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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

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It has been proposed that the gastrointestinal tract environment containing high levels of neuroendocrine hormones is important for gut-derived Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. In this study, we report that the hormone norepinephrine increases P. aeruginosa PA14 growth, virulence factor production, invasion of HCT-8 epithelial cells, and swimming motility in a concentration-dependent manner. Transcriptome analysis of P. aeruginosa exposed to 500 microM, but not 50 microM, norepinephrine for 7 h showed that genes involved in the regulation of the virulence determinants pyocyanin, elastase, and the Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS, 2-heptyl-3-hydroxy-4-quinolone) were upregulated. The production of rhamnolipids, which are also important in P. aeruginosa infections, was not significantly altered in suspension cultures upon exposure to 500 microM norepinephrine but decreased on semisolid surfaces. Swarming motility, a phenotype that is directly influenced by rhamnolipids, was also ...

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Total synthesis of cis-solamin A was accomplished without using protecting groups starting from (-)-muricatacin in 11 steps with an overall yield of 4.5%. The backbone of cis-solamin A was constructed by olefin cross-metathesis between the tetrahydrofuran moiety and g-lactone moiety. An enzymatic kinetic transesterification procedure was successfully applied to the synthesis of an optically pure g-lactone moiety.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Sesquiterpene lactones are characteristic natural products in Asteraceae, which constitutes ∼8% of all plant species. Despite their physiological and pharmaceutical importance, the biochemistry...Full Text Available

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... a Networked Embedded Sensing Toolkit (MSR Sense ... edging due to mis-registration than the ... Langrebe, Signal theory in multisensor remote sensing ...

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Copolymers of a 1,2 epoxy alkane and a cyclic carboxylate compound of the class consisting of dicarboxylic acid anhydrides, preferably maleic anhydride or a hydrocarbyl substituted succinic anhydride and a beta lactone, said copolymers having C/sub 10/ to C/sub 50/, preferably C/sub 20/ to C/sub 40/, linear, pendant hydrocarbon chains are flow improvers in residual and crude oils.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

16 papers are presented covering: remote sensing - an aid to environment management; remote sensing application; monitoring environmental changes over iron ore mining areas; monitoring and management of environmental degradation due to geological factors; use of Landsat multispectral scanner data in environmental monitoring; geotechnical engineering problems with abandoned limestone mines; photogrammetric monitoring of mining environment; slope monitoring in open cast mines using close range remote sensing method; geobotanical remote sensing and mineral prospecting; geographical information in study of geo-environment through remote sensing; and alteration mapping in cuprite mining district.

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The first space photographs were obtained from V-2 rockets fired upwards from the ..... Some fraction of the incoming solar radiation is reflected towards a sensor ...

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Primary goal: Provide resource managers with remote sensing products that support ecosystem

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It is shown that, although accelerometer control systems are not well-posed in the sense of Salamon,

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The potential of different multitemporal and multispectral airborne and spaceborne remote sensing methods for assessment and monitoring of the lignite open-cast mining areas are discussed in this chapter. Emphasis is placed on the successful use of different remote sensing data in variable vegetation structures for dumped sediments with different mineralogical and geochemical properties and for hydrochemical properties of the residual lakes. Multiple remote sensing data are a cost and time efficient tool for the assessment of environmental impacts, supervising of reclamation activities as well as for long term monitoring of the mining area. The airborne data are well suited for large scale detailed research and mapping in smaller sites and the satellite data for the overview scale 1:50 000. An integrated remote sensing-GIS-system including all field and lab data, DTM and other graphical data, improve ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundRecent research highlights the promise of remotely sensed aerosol optical depth (AOD) as a proxy for ground-level particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This document contains the Proceedings of the Eleventh Thematic Conference Geologic Remote Sensing (Volume II). The conference was held February 27-29, 1996 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Presentations included in this volume address the following topics: Geologic Remote Sensing and aerial surveying as applied toward mineral exploration, monitoring of geothermal resources, petroleum exploration, the environmental effects of mining, environment and hydrology, detection of geohazards, and the GIS system and data integration. Some information regarding the use of color imagery in remote sensing is also included.

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This paper examines the relationships between the socio-demographic characteristics of small

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This paper provides a review of current air and spaceborne remote sensing techniques which can be used in land use planning and resource management. Emphasis is placed on the development of geographic information systems (GS). It is expected remote sensing will become the preferred tool for data acquisition, while GIS will be used to manage and distribute georeferenced land information.

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An apparatus for sensing chemicals over extended range of concentrations. In particular, first and second sensors each having separate, but overlapping ranges for sensing concentrations of hydrogen are provided. Preferably, the first sensor is a MOS solid state device wherein the metal electrode or gate is a nickel alloy. The second sensor is a chemiresistor comprising a nickel alloy.

Environmental Research Database

DescriptionRemote sensing of the sea surface from satellites in near-polar orbits has contributed greatly to our understanding of the links between physical and biological processes in marine systems. However most of this progress has been made in open oceanic waters or major upwelling areas, and many unresolved problems are encountered in coastal regions and shelf seas. In these optically complex waters, quantitative remote sensing requires a more sophisticated interpretation strategy than that implemente [continued...

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The determination of the banned anabolic substance zeranol and the metabolites taleranol and zearalanone in bovine urine is complicated by the occurrence of the structurally-related mycotoxin zearalenone and the corresponding {alpha}- and {beta}-zearalenol metabolites which possess similar estrogenic properties. A liquid chromatography-negative ion electrospray tandem mass spectrometric method is presented for the confirmatory analysis of all six resorcylic acid lactones ('zeranols') in urine samples using deuterium-labelled internal standards. The method was validated as a confirmatory method for bovine urine samples according to new draft EU guidelines and showed good precision and linearity, and CC{alpha} and CC{beta} values of 0.02-0.30 and <1.0 ng ml{sup -1}, respectively. The applicability was demonstrated by comparing the results of an incurred sample with previous results on the same sample obtained by gas chromatography high ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009 p. 200-201 Ukraine Glushkov, AV Odesa State Environmental

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Spratly Islands, located in the southern part of the South China Sea (SCS), consist of more than 100 small islands, coral reefs and banks. Remote sensing is the only way to obtain a synoptic view of all of the islands in such a large area. It has been demonstrated that satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery is a very powerful tool for monitoring meso-scale and small-scale ocean processes in a large area. In this study, satellite SAR images were used to study the ocean environment in the area of Spratly Islands. The aim was to understand the capability of satellite remote sensing to monitor ocean processes and provide information for future field studies. Two sets of high-resolution European Remote Sensing satellite (ERS)-2 SAR images over the entire Spratly Islands area were coll...

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Coal mining generates a number of significant environmental impacts. Due to its synoptic coverage and repetitive data acquisition capabilities, remote sensing has been extensively used to monitor effects of surface mining. Availability of low cost and high resolution data in recent years has focused increased attention on the use of satellite data for monitoring surface mining activity. This article presents an overview of some of the important studies that have used satellite and airborne remote sensing data to assess environmental impacts of coal mining and to monitor reclamation activities. Detection and delineation of subsurface coal mine fires using remotely-sensed thermal data is also briefly discussed. The utility of interfacing remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems for effective environmental management of mining areas has been emphasized.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turkish English ... Authors Sahin, O. (Suleyman Demirel University, Department of Physics, Isparta (Turkey))

CERN Document Server

Recently there has been considerable interest in the design of efficient carrier sense multiple access(CSMA) protocol for wireless network. The basic assumption underlying recent results is availability of perfect carrier sense information. This allows for design of continuous time algorithm under which collisions are avoided. The primary purpose of this note is to show how these results can be extended in the case when carrier sense information may not be perfect, or equivalently delayed. Specifically, an adaptation of algorithm in Rajagopalan, Shah, Shin (2009) is presented here for time slotted setup with carrier sense information available only at the end of the time slot. To establish its throughput optimality, in additon to method developed in Rajagopalan, Shah, Shin (2009), understanding properties of stationary distribution of a certain non-reversible Markov chain as well as bound on its mixing ...

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The topics covered at the conference include: mineral exploration; geological mapping/stratigraphy; environmental monitoring and hydrology; petroleum exploration; radar digital elevation mapping; new commercial remote sensing initiatives; geological hazards and engineering; processing and integration techniques; and hyperspectral geology.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This article analyses the role of energy intensity and the relationship between CO{sub 2} emissions and primary energy in order to explain the evolution of CO{sub 2} emissions by unit of real GDP. It also distinguishes two different meanings of CO{sub 2} emissions Kuznets curve hypothesis: the weak and the strong sense. It considers the case of Spain in the period 1972-1997 as an example in which there is not any evidence supporting this hypothesis in either sense. (author)

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The Bureau of Mines has two projects in the remote sensing field as it pertains to mining. One of these is a completed contract that studied the use of aircraft mounted cameras and the results of photogrammetry. The second project is an ongoing contract to study the effectiveness of using an instrumentation system wired to remote data collection station to record embankment data. 6 refs.

Science.gov (United States)

Accurate crop growth monitoring and yield forecasting are significant to food security and sustainable development of agriculture. However, regional crop growth simulation faces the difficulties in determining the spatial distribution of some model parameters and initial conditions. In this study, regional biomasses at turn-green stage of winter wheat were re-estimated by linking WOFOST model and Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) synthesized from remote sensing data. Moreover, we proposed a way of combining evapotranspiration derived from satellite remote sensing data to crop grow simulation model. Thus, the regional initial available soil water and irrigation at earring stage were re-initialized and re-estimated by using remote sensing data. Those methods were well applied to simulate the growth and development for winter wheat at local site. After regionalizing of weather data, crop model parameters and initial ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The coastal ecosystem health assessment is a field of increasing importance. In this paper, a preliminary assessment of ecosystem health in Zhejiang coastal water zone was made, mainly based on remote sensing data and GIS technique. Its spatial and quantitative evaluation was facilitated by the progress of remote sensing and GIS technique development. Firstly, human activities, hydrology and ecosystem problems in the study area were discussed and analyzed. Secondly, from 4 aspects of human stress, physical, chemical and biological responses to anthropogenic activities and natural stress, several indicators such as water transparency (Secchi Disk Depth, SDD), suspended substance concentration, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, active phosphate, chlorophyll, harmful algae bloom, as well as distr...

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Premature Failure of a Riata Defibrillator Lead. A 63-year-old woman with a St. Jude Medical Riata 1570 right ventricular lead complained of intermittent hiccups 2 months after implant. Interrogation revealed elevated pacing threshold and diaphragmatic stimulation. Pacing and shock lead impedances remained stable. No inappropriate sensing was noted. Fluoroscopic examination of the lead revealed a thin radio-opaque wire seen between the 2 defibrillator coils away from the main body of the lead. After extraction, a tear in the insulation of the lead was noted allowing the inner wire to protrude. This case illustrates a novel mechanism of insulation failure without inappropriate sensing or impedance change.-(J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 22, pp. 1070-1072, September 2011)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Within the framework of the MINEO research project assisted by the European Union the Deutsche Steinkohle AG (DSK) has developed methods for the operational use of remote sensing data and geo-information systems for the regular observation, measurement and evaluation of environmental effects in mining areas. Only indirect environmental effects of the mining industry, which may result in particular from subsidence-induced changes in the hydrological situation (ground water level, drainage) and the resulting effects on the vegetation and land utilisation, can be observed for the DSK test area 'Kirchheller Heide' because of the underground mine workings. Hence the evaluations of the remote sensing data were concentrated on the development of methods to measure and analyse the vegetation condition and any changes. MINEO thus constitutes a module for the DSK environmental information system. (orig.)

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Raniganj and Jharia regions together have been for long the single largest coal supplier in India, now contributing about a quarter of the total output in the country. Numerous reasons such as improper mining techniques and policy, as well as unauthorized mining caused surface and subsurface coalfires in these areas. These coalfires burn millions of tonnes of valuable coal resources, creating severe environmental problems and posing enormous operational difficulties of mining. After first use of remote sensing as a tool to identify coalfires in 1960s, with the time, the efficiency of remote sensing to identify and monitoring coalfires has been well established by several researchers. With the knowledge of local geological setting and density sliced surface temperature image the spatial dis...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Theoretical and experimental data which have defined and/or extended the effectiveness of remote sensing operations are explored, with consideration given to both scientific and commercial activities. The remote sensing of soil moisture, the sea surface, and oil slicks is discussed, as are programs using satellites for studying geodynamics and geodesy, currents and waves, and coastal zones. NASA, Canadian, and Japanese radar and microwave passive and active systems are described, together with algorithms and techniques for image processing and classification. The SAR-580 project is outlined, and attention is devoted to satellite applications in investigations of the structure of the atmosphere, agriculture and land use, and geology. Design and performance features of various optical scanner, radar, and multispectral data processing systems and procedures are detailed.

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Experience with multiwire proportional chambers at high rates at the Argonne Zero Gradient Synchrotron is described. A buildup of silicon on the sense wires was observed where the beam passed through the chamber. Analysis of the chamber gas indicated that the density of silicon was probably less than 10 ppM.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Mating signals are often directed at numerous senses and provide information about species identity, gender, receptiveness, individual identity and mate quality. Given the diversity of colourful body...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

SUMMARYIn voltage-gated sodium, potassium, and calcium channels the functions of ion conduction and voltage sensing are performed by two distinct structural units: the pore domain...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

This unit presents two basic protocols that offer rapid assessments of anosmia (the absence of a sense of smell) in mice. The buried food test is used to check for the ability to smell volatile...Full Text Available

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A total of 25 papers were presented at the conference in 6 sessions: illumination and communication; power and safety; knowledge based systems; mine-wide monitoring; instrumentation control and automation; remote sensing and imaging.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The possibility has been explored of using a laser scattering technique to detect the imminent onset of rock activity associated with gas outbursts. The instrument described in this paper provides a sensitive, remote and rapid means of passively monitoring micro-seismic activity at the exposed face.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Within the next 30 years, the proportion of urban dwellers will rise from under half to two thirds of the world’s population. Such a shift will entail massive public health consequences,...Full Text Available

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BackgroundIn the past two decades the east African highlands have experienced several major malaria epidemics. Currently there is a renewed interest in exploring the possibility...Full Text Available

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What happens in the matrix of gender, technology, representation, and culture? This class will explore the theoretical issues raised within this matrix. We will also make sense of the theories through practical experiences with technologies like computers and cameras.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Prophylactic knee braces are designed to prevent and reduce the severity of ligamentous injuries to the knee. Conflicting evidence is reported concerning their efficacy. The purpose of this study was...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The utility of a two-photon optical fiber fluorescence probe (TPOFF) for sensing and quantifying tumor fluorescent signals was tested in vivo. Xenograft tumors were developed in athymic mice using MCA207...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Remote sensing data over North America document the ubiquity of secondary aerosols resulting from a combination of primary biogenic and anthropogenic emissions. The spatial and temporal distribution...Full Text Available

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A combined ozone and aerosol LIDAR was developed at the Institute of Physics of the Atmosphere at the DLR in Oberpfaffenhofen. It is an airborne version, that, based on the DIAL-principle, permits the recording of two-dimensional ozone profiles. This presentation will focus on the ozone-part; the aerosol subsection will be treated later.

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When in resonance, Raman scattering exhibits strong enhancement ranging from four to six orders of magnitude. This physical phenomenon has been applied to remote sensing of the Earth`s atmosphere. With a 16 inch Cassegrain telescope and spectrometer/ CCD-detector system, 70-150 ppm-m of SO{sub 2} in the atmosphere has been detected at a distance of 0.5 kilometer. This system can be used to detect/monitor chemical effluence in the atmosphere by their unique Raman fingerprints. Experimental result together with detailed resonance Raman and atmospheric laser propagation effects will be discussed.

CERN Document Server

The phase transition is a performance measure of the sparsity-undersampling tradeoff in compressed sensing (CS). This letter reports, for the first time, the existence of an exact phase transition for the $\\ell_1$ minimization approach to the complex valued CS problem. This discovery is not only a complementary result to the known phase transition of the real valued CS but also shows considerable superiority of the phase transition of complex valued CS over that of the real valued CS. The results are obtained by extending the recently developed ONE-L1 algorithms to complex valued CS and applying their optimal and iterative solutions to empirically evaluate the phase transition.

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Ontologies ? a form of structured and logically related knowledge or classification hierarchy embedded in a computer system ? are regarded by many scientists as having enormous promise for the consistent use and re-use of data. To realise this promise, however, is not straightforward. In this paper, based on ethnographic observation, we argue that the challenges for ontology building are ?social? as much as they are technical. By this we mean the routine work undertaken in the building process and the problems and difficulties entailed can be understood in terms of the practices of knowledge workers and the practical nature of ?sorting things out?. Getting a better sense of how, in practise, this work gets done gives a sense of the main challenges of building successful ontologies and how ...

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Aiming to understand the formation mechanism of dioxins in the iron ore sintering process, dust samples obtained from some windboxes of a commercial iron ore sintering plant have been characterized with a powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), by the transmission electron microscope (TEM) equipped with an electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), and by the temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO) techniques. The elemental and XRD analyses reveal that the content of the Cl present in the samples ranges from 0.075 mass%-dry to 5.1 mass%-dry and tends to be higher at smaller dust particles, and that some of the Cl exists as KCl with the average crystalline size between 40 nm and 50 nm. Dust samples also contain a significant amount of unburned carbon, and the smallest dust particles, < 500 {mu}m, show the highest C contents in many cases and consist partly of C, K, and Cl elements. The TPD and TPO experiments exhibit that the dust samples have ...

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Human senescence marker protein 30 (SMP30), which functions enzymatically as a lactonase, hydrolyzes various carbohydrate lactones. The penultimate step in vitamin-C biosynthesis is catalyzed by this enzyme in nonprimate mammals. It has also been implicated as an organophosphate hydrolase, with the ability to hydrolyze diisopropyl phosphofluoridate and other nerve agents. SMP30 was originally identified as an aging marker protein, whose expression decreased androgen independently in aging cells. SMP30 is also referred to as regucalcin and has been suggested to have functions in calcium homeostasis. The crystal structure of the human enzyme has been solved from X-ray diffraction data collected to a resolution of 1.4 {angstrom}. The protein has a 6-bladed {beta}-propeller fold, and it contains a single metal ion. Crystal structures have been solved with the metal site bound with either a Ca{sup 2+} or a Zn{sup 2+} atom. The catalytic role of the metal ion has been ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Subsurface and surface coalfires are a serious problem in many coal-producing countries. Combustion can occur within the coal seams (underground or surface), in piles of stored coal, or in spoil dumps at the surface. While consuming a non renewable energy source, coalfires promote several environmental problems. Among all GHGs that are emitted from coalfires, CO2 is the most significant because of its high quantity. In connection to this environmental problem, the core aim of the present research is to develop a hyperspectral remote sensing and radiative transfer based model that is able to estimate CO2 concentration (ppmv) from coalfires. Since 1960s remote sensing is being used as a tool to detect and monitoring coalfires. With time, remote sensing has proven a reliable tool to identify and monitor coalfires. In the present study multi-temporal, multi-sensor and multi-spectral thermal remote sensing ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We have studied the correlation between the chemical state and the oxygen-sensing properties of an iron oxide thin film using a setup that allows simultaneous sensor resistance measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data acquisition. The gas exposures were performed at the highest operating pressure of the XPS spectrometer at a controlled sample temperature which allows direct comparison between the sensor response and the chemical state of the surface. The iron oxide film was modified by a sequence of argon ion sputtering steps and the induced changes in the chemical state, resistance, and sensitivity to oxygen were investigated. The sputtering was found to reduce the iron from the Fe"3"+ to the Fe"2"+ state and to decrease the sensor resistance. The measured sensitivity to oxygen first increased by a factor of two but then collapsed to its original level. The mechanism for oxygen sensing was found to be filling of the oxygen ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This third conference on small-satellite applications has combined a number of significant and timely presentations on the status, in the US and on the international front, of this emerging industry. Presentations by all of the major Department of Defense activities in this field, including an overview of the ARPA CAMEO multispectral remote sensing satellite program, space activities at the Air Force Phillips Laboratory, and a space systems capabilities overview of the Naval Research Laboratory, are complemented by presentations from several international activities on their accomplishments and progress in the development of remote sensing satellite programs. For example: Spar Aerospace of Canada presented an overview of the progress they have made in establishing a space program through the use of small satellites, and the University of Surrey and Spar Aerospace provided an overview of the application of image compression schemes to imagery ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The application of robotics for repair, refurbishing or dismantling of nuclear installations implies eventually severe radiation resistance requirements on embarked components and subsystems. This is particularly critical when optical sensing is considered. Optoelectronic components and optical fibers are indeed quite sensitive to radiation, and without special design are rapidly out-of-operation in such an environment. This paper reports the results of a series of #gamma# irradiation experiments on such devices, and identify their behavior under radiation. Test results show that carefully selected optical fibers can keep their radiation induced attenuation lower than 0.3 dB/m even up to a total dose of 10 MGy. Temperature annealing can even lower this attenuation down to 0.1 dB/m. On the other hand, commercially available light emitting diodes and photodiodes present attenuations figures up to 15 dB, even after a gamma irradiation as low as 250 kGy. However, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Government facilities such as the US Department of Energy's Savannah River Plant (SRP) near Aiken, South Carolina, often use remote sensing data to assist in environmental management. Airborne multispectral scanner (MSS) data have been acquired at SRP since 1981. Various types of remote sensing data have been used to map and characterize wetlands. Regional Landsat MSS and TM satellite data have been used for wetlands mapping by various government agencies and private organizations. Furthermore, SPOT MSS data are becoming available and provide opportunities for increased spacial resolution and temporal coverage for wetlands mapping. This paper summarizes the initial results from using five dates of SPOT MSS data from April through October, 1987, as a means to monitor seasonal wetland changes in freshwater wetlands of the SRP. 11 refs., 4 figs.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In this article based on extensive ethnographic interviewing of eighty-six Japanese adults, I analyze the different ways in which they understand life after death, and consider the societal implications of their views. I examine senses of life after death as based in communion with departed family members as linked to practices of ancestor veneration and ideologies of Japaneseness. I consider heaven/hell or reincarnation as linked, through the idea of impartial judgment of the individual, to meritocracy and the examination system. I examine agnosticism and relativism in senses of life after death as linked to the idea that individual freedom of choice may exist in the next world if not necessarily within the constraints of this Japanese world. I examine disbelief in any realm beyond the gr...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The authors report the fabrication and characterization of a low temperature (200--400 C) thin film gas sensor constructed from a MOCVD-grown yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) layer sandwiched between two platinum thin film electrodes. A reproducible gas-sensing response is produced by applying a cyclic voltage which generates voltammograms with gas-specific current peaks and shapes. Growth conditions are optimized for preparing YSZ films having dense microstructures, low leakage currents, and maximum ion conductivities. In particular, the effect of growth temperature on film morphology and texture is discussed and related to the electrical and gas-sensing properties of the thin film sensor device.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Remotely sensed ocean color data and numerical modeling have been used to study the phenology of both spring and fall phytoplankton blooms (FPBs) in the Nova Scotian Shelf (NSS)-Gulf of Maine (GoM) region. The ocean color data reveal a general pattern of westward progression of the spring phytoplankton bloom (SPB), and an eastward progression of the FPB in the NSS-GoM region. The spatial pattern of mean chlorophyll concentration in spring is similar to that in fall, with a lower concentration in the NSS and higher in the GoM. Interannually, there is a weak but significant tendency for years with earlier (delayed) SPBs to be followed by delayed (earlier) FPBs, but the mean chlorophyll concentrations during SPBs are not correlated with those during FPBs. The interannual variability of SPB ti...

CERN Document Server

The paper introduces scaled Bregman distances of probability distributions which admit non-uniform contributions of observed events. They are introduced in a general form covering not only the distances of discrete and continuous stochastic observations, but also the distances of random processes and signals. It is shown that the scaled Bregman distances extend not only the classical ones studied in the previous literature, but also the information divergence and the related wider class of convex divergences of probability measures. An information processing theorem is established too, but only in the sense of invariance w.r.t. statistically sufficient transformations and not in the sense of universal monotonicity. Pathological situations where coding can increase the classical Bregman distance are illustrated by a concrete example. In addition to the classical areas of application of the Bregman distances and convex divergences such as ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In order to analyze changes in human settlement in Xuzhou city during the past 20 years, changes in land cover and vegetation were investigated based on multi-temporal remote sensing Landsat TM images. We developed a hierarchical classifier system that uses different feature inputs for specific classes and conducted a classification post-processing approach to improve its accuracy. From our statistical analysis of changes in urban land cover from 1987 to 2007, we conclude that built-up land areas have obviously increased, while farmland has seen in a continuous loss due to urban growth and human activities. A NDVI difference approach was used to extract information on changes in vegetation. A false change information elimination approach was developed based on prior knowledge and statistic...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Remote sensing is the most practical method available to managers of fire-prone forests for quantifying and mapping fire impacts. Differenced Normalised Burn Ratio (?NBR) is among the most widely used spectral indices for the mapping of burn severity but is difficult to interpret in terms of fire-related changes in key biophysical attributes and processes. We propose to quantify burn severity as a change in the leaf area index (?LAI) of a stand. LAI is a key biophysical attribute of forests, and is central to understanding their water and carbon cycles. Previous studies have suggested that changes in canopy LAI may be a major contributor to ?NBR and to the composite burn index (CBI) that is frequently used in combination with the NBR to assess burn severity on the ground. We applied remote...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In vibration control field, magneto-rheological (MR) fluid dampers are semi-active control devices that have recently begun to receive more attention. This paper presents a black-box model (BBM) for identification of a MR fluid damper and its application to vibrating control systems using that damper with self-sensing behavior. A model named ''black-box'' is a simple direct modeling method which is designed for a typical MR fluid damper using the self-tuning fuzzy technique. The characteristics of the researched damper are directly estimated through a fuzzy mapping system. In order to improve the accuracy of the proposed model, the back propagation algorithm and gradient descent method were used to train the fuzzy parameters to minimize the model error function. Consequently, the BBM with ...

Science.gov (United States)

Giant magnetoresistance (GMR) has been used with Eddy current testing to detect small defects not only in thin film structures but also in multilayered metallic structures. This work detected small scratches in the thin film under the surface where these defects were unable to be inspected or monitored by regular testing. In addition, rotational GMR magnetic sensor based Eddy current probes were used for detecting buried corner cracks at the edge of holes in metallic structures. The results of this study proved that giant magnetoresistance is very powerful and effective to sense the magnetic field, which is the result from the perturbation of the Eddy currents caused by a defect. This method can be used for quality control of metallization layers on silicon wafer and to detect cracks in thick structures such as cracks in aging aircraft.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Extracting mining subsidence land from remote sensing (RS) images is one of important research contents for environment monitoring in mining area. The accuracy of traditional extracting models based on spectral features is low. In order to extract subsidence land from RS images with high accuracy, some domain knowledge should be imported and new models should be proposed. This paper, in terms of the disadvantage of traditional extracting models, imports domain knowledge from practice and experience, converts semantic knowledge into digital information, and proposes a new model for the specific task. By selecting the Luan mining area as a study area, this new model is tested based on GIS and related knowledge. The result shows that the proposed method is more precise than traditional methods and can satisfy the demands of land subsidence monitoring in mining area. 10 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Seven villages in southeastern Kenya surround Mt. Kasigau and depend on the mountain's cloud forest for their water supply. Five of these villages have regularly experienced water shortages, and all village water supplies were contaminated with Escherichia coli bacteria. There is a need to economically find new sources of fresh ground water. Remote sensing offers a relatively quick and cost-effective way of identifying areas with high potential for ground water development. This study used spectral properties of features on Landsat remote sensing imagery to map linear features, soil types, surface moisture, and vegetation. Linear features represented geologic or geomorphologic features indicating either shallow ground water or areas of increased subsurface hydraulic conductivity. Regarding...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper outlines conceptual framework for safeguards remote sensing, and suggests a strategy for overcoming the challenges to full exploitation of all types of optical satellite imagery. Since the introduction of commercial open-source high-resolution satellite imagery in 1999, it has become an important tool for verification of declarations, baseline mapping, detection and monitoring of changes and investigation of undeclared activities. Its use is still relatively restricted, but there is a growing demand for wider satellite reconnaissance support, and the Satellite Image Analysis Unit (SIAU) has recently been expanded in response. For a number of reasons, IAEA safeguards use of satellite imagery is largely based on visual interpretation by experienced image analysts of high-resolution monochromatic imagery to monitor and characterize buildings and structures on safeguards sites. The very wide range of remote sensing capabilities could be ...

CERN Document Server

Given a random variable $F$ regular enough in the sense of the Malliavin calculus, we are able to measure the distance between its law and almost any continuous probability law on the real line. The bounds are given in terms of the Malliavin derivative of $F$. Our approach is based on the theory of It\\^o diffusions and the stochastic calculus of variations. Several examples are considered in order to illustrate our general results.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A semi-automatic system which considers operation in a face by monitoring technological parameters of an extraction vehicle and a longwall conveyor is examined. The system records in tabular form the location, progress made, operating and down time of an extraction vehicle and operating and down time of the conveyor. A description of the operating principle system and systems for arrangement of the remote sensing and central recording device are presented. (Note: extraction vehicle not identified: LTN)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The report summarizes five separate Bureau of Mines contract studies on the use of aerial photogrammetry, satellite transmission of in situ instrumentation information, and satellite imagery to monitor and update mine waste embankment data. The equipment used, methods applied, results, recommendations, and cost analyses are presented along with a bibliography of related investigations.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Papers are presented under the session headings: research in mechanical fragmentation; rock characterization, remote sensing and interface detection; monitoring, data transmission and communications; tunnel boring machines; minewide monitoring and expert systems for ground control; machine guidance; shaft and raise boring; automation of drilling equipment; machine automation and control; new developments in mechanical miners; materials handling; innovative mining systems; general minewide monitoring and expert systems; ground support; human factors; and extraterrestrial mining.

CERN Document Server

A permanental vector is a generalization of a vector with components that are squares of the components of a Gaussian vector, in the sense that the matrix that appears in the Laplace transform of the vector of Gaussian squares is not required to be either symmetric or positive definite. In addition the power of the determinant in the Laplace transform of the vector of Gaussian squares, which is -1/2, is allowed to be any number less than zero. It was not at all clear what vectors are permanental vectors. In this paper we characterize all permanental vectors in $R^{3}_{+}$ and give applications to permanental vectors in $R^{n}_{+}$ and to the study of permanental processes.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Fiber optic metrology developed at the CEA LIST laboratories involves fiber Bragg grating sensors, distributed Brillouin optical time domain reflectometry and optically stimulated luminescence dosimetry. Recent activities in optical fiber sensing are reviewed from laboratory experiments to field trials.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A method and apparatus is provided for detecting explosives by thermal imaging. The explosive material is subjected to a high energy wave which can be either a sound wave or an electromagnetic wave which will initiate a chemical reaction in the explosive material which chemical reaction will produce heat. The heat is then sensed by a thermal imaging device which will provide a signal to a computing device which will alert a user of the apparatus to the possibility of an explosive device being present.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A numerical calculation procedure applicable to cavity-type receiver configurations and flow conditions was developed. Flow visualization experiments were performed, and experimental measurements of quantities valuable for the development of the numerical calculation procedure were made. The investigation is focussed on a configuration which is strongly two-dimensional in the mean flow structure (but turbulent in a truly three-dimensional sense). (LEW)

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Geoinformatics, of which remote sensing, global positioning system and geographical information system are kernel components, has developed rapidly and become applicable in the last ten years. In this paper, the recent development and advantages of geoinformatics are introduced; some achievements and understanding in applications for environmental protection in mining areas are also described. 7 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In this work, porous TiO₂ hollow spheres with an average diameter of 100 nm and shell thickness of 20 nm were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method with NH₄HCO₃...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The added incentive to modify electric use under hourly versus monthly market-based pricing is small for most mass market customers in Upstate New York. If the ultimate policy goal of demand-response programs is to reduce peak load, then promoting conservation measures under monthly market-based pricing holds more promise. (author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1. It is not possible to give a threshold value for the dose - nor for genetic neither for somatic late effects. 2. The linear dose-effect exprapolation is not conservative in the sense of 'fying on the safe side'. 3. There has been found no relative reduction of the effects at chronic radiation exposure in man. 4 The numbers given by authorities and utilities for damage rates per rem received, that are called upper limits, are by far too low. (orig./HP).

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The application of airborne sensors for providing environmental assessment and monitoring of a test site in an open cast mining area that is part of a lignite deposit in central Germany is described. Hyperspectral remote sensing data from three different sensors were tested. The hyperspectral scanner data was suitable for classification of different sediments and vegetation types and the water chemistry of residual mining lakes. Summary form only. 1 tab.

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A new technique is described in this paper for a general active radio frequency (RF) filter trap that can be used for suppressing noise or interference on high voltage (HV) transmission lines. The technique exploits the Miller effect of an RF amplifier in conjunction with a special sensing circuit, and is potentially far more economical to implement than conventional techniques that use passive HV filter components.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A thermal-resistant radiation sensing system using optical fiber has been developed. The system is for monitoring progress of chemical decontamination and able to measure the gamma-ray level in a hot solution of decontamination chemicals in situ. Our sensor head makes use of thermal-resistant NaI (T1) and it is connected to an optical fiber bundle. Scintillation photons pass from the NaI (T1) into the end of the bundle. This part of the system can withstand temperatures of over 100degC. At the far end of the optical fiber bundle, the scintillation photons are converted into fluorescent photons using a wavelength-shifting fiber. These photons are transferred to a distant photomultiplier tube through two thin transparent optical fibers. Furthermore, we propose a self-compensation technique for the dependence of scintillator sensitivity on. This compensation method is based on the correlation between temperature, sensitivity, and scintillation decay time. We have ...

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Human beings are confronted with another grievous disaster - coal fire. The monitoring on underground coal bed combustion relied on drilling supervising in the past, but this method is not good. By taking the coal fire of Gulaben mine in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as an example, the monitoring methods of underground coal bed combustion were explored based on the hyperspectra and high-resolution remote sensing technology. By employing the OMIS imaging apparatus developed by Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the airborne hyperspectral images and the characteristic spectra of different types were obtained and the temperature was measured synchronously on the ground. Then according to the correlation of DN value of the thermal infrared band and surface temperature, the image information was processed, the spectral features were analyzed, and the surface temperature retrieval model was built. Finally, by hyperspectral imagery ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A portable X-ray image system is described comprising: (a) a base assembly including panels and hinges joining the panels together along edges, and compression stops for biasing the hinges to compensate for the weight of payload when mounted on the base assembly, the compression stops being located for interaction with the hinges for biasing the panels to exhibit upward bowing when laid upon a flat surface prior to loading, and to provide resiliency for facilitating the base assembly assuming a substantially flat configuration when a predetermined payload is placed upon the base assembly; (b) an X-ray member; (c) apparatus for detachably mounting a table member to the base assembly to hold the table member at a location above the base; (d) an X-ray source; (e) means for sensing X-rays to form an image; (f) means for mounting the X-ray source and the X-ray sensing means on opposite sides relative to the table member and supported by the base ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Herein, we fabricated MWCNT-OH adsorbed electrospun nylon 6,6 nanofibers by electrospinning and dip coating method. The amount of MWCNT-OH adsorbed to the pure electrospun nylon 6,6 nanofibers was 0.056wt%. The electrical conductivity of MWCNT-OH adsorbed electrospun nylon 6,6 nanofibers was 5.24x10^-^3Scm^-^1. We also investigated the sensing properties of MWCNT-OH adsorbed electrospun nylon 6,6 nanofibers by measuring its response upon exposure to low molecular weight alcohol vapours such as methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, and 1-butanol. The changes of the electrical resistance of MWCNT-OH adsorbed electrospun nylon 6,6 nanofibers were demonstrated on the basis of hydrogen bonds among the alcohol vapours and hydroxyl groups (-OH) on MWCNT-OH, and amide groups (-NHCO-) in nylon 6,6. The fa...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This year`s Information Technology Resources Assessment (ITRA) is something of a departure from traditional practice. Past assessments have concentrated on developments in fundamental technology, particularly with respect to hardware. They form an impressive chronicle of decreasing cycle times, increasing densities, decreasing costs (or, equivalently, increasing capacity and capability per dollar spent), and new system architectures, with a leavening of operating systems and languages. Past assessments have aimed -- and succeeded -- at putting information technology squarely in the spotlight; by contrast, in the first part of this assessment, we would like to move it to the background, and encourage the reader to reflect less on the continuing technological miracles of miniaturization in space and time and more on the second- and third-order implications of some possible workplace applications of these miracles. This Information Technology Resources Assessment is intended to provide a ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

APEX (ATLAS Positron EXperiment), a collaborative effort of ANL, FSU, MSU/NSCL, Princeton, Queen`s, Rochester, Washington and Yale, is an experiment to study positron and electron production in very heavy ion collisions. The electrons and positrons are detected with two detector arrays, each consisting of 216 1 mm thick Si PIN diodes, and their energy and time-of-flight are measured. The number of detectors and limited space made it necessary to develop a system that could efficiently process and transfer signals from the detectors to the charge sensing ADC`s and data readout electronics as well as monitor the condition of the detectors. The discussion will cover the electronics designed for the Si detectors, including the charge amplifier, ``Mother board`` for the charge amplifiers, 8 channel Shaper, 16 channel Constant Fraction Discriminator (CFD), 16 channel Peak-to-FERA (PTF) and the integration of the CFD and PTF with Charge sensing ADC`s. ...

CERN Document Server

Let H be a self-adjoint operator bounded below by 1, and let V be a small form perturbation such that RVS has finite norm, where R is the resolvent at zero to the power 1/2 +epsilon, and S is the resolvent to the power 1/2-epsilon. Here, epsilon lies between 0 and 1/2. If the Gibbs state defined by H is sufficiently regular, we show that the free energy is an analytic function of V in the sense of Frechet, and that the family of density operators defined in this way is an analytic manifold modelled on a Banach space.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This article analyzes the impact of crowdfunding on journalism. Crowdfunding is defined as a way to harness collective intelligence for journalism, as readers' donations accumulate into judgments about the issues that need to be covered. The article is based on a case study about Spot.Us, a platform pioneering community-funded reporting. The study concludes that a crowdfunded journalistic process requires journalists to renegotiate their role and professional identity to succeed in the changing realm of creative work. The study concludes that reader donations build a strong connection from the reporters to the donors, which creates a new sense of responsibility to the journalists. The journalists perceive donors as investors, that cannot be let down. From the donor's perspective, donating ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The authors give a survey of the somatic radiation ris in X-ray diagnostics. A somatic dose index is calculated for different examination methods containing the organ doses to the red bone marrow, the lung, the female breast, and the thyroid gland and evaluating their somatic significance. If this somatic dose index by which the individual radiation risk is described, is multiplied by the examination frequencies per year in the German Federal Republic, one gets the somatically significant dose index, which is a measure of the collective somatic radiation risk. In this sense, mammography has the highest, and dental radiography the lowest collective radiation risk. (orig.).

Wastenet

...htmE-Mail: Interests: geodesy; GPS/GNSS technology and applications; navigation; precise positioning algorithms; continuously operating GPS/GNSS reference station infrastructure Published Papers Click here to see a list of 3 papers that have been published in this special issue. Special Issue Information Submission Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. Papers will be published continuously (as soon as ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Multitemporal TM images are used to collect information about the extension and variation of water influx subsidence in coal district in order to provide a reference for the harnessing and utilization of water influx subsidence. The multitemporal TM images are used as a blended data group for the analysis of the principal components to reflect the expanding water influx subsidence in the past years. Because of the differences in the environment and imaging condition, 'unitary' order is used to enhance the 'coherence' and 'comparability' of the original TM images. 5 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The main objective of this paper is to demonstrate that it makes good business sense to identify risks and hazards of an operation and take appropriate steps to manage them effectively. Developing and implementing an effective risk and hazard management plan also contibutes to other industry requirements and standards. Development of a risk management system, key elements of a risk management plan, and hazards and risk analysis methods are outlined. Comparing potential risk to the cost of prevention is also discussed. It is estimated that the cost of developing and preparing the first risk management plan varies between $50,000 to $200,000. 3 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.

Science.gov (United States)

We report on the single-particle properties of lanthanide-ion doped oxide nanoparticles. We have demonstrated that their size can be accurately determined from their luminosity. The optically determined size distribution is in very good agreement with the distribution obtained from transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We also showed that the photobleaching of these nanoparticles is related to a reduction process and that we can use it to sense in a concentration-dependent manner the presence of an oxidant like H2O2. Finally, we propose a way to perform nanoparticle-protein coupling and to determine the protein-nanoparticle ratio at the single-particle level.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An interferometric technique for hard X-rays is presented. It is based on two transmission gratings and a phase-stepping technique, and it provides separate radiographs of the phase and absorption profiles of bulk samples. Tomographic reconstruction yields quantitative three-dimensional maps of the X-ray refractive index and of the attenuation coefficient, with a spatial resolution down to a few microns. The method is mechanically robust, it requires little monochromaticity, and can be scaled up to large fields of view. These are important prerequisites for use with laboratory X-ray sources. Numerous applications ranging from wave front sensing to medical radiography are presently under investigation.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The curves that describe the M-theoretic extension of type IIA string configurations with non-supersymmetric field theories on their surface exhibit a duality map. The map suggests a continued link between an SU(N) gauge theory with F flavors and an SU(F{minus}N) gauge theory with F flavors (the duality of supersymmetric QCD) even when the gaugino mass is taken to infinity. Within the context of the field theory such a duality only continues to make sense if the scalar fields remain light. We discuss the difficulties of decoupling the scalars within this framework. thinsp {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In this project we determined primary production and optical variability in the shelf and slope waters off of Cape Hatteras, N.C. These processes were addressed in conjunction with other Ocean Margins Program investigators, during the Spring Transition period and during Summer. We found that there were significant differences in measured parameters between Spring and Summer, enabling us to develop seasonally specific carbon production and ecosystem models as well as seasonal and regional algorithm improvements for use in remote sensing applications.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The role of robotics and remote handling equipment in future nuclear power plant maintenance activities is discussed in the context of artificial intelligence applications. Special requirements manipulators, control systems, and man-machine interfaces for nuclear applications are noted. Tasks might include inspection with cameras, eddy current probes, and leak detectors; the collection of material samples; radiation monitoring; and the disassembly, repair and reassembly of a variety of system components. A robot with vision and force sensing and an intelligent control system that can access a knowledge base is schematically described. Recent advances in image interpretation systems are also discussed.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Due to legal restrictions, the German hard coal mining company Deutsche Steinkohle AG (DSK) is obliged to conduct a monitoring on surface changes (subsidence) caused by mining activity (e.g. topographic surface, groundwater, water, flora and fauna, soil). To fulfill legal demands and to do this effectively, process chains by use of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Geo-Informationssystems (GIS) have been established. Photogrammetric methods are used to generate high resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEM) from which in combination with subsidence data geometrical changes at the topographic surface are deduced. The potential use of active sensors (Laser Scanning and Synthetic Aperture Radar Systems) to deduct DEM has been investigated. The applicability of SAR satellite data to detect and observe subsidence and resulting movements - point wise or with spatial extent - using differential SAR Interferometry (dInSAR) as well as persistent scatterer technology (here: ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The US DOE manages the safe storage of approximately 650,000 tons of depleted uranium hexafluoride remaining from the Cold War. This slightly radioactive, but chemically active, material is contained in more than 46,000 steel storage cylinders that are located at Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Paducah, Kentucky; and Portsmouth, Ohio. Some of the cylinders are more than 40 years old, and approximately 17,500 are considered problem cylinders because their physical integrity is questionable. These cylinders require an annual visual inspection. The remainder of the 46,000-plus cylinders must be visually inspected every four years. Currently, the cylinder inspection program is extremely labor intensive. Because these inspections are accomplished visually, they may not be effective in the early detection of leaking cylinders. The inspection program requires approximately 12--14 full-time-equivalent (FTE) employees. At the cost of approximately $125K per FTE, this translates to $1,500K per annum just ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Many mines and processing facilities are in remote, difficult to access areas, or are in areas where access is limited or restricted for national reasons. In a joint project with Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, the Canadian Safeguards Support Program is investigating utility of multi- and hyperspectral remote sensing for remotely inspecting such site. With a view to eventually using the hyperspectral satellite data now coming available, airborne data over uranium and copper mine tailings and uranium processing facilities in northern Canada were acquired. The objective of this work is to demonstrate that multispectral and hyperspectral data can provide complementary and supplementary information to high-resolution panchromatic imagery for the following safeguards applications: Inspection aids (up-to-date maps of remote locations), change detection, evaluation of member state declarations, monitoring of reactor, mining and processing facility ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper provides information on activities undertaken in a non- production oriented metal finishing operation to minimize waste and conserve resources. The facility is a 6000 sq foot shop that typically only deals with prototype parts. Utilizing a plan that includes employee awareness, common sense and existing technology, a noticeable reduction in waste volume has been obtained. Initiatives that are covered include: segregation of cyanide plating solutions, elimination of copper cyanide plating, elimination of hexavalent chromium plating, elimination of vapor degreasing, changing of rinsing practices, and changing a process for cleaning of aluminum parts. Some discussion is also presented on the effectiveness of combining the technologies of physical vapor deposition and electrodeposition to help minimize waste. Plans for additional initiatives including water recycling, elimination of cyanide plating and substitution of electrodeposition for electroless ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The circulating cooling water flowrate of GNPS and LNPS is totally about 190 m"3/s. Both stations are located on the western coast of semi-closed Daya Bay. A lot of studies concerning thermal impact of GNPS and LNPS have been carried out since 1987, including mathematical model, physical model, on-site survey and satellite remote sensing, etc. This paper describes the hydrological features of Daya Bay and discharge characteristics of circulating water of GNPS and LNPS, estimates the actual thermal impact of GNPS and LNPS, and indicates that it is advantageous for the dilution of circulating water while the two discharge channels of GNPS and LNPS are combined together towards east

Science.gov (United States)

Raytheon's Santa Barbara Remote Sensing (SBRS) division designed and built the MTSAT-1R Japanese Advanced Meteorological Imager for the Japanese Ministry of Transport between March, 1999 and July, 2002. In order to meet the stressing requirements of a geosynchronous orbit, a combination of structural, thermal, and optical (STOP) analyses were used to design and optimize the beryllium three-mirror anastigmat (TMA) telescope. This modeling approach was used to characterize and minimize the thermal distortion around local midnight. On-orbit temperatures and structural deformations were predicted using thermal Desktop/SINDA and PATRAN/NASTRAN software, respectively. The resulting optical performance was evaluated using Raytheon developed HEXAGON software. The telescope design was successfully optimized to attain specified visible channel performance for most of the 24 hour orbit.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Environmental assessment in an arid coal mining area requires an understanding of the influences of coal mining, the arid climate and ecological remediation. To that end, we selected vegetation as the key environmental factor to observe. Remote sensing approaches to monitoring the spatio-temporal variation of vegetation caused by mining activities, the arid climate and ecological remediation in the Shengdong coal mining area are described. Over a large regional scale it was found that the vegetation was improved as a result of ecological remediation activities. At the local scale, however, the vegetation coverage and soil moisture in the mined areas were slightly lower than those in un-mined areas due to mining subsidence. These differences are partly attributed to ground fissures that inj...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Women treated of localised stages of cervix cancer have a very good prognosis. But do health care professionals have a tendency to underestimate the potential need for rehabilitation of this group? To be able to answer this question this study aimed to develop knowledge concerning these women's own perception of their health during a long period after surgical cancer treatment. A total of 398 women who underwent radical hysterectomy in the period from the 1 January 1983 to 31 December 2000 participated in the study at Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby in Denmark 2001-2003. All patients initially filled in an internally validated questionnaire. Subsequently a sample of 100 women filled in the questionnaires Short Form -36 and Sense of Coherence to evaluate their self-reported health. Analy...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

It is acknowledged that fluorescence line height (FLH) algorithms are still hampered by the uncertainty of fluorescence peak position. The fluorescence peak moves to longer wavelengths with the increase of chlorophyll a concentration. In this article, the fluorescence enveloped area (FEA), which integrates the fluorescence height and the fluorescence peak position, was used to estimate the chlorophyll a concentration in the coastal waters of the Pearl River Estuary. The FEA algorithm was developed from in situ data of chlorophyll a concentration, total suspended matter (TSM) concentration and above-water remote sensing reflectance, which were collected at 37 sampling stations in the Pearl River Estuary during two cruises. The results showed that the FEA algorithm made a better estimation o...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A survey of wetlands on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) was conducted in 1990. Wetlands occurring on ORR were identified using National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) maps and field surveys. More than 120 sites were visited and 90 wetlands were identified. Wetland types on ORR included emergent communities in shallow embayments on reservoirs, emergent and aquatic communities in ponds, forested wetland on low ground along major creeks, and wet meadows and marshes associated with streams and seeps. Vascular plant species occurring on sites visited were inventoried, and 57 species were added to the checklist of vascular plants on ORR. Three species listed as rare in Tennessee were discovered on ORR during the wetlands survey. The survey provided an intensive ground truth of the wetlands identified by NWI and offered an indication of wetlands that the NWI remote sensing techniques did not detect.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A method for range-resolved gas sensing using path-integrated optical systems is presented. The method involves dividing an absorption path into several measurement segments and extracting the gas concentration in each segment from two path-integrated measurements. We implemented the method with tunable lasers (a 1389-nm VCSEL and a 10.9-?m pulsed quantum cascade laser) and a group of retro reflectors (RRs) distributed along absorption paths. Using a rotating mirror with the VCSEL configuration, we could scan a group of seven tape RRs spaced by 10?cm in ??9?ms to extract an H2O concentration profile. Reduced H2O concentrations were recorded in the segments purged with dry air. Hollow corner cube RRs were used in the quantum cascade laser configuration at distances up to 1.1?km from the las...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This work aimed to develop a fast-dissolving film made of low dextrose equivalent maltodextrins (MDX) containing nicotine hydrogen tartrate salt (NHT). Particular attention was given to the selection of the suitable taste-masking agent (TMA) and the characterisation of the ductility and flexibility under different mechanical stresses. MDX with two different dextrose equivalents (DEs), namely DE 6 and DE 12, were selected in order to evaluate the effect of polymer molecular weight on film tensile properties. The bitterness and astringency intensity of NHT and the suppression effect of several TMA were evaluated by a Taste-Sensing System. The films were characterised in term of NHT content, tensile properties, disintegration time and drug dissolution test. As expected, placebo films made of ...

Science.gov (United States)

Narrative medicine is one of medicine's most important internal reforms, and it should be a critical dimension of healthcare debate. Healthcare reform must eventually ask not only how do we pay for healthcare and how do we distribute it, but more fundamentally, what kind of healthcare do we want? It must ask, in short, what are the goals of medicine? Yet, even though narrative medicine is crucial to answering these pivotal and inescapable questions, it is not easy to describe. Many of its core claims go against the grain of common sense thinking about medicine. This article argues that the best way to understand narrative medicine is to tell a story that puts its emergence in historical context. PMID:21053060

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nano photonic materials are synthetically manufactured crystals at the nano scale with the target of creating a microstructure with a special electro-magnetic periodicity. Such nano photonic materials have the ability to control light propagation and thus are capable of creating photonic bandgaps in the frequency domain. We propose using nano photonic crystals as sensors to detect microdamage in composite materials. We demonstrate using a simulation model that a nano photonic sensor attached to a composite bar experiences a significant change in its bandgap profile when damage is induced in the composite bar. The model predicts the frequency response of the nano photonic sensor using the transfer matrix method. A damage metric to evaluate the change in the frequency response is developed. Successful developments of nano photonic sensors allow damage identification at scales not attainable using current sensing technologies.

CERN Document Server

The Nystrom method is an efficient technique to speed up large-scale learning applications by generating low-rank approximations. Crucial to the performance of this technique is the assumption that a matrix can be well approximated by working exclusively with a subset of its columns. In this work we relate this assumption to the concept of matrix coherence and connect matrix coherence to the performance of the Nystrom method. Making use of related work in the compressed sensing and the matrix completion literature, we derive novel coherence-based bounds for the Nystrom method in the low-rank setting. We then present empirical results that corroborate these theoretical bounds. Finally, we present more general empirical results for the full-rank setting that convincingly demonstrate the ability of matrix coherence to measure the degree to which information can be extracted from a subset of columns.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Iron, zinc, copper and manganese are essential metals for cellular enzyme functions while cadmium, mercury and the metalloid arsenic lack any biological function. Both, essential metals, at high concentrations, and non-essential metals and metalloids are extremely reactive and toxic. Therefore, plants have acquired specialized mechanisms to sense, transport and maintain essential metals within physiological concentrations and to detoxify non-essential metals and metalloids. This review focuses on the recent identification of transporters that sequester cadmium and arsenic in vacuoles and the mechanisms mediating the partitioning of these metal(loid)s between roots and shoots. We further discuss recent models of phloem-mediated long-distance transport, seed accumulation of Cd and As and rec...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The rate and intensity of land use land cover (LULC) change has increased considerably during the past couple of decades. Mining brings significant alterations in LULC specifically due to its impact on forests. Parts of Central India are well endowed with both forests and minerals. Here, the conflict between human interests and nature has intensified over time. Monitoring and assessment of such conflicts are important for land management and policy making. Remote sensing and Geographical Information System have the potential to serve as accurate tools for environmental monitoring. Understanding the importance of landscape metrics in land use planning is challenging but important. These metrics calculated at landscape, class, and patch level provide an insight into changing spatiotemporal d...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silicon layered structures containing porous silicon modified with various thermal treatments and epitaxial layers deposited on porous layers were studied with a number of complementary X-ray diffraction methods using synchrotron source. The methods of characterization included recording of rocking curves for reflections with various asymmetry as well as projection, section and micro-Laue topography. It was found that oxidizing and sintering of porous silicon seriously modified the strains in the porous layer and in some cases even inverting the sense of strain with respect to that in initially formed porous layer. Consequently the deposited epitaxial layer usually was not laterally coherent with the substrate. Some of investigated layers were not stable in time and after few months period exhibited significant lost of coherence of porous skeleton. (author)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In order to promote environmental damage monitoring and environmental impacts assessment caused by mining in China, the most significant project that uses advanced Earth Observation technology to assess environmental impacts caused by mining, namely MINEO (assessment and monitoring the environmental impact of mining activities in Europe using advanced Earth Observation technology) was introduced and its enlightenment to China were investigated. It was proposed that an integrated technical framework of monitoring environmental impacts caused by mining be designed, quantitative inversion of biological and environmental parameters from RS data be emphasised, hyperspectral Remote Sensing be applied, RS and GIS be integrated with professional models, multi-object applications of RS be implemented, and related standards and specification be drawn up based on typical case study sites. 23 refs., 1 fig.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

There is a rapidly growing need to evaluate sensor network functionality and performance in the context of the larger environment of infrastructure and applications in which the sensor network is organically embedded. This need, which is motivated by complex applications related to national security operations, leads to a paradigm fundamentally different from that of traditional data networks. In the sensor networks of interest to us, the network dynamics depend strongly on sensor activity, which in turn is triggered by events in the environment. Because the behavior of sensor networks is sensitive to these driving phenomena, the integrity of the sensed observations, measurements and resource usage by the network can widely vary. It is therefore imperative to accurately capture the environmental phenomena, and drive the simulation of the sensor network operation by accounting fully for the environment effects. In this paper, we illustrate the strong, intimate ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The launch of the first spaceborne hyperspectral instrument, Hyperion, in 2000 has provoked further research into its capabilities with regard to mineral exploration. Our study in the remote, mountainous region of Pulang, China employed a two-step progressive approach, first to locate target areas characterized by hydrothermal mineral alteration, using the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), and secondly, to attempt detailed mineral mapping using Hyperion. The preliminary target detection involved principal components and broad-band spectral analysis and led to the detection of two target areas characterized by argillic alteration, iron-oxide- and sulphate-bearing minerals. A focused hyperspectral study followed using Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) and Mixt...

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

This article explores how action research, design based research and interaction design can be combined and used in the development of educational robotic tools. Our case study is the development of Number Blocks and it combines physical interaction, learning, and immediate feedback. Number Blocks supports the children's understanding of place value in the sense that it allows them to experiment with creating large numbers. The development was done in collaboration with a class of 7-8 year old children and their mathematics teacher. The article argues that elements from different research methods allowed a structured approach to projects that combines educational research and innovation of new learning technologies. Key elements of this approach is acknowledging the users input, developing a theoretical pre-analysis and using an iterative approach.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We obtain and investigate the regular eigenfunctions of simple differential operators xr dr+1/dxr+1, r = 1, 2, ..., with the eigenvalues equal to 1. With the help of these eigenfunctions, we construct a non-unitary analogue of a boson displacement operator which will be acting on the vacuum. In this way, we generate collective quantum states of the Fock space which are normalized and equipped with the resolution of unity with the positive weight functions that we obtain explicitly. These states are thus coherent states in the sense of Klauder. They span the truncated Fock space without first r lowest-lying basis states: |0), |1), ..., |r - 1). These states are squeezed, sub-Poissonian in nature and reminiscent of photon-added states in Agarwal and Tara (1991 Phys. Rev. A 43 492).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The use of differential absorption and Raman scattering techniques for the remote sensing of methane in underground coal mines is examined. An analysis of the differential absorption technique showed that non-range resolved systems were incapable of achieving the desired concentration and range specifications and therefore were unsuitable for use in underground coal mines. The Raman scattering technique proved quite successful and a conceptual design which uses the technique is presented. The availability of suitable UV source is critical to the success of the technique however, and to date there is nothing which meets size and portability requirements for a system of this type. Recommendations for further study are included. 19 refs.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Mathematics education reform emphasises the need to move away from transmission models of teaching to discursive classroom practices in which students negotiate and justify solutions to problems. This shift has potential, but not inevitable, implications for students' mathematical identities with respect to their sense of ownership and participation in mathematics as a creative activity, and is particularly pertinent in the UK context where ability grouping is prevalent. This paper presents an analysis of 13-15-year-old British pupils' accounts of learning and doing mathematics, and shows that the pedagogic practices of ability grouping do indeed play a major part in the development of participatory identities for some pupils but not for others. The data also show that learning is more tha...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Passive microwave soil moisture datasets can be used as an input to provide an integrated assessment of climate variability as it relates to agricultural production. The objective of this research was to examine three passive microwave derived soil moisture datasets over multiple growing seasons in contrasting Canadian agricultural environments. Absolute and relative soil moisture was evaluated from two globally available datasets from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) sensor using different retrieval algorithms, as well as relative soil wetness at a weekly scale from the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) sensor. At a daily scale, the Land Parameter Retrieval Model (LPRM) provides a better estimate of surface soil moisture conditions than the National Snow a...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Conversion of tropical forests to oil palm plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia has resulted in large-scale environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity and significant carbon emissions. For both countries to participate in the United Nation's REDD (Reduced Emission from Deforestation and Degradation) mechanism, assessment of forest carbon stocks, including the estimated loss in carbon from conversion to plantation, is needed. In this study, we use a combination of field and remote sensing data to quantify both the magnitude and the geographical distribution of carbon stock in forests and timber plantations, in Sabah, Malaysia, which has been the site of significant expansion of oil palm cultivation over the last two decades. Forest structure data from 129ha of research and inventory p...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

There is tremendous growth in the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Remote Sensing, Satellite Communication, and Modeling & Simulation techniques. These tools and techniques helps significantly in characterizing infrastructure, risk area and disaster zones, planning and implementation of hazards reduction measures etc. Communication satellites becomes vital for providing emergency communication and timely relief measures. Integration of space technology inputs into natural disaster monitoring and mitigation mechanisms is critical for hazard reduction. This paper mainly focused on all the issues described above. Major emphasis had been given to the recent developments in information & communication technology enabled tools and their applications ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A 4.1?kbp positive-strand RNA virus known as Diaporthe RNA virus 1 (DRV1) occurs in hypovirulent, non-sporulating isolates of the fungal pathogen Diaporthe perjuncta. A full-length cDNA clone of DRV1 was developed and RNA transcribed from the cDNA clone used to transfect different Diaporthe spp. The transfected species included three D. ambigua isolates and an unidentified Phomopsis asexual state of a Diaporthe sp. Successful transfections were confirmed using RT-PCR. Although the in vitro-transcribed positive sense single-stranded RNA used for transfection included vector sequences at both ends, the genomes of progeny virus from DRV1-transfected isolates were free of the vector sequences. Transfection resulted in morphological changes in these fungal pathogens. However, the presence of DR...

CERN Document Server

We consider the effect of distributed delays in neural feedback systems. The avian optic tectum is reciprocally connected with the nucleus isthmi. Extracellular stimulation combined with intracellular recordings reveal a range of signal delays from 4 to 9 ms between isthmotectal elements. This observation together with prior mathematical analysis concerning the influence of a delay distribution on system dynamics raises the question whether a broad delay distribution can impact the dynamics of neural feedback loops. For a system of reciprocally connected model neurons, we found that distributed delays enhance system stability in the following sense. With increased distribution of delays, the system converges faster to a fixed point and converges slower toward a limit cycle. Further, the introduction of distributed delays leads to an increased range of the average delay value for which the system's equilibrium point is stable. The enhancement of stability with ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rotatostereoradiographic (RSRG) images are displayed in an oscillating, rotational manner. While reviewing these rotating images, the radiologist may become psychologically irritated by the rotation. A rapidly rotating display of linear subjects gives one three-dimensional depth information. This three-dimensional sense is lost if the rotation speed is too slow. The authors of this paper determined the slowest possible rotating display speed that allows perception of three-dimensional depth information minimizing psychological irritation. In the RSRG device (Shimadzu ROTATO-360), an x-ray tube coupled with an image intensifier rotates through a 180 degrees arc in 1.8 or 2.25 seconds. Both rotation times could be doubled. The images were displayed at four different speeds, covering the 180 degrees arc in 1.8, 2.25, 3.6, and 4.5 seconds.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This studys purpose was to explore the relationship between creativity and integrity in the ideation phase of feature filmmaking. Integrity refers to ones self-defined ability to maintain authenticity and moral autonomy while preserving ones sense of membership and loyalty to the team or organization. When team members choose elements for the screenplays story that they feel will attract the ideal audience, the dynamic tension between creativity and integrity is most apparent. The forces at play during this phase of work yielded the research question: In what ways and to what degree do screenwriters andor studio executives feel their personal integrity is in alignment with the creative process of feature film development? Several concepts from the literature formed the design around which ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The adhesion of microorganisms onto materials surface mediated by extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) lead to an important modification of the metal-solution interface. The requirement of modern civilization with the heightened sense of environmental responsibilities and quality of life can be met by using some eco-friendly microbiocides with different spectra of activity. Some N{sub 2}O{sub 2} donor Schiff base compounds were synthesized and characterized by IR, NMR and ESR spectroscopy. These compounds were found effective in controlling the growth of biofilm of E. coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Thiobacillus thiooxidans on copper surface. The optimum concentration of these compounds are in the range of 1--10 ppm. Various electrochemical, microbiological and surface-analytical techniques were used to monitor the biofilm in the presence of microbiocides.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The author presents a detailed and quantitative description of all of the programs, systems, sensors and experiments associated with the next 30 years of space endeavors by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Derived from the fifth issue of the NASA Space Systems Technology Model, the missions and payloads are categorized by applications area: solar system exploration, astrophysics, earth sciences, communications, space transportation and utilization of the space environment. Far-term missions are described as opportunity missions and landmark missions, for the distant future. Technology requirements are collected by discipline: power, propulsion, materials, structures, information systems, navigation, guidance and control. Payload technology requirements are organized by instrument sensing range. This information defines in quantitative terms, the opportunities and limits for future civilian space system capabilities.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mineral matter in coals is important in various senses for coal liquefaction. It is possible that the catalytic activity is affected by the interaction between catalyst and mineral matter. Iron-based catalyst forms pyrrhotite in the process of liquefaction, but the interaction between it and mineral matter is not known in detail. In this study, the interaction between mineral matter and catalyst and the selective reaction between them were investigated. Tanito Harum coal was used for this study. This coal contains a slight amount of siderite and jarosite besides pyrite as iron compounds. Liquefaction samples were obtained from the 1 t/d NEDOL process PSU. The solid deposits in the reactor mainly contained pyrrhotite and quartz. A slight amount of kaolinite was observed, and pyrite was little remained. It was found that the catalyst (pyrrhotite) often coexisted with quartz, clay and calcite. 8 figs., 2 tabs.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Major forecast errors on the background error covariance from initial conditions, atmospheric forcing, model open boundary conditions, and the river discharges are examined in a coastal model of northern South China Sea. The analysis of background error covariance matrix produced by model ensemble shows that the perturbations of the initial conditions and atmospheric forcing play major roles in producing and maintaining the amplitude of ensemble spread except for the sea surface height (SSH) field. The perturbation of model open boundary conditions can influence ensemble spread of all variables and covariance between temperature and velocity or between temperature and SSH. The perturbation of river discharge mainly affects the covariance of salinity in river estuary. A data assimilation ex...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Mentougou District acts as a crucial component in the ecological buffer in western Beijing mountainous areas, Beijing, China. Using two Landsat MSS/TM images acquired on July 14, 1979 and July 23, 2005, the vegetation coverage of Mentougou District was calculated based on normalized difference vegetation index and spectral mixture analysis (NDVI-SMA) model. Its temporal and spatial changes were analyzed according to digital elevation model (DEM) image, social and economic data. The results showed that the vegetation coverage decreased from 76.4% in 1979 to 72.7% in 2005. Vegetation degradation was probably the result of human disturbance, such as outspreading of resident areas, and coal and stone mining activities, while vegetation restoration might be contributed by the combined effects o...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Coal mining activities cause an increased acidity and an associated decrease of the pH-value in mine waters. This process is also known as acid mine drainage (AMD). Due to AMD, lakes that were formed in the post mining landscapes in the lignite mining area of Central Germany are characterized by specific limnological development changes. Remote sensing is a time and cost saving technique that enables the observation of the hydrological and limnological development of the lakes ranging from a small to a mid size scale. The current research was based on Landsat TM5/ETM+7 satellite data collected between 1999 and 2004. In combination of satellite data, surface waters of the post mining lakes in Central Germany were sampled and analyzed for their physicochemical properties. The objective of th...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Research in the field of river hydrology has been mainly concerned with the investigation of the rainfall-runoff phenomenon through the analysis of hydrological factors such as meteorology and geography, with the focus being on each river basin. Recently, various forms of digital information such as GIS (Geographic Information System) and RS (Remote Sensing) data have been made available in worldwide digital map format. Therefore, there has been a shift in focus from lumped-parameter models to distributed runoff models, as the latter can consider temporal and spatial variations in water quantity. Distributed runoff models have made possible the comparison of runoff field and rainfall-runoff characteristics considering spatial distribution. Hydrological conditions are differently distribute...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The core-shell luminol-doped SiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized and immobilized on the surface of chitosan film coating graphite electrode by the self-assembled technique. Then, a novel electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) sensor for pyrogallol was developed based on its ECL enhancing effect for the core-shell luminol-doped silica nanoparticles. The ECL analytical performances and the sensing mechanism of this ECL sensor for pyrogallol were investigated in detail. The corresponding results showed that: compared with the conventional ECL reaction procedures by luminol ECL reaction system, the electrochemical (EC) reaction of pyrogallol and its subsequent chemiluminescence (CL) reaction occurred in the different spatial region whilst offering a high efficiency to couple the EC with the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has developed a mobile field laboratory for remote measurement of atmospheric processes and observables that are important in global climate change, dispersal of hazardous materials, and atmospheric pollution. Specific observables of interest are water vapor, trace gases, aerosol size and density, wind, and temperature. The goal is to study atmospheric processes continuously for extended periods in remote field locations. This laboratory has just reached field ready status with sensors for aerosol and trace gas measurement based on established techniques. A development program is underway to enhance the sensor suite with several new techniques and instruments that are expected to significantly extend the state of the art in remote trace gas analysis. The new sensors will be incorporated into the lab during the next two years.

Environmental Research Database

ObjectivesFirst comprehensive evaluation of the mechanical properties of an epoxy adhesive in different environments using a nano-indenter. ~%~~%~Use AFM/SEM and finite element modelling to generate knowledge of the precise mechanism of indentation in the epoxy adhesive. ~%~~%~Develop an improved data reduction algorithm for generating meaningful mechanical property data from indentation tests for adhesive materials.~%~ ~%~Validate the nano-indentation method of generating mechanical property data against [continued...]DescriptionThis project aims to address the problem of insufficient data on adhesive materials for effective modelling of joint behaviour in different environments. The methodology to be used is based on depth sensing indentation tests at different loads and rates and in different environments. Post-indentation deformation and recovery will be monitored by AFM and SEM and the indentation process will be modelled ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Exploration for epithermal Au has been active lately in the Aegean Sea of the eastern Mediterranean Basin, both in the islands of the Quaternary arc and in those of the back-arc region. The purpose of this study was the structural mapping and analysis for a preliminary investigation of possible epithermal gold mineralization, using remotely sensed data and techniques, structural and field data, and geochemical information, for a specific area on the Island of Lesvos. Therefore, Landsat-TM and SPOT-Pan satellite images and the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the study area were processed digitally using spatial filtering techniques for the enhancement and recognition of the geologically significant lineaments, as well as algebraic operations with band ratios and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), for the identification of alteration zones. Statistical rose diagrams and a SCHMIDT projection Stereo Net were generated from the lineament maps and the collected field ...

Science.gov (United States)

Objective:? Primary hyperparathyroidism (HPT) is characterised by autonomous secretion of PTH from enlarged parathyroid glands leading, in most patients, to asymptomatic hypercalcaemia. Familial hypocalciuric hypercalcaemia (FHH) is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by inactivating mutations in the calcium sensing receptor (CaSR) gene; it is characterised by lifelong and usually asymptomatic hypercalcaemia. Establishing the correct diagnosis is important because surgery can be curative in HPT, but ineffective in FHH. There is overlap in the diagnostic criteria for the two disorders and some patients carrying inactivating mutations in the CaSR gene, which is suggestive of FHH, also have HPT with hyperplastic parathyroid glands or adenomas. Design and Patients:? CaSR gene mutations were analyzed and clinical and biochemical parameters evaluated in 139 consecutive out-patients presenting with hypercalcaemia and suspected of having HPT. Results:? Six different ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ophir Corporation was awarded a contract by the U. S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory under the Project Title ''Airborne, Optical Remote Sensing of Methane and Ethane for Natural Gas Pipeline Leak Detection'' on October 14, 2002. This second six-month technical report summarizes the progress made towards defining, designing, and developing the hardware and software segments of the airborne, optical remote methane and ethane sensor. The most challenging task to date has been to identify a vendor capable of designing and developing a light source with the appropriate output wavelength and power. This report will document the work that has been done to identify design requirements, and potential vendors for the light source. Significant progress has also been made in characterizing the amount of light return available from a remote target at various distances from the light source. A great deal of time ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

More than 660 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images acquired over the southern Baltic Sea, the North Sea, and the Gulf of Lyon in the Mediterranean Sea by the Second European Remote Sensing Satellite (ERS-2) have been analyzed since December 1996 with respect to radar signatures of marine pollution and other phenomena causing similar signatures. First results of our analysis reveal that the seas are most polluted along the main shipping routes. SAR images acquired during descending (morning) and ascending (evening) satellite passes show different percentages of oil pollution, because most of this pollution occurs during night time and is still visible on the SAR images acquired in the morning time. Moreover, we found a higher amount of oil spills on SAR images acquired during summer (April-September) than on SAR images acquired during winter (October-March). We attribute this finding to the higher mean wind speed encountered in all three test areas during winter. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

BC Hydro`s approach to improve the performance of its underground transmission lines by employing new computer technology with fibre optic cables was described. Known as Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS), the technology is expected to increase the capacity of the most heavily-loaded sections of its seven kilometer underground 230 kV transmission system in the Greater Vancouver area. Although it is also a concern in overhead wires, heating is particularly problematic in underground cable systems. DTS uses opto-electronic equipment to launch a laser light down conventional communications-grade fibre optic cables, installed in the same duct as the cables, or in a spare duct next to them. By using high speed measurements and computer processing, it is possible to determine the temperature all along the fibre with very high accuracy, and to locate any point along the length of the cable line to within two meters over distances up to 10 kilometers. Knowing the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this paper, we report the systematic investigation on the melt characteristics of silicon during laser thermal processing (LTP) of amorphous silicon (a-Si) gates on ultrathin gate oxides. LTP is used to reduce the gate depletion effect in advanced semiconductor devices. The influence of implantation-induced damage and chemical inhomogeneities on the melt behavior of ion-implanted a-Si is studied using in situ time-resolved reflectance (TRR) measurements and ex situ secondary ion mass spectrometry. The results from TRR measurements indicate the presence of a buried melt for a-Si implanted with B"+ at a subamorphizing dose. In contrast, such a melt behavior is not observed during LTP of undoped a-Si and a-Si implanted with As"+ at an amorphizing dose. We attribute the marked difference in the melt characteristics to the competitive effects between compositional inhomogeneities and the extent of amorphization in the a-Si layer. It should be noted that the as-deposited a-Si gate is not ...

Science.gov (United States)

In this article, we describe the development and preliminary psychometric properties of the Structured Interview of Personality Organization (STIPO), a semistructured interview designed for the dimensional assessment of identity, primitive defenses, and reality testing, the three primary content domains in the model of personality health and disorder elaborated by Kernberg (1984; Kernberg & Caligor, 2005). Results of this investigation, conducted in a clinical sample representing a broad range of personality pathology, indicate that identity and primitive defenses as operationalized in the STIPO are internally consistent and that interrater reliability for all 3 content domains is adequate. Validity findings suggest that the assessment of one's sense of self and significant others (Identity) is predictive of measures of positive and negative affect, whereas the maladaptive ways in which the subject uses his or her objects for purposes of regulating one's self ...

Science.gov (United States)

The largest solar heating and cooling system undertaken to date is now operating at the George A. Towns Elementary School in Atlanta, Georgia. It is expected to provide more than 60 percent of the building's heating and cooling requirements, using commercially available components and techniques. The Towns project is a United States Energy Research and Development Administration-sponsored experiment. The principal components of the solar heating and cooling system designed for the school--the solar collector array, the existing gas-fired boiler, the absorption chiller, and hot and cold water underground tanks to provide thermal storage--are described. To derive maximum benefit from the experiment, the system is fully instrumented for accurate measurement of performance. Environmental data, including insolation and ambient temperture, humidity, and wind conditions will be recorded. The inlet temperatures, outlet temperatures, and the mass flow rates to the collectors, storage ...

CERN Document Server

We apply the permutation symmetry S3 to both charged-lepton and neutrino mass matrices, and suggest a useful symmetry-breaking scheme, in which the flavor symmetry is explicitly broken down via S3 -> Z3 -> nothing in the charged-lepton sector and via S3 -> Z2 -> nothing in the neutrino sector. Such a two-stage breaking scenario is reasonable in the sense that both Z3 and Z2 are the subgroups of S3, while Z3 and Z2 only have a trivial subgroup. In this scenario, we can naturally obtain a relatively large value of the smallest neutrino mixing angle, e.g., theta13 ~ 9 degrees, which is compatible with the recent result from T2K experiment and will be precisely measured in the ongoing Double Chooz and Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiments. Moreover, the maximal atmospheric mixing angle theta23 ~ 45 degrees can also be obtained while the best-fit value of solar mixing angle theta12 ~ 34 degrees is assumed, which cannot be achieved in previous S3 symmetry ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The volume examines the scientific interfaces and technological applications of physics. Twelve areas are dealt with: biological physics--biophysics, the brain, and theoretical biology; the physics-chemistry interface--instrumentation, surfaces, neutron and synchrotron radiation, polymers, organic electronic materials; materials science; geophysics--tectonics, the atmosphere and oceans, planets, drilling and seismic exploration, and remote sensing; computational physics--complex systems and applications in basic research; mathematics--field theory and chaos; microelectronics--integrated circuits, miniaturization, future trends; optical information technologies--fiber optics and photonics; instrumentation; physics applications to energy needs and the environment; national security--devices, weapons, and arms control; medical physics--radiology, ultrasonics, NMR, and photonics. An executive summary and many chapters contain recommendations regarding funding, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A free standing outdoor telephone booth is provided with a photovoltaic (PV) array, one or more rechargeable storage batteries and electrical control circuit which includes a temperature compensated control for limiting the supply of electrical energy from the PV array to the rechargeable battery to avoid over charging the battery, an ambient light (solar insolation) sensing circuit for controlling the electrical lamp load, to turn the lamp ON during dark ambient and OFF during light ambient conditions. In addition, the total discharge limit of the storage battery is controlled to a safe operating limit and a means is disclosed to power a fluorescent lamp at energy conserving intensities with energy derived from the rechargeable storage battery. The lamp control circuitry is preferably constituted by a high frequency power inverter with regulated output power to energize a low wattage fluorescent lamp and to dim the fluorescent lamp when the telephone is not in ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

As part of the 1999 NARSTO Northeast Oxidant and Particulate Study (NE-OPS) field campaign, the DOE G-1 aircraft sampled trace gases and aerosols in and around the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Twenty research flights were conducted between July 25 and August 11. The overall goals of these flights were to obtain a mechanistic understanding of O(sub 3) production; to characterize the spatial and temporal behavior of photo-oxidants and aerosols; and to study the evolution of aerosol size distributions, including the process of new particle formation. Within the NE-OPS program, other groups provided additional trace gas, aerosol, and meteorological observations using aircraft, balloon, remote sensing, and surface based instruments (Phillbrick et al., 2000). In this article we provide an overview of the G-1 observations related to O(sub 3) production, focusing on the vertical distribution of pollutants. Ozone production rates are calculated using a box model that is ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

We used a radiation-transfer equation estimate of July surface temperatures (Ts) in China's Yongding River basin based on thermal infrared Landsat TM images from 1987 and 2005 and Landsat ETM+ images from 2000. Based upon the Ts-NDVI relationship space, we analyzed the scatterplot of Ts versus NDVI to calculate a temperature-vegetation dryness index (TVDI). We used a linear regression model between soil moisture and TVDI to estimate soil moisture to depths of 10 and 20cm. We produced a land use and cover type map by classification of the Landsat images, and used the map to study the influence of land use and cover type changes on soil moisture. Some areas of farmland in 1987 had been converted into grassland by 2000, and soil moisture mainly increased, with increases ranging from 20 to 60%...

CERN Document Server

Cosmic ray antiprotons provide an important probe for the study of cosmic-ray propagation in the interstellar space and to investigate the existence of Galactic dark matter. Cosmic rays are hampered by the Moon, therefore a deficit of cosmic rays in its direction is expected (the so-called "Moon shadow"). The Earth-Moon system acts as a magnetic spectrometer. In fact, due to the geomagnetic field the center of the Moon shifts westward by an amount depending on the primary cosmic ray energy. Paths of primary antiprotons are therefore deflected in an opposite sense in their way to the Earth. This effect allows, in principle, the search of antiparticles in the opposite direction of the observed Moon shadow. The ARGO-YBJ experiment, in stable data taking since November 2007 with an energy threshold of a few hundreds of GeV, is observing the Moon shadow with high statistical significance. Using about 1 year data, an upper limit of the antip/p flux ratio in the few-TeV ...

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

We present a new photonic technology and demonstrate that it allows for precise immobilisation of biomolecules to sensor surfaces. The technology secures spatially controlled molecular immobilisation since immobilisation of each molecule to a support surface can be limited to the focal point of the ultraviolet (UV) beam, as small as a few micrometers. We can immobilise molecules according to any pattern, from classical microarrays to diffraction patterns creating unique watermarking safety patterns. Given that suitable protein markers exists for all relevant diseases it is entirely feasible to test for a range of disease indicators (antigens and other markers) in a single test. Few micrometer spotsize allows for a virtually unlimited number of protein spots in a multipotent microarray. This new technology produces radically new photonics based microarray sensing technology and watermarking and has clear potential for biomedical, bioelectronic, surface chemistry, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Samples of fat coal-E, its roof sandstone-A and blind coal-W from two coal mines in Hebei Province of China were brought to the laboratory to study the features of infrared thermal images and radiation temperature in the course of uni-axial load and uni-axial cycle load. To check the results of infrared remote sensing detection, two other methods, acoustic emission detection and electrical resistance detection were also used. The AGA-782 thermalvision detected change of the temperature field of the samples` surfaces. The study showed that: (1) coal rocks and sandstone in the course of loading have three types of infrared thermal image features and three types of infrared radiation temperature features; (2) infrared detection is comparable with acoustic emission detection and electrical resistance detection. Generally, the infrared forewarning of coal rocks` failure comes later than that of acoustic and electrical resistance, but the infrared radiation temperature ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The authors apply the nonlinear WENO (Weighted Essentially Nonoscillatory) scheme to the spatial discretization of the Boltzmann Transport Equation modeling linear particle transport. The method is a finite volume scheme which ensures not only conservation, but also provides for a more natural handling of boundary conditions, material properties and source terms, as well as an easier parallel implementation and post processing. It is nonlinear in the sense that the stencil depends on the solution at each time step or iteration level. By biasing the gradient calculation towards the stencil with smaller derivatives, the scheme eliminates the Gibb's phenomenon with oscillations of size O(1) and reduces them to O(h{sup r}), where h is the mesh size and r is the order of accuracy. The current implementation is three-dimensional, generalized for unequally spaced meshes, fully parallelized, and up to fifth order accurate (WENO5) in space. For unsteady problems, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The paper deals briefly with the basic nature of financial activity and markets and of the intermediaries, including banks, within these markets. It is argued that efforts by the authorities to affect monetary policy through controls on bank lending (quantitative and interest rates) are inefficient and only lead to circumvention. To the degree that prices (interest rates) are kept down in one area, they will be higher in another, and supply of credit reduced from one source will encourage a greater supply from another. The Campbell Committee's recommendations, if implemented, are likely to result in freer financial markets and to improve the resource development sector's access to finance. Clear examples would be the removal of foreign exchange restrictions and the setting up of a market-oriented exchange rate system. However, in one sense this access may be narrowed as the extension of bank-type prudential controls to bank subsidiaries and to all ...

CERN Document Server

This dissertation describes the evaluation of many-pixel Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride (CdZnTe) hard-X-ray detectors for future use with the High Energy Replicated Optics (HERO) telescope being developed at Marshall Space Flight Center. The detector requirements for the HERO application are good energy resolution (sufficient to resolve cyclotron features and nuclear lines), spatial resolution of ∼200 μm, minimal charge loss of absorbed X rays, and minimal sensitivity to the background environment. This research concentrates on assessing the suitability of these detectors for the focus of HERO, and includes the development of a simulation of the physics involved in an X-ray-detector interaction, a study of the intrinsic material properties, measurements with prototype detectors such as the energy and spatial resolution, charge loss, and X-ray background reduction through 3-dimensional depth sensing. Two types of detectors were available for evaluation. The ...

Science.gov (United States)

Through DNA methylation, histone modifications, and small regulatory RNAs the epigenome systematically controls gene expression during development, both in utero and throughout life. The epigenome is also a very reactive system; its labile nature allows it to sense and respond to environmental perturbations to ensure survival during fetal growth. This pliability can lead to aberrant epigenetic modifications that persist into later life and induce numerous disease states. Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) are ubiquitous chemicals that interfere with growth and development. Several EDCs also interfere with epigenetic programming. The investigation of the epigenotoxic effects of bisphenol A (BPA), an EDC used in the production of plastics and resins, has further raised concern over the impact of EDCs on the epigenome. Using the Agouti viable yellow (A(vy)) mouse model, dietary BPA exposure was shown to hypomethylate both the A(vy) and the Cabp(IAP) metastable ...

CERN Document Server

Physical-layer network coding (PNC) is a promising approach for wireless networks. It allows nodes to transmit simultaneously. Due to the difficulties of scheduling simultaneous transmissions, existing works on PNC are based on simplified medium access control (MAC) protocols, which are not applicable to general multi-hop wireless networks, to the best of our knowledge. In this paper, we propose a distributed MAC protocol that supports PNC in multi-hop wireless networks. The proposed MAC protocol is based on the carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) strategy and can be regarded as an extension to the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol. In the proposed protocol, each node collects information on the queue status of its neighboring nodes. When a node finds that there is an opportunity for some of its neighbors to perform PNC, it notifies its corresponding neighboring nodes and initiates the process of packet exchange using PNC, with the node itself as a relay. During the packet ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The functioning of even a simple system is much more complicated than the sum of its genes, proteins and metabolites. A premise of systems biology is that molecular profiling will lead to the discovery and characterization of important disease pathways. However, as multiple levels of effector pathway regulation appear to be the norm rather than the exception, a significant challenge presented by high-throughput genomics and proteomics technologies is to extract the biological implications of complex data. Thus, integration of heterogeneous types of data generated from diverse global technology platforms represents the first challenge in developing the necessary foundational databases needed for predictive modeling of cell and tissue responses. Given the apparent difficulty in defining the correspondence between gene expression and protein abundance measured in several systems to date, how do we make sense of these data and design the next experiment? In this ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A novel composite film, comprising of hydrophobic ionic liquid (IL), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and gold nanoparticles (GNP), was fabricated and characterized. The GNP was introduced through electrochemical deposition on IL-MWNT gel film coated glassy carbon electrodes (GCE). Experiments showed that both IL and MWNTs could facilitate the GNP deposition. With GNP the composite film exhibited smaller electron transfer resistance and higher sensitivity in sensing guanine (G) and adenine (A). Under the optimized experimental conditions, the anodic peak currents were linear to the analyte concentration in the ranges of 0.008-2.0 {mu}M. The detection limits were down to nanomole level after an accumulation of 150 s on open-circuit. In addition, on the composite film coated GCE, the anodic peaks of G and A were well separated, and their response sensitivities kept almost unchanged no matter whether they coexisted or not. This proposed procedure was successfully ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this work we investigate an iron oxide thin film grown with atomic layer deposition for a gas sensor application. The objective is to characterize the structural, chemical, and electrical properties of the film, and to demonstrate its gas-sensitivity. The obtained scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy results indicate that the film has a granular structure and that it has grown mainly on the glass substrate leaving the platinum electrodes uncovered. X-ray diffraction results show that iron oxide is in the #alpha#-Fe_2O_3 (hematite) phase. X-ray photoelectron spectra recorded at elevated temperature imply that the surface iron is mainly in the Fe"3"+ state and that oxygen has two chemical states: one corresponding to the lattice oxygen and the other to adsorbed oxygen species. Electric conductivity has an activation energy of 0.3-0.5 eV and almost Ohmic current-voltage dependency. When exposed to O_2 and CO, a typical n-type response is observed.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The numerous challenges facing the North American electric utility industry were discussed. In addition to competition, electric utilities are faced with low demand growth, public pressure to avoid adding transmission and distribution capacity, and strict environmental requirements. In view of these developments, large central generation additions that have been industry norm until recently, do not always make economic sense in the current environment. Instead, smaller, distributed additions to generating capacity is becoming the new norm. Small-scale on-site generating capacity has the added advantage of reducing the need for expensive high-voltage transmission lines. The Ballard generation system described here is a modular, efficient fuel cell-based solution to implementing distributed power concepts. The system is natural gas fueled, with low noise, vibration and emissions. Apart from its other advantages, it provides ideal convergence opportunity by using the ...

Science.gov (United States)

Laser devices are currently in widespread use in particular by armed forces for different tasks. Electro-optical sensors as well as unprotected human eyes are extremely sensitive to laser radiation and can be permanently damaged from direct or reflected beams. Laser damage depends on the interaction between the laser beam and the atmosphere in which it traverses. The atmospheric conditions, including the range, terrain features, turbulence, and atmospheric particulates, may alter the laser's effect on different electro-optical devices and systems. When a laser beam passes through the atmosphere the optical turbulence affects the beam. As a result, temporal intensity fluctuations (scintillations) or spatial variations in intensity within a beam cross-section occur. Atmospheric scintillations pose a safety problem because an observer or sensor can be subjected to the risk of a localized irradiance (local focusing effect) much greater than that which would occur in a non-turbulent medium. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The implementation of satellite remote sensing data for monitoring anthropogenic pollution in the USSR is described. Space-based monitoring systems offer the opportunity to identify pollution sources, track the spread of pollutants on the surface and in the air, and characterize land use patterns that cause erosion. Furthermore, vegetation under attack by polluting agents can be recognized by color changes, and water pollution in lakes, coastal zones, and in rivers near industrial areas and ports can be measured for the total affected area. The data have thus far been taken with instrumentation on board the Salyut space station, the Meteor-Priroda satellite, and from the Landsat MSS scanner. It is noted that the transboarder transport of pollutants necessitates sharing data with agencies of other nations, and that a data base must be developed to define procedures and instrumentation for given pollutants, algorithms for processing the data, and discern man-made ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The search for alternative fuels and new fuel resources is a top priority for Turkey, as is the case in the majority of countries throughout the world. The fuel policies pursued by governmental or civil authorities are of key importance in the success of alternative fuel use, especially for widespread and efficient use. Following the 1973 petroleum crisis, many users in Turkey, especially in transportation sector, searched for alternative fuels and forms of transportation. Gasoline engines were replaced with diesel engines between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s. In addition, natural gas was introduced to the Turkish market for heating in the early 1990s. Liquid petroleum gas was put into use in the mid-1990s, and bio-diesel was introduced into the market for transportation in 2003. However, after long periods of indifference governmental action, guidance and fuel policies were so weak that they did not make sense. Entrepreneurs and users experienced great economical ...

CERN Document Server

The current primary standards at NPL for the measurement of absorbed dose to water in high energy photon and electron beams are graphite calorimeters. However, the quantity of interest in radiation dosimetry is absorbed dose to water. Therefore, a new absorbed dose to water standard based on water calorimetry has been developed for use in high energy photon and electron beams. The calorimeter operates at 4 deg C, with temperature control being provided by liquid cooling. The sealed glass inner vessel of the calorimeter was designed to minimise the effect of non-water materials on the measurement of absorbed dose. The temperature sensing thermistor probes were designed and constructed so that glass is the only material in contact with high purity water inside the vessel. Initial measurements of absorbed dose to water made in 6, 10, and 19 MV photons, and 16 MeV electrons agreed, within the measurement uncertainties of approximately 1.5% (95% c.l.), with those ...

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A novel scheme is proposed to drive a low-power subcritical fuel assembly by means of a long Cylindrical Radially-convergent Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (CRIEC) used as a neutron source. The concept is inherently safe in the sense that the fuel assembly remains subcritical at all times. Previous work has been done for the possible implementation of CRIEC as a subcritical assembly driver for power reactors. However, it has been found that the present technology and stage of development of IEC-based neutron sources can not meet the neutron flux requirements to drive a system as big as a power reactor. Nevertheless, smaller systems, such as research and training reactors, could be successfully driven with levels of neutron flux that seem more reasonable to be achieved in the near future by IEC devices. The need for custom-made expensive nuclear fission fuel, as in the case of the TRIGA reactors, is eliminated, and the CRIEC presents substantial advantages with ...

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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. Remaining phenoregions represented areas with a minimized probability ...

Science.gov (United States)

This paper makes a case for "good politics for good education", with special reference to Nigeria. It surveys the impact of good and bad politics on the attainment of Meaningful Access to education with special focus on Nigeria's Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme. Good politics is to be likened to what the French call "la politique au sense noble du terme" (politics in the noble sense of the term--or statesmanship) while bad politics is to be likened to a "politique politicienne" (mere divisive politicking, or politics in its raw form). Politics in its raw form is concerned with seeking power for self-aggrandisement while politics in its noble form is concerned with seeking power for public good. In situations where good politics prevails, educational policies, programmes and delivery processes tend to produce the desirable outcome of "children passing through school and the school also passing through them". By combining the seven ...

Science.gov (United States)

The effect of 50 Hz and 60 Hz (frequencies of current distribution) and 20 kHz to 50 kHz (frequencies of induction cooktop) magnetic interference on implanted pacemakers have been assessed with the present generation of device technology. Sixty patients implanted in 1998 and 1999 with dual chamber pacemakers from 9 different manufacturers were monitored with telemetry while passing through, and standing between a system of two coils. They generated a 50 Hz or a 60 Hz magnetic field at 50 microT. Then, patients used a cooktop at different power. The recordings were made with the standard setting of "medically correct" sensing parameters chosen for the patients. Then pacemakers were reprogrammed to the unipolar mode, with the highest atrial (A) and ventricular (V) sensitivity that did not induce muscular inhibition while moving. Between each exposure (50 Hz, 60 Hz or 20 kHz to 50 kHz), the pacemaker programmation was controlled. At the end of the tests, pacemakers ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This manual describes the use of the Xyce Parallel Electronic Simulator. Xyce has been designed as a SPICE-compatible, high-performance analog circuit simulator, and has been written to support the simulation needs of the Sandia National Laboratories electrical designers. This development has focused on improving capability over the current state-of-the-art in the following areas: (1) Capability to solve extremely large circuit problems by supporting large-scale parallel computing platforms (up to thousands of processors). Note that this includes support for most popular parallel and serial computers; (2) Improved performance for all numerical kernels (e.g., time integrator, nonlinear and linear solvers) through state-of-the-art algorithms and novel techniques. (3) Device models which are specifically tailored to meet Sandia's needs, including some radiation-aware devices (for Sandia users only); and (4) Object-oriented code design and implementation using modern coding ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper relates to a simple approach to the analysis of the behaviour of pool type LMFBR primary circuits in natural convection and to experimental work to support this approach. The primary application is the prediction of plant behaviour in decay heat removal conditions when depending on natural convection effects to cool the core. In formulating a mathematical model of the plant for this application, the main difficulty is the modelling of the large plena between the core and IHX and the IHX and the pump inlet. In a previous paper discussing CDFR behaviour after a reactor scram with total loss of power to the primary pumps, the first author described attempts to model the CDFR hot pool in a way which would be limiting in a pessimistic sense. The shortcomings of these attempts were reviewed and mention was made of an improved method then under development. Essentially, the improved model allowed for migration of hot sodium from the core to the top of the hot ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We present differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffractometry, in situ Moessbauer spectroscopy (MS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies in Metglas ribbons subjected to different heat treatments. The temperature evolution of the hyperfine field H_h_f(T) and the Curie temperature (T_c) of the amorphous phase are determined. The magnetic field originally present in the amorphous phase has a 'normal' behavior, in the sense that it can be described by the Weiss molecular field theory. The total angular momentum of the iron atoms turns out to be 5/2 and this implies Fe"3"+ in which the electronic spins are uncoupled. When the samples are maintained near T_c (#approx#673 K), three new magnetic phases are detected in the Moessbauer spectra, indicating an onset of a crystallization process well below the first crystallization temperature (T_X_1), as determined by DSC (#approx#820 K). The magnetic behavior of these phases is also described by ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Due to the great development occurred in the world after the Second World War and the establishment of patterns of increasingly intense, the energy demand amounted to the point, putting at risk the non-renewable energy sources such as oil, coal minerals, among others, with growing interest in renewable energies, among which the biodiesel has been detached. In this sense, the present work had for objective to evaluate the fuel consumption of a tractor Valtra BM100 4x2 TDA, running with ethyl biodiesel from soybean filtered in seven mixture proportions mixed with the diesel, subject to two forces in the traction bar. The work was conducted in the Department of Rural Engineering of the Paulista State University (UNESP), Jaboticabal Campus, in an entirely randomized designed, in a factorial diagram 2 x 7, with three repetitions. The treatments were a combination for two forces in the traction bar (10 and 22 kN) and seven mixture proportions (B{sub 0}, B{sub 5}, B{sub ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Valdez, Alaska achieved worldwide attention with the Exxon Valdez oil spill. This exacerbated an already polarized situation (industry, government, citizens, environmental groups) regarding the Valdez Terminal of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System. Other than spills, the major focus of environmental concern was and remains the Terminal`s Ballast Water Treatment Plant (BWTP) which discharges into Port Valdez. The previous NPDES wastewater discharge permits for this facility have been contentious for almost the entire period of pipeline operation. The draft NPDES permit is scheduled to be proposed for reissuance this year. However, a significant change has been initiated which so far is resulting in cooperation rather than confrontation between the various primary stakeholders. This presentation will explain how this change was initiated, how it is being maintained, and how what is happening could be a model for progress through cooperation. Although EPA and the Alaska Department of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Global climate policy initiatives are now being proposed to compensate tropical forest nations for reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). These proposals have the potential to include developing countries more actively in international greenhouse gas mitigation and to address a substantial share of the world's emissions which come from tropical deforestation. For such a policy to be viable it must have a credible benchmark against which emissions reduction can be calculated. This benchmark, sometimes termed a baseline or reference emissions scenario, can be based directly on historical emissions or can use historical emissions as input for business as usual projections. Here, we review existing data and methods that could be used to measure historical deforestation and forest degradation reference scenarios including FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations) national statistics and various remote ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This conference provided a forum for more than 500 delegates from industry, government universities and research centres to share their professional knowledge on research and development that affects all sectors of geotechnical engineering, applied geology and hydrogeology. Accomplishments in the geoenvironmental field were also highlighted. The geotechnical sessions were entitled: pile foundations and load testing; excavations and special foundation issues; reinforced soil and soil-structure interactions; advances in modelling, constitutive issues; advances in modelling, consolidation and other applications; advances in modelling, discrete elements and slope stability; embankments and dams; landfills and barriers; fundamental soil mechanics; soil mechanics and ground movement; GIS and remote sensing; landslides and slopes; cone penetration tests and liquefaction assessment; rock mechanics; engineering geology; geoenvironmental sustainability; oilsand and petroleum ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The present project examined the operating characteristics and application possibilities of a new, compact combined heating and electricity generating unit with a thermal output of 14,5 kW and a generating capacity of 5,5 kW. Such a module was installed in a plant in Arlesheim (Canton of Basel-Country) and subject to performance measurements. The small heating and generating plant is designed for cyclic operation (without heat storage) and is very compact and low in cost. The heating and generating unit conforms to all Swiss regulations relating to electrical installations and air pollution control. The NO{sub x} emissions of the unit (400 mg/m{sup 3} in steady state operation) are above the limits of LRV 92 (80 mg/m{sup 3}), but the regulation does not apply for units in this power range. The electricity generation costs are approximately CHF 0.16/kWh. It therefore makes sense to install the module in regions with average supply tariffs of at least CHF 0.16/kWh. ...

Science.gov (United States)

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been monitoring the ozone layer from space using optical remote sensing techniques since 1970. With concern over catalytic destruction of ozone (mid-1970s) and the development of the Antarctic ozone hole (mid-1980s), long term ozone monitoring has become the primary focus of NASA's series of ozone measuring instruments. A series of TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) and SBUV (Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet) instruments has produced a nearly continuous record of global ozone from 1979 to the present. These instruments infer ozone by measuring sunlight backscattered from the atmosphere in the ultraviolet through differential absorption. These measurements have documented a 15 Dobson Unit drop in global average ozone since 1980, and the declines in ozone in the antarctic each October have been far more dramatic. Instruments that measure the ozone vertical distribution, the SBUV and SAGE (Stratospheric ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bulk micromachining generally refers to processes involving wet chemical etching of structures formed out of the silicon substrate and so is limited to fairly large, crude structures. Surface micromachining allows intricate patterning of thin films of polysilicon and other materials to form essentially two-dimensional layered parts (since the thickness of the parts is limited by the thickness of the deposited films). There is a third type of micromachining in which the part is formed by filling a mold which was defined by photolithographic means. Historically micromachining molds have been formed in some sort of photopolymer, be it with x-ray lithography (``LIGA``) or more conventional UV lithography, with the aim of producing piece parts. Recently, however, several groups including ours at Sandia have independently come up with the idea of forming the mold for mechanical parts by etching into the silicon substrate itself. In Sandia`s mold process, the mold is recessed into the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The use and application of remote sensing data for monitoring the environmental impacts of open cast lignite mining in Eastern Germany is described. This investigation is based on the digital analysis of several Landsat-TM and ERS-1 data sets acquired from 1989 to 1994. The characteristics of the imagery enable quantitative analysis of different open cast mine features, such as waste, water bodies, change of land use, reclamation processes and estimation of vegetation cover in the affected areas. On the basis of the Maximum Likelihood Classification of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data the open cast mining areas were separated into bare open cast areas and areas of less and dense vegetation. The bare open cast areas were classified with respect to type of different sediments and the vegetation was seperated into different classes according to the age of the vegetation and the density cover. Apart from these, water bodies within the mining areas were classified into ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Effect of water injection/draining on elastic waves penetrating through cracks is examined by measuring elastic waves before, during, and after the injection/draining of water into/from cracks in presence in granite. Two blocks of rock, with their crack-containing surfaces in contact with each other, are placed in a vessel, and water injection/draining is done through a hole on a vessel bottom side so that water will penetrate into the cracks. When the blocks are dry, there is almost no contact between the cracks, and so no crack penetrating waves are observed. Crack penetrating waves are produced when water is injected, and the position of the receiver sensing the penetrating waves changes as the water level rises. When the water level is lowered from the high water level, the waveform changes again as the level changes. The change in waveform is not so remarkable, however, as that observed during water injection thanks to the water residual in the cracks. It is ...

Science.gov (United States)

A simple approach to controlling the loading percentage and size of zero-valent iron nanoparticles (ZVI NPs) immobilized within polyacrylic acid (PAA)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibrous mats for dye remediation applications is described. A functional "nanoreactor" comprised by electrospun PAA/PVA nanofibers served to bind ferric ions with the carboxyl groups of PAA, prior to their reduction to ZVI NPs. The resulting ZVI NP-immobilized hybrid polymer nanofibers were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The morphology of the polymer nanofibers exhibited no appreciable change even after eight cycles of ferric ion binding/reduction, and the loading percentage and size of the ZVI NPs were controlled simply by varying the number of ferric ion binding/reduction cycles. Dye remediation experiments revealed that the decoloration effect of ZVI NPs immobilized within the polymer nanofibers is both size- and loading ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bangladesh, it is by now well-known, is at the receiving end, in the literal sense of the term, of the global climate change and its potential impacts. She contributes very little to the current global emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The Emission Inventory under the present umbrella project, Bangladesh Climate Change Study (BCCS), has found that her annual emission of carbon has been only 3.99 mn metric tons per year. An earlier study arrived at exactly the same figure. The figures for estimated release of methane is far less firm. The estimated methane emission in 1990 could be anywhere between 1 million and 6 million metric tons. In any case the total emission is unlikely to be more than one-half of one percent of the global total. On the other hand, however, she faces specter of widespread and more frequent floods, more frequent droughts, cyclones and above all sea-level rise (SLR) which may inundate a substantial part of the country all of these bringing ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We show how to obtain positive energy representations of the group G of smooth maps from a union of circles to U(N) from geometric data associated with a Riemann surface having these circles as boundary. Using covering spaces we can reduce to the case where N=1. Then our main result shows that Mackey induction may be applied and yields representations of the connected component of the identity of G which have the form of a Fock representation of an infinite dimensional Heisenberg group tensored with a finite dimensional representation of a subgroup isomorphic to the first cohomology group of the surface obtained by capping the boundary circles with discs. We give geometric sufficient conditions for the correlation functions to be positive definite and derive explicit formulae for them and for the vacuum (or cyclic) vector. (This gives a geometric construction of correlation functions which had been obtained earlier using tau functions.) By choosing particular functions in G with ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The author blows the whistle about what he considers as a worldwide environmental crisis. He brings a fresh outlook to the crises of destabilizing climate change and rising competition for energy - both of which could poison our world if we do not act quickly and collectively. His argument speaks to all of us who are concerned about the state of America in the global future. The author proposes that an ambitious national strategy - which he calls 'Geo-Greenism' - is not only what we need to save the planet from overheating; it is what we need to make America healthier, richer, more innovative, more productive, and more secure. He explains a new era - the Energy-Climate era - through an illuminating account of recent events. He shows how 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the flattening of the world by the Internet (which brought 3 billion new consumers onto the world stage) have combined to bring climate and energy issues to Main Street. But they have not gone very far down Main Street; the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Richland Operations Office (RL) and Office of River Protection (ORP) are pleased to issue the attached Pollution Prevention Progress Report. We have just met the most aggressive waste reduction and A recycling goals to date and are publishing this report to recognize A the site's progress, and to ensure it will sustain success beyond 1 Fiscal Year 2000. This report was designed to inform the been made by RL and ORP in Waste Minimization (WMin) and Pollution Prevention (P2). RL, ORP and their contractors are committed to protecting the environment, and we reiterate pollution prevention should continue to be at the forefront of the environmental cleanup and research efforts. As you read the attached report, we believe you will see a clear demonstration of RL and ORP's outstanding performance as it has been responsible and accountable to the nation, its employees, and the community in which we live and work. commitment that all employees have for environmental ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The Siberian Altai covers about 70% of the area of all south Siberian glaciers, which provide fresh water to the upper tributaries of the Ob and Yenisey rivers. The observed air temperature has increased by 1.2 deg. C over northern Eurasia during the last 120 years, affecting the degradation of the Siberian Altai glaciers. In this study, we estimated glacier area changes in the Aktru River basin (44.8 km"2), located in the central Altai mountains. We used the 1952, 1966, 1975 and 2006 remote sensed images with 0.6-3.0 m spatial resolution (aerial photographs, Corona and PRISM satellite images) and differential GPS (DGPS) data. From 1952 to 2006, the total glacier area in the Aktru basin shrank by 7.2% (1.2 km"2). During the last three decades, the rate of glacier area loss increased by a factor of 1.8, thus resembling trends in other mountain systems of Eurasia (Alps, Tien Shan). The glacier area changes were caused mainly by increase of summer air temperature by ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gabal Ralal is one of the major asymmetrical doubly- plunging anticlinal fold belts (50 Km length) related to the Syrian Arc System in northern Sinai, Egypt. The exposed rock units at Gabal Ralal range from Cretaceous to Quaternary and are divided into eight formations which are from base to top: Malha, Ralal, Wata, Themed, Sudr, Beida, Egma and Quaternary wadi deposits. The image processing is applied using Landsat-7 satellite data to discriminate structure and lithology for defining the horizons of the radioactive anomalies of each rock unit. The extracted structural lineaments, using Ge Analyst-PCl package, from digital ETM data showed that the main structural trends are NE-SW and NW-SE normal faults which originated as extensional fractures with lateral dip-slip displacement. The axial trace of Gabal Ralal fold is curved and plunging to Wand SW directions while the northeastern part (Gabal Dalfa) is plunging to NE direction. The use of remote sensing data and ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nanometre-sized materials, like nanowires, nanoparticles or nanobelts, are gaining huge interest as building blocks of modern electronic nanodevices. Their fabrication feasibility has been demonstrated in the last years, and different routes are already well established in order to synthesize these materials. However, the assessment of their electrical properties is still a challenging issue, due to the difficulty to perform a precise nanolithography process allowing the access to such small structures. The fabrication of metallic contacts with precision in the nanometre range is necessary, as well as achieving a flexible system that allows to contact individual structures. Such a system could be a dual-beam Focused Ion Beam instrument, which combines Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Focused Ion Beam (FIB) in one machine, able to assist deposition of materials with nanometre precision. In this work, the methodology of fabrication of metallic nanocontacts to access different ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The boundary-integral equation method is well suited for the calculation of the dynamic-stiffness matrix of foundations embedded in a layered visco-elastic halfspace (or a transmitting boundary of arbitrary shape), which represents an unbounded domain. It also allows pile groups to be analyzed, taking pile-soil-pile interaction into account. The discretization of this boundary-element method is restricted to the structure-soil interface. All trial functions satisfy exactly the field equations and the radiation condition at infinity. In the indirect boundary-element method distributed source loads of initially unknown intensities act on a source line located in the excavated part of the soil and are determined such that the prescribed boundary conditions on the structure-soil interface are satisfied in an average sense. In the two-dimensional case the variables are expanded in a Fourier integral in the wave number domain, while in three dimensions, Fourier series in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Economics may one day dictate that it makes sense to replace oil or natural gas with coal in boilers that were originally designed to burn oil or gas. In recognition of this future possibility, Pittsburgh Energy Technical Center (PETC) has supported a program led by ABB Power Plant Laboratories in cooperation with the Energy and Fuels Research Center of Penn State University to develop the High Efficiency Advanced Coal Combustor (HEACC). The objective of the program is to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of retrofitting a gas/oil designed boiler to burn micronized coal. In support of the overall objective the following specific areas were targeted: a coal handling/preparation system that can meet the technical requirements for retrofitting microfine coal on a boiler designed for burning oil or natural gas; maintaining boiler thermal performance in accordance with specifications when burning oil or natural gas; maintaining NOx emissions at or below ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cholangiocarcinoma is synonymous with bile duct carcinoma, and can originate in a small intrahepatic bile duct (peripheral type), a major intrahepatic duct including the hepatic hills, an extrahepatic duct, or near the papilla of Vater (central type). In a sense bile duct carcinoma of the peripheral type is cholangiocarcinoma of the liver; it has the same gross configuration as hepatocellular carcinoma, resulting in difficulty to differentiate on the CT. The authors studied CT findings of 14 cases of pathologically proven peripheral type cholangiocarcinoma of the liver during the last 4 years. The results were as follows: 1. Of 14 cases, 8 were female and 6 were male, and the age ranged from 5th to 7th decades. 2. Preoperative clinical diagnosis were as follows: hepatoma 8 cases, abscess 5 cases and metastasis 1 case in order of frequency. 3. Diagnosis were confirmed by hepatic lobectomy in 7 cases, wedge resection in 5 cases and needle biopsy in 2 case. 4. ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Depth sensing indentation tests were carried out to obtain load-penetration depth curves of SiAlON-ZrO_2 ceramics under different peak loads ranging from 200 to 1800 mN. The values of indentation hardness (H_O_P, H_C_C) and reduced elastic modulus (E_O_P, E_C_C) were calculated by using Oliver-Pharr (OP) and Cheng-Cheng (CC) methods. The experimental results revealed that the indentation hardness and reduced elastic modulus exhibit peak-load dependence, i.e. indentation size effect. Both indentation hardness and reduced elastic modulus values were obtained by considering indenter tip roundness and machine compliance. These values obtained from the OP method are higher than from the CC method. On the other hand, h_f/h_m ratios were used to clarify the indentation deformation behaviour of the SiAlON-ZrO_2 ceramic. The experimental h_f/h_m values were lower than the reported critical value (0.7) for all applied test loads, which is attributed to work-hardening ...

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As part of an ongoing strategic research project to find barrels of radioactive waste off San Francisco, the U.S. Navy (USN), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (GFNMS) pooled their expertise, resources, and technology to form a partnership to verify new computer enhancement techniques developed for detecting targets the size of 55 gallon barrels on sidescan sonar images. Between 1946 and 1970, approximately 47,800 large barrels and other containers of radioactive waste were dumped in the ocean west of San Francisco; the containers litter an area of the sea floor of at least 1400 km {sup 2} knows as the Farallon Island Radioactive Waste Dump. The exact location of the containers and the potential hazard the containers pose to the environment is unknown. The USGS developed computer techniques and contracted with private industry to enhance sidescan data, collected in cooperation with the GFNMS, to detect objects as small as 55 ...

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Commercially-available nuclear fixturing systems typically include a square lattice of tapped and bushed holes with precision locating and clamping elements that can be rigidly attached to the lattice using dowel pins or expanding mandrels. Currently, human expertise is required to synthesize a suitable arrangements of these elements to hold a given part. Besides being time consuming, if the set of alternatives is not systematically explored, the designer may fail to find an acceptable fixture or may settle upon a suboptimal fixture. We consider a class of modular fixtures that prevent a part from translating or rotting in the plane using four point contacts on the part`s boundary. These fixtures are based on three round locators, each centered on a lattice point, and one translating clamp. We present an algorithm that accepts a polygonal part shape as input and synthesizes the set of all fixture designs that achieve form closure for the given part. The algorithm also allows the user ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Typical beam lines are comprised of an assembly of vacuum valves and shutters referred to as a ''front end'', optical elements to monochromatize, focus and split the photon beam, and an experimental area where a target sample is placed into the photon beam and data from the interaction is detected and recorded. Windows are used to separate sections of beam lines that are not compatible with storage ring ultra high vacuum. Some experimental beam lines share a common vacuum with storage rings. Sections of beam lines are only allowed to vent up to atmospheric pressure using pure nitrogen gas after a vacuum barrier is established to protect ring vacuum. The front end may only be bled up when there is no current in the machine. This is especially true on the VUV storage ring where for most experiments, windows are not used. For the shorter wavelength, more energetic photons of the x-ray ring, beryllium windows are used at various beam line locations so ...

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The ''Enabling & Information Technology To Increase RAM for Advanced Powerplants'' program, by DOE request, was re-directed, de-scoped to two tasks, shortened to a 2-year period of performance, and refocused to develop, validate and accelerate the commercial use of enabling materials technologies and sensors for coal/IGCC powerplants. The new program was re-titled ''Enabling Technology for Monitoring & Predicting Gas Turbine Health & Performance in IGCC Powerplants''. This final report summarizes the work accomplished from March 1, 2003 to March 31, 2004 on the four original tasks, and the work accomplished from April 1, 2004 to July 30, 2005 on the two re-directed tasks. The program Tasks are summarized below: Task 1--IGCC Environmental Impact on high Temperature Materials: The first task was refocused to address IGCC environmental impacts on high temperature materials used in gas turbines. This task ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We study the origin and properties of 'extra' or 'excess' central light in the surface brightness profiles of cusp or power-law elliptical galaxies. Dissipational mergers give rise to two-component profiles: an outer profile established by violent relaxation acting on stars already present in the progenitor galaxies prior to the final stages of the merger, and an inner stellar population comprising the extra light, formed in a compact central starburst. By combining a large set of hydrodynamical simulations with data that span a broad range of profiles at various masses, we show that observed cusp ellipticals appear consistent with the predicted 'extra light' structure, and we use our simulations to motivate a two-component description of the observations that allows us to examine how the properties and mass of this component scale with, e.g., the mass, gas content, and other properties of the galaxies. We show how to robustly separate the physically meaningful extra light and outer, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This assessment is a feasibility study according to ISO 14024. It deals with the question whether an ecolabel is suitable for wood pellet heating systems and how concrete criteria for an ecolabel for wood pellet heating plants could be specified. The study begins with a comprehensive market analysis in order to identify possible plants for which an ecolabel would make sense. In the main part of the study, the environmental relevance of the chosen plants is analysed. For this analysis, plant manufacturers were interviewed and a comparison between wood pellet heating systems and heating systems which use gas, oil or wood was carried out. On the basis of this analysis, it was possible to derive a number of criteria which were discussed with company representatives and other experts in this field. As a result of this dialogue and the investigation process as a whole, the introduction of an ecolabel for wood pellet heating plants can be recommended. Wood pellet heating ...