British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Often, lifetime data come from experiments where failure times are grouped. The Weibull distribution is a popular distribution for modeling failure times. Maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) has outstanding large sample properties for the Weibull distribution. This article evaluates small sample properties of MLEs for grouped data. We evaluate sample size requirements for MLE asymptotic properties to take effect. We compare type I and type II censoring for pooled experiments and conclude that bias for the shape parameter estimate can be alarmingly high especially for type II censored data. Finally, we investigate the benefits of the pooled analysis.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Rationale and ObjectivesSample-size estimation is an important consideration when planning a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) study. The aim of this work was...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Many monitoring activities require the collection of whole air samples over an extended time interval without loss or concentration of any atmospheric constituents. Described is the development and laboratory testing of a whole air sampler capable of collecting a 100 liter sample over a period of 0.63 days. The sampler has an empty weight of 7.79 kg and an overall size of 20.8-cm {times} 20.8-cm {times} 66.1-cm. The conceptual design for the development of smaller, higher-performance whole air samplers is also reported.

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Evaluating the need for remedial cleanup at a waste site involves both finding the average contaminant concentration and identifying highly contaminated areas, or hot spots. A nomographic procedure to determine the sample configuration needed to locate a hot spot is presented. The technique can be used to develop a waste-site sampling plant - to determine either the grid spacing required to detect a hot spot at a given level of confidence, or the probability of finding a hot spot of a certain size, given a particular grid spacing. The method and computer program (ELIPGRID) were developed for locating geologic deposits, but the basic procedure can also be used to detect hot spots at chemical- or nuclear-waste disposal sites. Nomographs based on the original program are presented for three sampling-grid configurations - square, rectangular and triangular.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Technologic regimes of cryomotor rotor fabrication are determined. Blanks of yttrium ceramics powder are molded hydrostatically at 400-600 MPa. To confirm the serviceability of electric machines of the considered, a hysteretic 10 W power electric motor with the following dimensions of HTSC-ceramics rotor: external diameter - 56 mm; internal diameter - 45 mm, height - 60 mm, is developed and tested in the liquid nitrogen medium. 8 refs.; 8 figs.; 1 tab.

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We review recent development in separations and mass spectrometric instrumentation for sensitive and high-throughput proteomic analyses. These efforts have been primarily focused on the development of high-efficiency (separation peak capacity of ~103) nanoscale liquid chromatography (nanoLC; e.g., flow rates extending down to ~20 nL/min at optimal separation linear velocities through narrow packed capillaries) in combination with advanced mass spectrometry (MS), including high sensitivity and high resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) MS. This technology enables MS analysis of low nanogram-level proteomic samples (i.e., nanoscale proteomics) with individual protein identification sensitivity at the low zeptomole-level. The resultant protein measurement dynamic range can reach 106 for nanogram-sized proteomic samples, while more abundant proteins can be detected from complex sub-picogram ...

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We have developed an ion probe technique for the in situ measurement of oxygen isotope ratios, {sup 18}O/{sup 16}O and {sup 17}O/{sup 16}O, with high spatial resolution in polished thin sections of silicate minerals. This technique allows the isotopic analysis of samples as small as picomoles of material which represents only 10{sup -7} of the sample size required by conventional fluorination oxygen isotope measurement methods and thus has wide application to the study of many terrestrial and extra-terrestrial samples that have heterogeneous oxygen isotope compositions on a scale of tens of micrometres. To illustrate the breadth of studies that are made possible by the ion probe, we report here oxygen isotope measurements from an authigenic quartz overgrowth obtained from the Penrith sandstone, UK, and measurements of magnetite grains from the Orgueil and Yamato 82162 carbonaceous ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nowadays, diamond and the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) colour centres constitute the best solid-state system in view of quantum-computing applications. It has also been shown recently that single NV centres could be used as nanoscale magnetic sensors. Such applications require the creation of single NV centres with very high resolution and with a high efficiency. The nano-implanter at the university of Bochum provides low energy nitrogen ions which can be implanted through a hole pierced in the tip of an atomic force microscope. Ultrapure diamond samples have been implanted with spot sizes of 50nm and less. Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) microscopy has been used to characterise and resolve the implanted spots.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Invasive prenatal testing has become an important way to evaluate fetuses at increased risk for hereditary disorders. In utero sampling of fetal skin, liver, and muscle may be required to diagnose before-birth...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boat sampling technique (BST) is a surface sampling technique, which has been developed for obtaining, in-situ, metal samples from the surface of an operating component without affecting its operating service life. The BST is non-destructive in nature and the sample is obtained without plastic deformation or without thermal degradation of the parent material. The shape and size of the sample depends upon the shape of the cutter and the surface geometry of the parent material. Miniature test specimens are generated from the sample and the specimens are subjected to various tests, viz. Metallurgical Evaluation, Metallographic Evaluation, Micro-hardness Evaluation, sensitisation test, small punch test etc. to confirm the integrity and assessment of safe operating life of the component. This paper highlights design objective of boat ...

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Testing two or more data sets for the hypothesis that they are sampled form the same population is often required in environmental data analysis. Typically the available samples have a small number of data and often then assumption of normal distributions is not realistic. On the other hand the diffusion of the days powerful Personal Computers opens new possible opportunities based on a massive use of the CPU resources. The paper reviews the problem introducing the feasibility of two non parametric approaches based on intrinsic equi probability properties of the data samples. The first one is based on a full re sampling while the second is based on a bootstrap approach. A easy to use program is presented. A case study is given based on the Chernobyl children contamination data. [Italiano] Nell`analisi di dati ambientali ricorre spesso il caso di dover sottoporre a test l`ipotesi di ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This document defines the services the Waste Sampling and Characterization Facility (WSCF) shall provide Effluent Monitoring (EM) throughout the calendar year for analysis. The internal memo contained in Appendix A identifies the samples Em plans to submit for analysis in CY-1995. Analysis of effluent (liquid and air discharges) and environmental (air, liquid, animal, and vegetative) samples is required using standard laboratory procedures, in accordance with regulatory and control requirements. This report describes regulatory reporting requirements and WSCF services and data quality objectives.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper presents the development of technical requirements for the design of aircraft-mounted sampling equipment for the airborne radioactivity monitoring. A design concept and internal equipments required for the sampling system will be described in detail to provide information for the development of technical requirements for aircraft-mounted sampling equipment. This will be followed by description of the exterior designing process. Difficulties of designing exterior of the sampling system lie in the fluid dynamics performance of the system. The objective of the design is to maximize the suction flow necessary for achieving high efficiency of radionuclide sampling, while minimizing disturbance to the aircraft which carries the system. The design optimization was performed with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) ...

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This sampling and analysis plan (SAP) identifies characterization objectives pertaining to sample collection, laboratory analytical evaluation, and reporting requirements for vapor samples obtained during the operation of mixer pumps in tank 241-AZ-101. The primary purpose of the mixer pump test (MPT) is to demonstrate that the two 300 horsepower mixer pumps installed in tank 241-AZ-101 can mobilize the settled sludge so that it can be retrieved for treatment and vitrification. Sampling will be performed in accordance with Tank 241-AZ-101 Mixer Pump Test Data Quality Objective (Banning 1999) and Data Quality Objectives for Regulatory Requirements for Hazardous and Radioactive Air Emissions Sampling and Analysis (Mulkey 1999). The sampling will verify if current air emission estimates used in the permit application are ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Surveillance of a population, such as a weapon stockpile, is needed to discover manufacturing defects as well as deterioration as the population ages. This article considers the risks of sampling rates for surveillance from three perspectives: detection probability of defects in a proportion of a population with pass/fail data, detection of a trend in a defective proportion of the population with pass/fail data, and detection of a trend with quantitative degradation measurements. Understanding of these risks will help the decision maker choose a sampling rate to protect against such problems of a specified size at a tolerable risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Directed evolution of proteins depends on the production of molecular diversity by random mutagenesis. While a number of methods have been developed for introducing this diversity, the best ways to sample it are not always clear. Here we used simple statistics to analyse completeness and diversity in randomized libraries generated by oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, error-prone polymerase chain reaction (epPCR) and in vitro recombination of highly homologous sequences. For oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, we derive equations to estimate how complete a given library is expected to be and also to predict the size of library required to give a fixed probability of being 100% complete. We describe the statistical bases for computer programs which estimate the number of distinct variants represented in epPCR and shuffled libraries, dubbed PEDEL and DRIVeR, respectively. These programs allow the user to calculate ...

Science.gov (United States)

analysis of NaMBT in ethylene glycol-water solutions with high accuracy. It reduces analysis time, requires smaller samples, and is able to detect extremely ...

Science.gov (United States)

Mar 1, 2011 ... analysis of NaMBT in ethylene glycol-water solutions with high accuracy. It reduces analysis time, requires smaller samples, and is able to ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Vignon, M. (2011) Inference in morphological taxonomy using collinear data and small sample sizes: Monogenean sclerites (Platyhelminthes) as a case study. -Zoologica Scripta, 40, 306-316. Taxonomists and evolutionary biologists frequently use a combination of morphological measurements to distinguish between species and investigate local adaptation. However, the entire set of characters often displays various degrees of collinearity. This paper discusses the effect of using collinear data in morphological taxonomy and ways to handle multicollinearity in a classification context, with special consideration for small sample size. In addition, I propose a robust and easy-to-use combination of dimension reduction using partial least squares (PLS) with traditional discriminant methods for morph...

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Bench Scale methane cracking tests have been completed using a stack of ten whole SAES(R) St909 pellets - a 6 gram sample size. Methane was found to be the most difficult impurity to process and can impact diffuser operation.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Cerebral atrophy rate is increasingly used as an outcome measure for Alzheimer's disease (AD) trials. We used the Alzheimer's disease Neuroimaging initiative (ADNI) dataset to assess if adjusting...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Sensitivity and specificity measure inherent validity of a diagnostic test against a gold standard. Researchers develop new diagnostic methods to reduce the cost, risk, invasiveness, and time. Adequate...Full Text Available

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Three kinds of thin AZ31 wrought magnesium alloys sheets were used in order to investigate the influence of the second phase particles on fracture toughness. From the theoretical model, the ratio of {lambda}{sub p}/d{sub p} would be estimated 5 {proportional_to} 6. On the other hand, from the microstructural observation, average particle spacing on each material was sample A: 13.1 {mu}m, sample B: 14.1, and sample C: 12 {mu}. In addition, average particle size on each sample was sample A: 2.1, sample B: 1.9, and sample C: 2.3 {mu}m. Therefore, the ratio of {lambda}{sub p}/d{sub p} calculated from fracture surface observation would be predicted 6 {proportional_to} 7. In comparison with the result of the prediction by theoretical analysis was in good agreement with the result of fracture toughness observation. It was found ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The equivalent doses of K-feldspar grains in a range of grain sizes from 90 to 250#mu#m diameter were measured using a single-aliquot regenerative-dose protocol for the infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signals for two samples of desert sand. The equivalent doses for each sample were compared with that for the 125-150#mu#m grains of quartz from the same samples. The results suggested that the K-feldspar equivalent doses were underestimated because of anomalous fading. Measurements of the decay of the IRSL signals following laboratory irradiation for these two samples, and an additional one from a previously published isochron study, showed anomalous fading during the period of laboratory storage. The decay rate was about 3% per decade for all samples and was independent of the grain size used. Using plots of equivalent doses for ...

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Reclaimed Energy Company, Inc., Connersville, IN, receives waste generated from a wide variety of industrial applications which include paint, printing and degreasing companies. The wastes are stored in separate tanks and then distilled in batches (pot distillation). The recovered solvents can be returned to the originator. The residue, left after the solvents are distilled, is disposed of using an environmentally safe, economical procedure. The company worked with an engineering and fabrication firm to develop a continuous processing system that employs a mechanically agitated thin-film evaporator to distill the solvents. Successful performance of the evaporator was ensured by processing samples of solvents through the evaporator manufacturer's pilot plant facilities before the full-sized system was designed. Reclaimed Energy Company, Inc., has realized a number of advantages by going from pot distillation to the agitated thin-film ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper presents the effect of precursor powder size on the thermoelectric properties of sintered nanostructured bulk materials. The transport properties of the nanostructured bulk show a dramatic size effect. There are a lower thermal and electrical conductivity for the bulk with smaller nanopowders. The dimensionless figure-of merit values (ZT) of almost all the samples are much lower than those of the list reported data in the paper because the decrease in the thermal conductivity is counteracted by the reduction in the electrical conductivity and the Seebeck coefficient. The combination route of hydro/solvothermal synthesis and spark-plasma-sintering method provide a well controlled way to significantly reduce the thermal conductivity.

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The Thomsen and Frandsen (1983) cosmological test employing the observed correlation between elliptical galaxy surface brightness and scale size in order to avoid problems due to dynamical evolution is presently extended to make use of arbitrary galaxy samples. The explicit dependence on stellar evolution is also demonstrated. On the assumption that this evolution is calculable, an equation for the deceleration parameter entirely in terms of observables is derived. The test is applied to two available samples. 25 references.

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We have used polished stainless steel as a mirror substrate to provide focusing of soft x-rays in grazing incidence reflection. The substrate is bent to an elliptical shape with large curvature and high stresses in the substrate require a strong elastic material. Conventional material choices of silicon or of glass will not withstand the stress required. The use of steel allows the substrates to be polished and installed flat, using screws in tapped holes. The ultra-high-vacuum bender mechanism is motorized and computer controlled. These mirrors are used to deliver focused beams of soft x-rays onto the surface of a sample for experiments at the Advanced Light Source (ALS). They provide an illumination field that can be as small as the mirror demagnification allows, for localized study, and can be enlarged, under computer control,for survey measurements over areas of the surface up to several millimeters. The critical issue ...

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An analysis was performed to determine the impact of various power system components and mission requirements on the size of solar-powered high altitude long endurance (HALE)-type aircraft. The HALE unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has good potential for use in many military and civil applications. The primary power system components considered in this study were photovoltaic (PV) modules for power generation and regenerative fuel cells for energy storage. The impact of relevant component performance on UAV size and capability were considered; including PV module efficiency and mass, power electronics efficiency, and fuel cell specific energy. Mission parameters such as time of year, flight altitude, flight latitude, and payload mass and power were also varied to determine impact on UAV size. The aircraft analysis method used determines the required aircraft wing aspect ratio, wing ...

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This paper reports on hydrolysis of 10 metal salt aqueous solutions of 6 metal oxides that was conducted in supercritical water. Continuous and rapid production of metal oxide fine particles was achieved by mixing a metal salt aqueous solution with preheated water fed from another line. The reaction time required was less than 2 min. Particle size, morphology, and crystal structure of the obtained metal (hydrous) oxides were examined. Particle size (20 to 600 nm) was different among the system but the size range was relatively narrow in all the cases.

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A novel way to extract relevant parameters associated with the outgoing ions from nuclear reactions, obtained by digitizing the signals provided by a Bragg curve spectrometer (BCS) is presented. This allowed the implementation of a more thorough pulse-shape analysis. Due to the complexity of this task, it was required to take advantage of new and more powerful computational paradigms. This was fulfilled using a back-propagation artificial neural network (ANN) as a pattern identifier. Over training of ANNs is a common problem during the training stage. In the performance of the ANN there is a compromise between its size and the size of the training set. Here, this effect will be illustrated in relation to the problem of Bragg Curve (BC) identification. (Author)

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An easy and simple method for gamma assay of large multi-gamma lines samples was introduced in this work. This method performs the assay using point source calibration. The correction factors for volume and self-attenuation are experimentally deduced from the spectra of different thicknesses samples utilizing the following two simple well known facts: large and small samples of the same homogenous material have identical specific activities; the self-attenuation of gamma line decreases as its energy increases. The method was successfully applied to naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) large samples. This method does not require complicated mathematical procedures. Neither sample matrix data nor detector unit composition is needed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An easy and simple method for gamma assay of large multi gamma lines samples was introduced in this work. This method performs the assay using point source calibration. The correction factors for volume and self-attenuation are experimentally deduced from the spectra of different thicknesses samples utilizing the following tow simple well known facts: Large and small samples of the same homogenous material have identical activities; the self attenuation of gamma line decreases as its energy increases. The method was successfully applied to NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material) large samples. This method doesn't require complicated mathematical procedures. Neither sample matrix data nor detector unit composition is needed. (author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The proposed Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) in the US and plans for a Large Hadron Collider LHC at CERN are likely to require micron size filaments to reduce micron size filaments to reduce magnetization effects at the low injection fields envisioned. Superconductors of NbTi, designed to meet these requirements, are described. These conductors contain from 6000 to 36,613 filaments. Results are presented on NbTi conductors made by multiple extrusion techniques. Filament sizes of between 2.2 and 17 micron have been obtained. Current densities of between 2400 A/mm"2 and nearly 3400 A/mm"2 at 5 Tesla have been achieved. Metallurgical aspects of these conductors are presented using both optical and SEM views of conductor cross section and filament surface.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The pore structure of volcanic clasts is examined using measurements of porosity, permeability, and electrical properties. Permeability varies by several orders of magnitude among volcanic clasts and does not depend solely upon porosity. Electrical property measurements of saturated volcanic samples illustrate the influence of pathway tortuosity and pore shape on permeability. For equivalent eruption conditions, silicic samples show higher tortuosities, smaller vesicle sizes, and lower permeabilities than mafic samples. These differences are largely due to variations in vesiculation and crystallization history. Differences between explosive and effusive samples reflect the relative ability of bubbles to form and maintain connected pathways during bubble expansion and collapse. Isotropic sa...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The introduction of prenatal screening requires rapid high-throughput diagnosis of common aneuploidies. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) allows for quick, easily automated multiplex...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Digital audio sampling is explained, and some of its implications in digital sound applications are discussed. Digital sound equipment is rapidly replacing analog recording devices as the state-of-the-art in audio technology. The philosophy of digital recording involves doing away with the continuously variable analog waveforms and turning the patterns into numbers. A digital recording device rapidly samples the incoming sounds, quantifying the signal into a series of numerical values (binary codes). Although digital sound eliminates many of the traditional analog problems, digital signal processing presents key problems in sampling rates and synchronization. Careful control is necessary to check signals through each step in the audio chain. The advantages of digital audio processing include increased signal-to-noise ratio, no flutter, transparent generation of copies, and sound manipulation. These benefits come with ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The flux distributions and enhancement factors for various gas doser designs typically used in surface science applications and chemisorption studies have been calculated and compared. The following conclusions, which will aid the experimentalist in the choice of doser design, can be made. (1) The enhancement factor expected for a given doser can easily be derived from Fig. 2. (2) The optimum doser design is a multichannel array with a radius slightly larger than that of the sample, and a distance from the sample < 10% of the sample diameter. (Complications of this design are discussed.) (3) Because of space requirements, the sample--doser distance must sometime be > or =40% of the sample diameter, in which cases it is better to use a cosine emitter. A good, very simple doser design is described that consists of a small cosine emitter with a ...

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An approach for classification of transmission line faults is presented. The approach is based on fuzzy logic and requires the consideration of the samples of three phase currents at one end of transmission line. To illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach extensive simulation studies, using EMTP and MATLAB, have been carried out for different types of fault considering wide variations in the operating conditions. (author)

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A new generation of quasimonochromatic high-flux X-ray sources, based on the X-ray radiation produced through Compton scattering between an electron beam and a laser beam, is under development. One of the possible applications of this source is inline phase contrast mammography, based on the observation of the edge-enhancement effect that can be observed at the border of structures inside the breast in images produced using a partially or totally coherent X-ray beam. In this work we present the results of a set of simulations of inline phase contrast mammography using typical inverse Compton scattering sources parameters. The simulated sample was a tumour-like mass having spherical shape, diameter between 200 {mu}m and 5 mm, placed inside a breast-like matrix, 4 cm thick, and a standard composition of 50% glandular tissue and 50% adipose tissue. We discuss the minimum requirements for mammography using inverse Compton scattering sources and we ...

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This thesis is concerned with the optimization and development of the production of nanofocusing refractive X-ray lenses. These optics made of either silicon or diamond are well-suited for high resolution X-ray microscopy. The goal of this work is the design of a reproducible manufacturing process which allows the production of silicon lenses with high precision, high quality and high piece number. Furthermore a process for the production of diamond lenses is to be developed and established. In this work, the theoretical basics of X-rays and their interaction with matter are described. Especially, aspects of synchrotron radiation are emphasized. Important in X-ray microscopy are the different optics. The details, advantages and disadvantages, in particular those of refractive lenses are given. To achieve small X-ray beams well beyond the 100 nm range a small focal length is required. This is achieved in refractive lenses by moving to a compact lens design where ...

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Cold Heavy Oil Production with Sand (CHOPS) is an enhanced oil recovery method that induces sand production to form a network of wormholes that increase the porosity and permeability of a formation. Under proper conditions, CHOPS can improve formation flow characteristics. Integrated well completion strategies that were used to increase oil production at Fula oil field on the south flank of Mughad Basin in Sudan were described. Limited sand influx provided a means for effective sand control while eliminating the need for conventional sand control processes. Cold heavy oil production with limited sand influx requires optimized completion methods to stimulate sand production, thereby reducing oil flow resistance and prolonging the sand removal operation cycle. Completion tests were performed in terms of different formation conditions including perforating completion; perforating and full sand control completion by screen liner; and perforating and limited sand ...

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Development of electronic devices with better performance and smaller size requires the passive components to be embedded within a printed wire board (PWB). The 'film-on-foil' approach is the most viable method for embedding these components within a PWB. We have deposited high-permittivity ferroelectric lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (Pb{sub 0.92}La{sub 0.08}Zr{sub 0.52}Ti{sub 0.48}O{sub x}, PLZT 8/52/48) films on base metal foils by chemical solution deposition. These prefabricated capacitor sheets can be embedded into PWBs for power electronic applications. To eliminate the parasitic effect caused by the formation of a low-permittivity interfacial oxide, a conductive buffer layer of lanthanum nickel oxide (LNO) was applied by chemical solution deposition on nickel foil before the deposition of PLZT. With a {approx} 0.7-{micro}m-thick ferroelectric PLZT film grown on LNO-buffered nickel foil, we measured capacitance ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this paper heavy metal pollution at an abandoned Italian pyrite mine has been investigated by comparing total concentrations and speciation of heavy metals (Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Pb and As) in a red mud sample and a river sediment. Acid digestions show that all the investigated heavy metals present larger concentrations in the sediment than in the tailing. A modified Tessier's procedure has been used to discriminate heavy metal bound to organic fraction from those originally present in the mineral sulphide matrix and to detect a possible trend of metal mobilisation from red mud to river sediment. Sequential extractions on bulk and size fractionated samples denote that sediment samples present larger percent concentrations of the investigated heavy metals in the first extractive steps (I-IV) especially in lower dimension size fractionated samples suggesting that ...

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The finest particle size fractions ({le} 25 {mu}m) in four fly ash samples from fluidised bed combustion of three biomass based fuels and a municipal solid waste fuel were size separated using a centrifugal SPLITT fractionation cell. The ashes were separated into different size fractions and the cadmium concentration, partition and speciation in each separated fraction were then investigated in relation to their possible leaching. The fractionation was evaluated by environmental scanning electron microscopy, which also provided indications of the associations between Cd and other main elements on the particles through the use of X-ray fluorescence mapping. The total concentration of Cd in each fraction was determined by AAS analysis which showed different dependence on the ash particle size in the case of biomass or waste fuels. In addition, the speciation of Cd in each fraction, ...

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Studying the structure of nanoparticles as a function of their size requires a correlation between the image and the diffraction pattern of single nanoparticles. Nanobeam diffraction technique is generally used but requires long and tedious TEM investigations, particularly when nanoparticles are randomly oriented on an amorphous substrate. We bring a new development to this structural study by controlling the nanoprobe of the Bright and Dark Field STEM (BF/DF STEM) modes of the TEM. The particularity of our experiment is to make the STEM nanoprobe parallel (probe size 1 nm and convergence angle <1 mrad) using a fine tuning of the focal lengths of the microscope illumination lenses. The accurate control of the beam position offered by this technique allowed us to obtain diffraction patterns of many single nanoparticles selected in the digital STEM image. By means of this technique, we demonstrate ...

Science.gov (United States)

The critical currents of A-15 phase Nb(,3)Sn, V(,3)Si, Nb(,3)Ge, V(,3)Ga, and Nb-Sn with a few at.% Ga and Al(,2)O(,3) have been measured at temperatures up to T(,c) and in magnetic fields up to 8T to study fundamental flux pinning interactions as a function of defect size and density. The samples are electron beam evaporated films typically 2 (mu)m thick. Their particular usefulness for this study is that they span the clean to dirty limits and their normal state resistivity and grain size can be controlled by deposition parameters. The grain boundaries are the defects most responsible for flux pinning. The electron scattering mechanism is based on the local change in the coherence length due to increased conduction electron scattering and is chosen from among several possible mechanisms to calculate the elementary pinning force at a grain boundary. A direct summation of the elementary pinning force of each boundary is ...

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Major factors that contribute to maximized impact resistance of semicrystalline engineering polymers include increased matrix molecular weight, minimal rubber glass-transition temperature, and optimal rubber-particle size, which depends on matrix type. Additional constraints are posed by the limitations of available materials and commercial requirements. Expanding the understanding of impact-modified crystalline engineering polymers will further extend their property ranges and utility. This chapter describes the phenomenology of certain factors, illustrates a new technique to measure rubber particle size, and contrasts the fracture mechanisms of poly(butylene terephthalate), nylon 66, and polyacetal. 49 refs., 24 figs.

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Formation of particles from heavy duty diesel and CNG vehicles was studied in laboratory conditions. PM, nano and soot mode particle emissions formed from buses of Euro 2-5 -emission levels were studied in relation to age and type approval characteristics of the vehicle. Characteristic particle emission factors from city driving were obtained by driving the buses on VTT's heavy duty chassis dynamometer applying the transient Braunschweig city cycle. The vehicles were a representative set of Euro 2 to 3 emission categories, supplemented with Euro 4-5 (EEV) -targeted CRT, CNG and DPF cars. Particle number emissions from Euro 4 to 5 buses were 1/100-1/1000 and mass emissions 1/10-1/100 of those of the current fleet. Particle emission from natural gas buses and after an advanced CRT trap contained almost entirely liquid < 60 nm nano particles, which will make filter mass based PM control very challenging in the near future. One result was that gravimetric PM emission could ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

As part of efforts to develop improved methods for NMR protein sample preparation and structure determination, the Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium (NESG) has implemented an NMR screening pipeline for protein target selection, construct optimization, and buffer optimization, incorporating efficient microscale NMR screening of proteins using a micro-cryoprobe. The process is feasible because the newest generation probe requires only small amounts of protein, typically 30-200 ?g in 8-35 ?l volume. Extensive automation has been made possible by the combination of database tools, mechanization of key process steps, and the use of a micro-cryoprobe that gives excellent data while requiring little optimization and manual setup. In this perspective, we describe the overall process used by the NESG for screening NMR samples as part of a sample optimization process, assessing optimal ...

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A new method for determining the year of birth, the year of death, and hence, the age at death, of post-bomb and recently deceased elephants has been developed. The technique is based on Accelerator Mass Spectrometry radiocarbon analyses of small-sized samples extracted from along the length of a ge-line of an elephant tusk. The measured radiocarbon concentrations in the samples from a tusk can be compared to the {sup 14}C atmospheric bomb-pulse curve to derive the growth years of the initial and final samples from the tusk. Initial data from the application of this method to two tusks will be presented. Potentially, the method may play a significant role in wildlife management practices of African national parks. Additionally, the method may contribute to the underpinnings of efforts to define new international trade regulations, which could, in effect, decrease poaching and the killing of very young ...

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Particle shape is an important parameter in numerous civil, environmental, and petroleum engineering applications. In ground-water flow, the shape of individual particles comprising the soil affects the soil`s pore size distribution and, hence, the important flow characteristics such as hydraulic conductivity and headloss. A model for delineating the relative importance of particle size, particle shape, and porosity, (and their interactions), in explaining the variability of hydraulic conductivity of a granular porous medium is developed and tested. Three types of porous media are considered in this work: spherical glass beads; granular sand; and irregularly shaped, shredded glass particles. A reliable method for quantifying the three-dimensional shape and packing of large samples of irregular particles based on their angle of repose is presented. The results of column experiments indicate that in the ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

TaC and TaC-1wt.% B4C powders were consolidated using spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 1850^oC and varying pressure of 100, 255 and 363MPa. The effect of pressure on the densification and grain size is evaluated. The role of nano-sized B4C as sintering aid and grain growth inhibitor is studied by means of XRD, SEM and high resolution TEM. Fully dense TaC samples were produced at a pressure of 255MPa and higher at 1850^oC. The increasing pressure also resulted in an increase in TaC grain size. Addition of B4C leads to an increase in the density of 100MPa sample from 89% to 97%. B4C nano-powder resists grain growth even at high pressure of 363MPa. The formation of TaB2/Carbon at TaC grain boundaries helps in pinning the grain boundary and inhibiting grain growth. The effect of B4C addition on...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Exhaust fine and ultra fine particle numbers, particle sizes, mass, shape, structure and density were studied from Euro II - EEV emission level heavy-duty vehicles. For total particle emission factors city buses were run on dynamic conditions simulating city bus driving. The new heavy-duty chassis dynamometer of VTT was used. Vehicles were a comprehensive sample of current city bus fleet, the type approved emission level of which was Euro II - Euro III. Also cleaner engines of Euro IV to EEV targeted emission level were included: CRT, CNG, DPF. Particle emissions of these buses were extremely low; numbers 1/100 - 1/1000 and masses 1/10 - 1/100 of those of the predominating techniques. Morphological properties of fine particle populations that represent majority of particle size distribution (Da < 500 nm) are being analyzed by image processing (Matlab) from electron microscopical images (SEM, ESEM and TEM) as a ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The transport of radon in concrete takes place through the complicated network of interconnected pores that is, at any time, the result of the process of hydration of cement and of moisture distribution and transport. Initially the microstructure of concrete depends on the mix proportions and curing conditions, its time-evolution being conditioned by its surrounding environment. Radon transport will be consequently a function of time, as it is influenced by the changing microstructure (total porosity and its distribution) and by the amount and distribution of the moisture contained in the pore system. A selection of information from the large amount of literature available on concrete is presented in chapter 2. A model that describes the process of hydration, of microstructure development and of moisture transport is presented in chapter 3. The physics of radon diffusion in homogeneous porous materials is outlined in chapter 4. The coupling of the numerical implementation of the ...

CERN Document Server

Context. Study of open clusters is important not only for learning properties of these objects but also for understanding the process of formation and evolution of stars and the Milky Way. Aims. The paper contains determination of the global (geometrical and physical) characteristics of a large sample of Galactic open clusters from homogeneous near-infrared photometric data and analysis of mutual relations between those characteristics. Methods. The near-infrared JHK photometric data from the 2-Micron All Sky Survey were used to determine new coordinates of the centres, angular sizes and radial density profiles of 849 open clusters in the MilkyWay. Additionally, for 754 of these clusters age, reddening, distance and linear sizes were also derived. The sample contains 140 open clusters which have not been studied before. Results. The analysed sample contains open clusters with ages ...

Science.gov (United States)

The Vortec Cyclone Melting System (CMS) facility; to be located at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, is designed to treat soil contaminated with low levels of heavy metals and radioactive elements, as well as organic waste. The primary components of Vortec`s CMS are a counter rotating vortex (CRV) reactor and cyclone melter. In the CMS process, granular glass forming ingredients and other feedstocks are introduced into the CRV reactor where the intense CRV mixing allows the mixture to achieve a stable reaction and rapid heating of the feedstock materials. Organic contaminants in the feedstock are effectively oxidized, and the inert inorganic solids are melted. The University of North Dakota Energy {ampersand} Environmental Research Center (EERC) has been contacted to help in the development of sampling plans and to conduct the sampling at the facility. This document is written in a format that assumes that the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A new simple analytical approach is developed for optimum size of series capacitor compensation. The method gives quick and accurate results. Need for formulating a big quadratic or voluminous fourth order equation and the solution of the above with the aid of computers is avoided. Graphical plotting also is not required. 8 refs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The food ingestion consequences due to radioactive particulates of an accidental release, scenario 1-RD-3, are evaluated for Savannah River Technology Center. The sizes of land areas requiring the protective action of food interdiction are calculated. The consequences of the particulate portion of the release are evaluated with the HOTSPOT model and an EXCEL spreadsheet for particulates.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

One of several methods to build YSZ electrolyte of SOFC is plasma spraying. This system heats particle to a melting point and then pushing them into target and forming a deposition. This paper presents heating studies of YSZ particle in plasma jet. By simple model it is shown that the required time such those YSZ particle with grain size of 50 ?m to be melt is around 12 x 10-4 second. (author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We present the results of Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) imaging of a sample of 19 high-mass passively evolving galaxies with 1.2 < z < 2, taken primarily from the Gemini Deep Deep Survey (GDDS). Around 80% of galaxies in our GDDS sample have spectra dominated by stars with ages #approx#>1 Gyr. Our rest-frame R-band images show that most of these objects have compact regular morphologies which follow the classical R "1"/"4 law. These galaxies scatter along a tight sequence in the size versus surface brightness parameter space which defines the Kormendy relation. Around one-third (3/10) of the massive red objects in the GDDS sample are extraordinarily compact, with effective radii under 1 kpc. Our NICMOS observations allow the detection of such systems more robustly than is possible with optical (rest-frame UV) data, and while similar systems have been seen at z ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The performance requirements of the Advanced Photon Source (APS) challenge the control system in a number of areas. This paper will review a few applications of advanced technology in the control and monitoring of the APS. The application of digital signal processors (DSPs) and techniques will be discussed, both from the perspective of a large distributed multiprocessor system and from that of embedded systems. In particular, two embedded applications will be highlighted, a beam position monitor processor and a DSP-based power supply controller. Fast data distribution is often a requirement. The application of a high-speed network based on reflective memory will also be discussed in the context of the APS global orbit feedback system. Timing systems provide opportunities to apply technologies such as high-speed logic and fiber optics. Examples of the use of these technologies will also be included. Finally, every modern accelerator control ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The ventilation requirements for decontamination are normally determined with a static calculation method. In some cases, the pollutant emission is intermittent, for example in the car park of an office building, where all the cars enter and leave the place nearly at the same time. Generally, in such a case, the volume of the garage is large, consequently the time constant of the system has a high value. So a static approach would no longer stay accurate and a dynamic evaluation is needed. With the help of some assumptions, calculations remain rather simple and results can be plotted on nomographs or computed on a programmable handheld calculator. The amount of energy saved may appear very large in some cases. A sizing optimization will be required but also remains easy to compute. The paper presents the method of calculation for a single ventilation level and the optimization of a two-level ventilation.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract Incomplete dispersion of aggregates is a well known difficulty when analyzing soil texture of Andosols, particularly if no fresh soil material is available. To facilitate such investigations, several dispersion procedures were carried out on air dried samples rich in short range order minerals, originating from selected Andosol profiles (S Mexico). As a result, we propose an improved method based on a sequential chemical treatment with K oxalate, NH4 oxalate, and oxalic acid that reliably removes cementing agents and allows for a stable dispersion of soil particles after addition of Na pyrophosphate. This method was proved to be well reproducible and highly reliable for routine grain size determinations. The potential error caused by the inherent risk of dissolving primary mineral...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pure Cu of 99.98 wt.% purity has been processed at room temperature by diverse techniques of severe plastic deformation, namely equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP), high pressure torsion (HPT) and a combination of both in order to find out the evolution on the microstructural homogeneity for each of the processes and their combination. Starting with a grain size of #approx#60 #mu#m, severe plastic deformation has been introduced to the material while maintaining the sample dimensions unchanged through the processes of ECAP and HPT. A significant decrease in grain size was observed by transmission electronic microscopy (TEM). Microtensile and microhardness tests were carried out on the deformed material in the three processing conditions. A significant improvement of the tensile strength was promoted with admissible penalization on ductility.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The starting material for two certified and one candidate reference material was obtained from dried grass specially cultivated on a selected and well prepared soil. The Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) of the Commission of the European Communities produced two certified reference materials (CRM`s) from this dried grass: a rye grass material (CRM 281) certified in 1988 for the quality control of trace and toxic element analyses and a hay powder material (CRM 129) certified in 1989 for monitoring trace and minor elements. A fraction of the dried grass was used in 1993 for the preparation of a hay powder with a particle size of < 63 {mu}m using newly developed grinding techniques. This paper compares the production methods of these three materials and the obtained particle size distribution of the powders. The analytical evaluation of these production methods was carried out by solid sampling Zeeman atomic absorption ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A dense silica glass was prepared by consolidating a highly dispersed silicic acid powder (particle size 1H magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR confirmed an increase in hydroxyl groups in the sample prepared by SPS relative to that of the conventional SiO2 reference glass. Aside from the comparably high water content, we conclude from the similarity of the IR-reflectance and the 29Si MAS NMR spectra of the SPS sample and the corresponding spectra of the conventionally prepared silica glass, that the short- and medium-range order is virtually the same in both materials. Raman spectroscopy, however, suggests that the number of three- and four-membered rings is significantly smaller in the SPS sample compared to the conventionally prepared sample. Based on these results we conclude that it is possible to prepare glasses by compacting amorphous powders by the SPS process. The SPS process may ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Delivering the promise of personalised medicine is the challenge that the current generation of scientists face. The variations in human physiology and disease are considerable, and designing appropriate strategies to deliver what has been promised will require access to tissue from a large number of volunteers. The NHS provides an ideal infrastructure for sample acquisition, but requires two things to make this available?public consent and support for extra manpower and administration. There is a disconnection between the NHS and tissue based research that needs to be addressed on a number of levels to provide a translational platform. This should enable the path to be beaten to provide the ideal tailored treatment for future patients; one that preserves quality of life by curing the dise...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This volume covers planning, design, and data analysis. It offers statistical methods for designing environmental sampling and monitoring programs as well as analyzing the resulting data. Statistical sample survey methods to problems of estimating average and total amounts of environmental pollution are presented in detail. The book also provides a broad array of statistical analysis methods for many purposes...numerous examples...three case studies...end-of-chapter questions...computer codes (showing what output looks like along with its interpretation)...a discussion of Kriging methods for estimating pollution concentration contours over space and/or time...nomographs for determining the number of samples required to detect hot spots with specified confidence...and a description and tables for conducting Rosner's test to identify outlaying (usually large) pollution measurements in a data set.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The primary objective of batch data as trajectory alignment (or synchronization) is to standardize the data sampling per batch according to the evolution of the process, and secondarily to homogenize the samples per run. The use of an indicator variable performs both objectives well. Two examples from the pharmaceutical sector are discussed to illustrate the different ways to deal with uneven samples across batches and across variables in the same batch. Since trajectory alignment requires large time investment, a simple triage approach is proposed to assess the need to analyze the dynamics of a given process and hence perform alignment. The presented examples are representative of a broad variety of batch processes that are operated by recipe in the pharmaceutical sector. In our experienc...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The EMP consists of a Compliance Monitoring Sampling Program and a Supplemental monitoring Sampling Program. The Compliance Monitoring Sampling Program will be conducted during a summer and a winter Baseline periods during the Pre-Construction/Construction phases of the Project and during a summer and a winter period following the successful Startup and Operational phase of the completed Project. compliance monitoring consist of conducting all the sampling and observation programs associated with existing required Federal, State, and Local Regulations, Permits and Orders. These include air, water, and waste monitoring and OSHA and NESHAP monitoring. The Supplemental Monitoring Program will also be conducted during a summer and a winter Baseline periods during the Pre-Construction/Construction phases of the Demonstration Facility and during a summer and a winter period following the ...

Science.gov (United States)

Visual Sample Plan (VSP) is an easy-to-use visual and graphic statistically-based software tool being developed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to help determine the appropriate number and location of environmental samples so that environmental decisions can be made with the required confidence. The VSP software, which is available free at http://dqo.pnl.gov/vsp, is a significant aid in developing probability-based sampling designs (number and location of samples and measurements) using the Data Quality Objectives (DQO) planning process developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). VSP also has the capability of conducted statistical analyses to provide descriptive statistical summaries of data sets, to test whether data are normally distributed, and to compute upper confidence limits on means. This report is the latest in a series of reports that ...

CERN Document Server

We present a study of the mid-infrared properties and dust content of a sample of 27 HII ``blobs'', a rare class of compact HII regions in the Magellanic Clouds. A unique feature of this sample is that even though these HII regions are of high and low excitation they have nearly the same physical sizes ~1.5-3 pc. We base our analysis on archival 3-8 microns infrared imagery obtained with the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) on board the Spitzer Space Telescope. We find that despite their youth, sub-solar metallicity and varied degrees of excitation, the mid-infrared colors of these regions are similar to those of typical HII regions. Higher excitation ``blobs'' (HEBs) display stronger 8 micron emission and redder colors than their low-excitation counterparts (LEBs).

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Vanadium carbide is the most effective grain growth inhibitor for ultrafine WC-Co composites due to its high solubility and mobility in the cobalt phase at relatively low temperatures; however, there are still some debates over the best way to introduce it into the WC-Co formulation. In this paper, the differences between admixed and chemically doped grain growth inhibitors on the microstructural development and properties of an ultrafine WC-10Co composite are discussed. The densification rate of chemically doped samples is slower in the early stage of sintering and the WC grain sizes of the sintered alloys are finer than those of admixed samples, leading to the increase of hardness and transverse rupture strength of the sintered alloys. The effectiveness of the chemically doped inhibitor ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Two classes of convergent algorithms for learning continuous functions (and also regression functions) that are represented by feedforward networks, are discussed. The first class of algorithms, applicable to networks with unknown weights located only in the output layer, is obtained by utilizing the potential function methods of Aizerman et al. The second class, applicable to general feedforward networks, is obtained by utilizing the classical Robbins-Monro style stochastic approximation methods. Conditions relating the sample sizes to the error bounds are derived for both classes of algorithms using martingale-type inequalities. For concreteness, the discussion is presented in terms of neural networks, but the results are applicable to general feedforward networks, in particular to wavelet networks. The algorithms can be directly adapted to concept learning problems.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wireline well logs have three general uses in geothermal exploration and reservoir evaluation: reservoir parameter analysis, lithologic column determination, and reservoir size resolution. Reservoir flow testing data are acquired to understand the flow rate, life, and production potential of the geothermal reservoir. These data are a coarse subsurface measurement of the geothermal prospect. Wireline logs acquired from wells in a geothermal prospect are used to define in detail, or estimate the reservoir parameters of temperature, thickness, lateral size, amount of fracture and intergranular pore space, and the quantity and quality of fluid that might be produced. Laboratory measurements can be made on core samples and drill cuttings samples to define the intrinsic behavior of the materials and fluid that compose the geotheraml reservoir. Wireline log measurements are needed to correlate and link the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chemical-looping combustion is a promising technology for the combustion of gas or solid fuel with efficient use of energy and inherent separation of CO{sub 2}. Chemical-looping combustion of methane with calcium sulfate as a novel oxygen carrier was conducted in a laboratory scale fixed bed reactor. The effects of reaction temperature, gas flow rate, sample mass, and particle size on reduction reactions were investigated and an optimum operating condition was determined. The results show that this novel oxygen carrier has a high reduction reactivity and stability in a long-time reduction/oxidation test. The conversions of CH{sub 4} increased with a higher temperature, smaller gas flow rate, larger sample mass and smaller particle size. The suitable reaction temperature seems to be around 950 deg. C. Low temperatures lead to a low CH{sub 4} conversion, but a significant SO{sub 2} formation was observed ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The competitiveness of a new nuclear plant vs. a new oil or gas fired combined cycle plant or a coal fired plant in East-Asia, is reviewed in the paper. Both the nuclear and the fossil fired plants are evaluated as either utility financed or independent power producer (IPP) financed. Two types of advanced light water reactors (ALWRs) are considered in this paper, namely evolutionary ALWRs (1200 MWe size) and passive ALWRs (600 MWe class). A range of capital and total generation costs for each plant type is reported here. The comparison centers on three elements of overall competitiveness: generation costs, hard currency requirements, and employment requirements. Each of these aspects is considered perspective. Year-by-Year generation cost history over the plant lifetime is shown in some cases. It is found here that a utility financed evolutionary and passive ALWRs are broadly competitive with an IPP financed gas fired ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In this work, we report the preparation of lead titanate (PT) nanoceramics (with an average grain size of ~200nm in diameter) by using hydrothermal PT nanoparticles as start materials and characterized the dielectric and ferroelectric properties. The dielectric constant of the ceramic was found to be ~180 (at 1kHz) at room temperature and reached a maximum value of 8330 at ~490^oC, suggesting that the Curie temperature of the nanoceramics is consistent with the known value of PT crystals. Ferroelectric domains and hysteresis loops were obtained through piezoelectric force microscopy measurements, which provide direct and clear evidence for the ferroelectricity in the nanoceramic samples.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

To expand the information base on molecular accessibility in solvent swelled coal, Argonne Premium Coal Samples (APCS) were swelled in polar, basic solvents before and after moisture loss and upon air oxidation. So far studies have been reported on the changes in pore size distribution as a function of temperature when polar basic swelling solvents are used. Additional studies employing EPR spin probe techniques performed on the breaking up of the hydrogen bonding between bedding planes were later confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging at Argonne National Lab and the University of Illinois.

Wastenet

...forest products export revenue: call for new strategies by Roda Jean-Marc & Ismariah Ahmad & Rohana Abd Rahman & Lim Hin Fui &...pattern: the cards have changed by Roda Jean-Marc & Rohana Abd Rahman & Ismariah Ahmad & Lim Hin Fui & Mohd Parid Mamat [...] 2010, Volume 2010, Issue 07 15 Decision-making and sampling size effect by Ismariah Ahmad & Rohana Abd Rahman & Roda Jean-Marc & Lim Hin ... by Roda Jean-Marc & Ahmad Fauzi Puasa & Lim Hin Fui & Rohana Abd Rahman & Ismariah Ahmad [Downloadable!]...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Recent advances in nanoscience have raised interest in the minimum bit size required for classical information storage. This bit size is determined by the necessity for bistability with suppressed quantum tunnelling and energy barriers that exceed ambient temperatures. In the case of magnetic information storage, much attention has centred on molecular magnets with bits consisting of about 100 atoms, magnetic uniaxial anisotropy energy barriers of about 50?K and very slow relaxation at low temperatures. Here, we draw attention to the remarkable magnetic properties of some transition-metal dimers, which have energy barriers approaching 500?K with only two atoms. The spin dynamics of these ultrasmall nanomagnets is strongly affected by a Berry phase, which arises from quasi-degen...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In a fluoroscopic imaging system, image quality and patient dose are both affected by the optical system linking the image intensifier with the video camera. The effect on patient exposure of increasing the optical iris aperture size over that required for other procedures performed on the same imaging system was investigated for the air-contrast barium enema examination. Using a large-area transmission ionisation chamber to monitor the Roentgen-area-product of entrance exposure, a decrease in fluoroscopic radiation of greater than 50% was clinically documented for a fluoroscopic system utilising kVp and mA variable automatic brightness control. For this iris change, the video image was of acceptable quality for positioning and monitoring the patient, and no deleterious effect was detected in the conduct of the air-contrast exam. The availability of a variable-sized operator-selectable iris diaphragm would permit this ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cavity type receivers are used extensively in concentrating solar thermal energy collecting systems. The Solar Total Energy Project (STEP) in Shenandoah, Georgia is a large scale field test for the collection of solar thermal energy. The STEP experiment consists of a large field array of solar collectors used to supplement the process steam, cooling and other electrical power requirements of an adjacent knitwear manufacturing facility. The purpose of the tests, conducted for this study, was to isolate and quantify the radiative, conductive, and convective components of total heat loss, and to determine the effects of operating temperature, receiver angle, and aperture size on cavity heat loss. An analytical model for radiative heat loss was developed and compared with two other methods used to determine radiative heat loss. A proposed convective heat loss correlation, including effects of aperture size, receiver operating ...

CERN Document Server

We analyse the issues involved in the management and mining of astrophysical data. The traditional approach to data management in the astrophysical field is not able to keep up with the increasing size of the data gathered by modern detectors. An essential role in the astrophysical research will be assumed by automatic tools for information extraction from large datasets, i.e. data mining techniques, such as clustering and classification algorithms. This asks for an approach to data management based on data warehousing, emphasizing the efficiency and simplicity of data access; efficiency is obtained using multidimensional access methods and simplicity is achieved by properly handling metadata. Clustering and classification techniques, on large datasets, pose additional requirements: computational and memory scalability with respect to the data size, interpretability and objectivity of clustering or classification results. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

There are many different types of open pit mining operations around the world, and the challenge for any drive system manufacturer is to produce a system(s) that will work satisfactorily in these mines. Several factors must be considered such as vehicle speed requirements, available engine horsepower, mine rolling resistance, grades, grade lengths, payload, and tire sizes. How well a particular drive system performs depends on the size, weight, and available tractive/retarding effort. In addition to performance, the system must also have an operating cost that will be acceptable over the life of the equipment. Today the choice of drive systems is not only between mechanical and electrical drives, but also within these categories are the different manufacturers. Regardless of how the power is provided to the rear wheels, the job must be accomplished reliably and at an acceptable cost. This paper covers the characteristics of ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Praseodymium-doped Bi_4Ti_3O_1_2 (BIT) with various compositions of dopant, Pr (x = 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8) in Bi_4_-_xPr_xTi_3O_1_2 (BPT) were synthesized using a low temperature wet chemical technique. Powders calcined at 800 deg. C exhibit a single phase polycrystalline perovskite bismuth-layered structure. Randomly oriented plate-like structures were observed under Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). A small amount of Pr doping (x = 0.5) resulted in dramatically reduced of grain size from 2 #mu#m to less than 50 nm in which Pr plays the role as a grain growth inhibitor. However, by increasing the composition of Pr, bigger grain size of up to 1 #mu#m was observed for x = 0.8 that was caused by diffusion of Pr in the perovskite structure. Dielectric properties showed that dielectric permittivity decreased with the addition of x = 0.50, and increasing with further addition of Pr. Dissipation factor (tan #delta#) followed the same trend as ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We present an atomistic simulation of the Ostwald ripening of extrinsic defects (clusters, #left brace#1 1 3#right brace#s and dislocation loops) which occurs during annealing of ion implanted silicon. The model describes the capture and emission of Si interstitial atoms to and from extrinsic defects of sizes up to thousands of atoms and includes a loss term due to the flux of interstitials to the recombining surface. Key input parameters of the simulation are the variations of the formation energy and of the capture efficiency with the size of the different defects. This model shows that the kinetics of the well-known dissolution of #left brace#1 1 3#right brace# defects is only driven by the recombination efficiency at the surface and the distance from the defects to the sample surface. We have subsequently used this model to study defect evolution in low and ultra low energy (ULE) B implanted Si during annealing. Defect ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reactive milling of NiO + Al powder mixture resulted in the formation of NiAl-Al_2O_3 nanocomposite powders, with a crystallite size of about 20 nm. The Hall-Williamson analysis revealed that NiAl showed an orientation dependent crystallite size after short processing time and orientation dependent internal strain after long milling time. Both anisotropies were removed by heating the powders in the differential scanning calorimetry. Calorimetric studies showed one exothermic effect attributed to the reduction reaction of NiO and endothermic one associated with melting of Al. Two methods were applied for powders compaction: resistance sintering and pulse electric discharge. In both cases the densities of abut 90% of the theoretical value were achieved. A significant increase in average NiAl crystallites size in compacted samples was observed, up to several hundreds of nanometers.(author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Results are presented of an empirical analysis of the global thermodynamical requirements of the winds in the outer atmospheres of a representative sample of red giant stars of low- and intermediate-mass range. Results indicate that the mass-loss rates in these stars are not strongly dependent on the actual physical processes driving the winds. It is suggested that nonlinear processes act to regulate wind energy fluxes. Possible mechanisms responsible for the chromospheric heating and the mass loss in the low- and intermediate-mass giant stars are discussed. 151 refs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This Maintenance Implementation Plan (MIP) is written to satisfy the requirements of the US Department of Energy (DOE) Order 4330.4B, Maintenance Management Program that specifies the general policy and objectives for the establishment of the DOE controlled maintenance programs. These programs provide for the management and performance of cost effective maintenance and repair of the DOE property, which includes facilities. This document outlines maintenance activities associated with the facilities operated by Waste Management Hanford, Inc. (WMH). The objective of this MIP is to provide baseline information for the control and execution of WMH Facility Maintenance activities relative to the requirements of Order 4330.4B, assessment of the WMH maintenance programs, and actions necessary to maintain compliance with the Order. Section 2.0 summarizes the history, mission and description of the WMH facilities. Section 3.0 describes maintenance scope ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The effective remediation of contaminated sites requires accurate identification of chemical distributions. A rapid sampling method using passive sampling devices (PSDs) can provide a thorough site assessment. We have been pursuing their application in terrestrial systems and have found that they increase the ease and speed of analysis, decrease solvent usage and overall cost, and minimize the transport of contaminated soils. Time and cost savings allow a higher sampling frequency than is generally the case using traditional methods. PSDs have been used in the field in soils of varying physical properties and have been successful in estimating soil concentrations ranging from 1 {mu}g/kg (parts per billion) to greater than 200 mg/kg (parts per million). They were also helpful in identifying hot spots within the sites. Passive sampling devices show extreme promise as an analytical ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Determination of americium (Am) is one of the requirements of chemical quality assurance of plutonium (Pu) bearing fuel materials. Though many methods are published for determining Am at picogram to femtogram levels in environmental and biological matrices, yet a few of them are used routinely for Pu based nuclear fuel samples. This paper gives a brief summary of the different analytical methods available and presents results of our experiments on the determination of Am in Pu bearing fuels using gamma spectroscopy. The methods utilizing gamma emissions from "2"4"1Am and Pu isotopes are fast as they do not involve chemical separation of Pu and Am, do not require an accurate knowledge of the efficiency values of the detector systems and are not dependent on the availability of a radiometric standard for "2"4"1Am. In addition, for aged Pu samples containing large amounts of "2"4"1Am, there is no need for ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The design of solid breeder blankets is strongly affected by the low values of thermal conductivity and density of ceramic breeder pebble beds. A significant rise of both quantities would enhance the thermal performance and lead to an increased tritium breeding ratio. In order to improve these quantities pretreated lithium orthosilicate pebble material was dry pressed and subsequently sintered. The thermal conductivity of cylindrical pellets was determined by the heat pulse method using a laser flash device. A pebble bed characteristic sample was also investigated in order to check the measurement accuracy in comparison with previous results. Furthermore, two samples of low density cellular ceramics were also prepared by infiltration of polymer foams with a ceramic slurry. The thermal conductivity results show that the values are affected both by the particle size and the sample density. Thermal ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Determining the time of most recent fault movement is an important part of assessing a possible site for a nuclear power plant. The purpose of this paper is not to present research information but to provide a practical guide to some of the dating techniques available to the engineering geologist working on nuclear power plant siting. Emphasis is placed on the practical aspects, such as usable minerals, conditions necessary for them to yield correct dates, degree of accuracy, sample collection, sample size, and sample packaging. In this paper, the usual geologic field techniques are taken for granted (such as those used in stratigraphy, paleontology, and structural analysis) for assessing fault history. Laboratory techniques used in conjunction with or supplemental to field methods are discussed. The specific radiometric methods discussed are "1"4C(carbon-14), fission track, K-Ar (potassium-argon), ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An X-ray fluorometric train was set up for analyzing gravitational fallout, and tested on standard reference samples of fly ashes from conventional power plants. Analysis of thin layers proved inappropriate, and therefore pelletization of the samples, either alone or together with the X-ray MIX binder, was applied. Sample grinding in an agate mortar was found sufficient to suppress the particle size effect. The optimum pressure was 20 MPa. The optimum geometry was sought for "1"0"9Cd source, and limits of detection of 2.78-0.47 #mu#g were achieved for Cr-Zr elements. Tominaga's method was employed for matrix effect correction. Ti, Fe, Cu, Zn, As, Rb, Sr, Zr and Pb were determined in the SRM's; the relative errors ranged from units per cent (for Zn, Rb, Sr and Zr present in concentrations about 100 ppm and for Fe in concentrations of units per cent) up to 45% (for Ti present in a concentration of 0.67%). ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Current advanced CMOS source/drain engineering involves the use of amorphizing implants with 3D geometry. Upon annealing, the induced transient enhanced diffusion (TED) can only be accurately predicted if the amorphized region is correctly modeled, as well as the formation and evolution of extended defects, particularly 3 1 1's and dislocation loops. In addition to the extended defects, already modeled in the atomistic kinetic Monte-Carlo simulator DADOS, we have developed a physically based modeling approach for the implant-induced damage build-up, amorphization and recrystallization, suitable to handle device-size process simulation. It is based on amorphous pockets (3D, irregular shape agglomerates of an arbitrary number of interstitials and vacancies, plus trapped impurities) with a size-dependent activation energy for recombination. The model is able to reproduce experimental aspects like the crystal-amorphous transition temperature and ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Using a 47 GeV electron beam, the Final Focus Test Beam (FFTB) produces vertical spot sizes around 70 nm. These small beam sizes introduce an excellent opportunity to develop and test high resolution Radio Frequency Beam Position Monitors (RF-BPMs). These BPMs are designed to measure pulse to pulse beam motion (jitter) at a theoretical resolution of approximately 1 nm. The beam induces a TM{sub 110} mode with an amplitude linearly proportional to its charge and displacement from the BPM's (cylindrical cavity) axis. The C-band (5,712 MHz) TM{sub 110} signal is processed and converted into beam position for use by the Stanford Linear Collider (SLC) control system. Presented are the experimental procedures, acquisition, and analysis of data demonstrating resolution of jitter near 25 nm. With the design of future e{sup +}e{sup -} linear colliders requiring spot sizes close to 3 nm, understanding ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) is an emerging technology with features that are potentially attractive in electric utility applications. This study evaluates the potential for SMES technology in the generation, transmission, distribution, and use of electric energy; the time frame of the assessment is through the year 2030. Comparisons are made with other technology options, including both commercially available and advanced systems such as various peaking generation technologies, transmission stability improvement technologies, and power quality enhancement devices. The methodology used for this study focused on the needs of the market place, the capabilities of S and the characteristics of the competing technologies. There is widespread interest within utilities for the development of SMES technology, but there is no general consensus regarding the most attractive size. Considerable uncertainty exists regarding the eventual costs and benefits of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Today's building industry is promoting the use of renewable sources of energy to heat, cool, and illuminate commercial buildings. Societies such as the International Solar Energy Society sponsor conferences such as this one to share knowledge and experience in the area of solar energy. However, the technologies presented here assume a need for heating, cooling or illumination. A simple technique is presented for determining the actual heating, cooling, and lighting requirements for commercial buildings, and for reducing those requirements through proper building design before applying solar technologies. The energy nomographs are a graphic energy design tool developed to aid designers in making cost effective decisions about energy alternatives early in the design process. Reducing loads at this point can help reduce the expense of a passive or active solar system which is usually sized to meet a certain percentage ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The important amount of hydration water in the ulexite (NaCaN{sub 5}O{sub 9}.8H{sub 2}O), allows using calcination methods to increase its B{sub 2}O{sub 3} content. This paper analyses the thermal decomposition reaction of a preconcentrated ulexite through weight loss measurements, which occur during the heating of samples until 1000 degree centigree, Determinations of heat content at each temperature were made using an isoperibol calorimeter. The mean specific heat was calculated from these values, and its dependence on temperature was determined. The maximum weight loss was about 32.5% and the specific heat obtained was 1,13 kJ/kg 0 C for solid samples and 1,38 kJ/kg''0 C for fluid samples. The results are useful for the design of the industrial process, in order to determine the thermal requirements for heating calcined ulexite, and to obtain smelted ulexite. (Author) 19 refs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Microwaves were used to induce self-propagating high temperature synthesis (SHS) in the reaction 3TiO{sub 2}+3C+(4+x)Al {yields} 3TiC+2Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}+xAl. The SHS process was studied for x = 0 and 4, using slow and fast heating rates and with and without the application of uniaxial pressure. Less than 50 watts was required to internally ignite the samples using a TE{sub 102} microwave cavity mode. Uniaxial stresses in the range of 200-1400 psi were continuously applied along the vertical axis of some of the processed samples as the SHS reactions were initiated. SEM photomicrographs clearly indicate differences in the formation of whiskers and other microstructural features in the products obtained from microwave and conventional hot wire techniques. The x = 0 samples processed with fast and slow microwave heating rates reached higher densities than the conventionally processed ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The need for a Combustion and Melting Research Facility focused on the solution of glass manufacturing problems common to all segments of the glass industry was given high priority in the earliest version of the Glass Industry Technology Roadmap (Eisenhauer et al., 1997). Visteon Glass Systems and, later, PPG Industries proposed to meet this requirement, in partnership with the DOE/OIT Glass Program and Sandia National Laboratories, by designing and building a research furnace equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostics in the DOE Combustion Research Facility located at the Sandia site in Livermore, CA. Input on the configuration and objectives of the facility was sought from the entire industry by a variety of routes: (1) through a survey distributed to industry leaders by GMIC, (2) by conducting an open workshop following the OIT Glass Industry Project Review in September 1999, (3) from discussions with numerous glass engineers, scientists, and executives, and (4) ...

CERN Document Server

We propose a mechanism to explain what occurs when a mixture of grains of different sizes and different shapes (i.e. different repose angles) is poured into a quasi-two-dimensional cell. Specifically, we develop a model that displays spontaneous stratification of the large and small grains in alternating layers. We find that the key requirement for stratification is a difference in the repose angles of the two pure species, a prediction confirmed by experimental findings. We also identify a kink mechanism that appears to describe essential aspects of the dynamics of stratification.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Procedures followed in designing for offshore production rigs in the Northeastern Areas of the Campos Basin are presented. Various advantages afforded by the mast in the performance of required tasks are analyzed, along with all calculation premises and methods for adequate sizing. Standards covering mast design, materials used in manufacture, and test routines are also examined. (author). 16 figs., 3 tabs., 11 refs

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A method for automatic optimal feeder design in steel casting processes is presented. The initial design is the casting part (without feeders) which is placed in a suitable mold box. Design of each feeder contains the following steps: determination of the feeder-neck connection point on the casting surface, initial feeder design, feeder shape optimization and feeder topology optimization. Completing designing the first feeder, the method attends to designing the next one, if it is required, and the same procedure will be repeated. In the presented method, feeders are designed in a descending order of their sizes. The feasibility of the presented method is supported with an illustrative example.

Science.gov (United States)

Wood plastic composites (WPCs) have gained popularity as building materials because of their usefulness in replacing solid wood in a variety of applications. These composites are promoted as being low-maintenance, high-durability products. However, it has been shown that WPCs exposed to weathering may experience a color change and/or loss in mechanical properties. An important requirement for building materials used in outdoor applications is the retention of their aesthetic qualities and mechanical properties during service life. Therefore, it is critical to understand the photodegradation mechanisms of WPCs exposed to UV radiation and to develop approaches to stabilize these composites against ultraviolet light. In this dissertation, the surface chemistries of weathered composites (both unstabilized and stabilized) as well as the effect of weathering on the color fade and the retention of mechanical properties were characterized. Since different methods of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Planning for quality assurance (QA) in research and development (R D) is like stealing eggs without waking up the chickens. The QA program should be as unobtrusive as possible. Researchers require a QA program that affords them an environment capable of supporting repeatable experiments with accurate data without unduly stifling their creative abilities. Careful advance planning ensures that the intensity of control provided by quality-related systems is commensurate with the importance and scope of the activities being performed. Good scientific practices applied to small bench-scale projects may require minimal additional controls. As projects increase in size and complexity the controls imposed through planning must, by necessity, be increased. Research and development QA planning, just like any other planning, involves all affected individuals. The application of control systems is determined by factors such as customer ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This article considers the fundamentals of what happens in asolid when it is impacted with a medium energy gallium ion. The study ofthe ion/sample interaction at the nanometer scale is applicable to mostfocused ion beam (FIB) based work even if the FIB/sample interaction isonly a step in the process, e.g., micromachining or microelectronicdevice processing. Whereas the objective in other articles in this issueis to use the FIB tool to characterize a material or to machine a deviceor transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample, the goal of the FIB inthis article is to have the FIB/sample interaction itself become theproduct. To that end, the FIB/sample interaction is considered in threecategories according to geometry: below, at, and above the surface.First, the FIB ions can penetrate the top atom layer(s) and interactbelow the surface. Ion implantation and ion damage on flat ...

CERN Document Server

We report Sr, Pd and Ag abundances for a sample of metal-poor field giants and analyze a larger sample of Y, Zr, and Ba abundances. The [Y/Zr] and [Pd/Ag] abundance ratios are similar to those measured for the r-process-rich stars CS 22892-052 and CS 31082-001. The [Pd/Ag] ratio is larger than predicted from the solar-system r-process abundances. The constant[Y/Zr] and [Sr/Y] values in the field stars places strong limits on the contributions of the weak s-process and the main s-process to the light neutron-capture elements. Stars in the globular cluster M 15 possess lower [Y/Zr] values than the field stars. There is a large dispersion in [Y/Ba]. Because the r-process is responsible for the production of the heavy elements in the early Galaxy, these dispersions require varying light-to-heavy ratios in r-process yields.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A high-precision Li isotope analysis was developed for determining the Li"+ ion emitted from lithium phosphate as an ion source material by a Re double-filament ionization method in the thermal ionization mass spectrometry. In this method, Li isotopic fractionation is distinctly less sensitive to the filament temperature than those in the previous methods, and stable and high ion beam intensity of more than 8 x 10"-"1"1 A for "7Li is obtained. These advantages in determining the "7Li/"6Li ratio result in the analytical reproducibility of 0.26 per mille (1#sigma#). Furthermore, the sample preparation is simple and the low temperature (850degC) required by this method ensures the analysis of the isotopic composition of small amounts of Li with less influence of Li contamination to the sample, compared with the previous methods. (author).

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) can fully use the frequency band and transmit data at high speeds. The ADSP-TS101 is a high performance digital signal processor (DSP) with good properties that include parallel processing and a high speed. Aimed at the real-time processing requirement of the OFDM algorithm, an underwater acoustic communication system with real-time processing capability is carried out. The system is mainly composed of multiple ADSP-TS101s, a multi-channel synchronous sample module and a field programmable gate array (FPGA) chip. The multiprocessor structure is made up of a cluster/data flow associated multiprocessing parallel processing structure as the operation kernel, and a multi-channel synchronous sample module is designed to realize no phase warp amo...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This article analyses the prevalent situation of the formal Financial Institutions (FIs) in rural India using data from National Sample Survey 54th Round (January-June, 1998). We use sample selectivity model to examine the sanction of the loan by the FIs as a two-stage process. We model the choice of the household's credit requirement using an unordered choice model, namely, a multinomial logit model. Our results reveal that the rural households are considerably credit constrained. The households who do not have an account in a FI have a lower chance of obtaining the loan and households who are credit constrained have relatively lower land holding and they do not possess livestock. Households who borrow for nonfarm purpose exhibit a lower chance of obtaining credit compared to those househ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In this study, nanoparticle penetration was measured with a wide range of filter media using silver nanoparticles from 3 nm to 20 nm at three different face velocities in order to define nanoparticle filtration characteristics of commercial fibrous filter media. The silver particles were generated by heating a pure silver powder source via an electric furnace with a temperature of 870 deg. C, which was found to be the optimal temperature for generating an adequate amount of silver nanoparticles for the size range specified above. After size classification using a nano-DMA, the particle counts were measured by an Ultrafine Condensation Particle Counter (UCPC) both upstream and downstream of the test filter to determine the nanoparticle penetration for each specific particle size. Particle sampling time continued long enough to detect more than 10{sup 5} counts at the upstream and 10 counts at the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Fermi National Laboratory (Fermilab) operates the Tevatron proton-antiproton collider at a center-of-mass energy of {radical}s = 1.96 TeV, the is therefore the only collider which is today able to produce the heaviest known particle, the top quark. The top quark was discovered at the Tevatron by the CDF and D0 collaborations in 1995. At the Tevatron, most top quarks are produced via the strong interaction, whereby quark-antiquark annihilation dominates with 85%, and gluon fusion contributes with 15%. Considering next-to-leading order (NLO) contributions in the cross section of top-antitop quark production, leads to a slight positive asymmetry in the differential distribution of the production angle {alpha} of the top quarks. This asymmetry is due to the interference of certain NLO contributions. The charge asymmetry A in the cosine of {alpha} is predicted [14] to amount to 4-6%. Information about the partonic rest frame, necessary for a measurement of A in the observable cos ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We study the line widths in the [O III]#lambda#5007 and H#alpha# lines for two groups of planetary nebulae in the Milky Way bulge based upon spectroscopy obtained at the Observatorio Astronomico Nacional in the Sierra San Pedro Martir (OAN-SPM) using the Manchester Echelle Spectrograph. The first sample includes objects early in their evolution, having high H#beta# luminosities, but [O III]#lambda#5007/H#beta# < 3. The second sample comprises objects late in their evolution, with He II #lambda#4686/H#beta#>0.5. These planetary nebulae represent evolutionary phases preceding and following those of the objects studied by Richer et al. in 2008. Our sample of planetary nebulae with weak [O III]#lambda#5007 has a line width distribution similar to that of the expansion velocities of the envelopes of asymptotic giant branch stars and shifted to systematically lower values as compared to the less evolved objects studied by ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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, ...

Science.gov (United States)

Most of the synthetic gypsum generated from wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) scrubbers is currently being used for wallboard production. Because oxidized mercury is readily captured by the wet FGD scrubber, and coal-fired power plants equipped with wet scrubbers desire to benefit from the partial mercury control that these systems provide, some mercury is likely to be bound in with the FGD gypsum and wallboard. In this study, the feasibility of identifying mercury species in the FGD gypsum and wallboard samples was investigated using a large sample size thermal desorption method. Potential candidates of pure mercury standards including mercuric chloride (HgCl2), mercurous chloride (Hg2Cl2), mercury oxide (HgO), mercury sulfide (HgS), and mercuric sulfate (HgSO4) were analyzed to compare their results with those obtained from FGD gypsum and dry wallboard samples. Although any of the thermal ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We derive stellar masses, ages, and star formation histories (SFHs) of massive early-type galaxies in the z = 1.237 RDCS1252.9-2927 cluster and compare them with those measured in a similarly mass-selected sample of field contemporaries drawn from the Great Observatories Origin Deep Survey South Field. Robust estimates of these parameters are obtained by comparing a large grid of composite stellar population models with 8-9 band photometry in the rest-frame near-ultraviolet, optical, and IR, thus sampling the entire relevant domain of emission of the different stellar populations. Additionally, we present new, deep U-band photometry of both fields, giving access to the critical far-ultraviolet rest frame, in order to empirically constrain the dependence of the most recent star formation processes on the environment. We also analyze the morphological properties of both samples to examine the dependence of their scaling ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined in birch leaves (Folium Betulae), dandelion roots (Radix Taraxacae), hawthorn blossom (Inflorescentia Crataegi) and their infusions by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) after microwave digestion of plant samples. Infusions were made from herbs according to prescription for patients, provided by the producer of medicine on the package. The results obtained were compared with daily requirements for each element. Results show high content of cadmium in the medicinal plants analyzed. The highest level in infusions was observed for Ni and Zn (over 90% of the total element concentration for Ni and in most cases over 50% for Zn), and the lowest for Cd and Pb. The calculated daily intake of majority of the analyzed elements was very low (under 1% of daily requirements)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The application of the LBB technology to the newly constructed PWRs has been approved in Korea for several high energy systems that can meet rigorous acceptance criteria. The LBB evaluation had been initiated for Yong-Gwang 3 and 4 units (YGN 3 and 4) which are in service, and subsequently performed for Ul-Chin 3 and 4 units (UCN 3 and 4) which are in construction. The LBB application in Korea is based on the USNRC requirements. The LBB evaluation for YGN 3 and 4 is to eliminate the dynamic effects associated with the postulated DEGB from design basis loads as well as to eliminate pipe whip restraints and jet impingement barriers. There were several issues on the application of LBB to the primary coolant loop and the pressurizer surge line. Of concern were material properties of carbon steel for the primary coolant loop, estimation of crack opening area at the pipe-to-nozzle interface considering the asymmetry, and the leakage crack size which ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uranium-aluminum alloys with a significant enrichment of uranium with "2"3"3U or "2"3"5U serve as nuclear fuels in research reactors. The quality assurance of this fuel requires, among other things, precise knowledge that all trace metal constituents that affect neutron economy, fuel integrity, and fuel fabrication process parameters are well within the specification limits. Trace metal characterization of "2"3"5U-Al alloy has been carried out by atomic spectrometry. The trace metal constituents of interest are grouped into common metals (silver, boron, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, sodium, nickel, lead, silicon, tin, titanium, vanadium, tungsten, and zinc) and lanthanides (cerium, dysprosium, europium, gadolinium, holminium, lutetium, samarium, and terbium). The elements yttrium and zirconium are grouped with the latter in view of the chemical separation procedure used. The alloy samples ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report describes the work performed during FY 1995 by Pacific Northwest Laboratory in developing and optimizing analysis techniques for identifying organics present in Hanford waste tanks. The main focus was to provide a means for rapidly obtaining the most useful information concerning the organics present in tank waste, with minimal sample handling and with minimal waste generation. One major focus has been to optimize analytical methods for organic speciation. Select methods, such as atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry, were developed to increase the speciation capabilities, while minimizing sample handling. A capillary electrophoresis method was developed to improve separation capabilities while minimizing additional waste generation. In addition, considerable emphasis has been placed on developing a rapid screening tool, based on Raman and ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The crystallite size and orientation in molybdenum films prepared by magnetron sputtering at a low rate of typical 1 (angstrom)s and a pressure of 0.45 Pa was investigated by X-ray diffraction and texture analysis. The surface topography was studied using atomic force microscopy. Increasing the film thickness from 20 nm to 3 microm, the films show a turnover from a (110) fiber texture to a (211) mosaic-like texture. In the early state of growth (20 nm thickness) the development of dome-like structures on the surface is observed. The number of these structures increases with film thickness, whereas their size is weakly influenced. The effect of texture turnover is reduced by increasing the deposition rate by a factor of six, and it is absent for samples mounted above the center of the magnetron source. The effect of texture turnover is related to the bombardment of the films with high energetic argon neutrals resulting from ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Ultra fine tungsten carbide and cobalt powders were milled by high energy planetary ball mill at different ball to powder weight ratios (BPR) to produce particles of WC-10wt%Co hard metal in nanometer scale size. Microstructural characterizations by TEM show that the particle size of tungsten carbide was achieved to 32nm after milling at 15 BPR during 10h. In order to reduce the WC grain growth during the sintering process, tantalum carbide was added to the hard metal as a WC grain growth inhibitor. The nano hard metal powders were compacted at 200MPa pressure and sintered at 1370-1450degreeC temperatures in a high purity hydrogen atmosphere. The results show that the addition of 0.6wt% of TaC improves the hardness and fracture toughness from 1493 HV30 and 11.8MPam (for TaC free sample) to...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silicon nitride based ceramics have attracted considerable attention as good candidates for structural applications due to their excellent mechanical properties including strength, hardness, fracture toughness, and high temperature strength. These properties are strongly influenced by grain size and morphology, and by the degree of crystallinity and chemistry of grain boundary phases. In this work, the microstructure of Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} densified with Nd{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} sintering additives was studied. Sintered samples were polished and plasma etched for microstructural analysis using scanning electron microscope. Quantitative evaluation of materials microstructure was accomplished using Quantikov software. Fracture toughness was measured by Vickers indentation method. The observed microstructure is typical of silicon nitride based materials and is characterized by high aspect ratio.-Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} ...

Science.gov (United States)

The relationship between processing, microstructure, and properties was studied for A-15 compounds in multifilamentary composites produced by solid-state diffusion and in thin-film samples produced by vapor deposition. Grain sizes of A-15 superconducting compounds were measured by transmission electron microscopy of multifilamentary composites reacted at various temperatures. Critical current densities at 4.2 K and fields up to 6 T were found to be similar for niobium-tin, vanadium-gallium, and vanadium-silicon of the same grain size. Study of the Cu-V-Si phase diagram led to the production of improved multifilamentary vanadium-silicon conductors. The effects of various alloying elements on A-15 layers produced by solid-state diffusion were studied. The most promising new observation was that tantalum can be incorporated into niobium-tin reaction layers, leading to an enhancement of critical currents at high fields. The ...

Science.gov (United States)

Two major modes of CO adsorption on SiO{sub 2}-supported Pd reflect different extents of back-donation, which is, at least in part, controlled by the local electron density at the adsorption site. The fraction of CO in the bridging mode (B) increases and that of the linear mode (L) decreases, with increasing size of the Pd particles, indicating high electron density at Pd atoms in terraces of close-packed crystal faces, in agreement with Smoluchowski's classical model. For samples reduced at 300{degree}C our data points and those of other authors are located on a common curve of B/L vs metal dispersion. Extensive reduction at 600{degree}C results in significantly lower B/L values, attributed to the incipient formation of a palladium silicide. Oxidation followed by reduction at 300{degree}C destroys the silicide, and the B/L value returns to the original curve.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holmium doped barium based hexaferrites BaFe_1_2_-_2_xHo_2_xO_1_9 with (x = 0.0-1.0) were synthesized by solid state reaction method. Structural and magnetic characterization of these ferrites provide significant information about their reactive physical properties. X-ray analysis reveals that in all samples M-type structure exist with few secondary phases. Scanning electron microscope revealed the grain size of the specimen. The results show that grain size decreases with the substitution degree of Holmium. Thus rare earth element Holmium Ho"3"+ acts as a grain growth inhibitor. The magnetic hysteresis loops show the variation in the values of magnetic parameters like saturation magnetization (M_s), remanent magnetization (M_r) and coercivity (H_c) were observed by changing Ho"3"+ content in BaFe_1_2_-_2_xHo_2_xO_1_9 ferrites. Coercivity showed a maximum value of 2230 Oe for (x = 0.4) and then decreasing trend were ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

AFFF has fabricated the (U, Pu)O_2 mixed oxide fuels for PHWRs, BWRs, PFBRs and FBTRs. The quantitative dissolution of the fuel samples are required within time for accurate determination of uranium-plutonium in chemical quality control laboratory. This paper describes the use of microwave heating technique in quantitative dissolution of (U, Pu)O_2 MOX (from 0.4% to 44% PuO_2). (author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Many analytical chemistry methods normally used at the Savannah River site require repetitive procedures and handling of radioactive and other hazardous solutions. Robotics is being investigated as a method of reducing personnel fatigue and radiation exposure and also increasing product quality. Several applications of various commercially available robot systems are discussed involving cold (nonradioactive) and hot (radioactive) sample preparations and glovebox waste removal. Problems encountered in robot programming, parts fixturing, design of special robot hands and other support equipment, glovebox operation, and operator-system interaction are discussed. A typical robot system cost analysis for one application is given.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

New technological advances make it possible to perform on site gas-in-oil analysis quickly and efficiently. Gas-in-oil analysis is crucial in assessing the status of oil-filled electrical equipment. The new technique is used for extracting and measuring gases dissolved in electrical insulating oil. On-site sampling requires the use of a specially designed 100 ml capacity syringe. Extraction of the dissolved gases is made with a precise ratio of oil to air. A comparison was made between the analysis of the on-site and the laboratory techniques. Results showed that the detection limits of the on-site technique were comparable to those obtained by laboratory methods.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Surface quality is one of the most important criteria for establishing the optimum cutting parameters needed to perform a machining process. Usually, the evaluation of the degree of the surface finishing requires to apply metrological techniques which involve times out in the production. As a consequence of this, a loss in both the economy of the process and the fiability of the tests reproducibility can be produced. In this work a relation between cutting force and surface roughness has been studied for the turning process of an Al-Cu alloy. From this relation, the surface quality of the machined samples can be evaluated by using the cutting forces values acquired during the cutting process. (Author) 8 refs.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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)

An ASTER (advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer) is one of the image sensors. It is to be installed in an earth survey polar orbit platform satellite, EOS-AM1, which is to be launched in 1998, and it is going to start its operation. Data observed by the thermal infrared remote sensing of ASTER include the spectral emissivity, and the spectral emission reflectivity which is expressed by the function of temperature. It is required to overcome technical problems how to extract the spectral emissivity from the observed data. The spectral emissivity extracted from the remote sensing data by the MMD method, measured for samples collected in Cuprite area, Nevada, and/or measured at sampled points were compared to each other and discussed. The hemisphere spectral reflectivity, which is indirect spectral emissivity, agreed well with the direct spectral emissivity. Data suggesting the establishment of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Safety-technical factors related to spontaneous ignition and dust explosions of biomasses were investigated. Parametres of dust explosions and effect of inertisation on the maximum pressure (pmax) and the maximum rate of pressure rise (Kstmax) were studied at elevated initial pressure (1-9 bar). The level of inertisation required to prevent dust explosions totally was determined at different initial pressures. The sensitivity of fuels to spontaneous ignition and the effect of pressure on the sensitivity to and temperature of spontaneous ignition were studied on a pressurised dynamic self-ignition equipment. The effect of inertisation on the self-ignition temperature and alternatives of preventing spontaneous ignition by effective inertisation in the pressure ranges of 1 and 25 bar were investigated. As an example of application, results obtained with the laboratory test equipment were extrapolated to bin sizes used in practice. As a factor ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Diet overlap and niche breadth are well-known species traits from trophic ecology that can assist in explaining how species interact and coexist as well as the ecological mechanisms that influence biodiversity. In the present study, we analyzed the relationships between these trophic variables and indicators of resource availability with some attributes of fish assemblages (species richness, Shannon diversity index, evenness, density and individual body size). The physical and chemical characteristics of the biotopes (topography, water quality and conservation of slopes) were examined to identify possible patterns. Monthly sampling using electrofishing was conducted in 2003 along five streams located in the Cuiab? River watershed. The relationships between environmental variables and attri...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this paper a novel method is presented, based on the use of plasma processing, to suppress the transient enhanced diffusion of boron implanted in silicon. We found for silicon samples processed with plasma and subsequently boron implanted that the anomalous diffusion of the dopant atoms at the beginning of the annealing process is almost completely suppressed. This phenomenon is interpreted in terms of capture of the ion beam generated interstitials by the dislocations induced by the plasma processing. At room temperature the dislocations are observed to grow in size after the boron implant, attesting their efficiency as trapping centres for interstitials. Moreover, varying the plasma process conditions we can establish a general relation between the presence of the trapping centres induced by the plasma processing and the suppression of the transient diffusion.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Electrostatic separation has already proved to be an effective means for the recycling of granular plastics from industrial wastes. The aim of the present work was to optimize the operation of a novel device that could ensure effective triboelectric charging of such materials prior to their selective sorting in a high-intensity electric field. The experiments were performed on two sorts of mm-size granular materials Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene and High Impact Polystyrene, originating from the processing of waste electric and electronic equipment. The samples were introduced in a Polyvinyl Chloride cylinder, where a co-axial propeller entrained the plastic granules into a helical motion that favored their triboelectric charging by combining the mechanical and aerodynamical effects. The ...

CERN Document Server

The analysis of the linearization effect in multifractal analysis, and hence of the estimation of moments for multifractal processes, is revisited borrowing concepts from the statistical physics of disordered systems, notably from the analysis of the so-called Random Energy Model. Considering a standard multifractal process (compound Poisson motion), chosen as a simple representative example, we show: i) the existence of a critical order q* beyond which moments, though finite, cannot be estimated through empirical averages, irrespective of the sample size of the observation; ii) that multifractal exponents necessarily behave linearly in q, for q > q*. Tailoring the analysis conducted for the Random Energy Model to that of Compound Poisson motion, we provide explicative and quantitative predictions for the values of q* and for the slope controlling the linear behavior of the multifractal exponents. These quantities are shown to be related ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract The Eiffel Tower edifice is situated in the Lucky Strike hydrothermal vent field at a mean depth of 1690-m on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). At this 11-m-high hydrothermal structure, different faunal assemblages, varying in visibly dominant species (mussels and shrimp), in mussel size and in density of mussel coverage, were sampled biologically and chemically. Temperature and sulphide (-S) were measured on the different types of mussel-based assemblages and on a shrimp-dominated assemblage. Temperature was used as a proxy for calculating total concentrations of CH4. Based on the physico-chemical measurements, two microhabitats were identified, corresponding to (i) a more variable habitat featuring the greatest fluctuations in environmental variables and (ii) a second, more stable, ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Abstract The recent paper by Heyer et al. indicates that observations of size, linewidth and column density of interstellar clouds do not agree with simple virial equilibrium (SVE) as a balance between gravitational and kinetic energies in the sense that the clouds either have too much kinetic energy or too little mass to be bound. This may be explained by violation of SVE as suggested by Dobbs et al., by observational underestimation of the masses as suggested by Heyer et al. or by an external pressure acting as an additional confining force as suggested earlier by Heyer et al. The data of Heyer et al. cannot be explained with a single value for the external pressure, but if different clouds in the sample have different external pressures in the range of Pe/k= 104-107 cm-3-K, then most of...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This paper deals with surface defects of automobile outer panels, which alter significantly the vehicle quality. Such defects occur during springback, after forming or flanging steps, and are characterized by concave depression of small amplitude over the convex shape of the part. The aim of this work is to reproduce at the laboratory scale a surface defect that occurs after flanging on a geometry similar to a door upper corner. A dedicated device has been designed in order to generate small size surface defects during flanging of metallic thin sheets. The outer surface of the sample was digitalized and the spatial geometry of the defect was evaluated from curvature change along 2D profiles. This study shows that the flanging height does not influence significantly the surface defect geome...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Apparatus for solid-phase antibody separation techniques used in radioimmunoassays is described in this invention. It consists of a rectangular prism tray with multiple wells protruding into its interior from one side. Near the base of the tray is an orifice used for creating evacuated condition within the structure. At the base of each well there is an orifice of such size and shape as to retain an aqueous liquid under given pressure conditions but permit the evacuation of this liquid at reduced pressure. The outlet of these orifices is in the shape of an inverted conical frustrum. Each of the wells contains an antibody coated disc of porous cellulose paper surrounded by a plastic support. The porous nature of the cellulose paper ensures contact between the antibody coating and the antigen. The use of antibody coated porous cellulose paper in combination with the vacuum operated apparatus simplifies the manipulative steps whilst still maintaining the sensitivity ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Recently, the precise isotope ratios of some refractory elements in meteorites have been reported using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The in situ decay of {sup 182}Hf (T{sub 1/2}=9 Myr), which was produced at the latest nucleosynthesis, is recognized in many meteorites as isotopic anomalies of its daughter isotope, {sup 182}W. The degrees of relative {sup 182}W isotopic deviation in extra-terrestrial and terrestrial silicate samples vary from +0.3% to {+-}0% related to the size of their parent bodies. One ready interpretation of its correlation is the difference in timing of metal-silicate separation in the parent bodies. Between the earth and meteorite parent bodies, the difference is calculated to be about four times of the half-life of {sup 182}Hf, equivalent to 36 Myr. (author)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Department of Energy selected caustic-side solvent extraction (CSSX) as the preferred cesium-removal technology for SRS high-level waste. In the pretreatment step of the CSSX flowsheet, the incoming salt solution, which contains entrained sludge, is contacted with MST to adsorb strontium and selected actinides. An alternative approach replaces MST with the addition of sodium permanganate, strontium nitrate, and hydrogen peroxide. The pretreatment operation then filters the resulting slurry to remove the sludge and MST or manganese oxide and strontium carbonate solids. The filtrate receives further treatment in the solvent extraction system. SRTC personnel coordinated tests using a SpinTek rotary microfilter at the vendor location in FY01. These tests demonstrated a significant improvement - 2.5 to 6 times increase - in performance relative to the conventional cross-flow filter units. Rotary microfilter testing used a filter disk with nominal pore size of either ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

For the first time, rheological phase method, a simple and effective route, is applied to synthesize novel cathode material LiCoPO4. X-ray diffraction spectrometer (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) are taken to investigate this material, respectively. XRD figure shows that the rheological sample is better crystallized than the solid-state one. XPS result of the rheological sample exhibits that the valence of Co is 2+. TEM images show that better dispersed particles with smaller size can be formed by rheological method comparing to the solid-state route. Charge-discharge test is carried out in the range of 3.0-5.0 V at 0.2 mA cm-2. The initial discharge capacity for rheological phase and solid-state powder is 71.5 and 30.9 mAh g-1, respectively. The better electrochemical property should be ascribed to the better crystallized ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Performance of SRF cavities are limited by non-linear localized effects. The variation of local material characters between "hot" and "cold" spots is thus of intense interest. Such locations were identified in a BCP-etched large-grain single-cell cavity and removed for examination by high resolution electron microscopy (SEM), electron-back scattering diffraction microscopy (EBSD), optical microscopy, and 3D profilometry. Pits with clearly discernable crystal facets were observed in both "hotspot" and "coldspot" specimens. The pits were found in-grain, at bi-crystal boundaries, and on tri-crystal junctions. They are interpreted as etch pits induced by surface crystal defects (e.g. dislocations). All "coldspots" examined had qualitatively low density of etching pits or very shallow tri-crystal boundary junction. EBSD revealed the crystal structure surrounding the pits via crystal phase orientation mapping, while 3D profilometry gave information on the depth and size ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A bulge-disk decomposition is made for 737 spiral and lenticular galaxies drawn from a Sloan Digital Sky Survey galaxy sample for which morphological types are estimated. We carry out the bulge-disk decomposition using the growth curve fitting method. It is found that bulge properties, effective radius, effective surface brightness, and also absolute magnitude, change systematically with the morphological sequence; from early to late types, the size becomes somewhat larger, and surface brightness and luminosity fainter. In contrast, disks are nearly universal, their properties remaining similar among disk galaxies irrespective of detailed morphologies from S0 to Sc. While these tendencies were often discussed in previous studies, the present study confirms them based on a large homogeneous magnitude-limited field galaxy sample with morphological types estimated. The systematic change of bulge-to-total luminosity ratio, B/T, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The author studied the conditions needed to routinely estimate the radiation dose in chicken bone by repeated re-irradiation and measuring ESR signals. Chicken meat containing bone was {gamma}-irradiated at doses of up to 3kGy, accepted as the commercially used dose. The results show that points in sample preparation and ESR measurement are as follows: Both ends of bone are cut off and central part of compact bone is used for experiment. To obtain accurate ESR spectrum, marrow should be scraped out completely. Sample bone fragments of 1-2mm particle size and ca.100mg are recommended to obtain stable and maximum signal. In practice, by re-irradiating up to 5kGy and extrapolating data of the signal intensity to zero using linear regression analysis, radiation dose is estimated. For example, in one experiment, estimated doses of chicken bones initially irradiated at 3.0kGy, 1.0kGy, 0.50kGy and 0.25kGy were 3.4kGy, 1.3kGy, ...

CERN Document Server

Containing an epidemic at its origin is the most desirable mitigation. Epidemics have often originated in rural areas, with rural communities among the first affected. Disease dynamics in rural regions have received limited attention, and results of general studies cannot be directly applied since population densities and human mobility factors are very different in rural regions from those in cities. We create a network model of a rural community in Kansas, USA, by collecting data on the contact patterns and computing rates of contact among a sampled population. We model the impact of different mitigation strategies detecting closely connected groups of people and frequently visited locations. Within those groups and locations, we compare the effectiveness of random and targeted vaccinations using a Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered compartmental model on the contact network. Our simulations show that the targeted vaccinations of only 10% of the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The burning characteristics of fuel droplets containing nano and micron-sized aluminum particles were investigated. Particle size, surfactant concentration, and the type of base fluid were varied. In general, nanosuspensions can last much longer than micron suspensions, and ethanol-based fuels were found to achieve much better suspension than n-decane-based fuels. Five distinctive stages (preheating and ignition, classical combustion, microexplosion, surfactant flame, and aluminum droplet flame) were identified for an n-decane/nano-Al droplet, while only the first three stages occurred for an n-decane/micron-Al droplet. For the same solid loading rate and surfactant concentration, the disruption and microexplosion behavior of the micron suspension occurred later with much stronger intensity. The intense droplet fragmentation was accompanied by shell rupture, which caused a massive explosion of particles, and most of them were burned during this ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

US Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5400.1 requires the preparation of environmental monitoring plans and implementation of environmental monitoring programs for all DOE facilities. The order identifies two distinct components of environmental monitoring, namely effluent monitoring and environmental surveillance. In general, effluent monitoring has the objectives of characterizing contaminants and demonstrating compliance with applicable standards and permit requirements, whereas environmental surveillance has the broader objective of monitoring the effects of DOE activities on on- and off-site environmental and natural resources. The purpose of this document is to support the Environmental Monitoring Plan for the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) by describing the groundwater component of the environmental surveillance program for the DOE facilities on the ORR. The distinctions between groundwater effluent monitoring and groundwater surveillance ...

Science.gov (United States)

Operating PWR units in the USA have experienced very severe corrosion of the tube support plate at the crevice between the tube and the support. This results in distortion of the plate and crushing of the tube (denting). The first task of this project required that currently available computational methods to estimate the pH attained by concentrating boiler water under various fault conditions such as condenser leakage of river waters and faulty operation of condensate polishing plant. Particular attention has been paid to systems in which sulfate predominates. In the second task, the mechanisms are discussed by which solutions become concentrated in porous deposits on a boiling heat transfer surface. It is concluded that more experimental data are needed to test the validity of existing models. High solution concentrations in the deposit may occur at a heat flux close to the critical value for drying out the base of the deposit. The pore to bulk concentration ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The main objectives of Phase 2 are to determine the feasibility of using cements with controlled particle size distributions (CPSD cements) in practical concrete applications, and to refine our estimates of the potential energy savings that may ensue from such use. The work in Phase 2 is divided into two main tasks, some parts of which will be carried out simultaneously: Task 1 will continue cement paste studies to optimize cement performance similar to those of Phase 1, but with particular emphasis on gypsum requirements, blended cements, and water-reducing admixtures. This task will also include preparation of sufficient CPSD cements for use in all Phase 2 work. Task 2 will be a comprehensive examination of the properties of concretes made with CPSD cements. This will include optimization of concrete mix designs to obtain the best possible performance for practical applications of both portland and blended cements. The effects of chemical ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Further improvement of dimensional tolerance and elimination of such post-processing as cutting work are required for the maximum exhibition of the features of sintered parts. Powder behavior in fall filling and leveling off is observed with the prototype of visual apparatus for observing powder filling. It is found that the delay in the replacement of powder by air in the die and the fall along the angle of repose are the causes for the occurrence of particle size segregation, and that the diagonal downward slide of powder in upper layer only in leveling off is the cause for nonuniformity of the density. As a result, it is found that improvement of powder flowability and minimization of shaking are important for uniform and rapid filling of powder in a thin walled and complicated shape die cavity, and a guide for developing uniform filling method is made clear. Based on the result, a new uniform filling method for powder is under development ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The article has three sections. The first discusses the environmental problems the tanker traffic poses to the Norwegian coastal waters and shores. Various precautionary measures and requirements are briefly presented. The size of the present marine transportation and the future Russian marine petroleum activity in the Barents area are briefly mentioned. The second named, conflicting exploration drilling, presents the conflicting interests regarding exploratory drilling in the Barents Sea in Norway. The environmental problems are large and have lead to an on-going reevaluation. Some pollution abatement measures are mentioned. The regional economic development is briefly outlined. The third deals with the Norwegian governmental safety activities and presents a brief survey of the official safety activities in the petroleum sector in Norway and the international cooperation particularly with the Russian Federation. The emphasis is on the maritime ...

CERN Document Server

We have developed a simulation code with the techniques which enhance both spatial and time resolution of the PM method for which the spatial resolution is restricted by the spacing of structured mesh. The adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) technique subdivides the cells which satisfy the refinement criterion recursively. The hierarchical meshes are maintained by the special data structure and are modified in accordance with the change of particle distribution. In general, as the resolution of the simulation increases, its time step must be shortened and more computational time is required to complete the simulation. Since the AMR enhances the spatial resolution locally, we reduce the time step locally also, instead of shortening it globally. For this purpose we used a technique of hierarchical time steps (HTS) which changes the time step, from particle to particle, depending on the size of the cell in which particles reside. Some test calculations ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The development of 'Green Chemistry' requires new materials to replace the conventional organic chemistry by biological catalysts, to produce fine chemicals in an environmentally friendly manner. Microbial whole cells can be directly used as biocatalysts, providing a simple and cheap methodology since enzyme isolation and purification are avoided. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is a very stable polymer though it can be activated by gamma radiation to induce grafting. Glycidyl methacrylate was grafted onto macroporous HDPE and PP in the range of 1-6%, proportional to the initial monomer concentration. Grafted polymers were further chemically modified with ethylenediamine to generate a cationic hydrogel of micron-size thickness onto the internal polymer surfaces. Modified polymers were able to immobilize Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria that can catalyze a chemical reaction as efficient as free cells do.

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.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waste electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) constitutes 4% of the municipal waste in Europe, being increased by 16-28% every five years. Nowadays, Europe produces 6,5 million tonnes of WEEE per year and currently 90% goes to landfill. WEEE waste is growing 3 times faster than municipal waste and this figure is expected to be increased up to 12 million tones by 2015. Applying a new technology to separate non-ferrous metal Waste from WEEE is the aim of this paper, by identifying multi-and hyper-spectral materials and inserting them in a recycling plant. This technology will overcome the shortcomings passed by current methods, which are unable to separate valuable materials very similar in colour, size or shape. For this reason, it is necessary to develop new algorithms able to distinguish among these materials and to face the timing requirements. (Author). 22 refs.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A Process for yellow cake production from local Euxenite was developed in Bench Scale by using sulphuric acid digestion with simultaneously ion-exchange and solvent extraction purification steps. Uranium was then precipitated as uranium diuranate by ammonia solution. Equipment used in this process includes : digestion vessels, columnar ion-exchange, solvent extraction and precipitation units Ore feed to the process could be adjusted up to 2 kilogram per day (8 hours operation) with yellow cake product purity meet the requirement of Usaec standard of about 10-50 gram per day. Included in this experiment are the leaching characteristics of the ore, the design and construction of continuous columnar 4-cycle ion exchange unit, determination of the extraction and stripping stages of a gravity flow mixer-settler and the design and construction of continuous yellow cake precipitation unit with large grain size and high density product

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Electromagnetic forming (EMF) is a forming process that relies on the inductive electromagnetic force to deform metallic workpiece at high speed. Calculation of the electromagnetic force is essential to understand the EMF process. However, accurate calculation requires complex numerical solution, in which the coupling between the electromagnetic process and the deformation of workpiece needs be considered. In this paper, an appropriate formula has been developed to calculate the electromagnetic force in metal work-piece in the sheet EMF process. The effects of the geometric size of coil, the material properties, and the parameters of discharge circuit on electromagnetic force are taken into consideration. Through the formula, the electromagnetic force at different time and in different positions of the workpiece can be predicted. The calculated electromagnetic force and magnetic field are in good agreement with the numerical and experimental ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In order to reduce the size and cost of heat exchangers, an air-side wavy fin-and-tube heat transfer surface with three-row tubes needs to be replaced by two-row tubes with some appropriate enhancing techniques. The major purpose of the present paper is to search for such new structure by numerical simulation. First, longitudinal vortex generators of Delta-winglet type are tried. The influence of number and of arrangement of the winglets on the performance of the heat transfer surface is studied in detail. The numerical results show that the fin with two winglets aligned spanwise in the front and rear of each tube (Fin W6) has higher heat transfer capability than other enhanced structures with vortex generators, but it still unable to meet the heat transfer requirement. Then a combination ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The published literature is reviewed and supplemented by current information from the author's laboratory, to show the influence of various compositional, heat treatment and thermomechanical factors on the structural characteristics of Alloy 800. The features discussed include carbon, aluminium, titanium and boron, solution treatment, ageing treatments with and without applied strain, and cold working. Examples of the aspects reviewed include the effect of heat treatment and service or testing temperature on the austenite grain size, and the relative importance of M_2_3C_6 and TiC, the influence of carbon level on gamma prime, the effect of residual or steady stress combined with time at temperature on changes in carbide or gamma prime morphology, and on the appearance of sigma or other intermetallic phases. The questions posed by these features are discussed generally, in terms of their effect on the mechanical properties at ambient and elevated temperatures and ...

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 ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Background and AimsIt is well known that genome size differs among species. However, information on the variation and dynamics of genome size in wild populations and on the early...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Individual nanoscale building blocks exhibit a wide range of size-dependent properties, since their size can be tuned over known characteristic length scales of bulk materials. In the last several years, the possibility of combining different materials in the form of two and three component nanoparticles (NPs) has been extensively explored. Also multi-component materials can be obtained via self-assembly of NPs from their binary colloidal mixtures. These new nanocrystal solids may possess tunable collective properties that originate from interactions between size and composition controlled building blocks. Exchange coupling between neighboring NPs of magnetically soft and hard materials enhances the magnetic energy product of the nanocomposite material. Randomly mixed solids of small and large semiconducting CdSe NPs revealed enhancement of photoluminescence intensity of large semiconductor particles accompanied by ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The average American generates four pounds of solid waste per day, yet increasing constraints are being placed on the ability of municipalities to handle waste disposal. Most cities face a scarcity of acceptable landfill sites and conventional incineration and landfill methods have come under strict air, water and soil pollution standards. City administrators are being encouraged to select from a variety of proposed technologies that supplant traditional waste disposal methods, some of which offer the promise of revenues from energy and resource recovery. The problem is to select from available near-term technologies those systems that will fit into a city's long-term solid-waste management program. Broadly, waste-to-energy recovery systems now available to cities may be classified as combustion, pyrolysis, biodegradation, and mechanical front-end systems. It is important to notice that operations used for mechanical front-end systems (i.e., separation, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The extent to which the size of a modular stellarator reactor may be reduced is investigated by means of an analytic model of the reactor. The various means employed include varying the blanket/shield thickness, the power output and the wall loading. An optimum design is found, the major radius of which tends to be insensitive to changes in these quantities, although a decrease in the power output leads to a rather smaller decrease in reactor dimensions, as would be expected. Varying the plasma beta at fixed (iota/2..pi..)/sup 2/epsilon or, alternatively, increasing the rotational transform per field period, may, however, allow configurations with fewer field periods to be accessed which have a substantially smaller major radius than the 'standard case' adopted. The magnetics of various configurations required by the model are checked by field line following and the performance claimed is shown to be relatively easily ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

As need for development of marginal and deepwater oil fields grows, demand increases for floating production vessels (FPVs) such as floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) units; spread-moored production semi-submersibles; and turret-moored production vessels. The FPV may be purpose-built; or an existing vessel such as an exploration drilling semi-sub or ship-shape vessel may be modified to suit the purpose. In either case, requirements for tensioning systems for the mooring lines on the FPV are quite unique, and are not without the potential for problems when traditional chain windlasses or wire rope systems are employed. This two-part article discusses the range of available technologies and systems for tensioning mooring lines on FPVs. It examines problems of size, weight and safety associated with some available designs; and it considers in detail a specific family of new units. Part 1, presented here, discusses the FPV market, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

CANDU steam generators and heat exchangers have been afflicted with a significant variety of degradation mechanisms. Until recently, detection and characterization of most of the varieties of flaws required usage of several different eddy current techniques. Tubes needed to be scanned multiple times to ensure they were inspected for all possible degradation mechanisms. The time required to deploy so many different types of techniques to inspect the steam generator tubes has had a significant impact on the inspection schedules. The X-Probe was designed with an array of eddy current coils capable of detecting, characterizing and sizing axial, circumferential and volumetric flaws. The X-Probe is a fast-scanning probe with scanning speed equivalent to speeds typically used for simple bobbin coil probes. With its capability of fulfilling most if not all of the functions of the other tube-testing eddy current probes, it can ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The objective of this project was to develop a explosion suppression system capable to confine and extinguish gas explosions of the type produced in sub level caving faces when blasting to the coal pillar. Existing systems, such as triggered barriers, were considered not to be valid because of size, weight, cost, and other operational constraints. The research activities have been focused in the development of a mixed water/air spray system that should be manually activated some second before blasting. Two prototypes have been developed and tested, the first one using nozzle operating at the standard ranges of pressure that are normally available in underground coal mines, and a second one based in high-pressure nozzles. In this case, bottles containing a pressurized air/water mixtures are required. The works carried out included theoretical studies, hydraulic nozzles characterization, and modelling of the explosion phenomena using the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Real-time mission-oriented embedded systems are much more difficult to design than ordinary software systems. They require highly reliable and efficient implementations to satisfy mission and time constraints imposed by the applications. The Ada language was designed to facilitate real-time-system software development. However, for many programmers the size and complexity of Ada itself are of concern. In the assertive programming paradigm, computations are specified as sets of assertions about properties of the solution, and not as a sequence of procedural steps. Solving procedures are automatically generated from the assertive description. Real-time programming for mission-oriented systems is supported by equational languages in which assertions are expressed as algebraic equations. Programs written in equational languages are concise, free from implementation details, and easily amenable to verification and parallel processing. The level of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The present work addresses an off-axis Cassegrain optical concentration system. The specific primary collector analyzed, a short focal length parabolic concentrator, is at the University of Florida`s Energy Park. A secondary hyperbolic reflective element was designed to redirect the solar radiation from the primary focal plane to an off-axis target on the polar axis of the primary concentrator. This ground level target will be required for planned experimental work. The analysis was performed using a numerical ray tracing procedure that incorporates both random and systematic errors due to slope and surface irregularities. The optimization process varied secondary element size, curvature, and offset angle, and yielded information required for optimum design. As a single secondary element was found impractical, three elements were designed for use at various time of the year. The numerical analysis predicts that typically 70 ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) of the Department of Energy is designed to identify and evaluate the radiological conditions at sites formerly used by the Corps of Engineers Manhattan Engineer District and the US Atomic Energy Commission. Where required, remedial action will be instituted to remove potential restrictions on the use of the sites due to residual low-level radioactive contamination. A total of 31 sites that may require remedial action has been identified. The purpose of the Ocean FUSRAP Program, which began in March 1981, is to assess the technical, environmental, and institutional feasibility of disposing, in the ocean and on the ocean floor, of FUSRAP soil and rubble which contains traces of natural radioactive materials. The initial focus has been on the Middlesex, New Jersey, Sampling Plant site and surrounding properties, which contain on the order of 100,000 metric tons of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In abnormal conditions, the operator's ability to deal with a large volume of data, and initiate the most appropriate remedial action is a fundamental concern in the design of energy control centers. Once a severe disruption has occurred in the power network, a series of tasks are required before the operator can make any decisions. Many of these functions involve computational efforts, and require a long period of processing time. The application of a wrong set of information by the operator may result in a catastrophic recovery situation. Also, as the system becomes larger, the required time for these tasks grows significantly and the operator may have very little time to analyze the contingency and issue a proper decision. These facts have led to the conclusion that a computer driven decision making mechanism will help the operator perform duties with minimum flaws and maximum efficiency. The challenge in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The application of the large-bore direct injection high efficiency nebulizer (LB-DIHEN) for the determination of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg) in urine by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is described. The LB-DIHEN is compared with the standard method using a concentric pneumatic nebulizer and cyclonic spray chamber. In addition to the toxicological significance of As, Cd, Pb, and Hg, these elements represent a cross-section of analytical issues including spectral interferences (e.g., {sup 40}Ar{sup 35}Cl{sup +} on {sup 75}As{sup +} and {sup 98}Mo{sup 16}O{sup +} on {sup 114}Cd{sup +}) and memory effects (Hg). In this study, the low sample consumption of the LB-DIHEN is used to reduce the volume of urine needed for analysis, and to reduce the volume of final diluted sample required for analysis. Eliminating the spray chamber and reducing the dead volume of the nebulizer reduces ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Body size variation across the Metazoa is immense, encompassing 17 orders of magnitude in biovolume. Factors driving this extreme diversification in size and the consequences of size variation for biological...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Full text.Sediments are the ultimate sink of trace elements. The total metal analysis may only give information concerning possible enrichment of metals. The analysis of metal partitioning in the different chemical components of sediments (exchangeable, carbonate, easily reducible, moderately reducible, organic and residual); give a detailed information on the way in which these metals are bound to sediments, their mobilization capacity and their ability to affect water quality under different environmental conditions. The studied river basin is dominated by limestone formation, the enrichment of metals in the carbonate sediment fraction is a high probability. The objective of the study was to determine the percentage of the total metal content (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu and Pb) in the six chemical fractions of the bed load sediments of Nahr-Ibrahim river during the dry season and verify the role of carbonate for metal sediment deposition. Bed load sediments were sampled at ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper reports that grinding and polishing affected the orientation of 90[degrees] domains at the surface of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics. This was quantified by using changes in the intensity ratio of the (002) and (200) X-ray reflections. Grinding unpoled PZT with 600-grit SiC paper gave X-ray intensity ratios similar to those of poled material. This implies that 90[degrees] domain realignments had occurred in the near surface region probed by the X-rays. Grinding poled samples with 600-grit SiC further increased the X-ray intensity ratio beyond that caused by poling, indicating that additional surface reorientation of 90[degrees] domains had occurred. The effects of diamond polishing depended on the size of the diamond particles. The use of 6-[mu]m diamond had no effect on the (002)/(200) intensity ratio of either poled or unpoled samples, while polishing with 15- or 45-[mu]m diamond significantly enhanced ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The radiation-induced microstructural changes have been studied by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy for single-crystal {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} samples irradiated with triple ion beams (0.25 MeV H{sup +}, 0.6 MeV He{sup +} and 2.4 MeV O{sup 2+}; `Triple (A)`), (0.33 MeV H{sup +}, 0.45 MeV He{sup +} and 1.3 MeV O{sup +}; `Triple (B)`) and three consecutive single ion beams (0.3 MeV H{sup +} ion followed by 0.6 MeV He{sup +} and then 0.8 MeV O{sup +} ions) at 650 C to doses in the range 0.1-8.4 dpa at the damage peak. In the specimen irradiated with Triple (A), having the same average projected range to a total peak dose of 3.7 dpa, cavities with an average diameter of 13 nm were formed between 1.2 and 1.75 {mu}m in depth causing a swelling of 0.1% at the peak, which is larger than those of the specimens irradiated with other conditions. The extent of the cavity-introduced region is some 40% smaller than observed in the damage region due to the ...

Science.gov (United States)

We present a femtosecond Laser Two-Photon Polymerization (LTPP) system of large scale three-dimensional structuring for applications in tissue engineering. The direct laser writing system enables fabrication of artificial polymeric scaffolds over a large area (up to cm in lateral size) with sub-micrometer resolution which could find practical applications in biomedicine and surgery. Yb:KGW femtosecond laser oscillator (Pharos, Light Conversion. Co. Ltd.) is used as an irradiation source (75 fs, 515 nm (frequency doubled), 80 MHz). The sample is mounted on wide range linear motor driven stages having 10 nm sample positioning resolution (XY--ALS130-100, Z--ALS130-50, Aerotech, Inc.). These stages guarantee an overall travelling range of 100 mm into X and Y directions and 50 mm in Z direction and support the linear scanning speed up to 300 mm/s. By moving the sample three-dimensionally the position of ...