in molten tantalum on the BlueGene/L computer, we report here on the first atomistic simulation of solidification that verifies independence from finite size effects during the entire nucleation and growth process, up to the onset of coarsening. We show that finite size scaling theory explains the observed maximal grain sizes for systems up to about 8,000,000 atoms. For larger simulations, a cross-over from finite size scaling to more physical size-independent behavior is observed.
A model is presented for describing the Amputee Independent Prosthesis Properties (AIPP) of complete assemblies of trans-tibial prosthetic components distal to the socket. This new AIPP model includes features of both lumped parameter and roll-over models and describes prosthesis properties that are of importance in stance phase, including prosthetic foot geometry, normal stiffness, shear stiffness, and damping (energy dissipation). Methods are described for measuring the parameters of the AIPP model using a custom test-rig, commercial load-cell, and a motion capture system. Example data are presented for five pylon angles reflecting the shank angles seen in normal gait. Through the inclusion of measured AIPP in future in-vivo studies comparing different prostheses more generic information, as opposed to product specific claims, will become more widely available to inform future designs, prescription, and alignment procedures. PMID:21831379
This paper focuses on a factorial-based design strategy. The approach provides an efficient and statistically reliable means for assessing the influence of multivariable effects. It is applied to the detection and evaluation of damage in impacted composite sandwich panels. The experimental results obtained from this test strategy are utilized to form an empirical response function. The resulting polynomial relates damage area to residual compression strength at values of independent variables for which testing did not occur. The response function also identifies nonlinear interaction effects of key variabes that cannot be easily ascertained by traditional single-variable test strategies. Independent variables evaluated include core thickness, number of face sheet plys and impact energy. The methodology presented allows the designer to predict with more confidence the damage tolerance of a composite material component, and the analyst to more ...
Experiments based on a 23 central composite full factorial design were carried out in 200-ml stainless-steel containers to study the pretreatment, with dilute sulfuric acid, of a sugarcane bagasse sample obtained from a local sugar?alcohol mill. The independent variables selected for study were temperature, varied from 112.5?C to 157.5?C, residence time, varied from 5.0 to 35.0 min, and sulfuric acid concentration, varied from 0.0% to 3.0% (w/v). Bagasse loading of 15% (w/w) was used in all experiments. Statistical analysis of the experimental results showed that all three independent variables significantly influenced the response variables, namely the bagasse solubilization, efficiency of xylose recovery in the hemicellulosic hydrolysate, efficiency of cellulose enzymatic saccharificatio...
This document is a reference guide to the Xyce Parallel Electronic Simulator, and is a companion document to the Xyce Users Guide. The focus of this document is (to the extent possible) exhaustively list device parameters, solver options, parser options, and other usage details of Xyce. This document is not intended to be a tutorial. Users who are new to circuit simulation are better served by the Xyce Users Guide. The Xyce Parallel Electronic Simulator has been written to support, in a rigorous manner, the simulation needs of the Sandia National Laboratories electrical designers. It is targeted specifically to run on large-scale parallel computing platforms but also runs well on a variety of architectures including single processor workstations. It also aims to support a variety of devices and models specific to Sandia needs. This document is intended to complement the Xyce Users Guide. It contains comprehensive, detailed information about a number of topics ...
This report summarizes the findings of a five-month LDRD project funded through Sandia's NTM Investment Area. The project was aimed at providing the foundation for the development of advanced functional materials through the application of ultrathin coatings of microporous or mesoporous materials onto the surface of substrates such as silicon wafers. Prior art teaches that layers of microporous materials such as zeolites may be applied as, e.g., sensor platforms or gas separation membranes. These layers, however, are typically several microns to several hundred microns thick. For many potential applications, vast improvements in the response of a device could be realized if the thickness of the porous layer were reduced to tens of nanometers. However, a basic understanding of how to synthesize or fabricate such ultra-thin layers is lacking. This report describes traditional and novel approaches to the growth of layers of microporous materials on silicon wafers. The ...
In the Western Canada Basin, Triassic sedimentary rocks were deposited as a northeasterly-tapering wedge of sediment on the Triassic cratonic Interior Platform and adjacent miogeoclinal areas and occurring within the present day Interior Plains and Rocky Mountain Foothills and Front Ranges of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. Continued drilling activity and recent significant discoveries such as the Spirit River, Brassey, Ring-Pedigree ('Border'), Sukunka, Bullmoose West fields, and new unnamed fields in the Brazion-Monkman area, confirm the petroleum potential of Triassic rocks in this basin. A bibliography of 382 publications and a short test that summarizes the regional setting, stratigraphy and petroleum geology of these Triassic rocks, are provided. This paper is designed to help explorationists or geological researchers become more familiar with Western Canada Basin Triassic rocks and relevant literature. The ...
Beyond a great number of applications in mineral process, the hydrocyclone separation has been used recently in an increasing number of fields, such as: environmental engineering, petrochemical engineering, food engineering, electrochemical engineering, pulp bioengineering, processes and paper industries, among others. Nowadays, the produced water is treated and then reinjected in the surface and also in return to the formation. In the offshore platforms, the produced water can be directly discarded in the ocean, since the dispersed phase concentration (oil) is according to Brazilian regulating agency limits. The basic principle used in hydrocyclone separation is the centrifugal sedimentation machine: the suspended particles are submitted to centrifugal acceleration, which separates them from the fluid. The basic geometry of a hydrocyclone consists of four parts: a cylindrical section for feeding, a conical section for swirling, an overflow and an under flow. The ...
Discussed in this report is a wavefield simulation in the 3-dimensional seismic survey. With the level of the object of exploration growing deeper and the object more complicated in structure, the survey method is now turning 3-dimensional. There are several modelling methods for numerical calculation of 3-dimensional wavefields, such as the difference method, pseudospectral method, and the like, all of which demand an exorbitantly large memory and long calculation time, and are costly. Such methods have of late become feasible, however, thanks to the advent of the parallel computer. As compared with the difference method, the pseudospectral method requires a smaller computer memory and shorter computation time, and is more flexible in accepting models. It outputs the result in fullwave just like the difference method, and does not cause wavefield numerical variance. As the computation platform, the parallel computer nCUBE-2S is used. The object domain is divided ...
An ASTER (advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer) is one of the image sensors. It is to be installed in an earth survey polar orbit platform satellite, EOS-AM1, which is to be launched in 1998, and it is going to start its operation. Data observed by the thermal infrared remote sensing of ASTER include the spectral emissivity, and the spectral emission reflectivity which is expressed by the function of temperature. It is required to overcome technical problems how to extract the spectral emissivity from the observed data. The spectral emissivity extracted from the remote sensing data by the MMD method, measured for samples collected in Cuprite area, Nevada, and/or measured at sampled points were compared to each other and discussed. The hemisphere spectral reflectivity, which is indirect spectral emissivity, agreed well with the direct spectral emissivity. Data suggesting the establishment of Kirchhoff`s law were obtained even for the ...
Today electric power steering systems are regularly considered by the car manufacturers as an alternative to a conventional hydraulic power steering system in the development of new vehicle platforms. Simplified vehicle assembly and the potential to contribute to the reduction of the vehicle's energy consumption are the main motivation for this. The performance of the systems available at present with 13.5 V supply voltage will be improved even more as soon as the future 42 V vehicle electrical systems are available. Like most active chassis systems, electric power steering has to meet the highest safety requirements imaginable. This article summarizes the safety philosophy of the TRW rack drive Electric Power Steering system. (orig.) [German] Elektromechanische Servolenkungen werden heute bei der Entwicklung neuer Fahrzeuge als Alternative zur konventionellen hydraulischen Servolenkung in Betracht gezogen. Die vereinfachte Fahrzeugmontage und das ...
The Argonne Boundary Layer Experiments (ABLE) facility, located in south central Kansas, east of Wichita, is devoted primarily to investigations of and within the planetary boundary layer (PBL), including the dynamics of the mixed layer during both day and night; effects of varying land use and land form; the interactive role of precipitation, runoff, and soil moisture; storm development; and energy budgets on scales of 10 to 100 km. Located entirely within the Walnut River watershed, ABLE provides intense measurements within the northeast quadrant (Fig. 1) of the Southern Great Plains (SGP) Cloud and Radiation Testbed (CART) of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program (Stokes and Schwarz, 1994). By combining the continuous measurements of ABLE with ancillary continuous measurements of, for example, the ARM and the Global Energy Water cycle Experiment (GEWEX) (Kinster and Shukla, 1990) programs, ABLE provides a platform within which shorter, more ...
Because of the equivalence principle, a global measurement is necessary to distinguish gravity from acceleration of the reference frame. A gravity gradiometer is therefore an essential instrument needed for precision tests of gravity laws and for applications in gravity survey and inertial navigation. Superconductivity and SQUID (superconducting quantum interference device) technology can be used to obtain a gravity gradiometer with very high sensitivity and stability. A superconducting gravity gradiometer has been developed for a null test of the gravitational inverse-square law and space-borne geodesy. Here we present a complete theoretical model of this instrument. Starting from dynamical equations for the device, we derive transfer functions, a common mode rejection characteristic, and an error model of the superconducting instrument. Since a gradiometer must detect a very weak differential gravity signal in the midst of large platform accelerations and other ...
This work describes the theoretical basis for a new concept rotating magnetic tensor gradiometer. The rotating gradiometer consists of an approximately axial or transverse gradiometer which is made to rotate about a perpendicular axis so that the direction of sensitivity is continually changing. It is demonstrated for the first time that the rotation separates gradient components of progressively higher-order in the frequency domain and enables absolute-value measurements of all components of the first-order magnetic gradient tensor, even if the magnetic sensors comprising the gradiometer are intrinsically incapable of absolute-value detection. In addition, the rotating gradiometer concept has a number of other advantages: the gradiometer imbalance is no longer directly determined by the engineering precision, the DC and low-frequency performance of the instrument is not limited by the performance of the detectors in these respects, rotation at frequencies above the 1/f noise corner of ...
The Green River Basin is a northwest-southeast elongate structural feature located in southwestern Wyoming. Bounded by three basement uplifts, this complex mountain front basin possesses tremendous gas reserves. Production has been limited to a few structures, such as the Pinedale Anticline, because of the great depth of the basin. The Pinedale Anticline is an elongate structure that parallels the front of the Wind River Thrust. Earlier research has suggested that the anticline is not related to basement, but rather is associated with a foreland detachment structure. A new, high-resolution aeromagnetic survey has been modelled in detail and the results indicate that the Pinedale Anticline may actually be a basement related structure. Profile modelling normal to the anticline from the LaBarge Platform to the Wind River Mountains suggests that not only is Pinedale Field situated on a possible basement structure, but also that additional, heretofore unknown analogous ...
With the practice of 10 years safe operation, Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station has established and continuously improved the management system for radiation protection and optimization (ALARA) which contains 3 basic requirements: all workers are trained, all employees are engaged in totally, and work management is implemented for the whole process. At the same time, strong efforts have been made to build the 'infrastructure' as a platform for its effective operation. This article introduces the contents and characteristics of the system and basic experiences of its effective implementation. In order to implement the management system effectively, it is necessary for NPPs to strengthen the responsibility system for radiation protection and the leading role of the radiation protection personnel, especially the role of technical support and supervision during the work with high radiation risk, emphasize the organic combination and actively mutual action with the safe ...
ITN Energy Systems is developing next-generation solar cells based on the concepts of an optical rectenna. ITN's optical rectenna consists of two key elements: (1) an optical antenna to efficiently absorb the incident solar radiation, and (2) a high-frequency metal-insulator-metal (MIM) tunneling diode that rectifies the AC field across the antenna, providing DC power to an external load. The combination of a rectifying diode at the feedpoints of a receiving antenna is often referred to as a rectenna. Rectennas were originally proposed in the 1960s for power transmission by radio waves for remote powering of aircraft for surveillance or communications platforms. Conversion efficiencies greater than 85% have been demonstrated at radio frequencies (efficiency defined as DC power generated divided by RF power incident on the device). Later, concepts were proposed to extend the rectennas into the IR and optical region of the electromagnetic spectrum for use as ...
Slowly, scientists come to realize that there are huge quantities of natural methan hydrates and their interest is awakened. Important questions in this connection are their possible use as future energy sources, the consequences of using methan hydrates on the climate, their integration into the carbon cycle, the cementation of the continental slopes by gas hydrates and their stability and their role in some geological-biological-geochemical processes, especially in the marine area. Towards the end of the 20th century, the basic problems and applied problem scenarios, e.g. the foundation of production platforms dor petroleum and natural gas in gas-hydrate-containing sediments, was the reason for Japan, Canada, USA, China, Germany and India to install national research programmes of various sorts in order to deal with the problems of gas hydrates. Also international programmes like the INTEGRATED OCEAN DRILLING PROGRAM (IODP) and the INTERNATIONAL CONTINENTAL ...
This paper describes the development of a computational multiphase fluid dynamics (CMFD) model of the Fischer Tropsch (FT) process in a Slurry Bubble Column Reactor (SBCR). The CMFD model is fundamentally based which allows it to be applied to different industrial processes and reactor geometries. The NPHASE CMFD solver [1] is used as the robust computational platform. Results from the CMFD model include gas distribution, species concentration profiles, and local temperatures within the SBCR. This type of model can provide valuable information for process design, operations and troubleshooting of FT plants. An ensemble-averaged, turbulent, multi-fluid solution algorithm for the multiphase, reacting flow with heat transfer was employed. Mechanistic models applicable to churn turbulent flow have been developed to provide a fundamentally based closure set for the equations. In this four-field model formulation, two of the fields are used to track the gas phase (i.e., ...
The report outlines the role of the IEA Greenhouse Gas R and D Programme, gives details of participants and of publications and summarises achievements of 1998. A successful conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies was held in Interlaken, Switzerland. Technical studies reported include novel power generation concepts for removing carbon dioxide prior to or after combustion, using seawater for CO{sub 2} capture, investigating carbon dioxide sequestration in conjunction with enhanced coalbed methane recovery and applying retrofitting to power plants and to offshore oil and gas platforms. Systems studies taking a broader view include investigating the potential for combined energy systems (power generation with district heating, power with district cooling etc.) to reduce CO{sub 2} abatement cost, studies on the LNG/power generation fuel cycle, assessing the potential of methanol as an energy carrier investigating methods of making natural gas usable by the ...
A "hemispheres-in-cell" geometry is provided for prediction of colloid retention during transport in porous media. This new geometry preserves the utilities provided in the Happel sphere-in-cell geometry; namely, the ability to predict deposition for a range of porosities, and representation of the influence of neighboring collectors on the fluid flow field. The new geometry, which includes grain to grain contact, is justified by the eventual goal of predicting colloid deposition in the presence of energy barriers, which has been shown in previous literature to involve deposition within grain to grain contacts for colloid:collector ratios greater than approximately 0.005. In order to serve as a platform for predicting deposition in the presence of energy barriers, the model must be shown capable of quantitatively predicting deposition in the absence of energy barriers, which is a requirement that was not met by previous grain to grain contact geometries. This paper ...
Oil and gas resources in the offshore areas of the US constitute a significant portion of US recoverable hydrocarbon resources. The exploration, development and production of these offshore resources in California, however, could have significant air quality implications for coastal air basins. This study was developed to address a problem that frequently arises with offshore air quality assessments. Typically, such assessments are performed for a specific activity scenario (e.g., a Federal OCS Lease Sale involving a projected number of drilling rigs, platforms, pipelines, etc.) and assume a projected (but uncertain) level of recoverable oil and gas resources. This study enables interested parties to estimate air emissions and impacts for a wide range of OCS-related development scenarios. The modular emission calculation procedure and the generic impact assessment provide for maximum flexibility in reassessing the emissions and impacts should changes in production ...
Measuring gene expression using microarrays is relevant to many areas of biology and medicine, such as follow up of developmental stages and diseases onset, and treatment study. Since there can be tens of thousands of distinct probes on an array, each micro array experiment can accomplish the equivalent number of genetic tests in parallel. Arrays have therefore dramatically accelerated many types of investigations. For example, microarrays can be used to identify stress response genes by comparing gene expression in challenged versus normal cells. In the Molecular and Cellular Biology lab (MCB), the micro array experiments are performed within the Genomic Platform, fully equipped to analyse either the behaviour of bacteria during long space flight, the effect of low dose ionising radiation on the developing organism in mice, or the human individual radiation sensitivity. For the low dose effect, two main stages of development are of interest; 1) the gastrula stage ...
Acanthamoeba castellanii is a free-living amoeba found in soil, freshwater, and marine environments and an important predator of bacteria. Acanthamoeba castellanii is also an opportunistic pathogen of clinical interest, responsible for several distinct diseases in humans. In order to provide a genomic platform for the study of this ubiquitous and important protist, we generated a sequence survey of approximately 0.5 x coverage of the genome. The data predict that A. castellanii exhibits a greater biosynthetic capacity than the free-living Dictyostelium discoideum and the parasite Entamoeba histolytica, providing an explanation for the ability of A. castellanii to inhabit adversity of environments. Alginate lyase may provide access to bacteria within biofilms by breaking down the biofilm matrix, and polyhydroxybutyrate depolymerase may facilitate utilization of the bacterial storage compound polyhydroxybutyrate as a food source. Enzymes for the synthesis and ...
This Health and Safety (HSE) document offers technical information on the design of foundations for supports in offshore installations, and relates particularly to the North Sea. It is based largely on guidance offered earlier in Section 20 of the Fourth Edition of the Health and Safety Executive's 'Offshore Installations; Guidance on Design, Construction and Certification', which was withdrawn in 1998. The document contains a general section on foundations and the rest of the document comprises sections on: (a) piled foundations (planning, problems, pile make-up, steel stresses, design of pile foundations, axial pile capacity, factors of safety for piled foundations, load-deflection of piles, and piles for tethered buoyant structures); (b) foundations for gravity structures (foundation types, loads and reactions during installation, operating loads and reactions, foundation problems, cyclic load failure, factors of safety, foundation response and performance ...
Solar High Altitude Powered Platform (Solar HAPP) aircraft are unmanned remote sensing vehicles designed for cruises lasting up to one year at 20-km altitude, while carrying up to 250 pounds of cameras and electrooptic sensors in an underslung payload pod. It is anticipated that real time IR and UV images of earth features may be more inexpensively and accurately obtained by this means than by the conventional geosynchronous earth resources satellites. Solar HAPPs, with wing spans of over 300 ft and weights of only 2000 lb, require ultralight composite structures with external wire bracing. Solar cells will cover both sides of the vertical wing stabilizers and wing tips, which hinge up in daytime to capture the maximum amount of sunlight. A 15-hp electric propulsion unit drives a low-rpm, large diameter propeller; power will be derived from the solar cells diurnally, and from hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells nocturnally. The fuel gases will be generated in a water ...
An unmanned aerial vehicle called RAVEN, said to be capable of remote tracking of onshore and offshore oil and gas facilities, has been developed by a group of graduate students from Memorial University of Newfoundland. RAVEN is claimed to be capable of performing a number of tasks under its own control without the need for human intervention, including checking onshore pipelines for damage, or scouting the path of hazardous icebergs offshore. The RAVEN was created to meet the need for real time iceberg tracking and early hazard detection, supplementing or replacing the present method of RADARSAT images and tracking by manned aircraft. The RAVEN can be launched from any platform; it can fly under conditions that would be too dangerous for a manned aircraft. Currently in the prototype stage, the first trial flight for the RAVEN is expected to take place in September 2002. The first flight will consist of five GPS waypoints set relatively close together in a pattern ...
The purpose of this study was to prepare recombinant human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) collagen sponges for topical applications and investigate the effects of different types of crosslinked collagen sponges as platforms for the controlled release of rhEGF. The microstructure and the drug release rates of collagen sponges were modified through treatment with different types (glutaraldehyde (GTA), genipin and 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC)), different concentrations of crosslinking agents and various preparation conditions. A controlled release profile was observed for the crosslinked collagen sponges as compared to the non-crosslinked ones. The results indicated that the GTA crosslinked sponges have the most potent controlling effect. As the amount of GTA increased, a greater rigidity of the collagen sponge structure combined with a lower hydrophilicity was observed, leading to a decreased drug release rate and an increased water uptake. ...
This research report discusses the radiation hardening of a commercially available mobile robot, the REMOTEC ANDROS. This hardening effort is culminating in the availability of a megarad hardened mobile platform to access areas in nuclear facilities with extremely high levels of radiation (0.1 to 1 Mrad). These radiation levels may be encountered both during routine repair and monitoring activities and accident situations. The project has completed a phase-I U.S. Department of Energy Small Business Innovative Research contract and is now in a phase-II effort with completion scheduled in early 1995. The research involves the evaluation of the material and electrical components of an ANDROS robot to determine the anticipated radiation hardness of the current production version and evaluation of the components that must be replaced or modified to harden the system to higher radiation levels. The work being reported is based on an evaluation of the complete list of all ...
The functioning of even a simple system is much more complicated than the sum of its genes, proteins and metabolites. A premise of systems biology is that molecular profiling will lead to the discovery and characterization of important disease pathways. However, as multiple levels of effector pathway regulation appear to be the norm rather than the exception, a significant challenge presented by high-throughput genomics and proteomics technologies is to extract the biological implications of complex data. Thus, integration of heterogeneous types of data generated from diverse global technology platforms represents the first challenge in developing the necessary foundational databases needed for predictive modeling of cell and tissue responses. Given the apparent difficulty in defining the correspondence between gene expression and protein abundance measured in several systems to date, how do we make sense of these data and design the next experiment? In this ...
Embedded systems have become integral parts of a diverse range of systems from automobiles to critical infrastructure applications such as gas and electric power distribution. Unfortunately, research on computer security in general and intrusion detection in particular, has not kept pace. Furthermore, embedded systems, by their very nature, are application specific and therefore frameworks for developing application-specific intrusion detection systems for distributed embedded systems must be researched, designed, and implemented. In this paper, we present a configurable middleware-based intrusion detection framework. In particular, this paper presents a system model and a concrete implementation of a highly configurable intrusion detection framework that is integrated into MicroQoSCORBA, a highly configurable middleware framework developed for embedded systems. By exploiting the application-specific logic available to a middleware framework (e.g., object interfaces and method ...
An aerial radiological survey was performed from 11 to 20 March 1982 over a 260-square-kilometer area centered on the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station at Port Gibson, Mississippi (the station was not yet in operation at the time of the survey). All gamma ray data were collected by flying east-west lines spaced 152 meters apart at an altitude 91 meters above ground level. Processed data showed that all gamma rays detected within the survey area were those expected from naturally occurring terrestrial background emitters. Count rates obtained from the aerial platform were converted to exposure rates at 1 meter above the ground and are presented in the form of an isoradiation contour map. The observed exposure rates were between 5 and 13 microroentgens per hour (#mu#R/h), with most of the area ranging from 9 to 10 #mu#R/h. These values include an estimated cosmic ray contribution of 3.6 #mu#R/h. The exposure rate obtained from soil samples and ionization chamber ...
A simple one-step method to fabricate hierarchically porous TiO2/Pd composite hollow spheres without any template was developed by using solvothermal treatment. Pd nanoparticles (2-5 nm) were well dispersed in the mesopores of the TiO2 hollow spheres via in-situ reduction. In our experiment, polyvinylpyrrolidone played an important role in the synthetic process as the reducing agent and the connective material between TiO2 and Pd nanoparticles. HF species generated from solvothermal reaction leaded to the formation of TiO2 hollow spheres and Ostwald ripening was another main factor that affected the size and structure of the hollow spheres. The as-prepared TiO2/Pd composite hollow spheres exhibited high electrocatalytic activity towards the reduction of H2O2. The sensitivity was about 226.72 ?A mM-1 cm-2 with a detection limit of 3.81 ?M at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. These results made the hierarchically porous TiO2/Pd composite a promising platform for ...
At the inauguration of the new CMS visitor centre. The CMS experiment inaugurated a new visitor centre at its Cessy site on 14 June. This will allow the thousands of people who come to CERN each year to follow the construction of one the Laboratory's flagship experiments first-hand. CERN receives over 20,000 visitors each year. Until recently, many of them were taken on a guided tour of one of the LEP experiments. With the closure of LEP, however, trips underground are no longer possible, and the Visits' Service has put in place a number of other itineraries (Bulletin 46/2000). Since the CMS detector will be almost entirely constructed in a surface hall, it is now taking a big share of the limelight. The CMS visitor centre has been built on a platform overlooking CMS construction. It contains a set of clear descriptive posters describing the experiment, along with a video projection showing animations and movies about CMS construction. In the coming weeks, a ...
We report a user study of over four months on the non-voice usage of mobile phones by teens from an underserved urban community in the USA where a community-wide, open-access Wi-Fi network exists. We instrumented the phones to record quantitative information regarding their usage and location in a privacy-respecting manner. We conducted focus group meetings and interviewed participants regularly for qualitative data. We present our findings on what applications our participants used and how their usage changed over time. The findings highlight the challenges to evaluating the usability of mobile systems and the value of long-term methodologies. Based on our findings, we analyze the unique values of mobile phones, as a platform technology. Our study shows that the usage is highly mobile, location-dependent, and serves multiple social purposes for the participants. Furthermore, we present concrete findings on how to perform and analyze similar user studies on mobile ...
The Convective and Orographically-induced Precipitation Study (COPS) has the aim to advance the quality of forecasts of orographically-induced precipitation in complex terrain. COPS is a Research and Development Project of the World Weather Research Program and considered to be one of the largest field campaigns on quantitative precipitation forecasting that has been performed so far. A network of state-of-the-art active and passive remote sensing systems was combined with in total 10 airborne platforms, Meteosat rapid scans and dense networks of standard meteorological instruments during the three months long field phase (June-August, 2007) in south-western Germany/eastern France to observe atmospheric variables in the three spatial dimensions and in time. By the University of Hohenheim, two novel ground-based mobile scanning lidar systems were deployed: a scanning rotational Raman lidar which provides combined measurements of the field of atmospheric temperature ...
Producing nuclear energy in order to reduce anthropic CO{sub 2} emission and to meet high energy demand, implies three conditions to the nuclear plants of the IV. generation: safety improvements, radioactive waste minimization, and fuel breeding for a sustainable use of the resources. The Thorium fuel cycle used in Molten Salt Reactors seems promising. Many numerical studies based on probabilistic codes are carried out in order to analyse the behaviour of such reactors. Nevertheless, one of the most important parameters is badly known: the alpha ratio of {sup 233}U, ratio of the neutron capture cross section to fission one for {sup 233}U. This key-parameter is necessary to calculate the breeding ratio and thus, the deployment capacities of those reactors. This Ph-D thesis was intended to prepare a precise measurement of the alpha ratio of {sup 233}U between 1 eV and 10 keV. Preliminary measurements have been performed on the experimental platform PEREN. This ...
Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose, which causes liver injury in animals and humans, activates c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Although it was shown that the JNK inhibitor SP600125 effectively reduced...Full Text Available
A Bianchi type-IX cosmological model has been found as a solution of Einstien's vacuum field equations with a cosmological constant. The solution represents a rotating generalziation fo the de Sitter universe. This universe shows a transition to exponential expansion and the vorticity begins to decay exponentially at the grand-unified-theory time. The point of time for this transition is independent of the magnitude of the vorticity. During the Guth inflationary era the vorticity decays by a factor of the order 10 US.
A Bianchi type-IX cosmological model has been found as a solution of Einstien's vacuum field equations with a cosmological constant. The solution represents a rotating generalziation fo the de Sitter universe. This universe shows a transition to exponential expansion and the vorticity begins to decay exponentially at the grand-unified-theory time. The point of time for this transition is independent of the magnitude of the vorticity. During the Guth inflationary era the vorticity decays by a factor of the order 10"-"1"4"2.
Plasma is the component of blood from which lead is free to cross cell membranes and cause organ toxicity. Plasma lead levels, however, are extremely low and difficult to measure. Urinary lead originates...Full Text Available
The petroleum and petroleum products increase offer a real development opportunity to the alternative fuels. In the context of the french energy accounting increase, the energy independence notion incites the government to promote these new fuels. If the LPG seems declining because of the accident risks fear, the fuel cell is not for today. Near these two sectors what is the future of the biofuels and the natural gas vehicle or the electric cars? (A.L.B.)
The petroleum and petroleum products increase offer a real development opportunity to the alternative fuels. In the context of the french energy accounting increase, the energy independence notion incites the government to promote these new fuels. If the LPG seems declining because of the accident risks fear, the fuel cell is not for today. Near these two sectors what is the future of the biofuels and the natural gas vehicle or the electric cars? (A.L.B.)
The protein “amplified in osteosarcoma-9” (OS-9) has been shown previously to interact with the prolyl hydroxylases PHD2 and PHD3. These enzymes initiate oxygen-dependent degradation...Full Text Available
DescriptionThis project has two independent aims: (1) to investigate the use of struvite as an alternative to chemical P fertilisers and (2) to develop an oligonucleotide microarray to monitor the P status of the potato crop. The UK horticultural and agricultural industries rely on large inputs of phosphate (P) fertilisers to maintain crop yields and quality. However, the use of non-renewable, chemical P fertilisers is unsustainable, and the alternatives to chemical P-fertilisers must be identified as an [continued...
Transverse form factors have been extracted for the low-lying neutron hole (particle) states of /sup 207/Pb from inelastic-electron-scattering data. A systematic, multipolarity-and momentum-transfer-independent quenching of approx.55% in the transverse amplitude is observed when compared with single particle predictions for both electric and magnetic transitions. The magnitude of the observed effect is not readily explained by our present theoretical understanding of this nucleus.
It is shown that a cosmic gamma-ray telescope made of a multilayer silicon tracker and a imaging CsI calorimeter, is capable of identifying cosmic ray nuclei. The telescope charge resolution is estimated around 4% independently of charge. Simulation methods are used to determine the telescope properties for nuclei detection.
An explicite PN solution of the multi-dimensional homogeneous neutron transport equation is given by expanding the angular flux into a series of geometry-independent spherical harmonics operators. An algorithm is developed for representing the spherical harmonic operators in orthogonal curvilinear coordinates. The general formulae are applied to two-dimensional spherical geometry; detailed P3 formulae are given. (orig.).
A summary of the cost data reviewed as well as conclusions and recommendations are presented. Cost and programmatic aspects of Rockwell's SPS CR-2 reference configuration were based on the results of several contracts with NASA and independent company-sponsored activities by the Space Operations and Satellite Systems Division of Rockwell International.
The histone chaperone Asf1 and the chromatin remodeler SWI/SNF have been separately implicated in derepression of the DNA damage response (DDR) genes in yeast cells treated with genotoxins that cause...Full Text Available
1. The induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) was investigated in the rat dentate gyrus in the presence of ryanodine, an agent which is known to selectively bind to the ryanodine receptor (RyR) Ca2+...Full Text Available
The average angle of repose and the packing density of random planar heaps of hard disks falling ballistically onto a sticky base line, where the first layer of disks is quenched in random positions, are computed for heaps with a small fixed number of gaps in the base layer. The results we find appear to be almost independent of the size of the heap and they agree with those obtained from computer simulations of large systems.
A renormalization procedure is proposed which applies to lattice Feynman integrals containing zero-mass propagators and is analogous to the BPHZL renormalization procedure for continuum Feynman integrals. The renormalized diagrams are infrared convergent for non-exceptional external momenta, if the vertices of the theory satisfy a general infrared constraint. Under the same conditions as in the massive case, the continuum limit of the renormalized theory exists and is independent of the details of the lattice action.
ABSTRACT-Here we identify release of annexin A2 into the culture medium in response to low dose X-ray radiation exposure and establish functional linkages to an established paracrine factor-mediated anchorage-independent growth response. Using a standard bicameral coculture model, we observe that annexin A2 levels associated with non-irradiated neighboring cells seeded in the lower chamber (annexin A2 silenced [shRNA] JB6 cells) are increased upon coculture with irradiated (10-50 cGy) JB6 cells seeded in the upper chamber, relative to coculture with sham exposed JB6 cells seeded in the upper chamber, suggesting that annexin A2 released into the medium is capable of communicating in a paracrine fashion. Using a previously established coculture model, we observed that the paracrine factor-mediated anchorage-independent growth response to low dose X-ray radiation is markedly reduced when irradiated annexin A2 silenced (shRNA) JB6 cells are used, ...
Reduction of wavefunction which transforms as scalar field imaginary mass system has been derived in terms of irreducible representation of proper, orthochronous, inhomogeneous Lorentz group and it has been shown that only transformation properties of wavefunction are needed in the derivation while the reality condition and wave equations only restrict the number of independent representations. The properties of energy and momentum of tachyons have been analysed and it has been shown that the tachyons are unidirectional in space. (author).
We discuss the use of active control to reduce mirror position fluctuations at the quantum level. We have shown in a recent experiment that it is possible to reduce the thermal noise of a mirror by measuring and controlling its motion with an optomechanical sensor based on a high-finesse optical cavity. This approach can be extended to lock the mirror motion at the quantum level, and to suppress the quantum effects of radiation pressure in interferometric measurements such as gravitational-wave detectors. The sensitivity improvement is furthermore independent of losses in the interferometer.
The quantitative imaging of a phase object using 16 keV x-rays is reported. The theoretical basis of the techniques is presented along with its implementation using a synchrotron x-ray source. It is found that the phase image is in quantitative agreement with independent measurements of the object. 13 refs., 5 figs.
Background: Anxiety disorders are known to be common in the general population. Previous studies with adults with intellectual disabilities (IDs) report a prevalence of general anxiety disorder ranging from less than 2% to 17.4%. Little is known about associated factors in this population. This study investigates point prevalence of anxiety disorders and determines the factors independently associated with them. Methods: Information was collected with 1023 adults with IDs who participated in a large-scale, population-based study. All had a comprehensive physical and mental health assessment. The point prevalence of anxiety disorders according to different diagnostic criteria was determined, as were independently associated factors by using logistic regression analysis. Results: Three point eight per cent (95% CI = 2.7-5.2%) of the cohort had an anxiety disorder at the time of assessment. Generalised anxiety disorder was the most common (1.7%), ...
We present a modification of the closed-loop state space model for AO control which allows delays that are a non-integer multiple of the system frame rate. We derive the new forms of the Predictive Fourier Control Kalman filters for arbitrary delays and show that they are linear combinations of the whole-frame delay terms. This structure of the controller is independent of the delay. System stability margins and residual error variance both transition gracefully between integer-frame delays.
Histone H3 mRNAs were found in polyA(+) fractions of total RNA prepared from alfalfa plants, calli and somatic embryos. The sequence analysis of cDNAs revealed the presence of a polyA tail on independent...Full Text Available
We study by means of Quantum Monte Carlo simulations based on the Worm Algorithm the low temperature (down to T = 0.05 K) properties of parahydrogen clusters comprising up to 40 molecules. Three different intermolecular interactions are employed: the Silvera-Goldman, the Buck and the Lennard-Jones potential. Despite important discrepancies observed in the numerical estimates of energy and superfluid fraction, the mechanism by which clusters melt at low T is independent of the particular choice of the potential, whose only effect is to alter the temperature scale.
We obtain a simple derivation of the optimal quantum state estimation of a two-level system using the no-signaling principle. In particular, we show that the no-signaling principle determines the unique form of the guessing probability, independently to a given figure of merit such as the fidelity or the information gain. This proves that optimal measurements for a two-level quantum system is the same for almost all figures of merit.
Analytical expression of the dependence of freezing temperature of electrolyte (CdCl_2, CdSO_4, BeSO_4) aqueous solutions on their composition was found. Three different methods were suggested were suggested for calculation of water activity in multicomponent solution. It was established that sublinear extrapolation of freezing temperature of salt aqueous solutions was possible not up to -5 deg C, but up to -15 deg C, independently of their composition. 6 refs.; 2 figs.
ObjectivesObjectives Not AvailableDescriptionOne significant research challenge posed by the growing number of older people in the population concerns the mobility-related problems which increase with age, inhibit independence, and can be a prime cause of admission to expensive institutional settings. The scope for engineering advances, particularly in the field of rehabilitation and assistive technology, is immense. The challenge is to produce aids, devices and products that are attractive to older people themselves, since without such [continued...
Low pressure plasmas have some promising advantages for nitriding The separation of plasma generation from the workpiece overcomes several of the major drawbacks of conventional plasma nitriding and also allows independent control of ion flux and energy This opens the possibility of nitriding at lower temperatures so that the process can be extended to a wider range of materials and applications. Copyright (1999) Materials Australia
This paper investigates the calculation of availability for parallel transmission lines (two or more) in the same tower or on the same right of way. As in many studies, the development of mathematical models is an important step. The models are justified using historical data and known characteristics of power system elements. A statistical method was used to generalize the failure rate and repair rate from real operating data. Application of the new model (which combines common-mode, simultaneous independent, and dependent outages) is discussed.
The capacity of bones to adjust their mass and architecture to withstand the loads of everyday activity derives from the ability of their resident cells to respond appropriately to the strains engendered....Full Text Available
The Variable Dynamic Testbed Vehicle (VDTV) is presently being developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It is being designed to have a steer-by-wire front steering system and an independent rear steering system. These steering systems enable the VDTV to emulate the directional control characteristics of a broad range of passenger vehicles.
Nearly all chemical processes fractionate 17O and 18O in a mass-dependent way relative to 16O, a major exception being the formation of ozone from diatomic oxygen in...Full Text Available
NH4+ inhibition kinetics for CH4 oxidation were examined at near-atmospheric CH4 concentrations in three upland forest soils. Whether NH4+-independent...Full Text Available
We discuss the consequence of local duality for elastic scattering, and derive a model-independent equation between structure functions at x ? 1 and elastic electromagnetic form factors. Then the electromagnetic form factors of proton are discussed using the quark-hadron duality theory. We also debate the form factor of proton in a bound state. It may be an effective approach to study the form factor of proton in media.
The interaction between core and envelope in stars with central helium burning is investigated. If core and envelope are treated as independent systems, feedback terms arise. All feedback terms are discussed in detail. The approximative treatment of feedback terms in the earlier papers of Lauterborn, Refsdal, and Weigert is found to be fully justified. The problem of secular instabilities in models with central helium burning is rediscussed. (auth)
The ankle plantar flexor muscles, gastrocnemius (Gas) and soleus (Sol), have been shown to play important roles in providing body support and forward propulsion during human walking. However, there...Full Text Available
... Research Center, Washington DC May 23 BBC NEws: US used Nuclear Weapons in Afghanistan Jalalabad: New reference levels based on recent samples show uranium levels 45 times normal. New bioassay studies identify uranium internal contamination in Spin Gar (Tora Bora) area and the City ...
PCD (programmed cell death) in plants presents important morphological and biochemical differences compared with apoptosis in animal cells. This raises the question of whether PCD arose independently...Full Text Available
The NSP5 protein is required for viroplasm formation during rotavirus infection and is hyperphosphorylated into 32- to 35-kDa isoforms. Earlier studies reported that NSP5 is not hyperphosphorylated...Full Text Available
Spain was a scientifically backward country in the early 19th-century. Thecauses were various political events, the War of Independence, and the reign ofFernando VII. The introduction of contemporary physics into textbooks wastherefore a slow process. An analysis of the contents of 19th-century Spanishtextbooks is here presented, centred on imponderable fluids, the concept ofenergy, the mechanical theory of heat, and the kinetic theory of gases.
The results of Independent Energy's Financial Rankings survey for 1992 as well as the second half of 1992 showed increased activity in almost every category. In stronger showing was evident in all categories except corporate finance and revenue bonds. The total amount of project finance equity and debt, corporate finance and revenue bonds reported in 1992 was nearly $16 billion - up 45% from what was reported in 1991.
Gamma interferon plays an important role in regulating the functional properties of mononuclear phagocytes. In the present study, the role of activated protein kinases in the mechanism of action of...Full Text Available
The problem on change of deuterium abundance in the process of galactic evolution (star evolution, supernova explosions, nucleosynthesis in supermassive objects) is considered. It is shown that the observable deuterium quantity in the interstellar medium must correspond to its cosmological abundance. This conclusion is independent of the rate of accretion of intergalactic gas by Galaxy. The effect of hypothetical pregalactic active objects on cosmological deuterium is small. It is poind out that observations of interstellar deuterium in absorbtion at lambda=91.6 cm are significant.
Threshold pump intensity values leading to irreversible damage to colored laser elements based on elastic polymers were measured. The damage to colored elastomers is connected with absorbing microinclusions but is independent of molecular absorption. It is shown that damage to the elastomers has a pronounced threshold character in contrast to the microdamage accumulation effect in glassy polymers. The damage threshold for elastomers is 1.5 times higher, which is connected with the absence of microstresses (characteristics for organic glasses) in the specimens. 13 references.
As the last step of urinary acidification, the inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) is thought to secrete protons into the tubular lumens by means of a H(+)-translocating adenosinetriphosphatase (H(+)-ATPase). However, recent studies have also shown the existence of Na(+)-H+ exchange activity in IMCD cells. Although the physiological function of the antiporter in IMCD cells is unknown, activation of Na(+)-H+ exchange in other cell-culture systems has been suggested to be closely associated with the process of cell growth. Thus presence of Na(+)-H+ exchange may relate to the growth phase of these cells. To examine intracellular pH (pHi) regulation in growing IMCD cells, we studied proton transport by Na(+)-dependent and Na(+)-independent mechanisms by microfluorimetry using the pHi-sensitive dye 2',7'-bis(carboxyethyl)-5,6-carboxyfluorescein acetoxymethyl ester (BCECF/AM). Actively growing cells, defined by (3H)thymidine incorporations, ...
An electron accelerator unit is described for electron beam therapy, comprising: a source of an electron beam; means for finally directing at least a portion of the beam to a therapy site, the directing means being mechanically independent of, and electrically isolated from, the source, and having a target area; and means for aligning the source with the directing means, the aligning means comprising means for projecting at least one beam of light from the source toward the target area.
An electron accelerator unit is described for electron beam therapy, comprising: a source of an electron beam; means for finally directing at least a portion of the beam to a therapy site, the directing means being mechanically independent of, and electrically isolated from, the source, and having a target area; and means for aligning the source with the directing means, the aligning means comprising means for projecting at least one beam of light from the source toward the target area.
Neutrophils from people with poorly controlled diabetes present a primed phenotype and secrete excessive superoxide. Phospholipase A2 (PLA2)-derived arachidonic acid (AA)...Full Text Available
We sequenced 16S rRNA genes from the vaginal swab contents of a postmenopausal woman with asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis (BV). Sequences from Atopobium vaginae were the most commonly detected. In a survey of 35 other postmenopausal women, this organism was detected in 44% with BV but not in any subjects deemed healthy. PMID:15071062
Previous independent investigations of the serotyping of Haemophilus parasuis strains have led to the designation of serovars A to D, 1 to 7, Jena 6 to Jena 12, and ND1 to ND5. Heat-stable antigen preparations...Full Text Available
We have cloned and characterized a 77-kDa oestrogen receptor (ER) from an oestrogen-independent subclone of the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line. This receptor contains an in-frame, tandem duplication...Full Text Available
We discuss three distinct topics of independent interest; one in enumerative combinatorics, one in symmetric function theory, and one in algebraic geometry. The topic in enumerative combinatorics concerns a q-analog of a generalization of the Eulerian polynomials, the one in symmetric function theory deals with a refinement of the chromatic symmetric functions of Stanley, and the one in algebraic geometry deals with Tymoczko's representation of the symmetric group on the cohomology of the regular semisimple Hessenberg variety of type A. Our purpose is to explore some remarkable connections between these topics.
Independent calculations of the antiproton-to-proton ratio by Gaisser and Maurer and by Badhwar et al. have produced conflicting results which obscure the interpretation of recent measurements of cosmic ray antiprotons. A detailed reexamination of these calculations has been performed and these differences have been resolved. We find that the first calculation was essentially correct and the reported fluxes of antiprotons are significantly higher than expected for secondary antiprotons in conventional models of cosmic ray propagation, as indicated by other recent calculations.
This book presents the current knowledge about the effects of electromagnetic fields on living matter. The three-part format covers dielectric permittivity and electrical conductivity of biological materials; effects of direct current and low frequency fields; and effects of radio frequency (including microwave) fields. The parts are designed to be consulted independently or in sequence, depending upon the needs of the reader. Useful appendixes on measurement units and safety standards are also included.
The 3-dimensional (3D) extension C5G7 MOX benchmark problems were solved by CHAPLET-3D code which is based on the idea of dynamic linkage of the multi-plane method of characteristics solutions. The benchmark results are quite accurate in comparison with the reference solutions, independently of the axial solver incorporated in the CHAPLET-3D code. (author)
We propose the exact boundary S matrix for breathers of the N=2 supersymmetric sine-Gordon model. We argue that this S matrix has three independent parameters, in agreement with a recently-proposed action. We also show, contrary to a previous claim, that the ``universal'' supersymmetric boundary S matrix commutes with two supersymmetry charges. General N=2 supersymmetric boundary integrable models are expected to have boundary S matrices with a similar structure.
BackgroundOmega-3 fatty acid (n-3 FA) blood levels and intakes have been inversely associated with risk for sudden cardiac death, but their relationship with all-cause...Full Text Available
A numerical method for the calculation of unsteady, inviscid turbomachine flow in the transonic velocity range is described. The calculation of complete stages is possible. If the flow layer geometry is given, the flow field can be determined by independe...
The correlation between baryon number and strangeness elucidates the nature of strongly interacting matter. This diagnostic can be extracted theoretically from lattice QCD calculations and experimentally from event-by-event fluctuations. The analysis of present lattice results above the critical temperature severely limits the presence of q{bar q} bound states, thus supporting a picture of independent (quasi)quarks. Details may be found in [1].
(1) Most ancillary services needed for real-time control of the transmission grid and to meet operating criteria can be competitively supplied and competitively procured. (2) The independent service operator (ISO) must directly control the generators and loads, which supply ancillary services. (3) Comparability of access to ancillary services is achievable through the ISO-based competitive market structure.
Arsenic trioxide (As2O3), used to treat promyelocytic leukemia, triggers cell death via unknown mechanisms. To further our understanding of As2O3-induced...Full Text Available
The MiniBooNE Collaboration reports first results of a search for {upsilon}{sub e} appearance in a {upsilon}{sub {mu}} beam. With two largely independent analyses, we observe no significant excess of events above background for reconstructed neutrino energies above 475 MeV. The data are consistent with no oscillations within a two neutrino appearance-only oscillation model.
On the basis of a conceptual line developed in a previuos publication a phenomenological model for the description of rescattering of mesons and antibaryons in a heavy nucleus is presented. Together with the previous work, this treatment allows one to set up a model-independent routine that can be used in different physical situations. The approximations and the reliability of the approach are thoroughly discussed.
Background and purpose:Theoretically, three α1-adrenoceptor subtypes can interact at the signalling level to alter vascular contraction or at the molecular level...Full Text Available
The phenomenon of global warming, its causes and implications for the future, and the relationship between global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer are discussed. The Shindell model of the greenhouse effect, which is responsible for planetary warming, also contributes to the high altitude thinning of the ozone layer. While greenhouse gas emissions contribute to retaining infrared radiation, thus warming the surface of the earth, their effect is reduced at stratospheric altitudes resulting in reduced temperatures in this region. At this altitude temperatures can reach minus 90 degrees C, creating a whirlwind effect, with ice crystals forming at the heart of the vortex, causing the surface to accelerate chemical reactions which in turn leads to destruction of ozone. Although since the signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987 the industrialized countries have significantly reduced their emissions of refrigerating gas (chlorofluorocarbons or CFC), which were ...
The massive star-forming core MM1 of W75N was observed using the Submillimeter Array with #approx#1'' and 2'' spatial resolutions at 217 and 347 GHz, respectively. From the 217 GHz continuum we found that the MM1 core consists of two sources, separated by about 1'': MM1a (#approx#0.6 M_s_u_n) and MM1b (#approx#1.4 M_s_u_n), located near the radio continuum sources VLA 2/VLA 3 and VLA 1, respectively. Within MM1b, two gas clumps were found to be expanding away from VLA 1 at about #+-#3 km s"-"1, as a result of the most recent star formation activity in the region. Observed molecular lines show emission peaks at two positions, MM1a and MM1b: sulfur-bearing species have emission peaks toward MM1a, but methanol and saturated species at MM1b. We identified high-temperature (#approx#200 K) gas toward MM1a and the hot core in MM1b. This segregation may result from the evolution of the massive star-forming core. In the very early phase of star formation, the hot core is seen through the ...
Total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg) and 22 other trace elements were measured in ice algae, three species of zooplankton, mixed zooplankton samples, Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida), ringed seals (Phoca hispida) and eight species of seabirds to examine the trophodynamics of these metals in an Arctic marine food web. All samples were collected in 1998 in the Northwater Polynya (NOW) located between Ellesmere Island and Greenland in Baffin Bay. THg and MeHg were found to biomagnify through the NOW food web, based on significant positive relationships between log THg and log MeHg concentrations vs. {delta} {sup 15}N muscle and liver . The slope of these relationships for muscle THg and MeHg concentrations (slope = 0.197 and 0.223, respectively) were similar to those reported for other aquatic food webs. The food web behavior of THg and {delta} {sup 15}N appears constant, regardless of trophic state (eutrophic vs. oligotrophic), latitude (Arctic vs. tropical) or ...
Total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg) and 22 other trace elements were measured in ice algae, three species of zooplankton, mixed zooplankton samples, Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida), ringed seals (Phoca hispida) and eight species of seabirds to examine the trophodynamics of these metals in an Arctic marine food web. All samples were collected in 1998 in the Northwater Polynya (NOW) located between Ellesmere Island and Greenland in Baffin Bay. THg and MeHg were found to biomagnify through the NOW food web, based on significant positive relationships between log THg and log MeHg concentrations vs. #delta# "1"5N muscle and liver . The slope of these relationships for muscle THg and MeHg concentrations (slope = 0.197 and 0.223, respectively) were similar to those reported for other aquatic food webs. The food web behavior of THg and #delta# "1"5N appears constant, regardless of trophic state (eutrophic vs. oligotrophic), latitude (Arctic vs. tropical) or salinity ...
As part of The International Northern Sea Route Programme (INSROP), Subprogram III, Trade and Commercial Shipping, a study has been made concerning seaborne export of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the Northern Russia, especially the West Siberian fields in Tyumen. The main purpose of the total project III.0703, part 2 and this study is to evaluate the economic viability of seaborne export from this area to the European region, mainly with the use of a special ice-strengthened LPG vessel, constructed and designed for such seaborne operations. This study concentrates on both seaborne LPG transportation, the demand and supply for seaborne LPG in the world and marine transportation of LPG from the West Siberian fields. Another purpose is to see which regions are potential exporters, importers and buyers of seaborne export of LPG from Tyumen. Currently large quantities of liquefied gas are flared off at the West Siberian fields due to insufficient infrastructure, ...
This report covers the technical effort through February, 1989. This effort was directed towards the technology associated with the development of a large scale, long pulse DF-CO{sub 2} chemical laser. Optics damage studies performed under Task 1 assessed damage thresholds for diamond-turned salt windows. Task 2 is a multi-faceted task involving the use of PHOCL-50 for laser gain measurements, LTI experiments, and detector testing by LANL personnel. To support these latter tests, PHOCL-50 was upgraded with Boeing funding to incorporate a full aperture outcoupler that increased its energy output by over a factor of 3, to a full kilojoule. The PHOCL-50 carbon block calorimeter was also recalibrated and compared with the LANL Scientech meter. Cloud clearing studies under Task 3 initially concentrated on delivering a Boeing built Cloud Simulation Facility to LANL, and currently involves design of a Cold Cloud Simulation Facility. A Boeing IRAD funded theoretical study on cold cloud ...
A near-real-time integrated temperature and water vapor sounding system has been designed and in operation since June 1993. It combines hourly data from the ground-based radio acoustic sounding system (RASS), a two-channel microwave radiometer, standard surface meteorological instruments, a lidar ceilometer, and the Aerodynamic Research Incorporated Communication, Addressing and Reporting System aboard commercial airlines with space-based data from the TIROS-N Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS). The physical retrieval algorithm provided by the International TOVS Processing Package is used for combining the ground- and space-based temperature and humidity profiles. The first-guess profiles of temperature and humidity required by the physical retrieval algorithm are obtained by using a statistical inversion technique and the ground-based remote sensors measurements. Statistical error estimates are presented for the hourly, near-real-time, ground-, and space-based retrieved temperature ...
The Siberian Altai covers about 70% of the area of all south Siberian glaciers, which provide fresh water to the upper tributaries of the Ob and Yenisey rivers. The observed air temperature has increased by 1.2 deg. C over northern Eurasia during the last 120 years, affecting the degradation of the Siberian Altai glaciers. In this study, we estimated glacier area changes in the Aktru River basin (44.8 km{sup 2}), located in the central Altai mountains. We used the 1952, 1966, 1975 and 2006 remote sensed images with 0.6-3.0 m spatial resolution (aerial photographs, Corona and PRISM satellite images) and differential GPS (DGPS) data. From 1952 to 2006, the total glacier area in the Aktru basin shrank by 7.2% (1.2 km{sup 2}). During the last three decades, the rate of glacier area loss increased by a factor of 1.8, thus resembling trends in other mountain systems of Eurasia (Alps, Tien Shan). The glacier area changes were caused mainly by increase of summer air temperature by 1.03 deg. C ...
The Siberian Altai covers about 70% of the area of all south Siberian glaciers, which provide fresh water to the upper tributaries of the Ob and Yenisey rivers. The observed air temperature has increased by 1.2 deg. C over northern Eurasia during the last 120 years, affecting the degradation of the Siberian Altai glaciers. In this study, we estimated glacier area changes in the Aktru River basin (44.8 km"2), located in the central Altai mountains. We used the 1952, 1966, 1975 and 2006 remote sensed images with 0.6-3.0 m spatial resolution (aerial photographs, Corona and PRISM satellite images) and differential GPS (DGPS) data. From 1952 to 2006, the total glacier area in the Aktru basin shrank by 7.2% (1.2 km"2). During the last three decades, the rate of glacier area loss increased by a factor of 1.8, thus resembling trends in other mountain systems of Eurasia (Alps, Tien Shan). The glacier area changes were caused mainly by increase of summer air temperature by 1.03 deg. C (from 1951 ...
There are at present 116 floating production systems and 60 storage vessels dotting the oceans involved in hydrocarbon exploration and production activities. Although concentrated mostly in the North Sea, they can be found also off the coast of Australia, eastern Canada, Brazil, some African nations and the Gulf of Mexico. They range from converted tankers to purpose built rigs. The most adaptable of the various systems is the floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, first developed as a cost-effective means of developing fields in Brazil's very deep offshore areas. Still being tested and modified for work in widely different environments, FPSOs appear to have met all requirements in producing expenditure efficiencies, maximizing profits, and protecting workers. One of the most efficient and most technically advanced is a 292-metre long FPSO built for the Terra Nova Alliance by Daewoo Shipyards in South Korea. It arrived at Newfoundland's Bull Arm ...
Recent two major topics of Large Helical Device (LHD) towards fusion relevant conditions, high-density operation and high-ion-temperature operation, are reported. Super dense core plasma was obtained by the combination of repetitive hydrogen ice pellet injection and high power neutral beam injection (NBI) heating. A very peaked density profile with the highest central density of 1.1x1021 m-3 was produced showing that the particle transport was suppressed very well in the plasma core. The spatial density varies as the position of magnetic axis (Rax), and the steepest profile is obtained at Rax=3.95 m. The highest central ion temperature of 5.6 keV was obtained in hydrogen plasma at electron density of 1.6 x 1019 m-3 by NBI, where a peaked ion-temperature profile with internal ion energy transport barrier was observed. The profile of electron temperature did not change much and was broad even when the ion temperature had a peaked profile. The central ion temperature ...
The effect of aerosol on clouds poses one of the largest uncertainties in estimating the anthropogenic contribution to climate change. Small human-induced perturbations to cloud characteristics via aerosol pathways can create a change in the top-of-atmosphere radiative forcing of hundreds of Wm-2. Here we focus on links between aerosol and deep convective clouds of the Atlantic and Pacific Intertropical Convergence Zones, noting that the aerosol environment in each region is entirely different. The tops of these vertically developed clouds consisting of mostly ice can reach high levels of the atmosphere, overshooting the lower stratosphere and reaching altitudes greater than 16 km. We show a link between aerosol, clouds and the free atmosphere wind profile that can change the magnitude and sign of the overall climate radiative forcing. We find that increased aerosol loading is associated with taller cloud towers and anvils. The taller clouds reach levels of ...
Since 1995, OECD started to examine the current situation of government regulation in each member country and discussed to recommend quality improvement of regulation to member countries. The conference on reformation of regulation in power industry was held in October and December 1998. In USA, enhancing competition in supplying electricity was recommended by eliminating differentiation in use of power network, transmission network and incidental facilities. The retail competition is also an important reformation. The reformation in Netherlands can be seen as following EU guide for revealing problems of the existing regulation in the power industry and for opening up a power market. The Dutch government passed the power act for opening up a market to the public between 1999 and 2007. In Japan, the entry of independent power provider (IPP) has been softened. With the opening of bid system in 1999, bids will be equally given to both power providers and ...