The world's oceans contain a complex mixture of micro-organisms that are for the most part, uncharacterized both genetically and biochemically. We report here a metagenomic study of the marine planktonic...Full Text Available
Metagenomics projects based on shotgun sequencing of populations of micro-organisms yield insight into protein families. We used sequence similarity clustering to explore proteins with a comprehensive dataset consisting of sequences from available databases together with 6.12 million proteins predicted from an assembly of 7.7 million Global Ocean Sampling (GOS) sequences. The GOS dataset covers nearly all known prokaryotic protein families. A total of 3,995 medium- and large-sized clusters consisting of only GOS sequences are identified, out of which 1,700 have no detectable homology to known families. The GOS-only clusters contain a higher than expected proportion of sequences of viral origin, thus reflecting a poor sampling of viral diversity until now. Protein domain distributions in the GOS dataset and current protein databases show distinct biases. Several protein domains that were previously categorized as kingdom specific are shown to ...
This paper reports on hydroelectric pumped storage which is the only proven and most efficient technology available for energy storage. It is used by utilities to provide peak and intermediate power and to optimize overall system performance. Because of increased environmental and regulatory constraints, few acceptable sites, long schedules, and huge financial commitments, large conventional pumped storage plants, are now virtually impossible to build. As an alternative, small modular pumped storage, with project sizes ranging from 25 MW to 200 MW, was created to overcome the difficulties of conventional projects. The modular approach involves standardizing the elements of a pumped storage plant by utilizing specialized siting techniques and optimizing design, equipment, and construction. Compared with conventional pumped storage, the modular design can reduce cost and expedite schedule; reduce environmental concerns and permitting obstacles; and ...
Clinical questionWhat is the best treatment for bacterial conjunctivitis?ResultsTopical antibiotics expedite recovery from bacterial conjunctivitis....Full Text Available
Expedited site characterization (ESC), developed by Argonne National Laboratory, is an interactive, integrated process emphasizing the use of existing data of sufficient quality, multiple complementary characterization methods, and on-site decision making to optimize environmental site investigations. The Argonne ESC is the basis for the provisional ESC standard guide of the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials). QuickSite{sup SM} is the implementation package developed by Argonne to facilitate ESC of sites contaminated with hazardous wastes. At various sites, Argonne has successfully implemented QuickSite{sup SM} and demonstrated the technical superiority of the ESC process over traditional methodologies guided by statistics and random-sampling approaches. A key feature in the success of QuickSite{sup SM} investigations is achieving an understanding of the subsurface geologic and hydrogeologic controls and processes at a site ...
Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) has just ... initiated a program for glaciological activities. This is aimed at establishing infra structure and ...
USGS scientists Ellyn Montgomery and William Danforth discuss incoming data in a computer lab on U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy. This was during a scientific expedition to map the Arctic seafloor....
USGS geologists Peter Triezenberg and William Danforth sit with WHOI/LDEO Computer Technician Tom Bolmer in the Healy computer lab. This was during a scientific expedition to map the Arctic seafloor....
Feb 23, 2001 ... Florida, as an F-16 weapons separation engineer with .... new era of space-based research aboard the International Space. Station. ..... the Web at: http://www. aiaa.org/calen- dar/index.hfm?cal=1&cfp=1 ...
Expedition 22 Commander Jeff Williams, aboard the International Space Station 220 miles above Earth, responds to questions posted on YouTube concerning the station's orientation, life in space and the recent butterfly experiment.
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.
Glow discharge plasma nitriding of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel has been carried out for different processing time under optimum discharge conditions established by spectroscopic analysis. The treated samples were analysed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) to explore the changes induced in the crystallographic structure. The XRD pattern confirmed the formation of an expanded austenite phase (#gamma#_N) owing to incorporation of nitrogen as an interstitial solid solution in the iron lattice. A Vickers microhardness tester was used to evaluate the surface hardness as a function of indentation depth (#mu#m). The results showed clear evidence of surface changes with substantial increase in surface hardness.
The National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP) was designed to expand the quantity and improve the quality of data in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food composition databases through the collection and analysis of nationally representative samples of foods and beverages. This paper describes some of the findings from the NFNAP and its impact on the food composition databases produced by USDA. The NFNAP employs statistically valid sampling plans, comprehensive quality control, and USDA analytical oversight to generate new and updated analytical data for food components. USDA food consumption and composition data were used to target those foods that are major contributors of nutrients of public health significance to the U.S. diet (454 Key Foods). Foods were ran...
Abstract In this first systematic attempt to characterize the intranight optical variability (INOV) of TeV-detected blazars, we have monitored a well-defined set of nine TeV blazars on total 26 nights during 2004-10. In this R- or V-band-monitoring programme only one blazar was monitored per night and the minimum duration was close to 4-h, the average being 5.3 h per night. Using the CCD for strictly simultaneous photometry of the blazar and nearby reference stars (N-star photometry), an INOV detection threshold of -1-2-per cent was achieved in the densely sampled differential light curves derived from our data. We have further expanded the sample by including another 13 TeV blazars, taking advantage of the availability in the literature of INOV data, including those published earlier in o...
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL) develops and maintains the USDA National Nutrient Databank System (NDBS). Data are released from the NDBS for scientific and public use through the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR) ( http://www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/ndl ). In 1997 the NDL initiated the National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP) to update and expand its food-composition data. The program included: 1) nationwide probability-based sampling of foods; 2) central processing and archiving of food samples; 3) analysis of food components at commercial, government, and university laboratories; 4) incorporation of new analytical data into the NDBS; and 5) dissemination of these data to the scientific community. A key feature and...
A series of sputtered tungsten-carbon multilayer structures with periods ranging from 2 to 12 nm in the as-prepared state and after annealing at 500 degrees C for 4 hours has been studied with high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The evolution with annealing of the microstructure of these multilayers depends on their period.As-prepared structures appear predominantly amorphous from TEM imaging and diffraction. Annealing results in crystallization of the W-rich layers into WC in the larger period samples, and less complete or no crystallization in the smaller period samples. X-ray scattering reveals that annealing expands the period in a systematic way. The layers remain remarkably well-defined after annealing under these conditions.
...Corps' tunnel 'expands' understanding of Permafrost Program News Home Warfighter Support Installations Environment Water Resources Information Technology About Us Partnering Opportunities About Us ...News Releases Program News Corps' tunnel 'expands' understanding of Permafrost Corps' tunnel \\
Background: Although research on epistemological beliefs has expanded over the past two decades, there are still some issues that need to be explored, such as whether epistemological beliefs are domain general or domain specific. Purpose: One of the purposes of this research was to determine if high school students' general epistemological beliefs were different from their epistemological beliefs in the domain of physics. Sample: The research was conducted with 15 grade nine students studying in an urban all-boys school. Their average age was 16. Their previous school experiences were traditional oriented. Design and methods: A case study design with qualitative methods was used for the research. Two questionnaires were developed and used in semi-structured interview protocols two times, w...
The first automated method for the determination of mexiletine hydrochloride - an antiarrhythmic agent - is reported. The method is based on the reaction of the analyte with o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) in the presence of sulfite in basic medium using a sequential injection (SI) manifold. The reaction product was monitored spectrofluorimetrically (lex=350nm/lem=446nm). A simple and effective on-line dilution approach was adopted in order to expand the linearity and apply the method to assay, dosage uniformity and dissolution tests with minimum sample preparation. Chemical (pH, amount concentrations of OPA and sulfite) and instrumental variables (temperature, flow rate, injection volumes, etc.) that affected the determination were studied. The developed assay was validated in terms of linearity, ...
PRESTO-II is a computer code developed to evaluate possible health effects from shallow land disposal of low level radioactive wastes. PRESTO-PREP is a data preprocessor that has been developed to expedite the formation of input data sets for PRESTO-II. PRESTO-PREP utilizes a library of nuclide and risk-specific data. Given an initial waste inventory, the code creates the radionuclide portion of the associated input data set for PRESTO-II. 2 references.
The main objective of the present thermal hydraulic analysis is to determine the thermal hydraulic characteristics of Wolsung-1 600 MWe CANDU-PHW reactor under normal operation. This is to verify and expedite the development of the nuclear fuel design and...
performs Gaussian pyramid operation on an image performs expand pyramid operation on an image mosaic two images using 'reduce' and 'expand' pyramid ...
A modulation transfer function (MTF) calibration method based on binary pseudo-random (BPR) gratings and arrays [Proc. SPIE 7077-7 (2007), Opt. Eng. 47, 073602 (2008)] has been proven to be an effective MTF calibration method for a number of interferometric microscopes and a scatterometer [Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A616, 172 (2010)]. Here we report on a further expansion of the application range of the method. We describe the MTF calibration of a 6 inch phase shifting Fizeau interferometer. Beyond providing a direct measurement of the interferometer's MTF, tests with a BPR array surface have revealed an asymmetry in the instrument's data processing algorithm that fundamentally limits its bandwidth. Moreover, the tests have illustrated the effects of the instrument's detrending and filtering procedures on power spectral density measurements. The details of the development of a BPR test sample suitable for calibration of scanning and ...
A modulation transfer function (MTF) calibration method based on binary pseudo-random (BPR) gratings and arrays [Proc. SPIE 7077-7 (2007), Opt. Eng. 47(7), 073602-1-5 (2008)] has been proven to be an effective MTF calibration method for a number of interferometric microscopes and a scatterometer [Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A 616, 172-82 (2010]. Here we report on a significant expansion of the application range of the method. We describe the MTF calibration of a 6 inch phase shifting Fizeau interferometer. Beyond providing a direct measurement of the interferometer's MTF, tests with a BPR array surface have revealed an asymmetry in the instrument's data processing algorithm that fundamentally limits its bandwidth. Moreover, the tests have illustrated the effects of the instrument's detrending and filtering procedures on power spectral density measurements. The details of the development of a BPR test sample suitable for calibration of scanning ...
A thermal neutron imaging facility for real-time neutron radiography and computed tomography has been developed at the University of Texas reactor. The facility produced good-quality radiographs and two-dimensional tomograms. Further developments have been recently accomplished. A computer software has been developed to automate and expedite the data acquisition and reconstruction processes. Volume tomographic visualization using Interactive Data Language (IDL) software has been demonstrated and will be further developed. Volume tomography provides the additional flexibility of producing slices of the object using software and thus avoids redoing the measurements.
We developed prototype chemistry for nucleic acid hybridization on our bead-based diagnostics platform and we established an automatable bead handling protocol capable of 50 part-per-billion (ppb) sensitivity. We are working towards a platform capable of parallel, rapid (10 minute), raw sample testing for orthogonal (in this case nucleic acid and immunoassays) identification of biological (and other) threats in a single sensor microsystem. In this LDRD we developed the nucleic acid chemistry required for nucleic acid hybridization. Our goal is to place a non-cell associated RNA virus (Bovine Viral Diarrhea, BVD) on the beads for raw sample testing. This key pre-requisite to showing orthogonality (nucleic acid measurements can be performed in parallel with immunoassay measurements). Orthogonal detection dramatically reduces false positives. We chose BVD because our collaborators (UC-Davis) can supply samples from ...
In many parts of the United States, as well as other regions of the world, competing demands for fresh water or water suitable for desalination are outstripping sustainable supplies. In these areas, new water supplies are necessary to sustain economic development and agricultural uses, as well as support expanding populations, particularly in the Southwestern United States. Increasing the supply of water will more than likely come through desalinization of water reservoirs that are not suitable for present use. Surface-deployed seismic and electromagnetic (EM) methods have the potential for addressing these critical issues within large volumes of an aquifer at a lower cost than drilling and sampling. However, for detailed analysis of the water quality, some sampling utilizing boreholes would be required with geophysical methods being employed to extrapolate these sampled results to ...
This study uses a multi-part, split-sample contingent valuation method (CVM) and fair share (FS) survey to better understand the public's valuation of mitigating global climate change through its willingness to pay for biomass or 'cellulosic' ethanol. In addition to a basic CVM question, a related scenario was developed that asked half of the survey respondents to state their fair share cost to lessen a potential food shortage in the next decade, also through the expanded use of cellulosic ethanol. Three alternative biomass feedstocks were assessed: farming residues, forestry residues and paper mill wastes, and municipal solid wastes. Overall a slightly larger proportion of respondents were WTP extra for cellulosic ethanol in the basic CVM scenario than in the FS scenario, though no significant differences were found in the WTP for the different feedstocks. Bid curve lognormal regression results for the two models ...
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 critical temperature of vapor-deposited, ...
The 2-step low temperature plasma processes (the combined carburizing and post-nitriding) were carried out for improving both the surface hardness and corrosion resistance of AISI 316L stainless steel. The effects of processing time and temperature on the surface properties during nitriding step were investigated. The expanded austenite (#gamma#N)was formed on all of the treated surface. The thickness of #gamma#N was increased up to about 20 #mu#m and the thickness of entire hardened layer was determined to be about 40 #mu#m. The surface hardness reached up to 1,200 HV_0_._1 which is about 5 times higher than that of untreated sample (250 HV_0_._1). The thickness of #gamma#N and concentration of N on the surface were increased with increasing processing time and temperature. The corrosion resistance in 2-step low temperature plasma processed austenitic stainless steels was enhanced more than that in the untreated austenitic stainless steels due ...
A wear-resistant nitrided layer was formed on a 304L austenitic stainless steel substrate by DC plasma nitriding. Effects of DC plasma nitriding parameters on the structural phases, micro-hardness and dry-sliding wear behavior of the nitrided layer were investigated by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, micro-hardness testing and ring-on-block wear testing. The results show that the highest surface hardness over a case depth of about 10 #mu#m is obtained after nitriding at 460 deg. C. XRD indicated a single expanded austenite phase and a single CrN nitride phase were formed at 350 deg. C and 480 deg. C, respectively. In addition, the S-phase layers formed on the samples provided the best dry-sliding wear resistance under the ring-on-block contact configuration test.
The objective of this project were to investigate the dynamic behavior of peat and to evaluate the influence of that behavior on the dynamic response of peat deposits. During the course of the research, the objectives were expanded to explore the effects of strong earthquake shaking on pile foundations embedded in peat deposits. An experimental investigation was undertaken using samples of a peat deposit typical of many large peat deposits in western Washington. A series of ground response analyses was performed to investigate the seismic response of peat deposits. Three vertical profiles through Mercer Slough were analyzed using both equivalent linear and nonlinear ground response analyses. The analyses showed that the soft nature of the Mercer Slough peat would produce amplification of the long-period components of an earthquake ground motion. Comparison of the equivalent linear and nonlinear ground response analyses showed that the ...
Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the functional properties of cartilaginous tissues generated by porcine MSCs isolated from different tissue sources, and to compare these properties to those derived from chondrocytes (CCs). MSCs were isolated from bone marrow (BM) and infrapatellar fat pad (FP), while CCs were harvested from the articular surface of the femoro-patellar joint. Culture-expanded CCs and MSCs were encapsulated in agarose hydrogels and cultured in the presence of TGF3. Samples were analysed biomechanically, biochemically and histologically at days 0, 21 and 42. After 42 days in free swelling culture, mean GAG content was 1.50% w/w in CC-seeded constructs, compared to 0.95% w/w in FP- and 0.43% w/w in BM-seeded constructs. Total collagen accumulation was hig...
Pulmonary function tests were performed on seven adult dairy cows with an expanded lung field (ExLF) and the results were compared to the values from seven cows with normal lung fields. The cows with...Full Text Available
AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of self expandable metallic stents (SEMS) in patients with malignant esophageal obstruction and fistulas.METHODS: SEMS were implanted in the presence of fluoroscopic...Full Text Available
Using an expanded nuclear data base, the activation of nitrogen, aluminum, iron, nickel, copper, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, tungsten, and lead were calculated for the first wall positions of the STARFIRE and MARS conceptual fusion reactors.
The study area is located in the Bekaa plain of Lebanon totaling about 12753 ha. It lies between the eastern foothills of Mount Lebanon chain and expands across the Litani River towards the foothills of the eastern Anti-Lebanon Mountains. Its characteristics, i.e. natural terrain, climate and socio-economy, make it vulnerable especially due to soil pollution. This paper tries to identify the nature and level of soil pollution by heavy metals. Valley slopes represent a complex landform and lithology that contributed to the formation of different soil. Agriculture in the plain is being practiced mainly with cash, field crops and vegetables. Throughout the central part of the plain, groundwater table is abundant and relatively high (<1.0 m. locally) that multiplies the vulnerability of the soil-groundwater system. There are different sources of pollution, such as industrial (tanneries, batteries, leather manufacturing), solid and liquid wastes, and agricultural due ...
... to integrate and synchronize SC efforts and capabilities, as noted in the SC Roadmap, the joint community needs to publish SC policy and expand ...
In the summer of 1990, an accidental spill from the TA-3 Power Plant Environment Tank released more than 3,785 liters of sulfuric acid into upper Sandia Canyon. The Biological Resource Evaluation Team (BRET) of EM-8 at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has collected aquatic samples from the stream within Sandia Canyon since then. These field studies gather water quality measurements and collect macroinvertebrates from permanent sampling sites. An earlier report by Bennett (1994) discusses previous BRET aquatic studies in Sandia Canyon. This report updates and expands Bennett's initial findings. During 1993, BRET collected water quality data and aquatic macroinvertebrates at five permanent stations within the canyon. The substrates of the upper three stations are largely sands and silts while the substrates of the two lower stations are largely rock and cobbles. The two upstream stations are located near outfalls that ...
A thermal neutron imaging facility for real-time neutron radiography and computed tomography has been developed at the University of Texas reactor. The facility produced a good-quality radiographs and two-dimensional tomograms. Further developments have been recently accomplished. Further developments have been recently accomplished. A computer software has been developed to automate and expedite the data acquisition and reconstruction processes. Volume tomographic visualization using Interactive Data Language (IDL) software has been demonstrated and will be further developed. Volume tomography provides the additional flexibility of producing slices of the object using software and thus avoids redoing the measurements.
Results are presented of an extensive investigation of the characteristics of over two hundred low-head turbines manufactured all over the world that have been installed or are due to be installed in hydropower plants between 1953 and 1984. The research focused mainly on bulb turbines, with horizontal shaft arrangement and tubular turbines with their shafts either horizontal or inclined at an angle to the horizontal. The characteristics of the above mentioned type of turbines are presented in the form of statistical diagrams and regression equations suitable for preliminary design and feasibility studies of low-head hydro projects. Nomographs have been developed for displaying the relationships between the various turbine characteristics and comparing the important dimensions and parameters of turbines which have found common application in the hydropower technology. New simplified parametric ratio for selection of turbines have been developed that should expedite ...
Radioactively contaminated acidic aqueous wastes and organic liquids were discharged to the soil column at three disposal sites within the 200 West Area of the Hanford Site, Washington. As a result, a portion of the underlying groundwater is contaminated with carbon tetrachloride several orders of magnitude above the maximum contaminant level accepted for a drinking water supply. Treatability testing and cleanup actions have been initiated to remove the contamination from both the unsaturated soils to minimize further groundwater contamination and the groundwater itself. To expedite cleanup, innovative technologies for (1) drilling, (2) site characterization, (3) monitoring, (4) well field development, and (5) contaminant treatment are being demonstrated and subsequently used where possible to improve the rates and cost savings associated with the removal of carbon tetrachloride from the soils and groundwater.
Engines of Creation 2.0: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology -- Updated and Expanded, is an ebook-only version available for free to readers exclusively through WOWIO. In addition to an updated "look and feel" for the ebook, Engines of Creation 2.0 has been expanded to include the first known lecture on nanotechnology by physicist Richard Feynman, the landmark open letter debate between Dr. Drexler and the late nanotech pioneer and Nobel laureate Dr. Richard Smalley, analysis of the debate by Ray Kurzweil, and a number of new additions by Dr. Drexler, including his advice to aspiring nanotechnologists.
I understand that you cannot answer truthfully because of the the janap 146e otherwise you would be commiting treason but please give a more intelligent ...
4) Expand to include client-server interaction (small-scale archive interactions with the goal of evaluating information management capabilities) -- Early ...
Knowledge about retinal photoreceptor signal transduction and the visual cycle required for normal eyesight has expanded exponentially over the past decade. Substantial progress in human genetics...Full Text Available
health research agency, NIMH is dedicated to reducing the burden of mental and behavioral disorders through research on mind, brain, and behavior. As part of that mission, NIMH...
Ex vivo expanded peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) have been shown to provide rapid neutrophil engraftment, and in some patients, to eliminate neutropenia after transplantation to support high-dose chemotherapy. However, the effect of expansion culture on stem cell content and potential loss of stem cells caused by induction of differentiation remains a concern. We have transplanted 21 patients with breast cancer with expanded autologous PBPC, with 11 patients receiving expanded PBPC as their sole hematopoietic cell source. In these studies, the CD34+ cells were selected and cultured for 10 days in defined media containing 100 ng/mL each of recombinant human stem cell factor (rhSCF), recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (rhG-CSF), and recombinant human megakaryocy...
Lichen striatus begins similarly to lichen planus, with small bumps (papules), but over a period of days expands to form a long streak or band of affected ...
This paper is a greatly expanded version of a talk I gave in April 2009 at KunenFest. It describes Ken's work in algebra, particularly using automated deduction tools.
One example of basic and applied research at LLNL that has produced major, highly visible scientific and engineering advances has been the research related to controlled fusion energy. Continuing experimentation at LLNL and elsewhere is likely to demonstrate that fusion is a viable, inexhaustible alternative source of energy. Having conducted major fusion energy experiments for over 30 years at LLNL, it scientists and engineers recognized the enormous challenges that lay ahead in this important endeavor. To be successful, it was clear that collaborative efforts with universities, private industry, and other national laboratories would need to be greatly expanded. Along with invention and scientific discovery would come the challenge of transferring the myriad of new technologies from the laboratories to the private sector for commercialization of the fusion energy process and the application of related technologies to yet unimagined new industries and products. ...
The studies of {sup 137}Cs and {sup 239+240}Pu distributions in surface seawater at South China Sea within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Peninsular Malaysia were carried out in June 2008. The analysis results will serve as additional information to the expanded baseline data for Malaysia's marine environment. Thirty locations from extended study area were identified in the EEZ from which large volumes of surface seawater samples were collected. Different co-precipitation techniques were employed to concentrate cesium and plutonium separately. A known amount of {sup 134}Cs and {sup 242}Pu tracers were used as yield determinant. The precipitate slurry was collected and oven dried at 60 {sup o}C for 1-2 days. Cesium precipitate was fine-ground and counted using gamma-ray spectrometry system at 661.62 keV, while plutonium was separated from other radionuclides using anion exchange, electrodeposited and counted using alpha ...
The paper generalizes some results of the United States/Moldova program on advanced composite organic and semiconductor light emitters. High density exciton system bound to N impurity superlattice grown by modern technologies and GaP:N, GaP:N:Sm nanocrystals distributed in transparent fluorine-containing polymers will be used as the base elements for new generation of optoelectronic devices. The work seeks to expand further the applications of GaP itself through the formation of nanocomposites. Classic and new methods are applied for preparation of GaP:N nanoparticles with the controlled dimensions developed clear quantum confinement effect. The long-term ordered bulk GaP crystals as well as their nanoparticles have been investigated by TEM, XRD, Raman scattering, and luminescent methods. The evolution of the Raman Light Scattering and luminescence spectra is reported from pure and doped GaP single crystals grown over 40 years ago and evaluated approximately every ...
A new generation of transmit-receive single-pass probes, denoted as C6 or X probe, was field tested during the Gentilly II, 2000 steam generator tube inspection. This probe has a performance equivalent to rotating probes and can be used for tubesheet and full-length inspection at an inspection speed equivalent to that of bobbin probes. Existing C3 transmit-receive probes have been demonstrated to be effective in detecting circumferential cracks. The C5 probe can detect both circumferential and axial cracks and volumetric defects but cannot discriminate between them. The C6 probe expands on the capabilities of both probes in a single probe head. It can simultaneously detect and discriminate between circumferential and axial cracks to satisfy different plugging criteria. It has excellent coverage, good defect detectability, and improved sizing and characterization. Probe data is displayed in C-scan format so that the amount of data to be analyzed is similar to ...
Various methods for storing hydrogen have been examined in an effort to find ways to store hydrogen in increasingly smaller volumes with decreasing weight of the whole hydrogen storage system. Metal hydrides, in which hydrogen is chemically bound to a metal atom, are considered to be very promising candidates for hydrogen storage because they have high gravimetric and volumetric storage capacities. This study investigated the effect of different magnesium (Mg) and aluminium (Al) ratios on the absorption and desorption properties of thin films. Neutron reflectometry (NR) was used in this study to better understand the absorption and desorption properties of commercially promising hydrogen storage materials. The large negative scattering length of hydrogen atoms changes the reflectivity curve substantially, so that NR can determine the total amount of stored hydrogen as well as the hydrogen distribution along the film normal, with nanometer resolution. In order to use NR, the ...
ObjectiveWe wanted to evaluate the status of self-expandable nitinol stents implanted in the P2 and P3 segments of the popliteal artery in Korean patients.Materials...Full Text Available
The propagating of tachyons in an expanding universe is discussed. It is shown that a primordial tachyon in the big-bang universe cannot survive unless it had very large energy initially. In an indefinitely expanding universe the tachyon trajectory turns back in time. This time barrier is found to exist even in the quantum mechanical discussion of tachyons. This property is used to set limits on the mass of a tachyon. The possible astronomical checks on the hypothesis that neutrinos or photons may be tachyonic are also discussed. (author).
The propagation of tachyons in an expanding universe is discussed. It is shown that a primordial tachyon in the big bang universe cannot survive unless it had very large energy initially. In an indefinitely expanding universe the tachyon trajectory turns back in time. This time barrier is found to exist even in the quantum mechanical discussion of tachyons. This property is used to set limits on the mass of a tachyon. The possible astronomical checks on the hypothesis that neutrinos or photons may be tachyonic are also discussed.
European phosphorus derivatives manufacturer Italmatch Chemicals SpA has expanded its Phoslite range of fully colourable flame retardants for polymers with the addition of Phoslite B85AX. The company reports that its Phoslite technology is already `successfully consolidated' in polypropylene (PP) applications and, with introduction of the new product, is now starting to expand into polyamide PA6 and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) applications.
The question about expanding the boundaries of the open pit mining method is examined. The use of methods which consider the advantages of open and underground mining operations with their joint use in horizontal and evenly dipping deposits will make it possible to objectively select the mining method, to expand the range of use of open pit mining operations in the deposits of the Far North and provide an improvement in the technical and economic indicators of mineral extraction.
Recently, the public has become aware of keywords like ''Quantum computer'' or ''Quantum cryptography''. Regarding their potential application in solid state based quantum information processing and their overall benefit in fundamental research quantum dots have gained more and more public interest. In this context, quantum dots are often referred to as ''artificial atoms'', a term subsuming their physical properties quite nicely and emphasizing the huge potential for further investigations. The basic mechanism to be considered is the theoretical model of a two-level system. A quantum dot itself represents this kind of system quite nicely, provided that only the presence or absence of a single exciton in the ground state of that structure is regarded. This concept can also be expanded to the presence of two excitons (bi-exciton). Transitions between the ...
The results of the 2006 investigation of contaminant sources at Navarre, Kansas, clearly demonstrate the following: {sm_bullet} Sources of carbon tetrachloride contamination were found on the Navarre Co-op property. These sources are the locations of the highest concentrations of carbon tetrachloride found in soil and groundwater at Navarre. The ongoing groundwater contamination at Navarre originates from these sources. {sm_bullet} The sources on the Co-op property are in locations where the Commodity Credit Corporation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (CCC/USDA) never conducted grain storage operations. {sm_bullet} No definitive sources of carbon tetrachloride were identified on the portion of the current Co-op property formerly used by the CCC/USDA. {sm_bullet} The source areas on the Co-op property are consistent with the locations of the most intense Co-op operations, both historically and at present. The Co-op historically stored carbon tetrachloride for retail sale and used ...
The LANL Environmental Restoration (ER) Program Office, established in October 1989, is faced with the challenge of assessing and cleaning up nearly 1,8000 potentially hazardous waste sites according to an aggressive corrective action schedule that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandated on May 23, 1990, in a Resource, Conservation, and Recovery Act (RCRA) Part B Permit. To maximize program efficiency, the ER Program Office will implement a unique management approach designed to maximize the use of laboratory technical expertise. The Installation Work Plan, which provides a blueprint for the program, has been submitted to EPA for review and approval. A work plan for characterization of Technical Area 21, an early plutonium processing facility, is also nearing completion. The feasibility of an expedited cleanup of the Laboratory's worst hazardous waste release has been modelled using a computer code originally developed by LANL to assist the ...
In this study, the effects of 325nm wavelength ultraviolet light irradiation on pitting corrosion behavior of type 340 stainless steel in a neutral chloride solution are studied. Further, the change of passive film with the light irradiation is analyzed using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The mains results obtained therefrom are stated below. Pitting potential can be shifted in noble direction by the ultraviolet light irradiation. The effect of ultraviolet light irradiation is ore prominent in the pitting corrosion process than that in the passive film formation. The result of the analysis in terms of the birth and death stochastic probability process shows that pitting corrosion rate is decreased remarkably by the ultraviolet light irradiation at the formation of passive film, while the repassivation is slightly expedited by the ultraviolet light irradiation. On the other hand, the repassivation rate is increased a little by the ultraviolet light irradiation ...
It is generally recognized that the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) process can be time-consuming and costly. To expedite the process, the Environmental Protection Agency, through the National Contingency Plan and Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) Directives, has promoted streamlining'' the RI/FS. The concept of streamlining is directly applicable to Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Remedial Facility Investigation/Corrective Measure Study (RFI/CMS) as well. The US Department of Energy's (DOE's) environmental restoration process promises to be lengthy and expensive: therefore, the Office of Environmental Restoration (EM-40) believes that it is to incorporate streamlining into RI/FS and RFI/CMS efforts across the DOE complex. The Office of Program Support (EM-43) has asked Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) to provide presentations and workshops on streamlining concepts, including ...
Work on this coke oven gas cleaning demonstration project (CCT-II) this quarter has been focused on Phase IIB tasks, and include engineering, procurement, construction, and training. Additionally, plans for changes in the operating schedule of the coke plant that affect the demonstration project are described. Engineering efforts are nearly complete. Remaining to be finalized is an assessment of electrical heat tracing/insulation needs for pipe lines, assessment of fire protection requirements, and instrument modifications. Procurement of all major equipment items is complete, except for possible additions to fire fighting capabilities. Major focus is on expediting pipe and structural steel to the project site. Civil construction is complete except for minor pads and bases as required for pipe supports, etc. Erection of the hydrogen sulfide and ammonia scrubber vessels is complete. Installation of scrubber vessel internals is underway. A subcontractor has been ...
We describe a closed-loop brain-computer interface that re-ranks an image database by iterating between user generated 'interest' scores and computer vision generated visual similarity measures. The interest scores are based on decoding the electroencephalographic (EEG) correlates of target detection, attentional shifts and self-monitoring processes, which result from the user paying attention to target images interspersed in rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) sequences. The highest scored images are passed to a semi-supervised computer vision system that reorganizes the image database accordingly, using a graph-based representation that captures visual similarity between images. The system can either query the user for more information, by adaptively resampling the database to create additional RSVP sequences, or it can converge to a 'done' state. The done state includes a final ranking of the image database and also a 'guess' of the user's chosen category of interest. We find ...
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Human K2P3.1 (TASK1) channels represent potential targets for pharmacological management of atrial fibrillation. K2P channels control excitability by stabilizing membrane potential and by expediting repolarization. In the heart, inhibition of K2P currents by class III antiarrhythmic drugs results in action potential prolongation and suppression of electrical automaticity. Carvedilol exerts antiarrhythmic activity and suppresses atrial fibrillation following cardiac surgery or cardioversion. The objective of this study was to investigate acute effects of carvedilol on human K2P3.1 (hK2P3.1) channels. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Two-electrode voltage clamp and whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology was used to record hK2P3.1 currents from Xenopus oocytes, Chinese hamster o...
A decentralized power system stabilizer output feedback design approach is considered, which is compatible with expanding the construction of multi-machine systems. We presume that the interconnected power system is constructed by connecting closed-loop subsystems one after another. We take the proper stable factorization approach for calculating the local compensators. We apply the result to the new subsystem at each connection stage with unfixed power system stabilizer parameters. We then determine the parameters appropriately, before connection, so that the expanded system is stable after connection. A numerical example is worked out to illustrate the proposed design technique. 14 refs, 5 figs, 3 tabs
Using an efficient criterion in selection of fuzzy conditional attributes (i.e. expanded attributes) is important for generation of fuzzy decision trees. Given a fuzzy information system (FIS), fuzzy conditional attributes play a crucial role in fuzzy decision making. Besides, different fuzzy conditional attributes have different influences on decision making, and some of them may be more important than the others. Two well-known criteria employed to select expanded attributes are fuzzy classification entropy and classification ambiguity, both of which essentially use the ratio of uncertainty to measure the significance of fuzzy conditional attributes. Based on fuzzy-rough technique, this paper proposes a new criterion, in which expanded attributes are selected by using significance of fuz...
We investigate the asymptotic properties of the Bianchi type IX cosmological model in the brane-world scenario. The matter content is assumed to be a combination of a perfect fluid and a minimimally coupled scalar field that is restricted to the brane. A detailed qualitative analysis of the Bianchi type IX brane-world containing a scalar field having an exponential potential is undertaken. It is found that the brane-Robertson-Walker solution is a local source for the expanding Bianchi type IX models, and if k"2<2 the ever-expanding Bianchi IX models asymptote to the power-law inflationary solution. The only other local sink is the contracting brane-Robertson Walker solution. An analysis of the Bianchi type IX models with a scalar field with a general potential is discussed, and it is shown that in the case of expanding models, for physical scalar field potentials close to the initial singularity, the scalar field is ...
The composition and physicochemical properties of Gorlovsk Basin anthracite are studied, with a view to expanding its metallurgical use. In industrial tests, anthracite is employed in smelting hot metal in cupola furnaces, in the production of carbonized products and briquets, in ferroalloy production, in sintering iron ore, and in batch for foundry coke.
Systems biology is a rapidly expanding field that integrates diverse areas of science such as physics, engineering, computer science, mathematics, and biology toward the goal of elucidating the underlying...Full Text Available
BackgroundVariation of gene number among species indicates that there is a general process of new gene origination. One of the major mechanism providing raw materials for the origin...Full Text Available
Leakage after oesophageal anastomosis or perforation remains a challenge for the surgeon. Traditional management has been operative repair or intensive conservative management. Both treatments are...Full Text Available
A continuous stream of activating and repressing signals is processed by the transcription complex paused at the promoter of the c-myc proto-oncogene. The general transcription factor...Full Text Available
To treat or prevent some of the 795,000 annual strokes in the U.S., self-expanding endo-vascular stents deployed under fluoroscopic image guidance are often used. Neuro-interventionalists need...Full Text Available
Twelve Salmonella typhimurium strains resistant to broad-spectrum cephalosporins were isolated from cases of gastroenteritis during 1996 to 1998 in Russia, Hungary, and Greece. Resistance...Full Text Available
Current concepts of the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis suggest that the expanded numbers of activated T-helper/inducer cells at sites of disease activity result, at least in part, from their proliferation...Full Text Available
During embryonic development, cells are instructed which position to occupy, they interpret these cues as differentiation programmes, and expand these patterns by growth. Sonic hedgehog...Full Text Available
As the presence of humans in space expands in scope and duration, the quality of life in space as well as on Earth becomes pertinent. .... Military uses of space, such as the introduction of space-based laser or particle beam weapons, may have a major impact on the way people think and relate to .... AIAA Student Journal. ...
China’s methadone maintenance treatment program was initiated in 2004 as a small pilot project in just eight sites. It has since expanded into a nationwide program encompassing more than 680...Full Text Available
We study the role of rolling tachyons in the cosmological model with dilatonic gravity. In the string frame, flat space solutions of both initial-stage and late-time are obtained in closed form. In the Einstein frame, we show that every expanding solution is decelerating.
BackgroundAirway complications are among the most challenging problems after lung transplantation, and Self-Expandable Metallic Stents (SEMS) are used to treat airway complications...Full Text Available
It is proven that there do not exist any diagonal Bianchi type-IX universes which expand for an infinite time, provided only that the matter satisfies the dominant energy condition and has non-negative average principal pressures.
It is proven that there do not exist any diagonal Bianchi type-IX universes which expand for an infinite time, provided only that the matter satisfies the dominant energy condition and has non-negative average principal pressures.
BackgroundThe genus Vibrio is a diverse group of Gram-negative bacteria comprised of 74 species. Furthermore, the genus has and is expected to continue expanding...Full Text Available
Gastrointestinal perforations are conservatively managed at endoscopy by through-the-scope endoclips and covered self expandable stents, according to the size and tissue features of the perforation....Full Text Available
Patients with schizophrenia can be taught the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) sorting rules based upon expanded feedback. However, few task manipulations have been reported that differentially...Full Text Available
How can the inhabitants of the European Union be brought closer together? One way of doing it is to expand and improve the trans-European railway network and to have interoperable highspeed trains connecting Europe's major centres. (orig.)
Anaerobic treatment of a volatile fatty acid (VFA) mixture was investigated under psychrophilic (3 to 8°C) conditions in two laboratory-scale expanded granular sludge bed reactor stages in series....Full Text Available
Place fields of hippocampal pyramidal cells expand asymmetrically when adult rats repeatedly follow the same route. This behaviorally-induced expression of neuronal plasticity utilizes an NMDAR-dependent,...Full Text Available
The authors studied noncancer mortality among phenoxyacid herbicide and chlorophenol production workers and sprayers included in an international study comprising 36 cohorts from 12 countries followed...Full Text Available
Epicuticular wax production was evaluated along the length of expanding leek (Allium porrum L.) leaves to gain insight into the regulation of wax production. Leaf segments from the...Full Text Available
...Goods: promote the protection of ldquo;natural parks and reserves, mangroves, reefs and lagoons,rdquo; and ldquo;expanding forest cover and tree integration with agricultural production systems rdquo;; climate change will be reduced through the trading of pollution permits under the Kyoto Protocol. Enhancing Disaster Management Capabilities:...
Up to 80% of the total nitrate reductase activity (NRA) determined in vivo in different parts of vegetative tobacco plant (Nicotiana tabacum) was located in the leaves....Full Text Available
The dental pulp consists of loose connective tissue encased in rigid dentinal walls. Because of its topography the tissue has low interstitial compliance and limited capacity to expand during fluid...Full Text Available
Cystic neoplasms of the pancreas are increasingly recognized due to the expanding use and improved sensitivity of cross-sectional abdominal imaging. Major advances in the last decade have led to an...Full Text Available
Family stress theory can explain associations between contextual stressors and parenting. However, the theory has not been tested among Mexican Americans or expanded to include cultural-contextual...Full Text Available
Since polyglutamine (polyQ) aggregate formation has been implicated as playing an important role in expanded CAG repeat diseases, it is important to understand the biophysics underlying the...Full Text Available
Metazoan development requires complex mechanisms to generate cells with diverse function. Alternative splicing of pre-mRNA not only expands proteomic diversity but also provides a means to regulate...Full Text Available
We show the existence of a rather general class of closed cosmological models of Bianchi type IX that do not exhibit recollapse but expand for all times. This is despite the fact that these models satisfy the strong energy condition by a wide margin.
... to-noise density than the uplink budget has (74.2 ... in heav:, point-to-point link applications with ... 11.7 Expanded bands allocated (Ku band) (500 MHz ...
After emergence, adult flies and other insects select a suitable perch and expand their wings. Wing expansion is governed by the hormone bursicon and can be delayed under adverse environmental...Full Text Available
A program was conducted to develop a pop-up artificial-foliage system compatible with the rural Maryland (summertime) background environment. The result of this Phase I effort was a self-expanding leaf module, a number of which are stored flat in a simple...
The stand is designed to test supports of development workings. To expand the test range for various types of supports, the cross pieces have fixing devices in the form of winches interacting by cables through blocks fastened to the stand body with the support hinges.
Failure of a dam is something we hope never happens. But if a failure occurs, it`s important to study the circumstances in order to expand our knowledge base, and then apply what we learn to other structures.
The endovascular treatment of atherosclerotic intracranial arterial stenoses has previously been based on balloon dilatation or the deployment of a balloon expandable stent. Both methods have advantages (balloon: flexibility; balloon expandable stent: high radial force) and drawbacks (balloon: risk of elastic recoil and dissection; balloon expandable stent: limited flexibility, risk of injury to the vessel due to excessive straightening, overexpansion at ends of stent). A new combination of balloon dilatation, followed by the deployment of a self-expanding microstent has been applied in 15 patients with atherosclerotic arterial stenoses, symptomatic despite medical treatment. An anatomically and clinically adequate result was achieved in all patients. The initial degree of stenosis was 72% (mean). Balloon dilatation resulted in an average residual stenosis of 54% (mean), reduced further to a mean of 38% ...
The feasibility of self-expanding nitinol stents for treatment of infragenicular arteries following unsuccessful balloon angioplasty was assessed. Options for lower limb percutaneous revascularization are limited, especially for complex vessel obstruction. Depending on the lesion and the experience of the interventionalist, the failure rate of balloon angioplasty (PTA) ranges between 10 and 40%. Until recently, no self-expanding stent for the use in the infragenicular arteries was available. This is the first report of the results for 18 consecutive patients who received 4F sheath compatible self-expanding nitinol stents following unsuccessful PTA or early restenosis. Twenty-four stents were implanted in 21 lesions for various indications residual stenosis >50% due to heavy calcification, flow-limiting dissection, occluding thrombus resistant to thrombolyis, thrombaspiration, and PTA, and early restenosis after ...
A distinguishing design feature of CANDU nuclear reactors is the use of horizontal fuel channels housed in a horizontal vessel called a calandria, which is made of stainless steel 304L. Each channel consists of a Zr-2.5%Nb alloy pressure tube and an externally concentric Zr-2 calandria tube. The calandria tubes are joined to the end plates (tubesheets) of the calandria vessel by joints formed by roller expansion. The bores in the tubesheets are grooved. Roller expanded joints provide a cost effective means of joining dissimilar materials, require minimal space and no maintenance. The quality of these roller expanded joints is important from a sealing, strength and stress corrosion point of view. The roller expansion process consists of expanding the calandria tubes to deform them plastically against the bores and into the grooves of the tubesheets. Therefore, understanding the effect of the number, geometry and the pitch of ...
Acquisition of three-alternative simultaneous matching-to-sample and oddity-from-sample was investigated. Five goldfish were trained on matching and five on oddity for a minimum of 70 days. Subsequently,...Full Text Available
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 sampling ...
Full text: The ITWG was first formed in 1995 for the purpose of fostering international cooperation for combating illicit trafficking of nuclear materials. The initial focus for the ITWG was on the development of nuclear forensics to help answer attribution questions regarding nuclear materials of unknown origin. More recently, the ITWG has also expanded its focus to include detection of nuclear materials during transit. This paper presents some of the key developments by this group and their potential impact for combating nuclear smuggling. The initial focus of the ITWG was to write a status report on international cooperation on nuclear smuggling forensic analysis. This 26-page report summarized previous work on nuclear forensics and gave an initial analysis on prioritizing techniques and methods for forensic analysis regarding source and route attribution. This report was submitted to the G-8 countries, and shortly thereafter, nuclear forensics was endorsed at ...
Gastric evacuation experiments were performed on whiting Merlangius merlangus fed discrete meals of different sizes. Herring Clupea harengus, sandeel Ammodytes tobianus, common goby Pomatoschistus microps, and brown shrimp Crangon crangon were tested as prey. A simple power model to describe gastric evacuation was evaluated and compared with a power model expanded as a function of meal size. The model parameters were estimated by means of nonlinear least squares. When all meal sizes were included the estimates of the power (curvature) parameter in the expanded model were within the range 0.36-0.77 for the different prey. The power estimates in the simple model were generally close to 0.5. The exception was crustacean prey, which gave a higher value. In the simple model the power estimate represents a compromise between the curvatures of the curves fitted to the observations for each meal size and the relationship between meal size and overall ...
Method is proposed for expanding the pile foundation elastic analysis method (displacement method) to cover a larger displacement region, and its appropriateness is verified by a field test. In this report, stability calculation is discussed in which the present displacement method is expanded by assuming an equivalent plastic hinge on the pile head and by replacing the soil spring in the large displacement region with an equivalent linear elastic spring. A static horizontal loading test is conducted for a foundation using a real pile, which is an application of this method. On the assumption that a hinge is generated on the pile head, the pile spring constant of the current displacement method is replaced with a value that takes into consideration the plastic hinge region, and this enables the analysis of pile behavior even after breakdown. This method is applied to the result of a loading test using a real foundation, and it is found that it ...
Nitinol has found growing applications in vascular stents, with the recent introduction on the market of a number of new nitinol tubular devices for coronary and peripheral usage. These stents can be produced either through the expansion of a pattern cut on a small tube (pre-cut) or by cutting the deployed design on a tube of a larger size (pre-expanded). The aim of the study was to analyze the differences of properties induced by the two manufacturing methods. For this purpose, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements were performed on various specimens from the two types of stents. A first set of measurements shows that pre-expanded stents exhibit usual A<->R<->M transformations whereas multi-stage transformations occur for pre-cut stents. Two types of DSC specimens were then prepared for each stent, corresponding to the straight sections and the curved parts of the stent. It is shown that the pre-cut ...
The objective of this project was to identify needs for environmental research development and demonstration projects that have the potential to improve the performance of oil and gas exploration, drilling, and production technologies for maximum recovery of domestic petroleum resources under optimal environmental and economic conditions. To achieve this objective several areas of work were addressed. The first task was to compile as much related data as possible. This was achieved by literature searches of a number of petroleum-related data bases. After acquiring sufficient background on environmental and economical areas that should be expanded, experts who are knowledgeable in these areas were contacted to further define specific issues. More than 33 identified areas were submitted to an in-house panel at NIPER to assure that the final environmental research demonstration and development needs that were selected to be expanded were unbiased ...
The Outstanding Achievement Award in Water Pollution Control' is intended to recognize the water pollution control program that best demonstrates achieving significant, lasting, and measurable excellence in water-quality improvement in preventing water-quality degradation in a region, basin, or water body. This article is about the 1991 Award. This year, WPCF honored Los Angeles Hyperion Treatment Plant with a citation of outstanding achievement. To qualify for this honor, Hyperion has remarkably improved the quality of wastewater discharged to Santa Monica Bay since 1985. Capital programs developed by Los Angeles to achieve this rapid improvement, coined the Hyperion Improvement Program (HIP), reflect the city's commitment to protect the valuable resource of Santa Monica Bay. The HIP was conceived in 1986 to cease sludge ocean disposal by the end of 1987 and expedite effluent quality improvement before 1991, when the full secondary expansion is ...
Since the 1970 innovations have allowed both active and passive neutron techniques to address various safeguards and waste measurement needs in the DOE complex. Much research was focused on satisfjring the 100-nCi/g detection limit for TRU waste in 208-liter drums. The emphasis on measuring drum-sized containers for disposal at WIPP has resulted in improved waste assay capability that now needs to be extended to larger containers. The desire to expedite the decontamination and decommissioning of certtain DOE facilities, and the large waste encountered in that process, has prompted the need for increasingly large disposal containers. Instruments have recently been built to accommodate crates that are nearly 100 cubic feet in volume, such as a B-25 box or Standard Waste 13ox. The density of hydrogen inside a waste container profoundly affects the accuracy of neutron measurements, and the metal content greatly affects sensitivity. Depending on the matrix, and ...
Space particles act on semiconductor devices by creating charges (electrons, holes) in the silicon and the silicon dioxide, and by creating displacement damage. These primary phenomena alter the electrical parameters of MOS and bipolar devices (threshold voltage V_t, mobility #mu#, conductivity #sigma#, current gain #beta#). The dose rate is not important in space (a few rad (Si)/h) but as the durations of space expeditions are on average from seven to twelve years, the total dose is an aggravating factor in the behaviour of the electrical parameters and also in device operation. The total dose effect from the beginning of charge creation (ionization) to the parameter shifts is reviewed. One can note that this effect is permanent because there will almost always be charge creation in space. Another important phenomenon is called the Single Event Upset (S.E.U.) and caused by the heavy ions and the protons which come from the galactic rays. The consequence of S.E.U. ...
Since some of the earliest evolutionary calculations it has been found that post main sequence stars become red giants (e.g. Sandage and Schwarzschild, 1952). However the exact physical processes that lead to and determine the rate of redward evolution are not completely understood. We hypothesized that the redward evolution might be due to an increase in radiation pressure somewhere in the star that causes the layers above it to be pushed outward, resulting in an expanded envelope and a cooler surface temperature. If the radiative luminosity somewhere in the star approached the Eddington limit, the outer layers would obviously expand. However, due to the presence of gas pressure, the critical value for expansion would be somewhat less than the Eddington limit.
The objective of the study is to improve the volume of nuclear power plant which adopts passive safety system concept. The passive safety system reactor is characterized by excellent safety and reliability. But the volume of NSSS (Nuclear Steam Supply System) of the passive safety system reactor is so small that it should be upgraded for commercial operation. For volume upgrade, detailed analyses are performed as follows; core design, hydraulics, design and mechnical structures, and safety analysis. In addition to above analysis, some investigations must be supplied as follows: power density vs. DNB margin decrease, outlet temperature vs. EPRI-URD, additional tests for upgraded reactor, dynamic analysis of mechanical vibration according to expanded reactor vessel and expanded in-core structures, and Merit loss of passive safety system reactor according to design margin decrease. (Author).
To quantify the opportunities for natural gas and identify technological advances needed to capture such opportunities, the mineral-wool industry was analyzed with respect to the principal companies, their capabilities, and markets. The mineral-wool industry is stable with a slightly declining market. Of its market segments, only commercial acoustic insulation (which is currently dominant) is likely to be affected by growth in the next ten years. The principal process is based on treatment of blast-furnace slags in a cupola furnace using coke as the fuel and reducing agent. Expanded use of gas, as a substitute for coke, would eliminate environmental problems and expand the latitude of suitable raw materials. The study provides insights into the mineral-wool industry and identifies factors that may constitute bases for future usage of natural gas.
In this study structural and magnetic character of the expanded austenite phase (gN) layer formed on a medical grade CoCrMo alloy by a low-pressure Radio-Frequency plasma nitriding process was investigated. The formation of the expanded austenite phase is facilitated at a substrate temperature near 400^oC for 1, 2, 4, 6 and 20h under a gas mixture of 60% N2-40% H2. The magnetic state of the gN layers was determined by a surface sensitive technique, magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE), and with a scanning probe microscope in magnetic force mode (MFM). Strong evidence for the ferromagnetic nature of the gN-(Co,Cr,Mo) phase is provided by the observation of stripe domain structures and the hysteresis loops. The ferromagnetic state for the gN phase observed here is mainly linked to large lattice ...
The findings reported in this study highlight several important features of the development of hematopoietic stem cells after transplantation into irradiated recipients. First, they demonstrate the existence of a class of primitive multipotential stem cells that can function for a significant portion of the lifetime of a mouse (15 mo). In addition, they clearly show that these primitive stem cells can be infected with recombinant retroviruses and thus would be appropriate targets for gene therapy in somatic tissues. Second, our data indicate that the progeny of some, but not all, of the primitive stem cells have fully expanded into the various hematopoietic lineages by 2 mo after reconstitution. Finally, our analysis of the secondary recipients provides strong evidence suggesting that the primitive stem cell population can actually clonally expand. Our current experiments are aimed at determining the extent to which this expansion can occur and ...
BackgroundAlthough self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) insertion is widely used for relief of malignant colorectal obstructions, the immediate technical and clinical failure rates of SEMSs and the associated risk factors remain largely unknown. ObjectiveTo identify rates and factors predictive of technical and clinical failure of SEMSs when their use is attempted for the decompression of malignant colorectal obstruction. DesignRetrospective chart review. SettingA tertiary-care academic medical center in South Korea. PatientsThis study involved a total of 412 patients with malignant colorectal obstruction in whom SEMS insertion was attempted. InterventionPlacement of colonic SEMSs. Main Outcome MeasurementsTechnical success and immediate and long-term clinical success rates. ResultsTechnical...
In this work, a powerful analytical method, called He's parameter-expanding methods (HPEM) is used to obtain the exact solutions of non-linear modified Van der Pol's oscillator. The classical Van der Pol equation with delayed feedback and a modified equation where a delayed term provides the damping are considered. It is shown that one term in series expansions is sufficient to obtain a highly accurate solution, which is valid for the whole solution domain. Comparison of the obtained solution with those obtained using perturbation method shows that this method is effective and convenient to solve this problem. This method introduces a capable tool to solve this kind of non-linear problems.
Presents a summary of research on key aspects of the indirect effects of expanding education from grade six through grade nine, followed by a comprehensive analysis of social rates of return to investment in all levels of education in Indonesia and underemployment in urban and rural areas. (three figures, nine tables, 33 references) (MLF)
Thermodynamic consideration and process calculations at equilibrium conditions showed that processes for separating gas mixtures by partial condensation at low temperatures using turboexpanders have got less energy losses than processes with quasi isobar partial condensation. Compared to the low-pressure parts of condensing steam turbines in turboexpanders less erosion problems are to expected for such separating processes. Separation of liquid in the machine, however, is more difficult withouf additional measures. (orig.).
We wanted to evaluate the usefulness of a new type of a complex expandable nitinol stent that was designed to reduce the stent's propensity to migration during the treatment of malignant gastroduodenal obstructions. Two types of expandable nitinol stent were constructed by weaving a single thread of 0.2mm nitinol wire in a tubular configuration: an uncovered stent 18mm in diameter and a covered stent 16mm in diameter. Both ends of the covered stent were fabricated by coaxially inserting the covered stent into the tubular uncovered stent and then attaching the two stents together with using nylon monofilament. Under fluoroscopic guidance, the stent was placed in 29 consecutive patients (20 men and 9 women, mean age: 65 years) who were suffering with malignant gastric outlet obstruction (n=20), duodenal obstruction (n=6) or combined obstruction (n=3). Clinical improvement was assessed by comparing the food intake capacity before and ...
This invention relates to an automatically-operating wedge block for maintaining intimate structural contact over wide temperature ranges, including cryogenic use. The wedging action depends on the relative thermal expansion of two materials having very different coefficients of thermal expansion. The wedge block expands in thickness when cooled to cryogenic temperatures and contracts in thickness when returned to room temperature.
This paper presents the Asian landscape with its regional balances and imbalances and its changes after September 11 and subsequent events. The nuclear posture and the role of nuclear weapons inside the China-India-Pakistan triangle is analyzed with respect to the US non-proliferation policy and its expanding military presence over the Asian continent. (J.S.)
The covered self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) has been developed to overcome the problem of tissue ingrowth, However, stent migration is a well-known complication of covered...Full Text Available
An explicite PN solution of the multi-dimensional homogeneous neutron transport equation is given by expanding the angular flux into a series of geometry-independent spherical harmonics operators. An algorithm is developed for representing the spherical harmonic operators in orthogonal curvilinear coordinates. The general formulae are applied to two-dimensional spherical geometry; detailed P3 formulae are given. (orig.).
A solar unit is described which contains a cavity radiation receiver, parabolic-cylindrical concentrator, and reflector arranged between the radiation receiver and the concentrator symmetrically in relation to the optical plane of the latter. In order to expand the range of use, it contains a pair of flat mirrors with 2 working surfaces installed at an angle and symmetrically to the optical plane of the parabolic cylindrical concentrator between them and the reflector, while the latter is made in the form of 2 flat mirrors installed at an angle on the cavity radiation receiver.
Objective: To evaluate technical feasibility and acute and subacute radiotolerance of a self-expandable stent loaded with {sup 125}I seeds in the rabbit esophagus. Methods: A self-expandable stent designed for esophageal application was made of 0.16 mm nitinol wire and loaded with {sup 125}I seeds (CIAE-6711). Twenty-seven stents with three different radioactive dosages (n = 9 in each dosage group) were implanted in the esophagus of healthy rabbits, while nine stents alone were used as controls. The stents were perorally deployed into the esophagus under fluoroscopic guidance. Radiological follow-up included plain chest film, CT scan, and barium esophagography which were undertaken in all rabbits of each group at 2, 4, and 8 weeks, respectively, which were correlated to histopathological findings. The stented esophageal segments along with their adjacent tissues were harvested for histopathological examinations. Results: The stent was ...
We wanted to determine the technical and clinical efficacy of placing a self-expandable PTFE-covered nitinol stent for the management of inoperable malignant biliary obstruction. Thirty six patients with inoperable malignant biliary obstructions were treated by placement of self-expandable PTFE-covered nitinol stents (S and G Biotech Corporation, Seongnam, Korea). Clinical evaluation was done with assessment of the serum bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase levels, which were measured before and after stent placement within 1 week, at 1 month and at 3 months. The patient survival rate and stent patency rate were calculated with performing Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Successful stent placement was achieved in all the patients without procedure-related complication. Pancreatitis as an early complication occurred in two cases. The serum bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase levels were significantly decreased after the procedure. During the ...
The use of robots in powerplants is an option that can no longer be ignored. Robots can reduce worker exposure to harmful environments and minimize downtime. As a result, electric utilities are using them more than ever. As robots become more widely accepted, more are being developed to handle an expanding variety of applications. This report begins with an overview of the use of robotics in the electric-utility industry; following that are sections detailing applications for nuclear plants, fossil-fired stations, and transmission and distribution facilities.
A survey carried out in 2005 among members of a healthy population of children living in Bolivia and Peru revealed that fecal carriage of Escherichia coli strains resistant to expanded-spectrum...Full Text Available
It is proven that there do not exist any Bianchi type-IX universes which expand for an infinite time, provided only that the matter satisfies the dominant energy condition and has non-negative average pressure (i.e., a non-negative trace of the spatial projection of the stress-energy tensor). This generalizes a proof recently given by us for the case of diagonal Bianchi type-IX solutions.
It is proven that there do not exist any Bianchi type-IX universes which expand for an infinite time, provided only that the matter satisfies the dominant energy condition and has non-negative average pressure (i.e., a non-negative trace of the spatial projection of the stress-energy tensor). This generalizes a proof recently given by us for the case of diagonal Bianchi type-IX solutions.
The US DOE`s Photovoltaics program has helped photovoltaic technologies evolve from materials and concepts in the laboratories to competitive products rolling off automated assembly lines. This document is divided into the following sections: 1992 PV program accomplishments, expanding markets for photovoltaic systems, developing today`s systems with utilities and industry, working with industry to advance the technology, cooperative research to improve materials and devices, selected achievements in cooperative R and D, and PV program services. Figs, tabs.
The uncertainties of growth in Croatian future energy, particularly electricity demand, together with growing environmental considerations and protection constraints, are such that Croatia needs to have flexibility to respond by having the option of expanding the nuclear sector. The paper deals with nuclear energy as an option for croatian sustainable economic development. The conclusion is that there is a necessity for extended use of nuclear energy in Croatia because most certainly nuclear energy can provide energy necessary to sustain progress. (author).
A primary and basic question prevails in the methanol industry - What will be the global demand for methanol, for the expanded production of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), during the next few years This article attempts to answer the question by discussing the global market; supply and demand factors; the market in North America, Western Europe, Far East and Asia, South America, and other regions; and the uncertainties that remain.
The purpose of this invention is to assure operating reliability of a Mandrel head in tubes of various diameters. This goal is achieved in that it is equipped with movable expanding sectors, which are installed on a rigid conical plunger dye. It is also equipped with spring-loaded conical slides blocks which are installed on a shaft. The upper ends of the sectors of the sectorial head are attached by hinges to a rigid cone shaped plunger dye. The lower ends are installed with the possibility of interacting with the slide blocks.
To evaluate the feasibility and clinical effectiveness of using a polyurethane-covered expandable nitinol stent in the palliative treatment of malignant duodenal obstruction. Under fluoroscopic guidance, a polyurethane-covered expandable nitinol stent was placed in 12 consecutive patients with malignant duodenal obstructions. All presented with severe nausea and recurrent vomiting. The underlying causes of obstruction were duodenal carcinoma (n=4), pancreatic carcinoma (n=4), gall bladder carcinoma (n=2), distal CBD carcinoma (n=1), and uterine cervical carcinoma (n=1). The sites of obstruction were part I (n=1), part II (n=8), and III (n=3). Due to pre-existing jaundice, eight patients with part II obstructions underwent biliary decompression prior to stent placement. An introducer sheath with a 6-mm outer diameter and stents 16 mm in diameter were employed, and to place the stent, and after-loading technique was used. Stent placement was ...
Measurement-While-Drilling (MWD) sensors can supply much of the critical downhole information needed in a systems approach to improving drilling efficiency. The author looks at some areas where MWD information has helped to improve drilling efficiency. To date, most use of MWD has been for directional survey, pressure prediction, and formation evaluation. As MWD systems become more reliable and cost effective, their applications will expand.
Propane and Butane are the main components of LPG as an automotive fuel in the eighties. The worldwide supply of gas will expand, the infrastructure necessary for the transport, storage and distribution of the extra quantities will be supplied. A percentage of 5-10% of the total German gasoline consumption is propable. LPG is an excellent fuel for Otto-cycle-engines, not only from an environmental point of view. Experience gathered with LPG in car engines will be reported on as well as on developments concerning the application field.
Mission-directed public-sector research facilities are experiencing increasingly severe budget environments while seeing expanding missions and responsibilities. In an effort to identify research leveraging methodologies an information search was conducted in conjunction with some efforts to find the proper links to systems engineering fundamentals. The result is an initial model for use in a pre-concept/phase-1 engineering design organization, with a goal of improving the organizations performance.
This paper reports a recent feasibility study of a scheme to transport thermal coal as a coal-water slurry by pipeline from Coalspur, Alberta to the west coast of Canada. The base case is for the transport of 10.2 million tons of coal annually, and an expanded case of 18.2 million tons is also considered. Coal would be drawn from 5 mines within a 16 km radius of Coalspur. Several different terminal layouts were considered.
The martensitic phase transition in the A-15 compounds is treated by expanding the free energy in terms of the order parameters and its spatial gradients. The model used is a modified version of that recently proposed by Gorkov. The predictions for a wide range of physical properties are in good agreement with experimental results for V_3Si and Nb_3Sn lending support to the veracity of the model. 25 refs.
The authors report an extension of the source imaging method for analyzing three-dimensional sources from three-dimensional correlations. The technique consists of expanding the correlation data and the underlying source function in spherical harmonics and inverting the resulting system of one-dimensional integral equations. With this strategy, they can image the source function quickly, even with the extremely large data sets common in three-dimensional analyses.
The t<0 branch of pre-big bang cosmological scenarios is subject to a gravitational wave instability. The unstable behaviour of tensor perturbations is derived in a very simple way in Hwang's covariant and gauge-invariant formalism developed for extended theories of gravity. A simple interpretation of this instability as the effect of an ''antifriction'' is given, and it is argued that a universe must eventually enter the expanding phase. (orig.)
Given a graph G=(V,E), a vertex colouring of V is t-frugal if no colour appears more than t times in any neighbourhood and is acyclic if each of the bipartite graphs consisting of the edges between any two colour classes is acyclic. For graphs of bounded maximum degree, Hind et al. (1997) [14] studied proper t-frugal colourings and Yuster (1998) [22] studied acyclic proper 2-frugal colourings. In this paper, we expand and generalise this study.
First Solar made 9 CdTe PV devices; found two front- and one back-side structures that show improved Jsc and Voc, respectively, compared to base device structure; best cell efficiency was 14.13%.
Computer tomography used in the diagnosis of tumours is described in the light of particularly great diagnostic difficulties in children. Computer tomography was applied in 12 cases. A high diagnostic value of this method was demonstrated, which makes possible a more accurate diagnosis of the position of the tumour, its size, and expanding tendency. The possibility of estimating healthy tissues and organs, and those with pathological changes on the basis of differences in their density with a detection threshold at 0.5% density difference facilitates not infrequently preoperative diagnosis raising the value of the method.
The study concludes that while the diversification into nonutility activities by the Rural Electric Cooperatives and the Rural Telephone Cooperatives has been expanding, the regulatory activities by the Rural Electrification Administration and the state public utility commissions have been inadequate to guard against cross-subsidization. In fact, there generally exist no data to identify and investigate illegal cross-subsidization activities of cooperatives. Increasing the regulatory functions of state public utility commissions and the REA was recommended.
The most common cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCLs) – mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sézary Syndrome – are characterised by the presence of clonally expanded, skin-homing helper-memory...Full Text Available
We wanted to evaluate the long-term results of a dual expandable nitinol stent for the palliative treatment of malignant gastroduodenal strictures. The dual stent consists of two stents; an outer partially nylon covered stent and an inner bare nitinol stent. The outer stent was placed into the stricture and this was followed by coaxial placement of the inner bare stent. Using fluoroscopic guidance, dual expandable stents were placed in 86 patients with inoperable malignant gastroduodenal strictures. The technical and clinical success, the complication, survival and the stent patency were evaluated during the follow-up period. Stent placement was technically successful in 83 of the 86 patients. After stent placement, 74 of the 85 patients showed improvement of their symptoms. During the mean follow-up period of 133 days, 24 patients (28%) developed recurrent symptoms due to incomplete expansion (n=1), stent migration (n=4), food impaction (n=2), ...
The National Center for Photovoltaics sponsored the 17th Workshop on Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells & Modules: Materials and Processes, held in Vail, CO, August 5-8, 2007. This meeting provided a forum for an informal exchange of technical and scientific information between international researchers in the photovoltaic and relevant non-photovoltaic fields. The theme of this year's meeting was 'Expanding Technology for a Future Powered by Si Photovoltaics.'
Physics information for the D and F piles is presented. Thermal conductivity, reactivity, and irradiation levels are included. Concerning the cooling systems: process water control, pressure drip studies, purging studies, corrosion, and gun barrel clearance of expanded graphite are discussed. (GHH)
DescriptionNanotechnology is rapidly expanding, and is forecast to become a trillion dollar industry in the near future. It is inevitable that as nanotechnology applications increase, increasing amounts of manufactured nanoparticles (mNPs) will be released into the environment. The environmental and human health implications of the release of most of the huge range of possible particle types are as yet largely unknown, but in the context of groundwaters, apart from implications for the drinking of contam [continued...
An irradiation head with sample holders is described and measurement geometry is reported. Measurements were made for optimizing the distance between the source and the sample and for optimizing the sample diameter. The optimal distance between the source and the sample does not depend on the collimator diameter. The sample diameter should not exceed 30 - 35 mm. Sensitivity and detection limits were determined for Zn, Pb and Br and calibration curves were plotted. (M.D.) 6 figs., 2 tabs., 4 refs.
This paper describes a method for preparing the sample handling and inlet system of a mass spectrometer for analysis of a subsequent sample following analysis of a previous sample comprising the flushing of the system interior with supercritical CO{sub 2} and venting the interior. The method eliminates the effect of system ``memory`` on the subsequent analysis, especially following persistent samples such as xenon and krypton.
A multiple probe approach of implanting microdialysis probes into each separate tissue layer would better represent sampling from the stomach. Presently, microdialysis sampling experiments are...Full Text Available
Feed samples from 94 cases involving fungal contamination and suspected mycotoxicosis of farm animals in western Canada were examined during 1982-1994 to assess the incidence of mycotoxins. Samples...Full Text Available
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
The purpose of this report is to describe the sampling approaches, modifications made to the 100 Area and 300 Area component of the RCBRA Sampling and Analysis Plan, summarize validation efforts, and provide sample identification numbers.
This publication presents seven national case studies from a coordinated research project on Indicators for Sustainable Energy Development conducted during the 2002-2005 time period. The project was led by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in cooperation with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). The case studies were developed by research organizations from Brazil, Cuba, Lithuania, Mexico, Russia, Slovakia and Thailand. This publication is being issued just prior to the 15th session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development for which energy for sustainable development is a major theme. The 15th session of the Commission will focus on policy decisions on practical measures and options to expedite implementation in selected clusters of energy issues. The application the energy indicator, especially their quantification, enables systematic monitoring of progress made towards the implementation of ...
Project W-320 Acceptance Test Report for tank 241-C-106, 296-C-006 Ventilation System Acceptance Test Procedure (ATP) HNF-SD-W320-012, C-106 Tank Process Ventilation Test, was an in depth test of the 296-C-006 ventilation system and ventilation support systems required to perform the sluicing of tank C-106. Systems involved included electrical, instrumentation, chiller and HVAC. Tests began at component level, moved to loop level, up to system level and finally to an integrated systems level test. One criteria was to perform the test with the least amount of risk from a radioactive contamination potential stand point. To accomplish this a temporary configuration was designed that would simulate operation of the systems, without being connected directly to the waste tank air space. This was done by blanking off ducting to the tank and connecting temporary ducting and an inlet air filter and housing to the recirculation system. This configuration would eventually become the possible ...
To date, no single passive detector has been found that measures dose equivalent from ionizing radiation exposure in low-Earth orbit. We have developed the I.S.S. Passive Dosimetry System (P.D.S.), utilizing a combination of TLD in the form of the self-contained Pille TLD system and stacks of CR-39 plastic nuclear track detector (P.N.T.D.) oriented in three mutually orthogonal directions, to measure total dose and dose equivalent aboard the International Space Station (I.S.S.). The Pille TLD system, consisting on an on board reader and a large number of Ca{sub 2}SO{sub 4}:Dy TLD cells, is used to measure absorbed dose. The Pille TLD cells are read out and annealed by the I.S.S. crew on orbit, such that dose information for any time period or condition, e.g. for E.V.A. or following a solar particle event, is immediately available. Near-tissue equivalent CR-39 P.N.T.D. provides Let spectrum, dose, and dose equivalent from charged particles of LET{sub {infinity}}H{sub 2}O {>=} 10 ...
The Rotary Mode Core Sample System (RMCSS) is used to obtain stratified samples of the waste deposits in single-shell and double-shell waste tanks at the Hanford Site. The samples are used to characterize the waste in support of ongoing and future waste remediation efforts. Four sampling trucks have been developed to obtain these samples. Truck I was the first in operation and is currently being used to obtain samples where the push mode is appropriate (i.e., no rotation of drill). Truck 2 is similar to truck 1, except for added safety features, and is in operation to obtain samples using either a push mode or rotary drill mode. Trucks 3 and 4 are now being fabricated to be essentially identical to truck 2.
Removal Sampling is an easy-to-use Windows program which calculates population statistics from removal trapping experiment data. Using maximum likelihood methods it ... ...
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
Here we describe the fabrication, optimization, and application of a microfluidic device that integrates microdialysis (MD) sampling, microchip electrophoresis (ME), and electrochemical detection...Full Text Available
The National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP) was implemented in 1997 to update and improve the quality of food composition data maintained by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). NFNAP was designed to sample and analyze frequently consumed foods in the U.S. food supply using statistically rigorous sampling plans, established sample handling procedures, and qualified analytical laboratories. Methods for careful handling of food samples from acquisition to analysis were developed to ensure the integrity of the samples and subsequent generation of accurate nutrient values. The infrastructure of NFNAP, under which over 1500 foods have been sampled, mandates tested sample handling protocols for a wide variety of foods. The majority of these foods were categorized into ...
This Guideline provides a set of procedures for the measurement of organic contaminants and particles in producer gases from biomass gasifiers. The procedures are designed to cover different gasifier types (updraft or downdraft fixed bed or fluidised bed gasifiers), operating conditions (0 - 900C and 0.6-60 bars) and concentration ranges (1 mg/m{sub n}{sup 3} to 300 g/m{sub n}{sup 3}). The Guideline describes a modular sampling train, and a set of procedures, which include: planning and preparation of the sampling, sampling and post-sampling, analysis, calculations, error analysis and reporting. The modular sampling train consists of 4 modules. Module 1 is a preconditioning module for isokinetic sampling and gas cooling. Module 2 is a particle collection module including a heated filter. Module 3 is a tar collection module with a gas quench (optionally by ...
A procedure for the determination of lead in soil samples by "2"0"3Pb radioisotope dilution substoichiometric method is described. Japan NIES No.2 river clay standard sample and 83-40 Tibet soil standard sample were determined. The obtained values were in good agreement with reference values. The standard deviation of the method was less then 5%. Detection limit was about 0.1 #mu#g Pb.
The applicability of the radionuclide X-ray fluorescence analysis (RXFA) for qualitative and quantitative evaluation of environmental plant samples is discussed and examples of determination of Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb in samples of apple trees are given. The instrumentation, the standard and sample preparation are also presented.
We describe a procedure for correcting the systematic errors in the Moessbauer f-factor measurement due to non-homogeneous effective thickness of the sample. To be more precise, we show that, if the mass of the sample is determined by means of X- or {gamma}-ray absorption, it is possible to establish experimental conditions so that the error on f due to material non-homogeneity in the sample is minimized.
By using defined compositions based on industrial wastes of the hard-coal mining and a further waste material (red mud), which is obtained during the extraction process of alumina (BAYER-Process), it is possible to produce expanded-clay granulate requiring suitable preparation, shaping and firing at temperatures of about 1150 C. Some of the investigated parameters and aspects of this manufacturing process will be presented in this paper. (orig.) [German] Aus definierten Mischungen industrieller Reststoffe des Steinkohlenbergbaus (Bergematerial) mit einem weiteren Abfallstoff (Rotschlamm), der bei der Aluminiumoxidgewinnung nach dem BAYER-Verfahren anfaellt, laesst sich nach geeigneter Aufbereitung und Formgebung durch Brennen bei ca. 1150 C Blaehton-Grunulat herstellen. Auf einen Teil der untersuchten Parameter und ermittelten Zusammenhaenge soll im folgenden naeher eingegangen werden. (orig.)
A debris disk is a constituent of any planetary system surrounding a main sequence star. We study whether close stellar encounters can disrupt and strip a debris disk of its planetesimals in the expanding open cluster of its birth. Such stripping would affect the dust production and hence detectability of the disk. We tabulated the fractions of planetesimals stripped off during stellar flybys of miss distances between 100 and 1000 AU and for several mass ratios of the central to passing stars. We then estimated the numbers of close stellar encounters over the lifetime of several expanding open clusters characterized by their initial star densities. We found that a standard disk, with inner and outer radii of 40 and 100 AU, suffers no loss of planetesimals around a star born in a common embedded cluster with star density 20 000 pc^-3. In this environment, a disk loses >97% of its planetesimals around an M-dwarf, >63% around a solar-type ...
4,4'-bis(N-carbazolyl)tolan (BCT) and 4,4'-bis[N-(3,6-di-t-butyl)carbazolyl]tolan (BCT-t-Bu) were synthesized as ?-expanded analogs of 4,4'-bis(N-carbazolyl)biphenyl. Their photophysical characteristics both in solution and films were thoroughly investigated. Interestingly, the phosphorescence spectrum of BCT was significantly medium-dependent, and the emission maximum was red-shifted by 131 nm from 489 nm in solution at 77 K to 620 nm in a deposited film at 5 K, suggesting the presence of strong intermolecular interactions in the film. BCT and BCT-t-Bu were found to be useful as host materials for fluorescence-based organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). However, their low triplet energy levels in films negated their potential to act as hosts in phosphorescence-based OLEDs. - Research highlights: ? We synthesized N-carbazolyl-tolan derivatives (BCT) as ?-expanded analogues of CBP. ? We found that BCT derivatives are useful as host materials ...
To systematically analyze the dynamical implications of the matter content in cosmology, we generalize earlier dynamical systems approaches so that perfect fluids with a general barotropic equation of state can be treated. We focus on locally rotationally symmetric Bianchi type IX and Kantowski-Sachs orthogonal perfect fluid models, since such models exhibit a particularly rich dynamical structure and also illustrate typical features of more general cases. For these models, we recast Einstein's field equations into a regular system on a compact state space, which is the basis for our analysis. We prove that models expand from a singularity and recollapse to a singularity when the perfect fluid satisfies the strong energy condition. When the matter source admits Einstein's static model, we present a comprehensive dynamical description, which includes the qualitative asymptotic behavior, of models in the neighborhood of the Einstein model; the results refute earlier ...
Forty-one cases of mediastinal tumor examined by computed tomography were reviewed. CT findings of the mediastinal malignancy were as follows: 1) inhomogeneous density on contrast CT, 2) equivocaton of fat plane surrounding the tumor, 3) irregular margin. Benign teratoma had smooth margin and included fat or calcification density. Mediastinal seminoma was observed as a lobulated mass with no calcification on CT. These findings were similar to the patterns of malignant thymoma or lymphoma. Consequently, it was very difficult to differentiate between malignant thymoma and malignant lymphoma by CT. According to our data, malignant thymoma tended to expand to only one side of the anterior mediastinum and to invade the anterior chest wall. On the other hand, malignant lymphoma of anterior medistinal type expanded into the trachea and the superior vena cava. In patients with sarcoidosis, the enlargement of bilateral hilar lymph nodes was commonly ...
Huntington?s disease (HD) is caused by an expansion of a polyglutamine repeat of more than 35?units in the huntingtin protein. The expanded repeat length is inversely correlated with the age at onset (AAO); however, additional genetic factors apart from the expanded CAG repeat length can modify the course and the AAO in HD. Aberrations in macroautophagy have been observed in Huntington, Alzheimer, Parkinson, motor neuron and prion diseases. Therefore, we hypothesized that polymorphisms in autophagy-related (Atg) genes might contribute to the variation in the AAO. We initially tested eight single nucleotide polymorphisms in five Atg genes (Atg3, Atg5, Atg7, Atg16L1 and Beclin-1) for their frequency of ?1%. Subsequently, we investigated the polymorphisms Atg7 V471A and Atg16L1 T281A for a di...
We present an analytical model for jets in Fanaroff & Riley Class I (FRI) radio galaxies, in which an initially laminar, relativistic flow is surrounded by a shear layer. We apply the appropriate conservation laws to constrain the jet parameters, starting the model where the radio emission is observed to brighten abruptly. We assume that the laminar flow fills the jet there and that pressure balance with the surroundings is maintained from that point outwards. Entrainment continuously injects new material into the jet and forms a shear layer, which contains material from both the environment and the laminar core. The shear layer expands rapidly with distance until finally the core disappears, and all of the material is mixed into the shear layer. Beyond this point, the shear layer expands in a cone and decelerates smoothly. We apply our model to the well-observed FRI source 3C31 and show that there is a self-consistent solution. We derive ...
Dozens of universities--primarily from the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia--are eyeing the Gulf region as a largely untapped reservoir of academic potential and economic opportunity. During the last few years, UAE states like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and Ras al Khaymah have spent billions to entice top universities. And many colleges are responding--examples include New York University's campus in Abu Dhabi; Michigan State University's school in Dubai; and big names like Cornell, Northwestern, and Carnegie Mellon that have set up shop in Qatar. Typically, Western universities begin their foray into the Gulf by teaming with local investors. The colleges oversee the academic infrastructure while the investors front all operational costs. The partnerships are complicated. Some investors are mining the UAE's educational zeal for profit. In other cases, schools join forces with the region's numerous royal families, who are mostly interested in furthering their states' economies ...
Optical sections of the cornea are obtained by illumination with a collimated beam expanded in a fan shape by a small rotary cylindrical lens. The light diffused from the cornea is observed by two cameras and processed in order to yield the surfaces' profiles. The optical system used to project a thin rotating line on the cornea consists of a white light source provided with optical fiber bundle output which is first conditioned by a set of lenses so that it would produce a spot on the cornea. A small cylinder lens is used to expand the beam in one direction so that a thin line illuminates the cornea, rather than a spot. The cylinder lens is provided with motor driven rotation about an axis normal to its own in order to rotate the line on the cornea such that the projected line scans the whole cornea; the illuminator is completed with a slit aperture. The cornea is not perfectly transparent, scattering some of the light that traverses it; this ...
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 correct and provide information for future ...
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.
According to Schumpeter, the creative process of economic development can be divided into the stages of invention, innovation (commercialization) and imitation. Each stage is associated with specific skills. This paper examines whether Schumpeter?s assertion was correct, i.e. whether the invention and innovation stages should be undertaken by different agents. In addition, we examine whether there is a rationale for the Schumpeterian entrepreneur to include the inventor in the commercialization process. Combining the abilities of the entrepreneur and the inventor may serve to facilitate customer adaptation, strengthen knowledge transfers and reduce uncertainty, thereby expanding market opportunities. Based on a unique database covering Swedish patents granted to individuals and small firms...
The online communicative environment is expected to revolutionize political discourse as it expands to cover underrepresented groups and ideas. In this platform, marginalized groups such as indigenous communities from the developing world can articulate claims, strategically mobilize and participate in the forms of meaning-making that constitute them. However, there is skepticism on the actual value of online spaces in effecting agency in an internet-mediated environment. Using James Scott's notion of 'hidden transcripts' and Andrew Feenberg's 'democratic rationalization of technology', the paper explores strategic approaches and historical, social, and political conditions embedded in the construction, negotiation, and transformation of indigenous online activist media. In-depth interview...
In order to realize improve of reliability and economy by duplicate production, rapid supply of repair parts from standardized storage, such were expected as to have continuous order of standardized plant, to ignore site condition, to avoid expansion of regulatory requirement. Standardization program was planned to limitedly promote standardization of safety-related design concept, major specification and basic system composition of reactor and primary systems. The area of standardization had been tried to expand to BOP such as general arrangement and rad-waste system.
As a consequence of the expanded use of long term hemodialysis and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) treatments and extended life spans, complications of end-stage renal disease and dialysis treatments are being encountered with increasing frequency in these patients. Computed tomography can accurately depict many of the potential complications of end-stage renal disease on dialysis. This article presents the abdominal CT findings of 429 end-stage renal disease patients who are on either hemodialysis or continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis treatment.
In the last 40 years, significant advances have been made in the understanding of the neurophysiologic processes involved in the experience of trauma and pain. This knowledge, together with the rapid growth and understanding in the behavioral health sciences, has expanded to include a much better appreciation of how these fields are converging and contribute to a process called neuroplasticity. These basic mechanisms common to all patients have important implications for clinical outcome and for improving clinical practice. This article is written for clinicians who manage patients with sacroiliac joint dysfunction, a specific type of nonspecific low back pain.
Development Service Order {number_sign}90025 requested recommendations for computer hardware, operating systems, and software development utilities based on current and future SIMON software requirements. Since SIMON`s main objective is to be dispatched on missions by an operator with little computer experience, ``user friendly`` hardware and software interfaces are required. Other design criteria include: a fluid software development environment, and hardware and operating systems with minimal maintenance requirements. Also, the hardware should be expandable; extra processor boards should be easily integrated into the existing system. And finally, the use of well established standards for hardware and software should be implemented where practical.
This report addresses remote monitoring of coal waste impoundments for stability. Existing automated geotechnical monitoring systems are described and reviewed along with details of instruments suitable for such systems. An impoundment in West Virginia, which was in the construction stage, was instrumented and monitored between July 1979 and May 1981. Sensors that measure surface and subsurface parameters including settlement, horizontal deflection, surface tilt, pore water pressure, seepage, pond level, and meteorlogical parameters were installed. Recommendations for improving and expanding the capabilities of the monitoring system are given.
The nature of the first generation of stars in the Universe remains largely unknown. Observations imply the existence of massive primordial stars early in the history of the universe, and the standard theory for the growth of cosmic structure predicts that structures grow hierarchically through gravitational instability. We have developed an ab initio computer simulation of the formation of primordial stars that follows the relevant atomic and molecular processes in a primordial gas in an expanding universe. The results show that primeval density fluctuations left over from the Big Bang can drive the formation of a tiny protostar with a mass of just one percent that of the sun. The protostar is a seed for the subsequent formation of a massive primordial star.
The Outreach Program was designed to solicit creative ideas from academia, research institutions, private enterprises, and the general public and is intended to be helpful in defining promising technical areas and program paths for more detailed study. To the Outreach Program, a number of power system concepts were proposed. In conclusion, there are a number of advanced concepts for space power and propulsion sources that deserve study if we want to expand our ability to not only explore space, but to utilize it. Advanced nuclear concepts and power beaming concepts are two areas worthy of detailed assessments.
Aim.- To describe the clinical aspects of implantable cardioverter defibrillators care in Sweden with focus on organisation, the role and education of nurses, patient information and education and areas in need of improvement. Background.- Implantable cardioverter defibrillators implantations have developed rapidly in recent years and are now an established arrhythmia treatment. The expanding indication for implantable cardioverter defibrillators implantation demands new competencies and resources in the implantable cardioverter defibrillators team members. Methods.- Participants were recruited among physicians and nurses in all of the hospitals implanting implantable cardioverter defibrillators (n-=-16). Data were collected by a questionnaire. Additionally, all written educational materia...
This paper explains how mine operators are taking a closer look at the power of explosives and how primary breakage affects other open-pit mining costs. Slurries have overcome most of the disadvantages attributed to them in their early years and may replace Anfo. Effective blasting is the key to an efficient, low-cost mining operation. Reviews are presented on research in crater studies, computer-aided design, the expanding gas theory, and high-speed motion picture cameras that show the importance of shock energy in fracturing the rock interfaces throughout the burden. The paper concludes with MSHA-approved courses in blasting offered throughout the US.
Multitemporal TM images are used to collect information about the extension and variation of water influx subsidence in coal district in order to provide a reference for the harnessing and utilization of water influx subsidence. The multitemporal TM images are used as a blended data group for the analysis of the principal components to reflect the expanding water influx subsidence in the past years. Because of the differences in the environment and imaging condition, 'unitary' order is used to enhance the 'coherence' and 'comparability' of the original TM images. 5 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.
The shot peening of the outer surface of Alloy 800 is proposed by the steam generator supplier in order to increase the stress corrosion cracking resistance of the tubes. The benefits and drawbacks of such a treatment are evaluated, focusing on the main concern i.e. a possible enhanced tendency of stress corrosion cracking at the transition of the expanded tube-to-tubesheet joint. Stress corrosion tests as well as residual stresses measurements demonstrate no significant difference between peened and unpeened tubes at that location. The other concerns such as stability of the compressive stresses, increased risk of pitting or intergranular attack and pollution of the secondary circuit by fragmented beads appear the as minor concerns.
A 2D matrix allows a fairly rapid verification of irradiation parameters transferred on computer processing equipment without expanding the dosimetry means to implement. Associated to 'Multicheck and Verisoft' software it will handle some of the regulatory recommendations of the A.F.S.S.A.P.S. for quality control of accelerators and ensure the traceability of testing carried out. (N.C.)
The near-term availability of domestic and selected foreign uranium resources for use by United States electric utilities is considered in light of projected geopolitical and socioeconomic considerations. No attempt is made to analyze the impact on domestic uranium supply of inflation or cost-price considerations, the introduction of the breeder reactor, limitations in enrichment capacity, or the presently expanding uranium inventory. All data are current as of mid-1980. The period with which this research is concerned is 1980-1995. It is concluded that the United States must promote responsible, environmentally acceptable uranium resource exploration and development, if this nation is to remain self sufficient in this necessary energy commodity.
...soy, rights, justice, contamination, water, cargill, port soy, rights, justice, contamination, water, cargill, port Friends of the ... The global food giant Cargill has built its own port on the banks of the River Paraguay with plans to expand. It's ...allows Puerto Union, the port facility belonging to the transnational food giant Cargill, to continue operating. This decree was issued despite the ... The Cargill port facility represents a hazard to the water supply of the entire population of the city, and any accident such ...
We have used scale models to measure the predicted coupling of electromagnetic fields simulating the effects of high-altitude nuclear electromagnetic pulses (HEMP) on the interior surfaces of electronic components. Predictive tools for exterior coupling are adequate. For interior coupling, however, such tools are in their infancy. Our methodological approach combines analytical, computational, and laboratory techniques in a complementary way to take advantage of their separate strengths. Computer models are a promising tool, as they can be used to treat complex objects with arbitrary shapes, dielectrics, and cables, and multiple apertures. Laboratory tests can expand the domain of investigation even further.
This essay, operating in a philosophical mode, continues and expands the discussion initiated by Amos Yong about the role of "spirit" in the theology-science dialogue. After a working definition, it explores Santayana's and Tillich's perspectives on the proximate derivation of human spirit before treating them further as representatives for naturalist and trans-naturalist camps regarding the spirit's ultimate source. Then a descriptive definition of "spirit" is advanced along with the concluding standpoint that while "spirit" is vague, even poetic, it remains for the foreseeable future a necessary and useful placeholder for what advances in neuroscience and future philosophical and theological research can help us unveil further.
A previously studied theory of gravitation in flat space-time is applied to homogeneous and isotropic cosmological models. There exist two different classes of models without singularities: (i) ever-expanding models, (ii) oscillating models. The first class contains models with hot big bang. For these models there exist at the beginning of the universe-in contrast to Einstein's theory-very high but finite densities of matter and radiation with a big bang of very short duration. After short time these models pass into the homogeneous and isotropic models of Einstein's theory with spatial curvature equal to zero and cosmological constant ALPHA >= O.
We prove a cosmic no-hair theorem for Bianchi models in power-law inflation. Provided that the potential of an inflaton {phi} is exp({minus}{lambda}{kappa}{phi}) with 0{le}{lambda}{lt} {radical}2/3 , we find that the isotropic power-law solution is the unique attractor for any initially expanding Bianchi-type models except type IX. For Bianchi type IX, this conclusion is also true if the initial ratio of the vacuum energy to the maximum three-curvature is larger than one half.
A case has been presented of an expanding, aggressive bone cyst in the scapula of an 11-year-old girl. The lesion had the appearance of a highly aggressive, cyst-like disorder that appeared to be benign. Biopsy and histological preparation confirmed the presence of a solitary bone cyst. The clinical, radiological, and pathological criteria associated with a solitary bone cyst, particularly in the scapula, were discussed and the literature was reviewed. The differential diagnosis was stressed and a number of examples of scapular lesions was presented radiologically, particularly lesions that might be confused with solitary bone cyst. (orig./SHA).
This definitive reference is organized in an easy-to-follow format based on materials properties. It features new and existing data verified through major professional societies in the materials fields, such as ASM International and the American Ceramic Society. The third edition has been significantly expanded, most notably by the addition of new tabular material for a wide range of nonferrous alloys and various materials. The contents include: Structure of materials; Composition of materials; Phase diagram sources; Thermodynamic and kinetic data; Thermal properties of materials; Mechanical properties of materials; Electrical properties of materials; Optical properties of materials; Chemical properties of materials.
We examine the late-time behavior of initially expanding homogeneous cosmological models satisfying Einstein's equation with a positive cosmological constant ..lambda... It is shown that such models of all Bianchi types except IX exponentially evolve toward the de Sitter solution, with time scale (3/..lambda..)/sup 1/2/. The behavior of Bianchi type-IX universes is similar, provided that ..lambda.. is sufficiently large compared with spatial-curvature terms. Thus, a positive cosmological constant provides an effective means of isotropizing homogeneous universes.
We examine the late-time behavior of initially expanding homogeneous cosmological models satisfying Einstein's equation with a positive cosmological constant #LAMBDA#. It is shown that such models of all Bianchi types except IX exponentially evolve toward the de Sitter solution, with time scale (3/#LAMBDA#)/sup 1/2/. The behavior of Bianchi type-IX universes is similar, provided that #LAMBDA# is sufficiently large compared with spatial-curvature terms. Thus, a positive cosmological constant provides an effective means of isotropizing homogeneous universes.
The high-spin states in transitional odd-mass nuclei are studied in terms of an odd quasi-particle coupled to an asymmetric rotor with a variable moment of inertia (VMI). In order to take into account the VMI, the basis states are expanded in terms of the core eigenfunctions. Excitation energies, quadrupole moments, magnetic moments, B(E2) values and B(M1) values are calculated and compared with the experimental data for nuclei in Au and La regions. On comparison with other descriptions it is found that the treatment with VMI provides a more satisfactory explanation of the data. (Auth.).
The geodesic equation for space-like objects moving along a circular trajectory in the expanding universe is considered. Our analysis leads to the conclusion that ancient cosmological tachyons may exist in the present-day world and may play an important role in (i) the internal structure of hadrons conceived as nonlocal objects called strings, (ii) the T-symmetry violation observed in the weak K-decays, (iii) the multidimensional unified field theories of Kaluza-Klein type, and in (iv) the classical models of charged particles which combine ordinary electromagnetism with a self-interacting version of Newtonian gravity. 18 refs.
The geodesic equation for space-like objects moving along a circular trajectory in the expanding universe is considered. Our analysis leads to the conclusion that ancient cosmological tachyons may exist in the present-day world and may play an important role in (i) the internal structure of hadrons conceived as nonlocal objects called strings, (ii) the T-symmetry violation observed in the weak K-decays, (iii) the multidimensional unified field theories of Kaluza-Klein type, and in (iv) the classical models of charged particles which combine ordinary electromagnetism with a self-interacting version of Newtonian gravity. 18 refs.
Double-contrast barium enema has a reduced sensitivity in patients with severe sigmoid diverticulosis. Therefore a carboxy methyl cellulose enema was employed after the conventional double-contrast examination in 15 patients with sigmoid diverticulosis. A significant increase in lumen diameter and a superior removal of barium residue from the diverticulas facilitated the interpretation of the sigmoid loops. Conclusion: The addition of methyl cellulose enema to double-contrast barium imaging improves diagnostic imaging in diverticulosis by expanding the lumen and emptying the diverticulas. (orig.).
Self-expanding metallic stent insertion has been widely applied for the palliative treatment of malignant esophageal strictures. Although it is known as an easy, safe, and effective procedure, complications are well known and include things such as stent migration and esophageal stent occlusion caused by tumor in growth. However, metallic stent fractures have been rarely reported in the esophagus, especially for nitinol stents. We report a case of a stent fracture associated with migration in a patient with a malignant esophageal stricture near the gastroesophageal junction. It is highly probable that the stent fracture was due to chemical erosion of the stent caused by gastric juice
We wanted to determine the technical and clinical efficacy of using a PTFE-covered self-expandable nitinol stent for the palliative treatment of malignant biliary obstruction. Thirty-seven patients with common bile duct strictures caused by malignant disease were treated by placing a total of 37 nitinol PTFE stents. These stents were covered with PTFE with the exception of the last 5 mm at each end; the stent had an unconstrained diameter of 10 mm and a total length of 50 80 mm. The patient survival rate and stent patency rate were calculated by performing Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. The bilirubin, serum amylase and lipase levels before and after stent placement were measured and then compared using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The average follow-up duration was 27.9 weeks (range: 2 81 weeks). Placement was successful in all cases. Seventy-six percent of the patients (28/37) experienced adequate palliative drainage for the remainder of their lives. There were ...
Purpose: To evaluate the initial and mid-term results of a new self-expanding low strut profile nitinol stent for treatment of atherosclerotic lesions stenoses and occlusions in the superficial femoral artery (SFA). Materials and Methods: In 8 patients (4 male, 4 female, mean age 74.8 {+-} 8.8 years) with SFA lesions and non-satisfying results after PTA treatment alone, 10 self-expanding nitinol Xpert stents were deployed via a 4 F sheath. Stent characteristics and handling were graded by the interventionalist. Fontaine classification, duplex flow measurements and ankle brachial index (ABI) at rest and stress were taken prior and one day after stent placement. Patients were followed 3, 6 and 12 months after the procedure obtaining the same parameters at each appointment. Results: Initial stent treatment was successful in all patients. Stent handling and positioning were rated very good and safe. All patients improved clinically by at least one ...
The effect of measurement geometry on the determination of the activity of solutions containing "1"2"5I for use in brachytherapy applications has been investigated for 5 mL plastic syringes and 2 mL conical glass dose vials as a function of filling mass. New dial settings for the syringes over a filling mass range of 1 to 3 g have been determined to be 497#+-#8 and 469#+-#8 (expanded, k=2, uncertainties) for the NIST Capintec CRC-12 and Capintec CRC-35R, respectively, with any effect due to the filling mass lying within the uncertainty in the activity calibration. A filling mass effect was observed in the dose vials, causing a 10.5% reduction in the chamber response from a 2 g filling mass to 1 g. Dial settings at 2 g were experimentally found to be 143#+-#2 and 135#+-#2 (expanded uncertainties) for the NIST Capintec CRC-12 and Capintec CRC-35R, respectively. The appropriate dial settings for the same vials with a 1 g filling mass were found to ...
Inferior vena cava (IVC) obstruction is a well-described clinical entity. Most IVC obstructions from malignant neoplasms are a direct result of tumor compression [Oviedo J, Cerda S. Vascular invasion by hepatocellular carcinoma. Arch Pathol Lab Med 2001;125: 454-5; Furui S, Sawada S, et al. Gianturco stent placement in malignant caval obstruction: analysis of factors for predicting the outcome. Radiology 1995;195:147-52; Fletcher WS, Lakin PC, et al. Results of treatment of inferior vena cava syndrome with expandable metallic stents. Arch Surg 1998;133:935-8]. The symptoms of IVC obstruction include progressive ascites, scrotal edema and lower body edema. These constellations of symptoms are described as IVC syndrome and are devastating to a patient with end-stage cancer. We describe a palliative therapy utilizing Luminexx nitinol self-expanding stents to treat intracaval hepatoma thrombus obstructing the IVC. The procedure is rapidly ...
This study illustrates the way to perform protocols, collect samples, and conduct laboratory analyses in order to characterize the physical properties of wood used in the industrial sector of the Valle de Aburra metropalitan area and the gains obtained by characterizing the properties of the most frequently used woods. In this investigation some of the most important sampling parameters are presented, such as taking samples in piles or accumulations of waste, handling of these samples in the laboratory and others of great importance such as the ignition point. the proposed methodology is based upon some of the international astm coal norms, for the similarity it has with wood and for the lack of information on sampling this type in wood
This paper describes a novel Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic method that can be used to rapidly screen soil samples from potentially hazardous waste sites. Samples are heated in a thermal desorption unit and the resultant vapors are collected and analyzed in a long-path gas cell mounted in a FTIR. Laboratory analysis of a soil sample by FTIR takes approximately 10 minutes. This method has been developed to identify and quantify microgram concentrations of explosives in soil samples and is directly applicable to the detection of selected volatile organics, semivolatile organics, and pesticides.
During the first and second quarters of 1994 air samples were collected and analyzed from 54 air particulate/halogen sampling stations, 10 noble gas sampling stations and 19 tritiated water vapor sampling stations. Surface water samples were collected and analyzed from 12 open water supply reservoirs, 8 natural springs, 2 wastewater containment ponds and 9 sewage lagoons. Groundwater samples were obtained brom 10 potable and 1 non-potable supply wells, and 8 drinking water consumption points. Ambient radiation levels were measured at 193 locations.
Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) is employed to study the changes in enthalpy of natural rubber latex samples when heated under a controlled temperature program. It is found that the mass normalized areas of the DSC curves between room temperature and 170??C for different latex samples are inversely proportional to the dry rubber content (DRC) of the samples, measured following the weighing and drying method. The changes in total enthalpy of the samples in this temperature range are interpreted as due to the variations in the quantity of water present in the samples. The measurements have been repeated by diluting selected samples with known quantities of water, and it is found that the normalized areas of the DSC curves are directly proportional to the amount of water added to the ...
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) code FLUENT. The design options considered here were (1) ...
SummaryBackground The choice of sampling techniques in bronchoscopy with sampling from a visible lesion will depend on the expected diagnostic yields and the costs of the sampling techniques. Aims The aim of this study was to determine the most economical combination of sampling techniques when approaching endobronchial visible lesions. Methods A cost minimization analysis was performed. All bronchoscopies from 2003 and 2004 at Haukeland university hospital, Bergen, Norway, were reviewed retrospectively for diagnostic yields. 162 patients with endobronchial disease were included. Potential sampling techniques used were biopsy, brushing, endobronchial needle aspiration (EBNA) and washings. Costs were estimated based on registration of equipment costs and personnel costs. Sensitivity analyse...
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.
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.
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)
This paperwork explain the method of water sampling to obtain the precipitate of BaCO3 solutions that will be used to analyze 13C from field work in Kelana Jaya, Selangor, Langkawi, Kedah and Taiping, Perak. The sampling involves collecting of water samples for groundwater from boreholes and surface water from canal, river, pond and ex-mining pond from several locations at the study sites. This study also elaborates the instruments and chemicals used. The main purpose of this sampling is to obtain the precipitate of BaCO3 for 13C analysis of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). A correct sampling method according to standard is very important to ensure an accurate and precise result. With this, the data from the laboratory analysis result can be fully utilized to make the interpretation of the pollutants movement. (Author)
On 7 May 2009, the Ministry of the Environment set up a working group to evaluate the possible use of biodegradable waste and other biodegradable material flows for energy production and obstacles to promoting their use in the whole production cycle. The deadline for the working group was 31 January 2010. According to its mandate, the working group had to make proposals for the measures needed to promote the energy use of biodegradable waste in order to fulfil the targets of the Government Foresight Report on Long-term Climate and Energy Policy. The working group proposes thirteen measures to be put into operation so that the investments aimed at the energy use of biodegradable waste would grow significantly from the present level. The most important measure is a full ban on depositing biodegradable waste in landfills. The working group sees that the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from landfills should, in any case, be made more effective and that the planning procedures for ...
The activity concentrations of potassium, uranium and thorium in minerals and soil samples from a mining site in Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria were measured using gamma ray spectroscopy method. Effective dose per annum has been calculated from the activity concentrations of dominant gamma-emitting natural radionuclides, potassium, uranium and thorium. Samples collected include minerals (beryl, quartz and feldspar), soil samples from the mining pits, heaps and undisturbed land around the mining site. The activity concentrations of "4"0K, "2"3"8U and "2"3"2Th, respectively in Bq kg-1 in the mineral samples were as follows: 1985 #+-# 16, 4.8 #+-# 0.9 and 11.8 #+-# 5.8 for beryl sample, 115.1 #+-# 27.9, 5.0 #+-# 1.3 and 6.3 #+-# 5.0 for feldspar samples and 1421 #+-# 122, <4.8 and 20.1 #+-# 3.5 for quartz samples. For the soil ...
The Waste Sampling and Characterization Facility (WSCF) complex consists of the main structure (WSCF) and four support structures located in the 600 Area of the Hanford site east of the 200 West area and south of the Hanford Meterology Station. WSCF is to be used for low level sample analysis, less than 2 mRem. The Laboratory features state-of-the-art analytical and low level radiological counting equipment for gaseous, soil, and liquid sample analysis. In particular, this facility is to be used to perform Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976 and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980 sample analysis in accordance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Protocols, room air and stack monitoring sample analysis, waste water treatment process support, and contractor laboratory quality assurance checks. The ...
12 kind of environmental samples such as soil, underground water, seawater, etc. around the Nuclear Power Plants(NPP) and surface seawater around the Korea peninsula were sampled, For the samples of rain, pine-needle, air, seawater, underground water, chinese cabbage, grain of rice and milk sampled around NPP, and surface seawater and rain sampled all around country, tritium concentration was measured, The tritium concentration in the tap water and the gamma activity in the domestic and imported beef that were sampled at ward in the large city in Korea(Seoul, Pusan, Taegu, Taejun, Inchun, Kwangju) were analyzed for the meat and drinking waters. As the results of analyzing, tritium concentration in rain and tap water were very low all around country, but a little higher around the NPP than general surrounding. At the Wolsung NPP, tritium concentration was descend ...
Samples of nylon 66 rods were irradiated using a cobalt-60 gamma ray source at a dose rate of 0.25 Mrad h[sup -1] in air at room temperature to a maximum dose of 500 Mrad. The linear coefficient of thermal expansion ([alpha]) was measured using a three-terminal capacitance technique reported previously. The variation of [alpha] with temperature between 10 K and 340 K was investigated for an unirradiated sample and two samples irradiated to 300 Mrad and 500 Mrad. In the range 10K to 160K, [alpha] is almost invariant with radiation dose and there is little difference between the values for the unirradiated and the 300 Mrad irradiated samples above 160 K. The sample irradiated to 500 Mrad does show a 6% increase in [alpha] over the other samples in the higher temperature range. All samples show an increase overall in the value of [alpha] with ...
A review is presented of the quest for superheavy elements under the following headings - early history; physical and nuclear properties unique to superheavy elements; searches in nature; terrestrial samples; extra-terrestrial samples; and searches at accelerators. 72 references. (U.K.).
ObjectiveTo compare the relations of social self-control and sensation seeking with substance use across samples of US and Russian adolescents.Full Text Available
The purpose of this study was to determine the occurrence and genotypic relatedness of Salmonella enterica isolates recovered from feed and fecal samples in commercial swine production...Full Text Available
This report presents results from the soil inorganic analysis of the 44th set of environmental quality assessment samples, of the quality assessment program, that were received on or before June 3, 1996. The samples were analyzed for RCRA metals.
BackgroundHepatitis A virus (HAV) strains detected in environmental and clinical samples were analysed to characterize the genotypes of HAV circulating in Greece. Fifty (50) sewage...Full Text Available
In this paper, we report a method of precise in situ x-ray scattering measurements on protein solutions using small stationary sample cells. Although reduction in the radiation damage...Full Text Available
The selection due to the "healthy worker effect" was estimated from a random sample of the total Finnish population. The sample of 20 000 people was followed for changes in occupations from 1960 to...Full Text Available
Linking biological samples found at a crime scene with the actual crime event represents the most important aspect of forensic investigation, together with the identification of the sample donor. While...Full Text Available
Alcohol dependence (AD) is clinically and etiologically heterogeneous. The goal of this study was to explore AD subtypes among a sample of 1, 221 participants in the Irish Affected Sib Pair...Full Text Available
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is an indicator of living biomass in marine particulates. This report details the method used by Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory to analyze particulate ATP in samples taken from oligotrophic, tropical ocean waters. It represents a synthesis of previously published methods.
Since current microbiology methods are not suitable to detect Clostridium perfringens in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples, we developed a PCR assay to detect toxin-encoding...Full Text Available
Real-time PCR has the potential to streamline detection and identification of Cryptosporidium spp. in human clinical samples. In the present...Full Text Available
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 sample--doser ...
The procedure currently used for isolating legionellae from environmental samples recommend filtration through a 0.2-microns-pore-size polycarbonate filter. In this study we evaluated the performance...Full Text Available
The cytogenetic findings were analysed in a series of 500 pregnancies in which chorionic villi sampling was performed. In all cases a direct method was used, karyotyping being successful in 481 cases...Full Text Available
The British Andrology Society guidelines for the assessment of post vasectomy semen samples recommend that initial assessment is undertaken 16 weeks post vasectomy and after the patient has produced...Full Text Available
SNAP25 occurs on chromosome 20p12.2, which has been linked to schizophrenia in some samples, and recently linked to latent classes of psychotic illness in our sample. SNAP25 is crucial to synaptic functioning, may be involved in axonal growth and dendritic sprouting, and its expression may be decreased in schizophrenia. We genotyped 18 haplotype-tagging SNPs in SNAP25 in a sample of 270 Irish high-density families. Single marker and haplotype analyses were performed in FBAT and PDT. We adjusted for multiple testing by computing q values. Association was followed up in an independent sample of 657 cases and 411 controls. We tested for allelic effects on the clinical phenotype by using the method of sequential addition and 5 factor-derived scores of the OPCRIT. Nine of 18 SNPs had P values Irish family sample. Although we failed to replicate this in an independent ...
To diagnose asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis (BV), self-sampled vaginal smears were collected during a study of risk factors for preterm birth in African American women. More than 90% of those...Full Text Available
Surface temperature is measured with an infrared thermometer. Measuring Surface Temperature. Nine sample points are selected with a site of uniform land ...
We have prepared high-quality, single crystals of SmB_6 under various conditions to improve sample quality. We have measured the resistivity and magnetic susceptibility from room to liquid-helium temperatures to sort samples. We have applied pulsed magnetic fields as high as 50 T at temperatures as low as 40 mK while measuring resistivity. Our samples are of higher quality than previously known. All solvent-grown, single-crystal samples should be etched to remove a surface conductivity. (orig.).
Hydroxyapatite samples were produced by two different wet-chemical methods, and characterized by x-ray diffraction, infrared and compression strength measurements. The x-ray diffraction measurements were simulated using the Rietveld method, and structural data as lattice parameters and average crystallite size were obtained. The infrared spectra showed the presence of CO$_3^{2-}$ ions in all samples, indicating a contamination by these ions. By mixing samples produced by both methods, a bioceramic was obtained and, after sintering, samples with very high compression strengths (26--30 MPa) were obtained.
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.
The elemental analysis of some plant samples have been carried out in Trabzon region (Turkey) using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry. We have analyzed plant samples for nine stations using 1.85 GBq 55Fe radioactive sources. We have found that potassium and calcium within 0.3-1.4% and 0.3-2.8% were present in concentration in plants for every station, respectively. The concentration of Cl and Ti generally changed according to the plant species and the sampling station.
Several wood samples collected from Dorslandboom, a large iconic African baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) from Namibia, were investigated by AMS radiocarbon dating subsequent to pretreatment and, alternatively, without pretreatment. The comparative statistical evaluation of results showed that there were no significant differences between fraction modern values and radiocarbon dates of the samples analyzed after pretreatment and without pretreatment, respectively. The radiocarbon date of the oldest sample was 993 +- 20 BP. Dating results also revealed that Dorslandboom is a multi-generation tree, with several stems showing different ages.
The composition and thickness of etch residues on the base of submicrometer via holes cannot be surmized from data on larger features. Auger sputter depth profiles were used to compare etch residues in 0.55 {mu}m via holes produced by different etch processes and remaining after different cleans. These residues varied significantly in composition and thickness with the processing history of the sample and from those on larger features. A focused ion beam (FIB) sample preparation was developed to expose the bases of via holes and to help reduce sample charging. (author).
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.
Examples are given of reference materials for radionuclide X-ray fluorescence analysis (RXFA) of the environment processed by the National Bureau of Standards and the IAEA. Methods are described used for preparing standard materials for RXFA. For determining air pollutants the sample is prepared by dry or wet mineralization. Water samples have to be preserved prior to analysis. Insoluble components are separated by filtration or centrifugation. Biological materials must be dehydrated and homogenized. Samples of soil, sludges, sediments and solid wastes will sometimes have to be converted into a solution in some cases a leachate will have to be obtained. (ES).
The K alpha / K beta ratio of Mn KX-rays scattered by metallic samples changed remarkably with the geometry between the sample and the (55)Fe source-Si(Li) detector system. On the contrary, this intensity ratio changed little in the cases of non-metallic scatterer samples such as lucite or mylar. This difference is interpreted as due to the occurrence of strong or weak interference in the coherent scattering photons. PMID:7280291
A method for the quantitative determination of atmospheric hydroperoxyl radical comprising: (a) contacting a liquid phase atmospheric sample with a chemiluminescent compound which luminesces on contact with hydroperoxyl radical; (b) determining luminescence intensity from the liquid phase atmospheric sample; and (c) comparing said luminescence intensity from the liquid phase atmospheric sample to a standard luminescence intensity for hydroperoxyl radical. An apparatus for automating the method is also included.
New standardization techniques of samples in multielement instrumental neutron-activation analysis (INAA) of biological materials (BM) are considered. New methodical developments of sample preparation techniques, BM tableting, creation of comparison standards and standardization of packing material are suggested. Correlated data on concentration of different elements in standard specimens-comparison standards are presented for mass INAA, that is: for phenol-formaldehyde resin-base and human blood-base synthetic standards. 7 refs.; 3 tabs.
DOE`s Office of Environmental Management (EM) is responsible for managing waste and cleaning up contamination at DOE sites across the United States. A substantial fraction of the work performed for EM includes sampling and analysis activities. This paper outlines the Sample Management Programs, achievements to date, and future directions.
A total of 6360 mud samples were obtained, in 62 collections made with an exhaustive sampling device, from banana drains on the West Indian island of St Lucia during fortnightly samplings over a 2½-year...Full Text Available
Efficiency calibration curves for different densities and geometries are necessary for activity determination of various environmental samples. Commercially available standards or natural radioactive materials are used for calibration. Potassium compounds are especially suitable, since they can be mixed with unknown samples. It is possible to determine efficiency curve and unknown activity of sample knowing "4"0 K activity. (author).
Methods of sample treatment in XRF analysis of hair are studied in view of the effect on analytical results. A new method is proposed based on the incomplete ashing of hair followed by pellet preparation. Its suitability is estimated on the XRF analysis of real hair samples collected from 4 healthy adults. (author) 12 refs.; 4 figs.; 1 tab.
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.
It is important for the trauma surgeon to understand the basic principles of terminal gunshot ballistics and the study of the projectile's effect on striking soft tissue. The amount of kinetic energy dissipated to the tissue is directly related to the mass and velocity of the projectile as follows: K = MV2/2. Doubling the velocity quadruples the energy, while doubling the mass only doubles the energy. A temporary tissue cavity is produced as the striking projectile compresses the surrounding tissue; the higher the energy release, the more extensive the inapparent compressive damage. The permanent cavity that remains is the result of extrusion of tissue from the pathway of the projectile. The higher the velocity, the higher the likelihood of extensive damage. If the missile expands or fragments within the tissues, more damage will occur. PMID:6847483
The radio, optical, x-ray and gamma-ray nebulae that surround many pulsars are thought to arise from synchrotron and inverse Compton emission. The energy powering this emission as well as the magnetic fields and relativistic particles are supplied by a 'wind' driven by the central object. The inner parts of the wind can be described using the equations of MHD, but these break down in the outer parts, when the density of charge carriers drops below a critical value. This paper reviews the wave properties of the inner part (striped wind), and uses a relativistic two-fluid model (cold electrons and positrons) to re-examine the nonlinear electromagnetic modes that propagate in the outer parts. It is shown that in a radial wind, two solutions exist for circularly polarized electromagnetic modes. At large distances one of them turns into a freely expanding flow containing a vacuum wave, whereas the other decelerates, corresponding to a confined flow.
The Jodrell Bank MERLIN array was used to map the OH 1665-and 1667-MHz masers in the circumstellar envelope of U Orionis in 1984, 1986 and 1987. The OH masers lie within a region of extent 130 x 180 AU"2, and have complex distribtuions which are different for each line and polarization. The masers show clumpy structures with a typical clump size of #approx# 25 AU. The strongest emission is from a ring of radius 60 AU which we interpret as part of an expanding, tilted torus. Proper motions have been measured for the OH masers on the ring. The ring has a proper motion of 5.4#+-#1.4 mass yr"-"1 corresponding to a transverse expansion velocity of #approx# 7 km s"-"1 for the period-luminosity distance of U Orionis of 260 pc. (author).
Using an expanded nuclear data base, the transmutation of PCA, AMCR33 (a reduced activation austenitic steel), HT-9, Rafer2 (a reduced activation ferritic steel), V-15%Cr-5%Ti alloy, and SiAlON (a ceramic) were calculated for two positions in the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF), three positions in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), and the first wall position of both the STARFIRE and MARS conceptual fusion reactors. The peripheral test (PTP) position, and to a lesser extent the radial beryllium (RB) position, of HFIR show significant transmutations which are often in the opposite direction to the transmutations in the fusion conceptual designs. The positions in FFTF, as well as the hafnium covered location in the HFIR RB position show relative minor transmutations.
Polyurethane (PU) foam was combined with protein drug-loaded pH-sensitive alginate-bentonite hydrogel for wound dressings. Alginate is a linear copolymer composed of 1?4-linked ?-D-mannuronic acid (M) and its c-5-epimer ?-Lguluronic acid (G). The amount of (M) and (G) and their sequential distribution are varied depending on the alginate source. Soluble sodium alginate can become a hydrogel when cross-linked with divalent cations and has widespread applications in the food, drink, pharmaceutical and bioengineering industries. Recently, it has been also proposed as a biomaterial for drug delivery systems. Bentonites are the natural inorganic polymers consisting of a large proportion of expandable clay minerals with a three-layer structure such as montmorillonite, beidellite, nontronite, etc...
Mammalodon colliveri is an unusual toothed archaic mysticete (Cetacea) from the Upper Oligocene Jan Juc Formation of south-east Australia. The morphology of the holotype skull and postcrania are described in detail. Superimposed on the generally plesiomorphic archaeocete-like morphology of Mammalodon are subtle mysticete synapomorphies. Derived features of Mammalodon include a short and bluntly rounded rostrum, reduced premaxillae, and anterodorsally directed orbits. Within Mysticeti, this suite of features is unique. The aberrant rostral morphology of Mammalodon suggests specialization for suction feeding. Janjucetus hunderi is placed in an expanded family Mammalodontidae. Phylogenetic analysis corroborates the monophyly of Basilosauridae, Neoceti, Odontoceti, and Mysticeti, and yields a ...
We study the dynamics of states perturbatively expanded about a harmonic system of loop quantum cosmology, exhibiting a bounce. In particular, the evolution equations for the first and second order moments of the system are analyzed. These moments back-react on the trajectories of the expectation values of the state and hence alter the energy density at the bounce. This analysis is performed for isotropic loop quantum cosmology coupled to a scalar field with a small but non-zero constant potential, hence in a regime in which the kinetic energy of matter dominates. Analytic restrictions on the existence of dynamical coherent states and the meaning of semi-classicality within these systems are discussed. A numerical investigation of the trajectories of states that remain semi-classical across the bounce demonstrates that, at least for such states, the bounce persists and that its properties are similar to the standard case, in which the moments of the states are ...
The economic development of eastern Europe was associated during the last 15 years with the following average annual increases in energy consumption: Approximately 1% in the sectors industry, building and transport, almost 7% in the farming sector, approximately 3% in households, and nearly 4% in the municipal sector. This trend will not continue. As the economic system shifts from centrally planned to free economy and as the previously secluded economy is forced to face world market conditions as well as changed pars of exchange and conditions of payment, it not only experiences a transitory, sharp dip of economic growth in general but, in particular, drastic structural changes. - While there is to be expected, on the whole a slump in national economic growth, in tradiational branches of industry (e.g., metallurgy, the chemicals and textile industry) as well as in farming, such sectors as the service industry and small trade are expanding. (orig./UA).
Similar to many other countries, an educational reform anchored in a managerial discourse was proposed in Israel in 2004 by the Dovrat Committee, encouraged by the 'inter-state education gap' social problem that economist Dan Ben-David formulated on the basis of international examinations, such as PISA and TIMMS. Through a neo-Weberian approach this study follows the construction of a managerial discourse from the 1970s onwards that led to the Dovrat report. In the first period, managerial discourse was constructed around decentralization, parent choice and school autonomy 'social objects' by an expanding reformist network of educational scholars and figures from the Ministry of Education and local authorities. The pervasion of managerial discourse paved the way for the nomination of Shlom...
Before expanding on the development of the Terra Nova oilfield, the author discussed the overall business strategy of Petro-Canada and identified where the Terra Nova and offshore Newfoundland oil have their place within this strategy. The principal basins and oilfields offshore Newfoundland were reviewed, then the emphasis shifted to rest on the Terra Nova development project. A whole range of topics were brought up, including the Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility, the modules layout, the FPSO located at Bull Arm, and the floating production systems. The physical environment of the Grand Banks was highlighted, and the next few sections were devoted to the Terra Nova FPSO, FPSO and drill centres, the Turret General Arrangement, and Spider buoy including the disconnect/reconnect. The last four sections dealt with the animation of riser movement, the wellhead protection animation, Henry Goodrich, and operations readiness.
Magnesium alloys are being increasingly utilized in a variety of fields as an alternative material to organic materials and aluminum alloys, owing to excellent properties. Those include low density, and excellent damping properties. When compared to organic materials, furthermore, Mg alloy excels at recyclability, heat radiation, and electromagnetic-shielding. Though most of magnesium alloy products are manufactured through die-casting and thixo-molding at present, the demand for the expanding of magnesium wrought alloy market is increasing. Taking full advantage of a drawing technique and applying it to the conventional extruded pipe, we have developed a new type of magnesium alloy pipe. The strength of the developed pipe is significantly higher than that of the conventional one, either extruded or die-casting. Some of the excellent properties were obtained from fundamental tests performed with the developed pipe. Both tensile properties and bending formability ...
As a continuation of our previous study, further experiments were performed on Li[sub 3]PO[sub 4]-Li[sub 2]S-SiS[sub 2] lithium ion conductive glass. In the present study, we employed a twin roller for quenching process instead of liquid nitrogen. We found that the glass forming region expands by twin roller technique and conductivity up to 1.5x10[sup -3] S/cm was achieved. Structural analysis on the glass revealed that Li[sub 3]PO[sub 4] doping changes the glass structure of Li[sub 2]S-SiS[sub 2], thereby enhancing the electrical conductivity
Motivated by the discovery of superconductivity in alkali and alkaline earth fullerides, this program was undertaken both to understand the nature of and expand the range of materials demonstrating superconductivity. The first approach involved attempts to modify the fullerene cage by incorporating heteroatoms in the structure and the preparation and photophysical properties of nitrogen and sulfur doped fullerenes were studied in detail. The second approach involved examining the stoichiometry and effect of preparative conditions on the behavior of alkali, alkaline earth, lanthanide and mixed ion fullerides. In particular, the authors have elaborated on a technique for making such salts using liquid ammonia or aliphatic amines as solvents. Thirdly, modeling studies were undertaken to predict the properties of heterohedral fullerines and metal - C60 complexes, and theoretical guidelines were developed for understanding the reactivity of the fullerene cage to common ...
In an earlier publication we considered acceleration of plasma rings (Compact Torus). Several possible accelerator configurations were suggested and the possibility of focusing the accelerated rings was discussed. In this paper we consider one scheme, acceleration of a ring between coaxial electrodes by a B/sub theta/ field as in a coaxial rail-gun. If the electrodes are conical, a ring accelerated towards the apex of the cone undergoes self-similar compression (focusing) during acceleration. Because the allowable acceleration force, F/sub a/ = kappaU/sub m//R where (kappa < 1), increases as R/sup -2/, the accelerating distance for conical electrodes is considerably shortened over that required for coaxial electrodes. In either case, however, since the accelerating flux can expand as the ring moves, most of the accelerating field energy can be converted into kinetic energy of the ring leading to high efficiency.
Stainless steels can be nitrided at temperatures {<=}400 C to increase their hardness and wear resistance without a decreasing of their excellent corrosion resistance. Structure and properties of the surface layers produced by plasma nitriding and plasma immersion ion implantation in this temperature range were tested. There are negligible differences in the structure of the produced surface layers in spite of different interaction principles of the used technologies. However there are clear differences between the case of different steels. The case of ferritic chromium steels mainly consists of {epsilon}-nitride. Whereas the cases of austenitic and ferritic austenitic steels are characterized by expanded austenite. The corrosion resistance of the steels is reduced by nitriding only, if evident CrN-formation occurs. (orig.) 11 refs.
We have previously reported that periventricular structures are hypoperfused in attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study has expanded the number of patients, who were divided into two groups: six patients with pure ADHD, and 13 patients with ADHD in combination with other neurologic symptoms. By using xenon 133 inhalation and emission tomography, the regional cerebral blood flow distribution was determined and compared with a control group. Striatal regions were found to be hypoperfused and, by inference, hypofunctional in both groups. This hypoperfusion was statistically significant in the right striatum in ADHD, and in both striatal regions in ADHD with other neuropsychologic and neurologic symptoms. The primary sensory and sensorimotor cortical regions were highly perfused. Methylphenidate increased flow to striatal and posterior periventricular regions, and tended to decrease flow to primary sensory regions. Low striatal activity, ...
We investigate the existence of time-periodic solutions of the Dirac equation in the Kerr-Newman background metric. To this end, the solutions are expanded in a Fourier series with respect to the time variable $t$ and the Chandrasekhar separation ansatz is applied so that the question of existence of a time-periodic solution is reduced to the solvability of a certain coupled system of ordinary differential equations. First, we prove the already known result that there are no time-periodic solutions in the non-extreme case. Then it is shown that in the extreme case for fixed black hole data there is a sequence of particle masses $(m_N)_{N\\in\\mathbb N}$ for which a time-periodic solution of the Dirac equation does exist. The period of the solution depends only on the data of the black hole described by the Kerr-Newman metric.
We consider Bianchi VI spacetime, which also can be reduced to Bianchi types VI0-V-III-I. We initially consider the most general form of the energy-momentum tensor which yields anisotropic stress and heat flow. We then derive an energy-momentum tensor that couples with the spatial curvature in a way so as to cancel out the terms that arise due to the spatial curvature in the evolution equations of the Einstein field equations. We obtain exact solutions for the universes expanding with constant deceleration parameter. The solutions are reduced to each Bianchi type. The dynamics of the models and fluid are examined briefly, and the models that can approach to isotropy are determined.
Sandia National Laboratories manages the US Department of Energy program for slimhole drilling. The principal objective of this program is to expand proven geothermal reserves through increased exploration, made possible by lower-cost slimhole drilling. For this to be a valid exploration method, however, it is necessary to demonstrate that slimholes yield enough data to evaluate a geothermal reservoir, and that is the focus of Sandia`s current research. Sandia negotiated an agreement with Far West Capital, which operates the Steamboat Hills geothermal field, to drill and test an exploratory slimhole on their lease. The principal objectives for the slimhole were development of slimhole testing methods, comparison of slimhole data with that from adjacent production-size wells, and definition of possible higher-temperature production zones lying deeper than the existing wells.
Development Service Order {number sign}90025 requested recommendations for computer hardware, operating systems, and software development utilities based on current and future SIMON software requirements. Since SIMON's main objective is to be dispatched on missions by an operator with little computer experience, user friendly'' hardware and software interfaces are required. Other design criteria include: a fluid software development environment, and hardware and operating systems with minimal maintenance requirements. Also, the hardware should be expandable; extra processor boards should be easily integrated into the existing system. And finally, the use of well established standards for hardware and software should be implemented where practical.
This article explores the extent to which and how non-formal education (NFE) contributes to the development of a more diversified basic education system and thus to the achievement of EFA. It outlines the current nature of NFE, the frameworks provided by the EFA movement, and the evolution of reflection, policies and practices in NFE in relation to basic education as a whole. Based on significant developments in various countries across the South, the article also discusses some key challenges that ministries of education and their partners need to face in moving towards relevant and equitable diversity in education. The article posits that, despite the many problems faced by NFE, there is justification for building on its experiences and integrating these within a larger policy and system...
Wind power is a maturing technology that in a number of countries is likely to contribute a major share to fully renewable energy systems. Denmark has a comparably long history of wind power development and is planning to continue expanding the existing capacity. If a large-scale penetration of wind power is to be achieved, an integrated framework is needed that can respond to the associated challenges. This paper argues for adopting an integrated macro perspective when evaluating and building frameworks to support wind power development. This macro perspective is applied to the case of Denmark, and more specifically to concrete wind power projects in the region of Northern Jutland. The results suggest although certain elements in the legislation have been improved, the feasibility of wind power projects cannot be guaranteed, and there is a tendency to exclude smaller turbines from the development.
Recently the author showed that the widely used simulation code TDA3D, even though a single frequency code, can be used to determine the power spectrum in the SASE process with excellent approximation in the exponential growth regime. In this paper, the author applies this method to the BNL Cornell Wiggler A SASE experiment as an example. When the gain is not very high, there are many modes in the radiation, which seems to make the analytical calculation very difficult. However, he shows that the increment of the radiation due to SASE over the spontaneous radiation can be expanded in terms of guided modes with rapid convergence. Thus when the spontaneous radiation is substracted from the SASE power during the calculation, there is a good agreement between the analytical theory and the numerical simulation.
Recently, we showed (Yu, Phys. Rev. E 58 (1998) 4991) that the widely used simulation code TDA3D, even though a single-frequency code, can be used to determine the power spectrum in the SASE process with excellent approximation in the exponential growth regime. In this paper, we apply this method to the BNL Cornell Wiggler A SASE experiment as an example. When the gain is not very high, there are many modes in the radiation, which seems to make the analytical calculation very difficult. However, we show that the increment of the radiation due to SASE over the spontaneous radiation can be expanded in terms of guided modes with rapid convergence. Thus when the spontaneous radiation is subtracted from the SASE power during the calculation, there is a good agreement between the analytical theory and the numerical simulation.
US DOE`s Photovoltaics Program has helped photovoltaic technologies evolve from materials and concepts in laboratories to competitive products rolling off automated assembly lines. The program is working to expand industrial capacity while continuing basic and applied technology R and D. This document is a tabulation of photovoltaics R and D that were begun, continued, or completed during this period. National laboratories or industrial, academic, and nonprofit research institutions perform the RR and D activities. The document is organized first by directing organization, then by project title and individual task. Each listing provides the name of contractor, period of performance, funding, objectives, accoplishments, and FY 1993 milestones. An index of contractors is included. (DLC)
We identify a source coincident with SN 2009kr in Hubble Space Telescope pre-explosion images. The object appears to be a single point source with an intrinsic color V - I = 1.1 #+-# 0.25 and M_V = -7.6 #+-# 0.6. If this is a single star, it would be a yellow supergiant of log L/L _s_u_n #approx# 5.1 and a mass of 15"+"5 _-_4 M _s_u_n. The spatial resolution does not allow us yet to definitively determine if the progenitor object is a single star, a binary system, or a compact cluster. We show that the early light curve is similar to a Type IIL SN, but the prominent H#alpha# P-Cygni profiles and the signature of the end of a recombination phase are reminiscent of a Type IIP. The evolution of the expanding ejecta will play an important role in understanding the progenitor object.
In this work we investigate the multivariate statistical description of the matter distribution in the nonlinear regime. We introduce the multivariate Edgeworth expansion of the lognormal distribution to model the cosmological matter field. Such a technique could be useful to generate and reconstruct three-dimensional nonlinear cosmological density fields with the information of higher order correlation functions. We explicitly calculate the expansion up to third order in perturbation theory making use of the multivariate Hermite polynomials up to sixth order. The probability distribution function for the matter field includes at this level the two-point, the three-point and the four-point correlation functions. We use the hierarchical model to formulate the higher order correlation functions based on combinations of the two-point correlation function. This permits us to find compact expressions for the skewness and kurtosis terms of the expanded lognormal field ...
Since August 1984, the MITRE Corporation has been supporting the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and the Naval Medical Command (NAVMEDCOM) in their joint efforts to enhance the Navy Occupational Health Information Management System (NOHIMS). The goal of the enhancement effort was to create a comprehensive occupational health and safety system for Navy industrial facilities by expanding upon the original NOHIMS functions and adding modules for hazard deficiency abatement, hazardous-material control, injury claims and compensation, and safety and health training. To meet this goal, MITRE developed an enhanced industrial subsystem, referred to as the Occupational Safety and Health Record Keeping System (OSHRKS), using a prototyping approach and a public-domain data base-management software package, the Veterans Administration's (VA's) FileManager (FileMan).
The microstructure of the layers produced by plasma nitriding austenitic stainless steel at different treatment temperatures (400 and 500 C) were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) together with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that the microstructures were composed of 'expanded austenite' ({gamma}{sub N}) and {alpha}(ferrite)+CrN following plasma nitriding at lower and higher treatment temperatures, respectively. The former contains stacking faults and deformed twin substructures, while the latter is made up of colonies displaying a lamellar structure. Kurdjumov-Sachs or Nishiyama-Wassermann orientation relationships between the {alpha} and CrN layer were observed. (orig.)
Protein motions on all timescales faster than molecular tumbling are encoded in the spectral density. The dissection of complex protein dynamics is typically performed using relaxation rates determined at high and ultra-high field. Here we expand this range of the spectral density to low fields through field cycling using the nucleocapsid protein of the SARS coronavirus as a model system. The field-cycling approach enables site-specific measurements of R{sub 1} at low fields with the sensitivity and resolution of a high-field magnet. These data, together with high-field relaxation and heteronuclear NOE, provide evidence for correlated rigid-body motions of the entire {beta}-hairpin, and corresponding motions of adjacent loops with a time constant of 0.8 ns (mesodynamics). MD simulations substantiate these findings and provide direct verification of the time scale and collective nature of these motions.
Male infertility, characterized by hypogonadism, decreased semen quality or ejaculatory dysfunction, accounts for approximately 20% of infertility cases. Obesity and metabolic dysfunction have been identified, among other causal factors, to contribute to male infertility. In the context of the Western world's `obesity epidemic', this article discusses three main biological mechanisms linking obesity to impaired male reproductive function: hypogonadism, testicular heat stress/hypoxia-induced apoptosis and endocrine disruption by `obesogens'. Among these, obesity-induced hypogonadism is undoubtedly the most clinically significant and is easily assessed. Rapidly expanding areas of research in this area include leptin modulation of kisspeptins and hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular hormone path...
The PERMCAT is a membrane reactor proposed for processing fusion reactor plasma exhaust gas: tritium removal is obtained by isotopic swamping operating in counter-current mode. In this work, a membrane reactor using a permeator tube of length about 500 mm produced via diffusion welding of Pd-Ag thin foils is described. An appropriate mechanical design of the membrane module has been developed in order to avoid any significant compressive and bending stresses on the very long and thin wall permeator tube: two expanded bellows have been applied to the Pd-Ag tube, so that it has been pre-tensioned before operating. The elongation of the metal permeator under hydrogenation has been theoretically estimated and experimentally verified for properly designing the membrane reactor.
Mass and charge distributions of products from fission of sup(242m)Am induced by thermal neutrons have been investigated by means of the semiconductor spectrometry of ..gamma.. radiation from a mixture of non-separated fragment nuclei. Specimens of the fissible material have been irradiated in the vertical experimental channel of the research reactor then the measurements have been performed with calibrated semiconductor detectors. Three experiments with substantially different irradiation times have been performed to expand the nomenclature of the investigated fission products. The spectra of ..gamma.. radiation from the mixture of fission products, and time dependences of the counting rates at the total absorption peaks have been handled with computers. The obtained yields are compared with data of previous investigations performed with different experimental methods, as well as with the calculated one.
LCTs (liquid crystal thermosets) have significant potential as a new class of structural materials. Through appropriate processing techniques using magnetic fields, the authors can orient the liquid-crystalline molecules and significantly improve the mechanical properties of the material. Most notably, the use of magnetic field processing can increase the tensile modulus threefold over the modulus in the unoriented material. This modulus value is only obtained in conventional epoxies in highly filled systems. Further investigation of the full set of mechanical properties of oriented LCTs will validate their approach to processing these materials. In the long run, the development of an economical and viable route to oriented LCTs will provide opportunities to expand the use of lightweight polymers in structural applications.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to show that the need to communicate the value of libraries is growing, and especially now during the global financial crisis. As a response library valuation research is expanding and there is now a need for a status report. Design/methodology/approach - The library valuation field is developing towards generating a critical mass of empirical studies. The focus of the meta-analytical review is on the subgroup that reports a return on investment (ROI) or a cost-benefit ratio. Meta-analysis is a quantitative analysis of findings of previous studies, conducted to infer general findings and lessons from prior empirical research. The dataset is 38 library valuation studies reporting a return on investment figure or cost-benefit ratio. Findings - Of the 38...
The known biological functions of RNA have expanded in recent years and now include gene regulation, maintenance of sub-cellular structure, and catalysis, in addition to propagation of genetic information. As for proteins, RNA function is tightly correlated with structure. Unlike proteins, structural information for larger, biologically functional RNAs is relatively limited. NMR signal degeneracy, relaxation problems, and a paucity of long-range {sup 1}H-{sup 1}H dipolar contacts have limited the utility of traditional NMR approaches. Selective isotope labeling, including nucleotide-specific and segmental labeling strategies, may provide the best opportunities for obtaining structural information by NMR. Here we review methods that have been developed for preparing and purifying isotopically labeled RNAs, as well as NMR strategies that have been employed for signal assignment and structure determination.
Culture-independent microbiological technologies that interrogate complex microbial populations without prior axenic culture, coupled with high-throughput DNA sequencing, have revolutionized the scale, speed and economics of microbial ecological studies. Their application to the medical realm has led to a highly productive merger of clinical, experimental and environmental microbiology. The functional roles played by members of the human microbiota are being actively explored through experimental manipulation of animal model systems and studies of human populations. In concert, these studies have appreciably expanded our understanding of the composition and dynamics of human-associated microbial communities (microbiota). Of note, several human diseases have been linked to alterations in th...
The clinical use of "1"8F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography in monitoring anticancer treatment is expanding. At the same time a number of radiotracers aiming to image different aspects of tumour biology such as proliferation and apoptosis are being developed. However, the factors determining changes of radiotracer uptake parameters in response to treatment are not well understood. In many cases, cellularity may be the primary determinant of changes of FDG uptake and may confound the interpretation of metabolic changes. Early imaging assessments have in some cases showed transient increases of uptake parameters, commonly termed 'flares', which are likely to be unaffected by cellularity and directly reflect pharmacodynamics at a cellular level. In this review a number of settings where molecular imaging 'flares' have been described are discussed. Such changes may often be clinically informative and warrant careful study as potential predictive ...
Cell surface glycosaminoglycans play important roles in cell adhesion and viral entry. Laboratory strains of two alphaviruses, Sindbis and Semliki Forest virus, have been shown to utilize heparan sulfate as an attachment receptor, whereas Ross River virus (RRV) does not significantly interact with it. However, a single amino acid substitution at residue 218 in the RRV E2 glycoprotein adapts the virus to heparan sulfate binding and expands the host range of the virus into chicken embryo fibroblasts. Structures of the RRV mutant, E2 N218R, and its complex with heparin were determined through the use of electron cryo-microscopy and image reconstruction methods. Heparin was found to bind at the distal end of the RRV spikes, in a region of the E2 glycoprotein that has been previously implicated in cell-receptor recognition and antibody binding.
Tissue-engineered heart valves are prone to early structural deterioration. We hypothesize that cell?scaffold interaction and mechanical deformation results in upregulation of genes related to osteogenic/chondrogenic differentiation and thus changes extracellular matrix (ECM) composition in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (hBMSC)-derived tissue-engineered grafts. hBMSC were expanded and seeded onto poly-glycolic acid/poly-lactic acid scaffold for 14 days. Seeded tissue-engineered constructs (TEC) were subjected to cyclic flexure for 24?h, whereas control TEC was maintained in roller bottles for the same duration. hBMSC, TEC, and mechanically deformed TEC were subjected to gene-array and histological analysis. Expression levels of RNA and/or protein markers related to chondrogenesis...
Abstract During the past few years, laparoscopy has become the gold standard for some surgical procedures and its applications continue to expand. Because of multiple factors such as loss of tactile perception, two-dimensional visualization of the three-dimensional surgical field, and demanding bimanual hand-eye coordination, special training is required to achieve proficiency with laparoscopy. In this study, as the first step toward evidence-based development of strategies to improve the quality of laparoscopy training from brain activity and behavior relationships, a laparoscopy training simulator was developed for use in functional MRI. Experiments confirmed the functional MRI compatibility of the device. Representative behavioral and functional MRI results for two subjects showed the f...
The Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessors have conducted research and development (R&D) in geothermal energy since 1971. To develop the technology needed to harness the Nation's vast geothermal resources, DOE's Office of Geothermal and Wind Technologies oversees a network of national laboratories, industrial contractors, universities, and their subcontractors. The following mission and goal statements guide the overall activities of the Office of Geothermal and Wind Technologies. This Federal Geothermal Program Research Update reviews the specific objectives, status, and accomplishments of DOE's Geothermal Program for Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 1999. The information contained in this Research Update illustrates how the mission and goals of the Office of Geothermal and Wind Technologies are reflected in each R&D activity. The Geothermal Program, from its guiding principles to the most detailed research activities, is focused on ...
The study of extragalactic planetary nebulae (EPN) is a rapidly expanding field. The advent of powerful new instrumentation such as the PN spectrograph has led to an avalanche of new EPN discoveries both within and between galaxies. We now have thousands of EPN detections in a heterogeneous selection of nearby galaxies and their local environments, dwarfing the combined galactic detection efforts of the last century. Key scientific motivations driving this rapid growth in EPN research and discovery have been the use of the PNLF as a standard candle, as dynamical tracers of their host galaxies and dark matter and as probes of Galactic evolution. This is coupled with the basic utility of PN as laboratories of nebula physics and the consequent comparison with theory where population differences, abundance variations and star formation history within and between stellar systems informs both stellar and galactic evolution. Here we pose some of the burning questions, ...
Placement of dental implants in the interforaminal region of the edentulous mandible is considered a safe and routine surgical procedure. Hemorrhage in the floor of the mouth has been reported as a rare, potentially life-threatening complication related to the placement of implants in this region. In this case report the authors present an immediate and a delayed case of massive bleeding in the floor of the mouth after implant placement. This highly vascularized region is vulnerable and bleeding can be induced easily by instrumentation, causing a vascular trauma, usually by perforation of lingual periostium. In almost all cases the expanding hematoma formation starts during surgery. The effect of the vasoconstrictive agent in the local anesthesic combined with an injury of the lingual arte...
Purpose ? The purpose of this article is to expand the base of supply chain knowledge by applying chaos theory principles to selected supply chain functions. Design/methodology/approach ? Researchers borrow chaos theory from the natural sciences, provide a basic explanation, and then examine how it may be applied to enhance supply chain management techniques. Findings ? Chaos theory principles are used to assist in the examination of forecasting, product design, and inventory management challenges currently facing supply chain practitioners. Research limitations/implications ? Application of chaos theory to various supply chain issues and key functional areas may produce an increase in the level of understanding of supply chain ambiguity and how chaos theory may provide valuable insight in...
The environmental impact caused by local people (ecological footprint of consumption, EFc) and the actual environmental impact that the ecosystem burdens (ecological footprint of production, EFp) in West Jilin Province, Northeast China from 1986 to 2006 were evaluated by using ecological footprint (EF) method. And the major driving forces of EFc and EFp were analyzed by STIRPAT model. Both EFc and EFp showed increasing trends in 1986?2006, accompanied by decreasing ecological deficits but expanding ecological overshoots. Population (P), GDP per capita (A 1), quadratic term of GDP per capita (A 2), urbanization (T a1), and quadratic term of urbanization (T a2) were important influencing factors of EFc, among which T a2 and T a1 were the most dominate driving forces of EFc. A 1, A 2 and T a2...
The standard Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) big bang model of the universe requires special initial conditions: the early universe is highly homogeneous and isotropic even though there exist causally disconnected regions (horizon problem). A plane symmetric (anisotropic) solution of field equations in a generalized theory of gravitation predicts the beginning of the universe as a vacuum instability at a specific fundamental time (which can be associated with the Planck time (tsub(p))), after which matter is created as the universe begins to expand. At a time t=tsub(c) there is a singular expansion, the anisotropy vanishes, and the physical horizon becomes infinite. Thereafter the solution of the field equations goes over into the FRW model. Thus the special initial conditions of the FRW model at the big bang singularity t=tsub(c) are predicted by the theory.
The study abstracted aims at analyzing the economic effects of energy policies using simulations. Emphasis is on assessing the effects of decisions in favour of an expanding electric power industry based on nuclear energy and hard coal. The study discusses alternative assumptions concerning the cost involved, pollution abatement measures, shutdown and dismantling costs etc. Input-output analyses make the simulation model a consistent vehicle. Besides, the model in question is characterized by its explaining the investment demand of the different sectors by referring to the continuous annual development of innovative technologies.
Chitosan (a?-(1-4)-amino-2-deoxy-b?-D-glucan) is a deacetylated form of chitin, a polysaccharide from crustacean shells. Its unique characteristics, such as positive charge, biodegradability, biocompatibility, nontoxicity, and rigid structure, make this macromolecule ideal for an oral vaccine delivery system. We prepared reverse-phase evaporation vesicles (REVs) sandwiched by chitosan (Chi) and polyvinylic alcohol (PVA). However, in this method, there are still some problems to be circumvented related to protein stabilization. During the inverted micelle phase of protein nanoencapsulation, hydrophobic interfaces are expanded, leading to interfacial adsorption, followed by protein unfolding and aggregation. Here, spectroscopic and immunological techniques were used to ascertain the effects ...
As part of the United States Department of Agricultures (USDA) National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP), food composition data for vitamin D in the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference are being updated and expanded, focusing on high priority foods and validated analytical methodology. A lack of certified reference materials and analytical methods validated for these key foods required the development of five matrix-specific control composite materials (CC) (canned salmon and vitamin D3 fortified cereal, orange juice, milk, and cheese). Each of six experienced laboratories (research and commercial) analyzed vitamin D3 in five subsamples of each CC in five separate analytical batches, with one subsample of each material in each run. Research laboratories perform...
MRI is a powerful diagnostic modality of expanding availability. Equipment and installation amount to nearly $2M per site. An important component of diagnostic efficacy is not just equipment costs but also replacement costs, which for x-ray CT amount to 14-20% of the purchase cost per year; and in the early years of that technology reached 30-50%. The authors show how design choices made during the RandD stages of MRI development have allowed them to improve system performance parameters such as data reconstruction, archiving and display speeds, computational capabilities, operator interfaces, imaging sequence flexibility and signal-to-noise levels. Over the last four years these improvements have been made at a retrofit cost well below the target of 6-7% of the purchase price per year.
AbstractBackground: The dinitrofluorobenzene/dinitrosulfonic acid (DNFB/DNS) model was originally described as an experimental model of intestinal inflammation resembling human ulcerative colitis (UC). Due to the absence of acceptable UC experimental models for pharmacological preclinical assays, here we examine the immune response induced in this model. Methods: Balb/c mice were sensitized by skin application of DNFB on day 1, followed by an intrarectal challenge with DNS on day 5. We further expanded this model by administering a second DNS challenge on day 15. The features of colonic inflammation and immune response were evaluated. Results: The changes observed in colonic tissue corresponded, in comparison to the trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) colitis model, to a mild mucosal effe...
Unitarity cuts are widely used in analytic computation of loop amplitudes in gauge theories such as QCD. We expand upon the technique introduced in hep-ph/0503132 to carry out any finite unitarity cut integral. This technique naturally separates the contributions of bubble, triangle and box integrals in one-loop amplitudes and is not constrained to any particular helicity configurations. Loop momentum integration is reduced to a sequence of algebraic operations. We discuss the extraction of the residues at higher-order poles. Additionally, we offer concise algebraic formulas for expressing coefficients of three-mass triangle integrals. As an application, we compute all remaining coefficients of bubble and triangle integrals for nonsupersymmetric six-gluon amplitudes.
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has the necessary equipment and trained personnel to respond to a large number of hazardous material spills and fires or other emergencies resulting from these spills including injured personnel. This response capability is further expanded by the agreements that LLNL has with a number of outside response agencies. The Hazards Control Department at LLNL functions as the central point for coordinating the response of the equipment and personnel. Emergencies involving hazardous waste are also coordinated through the Hazards Control Department, but the equipment and personnel in the Toxic Waste Control Group would be activated for large volume waste pumpouts. Descriptions of response equipment, hazardous waste locations communication systems, and procedures for personnel involved in the emergency are provided.
The construction and the development of a UV free electron laser have been started under the cooperation of Nihon U, KEK, PNC, ETL and Tohaku U. The project requires a 100MeV S-band electron linear accelerator to expand the oscillation of FEL using fundamental mode to the UV region. The injection system consists of a thermionic RF-gun with a LaB cathode and an {alpha} magnet for magnetic bunching. We are studying to reduce the back-bombardment electrons to realize the macropulse length of 20{mu}sec. Electron beams, up to the energy of 100MeV, are injected into the optical oscillators. Changing the accelerating energy and/or undulator parameters, this system will cover the range from infrared to ultraviolet for the applications in various fields.
Analyses were performed of the safety-related performance of the reactor protection system (RPS) at U.S. Westinghouse and General Electric commercial reactors during the period 1984 through 1995. RPS operational data from these reactors were collected from the Nuclear Plant Reliability Data System (NPRDS) and Licensee Event Reports (LER). The common-cause failure (CCF) modeling in the fault trees developed for these studies and the analysis and use of common-cause failure data were sophisticated, state-of-the-art efforts. The overall CCF effort helped to test and expand the limits of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's CCF methodology.
Gelatine is a reliable tissue simulant in wound ballistic experiments. The projectile penetrating the gelatine transfers energy and causes radial cracks according to the temporary cavity. Thus the crack length is a function of the energy spent in the medium. In practice the fissures are poorly contrasted for which reason an enhancement of contrast was searched. A series of six shoots with expanding bullets (9mmx19 Action-5, 9mmx19 Quick Defense 1, 5.56mmx45 Styx Action) was realized on 10% gelatine blocks at 4^oC temperature. Three blocks were marked with acryl paint on the front, three blocks were shot native. The blocks were cut in slices of 1cm thickness and optically scanned. The evaluation was performed according to Fackler's wound profile, the total crack length method and the polygo...
Biodegradable helicoidal stent prototypes made up of layers of poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) and poly(L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) polymers were fabricated by temperature conditioning the stents at different stages of fabrication. The process incorporated elastic memory, or self-expandability in the stent, which is desirable to minimize stent recoil. The collapse pressures of such stents were studied, with and without in vitro degradation. The effects of thickness and the composition of each layer on the collapse pressure were modeled using the simple series model. Results of the in vitro studies for over 3 months showed that collapse pressure of the stents depended mainly on the degradation and other side-effects brought about by the degradation of different polymer compositions. General...
In a nutshell, the existing Internet provides to us content in the forms of videos, emails and information served up in web pages. With Cloud Computing, the next generation of Internet will allow us to "buy" IT services from a web portal, drastic expanding the types of merchandise available beyond those on e-commerce sites such as eBay and Taobao. We would be able to rent from a virtual storefront the basic necessities to build a virtual data center: such as CPU, memory, storage, and add on top of that the middleware necessary: web application servers, databases, enterprise server bus, etc. as the platform(s) to support the applications we would like to either rent from an Independent Software Vendor (ISV) or develop ourselves. Together this is what we call as "IT as a Service," or ITaaS, bundled to us the end users as a virtual data center.
Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate how a combination of different scaffold architectures and rotational culture would influence the functional properties of thick cartilaginous tissues engineered using either chondrocytes or bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs). Expanded porcine chondrocytes and BM-MSCs were suspended in 2% agarose and cast in custom-designed moulds to produce either regular solid or channelled construct cylinders. The study consisted of three seperate experimental arms. First, chondrocyte and BM-MSC constructs were cultured in free swelling conditions for 9 weeks. Second, constructs were subjected to rotational culture for a period of 3 weeks. Finally, BM-MSC-seeded constructs were subjected to delayed rotational culture, in which cons...
Ceramic ball bearings of silicon nitride are used for hard disk drive (HDD) spindle motors, to increase seed, reliability and memory capacity of the HDDs. Silicon nitride ceramics have advantages of lightweight, high strength and hardness over the conventional steel for bearings, but is expensive. A new process of high cost performance has been developed for mass production of the small-size ceramic balls. The company plans to apply these bearings to higher devices, e.g., servers, for the time being, and to expand the applicable areas, e.g., common devices and other small-size motors. The ceramic bearings have been developed jointly with Koyo Seiko Co. Ltd. (translated by NEDO)
A burner system particularly useful for downhole deployment includes a tubular combustion chamber unit housed within a tubular coolant jacket assembly. The combustion chamber unit includes a monolithic tube of refractory material whose inner surface defines the combustion zone. A metal reinforcing sleeve surrounds and extends the length of the refractory tube. The inner surface of the coolant jacket assembly and outer surface of the combustion chamber unit are dimensioned so that those surfaces are close to one another in standby condition so that the combustion chamber unit has limited freedom to expand with that expansion being stabilized by the coolant jacket assembly so that compression forces in the refractory tube do not exceed about one-half the safe compressive stress of the material; and the materials of the combustion chamber unit are selected to establish thermal gradient parameters across the combustion chamber unit to maintain the refractory tube in ...
We consider the simplest scenario when black strings (cigars) penetrate the cosmological brane. As a result, the brane has a Swiss-cheese structure, with Schwarzschild black holes immersed in a Friedmann-Lema\\^{\\i}tre-Robertson-Walker brane. There is no dark radiation in the model, the cosmological regions of the brane are characterized by a cosmological constant $\\Lambda$ and flat spatial sections. Regardless of the value of $\\Lambda$, these brane-world universes forever expand and forever decelerate. The totality of source terms in the modified Einstein equation sum up to a dust, establishing a formal equivalence with the general relativistic Einstein-Straus model. However in this brane-world scenario with black strings the evolution of the cosmological fluid strongly depends on $\\Lambda$. For $\\Lambda$ less or equal to zero it has positive energy density $\\rho$ and negative pressure $p$ and at late times it behaves as in the Einstein-Straus model. For ...
The prototype Bragg Curve Counter (BCC) has been tested by {alpha}-source ({sup 241}Am) with a continuous gas flow system (P-10: 90% Ar+10% CH{sub 4}, at 300Torr). Two types of the Frisch grid were prepared for the BCC. One was made of expanded metal meshes, which consist of 175 meshes/inch{sup 2} with a 100{mu}m{sup t} nickel sheet. The other was made of a 1mm pitch wire with {phi} 50 {mu}m of the tungsten. The shape of Bragg peak signal was compared each other. It was found that the energy spectrum obtained by the wire grid is a little sharper than that obtained by the meshes grid. However the meshes grid is superior than the wire grid so far as handling and durability are concerned. (author).
On 10 dialysis patients we performed 12 balloon dilatations, 2 catheter lyses, 6 stent implants (Palmaz stent) and one atherectomy of central venous stenoses or occlusions (v. subclavia, v. brachiocephalica) at the shunt arm of the patient. The primary success rate was, in balloon PTA and lysis, 12/14 interventions, and in stent placement and atherectomy 7/7. The angiographical and clinical primary result after stent implantation was significantly better than after conventional dilatation. After 66% of the balloon dilatations recidivation occurred within the first year; this can be treated by means of repeated PTA. Whether long-term exclusion of recurrence can be achieved by stent implantation, must be established by means of follow-up studies that are at present in progress. (orig.).
The number of spent fuel storage facilities in the world continues to increase because of "Wait and See" policies and delay of a permanent disposal plan. The temporary spent fuel storage concept is changing to a pre-disposal storage concept. Strengthened safety concepts are required for expanded spent fuel storage facilities and sites. The Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Company is planning to construct a reinforced concrete MACSTOR-400 facility at Wolsung. In concrete dry spent fuel storage structures, cracks can occur due to radiant heat and environmental chloride. The likelihood of cracking increases over time. Research on changes in shielding performance from one collinear crack in the surface of a concrete facility has been carried out. However there is no research about public radiolog...
Recently, the leak-before-break (LBB) concept has been used successfully to eliminate some pipe whip restraints, snubbers and jet impingement shields from the primary reactor cooling system piping of pressurized water reactors. This has resulted in substantial savings in maintenance costs, reductions in radiation exposure of plant service personnel, and has enhanced the overall safety of nuclear power plants. This study provides guidelines to utilities in expanding the application of the LBB concept to additional pipe systems and it couples the concept with hardware optimization. Seven high energy piping systems were investigated for technical feasibility in using the LBB concept. The results indicate that some of these seven lines are good candidates for the leak-before-break application.
Stemming from their unique combination of elevated strength, low density, and good overall corrosion resistance, beta titanium alloys have become attractive candidate materials for critical, high-stress, components in corrosive services. An overview of the comparative corrosion resistance of beta alloys to conventional alpha and alpha/beta titanium alloys in common industrial and aerospace service environments generally reveals attractive behavior depending on the environment and alloy composition and, in some cases, alloy condition. Expanded performance windows are especially noted for the molybdenum-rich beta alloys, particularly in regard to resisting reducing acids, stress corrosion, and high temperature localized chloride attack, along with hydrogen and oxidation resistance. Where applicable, implications of this enhanced corrosion performance on current and perspective beta alloy applications are also noted.
Mono-layers of stearic and behenic acids and mixtures of them in different proportions, deposited with the Langmuir-Blodgett technique, were used to study the alignment and the alignment dynamics in nematic liquid crystal cells. A relaxation process from a splay-bend flow induced metastable orientation to the homeotropic one occurs. The lifetime of the metastable state was found to depend on the mono-layer composition. The transition between the homeotropic and the conical anchoring was found to be irreversible in the case of the mixed aligning mono-layers: on cooling from the isotropic phase a quasi-planar nematic state (schlieren texture) appears. It is stable in a range of a few degrees below the clearing point and, on decreasing the temperature, relaxes to the homeotropic state in form of expanding domains.
Web Services and mobile data services are the newest trends in information systems engineering in wired and wireless domains, respectively. Web Services have a broad range of service distributions while mobile phones have large and expanding user base. To address the confluence of Web Services and pervasive mobile devices and communication environments, a basic mobile Web Service provider was developed for smart phones. The performance of this Mobile Host was also analyzed in detail. Further analysis of the Mobile Host to provide proper QoS and to check Mobile Host's feasibility in the P2P networks, identified the necessity of a mediation framework. The paper describes the research conducted with the Mobile Host, identifies the tasks of the mediation framework and then discusses the feasible realization details of such a mobile Web Services mediation framework.
To obtain Pinus wood-plastic composites, wood samples were impregnated with methyl methacrylate and polymerized by the use of gamma rays from a /sup 60/Co at different dose exposure and total dose. The best percentage of polymerization was obtained with the exposure of 2.0 MR of gamma radiation. It was found that the impregnation and polymerization, determined by the density values along the samples were uniform. The density became 2.6 times higher in relation to the control samples. The storage of the impregnated wood samples showed losses of the monomer, even when wrapped with aluminum or polyethylene film. It is recommended that the wood samples should be irradiated soon after impregnation.
A series of hydrogenation/dehydrogenation cycles have been performed on palladium wire samples, stressed by a constant mechanical tension, in order to investigate the changes in electrical and mechanical properties. A large increase of palladium electrical resistivity has been reported due to the combined effects of the production of defects linked to hydrogen insertion into the host lattice and the stress applied to the sample. An increase of the palladium sample strain due to hydrogenation/dehydrogenation cycles in ????? phase transitions is observed compared to the sample subjected to mechanical tension only. The loss of initial metallurgical properties of the sample occurs already after the first hydrogen cycle, i.e. a displacement from the initial metallic behavior (increase of the resistivity and decrease of thermal coefficient of resistivity) to a worse one occurs already ...
A new furnace for neutron diffraction experiments is capable of heating and cooling a sample very rapidly. The rapid heating is done by two circular infrared lamps placed over and under a sample, whose radiation is roughly focused on the sample by a reflector. The rapid cooling is done by high-pressure gas blows against the sample from two circular nozzles which are also placed over and under the sample. This system enables us to obtain the heating rate of over 1000"0C/min and cooling rate of -500"0C/min for an alloy of 10 mm diameter and 30 mm length. The performance is sufficient to carry out some kinetics measurements in real-time neutron diffraction by the use of a position-sensitive detector. This kind of experiment is demonstrated by the observation of the relaxation process of order--disorder transitions in CuZn and Ni_3Mn alloys.
Black pepper, white pepper, red pepper, ginger and turmeric were irradiated with 10 MeV electrons from a linear accelerator to a dose of 100 kGy and radioactivity was measured in order to estimate induced radioactivity in the irradiated foods. Induced radioactivity could not be detected significantly by #gamma#-ray spectrometry in the irradiated samples except for spiked samples which contain some photonuclear target nuclides in the list of photonuclear reactions which could produce radioactivity below 10 MeV. From the amount of observed radioactivities of short-lived photonuclear products in the spiked samples and calculation of H_5_0 according to ICRP Publication 30, it was concluded that the induced radioactivity and its biological effects in the 10 MeV electron-irradiated natural samples were negligible in comparison with natural radioactivity from "4"0K contained in the ...
Focus Ion Beam (FIB) milling has greatly extended the utility of atom probe and TEM because it enables sample preparation with a level of dimensional control never before possible. Using FIB it is possible to extract the samples from desired and very specific locations. The artifacts associated with this sample preparation method must also be fully understood. In this work issues specifically relevant to the FIB milling of aluminum alloys are presented. After using the FIB as a sample preparation technique it is evident that gallium will concentrate in three areas of the sample: on the surface, on grain boundaries and at interphase boundaries. This work also shows that low energy Ar ion nanomilling is potentially quite effective for removing gallium implantation layers and gallium from the internal surfaces of aluminum thin foils.
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 ...
Forensic signatures are present in any Pu sample that can determine the sample`s origin: isotopic ratio of Pu, progeny species that grow into the sample, and contaminant species left over from incomplete purification of the Pu in fuel reprocessing. In the context of intelligence information, this can result in attribution of responsibility for the product of clandestine proliferant operations or material smuggled from existing stockpiles. A list of signature elements and what can be determined from them have been developed. Work needs to be done in converting concentrations of signature species into a quantitative forensic analysis, particularly in regard to reactor performance, but this should require only a small effort. A radiochemical analysis scheme has been developed for measuring these nuclides; more work is needed, particularly for determining fission product concentrations. A sample of Pu metal ...
SNAP25 occurs on chromosome 20p12.2, which has been linked to schizophrenia in some samples, and recently linked to latent classes of psychotic illness in our sample. SNAP25 is crucial to synaptic functioning, may be involved in axonal growth and dendritic sprouting, and its expression may be decreased in schizophrenia. We genotyped 18 haplotype-tagging SNPs in SNAP25 in a sample of 270 Irish high-density families. Single marker and haplotype analyses were performed in FBAT and PDT. We adjusted for multiple testing by computing q values. Association was followed up in an independent sample of 657 cases and 411 controls. We tested for allelic effects on the clinical phenotype by using the method of sequential addition and 5 factor-derived scores of the OPCRIT. Nine of 18 SNPs had P values <...
In this work was made an assessment of the supramolecular structures presents into human breast tissue normal and pathological samples, as well as into two types of animals samples (tendon chicken and pork fat) using the small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) technique. The scattering profiles of the samples were determined at the momentum transfer range O.150nm{sup -1}<=5:q(=4pi.sin({theta}/2)/{lambda})<=8.500nm{sup -1}. In this range, it was possible identify structures corresponding to collagen fibrils (glandular tissue) and to triacylglycerides (adipose tissue) from the correlation between the information extracted from the human breast tissues scattering profiles and those extracted from animals samples. (author)
The heating of water layer using microwave oven with a rectangular waveguide has been studied both numerically and experimentally. The mathematical model is validated with the experimental data. The transient Maxwell's equations are solved by using the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method to describe the electromagnetic field inside the waveguide and sample. The temperature profile and velocity field within sample are determined by the solutions of the momentum, energy and Maxwell's equations. In this study, the effects of physical parameters, e.g. microwave power level, placement of sample inside the waveguide, volume of sample, are studied. The distribution of electric field, temperature profile and velocity field are presented in details. The results show good agreement between s...
Full text: A Large Sample Neutron Activation Analysis (LSNAA) facility is under development at GRR-1 research reactor, NCSR 'Demokritos'. The LSNAA facility design incorporates sample irradiation in the reactor's graphite thermal neutron column and subsequent measurement of the activity induced at a gamma spectroscopy system with gamma ray transmission measurement options included. Monte Carlo neutron and photon transport code MCNP-4C was used to model the facility. Appropriate correction factors accounting for neutron field perturbation during sample irradiation, high purity germanium detector efficiency for the volume source and gamma ray self-absorption within the sample itself were derived. The results of the computations were experimentally verified by activation foil measurements for a set of known materials and a range of sample sizes extending up to 10 litters. Moreover, the ...
A series of tests has been carried out to determine the operating conditions required to remove the corrosion deposit from samples cut from Winfrith Steam Generating Heavy Water Reactor (WSGHWR) primary circuit pipework by submerged water jetting. Two types of samples were used - one set subjected to the normal annual reactor decontamination using TURCO reagents, the other set having been given a LOMI treatment in addition. Tests showed that useful decontamination factors could be achieved on both types of sample, but significantly less severe operating conditions were required to decontaminate the LOMI treated samples. A decontamination factor of 10 was achieved on TURCO treated samples at 360 Bar; only 200 Bar was required to achieve the same decontamination factor on LOMI treated samples. No metal erosion of the stainless steel substrate was found to occur at ...
The progress of digital audio technology enabled the familiar use of the products such as CD and DAT in the acoustic measurement. For example, a signal reproduced with CD player is inputted into a subject of measurement and DAT recorder records its response. However, the sampling cannot be synchronized completely with the input signal although both nominal sample rates are set up equally, because player and recorder work independently. It is the most popular software solution to perform the synchronous addition after converting the recorded signal into the original sampling rate. However, the rate conversion also has the error due to the windowing in the high frequency region of processed signal. This paper proposes a new method for averaging asynchronous sampling data to solve these problems. To evaluate performance, the transfer function of only measuring equipment estimated from asynchronous ...
Worker exposures to N-nitroso compounds were evaluated at B.F. Goodrich Company, Woodburn, Indiana on December 12, 1979. Personal and area air samples were collected and analyzed by gas-chromatography and thermal-energy-analysis methods. All of the samples contained N-nitrosomorpholine (NMOR) and five samples also contained N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). The amount of NMOR ranged from 0.85 to 3.7 micrograms per cubic meter (micrograms/cu m) for area air samples and 0.63 to 1.8 micrograms/cu m for personal samples. NDMA concentrations ranged from undetectable to 1.8 microgram/cu m for area samples and undetectable to 0.09 micrograms/cu m for personal samples. The authors note that no exposure standards exist for NDMA or NMOR but both are listed as potential human carcinogens. They suggest that the B.F. Goodrich Company characterize ...
Microstructural evolution due to thermal effects was studied in micro solder joints (55 {+-} 5 {micro}m). The composition of the Sn/Pb solder studied was found to be hypereutectic with a tin content of 65--70 wt%.This was determined by Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis and confirmed with quantitative stereology. The quantitative stereological value of the surface-to-volume ratio was used to characterize and compare the coarsening during thermal cycling from 0--160 C to the coarsening during annealing at 160 C. The initial coarsening of the annealed samples was more rapid than the cycled samples, but tapered off as time to the one-half as expected. Because the substrates to which the solder was bonded have different thermal expansion coefficients, the cycled samples experienced a mechanical strain with thermal cycling. The low-strain cycled samples had a 2.8% strain imposed on the solder and failed by ...
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 that the variation ...
A simple sample decomposition and laser fluorimetric determination of uranium at trace level is reported in certain refractory minerals, like ilmenite, rutile, zircon and monazite; environmental samples viz. soil and sediments; industrial waste materials, such as, coal fly ash and red mud. Ilmenite sample is decomposed by heating with ammonium fluoride. Rutile, zircon and monazite minerals are decomposed by fusion using a mixture of potassium bifluoride and sodium fluoride. Environmental and industrial waste materials are brought into solution by treating with a mixture of hydrofluoric and nitric acids. The laser induced fluorimetric determination of uranium is carried out directly in rutile, zircon and in monazite minerals and after separation in other samples. The determination limit was 1 #mu#g x g"-"1 for ilmenite, soil, sediment, coal fly ash and red mud samples, and it is 5 ...
For each sample, one 30-gallon drum containing approximately 90 lb of coal at {minus}1/4 inch was designated for headspace oxygen analysis and coal quality monitoring at yearly intervals. Headspace oxygen analysis and retrieval of a 5-lb sample for coal analysis have begun. Headspace oxygen contents are shown in Table 1. Preparation and analysis of these samples for the second yearly quality evaluation is in progress. We have initiated a study of different means of storage in preventing sample deterioration and in maintaining an inert headspace atmosphere. The work was performed with support from the Penn State Cooperative Program in Coal Research. A run-of-mine sample of medium-volatile bituminous Lower Kittanning coal was collected as PSOC-1536 and promptly processed. Gieseler fluidity FSI, alkali extraction and preparation of petrographic pellets were accomplished within 32 hours ...
To make the doubly labelled water method for determining energy expenditure more applicable in a free-living population, collection of a single daily urine or breath sample would have advantages compared to a 24-hr urine collection. Coward et al. reported the use of a single daily urine sample. In the previously described study, a single urine collection and a fasting morning breath sample were collected from four men during two 21-day periods (fall, F, spring, S) while maintaining their body wts. on controlled diets (20% calories from protein, 40% from fat, 60% from CHO [F]; 20% protein, 20% fat, 60% CHO [S]). Urine and breath samples were analyzed to determine disappearance rates of D and "1"8O for up to 21 days. Values were compared with metabolizable energy intake levels (EI), with or without corrections for estimated changes in body composition assessed by several methods. Preliminary evaluations ...
This study was designed to compare the levels of chromium (Cr) and manganese (Mn) in scalp hair, blood, and urine of night blindness in children age ranged (3-7) and (8-12) years of both genders, comparing them to sex- and age-matched controls. A microwave-assisted wet acid digestion procedure, was developed as a sample pretreatment, for the determination of Cr and Mn in biological samples of night blindness children. The proposed method was validated by using conventional wet digestion and certified reference samples of hair, blood and urine. The digests of all biological samples were analyzed for Cr and Mn by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The results indicated significantly higher levels of Cr, whilst low level of Mn in the biological samples (blood and scalp hair) of male and female night blindness children, compared with control subjects of both genders. These ...
ESH-19 personnel collected soil and single-stage water samples around the perimeter of Area G at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) during FY 95 to characterize possible radionuclide movement out of Area G through surface water and entrained sediment runoff. Soil samples were analyzed for tritium, total uranium, isotopic plutonium, americium-241, and cesium-137. The single-stage water samples were analyzed for tritium and plutonium isotopes. All radiochemical data was compared with analogous samples collected during FY 93 and 94 and reported in LA-12986 and LA-13165-PR. Six surface soils were also submitted for metal analyses. These data were included with similar data generated for soil samples collected during FY 94 and compared with metals in background samples collected at the Area G expansion area.
To assess the influence of stent design [interlacing (type A) vs. crossing method (type B)] on neointimal hyperplasia using a self-expandable nitinol stent, which crosses the side branches of the abdominal aorta. In seven mongrel dogs, nitinol stents with type A and B intersections were placed in the abdominal aorta across the main branches: 4 Niti-Ms and 3 Niti-Ds. Two months after the stent placement, a DSA was performed for a stent patency evaluation, followed by the extraction of the aortas. The degree of neointimal formation along the wire was evaluated by calculating the area ratio of intimal hyperplasia (type A vs. B). A Student's t-test was employed to investigate the differences in the neointimal hyperplasia between blood types A and B. The total number of wire intersections overlain at the ostia branch ostia was 23 for type A and 36 for type B. The area ratio of the neointimal hyperplasia, for a given area, was 29.09 {+-} 10.82% (type A) and ...
We wanted to evaluate the status of self-expandable nitinol stents implanted in the P2 and P3 segments of the popliteal artery in Korean patients. We retrospectively analyzed 189 consecutive patients who underwent endovascular treatment for steno occlusive lesions in the femoropopliteal artery from July 2003 to March 2009, and 18 patients who underwent stent placement in popliteal arterial P2 and P3 segments were finally enrolled. Lesion patency was evaluated by ultrasound or CT angiography, and stent fracture was assessed by plain X-rays at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months and annually thereafter. At the 1-month follow-up, stent fracture (Type 2) was seen in one limb (up to P3, 1 of 18, 6%) and it was identified in seven limbs at the 3-month follow-up (Type 2, Type 3, Type 4) (n = 1: up to P2: n = 6: P3). At the 6-month follow-up, one more fracture (Type 1) (up to P3) was noted. At the 1-year follow-up, there were no additional stent fractures. Just four limbs (up to P2) at ...
RangerMaster{trademark} is the embedded firmware for Quantrad Sensor`s integrated nuclear instrument package, the Ranger{trademark}. The Ranger{trademark}, which is both a gamma-ray and neutron detection system, was originally developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory for in situ surveys at the Plutonium Facility to confirm the presence of nuclear materials. The new RangerMaster{trademark} software expands the library of isotopes and simplifies the operation of the instrument by providing an easy mode suitable for untrained operators. The expanded library of the Ranger{trademark} now includes medical isotopes {sup 99}Tc, {sup 201}Tl, {sup 111}In, {sup 67}Ga, {sup 133}Xe, {sup 103}Pa, and {sup 131}I; industrial isotopes {sup 241}Am, {sup 57}Co, {sup 133}Ba, {sup 137}Cs, {sup 40}K, {sup 60}Co, {sup 232}Th, {sup 226}Ra, and {sup 207}Bi; and nuclear materials {sup 235}U, {sup 238}U, {sup 233}U, and {sup 239}Pu. To accomplish isotopic ...
The expanding plasma produced when an intense pulse of laser radiation is focused in vacuum onto a solid target has been used as a source of highly stripped ions for collision cross-section measurements. Usable fluxes of carbon nuclei at energies of a few hundred eV/charge have been obtained by irradiation of graphite with pulses of CO"2 laser radiation at a focused power density of 3 x 10_1_0 W/cm_2. Bombardment of aluminum and iron targets at comparable power levels have yielded ions of maximum charges of 9 and 16 respectively. A time-of-flight apparatus has been constructed to utilize the laser source for measurement of electron capture cross sections for highly stripped ions in gases at energies in the few hundred eV/charge range. Apertures collimate an ion beam from the plasma blowoff, and an electrostatic analyzer selects ions from the expanding plasma which have the same energy per charge. The beam is directed through a gas target cell, ...
We report the results of a prospective clinical study using a new self-expanding nitinol stent (Enterprise) designed for the treatment of wide-necked intracranial aneurysms. We treated 31 saccular, wide-necked intracranial aneurysms in 30 patients. Ten aneurysms had recanalized after prior endovascular treatment without a stent, and 21 aneurysms had not been treated before. Stent deployment was successful in all procedures. Additional coil embolization was performed in all aneurysms. Initial complete angiographic occlusion was achieved in 6 aneurysms, a neck remnant was left in 18 aneurysms and there were 7 residual aneurysms. Angiographic follow-up examinations of 30 lesions after 6 months demonstrated 15 complete occlusions, 8 neck remnants and 7 residual aneurysms. One patient refused the 6-month angiographic follow-up. Spontaneous occlusion of the aneurysm had occurred in 14 patients, and 6 aneurysms showed recanalization. Four of these residual aneurysms were ...
An on-going inter-comparison programme which is focused on assessing and establishing consensus protocols to be applied in the identification, selection and sub-sampling of materials for subsequent "1"4C analysis is described. The outcome of the programme will provide a detailed quantification of the uncertainties associated with "1"4C measurements including the issues of accuracy and precision. Such projects have become recognised as a fundamental aspect of continuing laboratory quality assurance schemes, providing a mechanism for the harmonisation of measurements and for demonstrating the traceability of results. The design of this study and its rationale are described. In summary, a suite of core samples has been defined which will be made available to both AMS and radiometric laboratories. These core materials are representative of routinely dated material and their ages span the full range of the applied "1"4C time-scale. Two of the ...
Microorganisms associated with fractured basalt core were compared to those suspended in groundwater pumped from the same well in the eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer (Idaho, USA). Two wells influenced to different degrees by a mixed-waste plume in the fractured basalt aquifer were examined. In one well, an array of dialysis cells filled with either deionized water or crushed basalt was equilibrated to compare the microorganisms collected in this fashion with those from core and groundwater samples collected in a traditional manner from the same well. Analyses were performed to characterize these samples and to provide a basis for comparison. These included total cell counts by microscopy; total biomass by phospholipid fatty acid analysis; enumerations of viable aerobic heterotrophs, groups of putative aerobic co-metabolic TCE-degraders and aerobic H2-oxidizing bacteria; mineralization of 14C- labeled acetate; and enrichments for dissimilatory ...
The activity concentrations of potassium, uranium and thorium in minerals and soil samples from a mining site in Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria were measured using gamma ray spectroscopy method. Effective dose per annum has been calculated from the activity concentrations of dominant gamma-emitting natural radionuclides, potassium, uranium and thorium. Samples collected include minerals (beryl, quartz and feldspar), soil samples from the mining pits, heaps and undisturbed land around the mining site. The activity concentrations of {sup 40}K, {sup 238}U and {sup 232}Th, respectively in Bq kg-1 in the mineral samples were as follows: 1985 +- 16, 4.8 +- 0.9 and 11.8 +- 5.8 for beryl sample, 115.1 +- 27.9, 5.0 +- 1.3 and 6.3 +- 5.0 for feldspar samples and 1421 +- 122, <4.8 and 20.1 +- 3.5 for quartz samples. For the soil ...
This paper presents the characteristics of selected parameters of organic matter of the Tertiary coal samples and organic matter of Carboniferous rock samples from the Spitsbergen. The coal samples were taken from Central Coal Basin (the Longyearbyen region) and from the Forlandsundet Basin (Oscar II Land, the Kaffioyra region). Samples of dispersed organic matter were collected from Suffolk Pynten and Sergeijevfjellet area in Sorkapp Land. The optical properties of coal samples are different from properties of dispersed organic matter. Macerals of vitrinite group dominate in all of the samples. The average content of vitrinite group macerals is much lower in dipersed organic matter samples than it is in coals. The average content of liptinite group macerals is a little lower, and inertinite group macerals is much higher. The average content ...
Six illitized samples from drillhole OL-KR12 in Olkiluoto were analyzed by helium gas methods for their diffusion coefficient, permeability and porosity. The diffusion coefficients measured varied in the range 2.1 x 10-10 - 3.5 x 10-8 m2/s, permeabilities in the range 6 x 10-21 - 5.8 x 10-16 m2, and porosities in the range 0.2 6.2%. Variations observed in these quantities were concluded to arise from the heterogeneous structure of the sample rock. A 4 mm x 4 mm x 4 mm subsample was sawed from each of the six samples for structural analysis by x-ray microtomography. The three-dimensional structure of tomographic reconstructions, and thereby that of the samples themselves, was analyzed visually, which confirmed their heterogeneity. Samples represent altered rock whose structure and thereby transport properties vary significantly depending on the local alteration history of the rock. ...
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 ...
We present the results of an isophotal shape analysis of three samples of galaxies in the Coma cluster. Quantitative morphology, together with structural and photometric parameters, is given for each galaxy. Special emphasis has been placed on the detailed classification of early-type galaxies. The three samples are: i) a sample of 97 early-type galaxies brighter than m_B = 17.00 falling within one degree from the center of the Coma cluster; these galaxies were observed with CCD cameras, mostly in good to excellent resolution conditions; ii) a magnitude complete sample of 107 galaxies of all morphological types down to m_B = 17.00 falling in a circular region of 50 arcmin diameter, slightly offcentered to the North-West of the cluster center; the images for this and the next sample come from digitized photographic plates; iii) a complete comparison sample of 26 ...
A programme has been initiated by the Coordinating Office for Monitoring of enhanced natural radioactivity of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection to investigate different kinds of sample materials with enhanced naturally occurring radioactivity (NORM) such as scales from oilfield and naturally gasfield pipes, blast furnace sludge and sinter dust from the production of pig iron, as well as bauxit and red mud from the production of aluminium oxide. The aim of these investigations is to find proper preparation and measuring methods which allow, in particular, a sample treatment with optimised effort combined with a reliable determination of the specific activities of the dominating radionuclides. Of particular interest is the method of gamma-ray spectrometry, since this method has been used for most of our studies of sample materials. Due to different compositions of calibration and NORM-samples, ...
In an attempt to obtain basic data for evaluation of exposure doses in Niigata Prefecture, the concentrations of tritium in atmospheric water, precipitation, river water, and tap water were measured. Samples of atmospheric water, river water, and tap water were collected once for 2 weeks; and precipitation collected for one week was used as sample. The concentration of atmospheric tritium depended on the concentration of tritium in moisture and the content of water in atmosphere. Tritium levels were high in May, November and March, and low in September. Regarding tritium concentrations, there was a good correlation between atmospheric water and precipitation. Tritium concentrations in both of them varied from sample to sample. The concentrations of tritium in river and tap water tended to be high during spring and low during summer and winter, although the variations were not so great as those in ...
This report describes the cost, performance, and other key characteristics of an innovative technology for determining the presence or absence, and measuring the concentration, of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in groundwater and soil, and in gaseous remediation process streams at hazardous waste sites. This new technology is Direct Sampling Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry (DSITMS). DSITMS introduces sample materials directly into an ion trap mass spectrometer by means of a very simple interface, such as a capillary restrictor or a polymer membrane. There is typically very little, if any, sample preparation and no chromatographic separation of the sample constituents. This means that the response of the instrument to the analytes or contaminants in a sample is nearly instantaneous, and that analytical methods based on DSITMS are fast. ...
A total of 10 samples disks of 2024-T3 aluminum and 4130 ferrous steel were exposed to rocket-triggered lightning currents at the Kennedy Space Center test site in Florida during the summer of 1990. The experimental configuration was arranged so that the samples were not exposed to the preliminary streamer, wire-burn, or following currents that are associated with an upward-initiated rocket-triggered flash but which are a typical of naturally initiated lightning. Return-stroke currents and continuing currents actually attaching to the sample were measured, augmented by close-up video recordings of approximately 3 feet of the channel above the sample and by 16-mm movies with 5-ms resolution. From these data it was possible to correlate individual damage spots with streamer, return-stroke, and continuing currents that produced them. Substantial penetration of 80-mil aluminum was produced by a continuing ...
We calculate the exclusion region in the parameter space of {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {nu}{sub e} oscillations of the LSND type using a combined fit to the reconstructed energy distributions of neutrino candidate samples from the MiniBooNE data obtained with two different particle identification methods. The two {nu}{sub e} candidate samples are included together with a high statistics sample of {nu}{sub {mu}} events in the definition of a {chi}{sup 2} statistic which includes the correlations between the energy intervals of all three samples and handles the event overlap between the {nu}{sub e} samples. The {nu}{sub {mu}} sample is introduced to constrain the effect of systematic uncertainties. This analysis increases the exclusion limit in the region {Delta}m{sup 2} {approx}< 1eV{sup 2} when compared with the result previously published by the ...
In order to study the effects of microwaves on chemical reactions equipment was designed to acquire in-situ vibrational spectra of sol-gel components as they are irradiated with microwaves. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy were used. A low temperature (10K) FTIR cell was used to trap samples in an argon matrix at 10{sup -7} Torr. For the liquid samples no differences were seen in spectra of irradiated and nonirradiated samples, but the argon matrix isolation technique showed dramatic differences.
Generally, Hardening and irradiated brominating phenomena are occurred in the reactor vessel under operation conditions by atomic cavities and creation of impurity atoms which are led by high fast neutron flux. To assure the mechanical integrity of pressure vessel until the end of power plant life after monitoring the sample specimens on the vessel inside, a series of tests is performed over the retrieved surveillance capsule to examine the changes according to the plant operation in accordance with regulations. Monitoring surveillance capsules attached to neutron shield wall of outer core are consists of impact sample, tensile sample and temperature monitor
Tendency of 12Kh18N10T steel tube samples to intergranular corrosion (IGC) is investigated by an express electrochemical method in the 10% solution of H_2SO_4+0.0025 g/l of KCNS. Tendency to IGC is mainly detected on the internal surface of tube samples. It is shown that the tendency to INC under plant conditions is caused by surface carburization under its incomplete purification from the graphite lubrication.
The mechanism of abrupt increase of the giant magneto impedance (GMI) ratio in the ion irradiated Co-based amorphous ribbon has been investigated. The grazing incident X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope were used to characterize the samples before and after ion irradiation. The GMI-ratio considerably increased in the ion irradiated samples and the GMI response showed strong dependence on the driving frequencies. The Barkhausen noise (BN) signals are increased for the Ar ion irradiated sample with dose of 1x10^1^7 ion/cm^2. The results are interpreted in terms of GMI variation associated with domain wall dynamics.
Results of monitoring milk and tap water in New York City are presented. The New York City sample is a monthly composite of pasteurized milk purchased daily at retail stores. The monthly "9"0Sr to calcium ratios for New York City since the inception of the sampling program in 1954 are presented. Samples of New York City tap water are taken daily, so that by the end of the month, approximately 100 liters have been collected. The available cesium-137 data expressed as the "1"3"7Cs to "9"0Sr ratio are also given.
A sample of garnet-biotite plagiogneiss, GBPg-1 is currently being developed as a certified reference material at the Vinogradov Institute of Geochemistry. It was used as the sample that was distributed round 7 of International Proficiency Testing Program (GeoPT7) and was analyzed by 76 geoanalytical laboratories around the world. Twenty Russian laboratories involved in the interlaboratory experiment also analyzed GBPg-1. The resultant analytical data obtained from these two experiments has allowed GBPg-1 to be certified as a state standard sample for 50 elements. It also enabled a comparison of the quality of data developed by the Russian and international geoanalytical laboratories, to optimize the outcome of this interlaboratory experiment.
Radionuclide X-ray fluorescence analysis for nondestructive determination of Fe, Zn, Pb, and Br in air samples collected on nitrocellulose membrane filter Synpor 4 is described. A "2"3"8Pu source for the excitation and a semiconductor Si/Li detector for the detection of characteristic and L-fluorescent radiation of the above elements were used. A correction method based upon the measurements of simple or multiple Compton scattering for compensation of varying mass per unit area values in sample deposits was theoretically proposed and experimentally tested. The results obtained both with and without the correction were compared and good agreement with those given by atomic absorption spectrometry was observed. (author).
Method for determining the concentration of atomic species in gases and solids. Measurement of at least two emission intensities from a species in a plasma containing the species after a sufficient time period has elapsed after the generation of the plasma and during a second time period, permits an instantaneous temperature to be established within the sample. The concentration of the atomic species to be determined is then derived from the known emission intensity of a predetermined concentration of that species in the sample at the measured temperature, a quantity which is measured prior to the determination of the unknown concentration, and the actual measured emission from the unknown species, or by this latter emission and the emission intensity of a species having known concentration within the sample.
Several recent experiments on micro- (or nano-) structured samples of ferromagnetic materials are introduced. Magnetization reversal phenomena are investigated on submicron wire samples of trilayer structure using the giant magnetoresistance effect. Domain wall movements are sensitively monitored by resistivity measurements and the velocity of propagation is determined. The contribution of domain wall to the resistivity is argued from the results on artificially designed samples of a spring-magnet system. In circular dots of permalloy, the existence of vortex magnetization is confirmed and the reversal of the vortex core magnetization is studied from magnetic force microscopy measurements. (author)
Characterization of high temperature superconducting film and bulk samples has been carried out using 2 MeV [alpha]-particle Rutherford backscattering, 2.4 MeV proton elastic scattering, 2.4 MeV proton-induced x-ray emission, 9 MeV proton induced [gamma]-ray emission and 100 MeV iodine elastic recoil detection analysis techniques. The objective was to compare different ion beam based techniques for: (i) compositional analysis; and (ii) consistency of the results obtained for samples prepared using similar preparation methodology. (author).
The aim of this work is to determine and compare the dosimetric properties of NaCl and KCl samples using infrared-stimulated luminescence (IRSL) technique. For a material to be used as dosimeter, both the IRSL temperature dependence and the radiation dose response have critical importance. In this work the IRSL characteristics from NaCl and KCl samples were experimentally investigated as a function of temperature and laboratory radiation doses. Dosimetric properties of NaCl and KCl samples were found significantly different. The IRSL signals displayed by NaCl were found to be more stable, reliable and agreeable than those of KCl.
Emission spectra obtained for three irradiated granular quartz samples under 1.43 eV excitation exhibited the 2.2 and 3.1 eV emission bands characteristic of feldspars. Excitation spectra of these same samples and several others show the 1.44 eV resonance typical of feldspars. This provides convincing evidence that the 2.2 and 3.1 eV infrared stimulated luminescence observed in these granular quartz samples arises from feldspar inclusions.
Theft, illegal possession, smuggling, or attempted unauthorized sale of nuclear and radiological materials remains a worldwide problem. The Nuclear Smuggling International Technical Working Group (ITWG) has adopted a model action plan to guide investigation of these cases through a systematic approach to nuclear forensics. The model action plan was recently documented and provides recommendations concerning incident response, collection of evidence in conformance with required legal standards, laboratory sampling and distribution of samples, radioactive materials analysis, including categorization and characterization of samples, forensics analysis of conventional evidence, and case development including interpretation of forensic signatures. (author)
The K sub(#alpha#)/K sub(#beta#) intensity ratio of Mn KX-rays scattered by metallic samples changed remarkably with the geometry between the sample and the "5"5Fe source-Si(Li) detector system. On the contrary, this intensity ratio changed little in the cases of non-metallic scatterer samples such as lucite or mylar. This difference is interpreted as due to the occurrence of strong or weak interference in the coherent scattering photons. (author).
The adsorption properties of four samples of the #alpha#-modification of boron nitride (#alpha#-BN) were investigated by the gas-chromatographic method. According to the electron microscopy data, the #alpha#-BN particles possess the shape of thin plates. An #alpha#-BN sample prepared from magnesium polyboride, is the most uniform adsorbent. For a series of n-alkanes, benzene, and alkyl benzenes, by testing the #alpha#-BN samples one has obtained the retained volumes (Henry constants) and the values of the differential adsorption heat, which are close to those of the surface zero filling. These thermodynamic characteristics of adsorption have shown that the #alpha#-BN, line the graphitized thermal carbon black, is not a specific adsorbent.
It is imperative to use a leak-proof container for counting liquid sample to prevent contamination of costly gamma detectors. A sealant that ensures no leak is reported. It is a vinyl adhesive sealant used for household purposes, marketed by Gloucester Co., Inc, Franklin, MA under the trade name of Phenoseal (translucent variety). This sealant was superior to other sealants studied because it cures quickly, peels off easily after counting, and contains no detectable radioactivity. This sealant has been thoroughly tested and successfully employed it in the routine analysis of environmental liquid samples. (author)
analysis of NaMBT in ethylene glycol-water solutions with high accuracy. It reduces analysis time, requires smaller samples, and is able to detect extremely ...
Conductivity and Hall effect measurements were made in dark and IR-photoexcited p-type ZnTe samples between 77 and 300 K. Acceptor vacancy complexes of activation energies 0.09-0.1 eV were found to be present in the photoexcited samples. Different possible scattering mobilities were considered for both samples to explain the observed hole mobility. In the photoexcited sample a scattering mobility due to vacancy complexes was suggested for the first time to explain the results. The scattering centres were associated with native vacancy complexes segregated at the dislocations sites. The expression for the complex scattering mobility has been deduced using the curve fitting method to be {mu}{sub C}=(6.6x10{sup -11})T{sup 5} e{sup 725/T}. (orig.).
Humans, like other animals, are exposed to a continuous stream of signals, which are dynamic, multimodal, extended, and time varying in nature. This complex input space must be transduced and sampled...Full Text Available
We have obtained optically clear samples of LuAP:Ce from the Institute of Physical Research, Ashtarak, Armenia, measuring up to 5x5x40 mm{sup 3}. The photo electron yield for a number of theses samples was measured with a Philips XP2020Q photomultiplier tube, and 556 photo electrons per MeV was obtained for the best samples. This is comparable to what is obtained from BGO crystals under the same condition, but a factor of 5 less than what is obtained with an LSO sample of similar dimensions. The light in LuAP:Ce increases with cerium concentration between 0.13 and 0.47%.
Medicinal plants i.e. dried seeds of myristica argentea, myristica fragrans, coriandrum sativum and foeniculum vulgare were stored for 0 and 6 months, with and without gamma irradiation at 5 kGy. No detectable changes were seen in infrared and UV spectra, GLC chromatograms and refraction indices of steam distilled, essential oils from the irradiated medicinal plants. The same results were also obtained from irradiated samples stored for 6 months at ambient conditions. Storage for 6 months caused significant changes in the gas liquid chromatograms and UV spectra of all samples compared to non-stored samples. The moisture content of all samples packed in polyethylene bags seems to be constant after 6 months of storage. No measurable changes were found in the amount of essential oil content caused by irradiation.
The purpose of this statement of work (SOW) is to establish laboratory analytical criteria and requirements for radioactive airborne emissions measurement sample and/or analysis activities.
The properties of individual radioactive particles present in a sample, such as a swipe, are more interesting than bulk properties of the sample. The present work focuses on instrumentation that provides position-sensitive spectral information non-destructively from the sample. The experimental part of the work was realized using a device called PANDA (Particles And Non-Destructive Analysis). The detector setup used in the study contains a broad-energy HPGe gamma-ray detector and a position-sensitive alpha detector. Both detectors are connected to a time-stamping event-mode data acquisition system. The method is shown to locate particles with sub-millimetre accuracy and distinguish the interesting particles from non-interesting ones. (author)
Figure 7: Horak Cost Estimating Relationship with Statistical Details. For this comparison, we ignore the Material (glass vs metal) and Design (on vs ...
Analytical methods developed to sample and characterize ambient organic aerosols often face the trade-off between long sampling times and the loss of detailed information regarding specific chemical species present. In the work presented here, high-time resolution ambient measurements (3.5 minutes) are achieved by using the Photoionization Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (PIAMS) in conjunction with the mini-Versatile Aerosol Concentration Enrichment System (m-VACES). Aerosol sampling took place for one week at State of Delaware Air Quality Monitoring Site in Wilmington, Delaware in June 2006. The soft, universal ionization scheme of PIAMS allows for identification of various chemical compounds by a signature ion, often the molecular ion. Meteorological data was used to link some species, such as...
... The goal of filtering (the sequential Bayesian ... 5] and the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) [16 ... set of deterministically chosen sample (or sigma) points. ...
BACKGROUND: An approach to the study of the pharmacokinetics of drugs in the lung is to measure their concentrations in bronchial biopsy specimens. The main criticism of this technique is that bronchial...Full Text Available
BackgroundWhether psychological resilience correlates with neurocognitive performance is largely unknown. Therefore, we assessed association between neurocognitive...Full Text Available
A process is described for maintaining the proportions of each coal in a coal blend at a desired level. The process involves (1) making a spectral analysis, preferably by infrared spectrometry, of at least one sample of the coal blend, the sample having known desired proportions of each coal, (2) making a spectral analysis of the coal blend sample of unknown proportions of each coal, (3) comparing the spectral analyses of steps (1) and (2), and (4) upon noting a significant difference between the spectral analyses of steps (1) and (2), making adjustments to achieve a final coal blend having proportions of each coal closer to those of the blend of known desired proportions of each coal. The relationship of the aromatic to aliphatic groupings is preferably determined by spectral analysis of each coal sample. This process is particularly useful on-line in the production of blast furnace coke of high ...
The automatic weather stations at the Australian stations (Casey, Davis, ... This metadata record describes Simone Ingham's survey of vegetation sampling ...
A kind of metastable beta titanium alloy, i.e. Ti-10Mo-8V-1Fe-3.5Al, was aged under elastic compressive stress. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations revealed that, in the stress-aged samples, precipitated alpha plates were parallel to each other. However, in the conventionally aged samples, alpha plates intersected each other. In other words, variant of alpha plate was selected in the stress-aged samples. Tensile tests showed that, at equivalent tensile strength, the stress-aged samples exhibited higher ductility, compared to the conventionally aged ones.
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...
The aim of a joint effort by different research teams was to provide an improved procedure for enzyme activity profiling of field-sampled ectomycorrhizae, including recommendations on the best conditions and maximum duration for storage of ectomycorrhizal samples. A more simplified and efficient protocol compared to formerly published procedures was achieved by using manufactured 96-filter plates in combination with a vacuum manifold and by optimizing incubation times. Major improvements were achieved by performing the series of eight enzyme assays with a single series of root samples instead of two series, reducing the time needed for sample preparation, minimizing error-prone steps such as pipetting and morphotyping, and facilitating subsequent DNA analyses due to the reduced sequencing ...
We divide a sample of 302 type-1 AGNs into two subsamples based on the narrow line [OIII]/Hbeta_{NLR} ratio, since we expect that there will be a stronger starburst (HII region) contribution to the narrow line emission for R=log([OIII]/Hbeta_{NLR})0.5. {We find similar differences when we divided the sample based on the FWHM ratios of [OIII] and broad Hbeta lines (R_1=log(FWHM[OIII]/FWHM Hbeta_broad)^>_0.5 and R_1-0.8 subsamples from the other side.} The most interesting difference is in the correlation between the broad Hbeta FWHM and luminosity in the R-0.8) sample that indicates a connection between the BLR kinematics and photoionization source. We discuss possible effects which can cause such differences in spectral properties of two subsamples.
When withdrawing a fluid sample (for additional chromatographic analyses) from an apparatus operated at a reduced pressure, a typical syringe proves to be ineffective (even if it is equipped with a gas tight plunger). It simply does not create enough pressure differential to remove a fluid sample from a reduced pressure environment. We encountered such a situation as part of efforts to extend the operation of the advanced distillation curve protocol to reduced pressures. The problem was solved by the development of a pressure balance syringe that allows reliable and precise sampling from an apparatus operating at sub-ambient pressures. This new device uses an external vacuum source to evacuate a syringe barrel, allowing a user to withdraw fluid samples from environments with pressures as l...
In this paper information about monograph construction is provided and some sample nomographs constructed by the author are included to encourage the use of these tools in operational health physics applications.
Recent molecular characterizations of Cryptosporidium parasites make it possible to differentiate the human-pathogenic Cryptosporidium parasites from those that do...Full Text Available
Microanalytical methods suitable for the determination of Fe, Cu in HT-29 (human colon adenocarcinoma) cells treated with different iron compounds (Fe(II) sulfate, Fe(III) chloride, Fe(III) citrate and Fe(III) transferrin) and cultured in medium supplemented or not with 10% (v/v) fetal calf serum (FCS) by total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (TXRF) and simultaneous graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS) were developed. The developed TXRF method was also suitable for Zn determination in the samples. The main advantage of the proposed methods is the execution of all sample preparation steps following incubation and prior to the elemental analysis in the same Eppendorf tubes. Sample preparation was performed at microscale (115mL sample volume) with 65% nitric aci...
Environmental information has been described as central to the issues of solid waste management and disposal. This study investigated the availability and accessibility of environmental information to the solid waste policy formulators and implementors with regard to the media/channels used for disseminating environmental information to the public. A descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the sample and the method produced 205 respondents that consisted of 185 Policy Implementors and 20 Policy Formulators. A total of 147 cases were finally analyzed, which included 16 Policy Formulators (80% of total sample) and 131 Policy Implementors (71% of total sample). Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as perc...
A new experimental technique to measure material shear strength at high pressures has been developed for use on magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) drive pulsed power platforms. By applying an external static magnetic field to the sample region, the MHD drive directly induces a shear stress wave in addition to the usual longitudinal stress wave. Strength is probed by passing this shear wave through a sample material where the transmissible shear stress is limited to the sample strength. The magnitude of the transmitted shear wave is measured via a transverse VISAR system from which the sample strength is determined.
Total concentrations of major and trace elements were determined in samples of the epilithic lichen Umbilicaria decussata from 24 ice-free areas in coastal ...
INAA (instrumental neutron activation analysis) analyses have been made of subsamples of each OSL (Optically stimulated luminescence) sample, for dosimetry ...
The results of following the oxidative degradation of a plastic-bonded explosive (PBX 9501) are reported. Into over 1100 sealed containers were placed samples of PBX 9501 and combinations of its components and aged at relatively low temperatures to induce oxidative degradation of the samples. One of the components of the explosive is a poly(ester urethane) polymer and the oxidative degradation of the samples were following by measuring the molecular weight change of the polymer by gel permeation chromatography (coupled with both differential refractive index and multiangle laser light scattering detectors). Multiple temperatures between 40 and 64 degreeC were used to accelerate the aging of the samples. Interesting induction period behavior, along with both molecular weight increasing (cro...
Samples of vitamin D fortified orange juice obtained from retail food stores were analyzed for vitamin D3 content using a method developed by combining the best features of two AOAC methods. Detection by ultraviolet absorption at 265nm was compared to detection by selected ion monitoring (SIM) using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) mass spectrometry (MS). Furthermore, an ion trap (IT) mass spectrometer was employed in a 'dual parallel MS' arrangement to simultaneously obtain qualitative APCI-ITMS data. The method was applied to 33 samples of 3 national American orange juice brands and 7 samples of 5 other American brands collected using a statistically designed sampling plan as part of the National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program to provide values for the USDA National Nu...
The volatility of some elements being determined in biological and environmental samples by NAA (neutron activation analysis) in case of their binding with phenolformaldehyde resin (PFR) is studied. Since the temperature is assumed to influence the volatility of elements stronger than radiation during irradiation of samples in nuclear pile the losses of Se, As, Sb, and Hg form samples on the basis of PFR after their heating at 100-300 deg C have been investigated. It is shown that the losses of Sb and As up to 300 deg C, Se up to 250 deg C, and Hg up to 150 deg C from PFR - based samples do not occur.
A set of 35 uranium ore and 10 yellow cake samples, collected worldwide from different mines and production sites, were analyzed for their impurity spectrum by ICP-MS. Pattern recognition techniques such as cluster analysis were applied to the data set in order to characterize samples with relation to their geographical origin. The results obtained show a clear relationship between samples taken from the same geological origin and constitute a satisfactory fingerprint for establishing the origin of the material. In addition to the impurity data, data on the isotopic composition of radiogenic lead is used to resolve ambiguity when impurity cluster analysis fails to deliver unambiguous origin data. (author)
Amotivation is a telling hallmark of negative symptomatology in schizophrenia, and it impacts nearly every facet of behavior, including inclination to attempt the difficult cognitive tasks involved...Full Text Available
... learn more about the thermal stability of InNP2 Me, a sample contained in a previously evacuated tube was heated at 100°C for 13 days. Neither ...
Proliferating cells have been immunophenotypically characterized in lymph node and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples obtained from patients with active and inactive sarcoidosis with the cell-cycle-related...Full Text Available
The Iberian lynx is the most endangered felid in the world. Enteropathogens may threaten its survival, and therefore we analysed faecal samples from 66 different individuals (37 males and 29 females), the largest population representation studied to date. The samples were obtained from November 2005 to October 2008 in the two areas where the Iberian lynx survives: Sierra Morena and Donana (Andalusia, southern Spain). A total of 56.1% samples were parasitized with at least 6 species of helminths, including two cestodes (Hymenolepis spp. and Taenia spp.) and four Nematodes (Ancylostoma spp., Toxocara spp., Toxascaris leonina, and Capillaria sp.). In this work, the presence of Hymenolepis is reported for the first time in Lynx pardinus. The relevance of our findings is discussed focussed on t...
A headspace gas chromatographic (GC) method, which can be automated, has been developed for determination of methyl bromide. This method has been applied to wheat, flour, cocoa, and peanuts. Samples to be analyzed are placed in headspace sample vials, water is added, and the vials are sealed with Teflon-lined septa. After an appropriate equilibration time at 32 degrees C, the samples are analyzed within 10 h. A sample of the headspace is withdrawn and analyzed on a gas chromatograph equipped with an electron capture detector (ECD). Methyl bromide levels were quantitated by comparison of peak area with a standard. The standard was generated by adding a known amount of methyl bromide to a portion of the matrix being analyzed and which was known to be methyl bromide free. The detection limit of the method was 0.4 ppb. The coefficient of variation (CV) was 6.5% for wheat, 8.3% for flour, 3.3% for cocoa, and ...
This Field Sampling Plan outlines the collection and analysis of samples in support of Phase IV of the Waste Area Group 10, Operable Units 6-05 and 10-04 remedial action. Phase IV addresses the remedial actions to areas with the potential for unexploded ordnance at the Idaho National Laboratory Site. These areas include portions of the Naval Proving Ground, the Arco High-Altitude Bombing Range, and the Twin Buttes Bombing Range. The remedial action consists of removal and disposal of ordnance by high-order detonation, followed by sampling to determine the extent, if any, of soil that might have been contaminated by the detonation activities associated with the disposal of ordnance during the Phase IV activities and explosives during the Phase II activities.
Rapid nitridation was used to fabricate reaction-bonded and postsintered -Si6-ZAlZOZN8-Z (Z=1) ceramics with monoclinic ZrO2 added to the starting powder. Thermo-gravimetric analysis revealed that the addition of ZrO2 reduced the starting temperature of the main nitridation reaction. Using a reaction-bonding route with heating rates of 5, 10, and 20C/min, to fabricate -SiAlON ceramics without ZrO2 resulted in unreacted silicon that bled out of the specimens and the Z=1 composition samples did not maintain the original green compact morphology. On the other hand, no such bleeding of melted silicon was observed for samples with ZrO2 additions and the samples following nitridation maintained the original green morphology. The microstructure and mechanical properties of samples produced by rap...
I. S. Kirbis, P. Maxwell, M. S. Flear, K. Miller and M. Ibrahim External quality control for immunocytochemistry on cytology samples: a review of UK NEQAS ICC (cytology module) results Objective:- To date, external quality control for immunocytochemistry on cytology samples is provided only by the United Kingdom national external quality assessment service for immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridisation (UK NEQAS ICC & ISH). For the purpose of this study a retrospective analysis of a comprehensive collection of quality-related data regarding immunocytochemistry on cytology samples collected through this service was analysed. Methods:- The quality of immunocytochemical reactions, using on-line collected data, was analysed for the last 23 UK NEQAS ICC cytology module external quality asses...
During 1993 and 1994 a working group of biologists operating in Region Lombardia has carried out a study to evaluate the reliability of artificial substrates in the assessment of water quality by the Extended Biotic Index. Macroinvertebrate samples were collected by means of hand net and artificial substrates (up to 3 replicates) in 22 sampling sites of 15 watercourses of different typology (river, stream, irrigation channel) and water quality. Sampling efficiency and reliability in the calculation of E.B.I. and Quality Class by 1, 2 and 3 artificial substrates with respect to hand net have been evaluated. Influence of water quality, typology and original prevailing substrate in watercourses on the performance of artificial substrates has also been investigated. Results show a good agreement with other Authors' papers, confirming that artificial substrates represent a valid alternative macroinvertebrate ...
BackgroundEnzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a standard immunoassay to estimate a protein's concentration in a sample. Deploying ELISA in a microarray format permits simultaneous...Full Text Available
... endometriosis can be seen is by doing a laparoscopy. A laparoscopy is a surgical procedure used to look at ... of the abdomen using special scopes. During a laparoscopy, the doctor is able to take small samples ...
Food-grade PVC and PVDC/PVC films containing 28.3% dioctyladipate (DOA) and 5.0% acetyltributylcitrate (ATBC) plasticizers, respectively, were brought into contact with olive oil and were irradiated with {gamma}-radiation [{sup 60}Co] at doses equal to 4 kGy and 9 kGy corresponding to `cold pasteurization`. Irradiation was carried out at 8-10 C and samples were subsequently stored at 4-5 C. Contaminated oil samples were analysed for DOA and ATBC at intervals between 7 h and 97 h of contact, using an indirect GC method. Identical non-irradiated (control) samples were also analysed for DOA and ATBC content. Results showed no statistically significant differences in migrated amounts of DOA and ATBC between irradiated and non-irradiated samples. Neither were differences observed between samples irradiated at 4 kGy and 9 kGy. This was supported by identical IR spectra recorded for ...
An environmental study was done to examine the prevalence of Vibrio mimicus in some aquatic environments of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and of Okayama, Japan. Water samples from Dhaka environments and water...Full Text Available
Among the numerous free-living amoebae (FLA) of soil and water habitats, certain species belonging to two genera Acanthamoeba and Naegleria are facultative parasites of man.They cause disease called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis where history of contact with water was recorded in most of the cases especially with Naegleria species. The present work aimed to search for presence of free-living amoebae in the water and trials for its control by Ultraviolet-radiation (UV-radiation). Samples from different water sources were examined for the presence of free-living amoebae. These samples were cultured on non-nutrient agar streaked with bacteria. Amoebae were detected and identified by means of their morphological characters. Twelve positive cases of one hundred and twenty examined samples could be detected. The positive samples were exposed to different doses of UV-radiation for different times.
... to-continuum X-ray intensity ratio [5]. For ence in the means [7]. In addition, washing samples on thin films, the characteristic X- lymphocytes in NH ...
The samples comprise the foliage of four pteridosperm-medullosalean plant fossil species of differing preservation states and one of a cordaitean species from two Canadian Maritime sub-basins of Carboniferous age (300 Ma; Sydney and Stellarton coalfields, Nova Scotia, respectively). Included in the sample set were some coal samples from Sydney Coalfield, along with published data for coal macerals for comparison. By applying Schulze's maceration process to the fossil foliage to obtain the cuticles, five sample forms evolved, viz. compressions, cuticles and fossilized cuticles, and acidic and alkaline solutions from Schulze's process, to which was added the Sydney coal samples as the sixth form. Area integration of the absorbance spectra from solid and liquid state Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, produced functional chemical parameters which were ...
Abstract In the work, a rapid, simple and high-throughput sample preparation method was developed for the determination of sulfonamide (SA) antibiotic residues in chicken breast muscle. The extraction and clean-up were online combined and up to 20 samples can be treated simultaneously in 6-min. The SAs were first extracted with acetonitrile under the action of microwave energy, and then the extract was directly introduced into the SPE column for on-line clean-up and concentration. Subsequently, the SAs eluted from the SPE column were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The precisions of extraction results of 20 samples were in the range of 4.9-7.4%. The limits of detection and quantification obtained were in the range of 2.4-3.6-ng/g and 8.6-11.3-ng/g for SAs, res...
BackgroundMeasures of attachment style are often used to appraise social and emotional health. In developmental literature, the concept of attachment is used to explain...Full Text Available
We compare the metallicities of stars with radial velocity planets to the metallicity of a sample of field dwarfs. We confirm recent work indicating that the stars-with-planet sample as a whole is iron rich. However, the lowest mass stars tend to be iron poor, with several having [Fe/H]0.48) that contributes to but does not explain the mass-metallicity trend in the stars-with-planets sample. We use Monte Carlo models to show that adding an average of 6.5 Earth masses of iron to each star can explain both the mass-metallicity and the age-metallicity relations of the stars-with-planets sample. However, for at least one star, HD 38529, there is good evidence that the bulk metallicity is high. We conclude that the observed metallicities and metallicity trends are the result of the interaction of three effects; accretion of about 6 Earth masses of iron rich material, selection effects, and in some cases, ...
A method and apparatus for determining the condition of tissue or otherwise making chemical identifications includes exposing the sample to a light source, and using a synchronous luminescence system to produce a spectrum that can be analyzed for tissue condition.
An overview of different Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) techniques is given. Examples of applications of the PIXE techniques to various types of samples are presented. (author)
Austenitic stainless steel AISI 304 has been nitrided by radio frequency (rf) plasma containing various nitrogen-hydrogen gas mixtures, in order to study the effect of hydrogen on structure and magnetic properties of the formed compound layer. The thermal temperature has been measured at the vicinity of the samples. The compound layer thus produced has been characterized using, X-ray diffractometer and vibration sample magnetometer. Providing the total pressure of nitrogen and hydrogen is held constant, the addition of hydrogen up to 50% gives new structural phases. The magnetization values of the plasma treated samples are strongly dependent on the percentage of H_2 in the gas phase. An excessive amount of hydrogen (#approx#75%) on the other hand, retards the nitriding process. The surface temperature of the sample and plasma condition is crucial factors for nitriding process.
Abstract A miniaturized spatial temperature gradient CE system with automated sample introduction for DNA mutation detection was established. Continuous electrokinetic sample injection was achieved by combining an automated slotted vial array sample introduction device to the spatial temperature gradient CE system. The temperature gradient was produced by a radiative heating system with a single graphite block heater, and the stability of the temperature gradient was investigated. The temperature variation of each measure point was 0.12 0.21% RSD (n=7) within 6 h. A 14 cm Teflon AF coated silica capillary was used both as the separation channel and as the liquid core waveguide tube of fluorescence signal. Under a temperature gradient from 54.8 to 59.5 C, a low range control mutation standa...
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 ...
The sampling is described for radionuclide X-ray fluorescence analysis. Aerosols are captured with various filter materials whose properties are summed up in the table. Fine dispersed solid and liquid particles and gaseous admixtures may be captured by bubbling air through a suitable absorption solution. The concentration of small amounts of impurities from large volumes of air is done by adsorbing impurities on surfactants, e.g., activated charcoal, silica gel, etc. Aerosols may be captured using an electrostatic precipitator and aerosol fractions may be separated with a cascade impactor. Water sampling differs by the water source, i.e., ground water, surface water, rain or waste water. Soil samples are taken by probes. (ES).
Sep 19, 2005 ... within a sealed tube to control the environment to which a sample mounts are better suited to handling the very small crystal is exposed. ...
The accuracy of dose computation within the lungs depends strongly on the performance of the calculation algorithm in regions of electronic disequilibrium that arise near tissue inhomogeneities with large density variations. There is a lack of data evaluating the performance of highly developed analytical dose calculation algorithms compared to Monte Carlo computations in a clinical setting. We compared full Monte Carlo calculations (performed by our Monte Carlo dose engine MCDE) with two different commercial convolution/superposition (CS) implementations (Pinnacle-CS and Helax-TMS's collapsed cone model Helax-CC) and one pencil beam algorithm (Helax-TMS's pencil beam model Helax-PB) for 10 intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) lung cancer patients. Treatment plans were created for two photon beam qualities (6 and 18 MV). For each dose calculation algorithm, patient, and beam quality, the following set of clinically relevant dose-volume values was reported: (i) minimal, median, ...
This report discusses environmental surveillance activities conducted on the Nevada Test Site during the first calendar quarter of 1996. Surveillance activities included collection and analysis of air, noble gas, tritiated water vapor, and other water samples. Samples were analyzed for both radiological and non-radiological effluents.
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.
Disclosed herein is a radiation detector providing for the in situ automatic sampling of fluids containing substances emitting radiation, especially Cerenkov radiation. The detector permits sampling within well casings and is self-purging such that no additional provisions must be established for the storage and disposal of contaminated fluids.
For rapid and low-cost detection of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis, we applied the nitrate reductase assay (NRA) using a liquid medium directly to sputum samples....Full Text Available
The Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) requested that Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) evaluate the treatment process currently employed at the Department's Stringfellow Superfund Site Pretreatment Plant (PTP) site to determine if wastes originating from the site were properly managed with regards to their radioactivity. In order to evaluate the current management strategy, LLNL suggested that DTSC characterize the effluents from the waste treatment system for radionuclide content. A sampling plan was developed; samples were collected and analyzed for radioactive constituents. Following is brief summary of those results and what implications for waste characterization may be made. (1) The sampling and analysis provides strong evidence that the radionuclides present are Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM). (2) The greatest source of radioactivity in the samples ...
The Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) requested that Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) evaluate the treatment process currently employed at the Department's Stringfellow Superfund Site Pretreatment Plant (PTP) site to determine if wastes originating from the site were properly managed with regards to their radioactivity. In order to evaluate the current management strategy, LLNL suggested that DTSC characterize the effluents from the waste treatment system for radionuclide content. A sampling plan was developed; samples were collected and analyzed for radioactive constituents. Following is brief summary of those results and what implications for waste characterization may be made. (1) The sampling and analysis provides strong evidence that the radionuclides present are Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM). (2) The greatest source of radioactivity in the samples was ...
Molecular dynamics computer simulations of a dense nanocrystalline Nickel sample are performed on the parallel Cray T3 (EPFL-Lausanne). The sample contains 50 grains with an average size of 3 nm. By perturbing the relaxed configuration elastic and plastic properties are studied. (author) 1 fig., 1 ref.
The paper abstracted gives a tabular survey of the suppliers and applications of measuring equipment. Equipment is available for the following fields of application: Continuous measuring instruments for stationary operation, laboratory equipment for sampling and hand equipment for mobile measurement, sampling equipment for examining emissions and gases, detectors, storage and evaluation equipment and meteorological instruments. (PW).
Measurement of the magnetic susceptibility of powder samples of heavy rare-earth (Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm and Yb) tungstates have been reported in the temperature range 300 to 900 K. Curie-Weiss law behaviour has been observed for all samples. The Curie constant, paramagnetic Curie temperature and magneton number for the magnetic ions have also been evaluated for each material. (author).
Fractal dimensions of three different samples of lanthanum ferrite were computed using single adsorption method. The fractal Dubinin-Radushkevitch isotherm was used to fit directly the experimental nitrogen adsorption data. Avnir-Jaroniec method for fractal dimension determination was also used. Low and intermediate fractal dimensions were obtained according to BET specific surface areas.
A procedure for the determination of lead in various biological and environmental samples by "2"0"3Pb radioisotope dilution substoichiometric method is presented. The accuracy of the method by comparison with the literature values of reference materials appears to be good. The standard deviation of the method is less than 10%, and detection limit is about 0.1 #mu#g of lead. (author) 5 refs.
Experiments were carried out to determine the adsorption capability of some commercial activated and non-activated charcoal samples with methanol to select the most favourable pair to be used in a solar adsorption refrigeration system. The results obtained are presented. A simple method has been used to enhance the adsorption capability of the lumpwood charcoal. (Author)