Sexually-selected communication signals can be used by competing males to settle contests without incurring the costs of fighting. Steroid regulation of these signals can render them as reliable...Full Text Available
This patent describes improvement in a system for stabilizing the operation of an electrical generator connected to a power distribution network of the type including a power system stabilizer for providing an oscillation signal having a value which normally represents generator oscillations and a modulator circuit responsive to input signals including the oscillation signal to provide a modulated output signal for varying generator excitation, means for checking for operational integrity of the power system stabilizer. It comprises: means for applying, to the power system stabilizer, a test signal of known amplitude and frequency, the test signal simulating generator oscillations and serving to produce a simulated oscillation signal for employment as the oscillation signal, means to store ...
A new algorithm for the design of decentralized output feedback stabilizers for large-scale electric power systems is presented in this paper. In the proposed approach, the generators which are most effective for stabilizer applications are first identified by using participation factors. Then an efficient algorithm based on decentralized pole assignment is proposed for the determination of the parameters of the power system stabilizers which, due to the difficulty associated with the communication among the geographically dispersed generating stations in a large power system, are essentially decentralized compensators using local generator outputs as their feedback signals. The proposed method is computationally efficient and can be applied to any large-scale system. The simplicity and effectiveness of the proposed method are demonstrated by an example of stabilizer design for a practical power system.
The effect of spatial auditory information on a listener's ability to detect, identify, and monitor multiple simultaneous speech signals was evaluated using virtual audio technology. Factorial combinations of three variables - the number of localized spee...
The development of a computational intelligent tools based on neural network to identify commercial losses or fraud (theft energy), considering information from a database electric utility, is presented.
Probabilistic assessment methods can be used to identify specific plant vulnerabilities. Application of such methods can also facilitate selection among system design alternatives available for safety enhancements. The quality of assessment results is however strongly dependent on realistic and accurate input data for modelling of system component behaviour and failure modes during conditions to be assessed. Use of conservative input data may not lead to results providing guidance on safety upgrades. Adequate input data for probabilistic assessments seems to be lacking for at least failure modes of some electrical components when exposed to a fire. This report presents an attempt to improve the situation with respect to such input data. In order to take advantage of information in existing documentation of fire incident occurrences some of the lessons learned from the fire at Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant on March 22, 1975 are discussed in ...
The tidal motion of the ocean water through the ambient magnetic field, generates secondary electric field. This motionally induced electric field can be detected in the sea or inland and has a potential for electrical soundings of the Earth. A first goal of the paper is to gain an understanding of the global distribution of the electricsignal due to tidal ocean flow. We simulate the electricsignals for two tidal constituents - lunar semidiurnal (M2) and diurnal (O1) tides. We assume a realistic Earth's conductivity model with a surface thin shell and 1-D mantle underneath. Simulations demonstrate that in some coastal regions the amplitudes of the electric field can reach 100 mV/km and 10 mV/km for M2 and O1 tides respectively. The changes of lithosphere resistance produce detectable changes in the tidal ...
The electrochemical method has been used to deposit zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films from aqueous zinc nitrate solution at 80 deg. C onto fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrates. ZnO thin films were grown between - 0.900 and - 1.025 V vs Ag/AgCl as established by voltammogram. Characterisation of ZnO films was carried out for both as-deposited and annealed films in order to study the effect of annealing. Structural analysis of the ZnO films was performed using X-ray diffraction, which showed polycrystalline films of hexagonal phase with (002) preferential orientation. Atomic force microscopy was used to study the surface morphology. Optical studies identified the bandgap to be {approx} 3.20 eV and refractive index to 2.35. The photoelectrochemical cell signal indicated that the films had n-type electrical conductivity and current-voltage measurements showed the glass/FTO/ZnO/Au devices exhibit rectifying ...
The electricity sector is Canada's largest single source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This paper discussed electricity and carbon pricing approaches to reducing GHG emissions in the electricity sector. An overview of the links between electricity pricing and climate change was presented, and current and emerging trends in electricity pricing related to encouraging energy conservation were reviewed. Market prices and failures were discussed. Approaches to pricing electricity included an increase in block prices; time-of-use prices; demand-side management and energy efficiency; and carbon pricing in Canada and electricity pricing signals. The study showed that several provincial utilities in Canada are experimenting with market-based pricing approaches for electricity and carbon that may help to ...
The electricity sector is Canada's largest single source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This paper discussed electricity and carbon pricing approaches to reducing GHG emissions in the electricity sector. An overview of the links between electricity pricing and climate change was presented, and current and emerging trends in electricity pricing related to encouraging energy conservation were reviewed. Market prices and failures were discussed. Approaches to pricing electricity included an increase in block prices; time-of-use prices; demand-side management and energy efficiency; and carbon pricing in Canada and electricity pricing signals. The study showed that several provincial utilities in Canada are experimenting with market-based pricing approaches for electricity and carbon that may ...
Using a genetic screen we have identified two chromosomal genes, cusRS (ylcA ybcZ), from Escherichia coli K-12 that encode a two-component, signal...Full Text Available
Various measurement tools that are used in chaos theory were applied to analyze two-phase pressure signals with the objective of identifying and interpreting flow pattern transitions for two-phase flows in a small, horizontal rectangular channel. These me...
Fish living in contaminated environments accumulate toxic chemicals in their tissues. Biomarkers are needed to identify the resulting health effects, particularly focusing on early changes at a subcellular...Full Text Available
BackgroundOceans are iron-deficient and nutrient-poor environments. These conditions impart limitations on our understanding of and our ability to identify microorganisms from the...Full Text Available
The generalized demodulation time-frequency analysis is a novel signal processing method, which is particularly suitable for the processing of multi-component amplitude-modulated and frequency-modulated (AM-FM) signals as it can decompose a multi-component signal into a set of single-component signals whose instantaneous frequencies own physical meaning. While fault occurs in gear, the vibration signals measured from gearbox would exactly display AM-FM characteristics. Therefore, targeting the modulation feature of gear vibration signal in run-ups and run-downs, a fault diagnosis method in which generalized demodulation time-frequency analysis and envelope order spectrum technique are combined is put forward and applied to the transient analysis of gear vibration signal. Firstly the multi-component vibration signal of ...
The purpose of this study was to develop a simple motion measurement system with magnetic resonance (MR) compatibility and safety. The motion measurement system proposed here can measure 5-DoF motion signals without deteriorating the MR images, and it has no effect on the intense and homogeneous main magnetic field, the temporal-gradient magnetic field (which varies rapidly with time), the transceiver radio frequency (RF) coil, and the RF pulse during MR data acquisition. A three-axis accelerometer and a two-axis gyroscope were used to measure 5-DoF motion signals, and Velcro was used to attach a sensor module to a finger or wrist. To minimize the interference between the MR imaging system and the motion measurement system, nonmagnetic materials were used for all electric circuit components in an MR shield room. To remove the effect of RF pulse, an amplifier, modulation circuit, and power supply were located in a shielded ...
By placing a discharge or 'dump' tube across an exploding bridgewire load, it is possible to by-pass the electrical energy and terminate the explosion of the wire. The dump tube is triggered by a signal derived from the energy removed from the storage cap...
This paper describes a signal simulator which is designed to calibrate eddy current probes. By using simultaneously an excitation coil and an electrically conducting plane, the simulator can emulate signals which correspond to spot welds with different flaws. The presence of a conducting plane allows a wide variation of the amplitude and phase of the excitation coil voltage during the calibration of a probe. A mathematical model for the simulator is derived and used to study the variation of the impedance change upon the parameters of the probe. Numerical computation shows that the impedance change depends in an important way on the frequency of the excitation coil current.
This paper describes the implementations of a fuzzy logic based self-tuned controller to improve the stability of electric power systems. The stabilizing signal is computed using the standard fuzzy membership function depending on the speed/acceleration state of the generator in the phase plane. The performance of the proposed stabilizer is demonstrated by practical implementation using a digital signal processor mounted on a PC-AT. Results of the experimental tests on a physical model of a power system are presented.
In the present scenario of market driven business, power supply has become more like a commodity. Reliable and quality power need to be ensured to meet customer requirements. In such a situation, it is extremely important that transmission line faults be identified accurately, reliably and in quick time. Advanced signal processing tools such as discrete wavelet transform (DWT) can be used very effectively for parameterisation and characterization of the fault signals. On the other hand, properly configured neural network (NN) can be utilized for classification of the faults based on the DWT signal. The present contribution uses electromagnetic transient program (EMTP) for modeling of a real transmission system and MATLAB for DWT and NN. Various types of faults have been simulated at different locations along the transmission line and an attempt has been made to correctly identify ...
An energy control strategy (10) for a hybrid electric vehicle that controls an electric motor during bleed and charge modes of operation. The control strategy (10) establishes (12) a value of the power level at which the battery is to be charged. The power level is used to calculate (14) the torque to be commanded to the electric motor. The strategy (10) of the present invention identifies a transition region (22) for the electric motor's operation that is bounded by upper and lower speed limits. According to the present invention, the desired torque is calculated by applying equations to the regions before, during and after the transition region (22), the equations being a function of the power level and the predetermined limits and boundaries.
A characteristic trait of Francis turbines operating at low-head is pressure pulsations that occur during certain load levels of the generator. These stem from pressure variations across the turbine due to pulsating flow in the draft-tube. This surging action of the water column is related to draft-tube geometry and flow-rate of water in the penstock. The pressure pulsations cause torque variations on the turbine and corresponding electric power pulsations. If electric power is used as a feedback signal to the Power System Stabilizer (PSS), then Mvar and terminal voltage pulsations will occur when the generator is operating in the ``rough zone``. This paper describes field test results for investigating feedforward control from the penstock, draft tube and spiral case pressure to reduce the effects of Mw pulsations on PSS output signals. This investigation involved a PSS with generator power as the ...
The use of electricity is indispensable to modern life. As Macao Special Administrative Region becomes a gaming and tourism center in Asia, modeling the consumption of electricity is critical to Macao's economic development. The purposes of this paper are to conduct an extensive literature review on modeling of electricity consumption, and to identify key climatic, demographic, economic and/or industrial factors that may affect the electricity consumption of a country/city. It was identified that the five factors, namely temperature, population, the number of tourists, hotel room occupancy and days per month, could be used to characterize Macao's monthly electricity consumption. Three selected approaches including multiple regression, artificial neural network (ANN) and wavelet ANN were used to derive mathematical models of ...
A gas-diesel dual fuel engine apparatus is described having a diesel engine, a diesel fuel supply system including a diesel fuel injection pump, a gaseous fuel supply system including a gaseous fuel regulating valve, and a governing and controlling device for governing the speed of the engine through the control of fuel supplied to the engine and controlling the switchover of the operation of the engine between a diesel fuel mode and a gaseous fuel mode. The improvement of the governing and controlling device consists of: (a) at least one electronic governor means adapted to compare a speed signal representing the actual operating speed of the diesel engine with a set speed signal representing the set speed thereof; (b) a pair of electric actuator means having respective power amplifier circuits and mechanically connected to the diesel fuel injection pump and the gaseous fuel regulating valve, respectively, for the ...
The US Department of Energy, Division of Electric Energy Systems, has undertaken to identify the environmental issues and potential impacts associated with the installation of underground electric power transmission systems. This study reports the results of investigations into the advanced cable technologies being considered for future underground applications, as part of the development oriented research program of the Division of Electric Energy Systems. While the technology involves a high level of sophistication, there are relatively few impacts to the environment that are potentially significant, and of these none are inherently non-mitigable. Route planning, system design, and methods of construction and accident response can be pursued in order to minimize impacts where strict constraints are appropriate.
In this paper, an empirical model is developed for electricity consumption of the Jordanian industrial sector based on multivariate linear regression to identify the main drivers behind electricity consumption. In addition, projection of electricity consumption for the industrial sector based on time series forecasting is presented. It was found that industrial production outputs and capacity utilization are the two most important variables that affect demand on electrical power and the multivariate linear regression model can be used adequately to simulate industrial electricity consumption with very high coefficient of determination. To illustrate the importance of integrating energy efficiency within national energy plans, the impact of implementing high-efficiency motors was investigat...
In an ionization chamber with the electric field parallel to the particle trajectories, the time dependence of the anode signal contains all the information about the energy and the nuclear charge of the ionizing particle. By proper pulse shaping with a long and a short time constant the total ionization charge and the ionization charge integrated around the Bragg maximum, respectively, can be obtained. The former signal is proportional to the total energy, whereas the latter allows the nuclear charge to be deduced directly. An energy resolution of 0.4% and a Z resolution ..delta..Z/Z = 1/82 was achieved for 130 MeV /sup 32/S ions and argon-methane as the stopping medium.
A method and device have been provided for distinguishing Africanized honeybees from European honeybees. The method is based on the discovery of a distinct difference in the acoustical signatures of these two species of honeybees in flight. The European honeybee signature has a fundamental power peak in the 210 to 240 Hz range while the Africanized honeybee signature has a fundamental power peak in the 260 to 290 Hz range. The acoustic signal produced by honeybees is analyzed by means of a detecting device to quickly determine the honeybee species through the detection of the presence of frequencies in one of these distinct ranges. The device includes a microphone for acoustical signal detection which feeds the detected signal into a frequency analyzer which is designed to detect the presence of either of the known fundamental wingbeat frequencies unique to the acoustical signatures of these species as an indication of the ...
In the present scenario of market driven business, power supply has become more like a commodity. Reliable and quality power need to be ensured to meet customer requirements. In such a situation, it is extremely important that transmission line faults be identified accurately, reliably and in quick time. Advanced signal processing tools such as discrete wavelet transform (DWT) can be used very effectively for parameterisation and characterization of the fault signals. On the other hand, properly configured neural network (NN) can be utilized for classification of the faults based on the DWT signal. The present contribution uses electromagnetic transient program (EMTP) for modeling of a real transmission system and MATLAB for DWT and NN. Various types of faults have been simulated at differ...
An original dc double anode plasma torch which provides a long-time and highly stable atmospheric plasma jet has been devised for the purpose of hazardous waste treatment. The arc fluctuations and dynamic behaviour of the argon and argon-nitrogen plasma jets under different operating conditions have been investigated by means of classical tools, such as the statistic method, fast Fourier transform (FFT) and correlation analysis. In our experiments, the takeover mode is identified as the fluctuation characteristic of the argon plasma jet while the restrike mode is typical in the argon-nitrogen plasma dynamic behaviour. In the case of pure argon, the FFT and correlation calculation results of electricalsignals exhibit the only characteristic frequency of 150 Hz, which originates from the torch power and is independent of any change in the operating conditions. It indicates that the nature of fluctuations in an argon plasma ...
The experimental technique used for detection of subcooled boiling through analysis of the fluctuation contained in pressure transducer signals is presented. This work was partly conducted at the Institut fuer Kerntechnik und zertoerungsfreie Pruefverfahren von Hannover (IKPH, Germany) in a thermal-hydraulic circuit with one electrically heated rod with annular geometry test section. Piezo resistive pressure sensors are used for onset of nucleate boiling (ONB) and onset of fully developed boiling (OFDB) detection using spectral analysis/ signal correlation techniques. Experimental results are interpreted by phenomenological analysis of these two points and compared with existing correlation. The results allow to conclude that this technique is adequate for the detection and monitoring of the ONB and OFDB. (author)
The experimental technique used for detection of subcooled boiling through analysis of the fluctuation contained in pressure transducer signals is presented. This work was partly conducted at the Institut fuer Kerntechnik und zertoerungsfreie Pruefverfahren von Hannover (IKPH, Germany) in a thermal-hydraulic circuit with one electrically heated rod with annular geometry test section. Piezo resistive pressure sensors are used for onset of nucleate boiling (ONB) and onset of fully developed boiling (OFDB) detection using spectral analysis/ signal correlation techniques. Experimental results are interpreted by phenomenological analysis of these two points and compared with existing correlation. The results allow to conclude that this technique is adequate for the detection and monitoring of the ONB and OFDB. (author)
Electrical penetration assemblies mounted on the containment wall are used to carry electrical power and signals from the equipment inside this containment (e.g. recirculation pumps, control rod position indications etc.) Todays BWR nuclear power plants apply epoxy resin sealed electric penetration. Contrariwise, the epoxy resin (organic sealant) was replaced with sodium barium glass (inorganic) by way of trial in search for a quality sealant. The glass sealant has been proved to have high temperature airtightness at 300 degC above from an evaluation test involving full-scale model parts. Environmental tests were conducted continuously as to heat cycle, vibration and LOCA etc. the specimens (module) of five types. They were made certain of conformity to the design requirements for boiling water operation. (author).
Energy savings from the use of daylighting in commercial buildings are realized through implementation of photoelectric lighting controls that dim electric lights when sufficient daylight is available to provide adequate workplane illumination. The dimming level of electric lighting is based on the signal of a photosensor. Current simulation approaches for such systems are based on the questionable assumption that the signal of the photosensor is proportional to the task illuminance. This paper presents a method that simulates the performance of photosensor controls considering the acceptance angle, angular sensitivity, placement of the photosensor within a space, and color correction filter. The method is based on the multiplication of two fisheye images: one generated from the angular sensitivity of the photosensor and the other from a 180- or 360-degree fisheye image of the space as ''seen'' by the ...
This paper focuses upon the workings of the electricity pool of England and Wales. Created as a generators` pool, with the twin objectives of preserving order-of-merit dispatch and setting marginal-cost pricing signals, it is now evident that the system may not provide an efficient market-clearing mechanism from the consumers` perspective. Thus, over the five years since its inception, there have been repeated calls to incorporate more explicitly demand-side pricing signals into the process. A number of official reviews and various consultants have looked at the issue and there have been trial periods of active demand-side bidding. This paper reviews that experience to date.
A new approach for the selection of best PSS locations in multimachine power systems is proposed in this paper. Study shows that the right-eigenvector measures the activity of state variables and the left-eigenvector measures the control effect of control signals. Based on the right and left eigenvector the concept of sensitivity of PSS effect (SPE) is presented and used to identify the best PSS locations. The proposed method is used to identify the best PSS location in a 13-machine system to increase the damping of an interarea mode. The time-domain simulation results confirm that the prediction of best PSS location by SPE method is correct and accurate.
A novel way to extract relevant parameters associated with the outgoing ions from nuclear reactions, obtained by digitizing the signals provided by a Bragg curve spectrometer (BCS) is presented. This allowed the implementation of a more thorough pulse-shape analysis. Due to the complexity of this task, it was required to take advantage of new and more powerful computational paradigms. This was fulfilled using a back-propagation artificial neural network (ANN) as a pattern identifier. Over training of ANNs is a common problem during the training stage. In the performance of the ANN there is a compromise between its size and the size of the training set. Here, this effect will be illustrated in relation to the problem of Bragg Curve (BC) identification. (Author)
The pace of development and fielding of electric vehicles is briefly described and the principal advanced battery chemistries expected to be used in the EV application are identified as Ni/MH in the near term and Li-ion/Li-polymer in the intermediate to long term. The status of recycling process development is reviewed for each of the two chemistries and future research needs are discussed.
System-level-operational testing of the ETX-II test-bed electric vehicle is described and the results discussed. Because the traction battery is a major factor in the performance of an electric vehicle, previously reported work on the sodium-sulfur battery designed for use with the ETX-II is reviewed in detail. Chassis dynamometer performance of the test-bed vehicle met or exceeded design goals and compared reasonably well with SIMPLEV computer modeling results. Areas are identified wherein further work is needed to establish a firmer basis for comparison of the simulation and the observed results.
In this paper, an empirical model is developed for electricity consumption of the Jordanian industrial sector based on multivariate linear regression to identify the main drivers behind electricity consumption. In addition, projection of electricity consumption for the industrial sector based on time series forecasting is presented. It was found that industrial production outputs and capacity utilization are the two most important variables that affect demand on electrical power and the multivariate linear regression model can be used adequately to simulate industrial electricity consumption with very high coefficient of determination. To illustrate the importance of integrating energy efficiency within national energy plans, the impact of implementing high-efficiency motors was investigated and found to be significant. Without such basic energy conservation and ...
DescriptionThe recent sequencing of the complete genomes of several streptomycete species revealed the presence of a large number of cryptic' secondary metabolic gene clusters, and led to the realisation that these organisms have the ability to produce many more natural products than had previously been recognised. One of the aims of our work is to identify the physiological signals and regulatory mechanisms responsible for the activation of these 'cryptic' pathways, thus unleashing the full biosynthetic p [continued...
The mz8310 device support module provides support for the following record types: event, pulseCounter, pulseDelay, and pulseTrain. No driver support is needed. Up to 4 mz8310 modules are supported. Each 8310 module contains 10 channels, which are identified as signals O,...9. Each channel is individually configurable. Each mz83 10 has two Am9513 Timing Controller chips. Each Am9513 has 5 counters.
A novel approach is presented to extract relevant parameters associated with the energy loss of ejectiles from nuclear reactions obtained by digitizing the signals of a Bragg curve spectrometer. New and more powerful computational paradigms allow a more thorough pulse-shape analysis. This is fulfilled using a back-propagation artificial neural network as a pattern identifier. The known problem of over-training is discussed.
We identify emission lines of post-iron peak elements in very high signal-to-noise spectra of a sample of planetary nebulae. Analysis of lines from ions of Kr and Xe reveals enhancements in most of the PNe, in agreement with the theories of s-process in AGB star. Surprisingly, we did not detect lines from Br even though s-process calculations indicate that it should be produced with Kr at detectable levels.
This paper presents some situations, in which measurements of electromagnetic fields generated by transmission lines and substations should be performed. The range of measurements may differ, but maximum values of electric and magnetic fields and flux density must be identified in all situations. The area with electric field exceeding 1 kV/m should be identified as well. The author also presents basic requirements to be met by the measurement technique. These requirements are specified according to the national standard. Special attention should be paid to the identification of the spatial distribution of electric field and flux density generated in the vicinity of high voltage transmission lines. To verify the measurement results, it is necessary to calculate the distribution of both aforesaid field components. For environmental protection purposes, it is also proposed that the ...
The basic function of a Power System Stabilizer (PSS) is to add damping to the generator rotor oscillations by controlling its excitation using auxiliary stabilizing signals. To provide damping, the stabilizer must produce a component of electrical torque in phase with the rotor speed deviations. This paper introduces the hardware specifications and various functions of microprocessor (TMS320C32)-based digital PSS to provide the damping torque. (author). 3 refs., 6 figs.
A large-acceptance Bragg curve spectrometer with a longitudinal electron collection field and a segmented anode has been constructed and tested. The effects on the charge resolution of the entrance angle and entrance position of the incident particle have been studied. Simulations have been done in order to isolate the contribution to the overall detector performance of the signal-shaping electronics from that of the intrinsic design of the detector. ((orig.))
A voice-tracking algorithm was developed and tested for the purposes of electronically separating the voice signals of simultaneous talkers. Many individuals suffer from hearing disorders that often inhibit their ability to focus on a single speaker in a multiple speaker environment (the cocktail party effect). Digital hearing aid technology makes it possible to implement complex algorithms for speech processing in both the time and frequency domains. In this work, an average magnitude difference function (AMDF) was performed on mixed voice signals in order to determine the fundamental frequencies present in the signals. A time prediction neural network was trained to recognize normal human voice inflection patterns, including rising, falling, rising-falling, and falling-rising patterns. The neural network was designed to track the fundamental frequency of a single talker based on the training procedure. The output of the ...
Fault symptoms of running gearboxes must be detected as early as possible to avoid serious accidents. Diverse advanced methods are developed for this challenging task. However, for multiwavelet transforms, the fixed basis functions independent of the input dynamic response signals will possibly reduce the accuracy of fault diagnosis. Meanwhile, for multiwavelet denoising technique, the universal threshold denoising tends to overkill important but weak features in gear fault diagnosis. To overcome the shortcoming, a novel method incorporating customized (i.e., signal-based) multiwavelet lifting schemes with sliding window denoising is proposed in this paper. On the basis of Hermite spline interpolation, various vector prediction and update operators with the desirable properties of biorthogonality, symmetry, short support and vanishing moments are constructed. The customized lifting-based multiwavelets for feature matching are chosen by the ...
Harmonics bred from loads are mainly odd order because the current waveforms have half-wave symmetry. Since the even harmonics are negligibly small, they generally are not measured in electric power systems. However, even harmonics were measured at a 500/275/154 kV substation in Hokuriku Electric Power Company after a transmission line fault was corrected. The even harmonics caused malfunctions of protective digital relays because the relays used 4th harmonics at the input filter as the automatic supervisory signal. This paper describes mechanisms of generation of the even harmonics by comparing the measured waveforms with the ATP-EMTP simulation results. Analysis of these results has clearly shown that there are three different mechanisms of generation of even harmonics. The first mechani...
The mass deployment of electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (EVs and PHEVs) that rely on low greenhouse gas (GHG) emission electricity generation has great potential to significantly reduce the consumption of petroleum and other high CO2-emitting transportation fuels. The vision of the Electric and Plug-in Hybrid (EV/PHEV) Vehicles Roadmap is to achieve by 2050 the widespread adoption and use of EVs and PHEVs, which together represent more than 50% of annual LDV (light duty vehicle) sales worldwide. In addition to establishing a vision, this roadmap sets strategic goals to achieve it, and identifies the steps that need to be taken to accomplish these goals. This roadmap also outlines the roles and collaboration opportunities for different stakeholders and shows how government policy can support the overall achievement of the vision. The strategic goals for attaining the ...
A method is described of controlling an anodic protection system in a heat exchanger comprising: (a) installing at least one cathode within the heat exchanger, at least one cathode being aligned with the longitudinal axis of the heat exchanger and extending substantially along the length of the heat exchanger; (b) installing a first reference electrode within and at one end of the heat exchanger, the first reference electrode having a first controller having a set point for control and a power supply having an output creating an electrical potential between at least one cathode and the heat exchanger; (c) measuring the electrical potential of the heat exchanger with the first reference electrode; (d) operating the first controller in response to measurements made by the first reference electrode to change the output of the power supply; (e) installing a second reference electrode within and at the opposite end of the heat exchanger separated ...
Because of the chaotic nature of the corrosion process and the complexity of the electrochemical noise signals that are generated, there is no generally accepted method of measuring and interpreting these signals that allows the consistent detection and identification of sustained localized pitting (SLP) as compared to general corrosion. We have reexamined electrochemical noise analysis (ENA) of localized corrosion using different hardware, signal collection, and signal processing designs than those used in conventional ENA techniques. The new data acquisition system was designed to identify and monitor the progress of SLP by analyzing the power spectral density (PSD) of the trend of the corrosion current noise level (CNL) and potential noise level (PNL). Each CNL and PNL data point was calculated from the root-mean- square value of the ac components of current and potential ...
The authors search Z{prime} bosons in dielectron events produced in p{bar p} collisions at {radical}s = 1.96 TeV, using a 0.45 fb{sup -1} dataset accumulated with the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron. To identify the Z{prime} {yields} e{sup +}e{sup -} signal, both the dielectron invariant mass distribution and the angular distribution of the electron pair are used. No evidence of a signal is found, and 95% confidence level lower limits are set on the Z{prime} mass for several models. Limits are also placed on the mass and gauge coupling of a generic Z{prime}, as well as on the contact interaction mass scales for different helicity structure scenarios.
With steam generator check testing, the numerous types of defect not only have to be detected reliably but also to be identified correctly and classified according to depth. A priori, no signals are provided by the physical eddy-current mechanism, i.e. the disturbance of an excited eddy-current field by a defect, which will allow unambiguous identification and classification of the defects. The task, therefore, consists in designing the eddy-current method in terms of measurement technology in such a way as to obtain useful detection, identification and classification by a translation of the signals as simple and as save as possible. Internal through-flow wils and internal rotating probes were examined for their suitability to fulfill this three-pronged task with steam generator inspection.
With steam generator check testing, the numerous types of defect not only have to be detected reliably but also to be identified correctly and classified according to depth. A priori, no signals are provided by the physical eddy-current mechanism, i.e. the disturbance of an excited eddy-current field by a defect, which will allow unambiguous identification and classification of the defects. The task, therefore, consists in designing the eddy-current method in terms of measurement technology in such a way as to obtain useful detection, identification and classification by a translation of the signals as simple and as save as possible. Internal through-flow wils and internal rotating probes were examined for their suitability to fulfill this three-pronged task with steam generator inspection. (orig./RW).
The green fluorescent protein (GFP) asFP499 from Anemonia sulcata is a distant homologue of the GFP from Aequorea victoria. We cloned the asFP499 gene into a mammalian expression vector and showed that this protein was expressed in the human lymphoblast cell line Ramos RA1 and in the embryonic kidney 293T cell line (HEK 293T). In HEK 293T cells, asFP499 was localized mainly in the cytoplasm, suggesting that the protein was excluded from the nucleus. We identified _1_9_4LRMEKLNI_2_0_1 as a candidate nuclear export signal in asFP499 and mutated the isoleucine at position 201 to an alanine. Unlike the wildtype form, the mutant protein was distributed throughout the cytoplasm and nucleus. This is First report of a GFP that contains a functional NES.
The cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) is a highly conserved transcription factor that integrates signaling through the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) in many eukaryotes. PKA plays a critical role in Dictyostelium development but no CREB homologue has been identified in this system. Here we show that Dictyostelium utilizes a CREB-like protein, BzpF, to integrate PKA signaling during late development. bzpF^- mutants produce compromised spores, which are extremely unstable and germination defective. Previously, we have found that BzpF binds the canonical CRE motif in vitro. In this paper, we determined the DNA binding specificity of BzpF using protein binding microarray (PBM) and showed that the motif with the highest specificity is a CRE-like sequence. BzpF is necessary to ...
New non-stationary non-contracted form of the erosive radially-slotted discharge as a thin round sheet with the current of the azimuth direction have been discovered, its existence beings stipulated by a radial transport-wave fluxes. Characteristic features of this discharge is self-confinement of the discharge current magnitude, corresponding decrease of the current pulse duration and occurrence of an energy and substance ejection with rather unusual properties. Measurements of kinetics of the discharge current, the plasma radiation intensity and an electrical probe signal, as well as the transmission electron microscope investigations of characteristic aerodisperse aggregates arising the erosive phase, have been carried out. The probe signal duration was about 10 times greater than that of the current; its kinetics was complicated suggesting existence in the slot of two components with fundamentally different properties ...
Westinghouse Electric Corporation is aggressively applying cost-time management to bolster timely, cost-effective cleanup and waste management activities at sites it manages for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Cost-time management is a diagnostic technique which is applicable to virtually any process. It identifies opportunities to reduce cycle-times and costs. When applied to cleanup and waste management at DOE facilities, cost-time profile analysis helps identify actions to improve productivity and quality. Moreover, by reducing cycle-times and costs, it achieves significant savings to taxpayers. (author)
The fault signature can be revealed by vibration analysis in machine fault detection and diagnosis. Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is a self-adaptive method that can decompose a vibration signal into informative intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). This paper addresses the improvement of the weakness of the traditional EMD algorithm and presents a new midpoint-based EMD method for effective fault signature analysis of a rotating machine. In the proposed method, geometrical midpoints of successive extrema are employed to estimate the local mean of an analyzed signal. Signal decomposition is then self-adaptively performed to achieve IMFs through removal of the midpoint-based local means. The representative IMF containing fault information is selected for identifying the fault signature. The effectiveness of the proposed method was verified by means of simulation and an application to gear fault diagnosis. ...
To increase further the accuracy of flow regime and considering the non-stationary characteristics of differential pressure fluctuation signals of gas-liquid two-phase flow, the flow regime identification method based on recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) and multi-sensor data fusion techniques is put forward. First of all, the recurrence quantification analysis method is used to extract the nonlinear feature parameters of the differential pressure fluctuation signals of gas-liquid two-phase flow, and data fusion of feature layer is conducted by QRA feature parameters of differential pressure signals of three pressure measure intervals, and composes the fusion feature vectors. The fused characteristic vector are input into the support vector machine for identify flow regime. The identification results for four typical flow regimes of air-water two-phase flow in horizontal pipe has shown that the ...
A new method is being developed to quickly screen for the human exposure potential to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorines (OCs). The development involves two key elements: identifying suitable signals that represent intracellular changes that are specific to PAH and OC exposure, and constructing a device to guide the biological cell growth so that signals from individual cells are consistent and reproducible. We are completing the identification of suitable signals by using synchrotron radiation-based (SR) Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectromicroscopy in the mid-infrared region (4000-400 cm-1). Distinct changes have been observed in the IR spectra after treatment of human cells in culture medium with PAHs and OCs. The potential use of this method for detecting exposure to PAHs and OCs has been tested and compared to a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) ...
Remote sensing of vegetation phenology is an important method with which to monitor terrestrial responses to climate change, but most approaches include signals from multiple forcings, such as mixed phenological signals from multiple biomes, urbanization, political changes, shifts in agricultural practices, and disturbances. Consequently, it is difficult to extract a clear signal from the usually assumed forcing: climate change. Here, using global 8 km 1982 to 1999 Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data and an eight-element monthly climatology, we identified pixels whose wavelet power spectrum was consistently dominated by annual cycles and then created phenologically and climatically self-similar clusters, which we term phenoregions. We then ranked and screened each phenoregion as a function of landcover homogeneity and consistency, evidence of human impacts, and political diversity. ...
Many existing agents for diabetes therapy are unable to restore or maintain normal glucose homeostasis or prevent the eventual emergence of hyperglycemia-related complication. Therefore, agents based on novel mechanisms are sought to complement and extend the current therapeutic approaches. Based on the initial paper research, we focused on active STAT3 as an attractive pharmacological target for type 2 diabetes. The subsequent text mining with a unique query to identify suppressors but not activators of STAT3 revealed the ERK2/STAT3 pathway as a novel diabetes target. The description of ERK2 inhibitors as diabetes target had not been found in our text mining research at present. The mechanism-based peptide inhibitor for ERK2 was identified using the knowledge of the KIM sequence, which ha...
An improved singular value decomposition method of gear fault identification based on Hilbert-Huang transform was proposed to overcome the problem of reconstructing a feature matrix of singular value decomposition. The method includes three steps. First, the instantaneous frequency and amplitude matrices were acquired by Hilbert-Huang transform from faulted gear signals. Second, after the matrices were decomposed by singular value decomposition, the defined distances of singular value vectors and the optimal threshold of the distance for classification were calculated. Third, the fault characteristics of a gearbox were identified and classified by the threshold of the distances. The result demonstrates that the proposed method effectively identifies the gear fault and can realize an automa...
A data analysis based on an artificial neural network classifier is proposed to identify cosmic ray antiprotons detected with the CAPRICE silicon-tungsten imaging calorimeter against electron background in the energy range 1.2-4.0 GeV. A set of new physical variables, describing the events inside the calorimeter on the base of their different patterns, are introduced in order to discriminate between hadronic and electromagnetic showers. The ability of the artificial neural network classifier to perform a careful multidimensional analysis gives the possibility to identify antiprotons with an electron rejection 408{+-}85 (stat) at 95.0{+-}0.2 (stat)% of signal detection efficiency. The high accuracy achieved by this method improves substantially the efficiency in the evaluation of the cosmic ray antiproton spectrum. (orig.).
Various measurement tools that are used in chaos theory were applied to analyze two-phase pressure signals with the objective of identifying and interpreting flow pattern transitions for two-phase flows in a small, horizontal rectangular channel. These measurement tools included power spectral density function, autocorrelation function, pseudo-phase-plane trajectory, Lyapunov exponent,s and fractal dimensions. It was demonstrated that the randomlike pressure fluctuations characteristic of two-phase flow in small rectangular channels are chaotic, and governed by a high-order deterministic system. The correlation dimension is potentially a new approach for identifying certain two-phase flow patterns and transitions.
Identifying gear damage categories, especially for early faults and combined faults, is a challenging task in gear fault diagnosis. This paper proposes a new multidimensional hybrid intelligent diagnosis method to identify different categories and levels of gear damage automatically. In this method, Hilbert transform, wavelet packet transform (WPT) and empirical mode decomposition (EMD) are performed on gear vibration signals to extract additional fault characteristic information. Then, multidimensional feature sets including time-domain, frequency-domain and time-frequency-domain features are generated to reveal gear health conditions. Multiple classifiers based on several classification algorithms and input features are combined with genetic algorithm (GA). Because of the use of multidim...
Epidemiologic studies suggest a weak link between occupational or residential exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields and cancer, especially tumors of the central nervous and hematopoietic systems. This report discusses these studies with reference to basic research on ELF EMF bioeffects relevant to cancer-promoting mechanisms. Many of the studies suggest a possible interaction of ELF EMF with the immune system, endocrine system, or growth-regulatory signals and morphogenic movements that involve calcium flux through cell membranes. Many bioeffects have been reported only with certain specific combinations of frequency, amplitude, and orientation of the EMF signal with respect to the geomagnetic field. The possibility of signal-specific effects raises a complication in dosimetry for both epidemiologic and experimental studies since ELF EMF effects may not be directly related to field strength. The report ...
This paper presents a spatial gaming model with price caps for deregulated electricity markets. There has been heated debate on price caps that have been enforced in deregulated electricity markets. Opponents argue that price caps may send wrong economic signals while advocates argue that price caps are good for damping market power. This paper does not intend to take a stand in the argument. Given the fact that price caps are enforced in several deregulated regional electricity markets in the US, a logical step is to reflect this reality in gaining modeling. However, current gaining models have not included any price cap formulation. This paper is the first one to address the issue. DC power flow equations are used for representing the spatial nature of an electrical network. An algorithm is proposed to find a generalized Nash equilibrium under the enforcement of price caps based ...
Three test instruments are being evaluated to determine the feasibility of using photoacoustic technology for measuring unburned carbon in fly ash. The first test instrument is a single microwave frequency system previously constructed to measure photoacoustic signals in an off-line configuration. A second off-line instrument was constructed based in part on lessons learned with the first instrument, but which also expands the capabilities of the first instrument. Improvements include a control loop to allow more constant microwave power output and an ability to operate over a range of microwave frequencies. The third instrument, the on-line version of the fly ash monitor, has been designed, constructed, and initial efficiency tests have been conducted on the monitor's electrical components. This quarter focused on improving the signal strength of the accelerometer by increasing the power level of the microwaves ...
For very low collision energies electron capture from excited hydrogen by multicharged ions is characterized by enormous cross sections, the predicted maximum being comparable to the geometric size of the Rydberg atom. The ion-atom merged-beams technique is being used to study these collisions for the variety of charge states and the wide range of energies (0.1 to 1000 eV/amu) accessible to the apparatus. A neutral D beam containing a Rydberg atom population proportional to 1/n"3 is produced by collisional electron detachment of 8 keV D"- in N_2 gas. An applied electric field results in the range (n=24--11) depending on the strength of the field applied. This beam is then merged with O"3"+ or O"5"+ ion beams at low relative collision velocities where the resultant beam-beam signal of D"+ due to electron loss is dominated by electron capture. From the sharp decrease in the observed beam-beam signal as the ...
The demonstration test of a power system stabilizer, employing a fuzzy theory, in the two hydroelectric power stations of Kyusyu Electric Power Co., Inc. is described. The PSS inputs auxiliary signals to the automatic voltage regulator (AVR) of a generator and generates an electric torque in the direction opposite to the operating direction of a generator to enhance the damping effect and improve the system stability. Usually, the change in the slide information of a generator is detected, and the phase adjustment is performed so that the damping is the optimum value. However, since the damping is optimized in the specific system state, no complete damping may be obtained when the system state is changed. A fuzzy theory was thus applied for the control operation part. In a secondary fuzzy PSS, the velocity and acceleration were calculated from the slide information of a generator to produce a control ...
Both the KRW fluidized-bed gasifier and the transport gasifier case studies were used for this assessment. The transport technology is a high-velocity circulating fluidized-bed reactor currently under development by The M.W. Kellogg Company. In the earlier assessment, seven design concepts or cases were identified; a process design was developed; major equipment items were identified; estimates of capital cost, operation and maintenance cost, and cost of electricity were developed; reliability was predicted; and development issues were identified for six studies. Three of the most probable cases were further evaluated for a Greenfield assessment in this report to adequately determine all costs independent of facilities at Plant Wansley.
Both the KRW fluidized-bed gasifier and the transport gasifier case studies were used for this assessment. The transport technology is a high-velocity circulating fluidized-bed reactor currently under development by The M.W. Kellogg Company. In the earlier assessment, seven design concepts or cases were identified; a process design was developed; major equipment items were identified; estimates of capital cost, operation and maintenance cost, and cost of electricity were developed; reliability was predicted; and development issues were identified for six studies. Three of the most probable cases were further evaluated for a Greenfield assessment in this report to adequately determine all costs independent of facilities at Plant Wansley.
Pionier-I is a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) of the Darrieus-type with a diameter of 15 m. In the month of September 1983 performance and efficiency were measured. Measurements were done with constant rotational speed and with constant tip speed ratio. For the calculation of the possible (theoretical) output of electric power an anemometer was present. Measurement results are conditioned to one digital signal and processed by a microcomputer (Apple II). It becomes evident that the yearly energy output of the Pionier-I is quite well comparable with that of a horizontal axis turbine with the same diameter.
Nonlinear distortion added by the loudspeaker in a hearing aid lowers the signal-to-noise ratio and may degrade the hearing aid user's ability to understand speech. The balancedarmature- type loudspeakers, predominantly used in hearing aids, are inherently nonlinear devices, as any displacement of the loudspeaker diaphragm inevitably changes the magnetic and electrical characteristics of the loudspeaker. A numerical time-domain model capable of describing these nonlinearities is presented. By simulation it is demonstrated how the output distortion could potentially be reduced significantly through careful design of the mechanical properties of the armature.
The congestion cost caused by transmission capacities and voltage limit is an important issue in a competitive electricity market. To allocate the congestion cost equitably, the active constraints in a constrained dispatch and the sequence of these constraints should be considered. A multi-stage method is proposed which reflects the effects of both the active constraints and the sequence. In a multi-stage method, the types of congestion are analysed in order to consider the sequence, and the relationship between congestion and the active constraints is derived in a mathematical way. The case study shows that the proposed method can give more accurate and equitable signals to customers. (Author)
System instability as result of high power generation of one of the largest plants of the Iranian electric power grid prevented the plant to be fully utilized. PSSs were installed on the generating units of the power station, to improve its small signal stability, and enhance the stable generation limit. Domain separation and pole assignment techniques were applied for the PSS design. Several field tests were also carried out to verify its effectiveness. This paper presents the PSS tuning procedure, including the design criteria and some of the field test results.
Localized corrosion has a stochastic character by nature. This character leads to an observed random behavior: fluctuations of the free potential, fluctuations of the current when a constant potential is maintained. This random signal, which is similar to an electric noise, can be analyzed either in the time domain by counting the events or in the frequency domain by measuring the power spectral density of the electrochemical noise. The experimental techniques developed for investigating the localized corrosion on the probabilistic point of view, i.e., statistical counting and power spectral density measurements, are discussed. Then the experimental results reported in the literature are reviewed in order to see what kind of parameters are accessible and how they can be related to the localized corrosion processes.
Part 1 of the Electric Utility Engineer`s Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) Manual emphasizes the chemical and physical processes that form the basis for design and operation of lime- and limestone-based FGD systems applied to coal- or oil-fired steam electric generating stations. The objectives of Part 1 are: to provide a description of the chemical and physical design basis for lime- and limestone-based wet FGD systems; to identify and discuss the various process design parameters and process options that must be considered in developing a specification for a new FGD system; and to provide utility engineers with process knowledge useful for operating and optimizing a lime- or limestone-based wet FGD system.
Signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) thresholds for microarray data analysis were experimentally determined with an oligonucleotide array that contained perfect match (PM) and mismatch (MM) probes based upon four genes from Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. A new SNR calculation, called signal to both standard deviations ratio (SSDR) was developed, and evaluated along with other two methods, signal to standard deviation ratio (SSR), and signal to background ratio (SBR). At a low stringency, the thresholds of SSR, SBR, and SSDR were 2.5, 1.60 and 0.80 with oligonucleotide and PCR amplicon as target templates, and 2.0, 1.60 and 0.70 with genomic DNA as target templates. Slightly higher thresholds were obtained at the high stringency condition. The thresholds of SSR and SSDR decreased with an increase in the complexity of targets (e.g., target types), and the presence of background DNA, and a decrease in the composition ...
One requirement of a thermophotovoltaic (TPV) radiator is to efficiently emit photons at high temperatures to TPV cells for conversion to electric power. Because many candidate radiator materials with adequate structural properties display low emissivity, coatings or other surface modifications are required for enhancement of emissivity. Six plasma sprayed coatings and one textured surface demonstrated adequate thermal stability and emittance values of 0.8 or greater. Promising attributes of modified surfaces are identified.
Craters were produced in the surface of a Pt-specimen by plasma discharge. Using a Focussed Ion Beam (FIB), TEM-foils of the cross section of the craters were prepared in order to examine the microstructural changes occurring as a result of the discharge impact. The molten material pushed to the edge of the craters was able to be identified. The grains beneath the craters reached the surface of the crater by a mechanism of epitaxial growth. (orig.)
The study concludes that while the diversification into nonutility activities by the Rural Electric Cooperatives and the Rural Telephone Cooperatives has been expanding, the regulatory activities by the Rural Electrification Administration and the state public utility commissions have been inadequate to guard against cross-subsidization. In fact, there generally exist no data to identify and investigate illegal cross-subsidization activities of cooperatives. Increasing the regulatory functions of state public utility commissions and the REA was recommended.
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.
A crack fault is one of the damage modes most frequently occurring in gears. Identifying different crack levels, especially for early cracks is a challenge in gear fault diagnosis. This paper aims to propose a method to classify the different levels of gear cracks automatically and reliably. In this method, feature parameters in time domain, specially designed for gear damage detection and in frequency domain are extracted to characterize the gear conditions. A two-stage feature selection and weighting technique (TFSWT) via Euclidean distance evaluation technique (EDET) is presented and adopted to select sensitive features and remove fault-unrelated features. A weighted K nearest neighbor (WKNN) classification algorithm is utilized to identify the gear crack levels. The gear crack experiments were conducted and the vibration signals were captured from the gears under different loads and motor speeds. The proposed method is ...
This article presents the results of analyses of large-scale integration of wind power, photo voltaic (PV) and wave power into a Danish reference energy system. The possibility of integrating Renewable Energy Sources (RES) into the electricity supply is expressed in terms of the ability to avoid excess electricity production. The different sources are analysed in the range of an electricity production from 0 to 100% of the electricity demand. The excess production is found from detailed energy system analyses on the computer model EnergyPLAN. The analyses have taken into account that certain ancillary services are needed in order to secure the electricity supply system. The idea is to benefit from the different patterns in the fluctuations of different renewable sources. And the purpose is to identify optimal mixtures from a technical point of view. The optimal ...
The effect of reference signals on performance in a visual vigilance task was studied under three conditions. Reference signals were presented on the same display as the real signals. In condition 1 (control), no reference signals were displayed. Sugbject...
TiH{sub 2} and TiD{sub 2} thick targets were bombarded with 100 to 200 keV protons or deuterons. Evidence for nuclear reactions was obtained by means of a surface barrier particle detector. Deuteron irradiation of TiD{sub 2} produced these observations: copious {approx}2.5 MeV neutrons and {approx}3 MeV protons from direct D-D reactions; gamma rays from p,{gamma} and n,{gamma} reactions; {approx}14 MeV protons from the secondary d({sup 3}He, p){alpha} reaction; and a signal between {approx}6-12 MeV that Kasagi et al. has tentatively identified as protons from the fusion of three deuterium nuclei. However, this signal has in it a strong interference signal from either neutrons or gamma rays that directly deposit energy in the detector. This interference spectra was measured by placing a thick absorber in front of the detector that stops up to 20 MeV protons, but not gamma rays or neutrons. More ...
Besides differentiation and apoptosis, cell migration is a basic process in brain development in which neural cells migrate several centimeters within the developing brain before reaching their proper positions and forming the right connections. For identifyingsignaling events that control neural migration and are therefore potential targets of chemicals to disturb normal brain development, we developed a human neurosphere-based migration assay based on normal human neural progenitor (NHNP) cells, in which the distance is measured that cells wander over time. Applying this assay, we investigated the role of the extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) in the regulation of NHNP cell migration. Exposure to model substances like ethanol or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) revealed a correlation between ERK1/2 activation and cell migration. The participation of phospho-(P-) ERK1/2 was confirmed by exposure ...
Studies on the multivariate autoregressive (MAR) analysis are carried out for the choice of the parameters for modelling the data obtained from various sensors optimally. Accordingly, the roles of the parameters on the analysis results are identified and the related ambiguities are reduced. Experimental investigations are carried out by means of synthesized reactor noise-like data obtained from a digital simulator providing simulated stochastic signals of an operating nuclear reactor so that the simulator constitutes a favourable tool for the present studies aimed. As the system is well defined with its known structure, precise comparison of the MAR analysis results with the true values is performed. With the help of the information gained through the studies carried out, conditions to be taken care of for optimal signal processing in MAR modelling are determined. Although the parameters involved are related among ...
The present work reports on Raman and Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) vibrational fingerprints of ?-carotene and haemoglobin in fresh whole blood (i.e. right after blood test) with different laser excitations, i.e. visible (514 nm) and near-infrared (NIR, 785 nm). The use of colloidal silver nanoparticles significantly increases the Raman signal, thus providing a clear SERS spectrum of blood. The collected spectra have been examined and marker bands of ?-carotene and of the haem prosthetic group of haemoglobin have been found. In particular, the fundamental features of ?-carotene (514 nm excitation), blood proteins and haem molecules (785 nm excitation) were recognized and assigned. Moreover haemoglobin SERS signals can be identified and related with its oxygenation state (oxy-haemoglobin). The data reported show the prospects of Raman and SERS techniques to detect important bio-molecules in a whole blood sample ...
A complete heavy ion identification system in heavy ion reaction studies consists, in general, of: 1) a position sensitive avalanche counter, and 2) ionization chamber to obtain total energy as well as a heavy ion identifiersignal (such as the E#DELTA#E signal from a E-#DELTA#E type detector or the height of the Bragg peak that scales as Z of the heavy ion in a Bragg curve ionization chamber). In addition, a time-of-flight information may be needed to resolve the masses of the ions. With this motivation in mind, a composite detector system consisting of a Bragg curve spectroscopy ionization chamber (BCS-IC) and a one dimensional position sensitive parallel grid avalanche counter (XPS-PGAC) has been developed and used successfully at the BARC-TIFR pelletron accelerator facility. The design and performance of this gas detector system are reported. (author). 4 refs., 2 figs.
Aiming at the non-stationary characteristics of differential pressure fluctuation signals of gas-liquid two-phase flow, and the slow convergence of learning and liability of dropping into local minima for BP neural networks, flow regime identification method based on Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) and Least Square Support Vector Machine (LS-SVM) is presented. First of all, the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) method is used to decompose the differential pressure fluctuation signals of gas-liquid two-phase flow into a number of stationary Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs) components from which the initial feature vector matrix is formed. By applying the singular vale decomposition technique to the initial feature vector matrixes, the singular values are obtained. Finally, the singular values serve as the flow regime characteristic vector to be LS-SVM classifier and flow regimes are identified by the output of the ...
This report is the first of four volumes that identify and assess the environmental, health, and safety issues involved in using sodium-sulfur (Na/S) battery technology as the energy source in electric and hybrid vehicles that may affect the commercialization of Na/S batteries. This and the other reports on recycling, shipping, and vehicle safety are intended to help the Electric and Hybrid Propulsion Division of the Office of Transportation Technologies in the US Department of Energy (DOE/EHP) determine the direction of its research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) program for Na/S battery technology. The reports review the status of Na/S battery RD&D and identify potential hazards and risks that may require additional research or that may affect the design and use of Na/S batteries. This volume covers cell design and engineering as the basis of safety for Na/S batteries and describes and ...
This report is the first of four volumes that identify and assess the environmental, health, and safety issues involved in using sodium-sulfur (Na/S) battery technology as the energy source in electric and hybrid vehicles that may affect the commercialization of Na/S batteries. This and the other reports on recycling, shipping, and vehicle safety are intended to help the Electric and Hybrid Propulsion Division of the Office of Transportation Technologies in the US Department of Energy (DOE/EHP) determine the direction of its research, development, and demonstration (RD D) program for Na/S battery technology. The reports review the status of Na/S battery RD D and identify potential hazards and risks that may require additional research or that may affect the design and use of Na/S batteries. This volume covers cell design and engineering as the basis of safety for Na/S batteries and describes and ...
Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) need long-lived high-power batteries as energy storage devices. Batteries based on lithium-ion technology can meet the high-power goals but have been unable to meet HEV calendar-life requirements. As part of the US Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Development (ATD) Program, diagnostic studies are being conducted on 18650-type lithium-ion cells that were subjected to accelerated aging tests at temperatures ranging from 40 to 70 C. This article summarizes data obtained by gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, electron microscopy, X-ray spectroscopy and electrochemical techniques, and identifies cell components that are responsible for the observed impedance rise and power fade.
The OSP (Operating Safety Procedure) required for performance of electrical arc testing of CFC replacement fluids was renewed. Electrical breakdown tests at one atmosphere pressure have been performed for R-22, R-134a, and R-125/R-143a (50:50 blend; R-507), and breakdown products identified. No differences in HCFC breakdown products are seen in the presence or absence of lubricant oils. The design of the high pressure-high temperature test stand has been finalized, and construction initiated during this quarter. Three motor stators and rotors were received from Tecumseh Products Company for use in motor burnout tests. A test plan for the motor breakdown tests is in preparation.
An investigation of current dual-fuel natural gas/diesel engine design, performance, and emissions was conducted. The most pressing technological problems associated with dual-fuel engine use were identified along with potential solutions. It was concluded that dual-fuel engines can achieve low NOx and particulate emissions while retaining fuel-efficiency and BMEP levels comparable to those of diesel engines. The investigation also examined the potential economic impact of dual-fuel engines in diesel-electric locomotives, marine vessels, farm equipment, construction, mining, and industrial equipment, and stand-alone electricity generation systems. Recommendations for further additional funding to support research, development, and demonstration in these applications were then presented.
The detectors used in the TS93 balloon flight produced a large volume of information for each cosmic ray trigger. Some of the data was visual in nature, other portions contained energy deposition and timing information. The data sets are amenable to conventional analysis techniques but there is no assurance that conventional techniques make full use of subtle correlations and relations amongst the detector responses. With the advent of neural network technologies, particularly adept at classification of complex phenomena, it would seem appropriate to explore the utility of neural network techniques to classify particles observed with the instruments. In this paper neural network based methodology for signal/background discrimination in a cosmic ray space experiment is discussed. Results are presented for electron and positron classification in the TS93 flight data set and will be compared to conventional analyses.
We verified and corrected inaccuracies in descriptive profile information on military working dogs (MWDs) that died from 1965 to 1980 and were reported in the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology Registry of Veterinary Pathology. Using other available military records, we determined which dogs served in Vietnam. Identified were 3,895 MWDs with a unique identity tattoo that served in Vietnam, of which 2,389 served exclusively with U.S. military forces and died in Vietnam. Another 479 Vietnam veteran MWDs completed their service elsewhere. This overall effort resulted in signalment corrections, generally age at death, in 21% of the Registry MWD accessions during the study period. The improved definition and characterization of the Vietnam cohort will lead to greater precision in epidemiologic investigations of the health effects from the Vietnam experience in U.S. military working dogs. PMID:7885593
Unlike the well-characterized nuclear function of the Notch intracellular domain, it has been difficult to identify a nuclear role for the ligands of Notch. Here we provide evidence for the nuclear function of the Notch ligand Delta-like 1 in colon cancer (CC) cells exposed to butyrate. We demonstrate that the intracellular domain of Delta-like 1 (Dll1icd) augments the activity of Wnt signaling-dependent reporters and that of the promoter of the connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) gene. Data suggest that Dll1icd upregulates CTGF promoter activity through both direct and indirect mechanisms. The direct mechanism is supported by co-immunoprecipitation of endogenous Smad2/3 proteins and Dll1 and by chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses that revealed the occupancy of Dll1icd on CTGF promot...
Serotonin is an important signaling molecule involved in the control of feeding in flies and other animals. In this study, a potential neurohemal release site for serotonin and the effects of exogenous serotonin on protein feeding were examined in the black blow fly, Phormia regina. A dense network of varicose neural processes exhibiting serotonin-like immunoreactivity was identified on the dorsal region of the thoracico-abdominal ganglion in P. regina. This dorsal region of the central nervous system is a likely site for the release of serotonin into the hemolymph. Circulating serotonin may have multiple systemic effects on fly physiology, including modulating or regulating feeding related processes and diuresis. Injections of exogenous serotonin reduced protein meal size in female flies ...
Community ecologists are principally occupied with the proposition that natural assemblages of species exhibit orderliness and with identifying its causes. Plant-pollinator networks exhibit a variety of orderly properties, one of which is 'nestedness'. Nestedness has been attributed to various causes, but we propose a further influence arising from the phylogenetic structure of the biochemical constraints on the pollen diets of bees. We use an artificial assemblage as an opportunity to isolate the action of this mechanism. The properties of the network that we studied are consistent with the proposition that nestedness is caused by the phylogeny of diet range in bees, but the claim is preliminary and we propose that valuable progress in understanding plant-pollinator systems may be made through applying the techniques of chemical ecology at the community scale.
The effect of sugar on plant metabolism, which is known to be similar to hormone-like signaling, was metabolomically studied using Melissa officinalis (lemon balm). The metabolite profiles of M. officinalis treated with sucrose were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and principal component analysis (PCA). A total of 64 metabolites from various chemical classes including alcohols, amines, amino acids, fatty acids, inorganic acids, organic acids, phosphates, and sugars were identified by GC-MS. Three groups treated with different sucrose concentrations were clearly separated by PCA of their metabolite profiles, indicating changes in the levels of many metabolites depending on the sucrose concentration. Metabolite profiling revealed that treatment with a higher sucrose ...
We present two cases of fetal neck masses that were initially diagnosed by ultrasound and further evaluated with prenatal MRI. MRI findings aided in further delineating the neck masses, increasing confidence in the final diagnosis (cervical teratoma and cystic hygroma). With the fetal airway typically filled with fluid that is of high signal on T2-weighted sequences, MRI images in three planes could identify whether the fetal larynx and trachea were partially or completely compressed by the neck tumor. This information was particularly useful in determining if a controlled delivery such as ex utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) was necessary and aided the surgeons in planning their approach to establishing airway control in the delivery room. (orig.)
Aim To determine the fate and clinical implication of large (?2cm), non-hypervascular nodules depicted on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the cirrhotic liver. Materials and methods In 21 patients with cirrhosis (14 hepatitis B, two ethanol abuse, four cryptogenic, one Wilson's disease), 25 large (?2cm in the longest dimension) non-hypervascular nodules were identified on dynamic MRI. The implications for diagnosis of the initial size, contour, and signal characteristics on MRI in addition to patients' age and cause of cirrhosis were assessed in our analysis. Results Twelve (75%) out of 16 lesions were malignant or potentially-malignant from 14 hepatitis B patients, while seven (78%) of the nine lesions from other patients were benign (p=0.016). The mean age of the patients who ha...
This research deals with in the study of the use of innovating magnetic sensors in eddy current non destructive inspection. The author reports an analysis survey of magnetic sensor performances. This survey enables the selection of magnetic sensor technologies used in non destructive inspection. He presents the state-of-the-art of eddy current probes exploiting the qualities of innovating magnetic sensors, and describes the methods enabling the use of these magnetic sensors in non destructive testing. Two main applications of innovating magnetic sensors are identified: the detection of very small defects by means of magneto-resistive sensors, and the detection of deep defects by means of giant magneto-impedances. Based on the use of modelling, optimization, signal processing tools, probes are manufactured for these both applications.
An alternative utilization is presented for the gaseous ionization chamber in the detection of energetic heavy ions, which is called Bragg Curve Spectroscopy (BCS). Conceptually, BCS involves using the maximum data available from the Bragg curve of the stopping heavy ion (HI) for purposes of identifying the particle and measuring its energy. A detector has been designed that measures the Bragg curve with high precision. From the Bragg curve the range from the length of the track, the total energy from the integral of the specific ionization over the track, the dE/dx from the specific ionization at the beginning of the track, and the Bragg peak from the maximum of the specific ionization of the HI are determined. This last signal measures the atomic number, Z, of the HI unambiguously.
Circadian rhythms affect several processes in the body physiology. This commentary revisits the topic of `metabolic basis of diseases' with a view to shed light on how cellular energy requirements feed-forward to a sequential signaling of hormonal response, blood glucose metabolism, antioxidant activities, and pathophysiology. Attempt is made to explain how diseases that may not appear to be closely related, such as bone metabolism and vasculopathy, have an increase in oxidative damage as a common underlying biochemistry. Importantly, this article identifies oxidative damage as an outcome of sleep disturbance and hypothesize that sleep complaint is not merely one of many resulting symptoms of PTSD, but a core feature that arise from trauma and gives rise to the stress biochemistry, which i...
A large area Bragg curve spectroscopy (BCS) detector and a position sensitive parallel grid avalanche counter have been developed to study heavy ion reactions, such as inelastic excitations and few nucleon transfer reactions near the Coulomb barrier. Reasonably good resolutions have been achieved for energy, atomic number and angle. A theoretical investigation on the mass dependence of the Bragg peak signal from the BCS detector, shows that there is a negligible mass dependence related to the geometry of the detector. The mass number of the heavy ions which cannot be obtained by the above method, has been identified by detecting the corresponding characteristic gamma rays from the product nuclei with two large solid angle gamma ray detectors. (orig.)
A large area Bragg curve spectroscopy (BCS) detector and a position sensitive parallel grid avalanche counter have been developed to study heavy ion reactions, such as inelastic excitations and few nucleon transfer reactions near the Coulomb barrier. Reasonably good resolutions have been achieved for energy, atomic number and angle. A theoretical investigation on the mass dependence of the Bragg peak signal from the BCS detector, shows that there is a negligible mass dependence related to the geometry of the detector. The mass number of the heavy ions which cannot be obtained by the above method, has been identified by detecting the corresponding characteristic gamma rays from the product nuclei with two large solid angle gamma ray detectors. (orig.).
A workshop on radioactivity in coal use was held on September 15 through 17, 1981, under the auspices of the US Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Programs, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The purpose of the workshop was to identify research issues associated with radioactivity resulting from the use of coal for electric power generation. The concensus of the 10 scientists participating in the workshop was that a moderate to strong need exists for research in solubility of fly ash in different fluids and for determination of radioactivity in construction materials. Several additional research issues were identified but were given a lower priority. Summaries of each presentation are included. Titles are: some effects of coal combustion on the radiation environment; radionuclides in western coal at Mound; low-level radiation in coals utilized and ashes produced at New York State ...
Introduction: Research indicates that music can affect heart rate, blood pressure, and skin conductance. Music can stimulate central emotions in the brain and release biochemical materials that change the physiologic state. We sought to compare changes in the electrical function of the heart in response to music. Method: Subjects were asked to listen to 2 types of music, namely, sedative and arousal music, in conjunction with two 30-second periods of complete silence. The experiment was conducted in 4 segments: the first and third parts were silence, and the second and fourth parts were music. First, the response to each type of music was compared with that to the preceding period of silence. Next, the responses to both types of music were compared. Finally, the response to music regardles...
Measurements have been made of certain parameters relevant to the operation of electron-counting detectors. An experimental chamber consisting of a uniform-field drift tube and a coaxial proportional counter thas been employed to obtain data, at very low drift fields (E/p<0.02 V/cm Torr), on electron mobility and lifetimes in a range of gas mixtures. These mixtures included argon, methane, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Measurements of single-electron spectra showed that, unexpectedly for the standard gas mixtures employed, useful departure from an exponential spectrum was not possible without the production of cathode secondaries. Although the present studies employed only the counter electricalsignal the information obtained should be directly relevant to the operation of practical light-pulse systems. Examples of electron-counting spectra for soft X-rays are shown. (orig.).
Purpose: To obtain stabilized operation by preventing over heat in emergency cooling pumps upon accidents of flow regulators. Constitution: A pressure suppression chamber pool and a pressure vessel are communicated to each other with a pipeway and the water in the suppression pool is charged by a charging pump to the pipeway. The pipeway is interposed with an emergency cooling pump so as to feed water in the pipeway to the pressure vessel and a water source and the emergency cooling pumps are connected by way of a closed pipeway. Further, the closed pipeway and the pipeway interposed with the charging pump are communicated to each other by way of a connecting pipeway, to which are interposed an instrument for detecting the increase in the temperature of the emergency cooling pumps due to abnormality in the closed pipe (such as troubles in flow regulators) and outputting control signals and an electrically actuated valve controlled by a control ...
Contact scanner system in Wolsung NPP(model ESE-1565) is early `70 equipment so most of components are obsolete. To make 100% compatible PCBs for this system is main object of the study. Most of components used in the system are now not available in the electric market, furthermore original system maker no longer supplies spare parts. System supplier(AECL) quoted lots of money than general PCBs prices in case of spare PCBs are re-marked by canada maker. Contents and scope of the study are specifications research and system analysis, improvements of repairability and reliability, circuit design and simulations using computer aided tools(CAE), make arbitrary mechanical contacts signal generator for test system. Now the long-run test of home made PCBs are conducting at Wolsung NPP. (author). 20 refs., 42 figs.
Ultrasonic gold and aluminum wire wedge bonding are widely used for electrical and signal interconnections of the integrated circuit chip packages. In this paper, based on the metallurgical theories and thermal aging test methods, the long-term thermal reliabilities of gold and aluminum wire wedge bonding on aluminum and Au/Ni/Cu pads, were investigated, respectively. At 200degreeC, the Au/Al bond interfaces evolved little when the storage time was less than 48h; with the aging time increasing, the interfacial intermetallic compounds (IMC) grew up from the pad (vertical growth); the primary compounds were Au5Al2 near the bond toe and heel, and Au2Al at the periphery. Then, the thickness of IMC was unchanged, and extended horizontally (lateral growth), Au5Al2 transformed into more stable Au...
This paper discusses how specialized techniques for machine condition monitoring can help to eliminate false alarms and undetected faults, leading to a truly cost effective predictive maintenance program. It is vital to base the monitoring system on the parameter which will give the most useful information about potential faults and breakdowns. This parameter is generally agreed to be vibration. While oil debris analysis and variations in temperature, geometry and machine speed can all give advance warning of faults, no other parameter can reveal as wide a range of fault types as vibration. The vibration transducers job is to accurately and faithfully convert the vibration into an electricsignal for assessment. If this part of the system is weak, reliability will be badly affected. Data integrity is crucial.
This paper describes a comprehensive MCM [machine condition monitoring] program and suggested system for implementation in hydroelectric generating units. The system addresses all the major subsystems which make up the generating unit. A modular design means that it could be applicable in a wide variety of situations. Different subsystems may be included or excluded from the monitoring system as required. It may be used at individual plants as a stand alone system or network wide. An advanced processing and diagnostic module is included, again for use as an integral part of the system or as a stand alone analysis tool. Examples of the system's proposed data analysis and diagnostic abilities are also described using vibration signals as would be provided by the bearing module. (Author)
The major distributor and retailer of electrical power to Auckland, New Zealand, is Mercury Energy Limited. Following the sequential failure of the four 110kV underground cables, two gas-filled and two oil-filled, which supply the central business district, power was interrupted for 29 days from the 20th February 1998. A government inquiry was instituted, to examine what happened, why, and what lessons could be drawn for the future. Inadequacies in Mercury Energy`s cable maintenance and operating procedures were identified. The findings of the inquiry and its recommendations are reported. (UK)
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 breakdown of cellulose were ...
Most of the presently identified exoplanets have masses similar to that of Jupiter and therefore are assumed to be gaseous objects. With the ever-increasing interest in discovering lower-mass planets, several of the so-called super-Earths (i.e., with masses in the interval 1 M_earth < M < 10 M_earth), which are predicted to be rocky, have already been found. Here we report the possible discovery of a planet around the M-type star GJ 436 with a minimum mass of 4.8+/-0.6 M_earth and a true mass of ~5 M_earth, which makes it the least massive planet around a main-sequence star found to date. In contrast with other discoveries, the planet is identified from its perturbations on an inner Neptune-mass transiting planet (GJ 436b), by pumping eccentricity and producing secular variations in the orbital inclination. Analysis of published radial velocity measurements indeed reveals a significant signal corresponding to an ...
In response to the decisions adopted at the Third Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Kyoto conference for the prevention of global warming) of 1997, hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, and the like are being announced of their completion or placed on the market one after another as low pollution vehicles with CO2 emission to cause global warming reduced. Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., is engaged in the development of a DC-DC converter for hybrid vehicles in cooperation with Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. The product is characterized in (1) that it is small in size and light in weight because a step-down converter and an emergency step-up converter are integrated; (2) that it enjoys a high efficiency rate of 89%; (3) that its service life is long thanks to its design free of aluminum electrolytic capacitors; and (4) that it is provided with various reliability improving features, such as ...
A system is claimed for multiplexing or demultiplexing pulsed laser radiation having an acousto-optical device which is electrically controlled to switch a common path of high pulse rate laser radiation between a plurality of spatially distinct paths for relatively lower pulse rate laser radiation at which the pulses are sequenced according to a predetermined time pattern. The acousto-optical element typically includes a Bragg cell which is electrically driven by a set of distinct frequencies, causing deflection of radiation passing therethrough at a predetermined set of angles whereby pulsed radiation on a single path may be distributed onto the plural separate paths or radiation on plural separate paths of time-sequenced pulses of radiation can be combined into a single path of augmented pulse rate. The control of the acousto-optical element may be provided by selectively switching the output of a plurality of fixed frequency oscillators of ...
We describe a stochastic inversion method for mapping subsurface regions where the electrical resistivity is changing. The technique combines prior information, electrical resistance data and forward models to produce subsurface resistivity models that are most consistent with all available data. Bayesian inference and a Metropolis simulation algorithm form the basis for this approach. Attractive features include its ability to: (1) provide quantitative measures of the uncertainty of a generated estimate and, (2) allow alternative model estimates to be identified, compared and ranked. Methods that monitor convergence and summarize important trends of the posterior distribution are introduced. Results from a physical model test and a field experiment were used to assess performance. The stochastic inversions presented provide useful estimates of the most probable location, shape, and volume of the changing region, and the ...
There are many sources of population exposures to power-frequency (50/60 Hz) electric and magnetic fields including household appliances and wiring, neighborhood distribution circuits, and high-voltage transmission lines. Bioeffects studies were unable to demonstrate that exposures to power-frequency fields can affect public health. Researcher have likewise been unable to show that the health effects of such exposures are negligible. State and federal regulatory agencies are, therefore, grappling with questions of whether and how to regulate the sitting or design of new extra high-voltage transmission lines so as to control the ground-level fields to which people are exposed. The purpose of this dissertation is to illuminate some of the exposure-related aspects of these question. A taxonomy of the relationship between field encounter and effect is developed to clarify the meaning of terms such as exposure and dose in the power-frequency context. The major inputs to ...
The basic principle of the green building philosophy is to design buildings that consider environmental performance. Residential and commercial buildings in Canada consume about 30 per cent of the total secondary energy use and are responsible for approximately 29 per cent of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas emissions and many other wastes. An optimization model was developed which minimizes life cycle cost and life cycle environmental impact. The model distinguishes different energy sources and incorporates their impacts, such as resource depletion, global warming and acidification. The model also considers design variables such as window type, orientation, building orientation, window-to-wall ratio, wall type and roof type. The model can be used to identify optimum green building designs for given conditions. The model uses expanded cumulative exergy consumption as the indicator for life cycle environmental performance. As such, it can be simplified by ...
Electron trapping in crossed electric and magnetic fields is an important mechanism by which electrical discharges can develop in low pressure gases. The authors report observations of discharges produced by this mechanism around a spherical anode in two space simulation chambers, namely the Space Plasma Interaction Experiment (SPIE) at the University of Maryland, and the NASA-Lewis B-2 chamber. They have identified two types of discharges in these experiments. In the B-2 chamber, the breakdown takes the form of a runaway dischage with spherical topology, limited only by the ability of the power supply to provide the current. In the SPIE chamber this type of discharge also occurs, in addition to a low current toroidal discharge which is observed at higher magnetic fields. They present measurements of both types of discharge and show how the trapping effect of the magnetic field together with secondary electron emission by ...
There is an urgent need to improve the reliability of screening cargo containers for illicit nuclear material that may be hidden there for terrorist purposes. A screening system is described for detection of fissionable material hidden in maritime cargo containers. The system makes use of a low intensity neutron beam for producing fission; and the detection of the abundant high-energy #gamma# rays emitted in the #beta#-decay of short-lived fission products and #beta#-delayed neutrons. The abundance of the delayed #gamma# rays is almost an order of magnitude larger than that of the delayed neutrons normally used to detect fission and they are emitted on about the same time scale as the delayed neutrons, i.e., #approx#1 min. The energy and temporal distributions of the delayed #gamma# rays provide a unique signature of fission. Because of their high energy, these delayed #gamma# rays penetrate loW--Z cargoes much more readily than the delayed neutrons. Coupled with their higher ...
Laron syndrome (LS) is an autosomal recessively inherited condition characterized by insensitivity to endogenous and exogenous GH. Affected individuals have severe episodes and other characteristic features. GH receptor gene mutations are present in all affected individuals in whom molecular studies have been reported. The GH receptor is a plasma membrane-spanning protein in which the extracellular domain binds circulating GH and the intracellular domain interacts with the JAK-2 kinase and possibly other intracellular signaling molecules. GH receptor dimerization occurs on GH binding and is thought to be required for normal signal transduction. We have studied the GH receptor genes of four unrelated individuals affected with LS from the United States, Italy, Saudi Arabia, and India. We have identified four different missense mutations that alter consecutive amino acids 152 to 155 in or near the dimerization domain of the GH ...
A marine propulsion system is a very complicated system composed of many mechanical components. As a result, the vibration signal of a gearbox in the system is strongly coupled with the vibration signatures of other components including a diesel engine and main shaft. It is therefore imperative to assess the coupling effect on diagnostic reliability in the process of gear fault diagnosis. For this reason, a fault detection and diagnosis method based on bispectrum analysis and artificial neural networks (ANNs) was proposed for the gearbox with consideration given to the impact of the other components in marine propulsion systems. To monitor the gear conditions, the bispectrum analysis was first employed to detect gear faults. The amplitude-frequency plots containing gear characteristic signals were then attained based on the bispectrum technique, which could be regarded as an index actualizing forepart gear faults diagnosis. Both the back ...
The electric power consumption of electric cars and the demand they will pose on electric utilities are considered. The increased amount of travel will require more electric power in summer, while space heating makes larger demands in winter. This leads to nearly flat demand on electric utilities throughout the year. 5 refs.
Several examples of agonist-directed trafficking of receptor signalling at 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors have been reported that involve independent downstream transduction pathways. We now report the functional selectivity of a series of chemically diverse agonists at human (h)5-HT2A, h5-HT2B and h5-HT2C-VSV by examining two related responses, the upstream activation of Gq/11 proteins in comparison with its associated cascade of calcium mobilisation. At the h5-HT2A receptor, d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and the antiparkinsonian agents lisuride, bromocriptine and pergolide exhibit a higher potency for Gq/11 activation than calcium release in contrast with all the other tested ligands such as 5-HT, mCPP and BW723C86, that show an opposite preference of signalling pathway. Comparable observations are made at h5-HT2B and h5-HT2C-VSV receptors, suggesting a similar mechanism of functional selectivity for the three serotonin receptors. ...
After the transcription of the electricity directive in national legislations, the European electricity market appears to be a vast set of juxtaposed markets which are weakly connected at the level of their wholesale contracts compartment. Referring to the technological peculiarities of electricity as a commodity, the paper identifies the direct conditions of regional integration of the electricity markets, those which would favour cross-border trade and allow to be near the normal functioning of a regional commodity market. The infrastructure network dependence and the need of a stringent technical coordination necessitate to unify the operation of the different systems and the rules of access, or at the least to come near this unification by strong coordination. A second major condition, which is not fully debated, is the increasing connexion of short-term markets, via daily ...
Negative frequency has a physical meaning, the complete description of a frequency signal is a rotating complex signal, in complete description, positive frequency signal exp(iwt) and negative frequency signal exp(-iwt) is two distinguishable and independent frequency signals. Because the real-carrier modulation and demodulation do not distinguish positive and negative frequency, so half of the spectrum resources and signal energy are wasted. The complex-carrier modulation uses the distinguishable positive frequency signal exp(iwt) and negative frequency signal exp(-iwt) as the carrier signals, they can carry different information, so the spectrum resources is full used, the complex-carrier demodulation does not lose signal energy, so the spectrum efficiency is improved.
Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies continue to mature and are being deployed worldwide. Power towers will likely play an essential role in the future development of CSP due to their potential to provide dispatchable solar electricity at a low cost. This Power Tower Technology Roadmap has been developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to describe the current technology, the improvement opportunities that exist for the technology, and the specific activities needed to reach the DOE programmatic target of providing competitively-priced electricity in the intermediate and baseload power markets by 2020. As a first step in developing this roadmap, a Power Tower Roadmap Workshop that included the tower industry, national laboratories, and DOE was held in March 2010. A number of technology improvement opportunities (TIOs) were identified at this workshop and separated into four categories associated with power ...
This study deals with the application of wavelet analysis to detection and characterization of defects from eddy-current and ultrasonic testing signals of a low signal-to-noise ratio. Presented in this paper are the methods for processing eddy-current testing signals of heat exchanger tubes of a steam generator in a nuclear power plant. The results of processing eddy-current testing signals of tube test pieces with artificial flaws show that the flaw signals corrupted by noise and/or non-defect signals can be effectively detected and characterized by using the wavelet methods. (author)
Object: To smoothly control automatic water supply for realizing stable operation of a nuclear reactor by providing a flow rate limiting signal selection circuit and a preferential circuit in a water supply control device for a nuclear reactor wherein the speed of a recirculation pump may be changed in two-steps. Structure: Opening angle signals for a water supply regulating valve are controlled by a nuclear reactor water level signal, a vapor flow rate signal and a supplied water flow rate signal through an adder and an adjuster in response to a predetermined water level setting signal. When the water in the reactor is maintained at a predetermined level, a selection circuit receives a water pump condition signal for selecting one of the signals from a supplied water rate limiting signal generator ...
Recognizing the importance of energy as a vital component in economic development, the Taiwanese government has been continuously revising its energy policy, seeking to balance economic development, energy supply, and environmental protection (3E). Some measures, in an attempt to achieve the 3E balance, were previously implemented in Taiwan; nevertheless, some unresolved issues departing from certain core principles of Taiwan's sustainable energy policy and an international initiative for a low carbon society remain. The aim of this paper is to examine the energy supply and demand structure of Taiwan and the present status of individual energy carriers (including coal, petroleum, natural gas and electricity). In addition, it investigates the current energy policy framework and its implementation in Taiwan, identifies unresolved issues regarding sustainable energy development, and formulates key policy solutions for certain ...
The effects of various antioxidants and antioxidant concentrations on the radiation and thermal stability of EPDM and XLPE polymers used for insulation of electric cable in nuclear power plants were measured. The objective was to determine if particular antioxidants could be identified as being especially effective for stabilization against radiation aging and combined thermal and radiation aging. Elongation to rupture was used as the measure of stability. Materials were irradiated to doses up to 2 MGy (200 Mrad) at a dose rate of 200 to 300 Gy/h in the Cobalt-60 Gamma Irradiation Facility at the University of Virginia. All of the antioxidants tested, which were known to provide excellent thermal stability, also provided good stability for radiation aging and combined thermal/radiation aging, although small differences between antioxidants were noted. No antioxidant or antioxidant combination was identified as being ...
There may be circumstances when a sector has to be partially or totally warmed-up to temperatures above 80 K, that is when thermal dilatation starts to play a role. Some equipment have been identify as presenting a risk, like the non-conform "plug-in" modules in the arcs. Because of motion induced by thermal dilatation, the electrical (ElQA) quality control may also have to be done again after cool-down. The main reason identified so far for partial warm-up is the required maintenance of the cooling towers and the cryogenics plants. There is also the request from the vacuum group to periodically warm-up the beam screen to temperatures in the 100 K region to release and pump-out the gas crysorbed on the surface of the beam screen. Observed and expected temperature conditions and statistics on failures of PIMs in sectors which have been warmed-up will be presented in this contribution. Methods to detect buckled PIMs will be ...
Many Pacific Basin countries rely on oil for electricity production. Alternative fuel sources such as coal, which is available in the Pacific Basin, can help mitigate adverse impacts of sudden price increases or supply disruptions. Coal combustion produces solid and potentially hazardous wastes of concern to environmental regulators and utility managers. This paper identifies issues associated with managing coal combustion wastes in the Pacific Basin, using the state of Hawaii as a case study. Hawaii is typical of many Pacific Basin locations in that it depends on oil, has limited sites, for waste management operations, and is subject to domestic and international waste management regulations. The paper discusses coal-fired utility wastes, environmental impacts of coal combustion waste disposal, and regulatory requirements that impact coal waste management. From this baseline, potential on- and off-island options for coal waste management are ...
The UNITIL Companies have identified the need to undertake new economic development initiatives and to respond to an increasingly competitive energy marketplace. The economy of UNITIL`s service areas and New England generally have suffered from the perception that energy prices, and electricity prices in particular, are very high and non-competitive. However, opportunities now exist for more competitive priced electricity services to be made available to meet the needs of economic development. The introduction of Energy Bank{trademark} was designed to meet this objective through a competitively priced, market-based option for new or expanding industrial loads. The Energy Bank{trademark} is priced at about 5 cents/kWh, a rate 40% below the regional average industrial rate. As Energy Bank{trademark} grows, it will yield substantial benefits to all customers in UNITIL`s service areas, through increased local economic activity, ...
Gas-insulated systems employing SF/sub 6/ are utilized in a variety of applications in power delivery systems. Because electric arcs, sparks or corona can decompose SF/sub 6/ into by-products having chemical properties different from SF/sub 6/, environmental concerns arise regarding inadvertent human exposures to electrically-decomposed SF/sub 6/. Biological assays in our laboratory using mammalian cell culture systems have revealed that SF/sub 6/, spark-decomposed under specific experimental conditions, can produce cell death. Chemical analysis of spark-decomposed SF/sub 6/ has identified the major decomposition pathways and by-products. Biological testing of individual by-products or by-product mixtures has indicated that these major decomposition products may not account for the majority of the cell killing effects seen in our assays. Further experiments have suggested that S/sub 2/F/sub 10/ may be produced and ...
A review of energy use in Haiti, aimed at identifying possible projects to complement current A.I.D. support for institution building and energy planning within the Ministry of Mines and Energy Resources (MMRE), is presented. Key findings are that: (1) the sugar and manufacturing industries rely heavily on biomass fuels - wood, charcoal, and bagasse (sugar cane residue); and (2) demand for commercial energy and for electricity is growing rapidly despite supply constraints. The report calls for A.I.D. to: initiate a program to reduce biomass consumption (which is causing severe soil erosion and deforestation), especially in the small distilleries called guildives; collaborate with MMRE and the World Bank to develop a detailed workplan to promote energy efficiency in the guildives, focusing on technology development; help MMRE and the private sector to project Haiti's industrial energy and electricity needs through ...
This summary denotes the progress made by the Exploratory Technology Research (ETR) Program for Electrochemical Energy Storage during calendar year 1992. The primary objective of the ETR Program, which is sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and managed by Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL), is to identify electrochemical technologies that can satisfy stringent performance, durability and economic requirements for electric vehicles (EVs). The ultimate goal is to transfer the most-promising electrochemical technologies to the private sector or to another DOE program (e.g., SNL`s Electric Vehicle Advanced Battery Systems Development Program, EVABS) for further development and scale-up. Besides LBL, which has overall responsibility for the ETR Program, LANL and BNL have participated in the ETR Program by providing key research support in several of the program elements. Program consists of three major elements: ...
A model-base expert system is presented for the processing of alarm messages in power networks' control centers. This alarm processor, called GESTAL, generates concise diagnoses identifying the causes(s) of network disturbances and describing the operation of the protection and alarm systems which operate to isolate faulty components. Essentially, the alarm processor is an agenda driven expert system which is composed of a model of the power network's alarm and protection systems as well as several sets of rules. Based on the nextwork model, graph structures are constructed which represent relationships between alarms as they are received. These graph structures are then analysed in order to diagnose the disturbances(s). The alarm processor has been developed using the ART 3.0 programming language in a Symbolics Lisp-machine environment. Background material on expert systems, electric power networks, and alarm processing ...
This work deals with a study on estimation of energy consumption in eight readily defined unit operations of cashew nut processing. Data for analysis were collected from nine cashew nut mills stratified into small, medium and large categories to represent different mechanization levels. Series of equations were developed to easily compute requirements of electricity, fuel and labour for each of the unit operations. The computation of energy use was done using spreadsheet program on Microsoft Excel. The results of application test of the equations show that the total energy intensity in the cashew nut mills varied between 0.21 and 1.161MJ/kg. Electrical energy intensity varied between 0.0052 and 0.029MJ/kg, while thermal energy intensity varied from 0.085 to 1.064MJ/kg. The two identified energy intensive operations in cashew nut processing are cashew nut drying and cashew nut roasting, altogether accounting for over 85% of ...
Energy study was conducted in an organic fertilizer production plant in Nigeria, to determine the energy consumption patterns and the associated costs for the production of both powdered and pelletised fertilizer. Analysis was conducted for a daily production of 9000 kg of the finished products. Eight and nine defined unit operations were required for production of powder and pellets, respectively. The electrical and manual energy required for the production of powder were 94.5 and 5.6% of the total energy, respectively, with corresponding 93.9 and 5.1% for the production of pellets. The respective average energy intensities were estimated as 0.28 and 0.35 MJ/kg for powder and pellets. The most energy intensive operation was identified as the pulverizing unit with energy intensity of 0.09 MJ/kg, accounting for respective proportions of 33.4 and 27.0% of the total energy for production of powder and pellets. The energy cost per unit production ...
Radio interference and TV interference are being a problem in urban and rural areas. This interference is generated by high voltage transmission lines as well as distribution lines. The radio noise can be produced by polluted or damaged insulators, and by metal parts of the distribution lines. The corona effect on the surface of the dielectric material produces high frequency electromagnetic fields during the ionization and during the recombination period. Fields of different intensity are produced by positive voltage and negative voltage. The insulator flashover (leaking current) also produces electromagnetic fields. A new technique to measure these fields was developed. This technique measures the radiated fields on time domain and on frequency domain. This permits us to characterize the radiated field and thus identify the type of the source. Several measurements were done varying the type of the RF generator, i.e., new insulator and broken insulator. A ...
Presently no one knows whether electromagnetic fields (EMFs) play a role in human cancer or other ailments, though epidemiological studies over the years have suggested that possibility. A study by the Electric Power Research Institute attempted to quantify everything it could about the magnetic environment of a home, identifying not only major sources of magnetic fields, but also their frequencies, strengths, and how they fall off with distance. Sources of a homes magnetic environment include appliances, overhead powerlines, and grounding connections to metallic water pipes. Fields will vary over time, depending on how much current is passing through the electrically conductive sources. Additional contributors to a home's magnetic background may include unusual wiring in the walls, underground power lines, and near-by high voltage transmission lines. This paper summarizes the study results, indicating weak, persistant EMFs ...
This report describes the design of an on-board battery charger for an electric car. There are already various battery charger units on the market. However, these are not specifically designed for this application, and consequently do not provide an ideal solution. Because these products are not specific to one application, and instead opt to cover a variety of briefs, they are not ideal. They also tend to be heavier and more expensive than if the charger was built specifically for one purpose. The main design considerations were that the charger should be compact and lightweight. It was also specified that the design should be able to operate using either the single-phase or three-phase AC supply. Before the design process for the battery charger could commence, it was necessary for the author to get an appreciation of power electronics, since he had no previous experience in the subject. The author focused his attention on areas of the subject most valuable to ...
Exposure control at the operating Nuclear Power Station is a major concern. TAPS Unit-4 is the first Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor of 540 MWe electrical capacity. This unit was made critical on March 6, 2005. In-depth review of radiation safety was done to identify the impact of design modification on dose rates at various locations and on the equipment's. Problems encountered in controlling the dose rates in 220 MWe electrical are eliminated by appropriate design modifications. Due to higher capacity of the unit there are design changes in major systems such as reactor core, primer heat transport system, moderator system, reactor regulation and protection systems. Reactor operations and maintenance activities during shut down contributes to exposure of the employees. Based on the experience gained in the operation of 220 MWe, design modifications incorporated in TAPS unit-4 and dose rate measurements carried out at 90 % ...
Ways of reducing energy consumption in plastics processing are examined. Examples are given which illustrate how the awareness of everyone in the company to energy saving is essential with particular reference to switching arrangements to ensure such things as lights, machinery, compressed air systems are switched off when not needed or run at a lower level where appropriate. An understanding of the various elements of the electricity bill can inform a company`s planning of its operations to take advantage of lower tariffs. Machinery selection both with regard to efficiency of processing, quality of engineering and appropriate size can achieve significant savings and attention to maintenance is important. Fundamental to all aspects of energy saving is the monitoring of energy usage to identify where savings can be made and to evaluate the effectiveness of any measures taken. (UK)
Sizewell B is Nuclear Electric's latest power station, and the Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) design on which it is based represents a ''first'' for the UK. One of the integral components of the plant is the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system, which performs a contamination control and gaseous waste management function for the site. During the commissioning of Sizewell B Power Station the extract systems of the HVAC plant underwent a procedure known as ''fingerprinting''. This entailed the characterisation of the facilities provided to test the filtration plant during its lifetime. The assessment of their adequacy was then used to identify necessary modifications and/or to propose the manner in which future in situ performance testing would be carried out. The paper outlines the basic principles and procedure that was used to ''fingerprint'' test systems during the commissioning of Sizewell B. A specific example is ...
The transmission of electrical energy by use of underground cables is increasing. Fault location techniques have certain limitations; incipient fault detection and location would help reduce the maintenance cost of these lines as well as improve the reliability of service. The report discusses some test results related to RF-probing techniques applied to high-voltage transmission lines. The high-frequency losses and attenuation in high-voltage cables places certain ultimate limitations on RF-probing techniques for incipient fault detection. Time-domain reflectrometry methods were employed to assess the RF-transmission properties of high-voltage cables at frequencies as high as 6 GHz. Fast-Fourier-transform deconvolution was used to obtain loss measurements as a function of frequency. The loss mechanisms were identified. The measurement hardware and methods are discussed as well as analysis approach leading to the conclusions.
The phase stability of silicides of Ni, Pt and Pd in contact with single crystal or amorphous silicon is examined. The presence of a particular silicide phase is identified by X-ray diffraction, and Rutherford backscattering is used to study composition. It is concluded that Pt or Pd silicides are suitable for Schottky barriers. Layers of silicon can be grown quickly by solid phase epitaxy at temperatures of 300-500C and using an intermediate metal film. Experimental results are reported. Doped layers have been obtained which have electrical characteristics suitable for the junctions in solar cells. The effects of impurities and orientation of the substrate on the growth kinetics are discussed.
Since Taiwan lacks sufficient self-produced energy, increasing energy efficiency and energy savings are essential aspects of Taiwan's energy policy. This work summarizes the energy savings implemented by 303 firms in Taiwan's textile industry from the on-line Energy Declaration System in 2008. It was found that the total implemented energy savings amounted to 46,074 ton of oil equivalent (TOE). The energy saving was equivalent to 94,614 MWh of electricity, 23,686 kl of fuel oil and 4887 ton of fuel coal. It represented a potential reduction of 143,669 ton in carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to the annual carbon dioxide absorption capacity of a 3848 ha plantation forest. This study summarizes energy-saving measures for energy users and identifies the areas for making energy saving to provide an energy efficiency baseline.
Waste electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) constitutes 4% of the municipal waste in Europe, being increased by 16-28% every five years. Nowadays, Europe produces 6,5 million tonnes of WEEE per year and currently 90% goes to landfill. WEEE waste is growing 3 times faster than municipal waste and this figure is expected to be increased up to 12 million tones by 2015. Applying a new technology to separate non-ferrous metal Waste from WEEE is the aim of this paper, by identifying multi-and hyper-spectral materials and inserting them in a recycling plant. This technology will overcome the shortcomings passed by current methods, which are unable to separate valuable materials very similar in colour, size or shape. For this reason, it is necessary to develop new algorithms able to distinguish among these materials and to face the timing requirements. (Author). 22 refs.
Development testing has been conducted by Rockwell Hanford Operations (Rockwell) with simulated Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) Reactor fuel and unirradiated N-Reactor fuel, to identify the various problems associated with rotary shearing these fuels. This report discusses the results of tests segmenting FFTF and N-Reactor fuels using electrically driven slow-speed rotary shredders. From these tests, it has been determined that slow-speed rotary shredding of both fuels can be accomplished. Final equipment arrangements and operating parameters have been established for definitive design of the FFTF Rotary Shear. Development testing is continuing on the N-fuel rotary shear. However, it has been established that two-stage shearing is necessary and the outer N-fuel elements pose few problems, while the smaller inner elements have created numerous problems, which are being addressed.
Recent advances made in the area of amorphous and nanocrystalline alloys exhibiting high saturation inductions are reviewed. A new chemical composition was identified that achieves a saturation induction of 1.64 T in an iron-based amorphous alloy. This alloy, when used in electrical transformers, shows a much improved performance over the existing amorphous alloy. Nanocrystalline FeCoCuNbSiB alloys are found to have saturation induction levels reaching 1.7 T. These materials are suited for use in sensors and inductors carrying large currents. Some of these nanocrystalline alloys show a BH squareness ratio exceeding 90%, which can be utilized in pulse power devices. Recent developments in the applications of these materials are also pointed out.
It is necessary to identify those measurable soil parameters which dictate the severity of the corrosion problem for coated irons and steels. When this is done, meaningful accelerated aging tests can be designed to validate the reduced corrosion rate for the planned coating. The following discussion introduces the important concepts and measurement parameters in the (a) design of accelerated aging tests, and (b) evaluation of the planned installation site for corrosion potential. Certain combinations of soil oxidation reduction potential (ORP) or electric potential (Eh), acidity (pH), fertilizer, water table, and soil hydraulic conductivity can result in severe corrosion of buried steel/iron vessels. If there are power lines nearby, additional loss of vessel material to the soil will occur. These factors are discussed.
The probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) of the General Electric BWR/6 Mark III standard plant has been used to assess the effect of proposed new quality assurance requirements on the off-site plant risk. This work was performed by General Electric Company under contract to the Electric Power Research Institute. First, the potential changes in the reliability of structures, systems and components were estimated. Then those changes that could affect the event tree and fault tree results were identified. Finally these changes were propagated through the probabilistic risk assessment fault trees and event trees to determine the effect upon off-site plant risk. The results show that applying quality assurance requirements, very nearly equal to those of 10CFR50, Appendix B (3), to nearly all nonsafety-related structures, systems, and components would have a negligible effect on off-site plant risk. In this ...
Part 2 of this manual provides the electric utility engineer with detailed technical information on some of the major mechanical equipment used in the FGD system. The objectives of Part 2 are the following: to provide the electric utility engineer with information on equipment that may be unfamiliar to him, including ball mills, vacuum filters, and mist eliminators; and to identify the unique technique considerations imposed by an FGD system on more familiar electric utility equipment such as fans, gas dampers, piping, valves, and pumps. Part 3 provides an overview of the recommended procedures for evaluating proposals received from FGD system vendors. The objectives are to provide procedures for evaluating the technical aspects of proposals, and to provide procedures for determining the total costs of proposals considering both initial capital costs and annual operating and maintenance costs. The ...
California utilities have been exploring the use of critical peak prices (CPP) to help reduce needle peaks in customer end-use loads. CPP is a form of price-responsive demand response (DR). Recent experience has shown that customers have limited knowledge of how to operate their facilities in order to reduce their electricity costs under CPP (Quantum 2004). While the lack of knowledge about how to develop and implement DR control strategies is a barrier to participation in DR programs like CPP, another barrier is the lack of automation of DR systems. During 2003 and 2004, the PIER Demand Response Research Center (DRRC) conducted a series of tests of fully automated electric demand response (Auto-DR) at 18 facilities. Overall, the average of the site-specific average coincident demand reductions was 8% from a variety of building types and facilities. Many electricity customers have suggested that automation will help them ...
The presence of endothelin (ET)-like immunoreactivity and the cardiovascular effects of mammalian ET-1 in fish have been reported. To identify ET-related peptides in fish, we screened the cDNA library of the salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) stomach by means of rapid amplification of cDNA ends, and we cloned cDNAs encoding an ET-related peptide. The salmon ET-related sequence of 21 amino acids is identical to the trout ET-1 peptide recently purified from kidney specimens of Oncorhynchus mykiss. The deduced amino acid sequence of salmon pre-proET-1 (PPET-1) comprises 244 amino acids, including a putative signal sequence and mature ET-1, as well as big ET-1 and ET-1-like sequences. This precursor, the first reported PPET-1 sequence for Salmoniformes, Teleostei, has low homology with the sequences of human, mouse, frog (Xenopus laevis), and zebrafish (Danio rerio) PPET-1 (26%, 29%, 24%, and 39%, respectively). PMID:16740985
Myostatin is a member of the transforming growth factor-{beta} (TGF-{beta}) family and a strong negative regulator of muscle growth. Here, we present the crystal structure of myostatin in complex with the antagonist follistatin 288 (Fst288). We find that the prehelix region of myostatin very closely resembles that of TGF-{beta} class members and that this region alone can be swapped into activin A to confer signalling through the non-canonical type I receptor Alk5. Furthermore, the N-terminal domain of Fst288 undergoes conformational rearrangements to bind myostatin and likely acts as a site of specificity for the antagonist. In addition, a unique continuous electropositive surface is created when myostatin binds Fst288, which significantly increases the affinity for heparin. This translates into stronger interactions with the cell surface and enhanced myostatin degradation in the presence of either Fst288 or Fst315. Overall, we have identified ...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of a simple deformable phantom as a QA tool for testing and validation of deformable image registration algorithms. A diagnostic thoracic imaging phantom with a deformable foam insert was used in this study. Small plastic markers were distributed through the foam to create a lattice with a measurable deformation as the ground truth data for all comparisons. The foam was compressed in the superior-inferior direction using a one-dimensional drive stage pushing a flat 'diaphragm' to create deformations similar to those from inhale and exhale states. Images were acquired at different compressions of the foam and the location of every marker was manually identified on each image volume to establish a known deformation field with a known accuracy. The markers were removed digitally from corresponding images prior to registration. Different image registration algorithms were tested using this method. Repeat ...
Plant meiotic prophase I is a complicated process involving the late zygotene and pachytene stages, both crucial for completing synapsis and recombination. Using David Lily (Lilium davidii var. Willmottiae) as our research material, we performed suppression subtractive hybridization to construct EST library of anthers at various stages of development by the pollen mother cells. From this library, we identified small heat shock protein LimHSP16.45 was highly expressed during the late zygotene to pachytene stages. Our results also showed that LimHSP16.45 was almost specifically expressed in the anther compared with the root, stem, or leaf, and in situ expression of LimHSP16.45 mRNAs showed strong signals in the pollen mother cells and tapetal cells. LimHSP16.45 could be induced by heat and c...
Nine infants (six boys, three girls) with anorectal anomalies were examined in the immediate newborn period, prior to corrective surgery, with MRI. Three high, one intermediate and five low anomalies were found at MRI - one patient with a `low` lesion was subsequently found at surgery 2 months later to have a high anorectal anomaly. This infant had passed meconium per urethram soon after the MRI study, prompting the need for a protective colostomy and stressing the importance of a thorough clinical examination of babies with anorectal malformations. The MRI results and findings at surgery were in agreement in all other patients (n=8). Hydronephrosis was evident in two and renal agenesis in one patient. Sacrococcygeal hypoplasia was found in two and two hemivertebrae in one infant. No spinal cord lesion was identified. One fistula was evident on MRI but four were later found at surgery. Uniformly hyperintense T1 signal meconium was seen in all ...
As with science, so with security--in both arenas, the extraordinary sensitivity of cryogenic sensors enables high-confidence detection and high-precision measurement even of the faintest signals. Science applications are more mature, but several national and international security applications have been identified where cryogenic detectors have high potential payoff. International safeguards and nuclear forensics are areas needing new technology and methods to boost speed, sensitivity, precision and accuracy. Successfully applied, improved nuclear materials analysis will help constrain nuclear materials diversion pathways and contribute to treaty verification. Cryogenic microcalorimeter detectors for X-ray, gamma-ray, neutron, and alpha-particle spectrometry are under development with these aims in mind. In each case the unsurpassed energy resolution of microcalorimeters reveals previously invisible spectral features of nuclear materials. ...
A discussion of how stress and strain affect the quantities which can be measured in an NQR experiment shows that, for stresses of the magnitude to be expected at depths up to about 10,000 feet, quadrupole coupling constants will fall in the range of 1 to 10 kHz for both the sodium and chloride ions in NaCl. The most promising system involves pulsed nuclear double resonance detection; and alterative is to observe the quadrupolar splitting of the NMR signal. Choices to be made in the measurement and mapping techniques are discussed. The well-known perturbation of the homogenous stress field in the neighborhood of a borehole is shown to be advantageous from the point of view of obtaining directional information on the stress. Construction and operation of a borehole stress sensor are considered. The NQR technique seems feasible for measuring the magnitude and direction of underground stress with a resolution of about 25 psi, or 2.5% at 1000 psi. Downhole ...
Endoreduplication represents a cell cycle variant during which multiple rounds of DNA replication occur without subsequent chromosome separation and cytokinesis, resulting into a cellular increase of the DNA content. Although the DNA ploidy level of cells is controlled by external stimuli such as light, currently limited knowledge is available on how environmental signals regulate the endoreduplication cycle at the molecular level. Previously, we have demonstrated that the conversion from the mitotic cell cycle into an endoreduplication cycle is mediated by the atypical E2F transcription factor DEL1 that operates as a repressor of endocycle onset. Here, we identified DEL1 as a transcriptional target of the classical E2Fb and E2Fc transcription factors that antagonistically control DEL1 transcript levels through competition for a single E2F cis-acting binding site. Correspondingly with the reported opposite effect of light on the E2Fb and E2Fc ...
We present an x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) study performed on both Ho{sub 6}Fe{sub 23} and Y{sub 6}Fe{sub 23} compounds as a function of the temperature. The combined analysis of both Fe K-edge and Ho L{sub 2,3}-edge XMCD spectra recorded through the magnetic compensation transition allows us to disentangle the thermal dependence of both Fe and Ho magnetic moments in Ho{sub 6}Fe{sub 23}. In addition, contributions from Ho ions to the Fe K-edge XMCD signals and, conversely, from Fe ions to the Ho L{sub 2,3}-edge XMCD spectra have been clearly identified. These extra contributions, arising from the strong Fe(3d)-Ho(5d) hybridization, have been isolated from the spectra and correlated with the magnetic state of both Ho and Fe ions surrounding the absorbing site. The influence of these contributions to the values of the orbital and spin moments derived by using sum rule analysis is also shown.
This work presents a digital adaptive Power System Stabilizer (PSS) which operates in a gain scheduling scheme. It`s parameters are designed for a lot of different operating regions in a P x Q plane (active and reactive powers), and saved in a microcomputer real time control. During working, the PSS identifies the present region of operation, and synthesizes its damping signal in accordance with the parameters for that region. As an extension of the method, a neural PSS, which uses the set of parameters of each region as a standard set to train a neural network to form this PSS, is also proposed. The tests presented show good performance for both PSS, when compared to a conventional (non adaptive) one. (author) 10 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.; e-mail: jalb at guama.cpgee.ufpa.br
Interkingdom signaling is established in the gastrointestinal tract in that human hormones trigger responses in bacteria; here, we show that the corollary is true, that a specific bacterial signal,...Full Text Available
The genomic viral RNA (vRNA) segments of influenza A virus contain specific packaging signals at their termini that overlap the coding regions. To further characterize cis-acting signals...Full Text Available
Colour television is examined as an attempt to imitate the human visual system in image formation, spectral sensitivities, adaptation, contrast effects, signal processing, signal modulation, signal...Full Text Available
This paper describes recent measurements of the subcritical neutron multiplication factor using the /sup 252/Cf source-driven neutron noise analysis method. This work was supported by a program of collaboration between the United States Department of Energy and the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation of Japan related to the development of fast breeder technology. The experiment reported consists of a configuration of two interacting tanks of uranyl nitrate aqueous solution with different uranium concentrations in each tank. The /sup 252/Cf-source-driven neutron noise analysis method obtains the subcriticality from the signals of three detectors: the first, a parallel plate ionization chamber with /sup 252/Cf electroplated on one of its plates that is located in or near the system containing the fissile material, and produces an electrical pulse for every spontaneous fission that occurs and thereby serves as a timed source of ...
Process control transmitters that incorporate digital signal processing could be used advantageously in nuclear power plants; however, because such transmitters are too sensitive to radiation, they are not used. The Electric Power Research Institute sponsored work at Sandia National Laboratories under EPRI contract RP2614-58 to determine why SMART transmitters fail when exposed to radiation and to design and demonstrate SMART transmitter circuits that could tolerate radiation. The term ''SMART'' denotes transmitters that contain digital logic. Tests showed that transmitter failure was caused by failure of the complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS)-integrated circuits which are used extensively in commercial transmitters. Radiation-hardened replacements were not available for the radiation-sensitive CMOS circuits. A conceptual design showed that a radiation-tolerant transmitter could be constructed. A prototype for an analog-to-digital ...
Since 1958, the AlliedSignal Federal Manufacturing and Technologies (FM and T) Metrology Department has developed measurement technology and calibration capability in four major areas of measurement: mechanical; environmental, gas, liquid; electrical (D.C., A.C., RF/microwave); and optical and radiation. The capabilities developed include unique capabilities in many areas of measurement and engineering expertise to develop measurement techniques and resolve measurement problems in these major areas. FM and T Metrology was established in 1958 to provide a measurement base for the Department of energy`s Kansas City Plant. The Metrology Engineering Department provides the expertise to develop measurement capabilities for virtually any type of measurement which falls into the broad areas listed above. The engineering staff currently averages almost 16 years of measurement experience. A strong audit function has been developed to provide a means to ...
The mission of the Emerging Technologies thrust area at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is to help individuals establish technology areas that have national and commercial impact, and are outside the scope of the existing thrust areas. We continue to encourage innovative ideas that bring quality results to existing programs. We also take as our mission the encouragement of investment in new technology areas that are important to the economic competitiveness of this nation. In fiscal year 1992, we have focused on nine projects, summarized in this report: (1) Tire, Accident, Handling, and Roadway Safety; (2) EXTRANSYT: An Expert System for Advanced Traffic Management; (3) Odin: A High-Power, Underwater, Acoustic Transmitter for Surveillance Applications; (4) Passive Seismic Reservoir Monitoring: Signal Processing Innovations; (5) Paste Extrudable Explosive Aft Charge for Multi-Stage Munitions; (6) A Continuum Model for Reinforced Concrete at High Pressures and ...
A high-performance power system (HIPPS) is being developed. This system is a coal-fired, combined-cycle plant that will have an efficiency of at least 47 percent, based on the higher heating value of the fuel. The original emissions goal of the project was for NOx and SOx to each be below 0.15 lb/MMBtu. In the Phase 2 RFP this emissions goal was reduced to 0.06 lb/MMBtu. The ultimate goal of HIPPS is to have an all-coal-fueled system, but initial versions of the system are allowed up to 35 percent heat input from natural gas. Foster Wheeler Development Corporation is currently leading a team effort with AlliedSignal, Bechtel, Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation, Research-Cottrell, TRW and Westinghouse. Previous work on the project was also done by General Electric. The HIPPS plant will use a high-Temperature Advanced Furnace (HITAF) to achieve combined-cycle operation with coal as the primary fuel. The HITAF is an atmospheric-pressure, ...
The Electromagnetic Fluctuations (EMF) diagnostic will be used to monitor ion fluctuations which could be unstable in MFTF-B. Each probe assembly includes a high impedance electrostatic probe to measure potential fluctuations, and a group of nested, single turn loops to measure magnetic fluctuations in three directions. Eventually, more probes and loops will be added to each probe assembly for making more detailed measurements. The sensors must lie physically close to the plasma edge and are radially positionable. Also, probes at separate axial locations can be positioned to connect along the same magnetic field line. These probes are similar in concept to the rf probes used on TMX, but the high thermal load for 30-second shots on MFTF-B requires a water-cooled design along with temperature monitors. Each signal channel has a bandwidth of .001 to 150 MHz and is monitored by up to four different data channels which obtain amplitude and frequency information. This ...
This work concerns the development of a methodology the objective of which is to characterize and diagnose two-phase flow regime transitions. The approach is based on the fundamental assumption that a transition flow is less stationary than a flow with an established regime. During the first time, the efforts focused on: (1) the design and construction of an experimental loop, allowing to reproduce the main horizontal two-phase flow patterns, in a stable and controlled way; (2) the design and construction of an electrical impedance probe, providing an imaged information of the spatial phase distribution in the pipe; and (3) the systematic study of the joint time-frequency and time-scale analysis methods, which permitted to define an adequate parameter quantifying the unstationarity degree. During the second time, in order to verify the fundamental assumption, a series of experiments were conducted, the objective of which was to demonstrate the correlation between ...
This work concerns the development of a methodology the objective of which is to characterize and diagnose two-phase flow regime transitions. The approach is based on the fundamental assumption that a transition flow is less stationary than a flow with an established regime. During the first time, the efforts focused on: (1) the design and construction of an experimental loop, allowing to reproduce the main horizontal two-phase flow patterns, in a stable and controlled way; (2) the design and construction of an electrical impedance probe, providing an imaged information of the spatial phase distribution in the pipe; and (3) the systematic study of the joint time-frequency and time-scale analysis methods, which permitted to define an adequate parameter quantifying the unstationarity degree. During the second time, in order to verify the fundamental assumption, a series of experiments were conducted, the objective of which was to demonstrate the correlation between ...
Previous investigations have shown promising results in using the directional cross-correlation method to estimate velocity vectors. The velocity vector estimate provides information on both velocity direction and magnitude. The direction is estimated by beamforming signals along directions in the range $[0^{\\circ}; 180^{\\circ}[$ and identifying the direction that produces the largest correlation across emissions. An estimate of the velocity magnitude is obtained from the spatial shift between signals beamformed along the estimated direction. This paper expands these investigations to include estimations of the vector velocities of a larger region by combining the estimations along several scan lines. In combination with a B-mode image, the vector velocities are displayed as an image of the investigated region with a color indicating the magnitude, and arrows showing the direction of the flow. Using the RASMUS ...
Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed in 26 patients with Ewing's sarcoma of bone preceding and following neoadjuvant chemotherapy, to assess tumour response non-invasively prior to surgery. T1- and T2-weighted spin echo images were obtained. Changes including intra- and extramedullary signal intensities, tumour demarcation, tumour volume and the appearance of residual extramedullary tumour were compared with histophathology of the resected specimens. Reduction of tumour volume was significantly higher in good responders. Other single parameters did not correlated with histologic tumour response. However, when several MR parameters summarized in a classification system were combined, a positive correlation with histopathologic response was found. A limited decrease of tumour volume (<25 %) and/or residual soft tissue mass following chemotherapy correlated with a poor response. An inhomogeneous, well-defined cuff of abnormal tissue encircling the bone ...
Details of a novel intelligent pipeline anomaly location system were presented. The system was based on the emission and reception of extra low frequencies(ELF) disposed close to a pipeline that were then logged in the memory of an in-line inspection (ILI) tool to provide a more precise reference than time-based above-ground marker systems for the location of pipeline anomalies. The system consisted of 2 pairs of transmitter (TX) and receiving (RX) circuits working at low and varied frequencies. An additional module was installed in the front section of an ILI tool, which contained a frequency transmitter whose signals are transmitted through cabling to an external transmitter and retransmitted simultaneously to a receiver installed in the rear section of an additional module of the tool in order to guarantee that the signal recorded by the tool corresponded to the smart location system. The system was used to detect anomalies in a subsea ...
In a future power system with a high proportion of distributed and intermittent generation, it will be difficult and costly to ensure short-term security of supply if demand is unable to react to fluctuations on the supply side. At present, most power consumers in the EU, with the exception of the largest consumers such as energy intensive industries, buy their power on fixed tariffs. Fixed tariffs provide no incentives for consumers to alter their patterns of power consumption. This calls for more interaction between the supply and demand sides, which in turn would allow better matching of demand to intermittent supply. The development of cheap and reliable electronic communication technologies has made this a realistic option, so we are left with the general question of how the demand side can become more active in the future power market. Liberalisation of the wholesale power markets has introduced market-based pricing for the marginal electricity supply. Prices ...
The cross-coupled interferometer is a new design for interferometric gravitational wave detectors. Similar to the baseline gravitational wave detectors proposed for Advanced LIGO, it uses long-arm cavities in which the signal is generated. The signal fields are then extracted from the arm cavities with an additional cavity behind the long-arm cavities. The tuning of this signal extraction cavity and the parallel tuning of the signal recycling mirror can be used to optimize the peak frequency and the bandwidth of the detector independently. If we replace the signal recycling mirror by a small cavity, it is possible to amplify signals in two different frequency bands.
An electronic computer circuit is described for producing an output voltage proportional to the product or quotient of tbe voltages of a pair of input signals. ln essence, the disclosed invention provides a computer having two channels adapted to receive separate input signals and each having amplifiers with like fixed amplification factors and like negatlve feedback amplifiers. One of the channels receives a constant signal for comparison purposes, whereby a difference signal is produced to control the amplification factors of the variable feedback amplifiers. The output of the other channel is thereby proportional to the product or quotient of input signals depending upon the relation of input to fixed signals in the first mentioned channel.
Infrared (IR, 880 nm) stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signal was observed from quartz at room temperature. The characteristics of the signal such as its response to {gamma}-ray irradiation, thermal stability and thermal assistance energy show that the signal originates from different traps than those responsible for the luminescence signal stimulated by green light (GL, 514 nm). The IRSL signal's short lifetime (18 days at 15 deg. C) may have been the reason why it was not detected in previous experiments. The decay of the IR signal after GL illumination was observed. The thermoluminescence at 76 deg. C was enhanced after IR illumination.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the interobserver agreement of ultrasonographic assessment of finger and toe joints in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by 2 investigators with different medical backgrounds. METHODS: Ultrasonography and clinical examination were performed on 150 small joints of 30 patients with active RA. A General Electric LOGIQ 500 ultrasound unit with a 7-13-MHz linear array transducer was used. In each patient, 5 preselected small joints (second and third metacarpophalangeal, second proximal interphalangeal, first and second metatarsophalangeal) were examined independently on the same day by 2 ultrasound investigators (an experienced musculoskeletal radiologist and a rheumatologist with limited ultrasound training). Joint effusion, synovial thickening, bone erosions, and power Doppler signal were evaluated in accordance with an introduced 4-grade semiquantitative scoring system, on which the investigators had reached consensus ...
X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) was used to probe the existence of induced magnetic moments in yttrium iron garnet (YIG) films in which yttrium is partly substituted with lanthanum, lutetium or bismuth. Spin polarization of the 4d states of yttrium and of the 5d states of lanthanum or lutetium was clearly demonstrated. Angular momentum resolved d-DOS of yttrium and lanthanun was shown to be split by the crystal field, the two resolved substructures having opposite magnetic polarization. The existence of a weak orbital moment involving the 6p states of bismuth was definitely established with the detection of a small XMCD signal at the Bi M{sub 1}-edge. Difference spectra also enhanced the visibility of subtle changes in the Fe K-edge XMCD spectra of YIG and {l_brace}Y, Bi{r_brace}IG films. Weak natural X-ray linear dichroism signatures were systematically observed with all iron garnet films and with a bulk YIG single crystal cut parallel to the (1 1 1) ...
We review the current status of Andreev reflection spectroscopy on the heavy fermions, mostly focusing on the case of CeCoIn5, a heavy-fermion superconductor with a critical temperature of 2.3 K. This is a well-established technique to investigate superconducting order parameters via measurements of the differential conductance from nanoscale metallic junctions. Andreev reflection is clearly observed in CeCoIn5 as in other heavy-fermion superconductors. Considering the large mismatch in Fermi velocities, this observation seemingly appears to disagree with the Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk (BTK) theory. The measured Andreev signal is highly reduced to the order of maximum ?13% compared to the theoretically predicted value (100%). The background conductance exhibits a systematic evolution in its asymmetry over a wide temperature range from above the heavy-fermion coherence temperature down to well below the superconducting transition temperature. Analysis of the ...
Sensory systems must form stable representations of the external environment in the presence of self-induced variations in sensory signals. It is also possible that the variations themselves may provide...Full Text Available
... Extracellular Signaling through the Microenvironment: A Hypothesis Relating Carcinogenesis, Bystander Effects, and Genomic InstabilityMary Helen Barcellos-Hoff1a ... ...
Animal communication theory predicts that low-frequency cheating should be common in generally honest signalling systems. However, perhaps because cheats are designed to go undetected, there are few...Full Text Available
Phosphorylation is one of the most frequent modifications in intracellular signaling and is implicated in many processes ranging from transcriptional control to signal transduction in innate immunity....Full Text Available
BackgroundAmino-terminal signal peptides (SPs) are short regions that guide the targeting of secretory proteins to the correct subcellular compartments in the cell. They are cleaved...Full Text Available
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Council for Automotive Research (composed of automakers Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler) announced in January 2002 a new cooperative research effort. Known as 'FreedomCAR' (derived from 'Freedom' and 'Cooperative Automotive Research'), it represents DOE's commitment to developing public/private partnerships to fund high-risk, high-payoff research into advanced automotive technologies. Efficient fuel cell technology, which uses hydrogen to power automobiles without air pollution, is a very promising pathway to achieving the ultimate vision. The new partnership replaces and builds upon the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles initiative that ran from 1993 through 2001. The Advanced Power Electronics and Electric Machines (APEEM) subprogram within the FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Program provides support and guidance for many cutting-edge ...
By August 2007, there were 438 nuclear power plants (NPPs) in operation worldwide, with a total capacity of 371.7 GW(e). Further, 31 units, totaling 24.1 GW(e), were under construction. During 2006 nuclear power produced 2659.7 billion kWh of electricity, which was 15.2% of the world's total. The vast majority of these plants use water-cooled reactors. Based on information provided by its Member States, the IAEA projects that nuclear power will grow significantly, producing between 2760 and 2810 billion kWh annually by 2010, between 3120 and 3840 billion kWh annually by 2020, and between 3325 and 5040 billion kWh annually by 2030. There are several reasons for these rising expectations for nuclear power: - Nuclear power's lengthening experience and good performance: The industry now has more than 12 000 reactor years of experience, and the global average nuclear plant availability during 2006 reached 83%; - Growing energy needs: All forecasts project increases in ...
By August 2007, there were 438 nuclear power plants (NPPs) in operation worldwide, with a total capacity of 371.7 GW(e). Further, 31 units, totaling 24.1 GW(e), were under construction. During 2006 nuclear power produced 2659.7 billion kWh of electricity, which was 15.2% of the world's total. The vast majority of these plants use water-cooled reactors. Based on information provided by its Member States, the IAEA projects that nuclear power will grow significantly, producing between 2760 and 2810 billion kWh annually by 2010, between 3120 and 3840 billion kWh annually by 2020, and between 3325 and 5040 billion kWh annually by 2030. There are several reasons for these rising expectations for nuclear power: - Nuclear power's lengthening experience and good performance: The industry now has more than 12 000 reactor years of experience, and the global average nuclear plant availability during 2006 reached 83%; - Growing energy needs: All forecasts project increases in ...
By August 2007, there were 438 nuclear power plants (NPPs) in operation worldwide, with a total capacity of 371.7 GW(e). Further, 31 units, totaling 24.1 GW(e), were under construction. During 2006 nuclear power produced 2659.7 billion kWh of electricity, which was 15.2% of the world's total. The vast majority of these plants use water-cooled reactors. Based on information provided by its Member States, the IAEA projects that nuclear power will grow significantly, producing between 2760 and 2810 billion kWh annually by 2010, between 3120 and 3840 billion kWh annually by 2020, and between 3325 and 5040 billion kWh annually by 2030. There are several reasons for these rising expectations for nuclear power: - Nuclear power's lengthening experience and good performance: The industry now has more than 12 000 reactor years of experience, and the global average nuclear plant availability during 2006 reached 83%; - Growing energy needs: All forecasts project increases in ...
The Hawaii Demand-Side Management Resource Assessment was the fourth of seven projects in the Hawaii Energy Strategy (HES) program. HES was designed by the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT) to produce an integrated energy strategy for the State of Hawaii. The purpose of Project 4 was to develop a comprehensive assessment of Hawaii`s demand-side management (DSM) resources. To meet this objective, the project was divided into two phases. The first phase included development of a DSM technology database and the identification of Hawaii commercial building characteristics through on-site audits. These Phase 1 products were then used in Phase 2 to identify expected energy impacts from DSM measures in typical residential and commercial buildings in Hawaii. The building energy simulation model DOE-2.1E was utilized to identify the DSM energy impacts. More detailed information on the typical buildings and the DOE-2.1E ...
Gas storage is a critical element in the natural gas industry. Producers, transmission and distribution companies, marketers, and end users all benefit directly from the load balancing function of storage. The unbundling process has fundamentally changed the way storage is used and valued. As an unbundled service, the value of storage is being recovered at rates that reflect its value. Moreover, the marketplace has differentiated between various types of storage services and has increasingly rewarded flexibility, safety, and reliability. The size of the natural gas market has increased and is projected to continue to increase towards 30 trillion cubic feet over the next 10 to 15 years. Much of this increase is projected to come from electric generation, particularly peaking units. Gas storage, particularly the flexible services that are most suited to electric loads, is crucial in meeting the needs of these new markets. To address the gas ...
The MiniBooNE experiment [1] is motivated by the LSND observation, [2] which has been interpreted as {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {nu}{sub e} oscillations, and by the atmospheric neutrino deficit, [3,4,5] which may be ascribed to {nu}{sub {mu}} oscillations into another type of neutrino. MiniBooNE is a single-detector experiment designed to: obtain {approx} 1000 {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {nu}{sub e} events if the LSND signal is due to {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {nu}{sub e} oscillations, establishing the oscillation signal at the > 5{sigma} level as shown in Fig. 1.1; extend the search for {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {nu}{sub e} oscillations significantly beyond what has been studied previously if no signal is observed; search for {nu}{sub {mu}} disappearance to address the atmospheric neutrino deficit with a signal that is a suppression of the rate of {nu}{sub {mu}}C {yields} {mu}N events from the expected ...
In this thesis, the potential to discover supersymmetric signatures in both e"+e"- and #gamma##gamma# colliders evaluated with a Monte Carlo analysis, is discussed. The analysis was focused on the detection of muons, essentially. First, we study the detection of #mu#"+_R#mu#"-_R in e"-e"+ collisions, whose purpose is the measurement of the #mu#_R mass. It was found that an uncertainty of 0.11 GeV (stat) can be achieved. Under the assumption of the real conditions of the ILC photon collider, a study covering the detection of #mu#"+_R#mu#"-_R and #mu#"+_L#mu#"-_L pairs for #sq root#(s_e_"-_e_"+)=0.5 and 0.6 TeV was performed. According to the simulation, a statistical error for the branching ratios of #mu#"#+-#_L#->##chi#"0_1#mu#"#+-# of 0.98% and #mu#"#+-#_L#->##chi#"0_2#mu#"#+-# of 3.97% can be reached. In order to judge the Monte Carlo results, we have used a technique based on a multidimensional fit to evaluate the impact of the branching ratio measurements on the precision of ...
The security of ports and transportation is of utmost importance for the development of economy and the security of a nation. Among the necessary actions to ensure the security of ports and borders, the inspection of containers is one of the most time consuming and expensive procedures. Potential threats are the illegal traffic of radioactive materials that could be employed for the construction of weapons, as uranium and plutonium. New techniques for the inspections of containers should be fast, allow the detection and identification of dangerous materials, and be non-invasive, to reduce costs and delays. We propose to build a large surface photon and neutron detector based on plastic scintillator to identify the presence of fissile or fertile material inside a container. The detector consists of scintillator bars, wrapped in thin foils of reflecting material containing gadolinium for neutron capture and arranged in planes separated by few-millimeter-thick lead ...
The security of ports and transportation is of utmost importance for the development of economy and the security of a nation. Among the necessary actions to ensure the security of ports and borders, the inspection of containers is one of the most time consuming and expensive procedures. Potential threats are the illegal traffic of radioactive materials that could be employed for the construction of weapons, as uranium and plutonium. New techniques for the inspections of containers should be fast, allow the detection and identification of dangerous materials, and be non-invasive, to reduce costs and delays. We propose to build a large surface photon and neutron detector based on plastic scintillator to identify the presence of fissile or fertile material inside a container. The detector consists of scintillator bars, wrapped in thin foils of reflecting material containing gadolinium for neutron capture and arranged in planes separated by few-millimeter-thick lead ...
This thesis is devoted to studies which prepared the construction of an atom Mach-Zehnder interferometer. In such an interferometer, the propagating waves are spatially separated, and the internal state of the atom is not modified. The beam-splitters are diffraction gratings, consisting of standing optical waves near-resonant with an atomic transition. We use the Bloch functions to define the atom wave inside the standing wave grating and thus explain the diffraction process in different cases. We developed a nearly all-analytical model for the propagation of an atom wave inside a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The contrast of the signal is studied for many cases: phase or amplitude gratings, effects of extra paths, effects of the main mismatches, monochromatic or lightly polychromatic sources. Finally, we discuss three interferometric measurements we think very interesting. The first, the index of refraction of gas for atomic waves, is studied in detail, with ...
Ontario's electricity industry restructuring program is reviewed, with a view to identify the reasons behind the failure of deregulation which was expected to create competition, to stabilize, or even reduce, prices to consumers, and attract serious private sector investment for the construction of new generating capacity. The report painstakingly reviews the series of events which resulted in a steep rise in electricity rates during the summer of 2002, immediately after deregulation came into effect, which led to freezing retail electricity rates and related charges by the then Conservative provincial government, and the reversal of that decision by the newly-elected Liberal government in the fall of 2003, and plans to bring back retail hydro rates that reflect the cost of production. The authors provide a discussion of policy options and a series of recommendations that are expected to create ...
A common practice of electric utilities experiencing transmission and distribution (T and D) system overloads is to expand the substation, add lines, or upgrade equipment, all of which are capital intensive options. In 1988, it was hypothesized that strategically sited photovoltaics (PV) could benefit parts of T and D systems near or at overloaded conditions. An evaluation methodology was developed and applied to a test case (Kerman Substation near Fresno, California). Analytical results suggested that the value of PV to the T and D system could substantially exceed its energy and generation capacity value. The importance of this finding indicated the need for empirical validation. This led to the construction of a 0.5 MW PV demonstration plant by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG and E) at Kerman, California as part of the PVUSA (PV for Utility Scale Applications) project. PVUSA is a national public-private partnership that is assessing and ...
Renewable energy technologies such as photovoltaics, solar thermal power plants, and wind turbines are nonconventional, environmentally attractive sources of energy that can be considered for electric power generation. Many of the areas with abundant renewable energy resources (very sunny or windy areas) are far removed from major load centers. Although electrical power can be transmitted over long distances of many hundreds of miles through high-voltage transmission lines, power transmission systems often operate near their limits with little excess capacity for new generation sources. This study assesses the available capacity of transmission systems in designated abundant renewable energy resource regions and identifies the requirements for high-capacity plant integration in selected cases. In general, about 50 MW of power from renewable sources can be integrated into existing transmission systems to supply local loads ...
This paper presents the results of the Spatial Signature Analysis (SSA) Electrical-test (e-test) validation study that was conducted between February and June, 1998. SSA is an automated procedure developed by researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to address the issue of intelligent data reduction while providing feedback on current manufacturing processes. SSA was initially developed to automate the analysis of optical defect data. Optical defects can form groups, or clusters, which may have a distinct shape. These patterns can reveal information about the manufacturing process. Optical defect SSA uses image processing algorithms and a classifier system to interpret and identify these patterns, or signatures. SSA has been extended to analyze and interpret electrical test data. The algorithms used for optical defect SSA have been adapted and applied to e-test binmaps. An image of the binmap is created, and ...
As semiconductor device density and wafer area continue to increase, the volume of in-line and off-line data required to diagnose yield-limiting conditions is growing exponentially. To manage this data in the future, analysis tools will be required that can automatically reduce this data to useful information, e.g., by assisting the engineer in rapid root-cause diagnosis of defect generating mechanisms. In this paper, the authors describe a technology known as Spatial Signature Analysis (SSA) and its application to both optically-detected defect data as well as electrical test (e-test) bin data. The results of a validation study are summarized that demonstrate the effectiveness of the SSA approach on optical defect wafermaps through field-testing at three semiconductor manufacturing sites on ASIC, DRAM and SRAM products. This method has been extended to analyze and interpret electrical test data and to provide a pathway for correlation of this ...
Novice problem solvers are rather sensitive to surface problem features, and they often resort to trial and error formula matching rather than identifying an appropriate solution approach. These observations have been interpreted to imply that novices structure their knowledge according to surface features rather than according to problem type categories. However, it may also be the case that novices do know problem types, but cannot map the problem at hand to a known type, because they fail to create a sufficiently well-elaborated problem representation. This study aims to distinguish between these explanations. In this study novice physics students at high and low levels of proficiency completed two problem-sorting tasks from the domain of electricity and magnetism, one with and one without elaboration support. Results confirm that these students do distinguish problem types in accordance with their required solution approaches, and that ...
The paper considered the vibration signals of rotating equipment as cyclo stationary signals through analyzing the features of this kind of signals. Based on the analytic method of cyclic spectrum density, the paper pointed out that the impact frequency could be extracted effectively with the help of scanning cyclic frequency domain. The validity of the method of cyclic spectrum density is proved by simulating signals and the method is applied to the diagnosis of rolling bearings. (authors)
The generalized demodulation time-frequency analysis is a novel signal processing method, which is particularly suitable for the processing of multi-component amplitude-modulated and frequency-modulated (AM-FM) signals as it can decompose a multi-component signal into a set of single-component signals whose instantaneous frequencies own physical meaning. While fault occurs in gear, the vibration signals measured from gearbox would exactly display AM-FM characteristics. Therefore, targeting the modulation feature of gear vibration signal in run-ups and run-downs, a fault diagnosis method in which generalized demodulation time-frequency analysis and envelope order spectrum technique are combined is put forward and applied to the transient analysis of gear vibration signal. Firstly the multi-...
As a continuation of its efforts to provide methodologies and tools to Member States to carry out comparative assessment and analyse priority environmental issues related to the development of the electric power sector, the IAEA has completed a new version of the Wien Automatic System Planning (WASP) Package WASP-IV for carrying out power generation expansion planning taking into consideration fuel availability and environmental constraints. This manual constitutes a part of this work and aims to provide users with a guide to use effectively the new version of the model WASP-IV. WASP was originally developed in 1972 by the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the USA to meet the IAEA needs to analyse the economic competitiveness of nuclear power in comparison to other generation expansion alternatives for supplying the future electricity requirements of a country or region. Previous versions of the model were used ...
The differences are highlighted of various aspects of behaviour of the luminescence signal from feldspar when stimulated by green light and when stimulated by infrared radiation. In respect of bleaching, a comparison is made of the influence of white light (daylight) on the two stimulated luminescence signals, as well as a comparison of the influence of infrared exposure on the green-stimulated signal with the influence of green exposure on the infrared-stimulated signal. The influence of preheating on the two stimulated signals is also compared. Light-emitting diode systems were used for both green and infrared stimulation. The observations are considered in relation to the mechanism relevant to green- and infrared-stimulated luminescence from feldspar. (author).
The differences are highlighted of various aspects of behaviour of the luminescence signal from feldspar when stimulated by green light and when stimulated by infrared radiation. In respect of bleaching, a comparison is made of the influence of white light (daylight) on the two stimulated luminescence signals, as well as a comparison of the influence of infrared exposure on the green-stimulated signal with the influence of green exposure on the infrared-stimulated signal. The influence of preheating on the two stimulated signals is also compared. Light-emitting diode systems were used for both green and infrared stimulation. The observations are considered in relation to the mechanism relevant to green- and infrared-stimulated luminescence from feldspar. (author).
We present a case of cerebral aspergillosis in an immunocompetent patient. The MRI signal characteristics were compared with the histologic findings. Irregular low-signal zones were demonstrated between the wall of the abscess and the central necrosis on T2-weighted images; the pathology specimen revealed concentrated iron in these transitional zones but no hemosiderin. Iron is an essential element for the growth of fungal hyphae. The low-signal zones may represent the areas where there was active proliferation of aspergillus, and the unique location of the low signal may be a helpful imaging characteristic for the diagnosis of an aspergillus abscess. (orig.)
Contents of this volume include: Influence of Battery Characteristics on Traction Drive Performance; Chassis Design for a Small Electric City Car; Thermal Comfort of Electric Vehicles; Power Quality Problems at Electric Vehicle`s Charging Station; The Development and Performance of the AMPhibian Hybrid Electric Vehicle; The Selection of Lead-Acid Batteries for Use in Hybrid Electric Vehicles; and more.
Electric cars are as unpopular as ever, but the hopes for environmentally sound, quiet vehicles may lie, surprisingly, with the commercial market. Advances in electric vans and lorries are reviewed. (author).
In 1998, EU legislation initiated a liberalisation process among European energy markets. The process of market opening has significantly changed the functioning of the markets and the competition conditions of the energy sector. At the same time, the industry witnessed a surge of mergers and far-reaching changes in the structure of German electricity and natural gas markets occurred. Against this background, the doctoral thesis at hand surveys the merger activities in the energy sector as well as the merger control policy of the German Federal Cartel Office during the first years of liberalisation. The study starts with a portrayal of the institutional framework of the German merger control regime and a survey of the relevant economic literature on horizontal and vertical mergers. Subsequent to the legal and theoretical considerations, the merger activities and the merger control policy of the German Federal Cartel Office are investigated empirically. The data set ...
Purpose: Liposarcoma is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in adults. The purpose of the study was to correlate MR imaging features with the four ICD subclasses. Methods: 28 patients with liposarcoma were examined preoperatively on a 1.0 T MRI system, using spin echo sequences, gradient echo imaging and STIR sequences. In all patients, classification of the liposarcomas was made by histologic diagnosis (ICD-10-M-classification). Results: Well differentiated liposarcomas (9 patients) showed a number of MRI features consistent with lipoma (well defined mass high signal intensity (SI) on T{sub 1} images, low signal on T{sub 2} images, no or only little signal increase of tumour tissue after contrast material application, no necrosis). Not well differentiated liposarcomas (myxoid 14 patients, pleomorphic three patients, round cell two patients) revealed the largest part of the mass to be of low SI on T{sub 1}-weighted images. ...
There is an urgent need to monitor the condition of fluid-filled taped (FFT) cables. The Dissolved-Gas Analysis (DGA) technique that has been successfully applied to power transformers holds great potential for the preventive maintenance of FFT cables. However, before this emerging technique can be properly applied to cables, a suitable fluid sampling and subsequent gas analysis method had to be developed, including the generation of both laboratory and field data to aid in data interpretation. Data on gas saturation levels in various cable fluids have been presented. This paper describes a novel method developed specifically for FFT cables and discusses field results so obtained. The type, distribution and concentration of gases from fluid alone and paper alone under electrical stress has been presented, including the differences between normal and not-so-normal cable systems as demonstrated by DGA. The concept of wet tensile strength has been introduced to the ...
Union Oil Company drilled four geothermal test wells in the Cove Fort-Sulphurdale KGRA between 1975 and 1979. A fairly complete suite of well logs were recorded for the three deeper holes, and these data are presented as composite well log plots in this report. The composite well log plots have facilitated the interpretation of limestone, dolomite, sandstone, quartz-monzonite, serpentine, and volcanic lithologies and the identification of numerous fractures. This has been especially helpful because of the extensive lost circulaton zones and poor cuttings recovery. Intraformational flow was identified by a fluid migration-temperature tracer log at depth in CFSU 31-33. Well log crossplots were computed to assist in lithologic identification and the determination of physical properties for specific depth intervals in a given hole. The presence of hydrous minerals sometimes results in neutron porosity somewhat higher than the true nonfracture porosity, which is ...
We consider the physics and collider phenomenology of quirks that transform nontrivially under QCD color, SU(2)_W as well as an SU(N)_{ic} infracolor group. Our main motivation is to show that the recent Wjj excess observed by CDF naturally arises in quirky models. The basic pattern is that several different quirky states can be produced, some of which beta-decay during or after spin-down, leaving the lightest electrically neutral quirks to hadronize into a meson that subsequently decays into gluon jets. We analyze LEP II, Tevatron, UA2, and electroweak precision constraints, identifying the simplest viable models: scalar quirks ("squirks") transforming as color triplets, SU(2)_W triplets and singlets, all with vanishing hypercharge. We calculate production cross sections, weak decay, spin-down, meson decay rates, and estimate efficiencies. The novel features of our quirky model includes: quirkonium decay proceeds into a pair of gluon jets, ...
Previous analyses of binary cycles for conversion of geothermal energy from moderate temperature resources to electrical energy have shown potential gains in net geofluid effectiveness on the order of 8%, resulting from selection of turbine-expansion processes whose equilibrium states pass through the two-phase region. If condensation occurs, this gain could be reduced or eliminated by the resulting loss in turbine efficiency. Experience with many fluids, however, indicates that vapor supersaturation permits metastable pure-vapor states to exist at temperatures considerably below the saturation temperature at a given pressure; thus, by better understanding the condensation process, and properly structuring the cycle, substantial performance gains may be possible. The purpose of the present study was to assess the probability for attaining this performance gain by estimating the extent of condensation which might be expected during such an expansion of isobutane ...
The movement from traditional regulatory hearings to negotiated settlements represents both a departure from cost of service regulation and a relaxation of regulatory oversight. Under negotiation parties are able to renegotiate inclusions in their cost of service while simultaneously creating a profit margin for the regulated firm where none existed under the cost of service outcome of a traditional hearing. This paper constructs a model to illustrate the existence of positive gains to pipeline and shipper from the re-allocation of expenses through time in the regulated pipeline services market in Canada. Behaviour consistent with the model is observable in anecdotal and econometric evidence gathered from the library of the National Energy Board of Canada, responsible for pipeline toll regulation in Canada. Empirical investigation by into settlement procedures in the Florida electricity market reveals similar findings; however, this analysis represents the first ...
Ternary R_2TSi_3 intermetallic compounds (R=Rare Earth, T=Transition Metal) with hexagonal AlB_2-type crystallographic structure are known because of their interesting physical properties. Pr_2PdSi_3 single crystals were grown by a vertical floating zone method. The compound exhibits congruent melting behavior at a liquidus temperature of about 1770 C. Single crystalline samples show a huge anisotropy at low temperatures due to the crystal electric field effect and order antiferromagnetically below the Neel temperature T_N=2.17 K. This value approximately obeys the linear de Gennes scaling for this class of compounds. The [001] orientation was identified as the magnetic easy axis at room temperature. At lower temperature (#approx#20 K) magnetic easy and hard axes interchange with each other. Two additional magnetic phase transitions were observed at temperatures below 1 K.
Electrostatic wave measurements from the Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracer Explorer Ion Release Module have been used to investigate the wave modes and their possible generation mechanisms in the Earth's bow shock and magnetosheath. It is demonstrated that electrostatic waves are present in the bow shock and magnetosheath with frequencies above the maximum frequency for Doppler-shifted ion acoustic waves, yet below the plasma frequency. Waves in this frequency range are tentatively identified as electron beam mode waves. Data from 45 bow shock crossings are then used to investigate possible correlations between the electrostatic wave properties and the near-shock plasma parameters. The most significant relationships found are anticorrelations with Alfven Mach number and electron beta. Mechanisms which might produce electron beams in the shock and magnetosheath are discussed in terms of the correlation study results. These mechanisms include acceleration by the ...
A statistical survey is conducted of air pollution in the city of Rome (Italy) due to conventional building space heating systems burning fossil fuels. The survey identifies the annual consumption of the different fuels and the relative amounts of the various pollutants released into the atmosphere by the heating plants, e.g., sulfur and nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, etc. Comparisons are then made between the ratios of urban heating plant air pollutants produced per tonne of fuel employed and those for ENEL (Italian National Electricity Board) coal, oil and natural gas fired power plants, in order to demonstrate the better environmental performances of the utility operated energy plants. The building space heating system energy consumption and pollution data are then used in a cost benefit analysis favouring the retrofitting of conventional heating systems with heat pump systems to obtain substantial reductions in energy consumption, ...
Recently, the Tri-Party Agreement (TPA) among the State of Washington Department of Ecology, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the cleanup of the Hanford Site was renegotiated. The revised agreement specifies vitrification as the encapsulation technology for low level waste (LLW). A demonstration, testing, and evaluation program underway at Westinghouse Hanford Company to identify the best overall melter-system technology available for vitrification of Hanford Site LLW to meet the TPA milestones. Phase I is a {open_quotes}proof of principle{close_quotes} test to demonstrate that a melter system can process a simulated highly alkaline, high nitrate/nitrite content aqueous LLW feed into a glass product of consistent quality. Seven melter vendors were selected for the Phase I evaluation: joule-heated melters from GTS Duratek, Incorporated (GDI); Envitco, Incorporated (EVI); Penberthy Electomelt, Incorporated (PEI); ...
With an objective to detect faults estimated to exist along the Shigesumi valley in the Kamioka mine, discussions were given by using electromagnetic survey, which uses the Turam measurement arrangement based on the TEM method, and three-dimensional model calculations. The Turam measurement arrangement, which installs transmission loop fixedly, is used to identify nature and distribution of electrically conductive objects upon noticing abnormal portions in magnetic fields in the measurement data. In the model calculation, the plate model calculation method and the FDTD method were used, and so was the calculation code TEM3DL. The result revealed that strong topographical influence is seen from steep V-shaped valley existing along the traverse line in the measurement data, but an abnormal resistivity band accompanying remarkable distortion in the curve was detected. According to the result of the model calculation, anomaly detection may be found ...
Energy and exergy studies were conducted in an orange juice manufacturing industry in Nigeria to determine the energy consumption pattern and methods of energy optimization in the company. An adaptation of the process analysis method of energy accounting was used to evaluate the energy requirement for each of the eight defined unit operations. The types of energy used in the manufacturing of orange juice were electrical, steam and manual with the respective proportions of 18.51%, 80.91% and 0.58% of the total energy. It was estimated that an average energy intensity of 1.12 MJ/kg was required for the manufacturing of orange juice. The most energy intensive operation was identified as the pasteurizer followed by packaging unit with energy intensities of 0.932 and 0.119 MJ/kg, respectively. The exergy analysis revealed that the pasteurizer was responsible for most of the inefficiency (over 90%) followed by packaging (6.60%). It was suggested that ...
A complete power plant design of a 1200-MWe ELMO Bumpy Torus Reactor (EBTR) is presented. An emphasis is placed on those features that are unique to the EBT confinement concept, with subsystems and balance-of-plant items that are more generic to magnetic fusion being adapted from past, more extensive tokamak reactor designs. Similar to the latter tokamak studies, this conceptual EBTR design also emphasizes the use of conventional or near state-of-the-art engineering technology and materials. An emphasis is also placed on system accessibility, reliability, and maintainability, as these crucial and desirable characteristics relate to the unique high-aspect-ratio configuration of EBTs. Equal and strong emphasis is given to physics, engineering/technology, and costing/economics components of this design effort. Parametric optimizations and sensitivity studies, using cost-of-electricity as an object function, are reported. Based on these results, the direction for ...
The Coal Quality Engineering Analysis (CQEA) program developed by the New York State Electric and Gas Company (NYSEC) calculates the as-burned cost of burning a specific coal in a specific generation unit. These costs include: maintenance costs for coal and ash handling equipment; ash disposal costs; cost of oil (if required for flame stability and/or derating because of pulverizer capacity limitation); flue gas desulfurization costs; cost of replacement power caused by pulverizer, precipitator fly ash collection and bottom ash capacity limitation; boiler losses due to moisture, hydrogen, dry gas and unburned carbon; power for coal and ash handling equipment; power for coal pulverizers; cost of using excess air to prevent slagging of coal with low ash softening temperatures; and effect of heat rate on coal tonnage required for a desired generation. The use of CQEA to identify areas in which plant operations may be improved is discussed. 7 ...
This project is part of PETC`s Advanced Power Systems Program, whose mission is to accelerate the commercialization of affordable, high- efficiency, low emission, coal-fueled electric generating technologies. A process concept - Clear Liquor Scrubbing with Anhydrite Production - was proposed and accepted by PETC as a Phase I project in its Mega-PRDA program. the project integrated three process operations - chloride control upstream of the flue gas desulfurization (FGD) system, a clear liquor process for enhanced SO{sub 2} removal performance, and production of anhydrite (anhydrous calcium sulfate) rather than calcium sulfite or gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate). The first step in the project was to perform batch and flow-through experiments in the laboratory to confirm theoretical calculations and preliminary laboratory results concerning anhydrite formation, these laboratory experiments were designed to prove that anhydrite can be produced under conditions that ...
The authors observed euhedral crystals in Manatee soil in a citrus grove in St. Lucie County, Florida. The material was identified as gypsum (CaSO/sub 4/ /times/ 2H/sub 2/O) using x-ray diffraction and infrared spectra. Photomicrography and scanning electron microscopy revealed that gypsum accumulated both in old root channels and within citrus root tissue of the Btg horizon. The subsurface horizons had elevated sulfate levels, a low initial pH, a drop (0.5 unit) in pH upon air-drying. Electrical conductivity paralleled the concentration of water-soluble sulfate. High levels of calcium and sulfate occurred for horizons above the water table. This accumulation is attributed to groundwater bearing these ions and subsequently discharging them to the overlying soil. Dead citrus roots appear to act as wicks to aid water transfer from lower to higher horizons. The roots and their empty channels provide spaces in which the gypsum can precipitate if ...
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 & ...
When gear fault occurs, the vibration signals always display non-stationary behavior. Therefore time-frequency analysis has become the well-accepted technique for vibration-based gear fault diagnosis. This paper presents the application of a new time-frequency signal processing technique, the Hilbert spectrum based on the maximal overlap discrete wavelet packet transform (MODWPT), to the analysis of simulation signals and gear fault vibration signals measured by the acceleration sensor fixed on the bearing house. As long as the decomposition scale and disjoint dyadic decomposition are chosen suitably, the original signal could be decomposed into a set of monocomponent signals whose instantaneous amplitude and instantaneous frequency own physical meaning. After the instantaneous amplitude a...
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 ...
The electric explosion of a conductor being part of an electric cable is studied. It is ascertained that the electric properties of a polymeric dielectric depend nonlinearly on the maintenance of the ultradisperse metal filler. In the course of the numerous heating-cooling processes of an insulator, a streamlining of the structure of a polymeric composite occurs.
This article offers a first-person account of a trip in Ford`s Ecostar electric minivan from Los Angeles to Sacramento. Included is an explanation of how electric vehicles work, why they are expensive to produce, which companies are pushing this new technology, battery technology, and marketing of electric vehicles.
A small-sample survey of consumer preferences for a second car - featuring both conventional and electric vehicle choices - indicates a proelectric bias. The potential of electric cars in the utility market largely depends on dramatic improvements in battery technology and the right mix of electricity and gasoline prices.
The device is designed for automatic testing of the degree of discharge of tractive storage batteries (AB) for electric loaders, electric cars and electric ore locomotives. The basic electrical schematic of the device is cited.
OBJECTIVES--This case cohort study examines whether there is an association between exposure to electric and magnetic fields and suicide in a population of 21,744 male electrical utility workers from...Full Text Available
... Treatment of electrical systems for pumped storage plants is not covered in the manual, although much of the information is applicable to pumped ...
The document reports the status of the 'electricity' in Lebanon since 1885 with an emphasis on its present economical situation. Data concerning electric power consumption and distribution as well as the average of rainwater, spring and weather are given. Power plants in Lebanon, the production of electric power and its consumption are described. A quantitative analysis of specifications of power plants and their annual and monthly production of electric power, the distribution of electricity consumption in Lebanon (geographical, annual, monthly) are presented in tables and graphs. An overview of the economical status of the 'electricity' in Lebanon is presented. The evolution of prices charges, hour cuts, damages and the impact of Lebanese wars on the distribution and the consumption of electricity are presented
Here we examine Fe speciation within Fe-encrusted biofilms formed during 2-month seafloor incubations of sulfide mineral assemblages at the Main Endeavor Segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. The biofilms were distributed heterogeneously across the surface of the incubated sulfide and composed primarily of particles with a twisted stalk morphology resembling those produced by some aerobic Fe-oxidizing microorganisms. Our objectives were to determine the form of biofilm-associated Fe, and identify the sulfide minerals associated with microbial growth. We used micro-focused synchrotron-radiation X-ray fluorescence mapping (mu XRF), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (mu EXAFS), and X-ray diffraction (mu XRD) in conjunction with focused ion beam (FIB) sectioning, and highresolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The chemical and mineralogical composition of an Fe-encrusted biofilm was queried at different spatial scales, and the spatial relationship between primary ...
This publication presents 5 years (1990--94) of summary financial data and current year detailed financial data on the major publicly owned electric utilities. Generator and nongenerator summaries are presented. Composite tables present: Aggregates of income statement and balance sheet data, financial indicators, electric operation and maintenance expenses, electric utility plant, number of consumers, sales of electricity, and operating revenue, and electric energy account data.
Many electric power utilities are currently employing machine condition monitoring technologies as a means of reducing forced outages and controlling repair costs. These condition monitoring technologies are a set of {open_quotes}tools{close_quotes} to help maintenance and operations personnel identify and repair machinery problems before catastrophic failure occurs. In this way, the analysis of this data becomes a vital link in the daily operation of the plant. Machinery vibration analysis, machinery balancing and alignment, motor current testing, periodic thermography surveys, analysis of lubrication oil samples, performance monitoring, chemistry monitoring, ultrasonic leak detection surveys, and non-destructive inspections are some of the technologies available to perform this condition monitoring. However, even for a small or medium size plant, the sheer volume of data provided by applying all or some of these technologies can be ...
Coal may be used to generate electrical energy by any of several processes, most of which involve combustion or gasification. Combustion in a coal-fired boiler and power generation using a steam- cycle is the conventional conversion method; however, total energy conversion efficiencies for this type of process are only slightly over 30{percent}. Integration of a gas-cycle in the process (combined cycle) may increase the total conversion efficiency to 40{percent}. Conversion processes based on gasification offer efficiencies above 50{percent}. H{sub 2}S is the predominant gaseous contaminant in raw coal gas. Problems arise due to the corrosive nature of H{sub 2}S on metal components contained in these cycles. Because of this, H{sub 2}S concentrations must be reduced to low levels corresponding to certain power applications. An advanced process for the separation of hydrogen sulfide (H{sub 2}S) from coal gasification product streams through an electrochemical ...
Half-Heusler phases XYZ (Pearson symbol cF12) are chemically versatile and rich in physical properties. The half-Heusler phase in the Fe-Zn-Sb ternary system was reported in the year 2000. In this work, two new ternary phases are identified in the vicinity of the equiatomic composition FeZnSb in the same system: Fe1-xZnSb (tetragonal, space group P4/nmm, Pearson symbol tP6-?, Z=2: a=4.1113(6) A, c=6.0127(12) A for x=0.08 (1), and a=4.1274(6) A, c=6.0068(12) A for x=0.12 (2)); and Fe7.87Zn6.72Sb8 (Fe0.98Zn0.84Sb) (3) (cubic, space group Fm-3m, Pearson symbol cF96-?, Z=4, a=11.690(13) A). 1 and 2 crystallize in the PbFCl-type structure, and 3 adopts a unique 2x2x2 supercell of a normal half-Heusler structure. The structures of both the tetragonal and cubic phases can be described as assemblies of half-Heusler structure related subunits. Electrical resistivity measurement on the pure sample of 2 shows it has metallic-like behavior, and its thermal ...
This presentation outlined the energy policy in the United States and its impact on frontier development in Alaska, deepwater offshore fields and in the western oil shale resources. The energy strategy focuses on technologies that increase domestic production from existing resources as well as technologies that create new sources of energy. In addition to emphasizing the cooperation between Canada and the United States in ensuring energy supply security and stability, this paper discussed the importance of overall bilateral trade between the 2 countries. It was noted that Canada is the United State's most secure and reliable energy partner and is the number 1 supplier of imported oil, natural gas, electricity and uranium. The Bush administration's energy policy is based on the mandate to supply stable, reliable, secure, affordable and environmentally sound energy for the country's growing economy. The energy strategy focuses on increasing ...
Gas-insulated systems employing SF/sub 6/ are utilized in a variety of applications in power delivery systems. Because electric arcs, sparks or corona can decompose SF/sub 6/ into byproducts having chemical properties different from SF/sub 6/, environmental concerns arise regarding inadvertent human exposures to electrically-decomposed SF/sub 6/. Biological assays in our laboratory using mammalian cell culture systems have revealed that spark-decomposed SF/sub 6/ produces cell death, and the extent of cell killing increases with increasing spark energy. Chemical analysis of spark-decomposed SF/sub 6/ has identified the major decomposition pathways and byproducts, but biological testing of individual or byproduct mixtures has indicated that these major decomposition products do not contribute, in a significant fashion, to the cell lethality seen in our assays. Further experiments have suggested that S/sub 2/F/sub 10/ may be ...
Fusion energy is one of only a few truly long-term energy options. Since its inception in the 1950s, the vision of the fusion energy research program has been to develop a viable means of harnessing the virtually unlimited energy stored in the nuclei of light atoms--the primary fuel deuterium is present as one part in 6,500 of all hydrogen. This vision grew out of the recognition that the immense power radiated by the sun is fueled by nuclear fusion in its hot core. Such high temperatures are a prerequisite for driving significant fusion reactions. The fascinating fourth state of matter at high temperatures is known as plasma. It is only in this fourth state of matter that the nuclei of two light atoms can fuse, releasing the excess energy that was needed to separately bind each of the original two nuclei. Because the nuclei of atoms carry a net positive electric charge, they repel each other. Hydrogenic nuclei, such as deuterium and tritium, must be heated to ...
The Coal Fired Combined Cycle (CFCC) is the unique powerplant concept developed under the leadership of the General Electric Company to provide a direct coal-burning gas turbine and steam turbine combined cycle powerplant. On the basis of previous studies and confirming work under this contract, General Electric continues to believe that the CFCC approach offers important advantages over alternate approaches: higher powerplant efficiency in the combustor temperature range of interest; reduced combustor/steam generator corrosion potential, due to low fluid-bed tube temperature (as contrasted to the air in tube cycle); and increased gas turbine bucket life from improved material protection systems. The objective of this program is to evaluate the coal fired combined cycle powerplant conceptual design, and to conduct a supporting development program. The supporting development is required for evaluating the pressurized fluidized bed combustion ...
Policy strategies for the promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources differ significantly among the Member States of the European Union with respect to the amount of additional installed capacity as well as concerning the country-specific support costs. The present report aims to assess the effectiveness and the economic efficiency of the support policies in the EU based on both historical experiences and prospective model-based analysis. The main message of the investigation is that the most effective policy instruments tend to be cost-efficient at the same time. In particular, feed-in tariff systems were identified as a successful instrument for supporting renewable energies in terms of effectiveness and efficiency, whereas quota systems still have to prove themselves in practice. (orig.) [German] Bezueglich des Erfolges bei der Foerderung erneuerbarer Energietraeger im Stromsektor bestehen deutliche Unterschiede zwischen den ...
Extensive research into the treatment and control of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from semiconductor industry manufacturing processes has identified the need for alternatives to existing combustion devices. Specifically, semiconductor manufacturing design is moving toward exploiting effective, small-scale, abatement control technologies for specific point-of-use (POU) waste streams associated with a particular component or manufacturing tool. The Silent Discharge Plasma (SDP) developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory is a nonthermal plasma technology created by a dielectric-ballasted electrical discharge. Influent gas-phase pollutants are destroyed in the reactor by the free radicals or electrons generated by the plasma. This paper examines the potential for SDP to be used in niche circumstances for POU control of VOC exhaust streams specific to the semiconductor industry. A sensitivity analysis is presented, showing how SDP cost of ...
In order to discuss effectiveness of physical exploration in the Sakonishi prospect in the Hida area, physical exploration was carried out by utilizing bored wells. This area contains the Kamioka mine, one of the major base metal mines in Japan, where electrical exploration has been attempted several times in the past. No effective results have been obtained, however, because specific resistance contrast between mine beds and base rocks is too small, and the topography is too steep making site workability inferior. As part of the investigations on geological structures over wide areas, electrical logging (specific resistance and natural potential) was performed in fiscal 1995 and 1996 by utilizing the boreholes. Induced polarization logging was also conducted on the same boreholes. A traverse line on the ground with a length of 600 m and boreholes were used to execute specific resistance tomography. Clear extraction was possible on a fault ...
Growing evidence suggests the Wnt family of secreted glycoproteins and their associated signaling pathways, linked to development, are recapitulated during wound repair and regeneration events. However,...Full Text Available
The realization that there existed a G-protein coupled signal transduction mechanism developed gradually and was initially the result of an ill fated quest for uncovering the mechanism of action...Full Text Available
BackgroundNFκB signaling is of paramount importance in the regulation of apoptosis, proliferation, and inflammatory responses during human development and homeostasis, as...Full Text Available
Cilia are important cellular structures that have been implicated in a variety of signaling cascades. In this review, we discuss the current evidence for and against a link between cilia and both the...Full Text Available
The likelihood that past experience will produce correct guides to current practice depends on the signal-to-noise ratio for the clinical problem of interest. If the signal-to-noise ratio is high, the...Full Text Available
Taste cells use multiple signaling mechanisms to generate appropriate cellular responses to discrete taste stimuli. Some taste stimuli activate G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) that cause calcium...Full Text Available
Papers are presented in the areas of: Medical Technologies; Non-Destructive Evaluation; Applications of Signal/Image Processing; Laser Guide Star and Adaptive Optics; Computational Electromagnetic, Acoustics and Optics; Micro-Impulse Radar Processing; Optical Applications; TANGO Space Shuttle.
In this study we compared the molecular signalling elicited by rexinoids, selective retinoid X receptor (RXR)-activators, in several organs (i.e. liver, kidney,...Full Text Available
Computer-aided diagnosis of neural diseases from EEG signals (or other physiological signals that can be treated as time series, e.g., MEG) is an emerging field that has gained much attention in past...Full Text Available
During the past decade elevated phospholipase D (PLD) activity has been reported in virtually all cancers where it has been examined. PLD catalyzes the hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine to generate...Full Text Available
An optical flow gradient algorithm was applied to spontaneously forming networks of neurons and glia in culture imaged by fluorescence optical microscopy in order to map functional calcium signaling...Full Text Available
Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) expansion is regulated by intrinsic signaling pathways activated by cytokines. The intracellular kinase JAK2 plays an essential role in cytokine signaling,...Full Text Available
Host cells use metabolic signaling through the LXRα nuclear receptor to defend against Listeria monocytogenes infection. 25-Hydroxycholesterol is a natural ligand of LXRs that...Full Text Available
Mammals possess multiple insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding proteins (IGFBPs), and related proteins, that modulate the activity of insulin/IGF signalling (IIS), a conserved neuroendocrine signalling...Full Text Available
Hematopoiesis is the cumulative result of intricately regulated signaling pathways that are mediated by cytokines and their receptors. Studies conducted over the past 10 to 15 years have revealed that...Full Text Available
In this study, we aimed to demonstrate whether spontaneous fluctuations in the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal derived from resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) reflect...Full Text Available
The receptors for IGF-I (IGF-IR) and insulin (IR) have been implicated in physiological cardiac growth, but it is unknown whether IGF-IR or IR signaling are critically required. We generated mice with...Full Text Available
The murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) M33 gene is conserved among all betaherpesviruses and encodes a homologue of seven-transmembrane receptors (7TMR) with the capacity for constitutive signaling. Previous...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe scent from receptive female mice functions as a signal, which stimulates male mice to search for potential mating partners. This searching behavior is coupled with...Full Text Available
IntroductionTyrosine phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (pStat3) is expressed in numerous cancers and is required for mediating tumorigenesis. Autocrine...Full Text Available
Cytokinins are distributed through the vascular system and trigger responses of target cells via receptor-mediated signal transduction. Perception and transduction of the signal can occur at the plasma...Full Text Available
Experimental studies have demonstrated that not only dopaminergic signaling but also glutamatergic/NMDA receptor signaling play indispensable roles in the development of methamphetamine psychosis. Our...Full Text Available
On the problem of alarm when parts are falling in nuclear power plant, the artificial neural network (ANN) alarm method based on the signal time-frequency characteristics was developed. The method was realized by the improved BP algorithm, and demonstrated with the data from simulation experiments
Predation is generally thought to constrain sexual selection by female choice and limit the evolution of conspicuous sexual signals. Under high predation risk, females usually become less choosy, because...Full Text Available
...2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Battery or power supply with respect to relay...Signal Systems Standards ยง 236.206 Battery or power supply with respect to relay; location. The battery or power supply for each signal...
This report describes and analyzes renewable energy seen as emerging markets, focusing on wind, solar and wave power. The conclusions are that: Wind and solar energy has reached critical mass. They are already large markets, and has a high growth rate. There are growth areas that may become among the world's largest industries in the future. This summary report and the underlying studies of wind, solar and wave power show that there is a large potential market for renewable energy sources. Wind power is already a market worth around 36.5 billion Euro. Solar energy is growing strongly and solar cells in 2008 had a market worth around 24 billion Euro. Wave power is at present a very small market and the in the actual development stage the potential of wave power is uncertain. But if the wave would become commercially viable, it could represent a significant part of the world's energy capacity, with associated large investments. In the foreseeable future, all areas have ...
Until April 2007 the Major Atmospheric Gamma ray Imaging Cherenkov (MAGIC) telescope used a 300 MSamples/s flash analog-to-digital converter (FADC) system to sample the shaped photomultiplier tube (PMT) signals produced by the captured Cherenkov photons of air showers. Different algorithms to reconstruct the signal from the read-out samples (extractors) have been implemented and are described and compared. Criteria based on the obtained charge and time resolution/bias are defined and used to judge the different extractors, by applying them to calibration, cosmic and pedestal signals. The achievable charge and time resolution have been derived as functions of the number of incident photo-electrons.
The authors have demonstrated that induction of mitogenesis in human T lymphocytes is associated with the tyrosine phosphorylation of a 66KD soluble substrate-TPP 66. Since DMSO has been shown to be a non-specific stimulator of tyrosine protein kinases they have examined the effect of DMSO on both activation and tyrosine phosphorylation in human T cells. Human peripheral blood T lymphocytes were isolated by dextran sedimentation, Ficol/Paque centrifugation and nylon wool filtration. Phosphorylation was performed in cells incubated with ["3"2P] orthophosphate followed by DMSO for 30 min. TPP 66 was identified by 2-D PAGE, autoradiography, and HV electrophoresis of the hydrolyzed protein. Concentrations of DMSO from 1% to 50% induced the tyrosine phosphorylation of TPP 66 with maximal stimulation seen at 20%. DMSO alone did not activate the T cells (measured by ["3H] thymidine incorporation) when tested at high concentrations for 30 sec to 10 min. (longer incubations ...
Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and laser post-ionization secondary neutral mass spectrometry (laser-SNMS) have been used to image and quantify targeted compounds, intrinsic elements and molecules with subcellular resolution in single cells of both cell cultures and tissues. Special preparation procedures for analyzing cell cultures and tissue materials were developed. Cancer cells type MeWo, incubated with boronated compounds, were sandwiched between two substrates, cryofixed, freeze-fractured and freeze-dried. Also, after injection with boronated compounds, different types of mouse tissues were extracted, prepared on a special specimen carrier and plunged with high velocity into LN{sub 2}-cooled propane for cryofixation. After trimming, these tissue blocks were freeze-dried. The measurements of the K/Na ratio demonstrated that for both cell cultures and tissue materials the special preparation techniques used were appropriate for preserving the chemical and ...
IL-4-induced Stat6 signaling is active in a variety of cell types and plays a role in cell proliferation/growth and resistance to apoptosis. Using EMSA, we identified differential IL-4/Stat6 activities in colorectal cancer cell lines, HT-29 being active Stat6"h"i"g"h phenotype and Caco-2 being defective Stat6"n"u"l"l phenotype, respectively. Active Stat6"h"i"g"h HT-29 cells exhibited resistance to apoptosis by flowcytometry and aggressive metastasis by Transwell assay compared with defective Stat6"n"u"l"l Caco-2 cells. Comparing one another using RT-PCR, Stat6"h"i"g"h HT-29 cells expressed more mRNA of anti-apoptotic and pro-metastatic genes Survivin, MDM2, and TMPRSS4, while Stat6"n"u"l"l Caco-2 cells expressed more mRNA of pro-apoptotic and anti-metastatic genes BAX, CAV1, and P53, respectively. This is the first study describing correlations of IL-4/Stat6 activities with apoptosis and metastasis in colon cancer. These findings, together with ...
Candoxin (PDB #1JGK), a three-finger neurotoxin from Bungarus candidus venom, inhibits post-synaptic neuromuscular and neuronal alpha7nACh-receptors, and induces delayed cell-death throughout the glial population. When applied to cultured human glial cell lines, candoxin (CDX) induced cell death in a concentration (EC(50) approximately 1muM) and time dependent manner. Results of TUNEL-histochemistry further confirm CDX-induced brain (hippocampus, frontal cortex, and temporal regions) damage when administered intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v) in adult mice. In this study, we explored differential gene expression profiles following exposure of human glial (Hs 683) cell lines to CDX at various time intervals using Affymetrix-GeneChips. By means of MAS and GeneSpring analyses, 105 genes whose expression was significantly (P<0.01) altered by at least 3-fold were selected. Results of the genome analysis reveal that the potential role of CDX at molecular level involves the regulation of ...
The large aggregating proteoglycan aggrecan is a major structural component of the extracellular matrix of articular cartilage. Recent cDNA cloning of the human aggrecan gene (AGC1) reveals a core protein of at least 2316 amino acids characterized by several distinct structural domains. Two globular domains, termed G1 and G2, are present at the amino terminus of the molecule and a third, termed G3, is present at the carboxy terminus. The G1 domain is homologous in structure to the cartilage link protein and accounts for the aggregating potential of aggrecan through its ability to interact with hyaluronic acid. The aggrecan gene is known to consist of 15 exons, with each exon encoding a distinct functional region of the mature protein. However, while the link protein gene is known to reside on chromosome 5 in the human, the location of the aggrecan gene is currently undetermined in any species. The probe (pAGG2) for the aggrecan gene was mapped on chromosome band 15q26, most likely in ...
In embodiments, spectroscopic monitor monitors modulated light signals to detect low levels of contaminants and other compounds in the presence of background interference. The monitor uses a spectrometer that includes a transmissive modulator capable of causing different frequency ranges to move onto and off of the detector. The different ranges can include those with the desired signal and those selected to subtract background contributions from those with the desired signal. Embodiments of the system are particularly useful for monitoring metal concentrations in combustion effluent.
The application of various signal processing methods to extract energy storage information from plasma diamagnetism sensors occurring during physics experiments on the Tandom Mirror Experiment-Upgrade (TMX-U) is discussed. We show how these processing techniques can be used to decrease the uncertainty in the corresponding sensor measurements. The algorithms suggested are implemented using SIG, an interactive signal processing package developed at LLNL.
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.
Extracellular ATP has been proposed as a paracrine signal in rodent islets, but it is unclear what role ATP plays in human islets. We now show the presence of an ATP signaling pathway that enhances...Full Text Available
The operation of buildings can be temporarily modified to use much less electricity. These actions may be necessary during regional electricity shortages lasting anywhere from days to months. The electricity conservation measures typically involve a combination of technical modifications, temporary changes in occupant behavior, and greatly increased vigilance. At the same time, attempts to drastically reduce a building's electricity use may have unexpected consequences affecting energy use, the indoor environment, and the performance of building materials and equipment. Electricity shortfalls such as those described in this paper may occur more often as a result of climate change and liberalized electricity markets. (author)
Comparisons of the 60 Hz electric field exposures associated with high voltage transmission lines to those associated with common household sources can provide an important input to regulatory decisions that involve transmission line fields. Electric blankets are of interest in this context because the exposures they produce are among the most intense and prolonged of any of the household sources of 60 Hz electric field exposure. This paper presents a theoretical analysis of the body surface fields induced by electric blankets. Electric blanket exposure intensities are compared to those associated with transmission lines.
Cyclic spectral analysis is a signal processing technique designed to deal with stochastic signals whose statistics vary periodically with time. Pulsar radio emission is a textbook example of this signal class, known as cyclostationary signals. In this paper, we discuss the application of cyclic spectral analysis methods to pulsar data, and compare the results with the traditional filterbank approaches used for almost all pulsar observations to date. In contrast to standard methods, the cyclic spectrum preserves phase information of the radio signal. This feature allows us to determine the impulse response of the interstellar medium and the intrinsic, unscattered pulse profile directly from a single observation. We illustrate these new analysis techniques using real data from an observation of the millisecond pulsar B1937+21.
The vigilance reinforcement hypothesis (VRH) asserts that errors in signal detection tasks are partially explained by operant reinforcement and extinction processes. VRH predictions were tested with a computerized baggage screening task. Our experiment evaluated the effects of signal schedule (extinction vs. variable interval 6 min) and visual field complexity (dial vs. baggage x-ray) on search behavior rates. There was a main effect for signal schedule [F (1, 20) = 14.0, p = 0.001, p[subscript rep] = 0.99], but no effects for field complexity or interaction. The VRH suggests that performance errors in visual screening work may be reduced through operant conditioning of search behaviors by intensive management of artificially planted signals. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.)
Wheeling electric power, the transmission of electricity not owned by an electric utility over its transmission lines, is a term not generally recognized outside the electric utility industry. Investigation of the term`s origin is intriguing. For centuries, wheel has been used to describe an entire machine, not just individual wheels within a machine. Thus we have waterwheel, spinning wheel, potter`s wheel and, for an automobile, wheels. Wheel as a verb connotes transmission or modification of forces and motion in machinery. With the advent of an understanding of electricity, use of the word wheel was extended to be transmission of electric power as well as mechanical power. Today, use of the term wheeling electric power is restricted to utility transmission of power that it doesn`t own. Cogeneration refers to simultaneous production of ...
An electrical circuit testing device is provided, comprising a case, a digital voltage level testing circuit with a display means, a switch to initiate measurement using the device, a non-shorting switching means for selecting pre-determined electrical wiring configurations to be tested in an outlet, a terminal block, a five-pole electrical plug mounted on the case surface and a set of adapters that can be used for various multiple-pronged electrical outlet configurations for voltages from 100 600 VAC from 50 100 Hz.
NO{sub x} compounds, specifically NO and NO{sub 2}, are pollutants and potent greenhouse gases. Compact and inexpensive NO{sub x} sensors are necessary in the next generation of diesel (CIDI) automobiles to meet government emission requirements and enable the more rapid introduction of more efficient, higher fuel economy CIDI vehicles. Because the need for a NO{sub x} sensor is recent and the performance requirements are extremely challenging, most are still in the development phase. Currently, there is only one type of NO{sub x} sensor that is sold commercially, and it seems unlikely to meet more stringent future emission requirements. Automotive exhaust sensor development has focused on solid-state electrochemical technology, which has proven to be robust for in-situ operation in harsh, high-temperature environments (e.g., the oxygen stoichiometric sensor). Solid-state sensors typically rely on yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) as the oxygen-ion conducting electrolyte and then target ...
We present a technique for identifying the amino acids responsible for a loss of immunoreactivity in response to treating an antigen with a chemical modifier. This is of particular interest...Full Text Available
The fact that electric autos have driven over 100 miles without a battery recharge over an urban stop and go course at city driving speeds demonstrates that practical electric cars for city use can be built today.
Electricity markets in the United States are undergoing unprecedented structural changes as a result of the confluence of regulatory, competitive, and technological forces. This paper introduces these structural changes and forces and discuss the implications, markets and commercialization scenarios for emerging fuel cells in evolving US electricity markets.
This publication provides statistical data on net generation, fuel consumption, fossil fuel stocks, electricity sales, revenue, and average revenue per kilowatthour of electricity sold. Data on fossil fuel stocks and costs are also included.
Rising oil prices are a problem for the automobile industry. A new ambitious electric car was recently presented by an American producer. The Tesla Roadster runs exclusively on electric power. (orig.)
Given that fossil fuel fired power plants are among the largest and most concentrated producers of CO{sub 2} emissions, recovery and sequestration of CO{sub 2} from the flue gas of such plants has been identified as one of the primary means for reducing anthropogenic CO{sub 2} emissions. In this study, ALSTOM Power Inc. (ALSTOM) has investigated several coal fired power plant configurations designed to capture CO{sub 2} from effluent gas streams for use or sequestration. Burning fossil fuels in mixtures of oxygen and recirculated flue gas (made principally of CO{sub 2}) essentially eliminates the presence of atmospheric nitrogen in the flue gas. The resulting flue gas is comprised primarily of CO{sub 2}. Oxygen firing in utility scale Pulverized Coal (PC) fired boilers has been shown to be a more economical method for CO{sub 2} capture than amine scrubbing (Bozzuto, et al., 2001). Additionally, oxygen firing in Circulating Fluid Bed Boilers (CFB's) can be ...
We estimate the optimum electric field at the sheath edge and the minimum interval among the nanotubes to promote the growth of armchair-type nanotubes (metallic character) as a function of the tube length. On the basis of the electric charge distribution in a nanotube and the optimum electric filed E*_1 at the tip of a nanotube evaluated using the Hueckel-Poisson method, we calculate the structure of the electric field lines outside a nanotube in the sheath region. As the tube length increases, the E*_1 decreases. To maintain the chemical activity at the tip, the sheath electric field must be decreased. We show the decreasing rate of the sheath field to the tube length.
Presently, high wind potentials in remote areas may not be utilized for electricity production due to limited grid transmission capacity and/or difficulties in matching the electricity production with the demand. The overall project objective is to help overcome these bottlenecks, i.e. to identify and analyze methods and technologies for making it viable to utilize more of the wind potential in remote areas. The suggestion is to develop a power control concept for wind turbines which will even out the power fluctuations and make it possible to increase the wind energy penetration. The main options are to combine wind power with a pumped hydro power storage or with an AC/DC converter and battery storage. The AC/DC converter can either be an `add-on` type or it can be designed as an integrated part of a variable speed wind turbine. The idea is that combining wind power with the power control concept will make wind power more ...
This article describes the disenchantment with electric cars after considerable hype by industry. Also discussed is why electric cars have failed to catch on.
This paper evaluates the electric current terms from the longitudinal gradient of the longitudinal electric field in Bipolar Field-Effect-Transistors (BiFETs) with a pure base and two MOS gates operating in the unipolar (electron) current mode. These nMOS-BiFETs, known as nMOS-FinFETs, usually have electrically short channels compared with their intrinsic Debye length of about 25 #mu#m at room temperatures. These longitudinal electric current terms are important short-channel current components, which have been neglected in the computation of the long-channel electrical characteristics. This paper shows that the long-channel electrical characteristics are substantially modified by the longitudinal electrical current terms when the physical channel length is less than 100 nm.
This poster, submitted for the CU Energy Initiative/NREL Symposium on October 3, discusses the impacts of renewable fuel and electricity standards on state economies.
Well over 90 percent of all motorized transportation is fueled by products of petroleum, but the end of such widespread use of oil may be in sight. Among alternative fuels for land transportation, electricity appears to be the most promising, in part because it can be renewably produced and readily transmitted. The inadequacy and high cost of on-board storage of electrical energy present major challenges to widespread deployment of electric traction, and may do so for many years. On-board generation of electrical energy also presents challenges. The third means of powering electric traction is to provide for connection to the electricity grid while in motion. Grid-connected vehicles (GCVs) are an established feature of many cities and of much inter-city transportation, chiefly as electric ...
A brief overview is given of the activities in Italy on the subject of electric-powered vehicles, supported by the Commissione Italiana Veicoli Elettrici Stradali (CIVES) in Milan. 3 tabs., 3 figs., 8 refs.
SOME SCIENTISTS ALLEGE that exposure to electric and magnetic fields generated by electric power delivery systems is responsible for certain cancers (particularly among children), reproductive dysfunction,...Full Text Available
The electrical responses of the neurons associated with the various types of chemosensory hairs of the blowfly, Phormia regina Meigen, following stimulation by chemical and mechanical...Full Text Available
... Abstract : The electric resistance in weak (diluted) solid solutions of the Pd-Ag and Fe-W systems, as wellAS THE Hall effect in a Pd-Ag system ...
The influence of low-frequency electromagnetic field irradiating by high-voltage transmission lines on signal transduction of cell in spleen cells of the rates have been studied by molecular-biology techniques. The spleen cells are extracted from skilled rates, which are exposed in the electromagnetic field of high-voltage transmission lines with 4000 V/m and 0.09-0.1 G about 400 days. The quantity or level of phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT3) in JAK-STAT signal transduction pathway of spleen cells, which are stimulated and unstimulated by IL-2, respectively, are detected by the immunoblotting and immunobiochemistry. The results show that the expression of phospho-STAT3 in spleen cell stimulated by IL-2 differ not from that in the unstimulated cell. The former is significantly large than the latter. This shows that signal transduction of cell is affected by this ...
For a long time, signal processing applications, and most particularly detection and parameter estimation methods, have relied on the limiting behaviour of test statistics and estimators, as the number n of observations of a population grows large comparatively to the population size N, i.e. n>>N. Modern technological and societal advances now demand the study of sometimes extremely large populations, while simultaneously requiring fast signal processing due to accelerated system dynamics; this results in not-so-large practical ratios n/N, sometimes even smaller than one. A disruptive change in classical signal processing methods has therefore been initiated in the past ten years, mostly spurred by the field of large dimensional random matrix theory. The early literature in random matrix theory for signal processing applications is however scarce and highly technical. This tutorial proposes an ...
Functional activation of {beta}-catenin/Tcf signaling plays an important role in early events in carcinogenesis. We examined the effect of naringenin against {beta}-catenin/Tcf signaling in gastric cancer cells. Reporter gene assay showed that naringenin inhibited {beta}-catenin/Tcf signaling efficiently. In addition, the inhibition of {beta}-catenin/Tcf signaling by naringenin in HEK293 cells transiently transfected with constitutively mutant {beta}-catenin gene, whose product is not phosphorylated by GSK3{beta}, indicates that its inhibitory mechanism was related to {beta}-catenin itself or downstream components. To investigate the precise inhibitory mechanism, we performed immunofluorescence, Western blot, and EMSA. As a result, our data revealed that the {beta}-catenin distribution and the levels of nuclear {beta}-catenin and Tcf-4 proteins were unchanged after naringenin treatment. Moreover, the ...
MRI, ultrasonography and angiography were performed on 24 cases with small renal cell carcinoma, and data were compared with pathological architecture type. An average diameter of cancer was 20.8 mm (10-30 mm). Each tumor was pathologically classified into four architecture types: alveolar type (15 cases), papillary type (5 cases), tubular type (3 cases) and cystic type (1 case). In comparison with renal cortex alveolar type renal cell carcinoma showed equal or low signal in T1-weighted images and equal or high signal in T2-weighted images. Papillary and tubular types showed high signal in T1-weighted images, and low signal in T2-weighted images. In alveolar type, many cases showed equal echo in ultrasonography and hypervascularity in angiography, and in papillary and tubular types, many cases showed high echo and hypovascularity. There were many cases with papillary type small cell carcinoma which ...
Wnt signaling negatively regulates adipocyte differentiation, and ectopic expression of Wnt-1 in 3T3-L1 cells induces several downstream molecules of Wnt signaling, including Wnt-1 inducible signaling pathway protein (WISP)-2. In this study, we examined the role of WISP-2 in the process of adipocyte differentiation using an in vitro cell culture system. In the differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells, WISP-2 expression was observed in growing cells and declined thereafter. In the mitotic clonal expansion phase of adipocyte differentiation, WISP-2 expression was transiently down-regulated concurrently with up-regulation of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein d expression. Treatment of 3T3-L1 cells in the differentiation medium with lithium, an activator of Wnt signaling, inhibited the differentiation pro...
Objective: To compare the efficiency of dual energy subtraction and conventional direct digital radiography in signal detecting ability. Methods: 200 plastic balls which were 4 mm in diameter were taken as signals and were placed on a 10 cm thick plastic board and the right upper thorax of a healthy volunteer. The signals were examined by DES and CDR separately and were estimated by 3 radiologists with 5-value-differentiation method. ROC curve analysis was made by ROC kit software. Results: when signals on plastic board were detected by CDR and DES, ROC curve analysis indicated that there was no significant difference (P=0.4851 > 0.05, two-tailed) between the area under the ROC curves of the two methods (Az=0.9931 for CDR and Az=0.9879 for DES). The difference was significant (P=0.0002 <0.01, two-tailed) between the area under the ROC curves of CDR and DES (Az=0.7276 for CDR and Az=0.8561 for ...
This paper addresses the problem of blind separation of convolutive mixtures of BPSK and circular linearly modulated signals with unknown (and possibly different) baud rates and carrier frequencies. In previous works, we established that the Constant Modulus Algorithm (CMA) is able to extract a source from a convolutive mixture of circular linearly modulated signals. We extend the analysis of the extraction capabilities of the CMA when the mixing also contains BPSK signals. We prove that if the various source signals do not share any non zero cyclic frequency nor any non conjugate cyclic frequencies, the local minima of the constant modulus cost function are separating filters. Unfortunately, the minimization of the Godard cost function generally fails when considering BPSK signals that have the same rates and the same carrier frequencies. This failure is due to the existence of ...
The Polarized Gamma-ray Observer (PoGOLite) is a balloon-borne instrument that will measure gamma-ray polarization in the energy range 25-80 keV from astronomical sources such as pulsars, accretion discs and jets from active galactic nuclei. The two additional parameters provided by such observations, polarization angle and degree, will allow these objects to be studied in a new way, providing information about their emission mechanisms and geometries. The instrument measures azimuthal scattering angles of photons within a close packed array of phoswich detector cells (PDCs) based on coincident detection of Compton scattering and photoelectric absorption. Each PDC comprises three different scintillating components and combines photon detection, active collimation and bottom anticoincidence into one single unit. The three parts are viewed by a photomultiplier tube (PMT) and pulse shape discrimination is used to identifysignals from dierent ...
Traffic jams have become very serious at multiforked road intersections, and conventional pre-timed controls are less effective in such situations. In this article, a new traffic signal control system for multi-forked roads is proposed. First, the cellular automaton (CA) model is used to develop a traffic simulator for multi-forked roads. Next, a stochastic model of a traffic jam is built up. In addition, a new traffic signal control algorithm is designed using the optimization technique and a genetic algorithm (GA). Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is shown using actual traffic data with a traffic simulator.
We consider the impact of a 4th generation on Higgs to $\\gamma\\gamma$ and $WW,ZZ$ signals and demonstrate that the Tevatron and LHC have essentially eliminated the possibility of a 4th generation if the Higgs is SM-like and has mass below 200 GeV. We also show that the absence of enhanced Higgs signals in current data sets in the $\\gamma\\gamma$ and $WW,ZZ$ final states can strongly constrain (almost eliminate) the possibility of a 4th generation in two-Higgs-doublet models of type II (in the MSSM).
The focus of this study is on the preparatory detection of uncertain net greenhouse gas (GHG) emission changes (also termed emission signals) under the Kyoto Protocol. The crucial question to be addressed is: How well do we need to know net emissions if we want to detect a specified emission signal after a given time? No restrictions exist as to what concerns the net emitter, which may be any GHG source or sink. Annex I countries are chosen as net emitters, simply for reasons of data availability and because of the excellent possibility of comparing net emitters (inter-country comparison). The countries' emissions - in an increasing number of cases even their uncertainties - are available permitting the application of preparatory signal detection techniques, which are suited to address the aforementioned question. We currently discuss four hierarchically-ordered detection concepts to assess emission ...
A computerised glow curve deconvolution (CGCD) analysis was applied to the main dosimetric peak of #alpha#-Al_2O_3:C in order to study the effects of light on the glow curve shape. It was shown that both the light-induced signal and the light-induced fading effects tend to shift the main dosimetric peak to higher temperatures and at the same time change its shape. Furthermore it was confirmed that the magnitude of the light-induced signal depends on radiation history and, by increasing the duration of light exposure, the magnitude of the light-induced signal reaches a plateau, thereby implying the saturation of the phototransfer process. (author).
The liver is a primary target of growth hormone (GH). GH signals are mediated by the transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5). Here, we focus on recent discoveries about the role of GH-STAT5 signaling in hepatic physiology and pathophysiology. We discuss roles of the GH-STAT5 axis in body growth, lipid metabolism, and the cell cycle pertaining to hepatosteatosis, fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Finally, we discuss recent discoveries about the role of GH-STAT5 in sex-specific gene expression and bile acid, steroid, and drug metabolism.
A confocal microscopy imaging system was devised to selectively detect Second harmonic signals generated by biological tissues. Several types of biological tissues were examined using this imaging system, including human teeth, bovine blood vessels, and chicken skin. All these tissues generated strong second harmonic signals. There is considerable evidence that the source of these signals in tissue is collagen. Collagen, the predominant component of most tissues, is known to have second order nonlinear susceptibility. This technique may have diagnostic usefulness in pathophysiological conditions characterized by changes in collagen structure including malignant transformation of nevi, progression of diabetic complications, and abnormalities in wound healing.
The proton beam has an advantage of the sharp dose falloff in dose distribution called Bragg peak while conventional radiation therapy modalities such as photons exhibit considerable amount of exit dose. To take advantage of this property it is important to know the exact location of the distal dose falloff. An error can cause overdose to the normal tissue or underdose to the tumor volume. The only way of finding out the dose distribution in-situ in particle therapy is to measure the gammas produced by nuclear reactions with tissue materials. Two kinds of gammas can be used: one is prompt gamma and the other is coincident gamma from the positron-emission isotopes. We chose to detect prompt gammas, and developed a prompt gamma scanning system (PGS). The proton beams of the proton therapy facility at National Cancer Center were used. The gamma distribution was compared to the dose distribution measured by an ionization chamber at three different energies of 100, 150, 200 MeV's. ...
In early 2006 we designed and built low energy consumption, pump-operated system, for dosing of the liquid nutrient in the summer 2006 season. This operated successfully, and the system was used again during the 2007 and 2008 seasons for dosing. During the early winter period, 2008, laboratory tests were made of the liquid nutrient pump system, and it was noted that small amounts of air were being entrained on the suction side of the pump, during conditions when the inlet pressure was low. It was believed that this was the cause of diurnal fluctuations in the flow supplied, characteristic of the 2007 year flow data. Replacement of '0' rings on the inlet side of the pumps was the solution to this problem, and when tested in the field during the summer season, the flow supplied was found to be stable. A decision was made by the IKERT committee at the meeting of 20th to 21st May 2008 (held in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) to use an injection flow rate of liquid ...
The paper evaluates standardization of regulations on safety of electrical equipment for underground coal mines in the USSR. Factors increasing hazards of electrical failures of equipment in underground coal mines are analyzed: reduced lighting, increased humidity and dusts, damage caused by falling rocks or damage during haulage in underground workings, installation of electrical equipment in places easily accessible to untrained personnel. Standards on safety of electrical equipment for underground coal mining valid in the USSR are reviewed: the PIRNEh regulations on production of electrical equipment for coal mines developed by the VNIIVEh Institute, and the GOST national standards. International cooperation within the COMECON on safety of mining electrical equipment (the Interelectro Committee of the COMECON) is described. Certification of ...
... The acousto-optic device have a 30 MHz 1 ... coherent systems including compact non-coherent optical ... a relatively simple phase switching approach. ...
The Bragg-curve detector of the parallel plate ionization chamber type generates a signal that is a distorted replica of the original Bragg-curve. In result of this distortion, the signal peak height is not only a function of the atomic number of the heavy ion, as it is often stated, but also of the particle mass. This mass effect was studied with the aid of computer simulation, and it was found to be dependent on the Frisch grid to anode gap width and on the detector gas. The charge resolution of the detector is affected very significantly by this mass dependence of the signal peak height. Therefore, a careful selection of the detector gas and the grid to anode gap width is necessary, if good charge resolution over a wide range of heavy ions is required. (orig.).
SUMMARYTestosterone and estrogen are essential for male behaviors in vertebrates. How these two signaling pathways interact to control masculinization of the brain and behavior...Full Text Available
Humans, like other animals, are exposed to a continuous stream of signals, which are dynamic, multimodal, extended, and time varying in nature. This complex input space must be transduced and sampled...Full Text Available
Myriad genetic and epigenetic alterations are required to drive normal cells toward malignant transformation. These somatic events commandeer many signaling pathways that cooperate to endow aspiring...Full Text Available
We argue that the tachyons which exist in some string models are a signal of deconfinement. We compare the deconfinement temperature obtained from Monte Carlo calculations with some string models. (orig.).
We argue that the tachyons which exist in some string models are a signal of deconfinement. We compare the deconfinement temperature obtained from Monte Carlo calculations with some string models. (orig.).
Knowledge about retinal photoreceptor signal transduction and the visual cycle required for normal eyesight has expanded exponentially over the past decade. Substantial progress in human genetics...Full Text Available
R/V Laurence M. Gould LMG0303 - Development of a luminescence dating capability for Antarctic glaciomarine sediments: Tests of signal zeroing at the ...
Synthetic polymers and nanomaterials display selective phenotypic effects in cells and in the body that affect signal transduction mechanisms involved in inflammation, differentiation, proliferation,...Full Text Available
In this paper, four different types of pulsed eddy current (PEC) probe are designed and their performance of detecting wall thickness reduction is compared. By using the backward difference method in time and the finite element method in space, PEC signals from various thickness and materials are numerically calculated and three features of the signal are selected. Since PEC signals and features are obtained by various types and sizes of probe, the comparison is made through the normalized features which reflect the sensitivity of the feature to thickness reduction. The normalized features indicate that the shielded reflection probe provides the best sensitivity to wall thickness reduction for all three signal features. Results show that the best sensitivity to thickness reduction is achieved by the peak value, but also suggest that the time to peak can be a good candidate because of its linear ...
Although infrared-stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signals in feldspars can be bleached rapidly by sunlight, there could still be a small amount of IRSL signal remaining in sediment grains if they have experienced only relatively short sunlight exposure before deposition. This remaining signal results in a ''remnant dose'' stored in the grain and is important for young samples but negligible for old samples. Several methods have been introduced to detect insufficient bleaching, and some of them can provide information on the extent of the bleaching. Others can only distinguish between samples bleached for a very long time and for a short time. Empirical methods are introduced to evaluate the possible values of equivalent dose accumulated since the grains were deposited. These methods involve the analysis of the equivalent doses and the natural IRSL signals obtained using single-disc dose determination ...
... switching off all the pixels causes all the spectrum lines to disappear (top of Figure 6), next, that switching off one ... Acousto-optic spectrum analyser ...
Diverse cell polarity networks require positive feedback for locally amplifying distributions of signalling molecules at the plasma membrane1. Additional...Full Text Available
The temporal synchrony of auditory and visual signals is known to affect the perception of an external event, yet it is unclear what neural mechanisms underlie the influence of temporal synchrony...Full Text Available
The KDP crystal was 10 cm long and cut such that the c-axis was 50.3* to the normal of its input face. We selected for study idler and signal beams ...
The kinetic energy transferred to some elements by an electron of kinetic energy 100 to 400 kV is discussed. The displacement rates are compared to the signal generation. (DCL)
The Bragg-curve detector of the parallel plate ionization chamber type generates a signal that is a distorted replica of the original Bragg-curve. In result of this distortion, the signal peak height is not only a function of the atomic number of the heavy ion, as it is often stated, but also of the particle mass. This mass effect was studied with the aid of computer simulation, and it was found to be dependent on the Frisch grid to anode gap width and on the detector gas. The charge resolution of the detector is affected very significantly by this mass dependence of the signal peak height. Therefore, a careful selection of the detector gas and the grid to anode gap width is necessary, if good charge resolution over a wide range of heavy ions is required.
Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling has been shown to regulate lung epithelial development but its influence on mesenchymal differentiation has been poorly investigated. To study the role of mesenchymal FGF signaling in the differentiation of the mesenchyme and its impact on epithelial morphogenesis, we took advantage of Fgfr2c+/? mice, which due to a splicing switch express Fgfr2b in mesenchymal tissues and manifest Apert syndrome-like phenotypes. Using a set of in vivo and in vitro studies, we show that an autocrine FGF10?FGFR2b signaling loop is established in the mutant lung mesenchyme, which has several consequences. It prevents the entry of the smooth muscle progenitors into the smooth muscle cell (SMC) lineage and results in reduced fibronectin and elastin deposition. Levels of...
This paper studies the effect upon the thermoluminescence (TL) signal of four feldspar samples of exposing them to infrared stimulation, as occurs during infrared-stimulated luminescence (IRSL) measurement. Together with pulse annealing measurements these results are used to show which part of the TL signal is removed by exposure to IR and which part is directly related to the IRSL signal that is observed. When the samples are preheated prior to measurement in order to remove any low-temperature (< 200"oC) TL signals, a linear relationship is observed between the amount of TL that is lost and the IRSL light sum that is produced. The IRSL light sum is consistently four times larger than the amount of TL that is lost. Three possible explanations are proposed for this, but no conclusive evidence could be obtained to support any of them. A close similarity is observed in the pulse annealing results and ...
In animal models, single-gene mutations in genes involved in insulin/IGF and target of rapamycin signalling pathways extend lifespan to a considerable extent. The genetic, genomic and epigenetic influences...Full Text Available
Past movement on faults can be dated by measurement of the intensity of ESR signals in quartz. These signals are reset by local lattice deformation and local frictional heating on grain contacts at the time of fault movement. The ESR signals then trow back as a result of bombardment by ionizing radiation from surrounding rocks. The age is obtained from the ratio of the equivalent dose, needed to produce the observed signal, to the dose rate. Fine grains are more completely reset during faulting, and a plot of age vs grain size shows a plateau for grains below critical size : these grains are presumed to have been completely zeroed by the last fault activity. We carried out ESR dating of fault rocks collected from the Yangsan fault system. ESR dates from the this fault system range from 870 to 240 ka. Results of this research suggest that long-term cyclic fault activity continued into the pleistocene.
The importance of cancer metabolism has been appreciated for many years, but the intricacies of how metabolic pathways interconnect with oncogenic signaling are not fully understood. With a clear understanding...Full Text Available
Digital audio sampling is explained, and some of its implications in digital sound applications are discussed. Digital sound equipment is rapidly replacing analog recording devices as the state-of-the-art in audio technology. The philosophy of digital recording involves doing away with the continuously variable analog waveforms and turning the patterns into numbers. A digital recording device rapidly samples the incoming sounds, quantifying the signal into a series of numerical values (binary codes). Although digital sound eliminates many of the traditional analog problems, digital signal processing presents key problems in sampling rates and synchronization. Careful control is necessary to check signals through each step in the audio chain. The advantages of digital audio processing include increased signal-to-noise ratio, no flutter, transparent generation of copies, and sound manipulation. These ...
Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) agonistic screams are graded vocal signals that are produced in a context-specific manner. Screams given by aggressors and victims can be discriminated...Full Text Available
... a Networked Embedded Sensing Toolkit (MSR Sense ... edging due to mis-registration than the ... Langrebe, Signal theory in multisensor remote sensing ...
CAAX proteins are widely involved in global cellular functions such as proliferation, differentiation, and carcinogenesis. As an important modulator of biological activity, signal transduction via protein...Full Text Available
Chemoreceptors are crucial components in the bacterial sensory systems that mediate chemotaxis. Chemotactic responses exhibit exquisite sensitivity, extensive dynamic range and precise adaptation....Full Text Available
Readout integrated circuits (ROICs) for focal plane arrays (FPAs) have become increasingly complex to meet the needs of modern infrared systems. BAE Systems has pioneered a number of advanced signal processing architectures for FPA ROICs. Demonstrated signal processing capabilities of BAE Systems FPAs include analog-to-digital conversion, offset subtraction, individual pixel automatic gain compensation, transient noise suppression, on-FPA defect deselection, reconfigurable pixels, spatial neural network processing and subframe noise averaging. BAE Systems FPA advanced signal processing is not just for demonstrations, but is used in many of their deliverable FPAs, improving real system performance.
Varying load can cause changes in a measured gearbox vibration signal. However, conventional techniques for fault diagnosis are based on the assumption that changes in vibration signal are only caused by deterioration of the gearbox. There is a need to develop a technique to provide accurate state indicator of gearbox under fluctuating load conditions. This paper presents an approach to gear fault diagnosis based on complex Morlet continuous wavelet transform under this condition. Gear motion residual signal, which represents the departure of time synchronously averaged signal from the average tooth-meshing vibration, is analyzed as source data due to its lower sensitiveness to the alternating load condition. A fault growth parameter based on the amplitude of wavelet transform is proposed ...
The problem of passively tracking a moving signal source has importance in a variety of applications such as radar, sonar, seismology, and radio astronomy. In many applications, only limited information is available about the signal source. It will be assumed here that only the signals which are detected by the sensors and the velocity of the source signal are known. The objective of this document is to present a program which passively tracks a target using an array of sensors. This program is available in MATLAB, version 3.5. The algorithm which is implemented consists of three main parts: time delay estimation, passive localization, and data post processing. Each of these parts are discussed, and the mathematical foundation for their solution given. Following, this the organization of the program is presented, and an example of its usage is given.
The primary function of the Waste Handling Shaft (WHS) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is to permit the transfer of radioactive waste from the surface waste handling building to the underground storage area. It also serves as an intake shaft for small volumes of air during normal storage operations and as an emergency escape route. Part of the construction was the placement of a concrete liner and steel reinforced key in 1984. During a routine shaft inspection in May 1990, some degradation of the WHS concrete liner was observed between the depths of 800 and 900 feet below the ground surface. Detailed investigations of the liner had been carried out by Sandia National Laboratories and by Westinghouse Electric Corporation Waste Isolation Division (WID) through Lankard Materials Laboratory. Observations, reports, and data support the conclusion that the concrete degradation, resulting from attack by chemically aggressive brine, is a localized phenomena. It ...
When a plasma becomes contaminated by foreign particles, generically referred to as dust, the result is called a dusty plasma. At the present time there is a great deal of interest in dusty plasmas because of their roles in terrestrial and extra-terrestrial processes - semiconductor processing, high temperature fusion experiments, stellar formation and the rings of Saturn. This thesis is concerned with the role of dust in processing type plasmas. In the following experiments, artificial dust is introduced into a parallel electrode plasma chamber. Ions and electrons in the plasma charge the dust particles and they become suspended in the plasma due to the balancing of electric and gravitational forces. By illuminating the suspended dust with laser light and using an extremely high speed camera fitted with a macro lens to look at the scattered light, the dust particles are observed directly. Specially written computer software is then able to track and analyse the ...
In order to illustrate morphological features and variations of temperature in the upper thermosphere, we performed numerical simulations with a whole atmosphere general circulation model (GCM) for the solar minimum and geomagnetically quiet conditions in March, June, September, and December. In previous GCMs, tidal effects were imposed at the lower boundaries assuming dominant diurnal and semi-diurnal tidal modes. Since the GCM used in the present study covers all the atmospheric regions, the atmospheric tides with various modes are generated within the GCM. The global temperature distributions obtained from the GCM are in agreement with ones obtained from NRLMSISE-00. In addition, the GCM also represents localised temperature structures which are superimposed on the global day-night distributions. These localised structures, which vary from hour to hour, would be observed as variations with periods of about 2-3 h at a single site. The amplitudes of the 2-3 h variations are ...
11-MeV neutrons were elastically and inelastically scattered from eight single-closed-shell nuclei: three proton-vibrational nuclei with N = 50 ("8"8Sr, "9"0Zr, "9"2Mo) and five even-even neutron-vibrational nuclei ("1"1"6"-"1"2"4Sn) with Z = 50. Detection methods involving electronic discrimination against #gamma# rays, and time-of-flight techniques were used to measure the energy of the scattered neutrons. Data were taken from 15"0 to 150"0 in 5"0 intervals. Measured differential cross sections were normalized to the zero-degree neutron flux and corrected. An optical model (OM) analysis was used to fit the elastic data with the code GENOA, and potential parameters were obtained for each nucleus. The observed low-lying electric quadrupole (2"+) and octupole (3"-) states were collective in nature; the macroscopic or collective model for inelastic scattering was used to generate the differential cross-section angular distributions with the distorted wave method. The ...
The H-SAPS (Hydrogen Stand-Alone Power System) project, an EU project within the ALTENER programme in the period 2002-2004, was initiated to determine the potential for the introduction of environmentally benign hydrogen technology in what is believed to be a near-term market, namely stand-alone power systems (SAPS). The objective of the project was to examine the technological, political, social and economical factors affecting the emergence of hydrogen technology in the stand-alone power system market today and in the future. The scope of the project was limited to small and medium sized stand-alone power systems, up to a few hundred kilowatts (kW) power rating and based on renewable energy as the primary energy source. The work was divided into five phases: (1) Inception, (2) Data collection and analysis, (3) Market analysis and barrier removal, (4) Dissemination, and (5) Final report. Separate reports were written on these topics, and later summarised this final report. The ...
The Energy Conversion and Storage Program applies chemistry and materials science principles to solve problems in (1) production of new synthetic fuels, (2) development of high-performance rechargeable batteries and fuel cells, (3) development of advanced thermochemical processes for energy conversion, (4) characterization of complex chemical processes, and (5) application of novel materials for energy conversion and transmission. Projects focus on transport-process principles, chemical kinetics, thermodynamics, separation processes, organic and physical chemistry, novel materials, and advanced methods of analysis. Electrochemistry research aims to develop advanced power systems for electric vehicle and stationary energy storage applications. Topics include identification of new electrochemical couples for advanced rechargeable batteries, improvements in battery and fuel-cell materials, and the establishment of engineering principles applicable to electrochemical ...
The Energy Conversion and Storage Program applies chemistry and materials science principles to solve problems in (1) production of new synthetic fuels, (2) development of high-performance rechargeable batteries and fuel cells, (3) development of advanced thermochemical processes for energy conversion, (4) characterization of complex chemical processes, and (5) application of novel materials for energy conversion and transmission. Projects focus on transport-process principles, chemical kinetics, thermodynamics, separation processes, organic and physical chemistry, novel materials, and advanced methods of analysis. Electrochemistry research aims to develop advanced power systems for electric vehicle and stationary energy storage applications. Topics include identification of new electrochemical couples for advanced rechargeable batteries, improvements in battery and fuel-cell materials, and the establishment of engineering principles applicable to electrochemical ...
Effective commercial liquid absorption technology currently applicable for CO{sub 2} capture from power plant flue gases uses a conventional chemical solvent, MEA(monoethanolamine), which was developed over 60 years ago as general non selective solvent to remove acid gases from natural gas streams. The application to CO{sub 2} capture from almost atmospheric pressure flue gases required modification of the technology on account of the oxygen content to incorporate inhibitors to resist solvent degradation and equipment corrosion, as well as upstream treatment of the flue gases to remove both SO{sub x} and NO{sub x} present. The solvent strength used by such processes is relatively low in comparison with high strength modern chemical solvents. The resultant effect is large equipment and high regeneration energy requirements which is a parasitic load on the power plant. Using current technology for CO{sub 2} capture from flue gas derived from conventional pulverized coal fired power ...
The most serious challenges in the design of chambers for inertial fusion energy (IFE) are 1) protecting the first wall from fusion energy pulses on the order of several hundred megajoules released in the form of x rays, target debris, and high energy neutrons, and 2) operating the chamber at a pulse repetition rate of 5-10 Hz (i.e., re-establishing, the wall protection and chamber conditions needed for beam propagation to the target between pulses). In meeting these challenges, designers have capitalized on the ability to separate the fusion burn physics from the geometry and environment of the fusion chamber. Most recent conceptual designs use gases or flowing liquids inside the chamber. Thin liquid layers of molten salt or metal and low pressure, high-Z gases can protect the first wall from x rays and target debris, while thick liquid layers have the added benefit of protecting structures from fusion neutrons thereby significantly reducing the radiation damage and activation. The ...
The significant and rapid reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is recognized as necessary to mitigate the potential climate effects from global warming. The postcombustion capture (PCC) and storage of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) produced from the use of fossil fuels for electricity generation is a key technology needed to achieve these reductions. The most mature technology for CO{sub 2} capture is reversible chemical absorption into an aqueous amine solution. In this study the results from measurements of the CO{sub 2} absorption capacity of aqueous amine solutions for 76 different amines are presented. Measurements were made using both a novel isothermal gravimetric analysis (IGA) method and a traditional absorption apparatus. Seven amines, consisting of one primary, three secondary, and three tertiary amines, were identified as exhibiting outstanding absorption capacities. Most have a number of structural features in common including steric ...
Small circular and noncircular channels are representative of flow passages in compact evaporators and condensers. This paper describes results of an experimental study on heat transfer to the flow boiling of refrigerant- 12 in a small circular tube of diameter = 2.46 mm. The objective of the study was to assess the effect of channel size on the heat transfer coefficient and to obtain additional insights relative to the heat transfer mechanisms. The flow channel was made of brass and had an overall length of 0.9 m. The channel wall was electrically heated, and temperatures were measured on the channel wall and in the bulk fluid stream. Voltage taps were located at the same axial locations as the stream thermocouples to allow testing over an exit quality range of 0.21 to 0.94 and a large range of mass flux (63 to 832 kg/m{sup 2}s) and heat flux (2.5 to 59 kW/m{sup 2}). Saturation pressure was nearly constant, averaging 0.82 MPa for most of the testing; a few test ...
The goal of this paper is to explore how compliance with the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA), especially Title IV and emission trading under it, will affect the current relationship between state and federal regulation. It is difficult, with the limited experience we have had under Title IV, to be definitive about or to be a very strong advocate of too many policy positions. What may be most helpful at this point is to identify where the difficult issues in state/federal relations might arise; and then to explore ways in which tensions might be either avoided or resolved. One anticipated conclusion is that a traditional regulatory mindset could be very destructive if applied to this new area of oversight without due sensitivity to what Congress is trying to achieve in Title IV. That concern pervaded the early legislative debates; and it persists today. Title IV presents some unique challenges to state regulators and will require some creative solutions and ...
In this report is described the work effort performed to provide NETL with VE-Suite based Virtual Engineering software and enhanced equipment models to support NETL's Advanced Process Engineering Co-simulation (APECS) framework for advanced power generation systems. Enhancements to the software framework facilitated an important link between APECS and the virtual engineering capabilities provided by VE-Suite (e.g., equipment and process visualization, information assimilation). Model enhancements focused on improving predictions for the performance of entrained flow coal gasifiers and important auxiliary equipment (e.g., Air Separation Units) used in coal gasification systems. In addition, a Reduced Order Model generation tool and software to provide a coupling between APECS/AspenPlus and the GE GateCycle simulation system were developed. CAPE-Open model interfaces were employed where needed. The improved simulation capability is demonstrated on selected test problems. As part ...
Some general topical information (generating capacity and electric power generation, development and structure of electric power consumption, frequency and peak load, exchange of electricity) is followed by an account of the situation of coal-fired power plants, hydroelectric power plants and nuclear power plants, and a brief discussion of the environmental situation (emissions and wastes, immissions, and air pollution abatement measures for power plants). (orig./UA).
The utilization of electrically heated rods for the simulation of nuclear fuel rods represents an universally adopted method by the nuclear industry to study thermalhydraulic problems. The present work represents the development of a method to obtain the time variation of the electric linear power necessary to simulate a given nuclear power transient in order to yield the same temperature and heat flux conditions in the surface of the electrical heater that would be obtained by the nuclear fuel rod. (Author).
The development of electric cars always met with the difficulty in storing energy and in recovering it in the form of electric power. Research work done for the last two decades in the field of materials and of new technologies oriented mainly towards aeronautical and space applications have led to designing, realizing and experimenting with flywheels rotating at high speed in magnetic bearings. The results obtained represent openings that, now, fall in with different industrial fields and in particular with application to electric cars.
The bibliography contains citations concerning the research and development of the electric automobile. Various sources of energy to accommodate electric cars, environmental effects, energy consumption and efficiency, and computer simulation and modeling relative to electric vehicle transportation are considered. Design variations are also included. (Contains a minimum of 195 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)
The bibliography contains citations concerning the research and development of the electric automobile. Various sources of energy to accommodate electric cars, environmental effects, energy consumption and efficiency, and computer simulation and modeling relative to electric vehicle transportation are considered. Design variations are also included. (Contains a minimum of 121 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)
...2010-10-01 false Electric hot water supply boilers. 63.25-3 Section 63.25-3...Boilers ยง 63.25-3 Electric hot water supply boilers. (a) Electric hot water supply boilers that have a capacity not...
The analysis of bagasse use indicates that the production of exportable electricity from sugar cane factories in Mauritius can be increased from the current level of between 10 and 20 kWh to around 60 kWh per tonne cane crushed. If the bagasse is dried and pelletized, and cane tops and leaves (CT and L) also used, electricity production can be further increased to around 100-110 kWh per tonne of cane crushed. An economic analysis of the process shows that the cost of electricity generated within the sugar industry in Mauritius is competitive with that of electricity produced from fossil fuels. In addition, it is shown that almost twice the current annual electricity consumption, or the postulated annual electricity consumption for the year 2000, of the island can be provided by the Mauritian Sugar Industry. 10 references.
An explanation is given of life estimation of CV cable and OF cable which are generally used as high-voltage power cable. CV cable uses XLPE (crosslined polyethylene) and OF cable uses oil-immersed paper as electrical insulators. Relating to CV cable, voltage deterioration due to partial discharge and electric treeing occurs in a high electric field, and by extrapolating the data of up to the actually used electric field in this high electric field, the life is estimate (there is an n-power deterioration law which is V{sup n} = t between breakdown voltage V and electric applied time t). Validity of this extrapolation, however, is a future issue. Further, in the use under the immersion condition, water tree deterioration phenomena influenced by water content and the electric field which are characteristic of CV cable are seen even in the ...
The Electric Power Monthly (EPM) presents monthly electricity statistics for a wide audience including Congress, Federal and State agencies, the electric utility industry, and the general public. The purpose of this publication is to provide energy decisionmakers with accurate and timely information that may be used in forming various perspectives on electric issues that lie ahead. The Coal and Electric Data and Renewables Division; Office of Coal, Nuclear, Electric and Alternate Fuels, Energy Information Administration (EIA), Department of Energy prepares the EPM. This publication provides monthly statistics at the State, Census division, and US levels for net generation, fossil fuel consumption and stocks, quantity and quality of fossil fuels, cost of fossil fuels, electricity sales, revenue, and average revenue per kilowatthour of ...
An analysis is given of the problems which can be solved by the use of electric-powered vehicles. A detailed comparison is made of the energy consumption and the air polluting emissions of electric and conventional vehicles, taking into account the energy consumption of the vehicles and the primary energy consumption of electric power generation and automotive fuels production. Also the air pollution, as a result of power generation and fuel production are considered. In chapter 1 an outline is given of the traffic and transportation sector in the Netherlands with special attention to data on the energy consumption and the air pollution of this sector. Based on these data the problems can be formulated for which the application of electric vehicles can be a solution. In chapter three a brief description is given of the technical specifications and characteristics of electric ...
Due to development of electric power system and considering an increase of electrical energy consumption, needs for larger units in new power plants are obvious. Connection of large nuclear power plants to the grid, depending on their power and location, usually requires significant investments in transmission network development and construction. Considering the capacity of the 400 kV transmission network in Croatia, this problem is evident. This paper deals with the possibilities of nuclear power plants construction, as one possible option in electric power system development, and their interconnection to the electricity grid. (author).
This paper describes and analyses the new situation in the electricity market in Sweden and the attendant emergence of a unique marketing opportunity for industries and power plants to capitalize on bioenergy. This recent marketing opportunity, which is based on consumer demand, has come about through a number of recent institutional changes in Sweden that have drastically lowered the transaction costs associated with the purchase of green electricity, i.e. electricity generated in what is classified as an environmentally sound manner. This has created a functioning market for green electricity and products made using green electricity.
... Electric super car triumph for Imperial team as epic journey reaches end of the road The iframe on this page is empty and contains ...Business Media News and Events , imperial, college, london, university, News and Events, Electric super car triumph for Imperial team as epic journey reaches end ...of the road Electric super car triumph for Imperial team as epic journey reaches end of the road Show more news Electric ...super car triumph for Imperial team as epic journey reaches end of the road The Racing Green Endurance team celebrates successful 26,000 km ...
The Electric Power Monthly (EPM) presents monthly electricity statistics for a wide audience including Congress, Federal and State agencies, the electric utility industry, and the general public. The purpose of this publication is to provide energy decision makers with accurate and timely information that may be used in forming various perspectives on electric issues that lie ahead. The EIA collected the information in this report to fulfill its data collection and dissemination responsibilities as specified in the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275) as amended. 69 tabs.
The Electric Power Monthly (EPM) presents monthly electricity statistics for a wide audience including Congress, Federal and State agencies, the electric utility industry, and the general public. The purpose of this publication is to provide energy decisionmakers with accurate and timely information that may be used in forming various perspectives on electric issues that lie ahead. The EIA collected the information in this report to fulfill its data collection and dissemination responsibilities as specified in the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275) as amended. 64 tabs.
The Electric Power Monthly (EPM) presents monthly electricity statistics for a wide audience including Congress, Federal and State agencies, the electric utility industry, and the general public. The purpose of this publication is to provide energy decisionmakers with accurate and timely information that may be used in forming various perspectives on electric issues that lie ahead. The EIA collected the information in this report to fulfill its data collection and dissemination responsibilities as specified in the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275) as amended. 63 tabs.
A special study was conducted to investigate the influences of minimum approach temperature differences occurring in supercritical-heater/vaporizer and evaporative-condenser heat rejection systems on geothermal-electric binary power plant performance and cost of electricity. For the systems investigated optimum pinch points for minimizing cost of electricity were estimated to range from 5 to 7/sup 0/F for the heater vaporizer. The minimum approach of condensing temperature to wet-bulb temperature for evaporative condensers was estimated to be about 30/sup 0/F in order to achieve the lowest cost of electricity.
In the framework of the development of new generations of surface ships, the Royal Netherlands Navy is studying the option of the all-electric ship concept. Background is the growing demand of electric power on board of naval ships for various services (including weapons and sensors). Important features of such an all-electric ship concept are decentralized electric energy generation and storage. In such an all-electric ship concept, fuel cells are expected to play an important role in the future, not only for reasons of energy efficiency and low emissions, but also because of their potential military advantages. Especially polymer electrolyte fuel cell systems appear to be very interesting for this application.
A possibility is considered or reducing the surface heterogeneity effect of an item being tested on the result of radiation flaw detection by means of signal delay of one of detectors in a two-channel radiometric flaw detector. The exposure of a translationally moving item has been studied as well as an external exposure of a rotating hollow item.
A method to deduce the 2 x 2 transport matrix for coupled heat and particle transport in Tokamaks is proposed. The method applies to perturbative experiments, and is based on a Fourier transform of the measured signals of temperature and density. By analyzing different linear combinations of temperature and density, the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of the transport matrix are determined. The method is tested for a number of illustrative cases using simulated data, and the sensitivity to noise on the signals is evaluated. (author).
An eddy current inspection has been applied for a pre-service and in-service examination of a steam generator in nuclear power plants. The experience from the inspection of steam generators showed that many plants had an excessive number of tubes with eddy current noise signals over several hundreds, which originated from manufacturing anomalies. The plants in U.S suffered significant downstream inspection costs, history reviews, and diagnostic testing because some signals resembled flaws and others masked a flaw. These lessens learned resulted in issuing the guidelines for steam generator tubing specifications and repair, in order to reduce the number of anomalous signals in the tubes and also to provide the requirement of a signal to noise ratio by applying a field type examination with bobbin coil eddy current probes at a manufacturing process. Besides the noise signals of a ...
We investigate the possibility of observing strong interactions of longitudinally polarized weak vector bosons in the process {gamma}{gamma}{yields}ZZ at a photon linear collider. We make use of polarization of the photon beams and cuts on the decay products of the Z bosons to enhance the signal relative to the background of transversely polarized ZZ pairs. We find that the background overwhelms the signal unless there are strong resonant effects, as for instance from a technicolor analogue of the hadronic f{sub 2}(1270) meson. ((orig.)).
The rates of synthesis of a class of both secreted and intracellular degradative enzymes in Bacillus subtilis are controlled by a signal transduction pathway defined by at least four regulatory genes:...Full Text Available
The Epstein-Barr virus protein, LMP1, is a functional mimic of the cellular receptor CD40, but signals to B lymphocytes in an amplified and sustained manner compared to CD40. LMP1 contributes...Full Text Available
Objective: To explore the feasibility of real-time monitoring exposure dose and image quality by using the data stored in the DICOM image archive of direct digital radiography system. Methods: Model TO. 16 was exposed, the current increased gradually from 0.5 to 125 mAs. The displayed number of model A( diameter 11.1 mm), D (diameter 4.0 mm) and J( diameter 0.7 mm) were recorded, and the detect factors (H_T) was also calculated. Images were sent to workstation before the end of DR examination. An automatic procedure was implemented to extract dose data and exposure parameters from the DICOM header file. Maximum, minimum and 3rd quartile values were preinstalled. Mean values exceeding the threshold trigger alarm signal to guide radiologist to explore the cause. Results: When the current of point A was less than 10 mAs and the current of point D and J were less than 16 mAs, the detect factor (H_T) increased with the rise of current. While point A located within ...
A micro-computer based fuzzy logic power system stabilizer is applied to a micro-machine system to investigate its efficiency in real time control. The stabilizing signal is determined by using measured speed or real power signals at every sampling time to damp the system oscillations. The results show the proposed stabilizer improves the system damping effectively subject to various types of disturbances.
The Wnt signaling pathway is a robust regulator of skeletal homeostasis. Gain-of-function mutations promote high bone mass, whereas loss of Lrp5 or Lrp6 co-receptors decrease bone mass. Similarly, mutations...Full Text Available
Object: To prevent a sudden drop in the level of a coolant in a annular pipe encased within a downcomer pipe. Structure: The coolant levels in annular pipes encased within downcomer pipes are simultaneously measured by level gauges which generate signals representative of coolant levels. The signals are fed to a level control system which will actuate valves to regulate the cover gas pressure in order to average the level differences among the annular pipes in different downcomer pipes. (Kamimura, M.).
The long-range correlation properties in the hourly time variability of geochemical signals measured in a 70 m depth well at Triponzo (Umbria region), are investigated by the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). DFA is a data processing method that allows for the detection of scaling behaviors in observational time series even in the presence of non-stationarities. The procedure adopted has allowed for the unambiguous identification of possible correlations among the recorded signals and local earthquakes.
Luminescence stimulated from feldspars using wavelengths in the infrared region can be applied to the dating of sedimentary grains. Reported stimulation spectra are very similar for a wide range of feldspars, but their emission spectra show greater variation. For accurate dating it is critical that unstable infrared-stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signals are removed from the laboratory-irradiated grains. Several approaches to isolate a thermally stable signal are described. (author).
In this paper the feasibility of phase locking a FIR laser by injection of a highly stable synthesized signal is examined. The theory of injection locking is revised in order to take into account the characteristic features of FIR lasers and turns out to be in satisfactory agreement with the experimental data reported. From the results obtained, it is inferred that the state of the art of submillimetric multipliers makes it possible to stabilize FIR laser emissions up to about 1 THz.
Stabilization of the particle beam position with respect to the focusing optics in the third generation synchrotron light sources is crucial to achieving low emittance and high brightness. For this purpose, global and local beam orbit correction feedbacks will be implemented in the APS storage ring. In this article, the authors discuss application of digital signal processing to particle/photon beam position feedback using the PID (proportional, integral, and derivative) control algorithm.
The insulin signaling pathway, involving protein kinase B (PKB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), mediates the biological response to insulin and several growth factors and cytokines. To investigate the correlation between glucose transporter (Glut) biosynthesis and the insulin signaling pathway activated by novel compounds of Liriope platyphylla (LP9M80-H), alterations in Glut and key protein expression in the insulin signaling pathway were analyzed in the liver and brain of ICR mice treated with LP9M80-H. An in vitro assay showed that the highest level of insulin concentration was observed in the LP9M80-H-treated group, followed by the LP-H, LP-M, LP-E, and LP9M80-C-treated groups. Therefore, LP9M80-H was selected for use in studying the detailed mechanism of the insulin signaling pathway in animal systems. In an in vivo experiment, LP9M80-H induced a significant increase in glucose levels ...
This book contains nomographs for analysis and design of signalized intersections and thoroughly explains how to use them. The nomographs simplify and reduce the work that otherwise would have to be done by hand. The nomograph method for computing capacity has a significant advantage over computerized methods: it provides insight into the interaction between the various factors in the solution process for design analysis.
BackgroundAberrant CD40 ligand (CD154) expression occurs on both T cells and B cells in human lupus patients, which is suggested to enhance B cell CD40 signaling and play a role...Full Text Available
The ζ chain-associated 70-kDa protein (ZAP-70) of tyrosine kinase plays a critical role in T cell receptor-mediated signal transduction and the immune response. A high level of ZAP-70 expression...Full Text Available