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Calibration-Free Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (CF-LIBS) has been proposed several years ago as an approach for quantitative analysis of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy spectra. Recently developed refinement of the spectral processing method is described in the present work. Accurate quantitative results have been demonstrated for several metallic alloys. However, the degree of accuracy that can be achieved with Calibration-Free Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy analysis of generic samples still needs to be thoroughly investigated. The authors have undertaken a systematic study of errors and biasing factors affecting the calculation in the Calibration-Free Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy spectra processing. These factors may be classified in three main groups: 1) experi...

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Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy was selected by NASA as part of the ChemCam instrument package for the Mars Science Laboratory rover to be launched in 2009. ChemCam's Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy instrument will ablate surface coatings from materials and measure the elemental composition of underlying rocks and soils at distances from 1 up to 10 m. The purpose of our studies is to develop an analytical methodology enabling identification and quantitative analysis of these geological materials in the context of the ChemCam's Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy instrument performance. The study presented here focuses on several terrestrial rock samples which were analyzed by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy at an intermediate stand-off distance (3 m) and in an atmosphere similar to the ...

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Calibration-Free Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (CF-LIBS) has been proposed several years ago as an approach for quantitative analysis of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy spectra. Recently developed refinement of the spectral processing method is described in the present work. Accurate quantitative results have been demonstrated for several metallic alloys. However, the degree of accuracy that can be achieved with Calibration-Free Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy analysis of generic samples still needs to be thoroughly investigated. The authors have undertaken a systematic study of errors and biasing factors affecting the calculation in the Calibration-Free Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy spectra processing. These factors may be classified in three main groups: 1) experimental aberrations (intensity ...

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In this work, the Calibration-Free approach for Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (CF-LIBS) was applied for the first time to radially resolved spectra emitted by a laser-induced plasma. The radial profiles of plasma temperature and electron number density were used to calculate the local relative concentration of the elements of interest. We analyzed a set of profiles of the local spectral emission coefficient obtained previously by means of spatial deconvolution of the spectra from a copper-based alloy (Cu 93, Fe 5, Mn 1, Ni 1 wt.%) laser-induced plasma. A spatially integrated spectrum of the same plasma was also analyzed for comparison purpose. The relative abundance of the minor components Fe, Mn and Ni was calculated. The results obtained from the central region of the plasma were closer to the nominal concentrations than those obtained from the spatially integrated spectrum. However, an ...

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Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is typically performed at ambient Earth atmospheric conditions. However, interest in LIBS in other atmospheric conditions has increased in recent years, especially for use in space exploration (e.g., Mars and Lunar) or to improve resolution for isotopic signatures. This review focuses on what has been reported about the performance of LIBS in reduced pressure environments as well as in various gases other than air.

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The aim of this paper is offering a critical review of Calibration-Free Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (CF-LIBS), the approach of multi-elemental quantitative analysis of LIBS spectra, based on the measurement of line intensities and plasma properties (plasma electron density and temperature) and on the assumption of a Boltzmann population of excited levels, which does not require the use of calibration curves or matrix-matched standards. The first part of this review focuses on the applications of the CF-LIBS method. Quantitative results reported in the literature, obtained in the analysis of various materials and in a wide range of experimental conditions, are summarized, with a special emphasis on the departure from nominal composition values. The second part is a discussion of the simplifying assumptions which lie at the basis of the CF-LIBS algorithm (stoichiometric ablation and complete atomization, thermal equilibrium, homogeneous ...

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We present a collisional-radiative approach of the theoretical analysis of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) plasmas. This model, which relies on an optimized effective potential atomic structure code, was used to simulate a pure aluminum plasma. The description of aluminum involved a set of 220 atomic levels representative of three different stages of ionization (Al{sup 0}, Al{sup +} and Al{sup ++}). The calculations were carried for stationary plasmas, with input parameters (n{sub e} and T{sub e}) ranging respectively between 10{sup 13-18} cm{sup -3} and 0.3-2 eV. A comparison of our atomic data with some existing databases is made. The code was mainly developed to address the validity of the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) assumption. For usual LIBS plasma parameters, we did not reveal a sizeable discrepancy of the radiative equilibrium of the plasma towards LTE. For cases where LTE was firmly believed to stand, the Boltzmann ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

With the aim to study and to improve LIBS capability for detecting residues of energetic compounds in air surrounding, nine types of explosives and some potential interferents, placed in small quantities on a metallic support, were interrogated by a laser. Shot-to-shot behavior of the line intensities relative to the sample constituents was studied. The detected plasma was not stoichiometric and the line intensities, as well as their ratios, were changing even for an order of magnitude from one sampling point to another, particularly in the case of aromatic compounds. We explained some sources of such LIBS signal's behavior and this allowed us to establish a data processing procedure, which leads to a good linearization among the data sets. In this way, it was possible to determine some re...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

An ultrasensitive laser-induced fluorescence detector was used with capillary electrophoresis for the study of 5-carboxy-tetramethylrhodamine. The raw signal from the detector provided roughly...Full Text Available

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Four techniques for using LIDAR in Search and Rescue Operations will be discussed. The topic will include laser retroreflection, laser-induced fluorescence in the visible, laser-induced fluorescence during daylight hours, and laser-induced fluorescence in the uv. These techniques use high-repetition rate lasers at a variety of frequencies to induce either fluorescence in dye markers or retroreflection from plastic corner cubes on life preservers and other emergency markers.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The water soluble, photolabile nitrene precursor, azidonaphthalene-2,7-disulfonic acid (ANDS) was encapsulated in small unilamellar, isoelectric (egg PC) or negatively charged (egg PC + dihexadecylphosphate) liposomes. The individual and combined effects of heme-proteins and UV irradiation on the fluorescence of these vesicles under aerobic conditions were studied. Consistent with the catalytic action of heme-proteins on lipid peroxidation and peroxide decomposition, addition of cytochrome c (positively charged) or catalase (negatively charged) to the vesicles elicited immediate formation of a fluorescence band at 470 nm, characteristic of Schiff bases that form from aldehyde byproducts of decomposing hydroperoxides. Ultraviolet irradiation of liposomes caused no significant changes in the fluorescence spectrum, in spite of the radiolysis of ANDS inside the vesicles with consequent formation of nitrene radicals. When isoelectric vesicles were irradiated with UV ...

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This thesis details the first direct ultrafast measurements of the dynamic thermal expansion of a surface and the temperature dependent surface thermal diffusivity using a two-color reflection transient grating technique. Studies were performed on p-type, n-type, and undoped GaAs(100) samples over a wide range of temperatures. By utilizing a 90 fs ultraviolet probe with visible excitation beams, the effects of interband saturation and carrier dynamics become negligible; thus lattice expansion due to heating and subsequent contraction caused by cooling provided the dominant influence on the probe. At room temperature a rise due to thermal expansion was observed, corresponding to a maximum net displacement of {approximately} 1 {Angstrom} at 32 ps. The diffracted signal was composed of two components, thermal expansion of the surface and heat flow away from the surface, thus allowing a determination of the rate of expansion as well as the surface thermal diffusivity, ...

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Values of frequency splittings in the lithium isotopes have been determined with the aid of laser-induced fluorescene in a supersonic beam, perpendicularly irradiated by a CW ring dye laser. The residual 2s-2p isotope shift has been found to bw 4721.8 +- 2.0 MHz, leading to a specific mass shift for the 2p level of -3610.8 +- 5 MHz.

Science.gov (United States)

... The nature of the vacuum breakdown mechanism presents just such a problem and the relative significance or total absence of several processes ...

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Radiation Measurement in Crew Compartment. DTO 805: .... spacecraft and aircraft propulsion, and hazardous waste disposal. ...... combustion reactions in a turbulent chemical kinetic flow reactor using laser induced fluorescence and ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

PurposeTo investigate the effects of laser photocoagulation (LP)-induced ocular hypertension (OHT) on the survival and retrograde axonal transport of retinal ganglion cells (RGC),...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Argon ion laser induced fluorescence measurements were carried out in a multipolar filament discharge with a broadband diode laser centered on 668 nm, which stimulated a transition from the metastable state in Ar(II) 3d4F7/2 to 4p4D05/2. The intensity of the induced fluorescence at 442 nm was maximized by the optimization of the discharge parameters and the laser power. From the recovery of the background fluorescence after the laser was turned off, the ion diffusion coefficient was deduced and compared with the result inferred from the experiments of ion acoustic wave (IAW) damping.

Science.gov (United States)

Breakdowns occurring in rf accelerating structures will limit the ultimate performance of future linear colliders such as the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC). Because of the similarity of many aspects of dc and rf breakdown, a dc breakdown study is underway at CERN to better understand the vacuum breakdown mechanism in a simple setup. Measurements of the field enhancement factor ? show that the local breakdown field is constant and depends only on the electrode material. With copper electrodes, the local breakdown field is around 10.8GV/m, independent of the gap distance. The ? value characterizes the electrode surface state, and the next macroscopic breakdown field can be well predicted. In breakdown rate experiments, where a constant field is applied to the electrodes, clusters of consecutive ...

KoreaScience (Korea)

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This report contains information about the effect of frequency on the breakdown voltage of an air gap at standard pressure and temperature, 76 mm Hg and O{degrees}C, respectively. The frequencies of interest are 47 MHz and 60 MHz. Additionally, the breakdown in vacuum is briefly considered. The breakdown mechanism is explained on the basis of collision and ionization. The presence of the positive ions produced by ionization enhances the field in the gap, and thus determines the breakdown. When a low-frequency voltage is applied across the gap, the breakdown mechanism is the same as that caused by the DC or static voltage. However, when the frequency exceeds the first critical value f{sub c}, the positive ions are trapped in the gap, increasing the field considerably. This makes the breakdown occur earlier; in other words, the breakdown ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

We have measured time-resolved laser-induced incandescence of flame-generated soot under high-vacuum conditions (4.1?10?6 mbar) at an excitation wavelength of 532 nm with laser fluences spanning 0.06?0.5 J/cm2. We generated soot in an ethylene/air diffusion flame, introduced it into the vacuum system with an aerodynamic lens, heated it using a pulsed laser with a spatially homogeneous and temporally smooth laser profile, and recorded LII temporal profiles at 685 nm. At low laser fluences LII signal decay rates are slow, and LII signals persist beyond the residence time of the soot particles in the detection region. At these fluences, the temporal maximum of the LII signal increases nearly linearly with increasing laser fluence until reaching a plateau at ?0.18?J/cm2. At higher fluences, th...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper discusses the mechanisms of gas breakdown at low values of pressure and inter-electrode gap, i.e. in the vicinity of the Paschen minimum. In this area of pressure and inter-electrode gap values, breakdown occurs either through gas or vacuum mechanisms, and also the so called anomalous Paschen effect appears. Electrical breakdown of electropositive, electronegative and noble gases has been investigated theoretically, experimentally and numerically. Based on the results obtained, regions in which particular breakdown mechanisms appear have been demarcated. Special attention has been devoted to the anomalous Paschen effect as well as to the avalanche vacuum breakdown mechanism.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundGlucosinolate breakdown products are volatile, therefore good candidates for insect fumigants. However, although they are insecticidal, the mode of action of such natural...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this paper, aluminium nitride synthesis is carried out by direct laser irradiation onto an aluminium target surface in a nitrogen containing atmosphere. The influence of various processing parameters on the microstructure of AlN thin films is investigated in order to improve their tribological properties. The main microstructural characteristics: nature, concentration, in depth distribution and morphology of various phases are studied versus processing parameters by TEM and GIXD. (author). 2 refs., 1 fig., 2 photos.

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... These are abnormal and an indication of NAVAIRINST 13340.3 identifies these laboratories a possible breakdown in the fuel-handling equip- ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Inhibition of photosynthesis by ultraviolet-A radiation (UV-A, 315-380 nanometers) was examined in three marine angiosperms: Halophila engelmannii Aschers, Halodule wrightii...Full Text Available

KoreaScience (Korea)

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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atomic oxygen is measured in a pulsed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) using two-photon absorption laser-induced fluorescence (TALIF). The ground-level atomic oxygen is excited to the 3p "3P state by two-photon absorption at 226 nm. Negative (-40 kV) or positive (+30 kV) pulsed DBD occurs in an O_2-N_2 mixture at atmospheric pressure. The pulse width of the DBD current is approximately 50 ns. The TALIF experiment shows that the decay rate of atomic oxygen increases linearly with O_2 concentration. This result proves that atomic oxygen decays mainly by the third-body reaction, O + O_2 + M #-># O_3 + M. The rate coefficient of the third-body reaction is estimated to be 2.2 x 10"-"3"4 cm"6 s"-"1 in the negative DBD and 0.89 x 10"-"3"4 cm"6 s"-"1 in the positive DBD. It is shown that the decay rate of atomic oxygen increases linearly with humidity. This can explain the well-known fact that ozone production in DBD is suppressed by increasing humidity.

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Considering the hardware characteristics of the laser-induced plasma X-ray source and the limitations of the conventional cone-beam reconstruction algorithm, a general cone-beam reconstruction algorithm has been developed at our laboratory, in which the motion locus of the X-ray source is an arbitrary curve corresponding to at least a 2{pi} continuous horizontal angular displacement in the coordinate system of the specimen. The preliminary simulation shows that the general cone-beam reconstruction algorithm consistently results in visually satisfactory images.

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The OSP (Operating Safety Procedure) required for performance of electrical arc testing of CFC replacement fluids was renewed. Electrical breakdown tests at one atmosphere pressure have been performed for R-22, R-134a, and R-125/R-143a (50:50 blend; R-507), and breakdown products identified. No differences in HCFC breakdown products are seen in the presence or absence of lubricant oils. The design of the high pressure-high temperature test stand has been finalized, and construction initiated during this quarter. Three motor stators and rotors were received from Tecumseh Products Company for use in motor burnout tests. A test plan for the motor breakdown tests is in preparation.

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In order to judge the potential fluorescent lamp applications of various low-pressure positive column discharges it is necessary to measure the absolute power emitted in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum. For rare-gas discharges the principle emission occurs in the vacuum ultraviolet so that it is difficult to measure the radiant emittance (power per unit area) of the resonance radiation by standard methods. Two independent techniques are discussed for measuring the radiant emittance of positive column discharges in the vacuum ultraviolet. These techniques are used to study xenon positive column discharges at the resonance wavelength of 147 nm. The first method relies on the measurement of the resonance level density by absorption techniques. The effective decay rate of the resonance level is then determined by the simulation of resonance radiation transport. These two quantities are combined to yield the radiant ...

Science.gov (United States)

... The addition of 0.5 pphr of fine thermal carbon black to the polymers gave good resistance to 500 hours of ultraviolet (UV) xposure in a Weather ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Properties of photoconductive ultraviolet detectors fabricated on ZnO films were presented. Highly c-axis oriented ZnO films were grown on glass substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Ultraviolet photodetectors were fabricated based on metal-semiconductor-metal planar structures. The photoresponsivity and the quantum efficiency are much higher in the ultraviolet range than in the visible range, and the peak values are around 360nm. Photocurrent transients show that the detector has a large photocurrent with the peak value of 2.8mA, and a slow photoresponse with a rise time of 5min and a decay time of 7min. The response curve of the detector is fitted well with exponential curve. The large photocurrent should result from the both effects of the accumulation of conduction electrons and the d...

Science.gov (United States)

Results are presented of experiments on partial discharge in liquid nitrogen, including insulation breakdown characteristics of liquid nitrogen, partial discharge characteristics of composite insulation systems, lifetime of polymer films, impulse breakdown of polymer films in liquid nitrogen, etc. The partial discharge characteristics of liquid nitrogen are examined with increasing liquid-nitrogen pressure. It is concluded that a composite insulation structure of polymer film and liquid nitrogen can be used as effective electrical insulators at cryogenic temperatures.

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The authors investigate the breakdown luminescence spectra in reverse-biased p-n heterojunctions based on gallium and aluminum phosphides and arsenides for the purpose of determining their behavior as lasing and photodetection materials. Data are given on temperature coefficients, band gap structure, bremsstrahlung, hot carrier mobility and photon emission, and transition and recombination parameters.

Science.gov (United States)

The kinetics of electrical breakdown of thin (15-70 ?m) layers of polymers and ceramics in a constant-sign field at 77-480 K has been investigated. The temperature dependences of the longevity (breakdown waiting time) of both dielectrics have been found to be similar to each other. At elevated temperatures, the longevity of the dielectrics varies exponentially with increasing temperature, and at reduced temperatures, it is temperature-independent (there is an athermal plateau). The mechanisms of elementary events controlling the process of preparation of the dielectrics for breakdown at elevated and reduced temperatures are the thermal-fluctuation over-barrier electron transition from trap to trap and the tunneling (under-barrier) transition, respectively. The hopping electron transport in the field direction gives rise to critical space charges causing breakdown of the dielectrics. The transition ...

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A rapid and accurate method for the direct simultaneous determination of nitrate and nitrite is proposed. The method is applied to the determination of nitrate and nitrite in rainwater and wastewater without preliminary separation. The determinations are performed by a CPA matrix method with ultraviolet spectrophotometric detection. The results obtained are in agreement with those obtained by conventional methods for the determination of nitrate and nitrite.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spontaneous and ultraviolet-induced changeabilities of wine yeasts from the killer state to sensitive one have been studied. Observed often spontaneous changes of killer and neutral phenotypes under laboratory store conditions as well as high mutation frequency of genetic elements responsible for the killer indication on ultraviolet irradiation testify that often encounterability in nature and in the production of sensitive yeasts is attributed to high frequency of mutation changes of the killer and neutral phenotypes to the sensitive state.

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Tetracycline is an antibiotic that absorbs ultraviolet light at 355 nm and preferentially binds to atherosclerotic plaque both in vitro and in vivo. Tetracycline-treated human cadaveric aorta was compared with untreated aorta using several techniques: absorptive spectrophotometry; and tissue uptake of radiolabeled tetracycline, which showed 4-fold greater uptake by atheroma than by normal vessel. In addition, intravenous tetracycline administered to patients undergoing vascular surgery demonstrated characteristic fluorescence in surgically excised diseased arteries. Because of tetracycline's unique properties, the authors exposed tetracycline-treated and untreated aorta to ultraviolet laser radiation at a wavelength of 355 nm. They found enhanced ablation of tetracycline-treated atheroma compared with untreated atheroma. The plaque ablation caused by ultraviolet laser radiation was twice as extensive in ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An attempt has been made to grow L-tartaric acid nicotinamide (LTN); a complex of tartaric acid, by employing a modified unidirectional method. The crystalline structure and quality are investigated by single crystal XRD and rocking curve studies. The linear and nonlinear optical properties are studied by UV-vis-NIR spectral analysis, SHG test, phase matching and laser induced damage threshold measurement. For comparison, parallel growth of the crystal was carried out by conventional method and the properties of the LTN samples grown by the conventional and unidirectional methods are investigated. The mechanical, photoconductivity and dielectric behavior of LTN crystals are also investigated.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The wavelength of the free electron laser (FEL) in Osaka University can be continuously varied in the range of 5.0-20.0 #mu#m. The FEL has a double-pulse structure, consisting of a train of macropulses of pulse duration 12 #mu#s. Each macropulse contains a train of 330 micropulses of pulse duration 5 ps. The tunability and picosecond pulses afford new medical and biological applications. However, a macropulse of long pulse duration leads to undesirable secondary effects. Precise control of the macropulse duration is essential for the high-precision applications of the FEL. An FEL pulse control system using acousto-optic modulators has been developed to investigate mechanical (shock-wave) effects of the FEL on living tissues. With this system, we have controlled photoinduced shock waves and determine the mechanism of interaction during FEL-induced tissue ablation.

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Beta silicon carbide is an excellent candidate semiconductor material for demanding applications in high power and high temperature electronic devices due to its high breakdown voltage, relatively large band gap, high thermal conductivity and high melting...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Autoimmune cholangitis would be the appropriate name to define the immune-mediated bile duct injury following the breakdown of tolerance to mitochondrial proteins and the appearance of serum autoantibodies...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus causes severe encephalitis with serious sequelae in humans. The disease is characterized by fever and debilitating encephalitis that can progress to chronic illness...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Genetic test systems involving microorganisms and liver enzyme preparations may be insufficient to detect compounds that require breakdown by enzymes provided by the microbial flora of the intestinal...Full Text Available

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Since 1979, scientists and engineers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory have designed, constructed, and operated a radio-frequency (RF) linac free-electron laser (FEL) at wavelengths from 9 to 45 /mu/m. Coupled with success of other research centers investigating wavelengths from the visible to far-infrared, Los Alamos is now proposing a vacuum-ultraviolet and soft x-ray (referred to henceforth as extreme ultraviolet, (XUV)) FEL oscillator/Self-Amplified Spontaneous Emission amplifier with beam energies ranging from 100 MeV to 1 GeV. This paper will focus on the first milestone of the proposed Los Alamos XUV project, i.e., a 250-MeV linac with approximately 50 mA of average current, producing photons with wavelengths below 1000 /angstrom/. 3 refs., 3 figs.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Total dose irradiation effects on a VDMOS developed at Institute of Microelectronics, CAS were investigated, particularly the electric parameter changes under different bias conditions. It was found that the breakdown voltage degradation by the irradiation depended mainly on the drain bias, whereas the threshold voltage degradation depended mainly on the gate bias. Thus, an innovative and effective method to domestic VDMOS total dose ionization characterization is that threshold voltage radiation hardening characterization should be tested on gate bias condition, and the breakdown voltage radiation hardening characterization, be tested on the drain bias. (authors)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

I report on some recent work done in collaboration with E. de Rafael on the connection between ultraviolet renormalons in QCD and Nambu-Jona-Lasinio-like Lagrangians as its effective description at low energies. (orig.)

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Sunbed use is associated with increased risk of melanoma. Younger people might be more susceptible to the carcinogenic effects of ultraviolet radiation. We investigated the association between...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Amide n –π^* and π-π^* excitations around 200 nm are prominent spectroscopic...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Properties of photoconductive ultraviolet detectors fabricated on ZnO films were presented. Highly c-axis oriented ZnO films were grown on glass substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Ultraviolet photodetectors were fabricated based on metal-semiconductor-metal planar structures. The photoresponsivity and the quantum efficiency are much higher in the ultraviolet range than in the visible range, and the peak values are around 360 nm. Photocurrent transients show that the detector has a large photocurrent with the peak value of 2.8 mA, and a slow photoresponse with a rise time of 5 min and a decay time of 7 min. The response curve of the detector is fitted well with exponential curve. The large photocurrent should result from the both effects of the accumulation of conduction electrons and the decrease of the barrier height between crystallites. The relaxation time constant {tau} obtained from the curve fitting represents the ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundChildhood is a high risk time for ultraviolet induced skin damage as this age group has more time and opportunity to be outdoors in the sun. Children in Africa with the...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundPreclinical studies indicate that the enzyme cyclooxygenase 2 plays an important role in ultraviolet-induced skin cancers. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of celecoxib,...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This work presents an experimental and numerical study of pulsated Dean flow, three-dimensional pulsatile flow in a curved pipe. The numerical study is performed by CFD code (Fluent 6) in which a pulsated velocity field is imposed as an inlet condition. The experimental setup involves principally a 'Scotch-yoke' pulsatile generator and a 90o bend. Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) measurements have shown that the Scotch-yoke generator produces pure sinusoidal instantaneous mean velocities with a mean deviation of 3%. Visualizations by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and velocity measurements, coupled with the numerical results, have permitted analysis of the evolution of the swirling secondary flow structures that develop along the bend during the pulsation phase. These measurements were made for a range of stationary Reynolds number (300?Rest?1200), frequency parameter (1??=r0(?/?)1/2max,osc/Ust). We observe satisfactory agreement between the numerical and ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iron oxide films have been deposited on Si(100) substrates by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) of iron(III) tert-butoxide ([Fe(O "tBu)_3]_2) in the temperature range 350-450 deg. C. The precursor flux and substrate temperature were varied to control the phase composition, average grain size and film thickness. The nature of substrate and deposition temperature markedly influence the morphology and iron-oxygen stoichiometry in the CVD deposits. Phase transformations in iron oxide films were achieved through precise local and periodic heating of the films by interfering laser beams. The interaction of iron oxide films with short laser pulses (Nd:YAG, 355 nm) induced partial transformation of hematite (#alpha#-Fe_2O_3) to magnetite (Fe_3O_4) or magnetite to wuestite (Fe_1_-_xO), respectively. The phase characterization and morphology of the hematite and magnetite films were investigated before and after laser irradiation by X-ray diffractometry, high resolution scanning electron ...

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Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is known for its capacity to reproduce a target composition on a substrate. The authors have used this deposition technique to produce thin films of transition metal chalcogenides. However, the deposits were always deficient in Te relative to the starting material (composed by a refractory metal (niobium) and a chalcogene (tellurium)). Variations of the interreticular distances have been observed with respect to fluence and substrate temperature. The authors show that spatial composition of the films is determined by a degree of crystallinity of deposit and by the reaction of formation of Te{sub 2} molecule within laser induced plume. Two kinds of deposits have been obtained: Nb{sub 5}Te{sub 4}-type thin films which have a one-dimensional structure and NbTe{sub 2}-type thin films which have a two-dimensional structure. While NbTe{sub 2} films have been realized by sputtering, it is the first time that Nb{sub ...

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The rate coefficients for the reactions of OH radical with CH3Br and CH2Br2 were measured as functions of temperature using the laser photolysis - laser induced fluorescence method. This data was incorporated into a semiempirical model (Solomon et al., 1992) and a 2D model to calculate the steady-state ozone depletion potentials (ODP) and atmospheri lifetimes, tau, with greatly improved accuracy as compared to earlier studies. The calculated ODPs and tau are 0.65 and 1.7 years and 0.17 and 0.41 years for CH3Br and CH2Br2, respectively, using the semiempirical model. These lifetimes agree well with those calculated using a 2D model. This study better quantifies the ODPs and tau of these species which are needed inputs for discussion of possible regulation of human emissions currently under international considerations. 29 refs.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A computer modelling has been developed for the calculation of mass balance of monazite ore break-down by alkali process at Rare Earth Research and Development Center. The process includes the following units : ore digestion by concentrate NaOH, dissolution of digested ore by HCl, uranium and thorium precipitation and crystallization of Na3PO4 which is by-product from this process. The model named RRDCMBP was prepared in Visual Basic language. The modelling program can be run on personal computer and it is interactive and easy to use. User is able to choose any equipment in each unit process and input data to get output of mass balance results. The model could be helpful in the process analysis for the further process adjustment and development.

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Passive films were formed on a high purity Fe-23 Cr alloy in acid sulfate solutions in the presence and absence of chloride ion. The resulting film composition was investigated by Auger depth profiling. The passivated samples were exposed to a 1M NaCl solution at a constant potential slightly above the critical pitting potential, and the current-time transient was measured in order to compare the relative stability of the different films. The results obtained suggest that the formation conditions influence the chloride content of the passive film and the breakdown behavior. Passive films formed in the presence of chloride contain and are slightly less stable towards breakdown. No chloride was found in films formed in sulfate and subsequently exposed to chloride well below the pitting potential.

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A dielectric-wall linear accelerator is improved by a high-voltage, fast rise-time switch that includes a pair of electrodes between which are laminated alternating layers of isolated conductors and insulators. A high voltage is placed between the electrodes sufficient to stress the voltage breakdown of the insulator on command. A light trigger, such as a laser, is focused along at least one line along the edge surface of the laminated alternating layers of isolated conductors and insulators extending between the electrodes. The laser is energized to initiate a surface breakdown by a fluence of photons, thus causing the electrical switch to close very promptly. Such insulators and lasers are incorporated in a dielectric wall linear accelerator with Blumlein modules, and phasing is controlled by adjusting the length of fiber optic cables that carry the laser light to the insulator surface.

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Two sources of ultraviolet (UV) radiation with peak wavelengths in the UV-C or UV-B ranges were compared for their ability to sterilize contact lenses infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Acanthamoeba castellani, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger. Also examined was the effect of prolonged UV light exposure on soft and rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses. The UV-C lamp (253.7 nm, 250 mW/cm2 at 1 cm) was germicidal for all organisms within 20 minutes but caused destruction of the soft lens polymers within 6 hours of cumulative exposure. UV-C caused damage to RGP lenses in less than 100 hours. The UV-B lamp (290-310 nm, 500 mW/cm2 at 1 cm) was germicidal for all organisms tested (except Aspergillus) with a 180-minute exposure and caused less severe changes in the soft lens polymers than did the UV-C lamp, although cumulative exposure of 300 hours did substantially weaken the soft lens material. RGP materials were minimally ...

CERN Document Server

We present the results of a search for Extreme Ultraviolet emission in A4059, a cluster with an X-ray emitting cluster gas. Our analysis of Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) Deep Survey observations of this cluster shows that it is associated with diffuse EUV emission. Outside the central 2 arcmin radius the entire EUV emission detected is explained by the low energy tail of the X-ray emitting gas. Within the central 2 arcmin region of the cluster we find a deficit of EUV emission compared to that expected from the X-ray gas. This flux deficit is discussed in the context of the cluster's cooling flow. The results derived for A4059 are compared to EUVE results obtained for other clusters such as Coma, Virgo, A1795, and A2199. As part of the study we have carried out a detailed investigation of the stability of the EUVE Deep Survey detector background. Based on long integrations of blank sky over 27 months we disprove claims of substantial time ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Metallic Zn films were deposited on glass substrates by electron-beam evaporation. ZnO films were synthesized by thermal oxidation of Zn metallic films in air. At the annealing temperature of 550 ?C, ZnO nanowires appeared on the surface, which mainly result from the decrease of oxidation rate. A ZnO ultraviolet photodetector was fabricated based on a metal-semiconductor-metal planar structure. The detector showed a large UV photoresponse with an increase of two orders of magnitude. It is concluded that promising UV detectors can be obtained on ZnO films by thermal oxidation of Zn metallic films. The ways of performing spectral response measurements for polycrystalline ZnO films are also discussed.

CERN Document Server

The auroras on Jupiter and Saturn can be studied with a high sensitivity and resolution by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) ultraviolet (UV) and far-ultraviolet (FUV) Space Telescope spectrograph (STIS) and Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) instruments. We present results of automatic detection and segmentation of Jupiter's auroral emissions as observed by HST ACS instrument with VOronoi Image SEgmentation (VOISE). VOISE is a dynamic algorithm for partitioning the underlying pixel grid of an image into regions according to a prescribed homogeneity criterion. The algorithm consists of an iterative procedure that dynamically constructs a tessellation of the image plane based on a Voronoi Diagram, until the intensity of the underlying image within each region is classified as homogeneous. The computed tessellations allow the extraction of quantitative information about the auroral features such as mean intensity, latitudinal and longitudinal ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

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...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

As research for the chemical properties of lanthanide molecules in the dry system, electrochemical and ultraviolet-visible optical measurements on the chloride molten salt system have been conducted at Research Reactor Institute, Kyoto University. The reduction behavior of Ln(III)-Ln(0) and Ln(II) are measured on La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, and Yb by the cyclic voltammetry. The molar absorption coefficients of the f-f transition are measured by the measurement of ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra on Pr, Nd, Ho and Gd. From the comparison of the optical data between wet and dry systems, the characteristics of photon absorption are discussed in the molten salt. (H. Katsuta)

CERN Document Server

All-order spurion-corrected superpropagators and superfield Feynman rules are employed to systematically compute a two-loop corrected effective potential for the O'Raifeartaigh model, that realizes spontaneous supersymmetry breaking. Though the shifted superpropagators are rather nontrivial, superspace techniques may be suitably extended and confirm their efficacy in computing radiative corrections even when supersymmetry breakdown occurs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The passivity and breakdown of passivity of 1018 carbon steel in propylene carbonate (PC) and 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME) mixtures with 0.5 molar lithium hexafluoroarsenate supporting electrolyte were examined via several electrochemical and surface analytical methods. The PC-DME/0.5 M LiAsF{sub 6} mixtures ranged from 10 to 90 mol % PC. The results from the PC/DME mixtures were compared to passivating mechanisms found in pure PC and DME solutions. In PC-rich mixtures, the breakdown of passivity occurred near the oxidation potentials of either organic solvent. Premature breakdown of the carbon steel in PC-DME mixtures occurred at sulfide inclusions as was observed earlier in PC/0.5 M LiAsF{sub 6} solutions although passive films attempted to form at these inclusion sites in mixtures containing at least 10 mol % DME. As the DME content increased in the PC-DME mixtures, the passive films formed on bare steel surfaces possessed ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The results of a time-resolved study of the avalanche and streamer formation phases leading to breakdown in atmospheric nitrogen and dry air. Results of experiments and two-dimensional simulations are presented. It is shown what processes are responsible for the formation of a streamer. The trends of externally measured quantities correspond with those predicted by our model. 3 figs., 5 refs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Within this paper the potentialities of using networked embedded systems will be discussed. New embedded hardware with network connectivity allows remote administration and software updates of solar thermal system controllers via internet. System self analysis helps to minimize breakdown times by sending email and SMS to request maintenance staff. (orig.)

CERN Document Server

The CLIC (Compact Linear Collider) high-gradient RF structure testing program has been carried out in order to gain insight into the physical processes involved in RF breakdown, determine the mechanisms that limit gradient and produce damage so that technical concepts can be developed which allow higher accelerating gradients. Two main paths towards higher gradients have emerged from this program, and the performances of two new structures which incorporate them are presented.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Surface barrier detectors may be damaged, because of microplasma breakdown, in rapid application of bias voltage. The high performance FETs of very low noise preamplifiers may also be damaged by rapid changes of the bias voltage. The electronic device described permits the gradual application and removal of the bias voltage, without any influence on the power supply specification. (Auth.).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We present the results of a comprehensive study of the temperature dependences of the quantum efficiency for ultraviolet detectors based on GaAs, GaP and 4H--SiC Schottky structures, and on Si, GaAs p-n structures. For ultraviolet detectors based on Schottky structures, the quantum efficiency increases with increasing temperature for all photon energies, even including the semiconductor intrinsic absorption region. On the other hand, for ultraviolet detectors based on p-n structures, the quantum efficiency is practically temperature independent in the semiconductor intrinsic absorption region. The change in the quantum efficiency for the GaAs and Si detectors is less than 0.01% per degree. To explain the measurements, a variable trap occupancy model is presented. Subsurface imperfections of the semiconductor cause fluctuations in the profile of the conduction band and the valence band edges. In the presence of an electric ...

Science.gov (United States)

Spectrophotometric method, using a ratio-recording ultraviolet-absorption spectrophotometer, permits analysis of NaMBT in ethylene glycol-water solutions with high accuracy. It reduces analysis time, requires smaller samples, and is able to detect extremely small concentrations of mercaptobenzothiazole.

CERN Document Server

The Rayleigh scattering length has been calculated for rare-gas liquids in the ultraviolet for the frequencies at which they luminesce. The calculations are based on the measured dielectric constants in the gas phase, except in the case of xenon for which measurements are available in the liquid. The scattering length mayplace constraints on the design of some large-scale detectors, using uv luminescence, being proposed to observe solar neutrinos and dark matter. Rayleigh scattering in mixtures of rare-gas mixtures is also discussed.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A lamp system with a very soft high-intensity output is provided over a large area by water cooling a long-arc lamp inside a diffuse reflector of polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) and titanium dioxide (TiO.sub.2) white pigment. The water is kept clean and pure by a one micron particulate filter and an activated charcoal/ultraviolet irradiation system that circulates and de-ionizes and biologically sterilizes the coolant water at all times, even when the long-arc lamp is off.

Science.gov (United States)

The non-invasiveness of autofluorescence technology may reduce sampling error and time delay for histopathology diagnosis. We establish biophotonic methods and guidelines to visualize and interpret early epithelial tissue changes that signify disease. Flexible and rigid fiber endomicroscopy instrumentation design parameters feasible for translation towards clinical use are in development.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We describe a model of damage in rf cavities and show how this damage can limit cavity operation. We first present a review of mechanisms that may or may not affect the ultimate fields that can be obtained in rf cavities, assuming that mechanical stress explains the triggers of rf breakdown events. We present a method of quantifying the surface damage caused by breakdown events in terms of the spectrum of field enhancement factors, Beta, for asperities on the surface. We then model an equilibrium that can develop between damage and conditioning effects, and show how this equilibrium can determine cavity performance and show experimental evidence for this mechanism. We define three functions that quantify damage, and explain how the parameters that determine this performance can be factored out and measured. We then show how this model can quantitatively explain the dependence of cavity performance on material, frequency, pulse length, gas, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Until 1990, in Tuscany, salt pollution of anti-salt insulators installed on high-tension transmission lines had led to rare breakdowns. On the contrary, in the last months of 1990, in most of Tuscany, following a strong libeccio wind coming from the Tyrrhenian Sea, and due to a long period of drought, salt deposits accumulated on the insulators of the high-voltage transmission lines (380 kV, 220 kV and 132 kV). This phenomenon not only took place in the coastal areas near Livorno, Pisa and Grosseto, but also in areas far away from the sea such as Florence, Prato, Arezzo and Siena. Following this, several high-tension lines, and whole sections of 380 kV electric stations went out of order, damaging the stations' equipment, insulators on the lines, and in particular porcelain insulators. The maintenance operations that were immediately undertaken consisted in washing operations, first focussed on stations, and then on lines. Several hundred men and some ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

When heated through the magnetic transition at T{sub C}, La{sub 0.7}Ca{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3} changes from a band metal to a polaronic insulator. The Hall constant R{sub H}, through its activated behavior and sign anomaly, provides key evidence for polaronic behavior. We use R{sub H} and the Hall mobility to demonstrate the breakdown of the polaron phase. Above 1.4T{sub C}, the polaron picture holds in detail, while below, the activation energies of both R{sub H} and the mobility deviate strongly from their polaronic values. These changes reflect the presence of metallic, ferromagnetic fluctuations, in the volume of which the Hall effect develops additional contributions tied to quantal phases. (c) 2000 The American Physical Society.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Detecting a camouflaged target in a visually noisy background depends on the ability of the observer to discriminate the target from the surrounding terrain. Visible laser irradiation at less than damage levels can act as a masking source by compromising or reducing the observer's ability to resolve differences in the visual scene. Previous research has examined this concept by investigating laser flash effects on: acuity (size discrimination); tracking (motion discrimination); visual sensitivity (color); and contrast sensitivity functions (luminance contrast). In all cases, flashes from continuous-wave (CW) sources have proven more effective visually than pulsed (Q-switched) sources, when compared on peak-energy criteria (i.e., MPE), even though Q-switched lasers induce damage at lower energy doses. Additionally, the inherent safety of ultra-short laser pulses has been questioned. Past animal research has shown that, on the measures ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Violation of correspondence principle may occur for very macroscopic byt isolated quantum systems on rather short timescales as illustrated by the case of Hyperion, the chaotically tumbling moon of Saturn, for which quantum and classical predictions are expected to diverge on a timescale of approximately 20 years. Motivated by Hyperion, we review salient features of ``quantum chaos`` and show that decoherence is the essential ingredient of the classical limit, as it enables one to solve the apparent paradox caused by the breakdown of the correspondence principle for classically chaotic systems.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We present the runtime comparison of the two versions of Super LU{_}DIST, using up to 128 processors of the IBM SP at NERSC. One version provides the global input interface, and another provides the distributed input interface. The comparison includes the total runtime of the solver with both 32-bit and 64-bit addressing modes, the time breakdown for different phases of the solver. We also present an in-depth comparison off our sparse matrix-vector multiplication methods in the context of iterative refinement. Finally, we describe our Fortran 90 interface that enhances the usability of the software.

Science.gov (United States)

We have grown crack-free antiferroelectric (AFE) Pb{sub 0.92}La{sub 0.08}Zr{sub 0.95}Ti{sub 0.05}O{sub 3} (PLZT) films on nickel foils by chemical solution deposition. To eliminate the parasitic effect caused by the formation of a low-permittivity interfacial oxide, we applied a conductive buffer layer of lanthanum nickel oxide (LNO) on the nickel foil by chemical solution deposition prior to the PLZT deposition. Use of the LNO buffer allowed high-quality film-on-foil capacitors to be prepared at high temperatures in air. With the AFE PLZT deposited on LNO-buffered Ni foils, we observed field-induced phase transformations of AFE to ferroelectric (FE). The AFE-to-FE phase transition field, E{sub AF} = 260 kV cm{sup -1}, and the reverse phase transition field, E{sub FA} = 220 kV cm{sup -1}, were measured at room temperature on a {approx}1.15 {micro}m thick PLZT film grown on LNO-buffered Ni foils. The relative permittivities of the AFE and FE states were {approx}530 and {approx}740, ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The effects of #alpha# particle irradiation on a passive film formed on a 304 type stainless steel are studied in situ. The experimental arrangement minimizes the radiolysis effects due to the electrolyte. Under irradiation, a modification of the electronic structure of the oxide layers is revealed by photo-electrochemistry and impedance measurements. The influence of irradiation on the corrosion resistance of the passive film is investigated. Comparing the rest potential and the breakdown potential respectively under and without irradiation, a drop in the passivity range under irradiation is shown. this is interpreted as a decrease in the corrosion resistance. (author).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This paper describes the observation and partial wave analysis of 1203 (22 GeV) #pi#"-p #-># phi phi n events. This is an OZI suppressed channel in which the OZI suppression is found to be absent. Assuming QCD and the OZI rule as Ansatzen, it is concluded that the breakdown of the OZI suppression is due to glueballs. The g/sub T/(2160) and the g/sub T/(2320) with I/sup G/J/sup PC/ = 0"+2"+"+ are two resonances determined from the partial wave analysis. It is concluded that one or two primary glueballs with the above quantum numbers are responsible for the observed two states. A brief discussion of other glueball candidates and some relevant phenomenology is also included.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

'Objective of this project is to develop and use Electrochemical Emission Spectroscopy (EES) and other electrochemical techniques as in situ tools for exploring corrosion mechanisms of iron and carbon steel in highly alkaline solutions and for continuously monitoring corrosion on structural materials in DOE liquid waste storage system. In particular, the author will explore the fundamental aspects of the passive behavior of pure iron since breakdown of passivity leads to localized corrosion. This report summarizes work after 1 year of a 3 year project.'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The decontamination factor is studied as a function of laser fluence for three kinds of clad surfaces viz., plain zircaloy, autoclaved zircaloy and SS with cesium as the test contamination. It has been found that the decontamination factor exhibits a maximal behaviour with the laser fluence and its maximum value occurs at different laser fluences in the three cases. The maximal behaviour is attributed to reduced coupling of energy from the laser beam to the substrate due to the initiation of surface-assisted optical breakdown. The results obtained in the experiment carried out in helium environment qualitatively support this explanation (author)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

High energy piping systems are operated with either or both conditions of maximum operating temperature exceeding 200 .deg. F(93.3 .deg. C) or maximum operating pressure exceeding 275 psig(19.3kg/cm{sup 2}) during normal operating conditions in nuclear power plants. A high energy pipe failure is postulated in branches or piping that runs larger than one inch nominal diameter. The resultant consequences of these postulated pipe breaks must be analyzed for the effect on maintenance of plant safe shutdown capability, containment integrity. And the analyzed results must be applied to the system design so that a pipe failure can not damage essential systems to an extent of impairing design function nor affect necessary component operability. The considerable effects of pipe break are as follows; dynamic effects such as pipe whip, jet impingement and environmental impact by release of system contents. Two types of forces are occurred by the pipe whip. The one is pipe whip impact force that ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ultraviolet (UV) upconversion (UC) luminescence in Yb3+/Er3+-codoped yttrium oxide (Y2O3) nanocrystals can be enhanced by orders of magnitude via tridoping further with Li+ ions under diode laser excitation of 970 nm. Sensitized three-photon UC radiations at 390 and 409 nm, corresponding to the 4G11/2?4I15/2 and 4H9/2?4I15/2 of Er3+ ions, respectively, present an enhancement time of about 33 times, which is larger than the 24 times enhancement for the UC green radiation. The UV UC radiation at 320 nm that corresponds to the 2P3/2?4I15/2 of Er3+ ions has also been greatly enhanced. Theoretical calculations interpret that all the observed enhancement times of UV UC radiations arise from the prolonged lifetimes of their intermediate states.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This work estimates the power requirements for using photochemical processes driven by space nuclear power to counteract the Earth's ozone layer depletion. The total quantity of ozone (O_3) in the Earth's atmosphere is estimated to be about 4.7 x 10"3"7 molecules. The ozone production and destruction rates in the stratosphere are both on the order of 4.9 x 10"3"1 molecules/s, differing by a small fraction so that the net depletion rate is about 0.16 to 0.26% per year. The delivered optical power requirement for offsetting this depletion is estimated to be on the order of 3 GW. If the power were produced by satellite reactors at 800 km altitude (orbit decay time #approx# 300 years), some means of efficient power beaming would be needed to deliver the power to stratospheric levels (10--50 km). Ultraviolet radiation at 140--150 nm could have higher absorption rates in O_2 (leading to production of atomic oxygen, which can combine with O_2 to form O_3) than in ozone ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marmesin was isolated from the medicinal plant, Afraegle paniculata. Its cytotoxicity and mutagenicity in Chinese hamster V79 cells when sensitized to near ultraviolet (NUV) and long wavelength ultraviolet light or black light (BL) were assayed. Marmesin was extremely cytotoxic in the dark. This cytotoxicity was photoenhanced in NUV and BL; the photoenhanced lethality being higher in NUV than in BL. The LD/sub 50/ of marmesin under NUV and BL photosensitization were 0.002 ..mu..M and (0.012 ..mu..M), respectively. In the absence of NUV and BL, marmesin's LD/sub 50/ was 0.013 ..mu..M.NUV and BL without marmesin were not significantly cytotoxic at the fluence rates of 0.29 W/m/sup 2/ and 4.2 W/m/sup 2/, respectively, for up to 20 min. In contrast to the observed high cytotoxicity of marmesin, its mutagenicity at the HGPRT locus (Asub(z)Gsup(r)) was weak. The implication of this result in the high incidence of skin cancer in Nigeria in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Multilayer mirror coatings which reflect extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation are a key enabling technology for EUV lithography. Mo/Si multilayers with reflectances of 67.5% at 13.4 nm are now routinely achieved and reflectances of 70 2% at 11.4 nm were obtained with MO/Be multilayers. High reflectance is achieved with careful control of substrate quality, layer thicknesses, multilayer materials, interface quality, and surface termination. Reflectance and film stress were found to be stable relative to the requirements for application to EUV lithography. The run-to-run reproducibility of the reflectance peak position was characterized to be better than 0.2%, providing the required wavelength matching among the seven multilayer-coated mirrors used in the present lithography system design. Uniformity of coating was improved to better than 0.5% across 150 mm diameter substrates. These improvements in EUV multilayer mirror technology will enable us to meet the stringent ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nanocrystalline ZnO films were fabricated via a simple method involving the oxidation of Zn films at a remarkably low temperature of 380 C. X-ray diffraction study confirmed that the Zn films were completely oxidized even at the low temperature of 380 C and the ZnO films fabricated were of polycrystalline wurtzite structure. Room temperature optical pumping using a frequency-quintupled Q-switched Nd:YAG laser ({lambda}=213 nm) exhibited that sharp peaks at around 3.12 eV emerged above excitation powers of {proportional_to}7 MW/cm{sup 2}, demonstrating lasing in the ZnO films. These results represent that the process is a simple, promising approach for fabricating ZnO of sufficient optical performance for use as ultraviolet (UV) light emitters and an alternative UV laser source; both are key components in short-wavelength photonic devices. (orig.)

CERN Document Server

We present ultraviolet spectra of Mira's companion star from the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) instrument on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The companion is generally assumed to be a white dwarf surrounded by an accretion disk fed by Mira's wind, which dominates the UV emission from the system. The STIS UV spectrum is dominated by numerous, narrow H2 lines fluoresced by H I Ly-alpha, which were not detected in any of the numerous observations of Mira B by the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE). The high temperature lines detected by IUE (e.g., C IV 1550) still exist in the STIS spectrum but with dramatically lower fluxes. The continuum fluxes in the STIS spectra are also much lower, being more than an order of magnitude lower than ever observed by IUE, and also an order of magnitude lower than fluxes observed in more recent HST Faint Object Camera objective prism spectra from 1995. Thus, the accretion rate onto Mira ...

CERN Document Server

An electroweak model with running coupling constants described by an energy dependent entire function is utraviolet complete and avoids unitarity violations for energies above 1 TeV. The action contains no physical scalar fields and no Higgs particle and the physical electroweak model fields are local and satisfy microcausality. The $W$ and $Z$ masses are compatible with a symmetry breaking $SU(2)_L\\times U(1)_Y \\rightarrow U(1)_{\\rm em}$, which retains a massless photon. The vertex couplings possess an energy scale $\\Lambda_W > 1$ TeV predicting scattering amplitudes that can be tested at the LHC.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper reports on the results of experiments into efficient higher-order anti-Stokes Raman conversion of tunable short-pulse XeCl laser radiation. The maximum output energy of the pumping laser, in which the radiation of a frequency-doubled dye laser is amplified by two XeCl laser amplifiers, is 55 mJ with a pulse duration of 1 ns FWHM. Using hydrogen gas as a Raman medium, a series of anti-Stokes lines up to the 12th order (121.5 nm) is generated in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) region. 16 references.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The color centers, which are generated in yttrium-aluminium perovskite (YAP):Nd(1 at.%) and YAP:Er(50 at.%) crystals under the influence of ultraviolet and #gamma#-irradiation, have been studied by absorption spectroscopy. The generated color centers are both stable and transient at room temperature. It is shown that the transient color centers are mainly responsible for the decrease of laser generation efficiency of Nd:YAP and YAP:Er irradiated crystals, although physical mechanisms leading to efficiency decrease are different in these materials. (orig.)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Tb3+-activated Sr3AlO4F phosphors were synthesized by a high-temperature solid-state reaction method. The investigation of photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence indicates that these phosphors can be effectively excited by ultraviolet light and low-voltage electron beam. The phosphors exhibit a tunable-green emission. The luminescence behaviors are explained by the site occupancy of Tb3+ ions in the host crystal and the cross-relaxation of 5D3 to 5D4 state.

CERN Document Server

In situ optical absorption spectroscopy was used to study the generation of E' centres in amorphous SiO_2 occurring by photo-induced breaking of Si-H groups under 4.7eV pulsed laser radiation. The dependence from laser intensity of the defect generation rate is consistent with a two-photon mechanism for Si-H rupture, while the growth and the saturation of the defects are conditioned by their concurrent annealing due to reaction with mobile hydrogen arising from the same precursor. A rate equation is proposed to model the kinetics of the defects and tested on experimental data.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We studied the optimum plasma conditions that are required for efficient high-order harmonic generation in platinum plume. Harmonics up to the 49th order (?=16.32 nm) are analyzed under various conditions of laser-plasma interaction. Time-resolved ultraviolet spectra of platinum plasma at both optimum and nonoptimum conditions of harmonic generation are presented. We calculated the ionization states of the plasma, free electron density, and singly charged ion density at different prepulse intensities and compared them with experimental results.

Science.gov (United States)

We explore autofluorescence endomicroscopy as a potential tool for real-time visualization of epithelial tissue microstructure and organization in a clinical setting. The design parameters are explored using two experimental systems--an Olympus Medical Systems Corp. stand-alone clinical prototype probe, and a custom built bench-top rigid fiber conduit prototype. Both systems entail ultraviolet excitation at 266 nm and/or 325 nm using compact laser sources. Preliminary results using ex vivo animal and human tissue specimens suggest that this technology can be translated toward in vivo application to address the need for real-time histology.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In the framework of the search for a ceramic material usable in the radioactive waste storage, uranium and thorium phosphates have been investigated. Their experimental synthesis conditions have been entirely reviewed, they lead to the preparation of four new compounds: U(UO{sub 2})(PO{sub 4}){sub 2}, U{sub 2}O(PO{sub 4}){sub 2}, UCIPO{sub 4}, 4H{sub 2}O, and Th{sub 4}(PO{sub 4}){sub 4}P{sub 2}O{sub 7}. Experimental evidenced are advanced for non existent compounds such as: U{sub 3}(PO{sub 4}){sub 4}, U{sub 2}O{sub 3}P{sub 2}O{sub 7} and Th{sub 3} (PO{sub 4}){sub 4}. Characterization by several techniques (X-rays and neutron powder diffractions, UV-Visible and Infra-red spectroscopies, XPS,...) were performed. The ab initio structure determination of U(UO{sub 2})(PO{sub 4}){sub 2} has been achieved by X-rays and refined by neutron diffractions. Through its physico-chemical analysis, we found that this compound was a new mixed valence uranium phosphate in which U{sup 4+} and UO{sub ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The transport of liquid water and gaseous reactants through a gas diffusion layer (GDL) is one of the most important water management issues in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). In this work, the liquid water breakthrough dynamics, characterized by the capillary pressure and water saturation, across GDLs with and without a microporous layer (MPL) are studied in an ex-situ setup which closely simulates a real fuel cell configuration and operating conditions. The results reveal that recurrent breakthroughs are observed for all of the GDL samples tested, indicating the presence of an intermittent water drainage mechanism in the GDL. This is accounted for by the breakdown and redevelopment of the continuous water paths during water drainage as demonstrated by Haines jumps. For GDL ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duplex stainless steels are widely used in severe corrosion environments because of their good corrosion performance. This paper deals with the influence of aging treatments on the intergranular corrosion (IGC) resistance of a commercial duplex stainless steel, SAF 2205. Duplex stainless steel was given aging treatments in the range 773-1173 K for time periods ranging from 6 min to 100 h. Optical microscopy and XRD was carried out on the aged stainless steels for the microstructural study. The aged samples were evaluated for the IGC susceptibility with the ASTM standard practices. Potentiodynamic cyclic polarization studies were also carried out to investigate the influence of aging treatments on the passivity breakdown. The results indicate that the sigma phase gets precipitated and is responsible for grain boundary attack. (author).

Science.gov (United States)

The objective of this research was to convert coal into a soluble substance under mild conditions. The strategy involved two steps, first to breakdown the macromolecular network of coal, and second to add hydrogen catalytically. We investigated different basic reagents that could, in priciple, break down coal's structure and alkylation strategies that might enhance its solubility. We examined O- and C-alkylation, the importance of the strength of the base, the character of the added alkyl groups and other reaction parameters. This work provided new information concerning the way in which hydrogen bonding, polarization interactions between aromatic structures and covalent bonding could be disrupted and solubility enhanced. The objective of our research was to explore new organochromium chemistry that might be feasible for the hydrogenation of coal under mild conditions.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) depend on technology to meet their daily needs and form relationships. Speech generating devices (SGDs) are integral components of communication systems. Reliability of SGDs is critical for effective use in everyday life. This study examined the reliability of new SGDs and found that mean time to first failure was 42.7 (SD = 41.2) weeks and at least 40% required repairs within the first year of use. The components that most frequently broke down were touch screens, wiring, main boards, batteries, memory cards, and AC adaptors. The costs of repairing SGDs were analyzed. The clinical implications of device breakdown are identified for key stakeholders, including clients, families, service providers, funding agencies, and ma...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Increase in power utility loads in industrialized countries, as well as developing countries, demands a higher level of transmission line voltage. Radio interference (RI) problems have been determined to be a limiting factor in selecting the size of transmission line conductors. Transmission line noise is primarily caused by corona discharges in the immediate vicinity of the conductor. It has been observed that discharges occur during both half-cycles of the applied voltage, but positive corona is usually predominant at AM radio frequencies range with practical high-voltage and extra high-voltage transmission lines. The corona radio noise effect is highly dependent upon the presence of particles on the surface of the conductor and the increase of the electrical gradient beyond the breakdown value of the air. Therefore, corona radio noise varies significantly with the weather and atmospheric conditions and generally increases by 10 to 30 dB in foul weather.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The pitting resistance of Fe-Cr and Fe-Cr-Mo alloys has been correlated with characteristics of the passive films analyzed by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Increased film protectiveness as a result of increased Cr in the alloy can be directly attributed to Cr enrichment of the film and decreased film thickness. Increased Mo in the alloy or passivation at noble potentials promotes passive film resistance to breakdown, but neither does much to change the macrocharacteristics of the film. Rather, it is suggested that the roles of alloying and/or passivation conditions are related to the susceptibility and distribution of weak points of the film. In solutions in which pitting occurs, chloride is generally not incorporated into the film, suggesting that the role of halides is to interact with weak points of the film at the solution/film interface. At 260/sup 0/C, the films are much thicker and likely to be much more defective in structure than those formed at ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

It is a useful hypothesis to thing of the reaction to protein deprivation as made up of two parts. First there is an initial adaptation involving rapid losses of protein. This is followed by slow continuing depletion. When considering two organ groups, such as the liver and muscle, it appears that the curve of urinary nitrogen excretion reflects the different parts they play in these two phases. The changes in the relative amounts of protein in different organs results in an alteration in the pattern of body protein at the level of the organ, the tissue and the cell. These changes are themselves the result of altered rates of synthesis and breakdown. The questions that must be asked and hopefully will be answered with the help of isotopes, are how these changes are brought about, how they are inter-related and controlled, and what is their significance? This paper contains a discussion of the few results that have been obtained so far. 1 fig.

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A theoretical analysis of formation and symmetry transformations is presented for Wigner molecules with N = 2,..., 20 electrons confined in quantum dots at high magnetic fields. Using the unrestricted Hartree-Fock method with the multicentre Gaussian basis, we have found that Wigner molecules with N {>=} 6 abruptly change their shape and symmetry with an associated jump in the first derivative of the ground-state energy, i.e. they undergo phase transitions. In particular, the phases of the Wigner molecules obtained just after emerging from the maximum-density droplet (MDD) phase possess a different symmetry from that formed at a high magnetic field. We show that the properties of the electron-electron interaction energy demonstrate very well both the breakdown of the MDD and the quasi-classical character of the Wigner molecule in the high magnetic field. Possible mechanisms of the MDD decay are discussed.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The renovation programme of the Phenix nuclear power plant (fast neutrons reactor situated at Marcoule) has for objective to ensure the reactor operation lengthening. In this frame, expertise and monitoring operation in situ of materials have been started. The presence of sodium and a temperature at the cold breakdown of the primary circuit between 150 and 180 degrees (Celsius) imply, for fast reactors, very special conditions. In this context, Framatome has realised three intervening in the area of nondestructive testing: the inspection of the cone-shaped support ring, the monitoring of the upper part of the primary vessel and the monitoring of the intermediary exchanger equipment. (N.C.)

Science.gov (United States)

The calculations of Gay et al. of the terminal velocities of charged hydrormeteors in the presence of electric fields have formed the basis of computations of the charging current density J flowing through a thunder-cloud as a result of the operation of a precipitative mechanism of cloud electrification. Values of J were calculated for a range of values of field strength E, precipitation rate pO, precipitation content L, cloud water content C, charge distribution, total separated charge, and the fraction of the small particles that have undergone a charging event.It is found that the estimated field required for the initiation of a lightning stroke (3.5 kV cm1 can be achieved only over a narrow range of conditions. The ease with which precipitative mechanisms can produce breakdown fields is considerably increased, however, if account is taken of spatial inhomogenities in the field.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This paper presents the results of the degree of irreversible changes of dielectric properties of vacuum circuit breakers with CuCr and CuBi contacts before and after short-circuit breaking operations. Tests of dielectric properties were performed on four different types of switching vacuum chamber with RMF electrodes in the form of a spiral disk with slots. The paper describes the configuration of measuring system for determining the dielectric properties of circuit breakers with DC, AC and pulse voltage. It also describes the measuring procedure. The results were analyzed and the experimentally obtained random variable breakdown voltage is found to belong to Weibull distribution in all cases. Based on these results it was found that for the vacuum circuit breakers with CuCr contacts and ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper discusses how specialized techniques for machine condition monitoring can help to eliminate false alarms and undetected faults, leading to a truly cost effective predictive maintenance program. It is vital to base the monitoring system on the parameter which will give the most useful information about potential faults and breakdowns. This parameter is generally agreed to be vibration. While oil debris analysis and variations in temperature, geometry and machine speed can all give advance warning of faults, no other parameter can reveal as wide a range of fault types as vibration. The vibration transducers job is to accurately and faithfully convert the vibration into an electric signal for assessment. If this part of the system is weak, reliability will be badly affected. Data integrity is crucial.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The methods introduced for the field of cleaning waste water can be classified under various processes. Chemical oxidation is done with ozone, hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet irradiation with subsequent biological decomposition. Another method is ultra-filtration with recovery of valuable materials or waste water ponds with algae biomass to decompose ammonium compounds, nitrates and phosphates. (EF) [Deutsch] Die auf dem Gebiet der Abwasserreinigung vorgestellten Methoden kann man in verschiedene Verfahren einordnen. Die chemische Oxidation erfolgt mit Ozon, Wasserstoff-Peroxid, UV Bestrahlung und anschliessenden biologischen Abbau. Eine andere Methode ist die Ultrafiltration mit Rueckgewinnung von Wertstoffen oder Abwasserteiche mit Algenbiomasse zum Abbau von Ammoniumverbindungen, Nitraten und Phosphaten. (EF)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A scheme of evaluating a generalized three-photon excitation cross section #sigma#/sub (3)/ in neutral atomic argon at 3144.67 A is outlined. Three photons at this wavelength can excite the neutral argon atoms from the ground 3p"6 "1S_0 state to the 3p"54s'[1/2]_1"0 state. The fourth photon will ionize the argon atoms. Assuming linear polarization of the incident laser radiation, contributions from several channels in various energy-level schemes are summed in the evaluation of the transition probability. For a laser linewidth of #DELTA##lambda#/sub L/ = 1 A, our maximum numerical value of the computed result for the three-photon excitation cross section is #sigma#/sub (3)/ = 1.414 x 10/sup -80/ cm"6 s"2. .AE.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ultraviolet photoelectron spectra were measured for vanadyl phthalocyanine (VOPc) ultrathin films prepared on graphite to study effects of the molecular orientation and the electric dipole layer on the organic electronic states. VOPc has a permanent electric dipole perpendicular to the molecular plane, hence a well-defined electric dipole layer could be intentionally prepared by using the oriented monolayer. The observed binding-energy difference of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) bands between the oriented monolayer and the double layer was found to agree with the vacuum level shift, leading to a conclusion that the molecular energy level with respect to the substrate Fermi level is changed when the molecule is in the electric dipole layer.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A detailed treatment is introduced to measure the dynamic stability of the relativistic electrons in a self-amplified spontaneous emission free-electron laser (FEL) system, which includes the numerical approach of the Kolmogorov entropy (entropy-like quantity), the general equations of motion for a charged particle and the method of monitoring the simulation accuracy. Numerical experiments reveal a new phenomenon that there exists the possibility of the transition from chaotic to non-chaotic phase-space trajectories of the strongly relativistic electrons due to the effect of their self-fields. The adiabatic magnetic field of a one-dimensional wiggler may have a slight influence on the electron transportation in the absence of the FEL fields, but substantially affects the dynamic stability of the electrons in the process of the FEL interaction. Moreover, the laser fields diminish the dynamic stability of the electrons as the FEL interaction grows exponentially.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The authors study the processes {gamma}e {r{underscore}arrow} {gamma}e and {gamma}{gamma} {r{underscore}arrow} {gamma}{gamma}, in the context of the proposal for Weak Scale Quantum Gravity (WSQG) with large extra dimensions. With an ultraviolet cutoff M{sub S} {approximately} 1 TeV for the effective gravity theory, the cross sections obtained for these processes at the Next Linear Collider (NLC), with the e{gamma} an {gamma}{gamma} options, deviate from the predictions of the Standard Model significantly. The results suggest that, for typical proposed NLC energies and luminosities, the predictions of WSQG can be tested in the range 1 TeV {approx{underscore}lt} M{sub S} {approx{underscore}lt} 10 TeV, making e{gamma} an {gamma}{gamma} colliders important tools for probing WSQG.

Science.gov (United States)

A position-sensitive event-counting electronic readout system for microchannel plates (MCPs) is described that offers the advantages of high spatial resolution and fast time resolution. The technique relies upon a four-quadrant electron-collecting anode located behind the output face of the microchannel plate, so that the electron cloud from each detected event is partly intercepted by each of the four quadrants. The relative amounts of charge collected by each quadrant depend on event position, permitting each event to be localized with two ratio circuits. A prototype quadrant anode system for ion, electron, and extreme ultraviolet imaging is described. The spatial resolution achieved, approx. =10 ..mu.., allows individual MCP channels to be distinguished. (AIP)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Zooplankton tolerant to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) could be indirectly affected by UVR through interactions with UV-sensitive species in the same ecosystem. In Lake Giles, Pennsylvania, USA, the calanoid copepod Leptodiaptomus minutus is more UVR tolerant than the cohabiting species Daphnia catawba and Cyclops scutifer. We asked whether L. minutus is affected by UV-induced mortality of a food competitor (D. catawba) or a predator of its nauplii (C. scutifer). We conducted two in situ enclosure experiments with six treatments: L. minutus alone, L . minutus + Daphnia and L. minutus + Cyclops in the presence and absence of UVR. There were few differences in survival among treatments in Experiment 1, which had enhanced food and a cumulative UVR (320 nm) dose of 9.3 kJ m-2. In Experiment 2, wh...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hemolysis induced by long-wave ultraviolet radiation (UVA) and 8 different commercial tetracycline derivatives was studied in a model using human red blood cells. Demethylchlortetracycline and doxycycline were shown to have pronounced hemolytic properties causing 88% and 85% hemolysis, respectively, at a concentration of 50 micrograms/ml and 72 J/ cm2 of UVA. Tetracycline, oxytetracycline, and chlortetracycline caused maximally 18% hemolysis at 200 micrograms/ml and lymecycline only 7% at 100 micrograms/ml. Methacycline showed intermediate hemolytic effect of 36% at 200 micrograms/ml. Minocycline had no hemolytic effect whatsoever. These experimental data correlate very well with clinical reports and comparative phototoxicity trials in humans. Photohemolysis may thus be of value for predicting tetracycline phototoxicity.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luminescence properties of SiAlON phosphors codoped with Ca and Yb were investigated by changing the host lattice composition. These modifications of the host lattice were obtained by replacing Si-N bonds by Al-N and Al-O bonds. Their photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence (CL) properties were measured and compared with each other. PL allows observing the influence of the host lattice modifications by measuring wider areas. CL can excite all luminescent centers, in particular the UV luminescence centers, even if their amount is small. Thus, two additional peaks in the ultraviolet and infrared regions were observed in CL, which is not observed by PL. This work suggests that the combination of PL and CL gives more understanding about the luminescence of SiAlON phosphors, in particular the role of the secondary phases on their properties.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The kinetics of alkaline hydrolysis of methylparathion was studied at different temperatures (0-50 Centigrade) in the p H range of 8-12 by ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy. Optimum p H and wavelength conditions were defined to carry out the simultaneous determination of methylparathion and one of its hydrolysis product, paranitrophenol, in buffered aqueous medium. Based on the experimental data and the mathematical equation of the kinetics, a rate constant (k) of first-order and an activation energy (Ea) of 9.2 Kcal/mol, were estimated. (Author) activation energy (Ea) of 9.2 Kcal/mol, were estimated. (Author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The intrinsic fluorescence of clear amniotic fluid from third-trimester pregnancy is reported. The fluorescence intensity peaked at 405 nm when excited by ultraviolet light in the range of 310 to 360 nm. All of the 33 samples tested fluoresced, and their emission spectrum had the same shape, varying only in magnitude. Changing sample temperature (20 to 50 C) and sample pH (7.2 to 7.7) had little effect on the emission spectrum. The same fluorescence, with higher intensity, was observed when some newborn urine was tested. The fluorescence of amniotic fluid may provide a new tool to determine fetal age, fetal organ maturation, and fetal distress. (author).

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Plasma polymerization of aniline is carried out in a radiofrequency plasma reactor and the effect of polymerization time is examined in the structural, optical and optoelectronic properties of deposited films. Conjugated structures of polyaniline like films are obtained with unique and broad optical absorption band in the ultraviolet and entire visible region. The width of the absorption band increases and hence the optical band gap decreases with polymerization time. The optical constants are extracted by Swanepoel method and the optical dispersion parameters are determined by employing the Wemple-DiDomenico single oscillator model. The films exhibit similar thermal stability in air and argon atmosphere in the region of interest for optoelectronic applications. The photoluminescence study...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

#epsilon#_m(Ce"4"+) values of the ceric-cereus system have been measured and the experimental procedure is described. Both routine titration method and electrochemical measurement were used. Some interference factors, such as ultraviolet, acidity and temperature, were studied as well. The temperature coefficient of #epsilon#_m(Ce"4"+) value in this experiment is about -0.1% degree C"-"1. A statistic analysis was made for 24 experimental values of #epsilon#_m(Ce"4"+) and a Gaussian distribution was found. Ultimately, an average molar extinction coefficient of 553.2 +- 1.3 m"2#centre dot#mol"-"1 was obtained at #approx#320 nm in 0.4 mol/L H_2SO_4 system, with a relative standard deviation of 0.24% (95% confidence level) and a total uncertainty of 1.5%.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Background. Reports of positive patch test and photopatch test reactions to the chemical ultraviolet filter octocrylene have increased during the last decade. Little is known about the reason for octocrylene's allergenic activity. Objectives. To present and discuss the results of patch tests and photopatch tests with octocrylene, and to investigate the possible cause of its allergenic properties. Methods. Results of patch tests and photopatch tests with octocrylene in patients with adverse skin reactions to sunscreen products and/or ketoprofen were collected. The allergenic potency of octocrylene was investigated in the murine local lymph node assay (LLNA). Chemical reactivity assays were used to mimic octocrylene's interaction with biomolecules. Results. We report 23 cases of positive tes...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Absorption coefficient data are presented for molecular oxygen at temperatures between 1100 and 2000K and discrete wavelengths between 211 and 235nm. Measurements were made behind reflected shock waves using broad-linewidth ultraviolet laser radiation generated from a frequency-quadrupled, tunable, pulsed Ti:Sapphire laser. Test mixtures consisting of 15% O"2, 15% He and balance Ar were used to minimize the influence of vibrational relaxation on the reflected shock temperature. The experimental results are in good agreement with theoretical calculations and confirm that discrete features from the Schumann-Runge system dominate between 211 and 235nm at temperatures higher than 1100K.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Studies of asphalt emulsion sealants conducted by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory have demonstrated that the sealants are effective in containing radon and other potentially hazardous material within uranium tailings. The laboratory and field studies have further demonstrated that radon exhalation from uranium tailings piles can be reduced by greater than 99% to near background levels. Field tests at the tailings pile in Grand Junction, Colorado, confirmed that an 8-cm admix seal containing 22 wt% asphalt could be effectively applied with a cold-mix paver. Other techniques were successfully tested, including a soil stabilizer and a hot, rubberized asphalt seal that was applied with a distributor truck. After the seals were applied and compacted, overburden was applied over the seal to protect the seal from ultraviolet degradation.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

For the purpose of solving the limitations such as shape and dimension for magnetic compact fabricated by conventional anisotropic forming under magnetic orienting field, the feasibility of a new magnetic forming process was studied. Ferrite powder mixed with UV resin was compacted in the die mold and followed by alignment under the magnetic field. Effects of viscosity of UV resin and forming condition on magnetic characteristics of the compact was investigated. Maximum degree of alignment for the ferrite powder reached to 0.826. It was predicted that the proposed method had make it possible to fabricate a high performance magnet having the anisotropic alignment of the magnetic powder. The UV resin is desirable to have low viscosity, good properties such as formability and configuration stability for the compact and also parting- ability between the metal mold and the compact. (author)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

We report on characterization of a set of AlGaN/GaN multiple-quantum-well (MQW) photodetectors. The model structure used in the calculation is the p-i-n heterojunction with 20 AlGaN/GaN MQW structures in i-region. The MQW structures have 2nm GaN quantum well width and 15nm AlxGa1-xN barrier width. The cutoff wavelength of the MQW photodetectors can be tuned by adjusting the well width and barrier height. Including the polarization field effects, on increasing Al mole fraction, the transition energy decreases, the total noise increases, and the responsivity has a red shift, and so the detectivity decreases and has a red shift.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A novel liquid phase alkylation of aniline with methanol over Zn/Cu salts modified kaolin assisted with a pair of porous carbon electrode in slurry-bed reactor under constant current intensity, room temperature and atmospheric pressure was reported. The Zn/Cu salts modified kaolin catalysts were synthesized and characterized by infrared spectrometer (IR), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which showed that the transition metals were completely supported on kaolins structure and formed a pored one. The effect parameters, such as initial pH, electrolysis time, metal ratio with kaolin and salts composition in this electrochemical catalytic system, were studied. The procedure was inspected by ultraviolet-visible spectrum (UV-vis), and the product distributi...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Our institute has been investigating laser-produced tin, lithium and xenon plasma for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source of EUV lithography system, and found the highest conversion efficiency of 3% at 13.5 nm in 2% bandwidth. In the present paper, we introduce fabrication methods of density-controlled tin targets to generate relatively monochromatic EUV, and higher conversion efficiency than bulk tin. The first method is the nano-template method, where liquid tin solution was immersed into a polymer film with monodispersed size nano-particle. The density can be controlled by tin concentration of the solution. The target can be classified into mass-limited target. We have shown a tendency of monochromatic EUV emission around 13.5 nm with decreasing of tin density. The intensity was higher than tin foil with bulk density. The tendency has a merit to mitigate heat effect of the first EUV mirror. The fabrication method has another merit to control not only density ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We describe the growth, fabrication, and characterization of an ultraviolet (UV) photoconductive detector based on In{sub x}Al{sub y}Ga{sub 1-x-y}N quaternary alloy that is lattice matched to GaN. The detector consisted of 0.1 {mu}m In{sub x}Al{sub y}Ga{sub 1-x-y}N alloy grown on 0.5-1.0 {mu}m GaN epilayer by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. With varying indium concentration, the cut-off wavelength of the In{sub x}Al{sub y}Ga{sub 1-x-y}N detectors could be varied to the deep UV range. The most important and intriguing result is that the responsivity of the In{sub x}Al{sub y}Ga{sub 1-x-y}N quaternary alloy exceeded that of AlGaN alloy of a comparable cutoff wavelength by a factor of five. This makes the nitride quaternary alloy very important material for solar blind UV detectors applications particularly in the deep UV range where Al rich AlGaN alloys have problems with low quantum efficiency and cracks due in part to lattice mismatch with GaN. The ...

Science.gov (United States)

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We report on the ultraviolet laser absorption spectroscopy of atomic Gd at 394-554 nm where two transition lines are place very closely by using a frequency-doubled beam of external-cavity diode laser (ECDL). One is from 999.121 to 26337.071 cm-1 and the other from 0 to 25337.755 cm-1. If two transition lines are placed closely within a continuous fine tuning range, the real-time measurement of the atomic excitation temperature is possible without any significant time consumption because at least two transition lines originating from different low-lying energy levels need to be investigated for the Boltzmann-plot. Since the spectral difference between the two transitions is only about 0.195 cm-1 (5.85 GHz), it is possible to record both the absorption spectra simultaneously as shown in Fig. 1. But the transition probabilities (or oscillator strengths) of these lines have not been measured accurately yet to the best of our knowledge. We report on the newly measured ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Glycosaminoglycan synthesis was studied in cell populations of ultraviolet light-induced murine cutaneous fibrosarcoma cells under conditions of varying growth rates in vitro. After labeling with the precursors, /sup 3/H-glucosamine and /sup 35/SO/sub 4/, sulfated glycosaminoglycans recoverable by direct proteolysis of the culture monolayers increased approximately 5-fold on a per cell basis from sparsely populated, exponential cell cultures (greater than 85% of cells in S, G2, or M phases) to stationary cultures inhibited by high cell density (greater than 50% of cells in G1). Within this cell surface-associated material, the relative ratio of heparan sulfate to the chondroitin sulfates was approximately 60/40% under conditions of exponential growth; in the growth-arrested cultures, the reverse ratio was found. The substratum attached material, obtained from the flask surface after ethyl glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Since antioxidants have been shown to play a major role in preventing some of the effects of aging and photoaging in skin, it is important to study this phenomenon in a controlled manner. This was accomplished by developing a simple and reliable in vitro technique to assay antioxidant efficacy. Inhibition of peroxidation by antioxidants was used as a measure of relative antioxidant potential. Liposomes, high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), were dispersed in buffer and irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) light. Irradiated liposomes exhibited a significantly higher amount of hydroperoxides than liposomes containing antioxidants in a dose- and concentration-dependent manner. Lipid peroxidation was determined spectrophotometrically by an increase in thiobarbituric acid reacting substances. To further substantiate the production of lipid peroxides, gas chromatography was used to measure a decrease in PUFA substrate. In order of decreasing antioxidant effectiveness, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The B-Factory which is constructed by National Laboratory for High Energy Physics is the device for elucidating the breakdown of symmetry of matter and antimatter by studying the behavior of B mesons which are generated in large quantity when the electrons and the positrons which are accelerated to light velocity level are collided. In order to maintain electron beam-positron beam bunch circling the ring at light velocity stably, the instability of the coupled bunch must be overcome. For this purpose, the ultrahigh speed beam position digital feedback control system was developed. This system is composed of the high speed input-output substrate using GaAs LSI, the feedback computation substrate using complementary metal oxide semiconductor and the memory mounted on it, and the real time operation device. The development of both substrates and their functions are explained. The real time data collection and the change of computation parameters for specific bunch in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Our latest survey of hydro resources demonstrates the significant role that hydroelectric power continues to play in world energy supply. Our statistics have been revised, updated and expanded this year (1992) on the basis of a detailed questionnaire sent to power authorities around the world. For cases where data could not be obtained in this way we have collaborated with the World Energy Council, the United Nations and OLADE. The four tables this year give data by country and geographical region for the following: 1. Hydropower potential: a detailed breakdown of gross theoretical, technically feasible and economically feasible hydro potential, as well as the dates when the figures were last evaluated. 2. Hydro capacity in operation, under construction and planned (pure hydro only excluding contributions derived from pumped storage). 3. Hydropower ownership: data on public versus independent producers. 4. Pumped-storage plants: in operation, under construction, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The influence of surface oxides of variable composition and nonstoichiometry formed at high temperatures in air on the general corrosion resistance of ferritic chromium steel type 08H17T (Fe-17Cr-1Ti) in weak sulfuric acid has been studied. Anodic passive films formed on steel with different pretreatments have also been examined. The surface oxide of nearly stoichiometric composition formed at 300 C provides for the passive state of steel in sulfuric acid despite its depletion by chromium when compared with that for nonstoichiometric Cr-enriched oxide formed at 600 C. The dissolution and transformation of nonstoichiometric thermal surface oxide in sulfuric acid appear to take place through defect sites, {minus}Fe{sup 2+} ions, and oxygen vacancies of the n-type conductor. The passive film formed on the nonstoichiometric oxide film, which had been produced at 600 C, was found to be more susceptible to open-circuit breakdown compared to the native oxide and to the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Superconducting rf cavities are increasingly used in accelerators. Gradient is a parameter of particular importance for the ILC. Much progress in gradient has been made over the past decade, overcoming problems of multipacting, field emission, and breakdown triggered by surface impurities. However, the quenching limit of the surface magnetic field for niobium remains a hard limitation on cavity fields sustainable with this technology. Further exploration of materials and preparation may offer a path to surpassing the current limit. For this purpose, we have designed a resonant test cavity. One wall of the cavity is formed by a flat sample of superconducting material; the rest of the cavity is copper or niobium. The H field on the sample wall is 75% higher than on any other surface. Multipacting is avoided by use of a mode with no surface electric field. The cavity will be resonated through a coupling iris with high-power rf at superconducting temperature until the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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 can roughly simulate ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The Thomsen-Friedenreich (T) antigen, #betta#-D-Gal-(1->3)-#alpha#-D-GalNAc, is exposed in reactive form on many human adenocarcinomata, but not on corresponding benign tissues. Peanut lectin (PNA) has a strong binding affinity for the T antigen and reportedly binds preferentially to certain malignant tissues. We investigated the potential of radio-labelled PNA as a tumour localising agent in an animal model system using a mouse lymphoma (RI) shown to bind fluorescein-labelled PNA in vitro. The radio-iodinated lectin showed good tumour localisation and rapid blood clearance. Clear images of tumours were obtained, in serial scintigraphic imaging, by 24 and 48 h. No blood background subtraction was necessary. Biodistribution studies revealed tumour to blood ratios in mice were 6:1 (at 24 h) and 17:1 (at 48 h), and tumour to muscle ratios were 34:1 (at 24 h) and 40:1 (at 48 h). Rapid in vivo breakdown of _1_2_5I-PNA led to some localisation of free iodide in the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper introduces a new method to produce nano-composite powder for the preparation of high performance ZnO varistors. ZnO particles were coated with Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Sb{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Co{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} and other additives via liquid nano-coating technique. Then the prepared powder was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermal gravity and differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) and particle size distribution. The results showed that the ZnO composite powder is homogeneously coated and ultrafine. The densification, phase composition and microstructure of ZnO varistors was studied by linear shrinkage, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and SEM, respectively. The preliminary electrical parameters of ZnO varistors showed that the breakdown voltage V {sub b} (1 mA/cm{sup 2}) and nonlinear coefficient {alpha} is 5400 V/cm and 50, respectively, much higher than that of conventional ball milling ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Samples of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and nylon 66, of grades suitable for use in medical prostheses, were subjected to irradiation using a /sup 60/Co source. The effects of a 10 Mrad dose on percentage crystallinity, tensile behaviour and dynamic mechanical response were established 3 days after irradiation at intervals over a one year period. Crystallinity in UHMWPE was found to increase progressively during this period with consequent changes in mechanical behaviour. It is proposed that the observed ageing process arises from the breakdown of metastable groups in the polymer, which are formed on irradiation, with consequent release of long inter-lamella tie chains. This removes an inhibition to crystal perfection processes, which can occur at room temperature in polyethylene. Infra-red spectroscopic evidence supports the proposal that the metastable species is peroxy or hydroperoxy and that this decomposes on ageing to a carbonyl group, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The electrical conductivity of Vitox-alumina (99.2%), Wesgo-alumina (99.9%) and AlN (99.6%) has been measured during and after irradiation with an experimental set-up which allows fusion relevant loading conditions. All irradiations were performed in high vacuum at 450 C using a 104 MeV {alpha}-particle beam with an applied DC electric field of 100 kV/m. In the high purity Vitox-alumina the in-situ and postirradiation bulk conductivities {sigma} and {sigma}{sub 0} show the highest irradiation induced electrical breakdown ever observed. The saturation level near 4 x 10{sup -2} ({Omega}m){sup -1}, reached already after 0.015 dpa (O-sublattice), is already above the critical value necessary to avoid MHD pressure drop with 10 {mu}m coatings in flowing liquid metal coolants. Under the same conditions no radiation induced electrical degradation at all has been found in Wesgo-alumina and AlN. (orig.).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Acanthamoeba castellanii is a free-living amoeba found in soil, freshwater, and marine environments and an important predator of bacteria. Acanthamoeba castellanii is also an opportunistic pathogen of clinical interest, responsible for several distinct diseases in humans. In order to provide a genomic platform for the study of this ubiquitous and important protist, we generated a sequence survey of approximately 0.5 x coverage of the genome. The data predict that A. castellanii exhibits a greater biosynthetic capacity than the free-living Dictyostelium discoideum and the parasite Entamoeba histolytica, providing an explanation for the ability of A. castellanii to inhabit adversity of environments. Alginate lyase may provide access to bacteria within biofilms by breaking down the biofilm matrix, and polyhydroxybutyrate depolymerase may facilitate utilization of the bacterial storage compound polyhydroxybutyrate as a food source. Enzymes for the synthesis and ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bioethanol is among the most promising of biofuels that can be produced from different biomass such as agricultural products, waste and byproducts. This paper reported on a study that examined the energy conversion of different groups of biomass to bioethanol, including lignocelluloses, starches and sugar. Biochemical conversion generally involves the breakdown of biomass to simple sugars using different pretreatment methods. The energy needed for the conversion steps was calculated in order to obtain mass and energy efficiencies for the conversions. Mass conversion ratios of corn, molasses and rice straw were calculated as 0.3396, 0.2300 and 0.2296 kg of bioethanol per kg of biomass, respectively. The energy efficiency of biochemical conversion of corn, molasses and rice straw was calculated as 28.57, 28.21 and 31.33 per cent, respectively. The results demonstrated that lignocelluloses can be efficiently converted with specific microorganisms such as Mucor ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The effect of the external pH on the intracellular pH in mung bean (Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper) root-tip cells was investigated with the T P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) method. The T P NMR spectra showed three peaks caused by cytoplasmic G-6-P, cytoplasmic Psub(i) and vacuolar Psub(i). The cytoplasmic and vacuolar pHs could be determined by comparing the Psub(i) chemical shifts with the titration curve. When the external pH was changed over a range from pH 3 to 10, the cytoplasmic pH showed smaller changes than the vacuolar pH, suggesting that the former is regulated more strictly than the latter. The H -ATPase inhibitor, DCCD, caused the breakdown of the mechanism that regulates the intracellular pH. H -ATPase appears to have an important part in the regulation of the intracellular pH.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The microelectronic cable diagnosis is a substantial tool to determine destruction free the residual strength and the lifetime of laid PE/XLPE medium voltage cables. Fundamentals of the ageing diagnosis and a cost reduced inspection concept are the `Isothermal-Relaxation-Current` Analysis and the Neuro-Fuzzy evaluation software. These new tools are able to determine the ageing status of the investigated cable without any references. The authors also show that the test breakdown during the assessment of the ageing status of criterial systems can be reduced by this approach. The cable diagnosis equipment KDA is also useful for the steering of investment as well as for preventive maintenance. (orig.) [Deutsch] Die zerstoerungsfreie dielektrische Kabeldiagnostik kann heute einen wesentlichen Beitrag zur Bestimmung der Restfestigkeit und der Restlebensdauer eines PE/VPE-isolierten Mittelspannungskabels leisten. Basis der Alterungsdiagnose und des Konzeptes zur ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The formation and breakdown of the passive films on stainless steels are mainly controlled by ionic and electronic transport processes. Both these processes are in part controlled by the electronic properties of the oxide film. Consequently, it is vital to gain a detailed perception of the electronic properties of the passive films together with structural and compositional information for a comprehensive understanding of mechanisms behind passivity and localised corrosion. As a step towards this goal the passive films formed on two main austenitic stainless steels AISI 316L and AISI 304L in borate solution were characterised by in situ Raman spectroscopy and photocurrent spectroscopy coupled with electrochemical measurements. This revealed the formation of an Fe-Cr spinel as the dominant constituent in the passive films with more Cr enrichment in the oxide film on 316L than that of 304L. Bandgap readings and semiconductivities of the two stainless steels suggested ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We investigate the quantum cosmology of spatially homogeneous models with compact spatial sections admitting a u(2) isometry algebra. The metric ansatz in these models is that of Bianchi type IX with two scale factors set to be equal. We apply the Hartle-Hawking no-boundary path integral prescription and find the semi-classical contributions to the wave function. Exact formulae are obtainable for certain contributions and otherwise the limits of large and small anisotropy (for the pure vacuum case) and large spatial volume or small anisotropy (for the case with a positive cosmological constant) are considered. For the pure vacuum case we find no rapidly oscillating semiclassical components in the wave function, and hence do not recover lorentzian space-time as a prediction of the no-boundary proposal. For the case with a cosmological constant the wave function does contain rapidly oscillating components and thus predicts approximately lorentzian space-times; however, one of the ...

Science.gov (United States)

A first-principles task-based approach to the design of medical ultrasonic imaging systems for breast lesion discrimination is described. This study explores a new approximation to the ideal Bayesian observer strategy that allows for object heterogeneity. The new method, called iterative Wiener filtering, is implemented using echo data simulations and a phantom study. We studied five lesion features closely associated with visual discrimination for clinical diagnosis. A series of human observer measurements for the same image data allowed us to quantitatively compare alternative beamforming strategies through measurements of visual discrimination efficiency. Employing the Smith-Wagner model observer, we were able to breakdown efficiency estimates and identify the processing stage at which performance losses occur. The methods were implemented using a commercial scanner and a cyst phantom to explore development of spatial filters for systems with shift-variant ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A low pressure nuclear thermal rocket (LPNTR) is configured to meet the requirements of a nuclear stage for manned Mars exploration. Safety, reliability and performance are given equal consideration in selecting the stage configuration. Preliminary trade studies are conducted to size the engine thrust and determine the thrust chamber pressure. A weight breakdown and mechanical configuration for the selected LPNTR concept are defined. A seven engine stage configuration is selected which gives a two engine out capability and eliminates the need for engine gimbaling. The stage can be ground assembled and launched as a unit including tankage for trans Earth injection and Earth orbital capture. The tankage is configured to eliminate the need for an inert shield. The small engine will be cheaper to develop than a single engine providing full thrust, and will be compatible with stages for Earth orbital, Lunar and deep space missions. Mission analyses are presented with ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oxide superconducting thin films were irradiated with X-rays and ultra-violet (UV) light, and induced radiation effects on electrical and chemical properties were examined by transport measurement, X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), diamagnetization measurement and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). After irradiation for ErBa_2Cu_3O_x films with X-rays emitted from a Rh tube for 100 hours, superconductivity was remarkably damaged, destroying the zero-resistance state. The UV-light irradiation for Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_x films was performed in He gas of about 500 Pa with a low pressure mercury lamp. The superconductivity was gradually degraded with the UV irradiation time up to 70 minutes. In both cases, adequate oxygen-annealing treatments restored superconductivity. The X-ray photoemission spectra showed that the mean Cu valence of the films was decreased approximately from +2 to +1 by the irradiation. From these results we can find that irradiation with the X-ray ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A scheme of evaluating a generalized three-photon excitation cross section sigma/sub (3)/ in neutral atomic argon at 3144.67 A is outlined. Three photons at this wavelength can excite the neutral argon atoms from the ground 3p/sup 6/ /sup 1/S/sub 0/ state to the 3p/sup 5/4s'(1/2)/sub 1//sup 0/ state. The fourth photon will ionize the argon atoms. Assuming linear polarization of the incident laser radiation, contributions from several channels in various energy-level schemes are summed in the evaluation of the transition probability. For a laser linewidth of ..delta..lambda/sub L/ = 1 A, our maximum numerical value of the computed result for the three-photon excitation cross section is sigma/sub (3)/ = 1.414 x 10/sup -80/ cm/sup 6/ s/sup 2/. .AE

CERN Document Server

Lyman-limit absorption systems can play many important roles during and after cosmological reionization. Unfortunately, due to the prohibitively large dynamic range required, it is impossible to self-consistently include these systems in cosmological simulations. Using fast and versatile semi-numeric simulations, we systematically explore the spatial distribution of absorption systems during and following reionization. We self-calibrate the resulting number of absorbers to the mean free path (mfp) of the ionizing ultraviolet background (UVB), and present results at a given mfp and neutral hydrogen fraction. We use a simple optical depth criterion to identify the locations of absorbers. Our approach is fairly robust to uncertainties such as missing subgrid structure. Unlike at lower redshifts where the UVB is relatively uniform, at higher redshifts the fluctuations in the UVB and the HII morphology of reionization can drive the large-scale distribution of absorption ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This study is a task of ''Comprehensive study'' in ''nuclear energy basic technology research'', which is promoted under cooperation of four research institutes. The Electrotechnical Laboratory conducted, in 1991 in the first period of colaboration, on successful oscillation at visible region (598 nm) as the first case in Japan, construction of small type accumulation ring NIJI-IV for FEL, successful oscillation of visible range from 595 to 488 nm by installing optical krystron with maximum frequency in the world, and successful emittance lowering of accumulation beam by wide improvement of the ring. In the optical resonator, studies on minute loss measuring technique and on recovery from mirror deterioration were promoted. In the second period started from fiscal year of 1994, studies on FEL oscillation technique in short wavelength and upgrading of FEL corresponding to a frontier area were started, to succeed an oscillation experiment at 350 nm in ultraviolet ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Multilayer mirrors for the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) are keyelements for numerous applications of coherent EUV sources such as newtabletop lasers and free-electron lasers. However the field ofapplications is limited by the radiation and thermal stability of themultilayers. Taking into account the growing power of EUV sources thestability of the optics becomes crucial. To overcome this problem it isnecessary to study the degradation of multilayers and try to increasetheir temporal and thermal stability. In this paper we report the resultsof detailed study of structural changes in Sc/Simultilayers when exposedto intense EUV laser pulses. Various types of surface damage such asmelting, boiling, shockwave creation and ablation were observed asirradiation fluencies increase. Cross-sectional TEM study revealed thatthe layer structure was completely destroyed in the upper part ofmultilayer, but still survived below. The layers adjacent tothe substrateremained intact even ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seiberg duality in supersymmetric gauge theories is the claim that two different theories describe the same physics in the infrared limit. However, one cannot easily work out physical quantities in strongly coupled theories and hence it has been difficult to compare the physics of the electric and magnetic theories. In order to gain more insight into the equivalence of two theories, we study the ''e{sup +}e{sup -}'' cross sections into ''hadrons'' for both theories in the superconformal window. We describe a technique which allows us to compute the cross sections exactly in the infrared limit. They are indeed equal in the low-energy limit and the equality is guaranteed because of the anomaly matching condition. The ultraviolet behavior of the total ''e{sup +}e{sup -}'' cross section is different for the two theories. We comment on proposed nonsupersymmetric ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Potassium deposition in ultrahigh vacuum on 12-(3-thienyl)dodecanethiol monolayers assembled on gold surfaces has been investigated using X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopies (XPS and UPS). Angle-resolved XPS indicates that initially deposited potassium penetrates the self-assembled monolayer (SAM) and diffuses to the SAM/Au interface. Even after large metal doses, the presence of thiophene ring valence electronic states in the UPS spectra confirms that most of the thiophene rings (at the SAM/vacuum interface) are not covered by potassium. The binding energy shifts of the thiophene ring valence states and the C1s and thiophene S2p peaks, referenced to the Fermi level, are due to the work function changes of the gold substrate. This indicates that these electronic states are pinned to the vacuum level, in contrast to the thiolate S2p orbital, which is pinned to the Fermi level. For large potassium doses, the appearance of new features in the UPS ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GaN and Al_1_-_xGa_xN films were grown by the method of ECR-MBE. Absorption constants as a function of wavelength were determined from transmission measurements. Photoconducting detectors were fabricated from these films and characterized in terms of their spectral response and photoconductive gain. Mobility-lifetime products were determined from the measurement of photoconductive gain. The resistivity and mobility-lifetime products of the films were varied from 10--10"9 ohm-cm and 10"-"3--10"-"8 cm"2/V respectively by changing the microwave power in the ECR discharge from 20--60 watts. The change in the mobility-lifetime product is attributed to change in the lifetimes of the photogenerated carriers. This assumption is supported by direct measurement of detector response times. Finally, the authors report for the first time, the detection of alpha particles using GaN detectors.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We investigated the Raman coherence characteristics of a solid hydrogen film deposited on a sapphire substrate held at 5.3 K. Using Raman coherence prepared with two single-frequency pulsed lasers, we generated the multiorder coherent Raman sidebands in solid hydrogen film. The highorder Raman sidebands were obtained under strong pumping intensities (? 230 MW/cm2). The generated anti-Stokes(AS)-Raman sidebands extend from the ultraviolet (292 nm for the AS5 band) to the visible (565 nm for the AS1 band) region. The multiorder Raman sideband generation is found to be due to the parametric coupling of pump and coupling lasers. The frequency conversion efficiency from pumping beams to the first AS-Raman sideband shows a maximum (14 %) at a pumping intensity of 360 MW/cm2. From an experiment that makes the multimode probe beam beat with the prepared Raman coherence, we found that the prepared Raman coherence replicates the probe beam to its Raman sidebands.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A brief comparative review of possible mercury free fluorescent lighting technologies is presented, including rare-gas positive column discharges, molecular discharges, and dielectric barrier discharges. Detailed experimental results on xenon positive column discharges will then be considered. In order to judge whether xenon-based discharges are a viable UV source it is necessary to measure the radiant emittance (power per unit area) for the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) resonance xenon emission at 147 nm. Two techniques to determine the VUV radiant emittance have been developed and applied to xenon discharges. One method combines the measured resonance level density using absorption spectroscopy and a calculation of the trapped decay rate for the resonance radiation to arrive at the radiant emittance at 147 nm. A second method utilizes a direct measurement of the radiance (power per unit area per unit solid angle) at 147 nm using a calibrated VUV photodiode, and a ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Various compositions of Y(Ta,Nb)O4:Eu3+,Tb3+ with different Nb and activator concentrations have been investigated under UV and VUV excitation. Some compounds with very strong emission under VUV excitation were found. Such phosphors could be proposed as very good emissive materials for Displays and Lightings. The growing interest in luminescence spectroscopy of rare earth ions in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) and the visible (VIS) spectral range is due to industrial demands for new applications. YTaO4 and YNbO4 phosphors are a perspective class of efficient materials that are generally used in X-ray intensifying screens. These phosphors exhibit satisfying luminescence whenever excited by UV light, cathode radiation or X ray. However, to our knowledge, no work has been published on the VUV-excited luminescence for Eu3+ and Tb3+ double activated yttrium niobate and yttrium tantalate based phosphors. In this paper, the VUV-UV PL and PLE spectra of Eu3+ and/or Tb3+ ion ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this study, two different humic acids extracted from England and China peat soil, as well as three purified products extracted from commercially available humic acids [Fluka (Fluka, Neu-Ulm, Germany, Alfa (Alfa Aesar, Ward Hill, USA) and Aldrich (Aldrich-Chemical Co, Gillingham-Dorset)] were obtained respectively with the modified IHSS (International humic substances society) procedure. The chemical and structural information of these humic acids were characterized by some techniques, such as elemental analysis, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and electropotential titration. UV-Vis spectra, infrared spectra, values for elemental composition and the contents of carboxyls, phenolic hydroxyls and total acidities of these humic acids were acquired. It is indicated that all these humic acids are different in the aspect of chemical structure, respectively, and these humic acids would be used for the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We used the recuperation effect (see also 'Recuperation of infrared stimulated luminescence of feldspars' in this issue) for investigating the connection between infrared- and greenlight-stimulated luminescence (IRSL and GLSL) of feldspars by performing a 'double-bleach recuperation' experiment. A diode system was used for infrared (IR) stimulation, and a filtered-light unit for greenlight (GL) stimulation. Powdered feldspar samples (2 mg each) of known chemical characterisation from a mineral collection were used. After beta-irradiation with 180 Gy and storage in the dark for several weeks feldspar aliquots were bleached down to a residual level of #approx#1% of the initial level, first with IR and subsequently with GL. For both stimulations, detection of the stimulated luminescence was carried out in the near ultraviolet region (around 260-360 nm, peaked at 340 nm). Other aliquots were bleached in reverse order (1st GL, 2nd IR). These bleaching sequences were ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In partnership with the US Navy, high-technology corporations, and research universities, Jefferson Lab is building a superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) accelerator-driven free-electron laser (FEL) and is outfitting an FEL user facility. This first fourth-generation light source - a 1 kW, 3 #mu#m infrared (IR) laser - is the first step in a program to develop high-average-power SRF-based IR and ultraviolet (UV) FELs for multiple manufacturing applications as well as for defense-related applied research and basic scientific research. This initial FEL will be driven by a 42 MeV, 5 m A recirculating SRF linac similar to the much larger SRF linac in Jefferson Lab's 4 GeV, 200 #mu#A Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). The FEL is expected to demonstrate 75% energy recovery. Its linac will be cooled by the existing CEBAF cryogenic system. At Jefferson Lab, an infrastructure of facilities and people already supports the advance of SRF and closely ...

CERN Document Server

In models with dynamical electroweak symmetry breaking, this breaking is normally communicated to quarks and leptons by a set of vector bosons with masses generated via sequential breaking of a larger gauge symmetry. In reasonably ultraviolet-complete theories of this type, the number of stages of breaking of the larger gauge symmetry is usually equal to the observed number of quark and lepton generations, $N_{gen.}=3$. Here we investigate the general question of how the construction and properties of these models depend on $N_{gen.}$, regarded as a variable. We build and analyze models with illustrative values of $N_{gen.}$ different from 3 (namely, $N_{gen.}=1,2,4$) that exhibit the necessary sequential symmetry breaking down to a strongly coupled sector that dynamically breaks electroweak symmetry. Our results for variable $N_{gen.}$ show that one can robustly obtain, for this latter sector, a theory with a gauge coupling that is large but slowly running, ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We report a detailed augmented-plane-wave energy-band study and wave-function analysis of stoichiometric PdH which shows that, even though the Fermi surface of PdH is qualitatively similar to that of silver, the simple ''proton model'' is not valid. Instead, the screening of the proton in PdH is found to be larger than in an isolated H atom due, in part, to the formation of a H-Pd bonding band below the bottom of the d-band complex. This result, which is in qualitative agreement with Switendick's earlier calculation, is confirmed by ultraviolet photoemission experiments. A partial density-of-states (DOS) analysis in the energy range spanned by the six valence and conduction bands reveals the quantitative details of the bonding mechanism between the Pd and H constituents. At the Fermi energy, the high Pd d to H s DOS ratio approx. 10.3 is found to be far higher than expected in silver, despite the fact that the Fermi-surface geometry is similar. The field-induced ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We have investigated the correlation between V-shaped defect formation and the optical properties of AlGaN/(In)GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) grown under different growth conditions and then demonstrated the characteristics of fabricated ultraviolet (UV) light emitting diodes (LEDs). From the temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) measurement, the internal quantum efficiency for 300 K was obtained as 43.6% for a sample with a low density of V-defects in a MQW and 13.7% for a sample with a high density of V-defects. The carrier lifetime based on the time resolved PL measurement at room temperature was 0.32 ns for a sample with a high density of V-defects and 1.26 ns for a sample with a low density of V-defects. And we also found that the density of V-defects affected the external quantum efficiency and wall plug efficiency of the fabricated UV LEDs. (fast track communication)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Low molecular weight epoxy resin based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A was synthesized and mixed at constant percentages with natural rubber. The rubber epoxy system was cured with various types of curing agents such as ethylene diamine, maleic anhydride as well as the prepared resole phenol formaldehyde. A study of the photo-induced crosslinking of the prepared elastic adhesives and film samples was carried out by exposure to ultraviolet lamp (300 w) for 2 weeks at 20 deg. C. Samples containing ethylene diamine were cured at 25 + - 1 deg. C. for 24 h while samples containing maleic anhydride or resole phenol formaldehyde resins were thermally cured at 150-170 deg. C. for 10 min. Cured adhesive compositions were tested mechanically and physically and evaluated as wood adhesives. While hardness, chemical resistance as well as heat stability of the prepared cured film sample were investigated. The obtained data indicate that the highest epoxy resin content and the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The choice of vacuum state for a quantum scalar field propagating in a de Sitter spacetime (massive and arbitrarily coupled to the gravitational field) is discussed. The problem of finite-time initial conditions for the mode functions is analyzed, as well as how these determine the vacuum state of the quantum system. The principle guiding the choice of vacuum state is the following: one wants the vacuum contribution to the energy-momentum tensor to contain all the ultraviolet divergent terms, so that the particle creation terms are finite, and covariantly conserved. There is a suitable set of modes (instantaneous adiabatic basis) in which this splitting of the expectation value of the energy-momentum tensor can be carried out. Numerical results are presented for different finite-time initial conditions (m = 0.6, {zeta} = 1/6). The nature of the particle creation effect is described and its relationship to the concept of a horizon crossing time is shown. These ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Purpose: Patients with mycosis fungoides [cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL)] may benefit from adjuvant therapy after completing total skin electron beam therapy (TSEBT). We report the results for (T1(T2)) CTCL patients treated with adjuvant oral psoralen plus ultraviolet light (PUVA) with respect to overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), salvage of recurrence, and toxicity. Methods and Materials: Between 1974 and 1993, TSEBT was administered to a total of 213 patients with CTCL. Records were reviewed retrospectively, and a total of 114 patients were identified as having T1 or T2 disease. Radiotherapy was provided via a 6-MeV linac to a total of 36 Gy, 1 Gy/day, 4 days/week, for 9 weeks. Beginning in 1988, patients were offered adjuvant PUVA within 2 months of completing TSEBT. This was started at 0.5-2 J/m"2, 1-2 treatments/week, with a taper over 3-6 months. Therapy then continued once per month. There were 39 T1 and 75 T2 patients. Six T1 (15%) and ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Between December 2001 and May 2004, a ventilation experiment (VE) was performed in the Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory (URL) and co-financed by the Commission of the European Communities. The objective was to investigate the desaturation of consolidated clay formations in consequence of the ventilation of underground openings of a repository in such a formation. The results of the geoelectric measurements performed in the second phase of the Mont Terri ventilation test can be summarized as follows: Geoelectric tomography has been found suitable for monitoring ventilation-induced saturation changes in the Opalinus clay. During ventilation with dry air a desaturation down to below 50% could be detected in both desaturation cycles. The desaturated zone extends less than 0.5 m into the rock around the microtunnel. During the second resaturation phase, ventilation with humid air led to quick resaturation at the tunnel surface, while resaturation of the rock mass took months. The ...

Science.gov (United States)

Autophagy is an intracellular recycling route in eukaryotes whereby organelles and cytoplasm are sequestered in vesicles, which are subsequently delivered to the vacuole for breakdown. The process is induced by various nutrient-responsive signaling cascades converging on the Autophagy-Related1 (ATG1)/ATG13 kinase complex. Here, we describe the ATG1/13 complex in Arabidopsis thaliana and show that it is both a regulator and a target of autophagy. Plants missing ATG13 are hypersensitive to nutrient limitations and senesce prematurely similar to mutants lacking other components of the ATG system. Synthesis of the ATG12-ATG5 and ATG8-phosphatidylethanolamine adducts, which are essential for autophagy, still occurs in ATG13-deficient plants, but the biogenesis of ATG8-decorated autophagic bodies does not, indicating that the complex regulates downstream events required for autophagosome enclosure and/or vacuolar delivery. Surprisingly, levels of the ATG1a and ATG13a ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The study presented in this thesis is a contribution about the analysis of failures modes of electrolytic capacitors and thyristors. The studied components are main elements of the protection system of the superconductive magnets of the LHC. The study of the ageing of the electrolytic capacitors has shown that their reliability is strongly related to their technological characteristic. Evolution of their principal indicator of ageing (ESR) can be modeled according to different laws chosen according to their running mode. It appears that the prediction of failure of these components other than that due to wear can be only statistical taking into account the many causes of failure involving various modes of failure. In order to be able to evaluate influence of the ageing of the electrolytic capacitors on a system, simple models taking into account this parameters as well as the effective temperature of the component are proposed. An acceptable precision taking into account the simplicity ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aging degradation is a phenomenon we all experience throughout life, both on a personal basis and in business. Many industries have been successful in postponing the inevitable impact on their related systems and components through programs to maintain long-term reliability, maintainability and safety. However, this has not always been the case for nuclear power. While all power plants are experiencing the world trend of increasing operating costs with age, few (if any) have been able to fully define the parameters that solve the aging equation, particularly in relation to major components. Inspection and preventive maintenance have not been effective in predicting life-limiting degradation and failure. In CANDU nuclear plants, utilities are taking a comprehensive approach in dealing with the aging problem. Programs have been established to identify the current condition and degradation mechanisms of critical components, the failure of which would impact negatively on station ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The concept of forestry-service enterprise used in the joint study (1997-7999) by the TTS-Institute and the Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla) refers to enterprises and co-operatives (including forest workers operating as entrepreneurs) offering services in the fields of silviculture, basic forest improvement, planning and wood-harvesting sector. Companies practicing large-scale wood-conversion and traditional forestry-machine and road haulage contractors are not included in this approach. It can be estimated that there is a total of 450 such entrepreneurs in the country Those engaged in only a minor degree in providing forestry services are not included in the figure. The nation-wide research material was collected in the form of a mail questionnaire addressed to forestry-service entrepreneurs (n=320) in the spring of 1998. Almost all forestry-service entrepreneurs provide timber felling as a service. More than half of them do planting, cleaning of young stands, tending of ...

Science.gov (United States)

After each archwire was ligated into a bracket with a 0.010-in stainless steel wire, both stainless steel and beta-titanium archwires (0.017- x 0.025-in) were slid through commercially pure titanium brackets (0.018-in slot size) at 34 degrees C in both the dry and wet conditions. As controls, stainless steel archwire versus stainless steel bracket couples were used with comparable dimensions. The drawing forces were measured at 5 angulations (0 degrees, 3 degrees, 7 degrees, 9 degrees, and 11 degrees ) for 5 normal forces (nominally 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 kg). Regression lines were determined for each frictional couple (P <.05). In the passive configuration, the kinetic frictional coefficients of control and test couples in the dry condition were comparable to previously reported values at 0.11 +/- 0.01 for stainless steel versus stainless steel, 0.12 +/- 0.00 for stainless steel versus titanium, and 0.26 +/- 0.02 for beta-titanium versus titanium. As the angulation was ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Passivity of aluminum (Al) alloy 3003 in air and in aqueous solutions without and with chloride ions was characterized by electrochemical measurements, including cyclic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), localized EIS and potential of zero charge, Mott-Schottky analysis and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) technique. Stability, pitting susceptibility and repassivation ability of Al alloy 3003 under various film-forming conditions were determined. Results demonstrated that passive films formed on 3003 Al alloy in air and in Na2SO4 solution without and with NaCl addition show an n-type semiconductor in nature. The passive film formed in chloride-free solution is most stable, and that formed in chloride-containing solution is most unstable, with the film formed in air in between. Pitting of Al alloy 3003 passivated both in air and in aqueous solutions is inevitable in the presence of chloride ions. There is the strongest capability for the air-passivated Al ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Investigation of an HP-blade damage in 1996 and an MP-blade damage in 1007 at the mounting showed that fretting and creep fatigue had caused the damage. Break-down occurred when creep-related cracks developed between radial bridge to the upper blade tooth and weight relief boreholes. After disassembly of the HP-blades the lower blade tooth was found to be cracked after fretting (some cracks along the whole length of the tooth). The lower teeth of MP-bladedes showed merely superficial cracks (depth about 0.4mm). The massive cracks of the lower blade tooth were caused by instationary clearance changes combined with hard blade underground.(orig.) [German] Das Ergebnis der Untersuchung nach einem HD-Schaufelschaden 1996 sowie einem MD-Schaufelschaden 1997 an der Vierzackenfussbefestigung ergab Zeitstanderschoepfung und Fretting als auszuloesende Schadensmechanismen. Die Havarien wurden durch zeitstandbedingte Brueche zwischen Radienuebergang zum oberen Schaufelzacken ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Development of electronic devices with better performance and smaller size requires the passive components to be embedded within a printed wire board (PWB). The 'film-on-foil' approach is the most viable method for embedding these components within a PWB. We have deposited high-permittivity ferroelectric lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (Pb{sub 0.92}La{sub 0.08}Zr{sub 0.52}Ti{sub 0.48}O{sub x}, PLZT 8/52/48) films on base metal foils by chemical solution deposition. These prefabricated capacitor sheets can be embedded into PWBs for power electronic applications. To eliminate the parasitic effect caused by the formation of a low-permittivity interfacial oxide, a conductive buffer layer of lanthanum nickel oxide (LNO) was applied by chemical solution deposition on nickel foil before the deposition of PLZT. With a {approx} 0.7-{micro}m-thick ferroelectric PLZT film grown on LNO-buffered nickel foil, we measured capacitance densities of 1.5 {micro}F/cm{sup 2}, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report presents the Business Plan for the establishment of the Wind Turbine Component Centre (CWTC) to meet the objectives of performing theoretical research and experimental testing. The core idea of a CWTC is to support the Danish wind energy industry and research activities at the component level improving the competitive advantage of that industry. The CWTC will in itself operate its activities, including access to test and experimental facilities, on a semi commercial basis. The business model for the CWTC presented is based on revenues coming from component manufacturers as well as research grants, and will include membership fees as well as hourly payment and larger projects where payment is a limited project sum. The presented roadmap model clarifies the development path towards a fully developed CWTC, which will cover test of all important components along the drive-train as well as offering a comprehensive systematic understanding of the entire drive-train. The CWTC will ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

One such agent is the widely used anesthetic, halothane. To study the toxicity of u.v. decomposed halothane, mice were exposed to anesthetic concentrations (1.3%) of non- and u.v.-irradiated halothane in oxygen for 90 min. Halothane sleeping times increased from 14.3 min to 72.5 min. Microsomal mixed function oxidase activity decreased, as shown by prolonged pentobarbital sleeping times 1 day after exposure to halothane and irradiated halothane (54.6 min and 149.1 min, respectively, as compared to a 34.6-min control). Quantitative and qualitative differences were found in the amount of (/sup 14/C)-pentobarbital metabolites excreted by u.v. irradiated halothane-exposed mice compared to either oxygen or non-irradiated halothane-exposed groups. In addition, serum glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase (SGOT) of irradiated halothane-exposed mice increased to 233% of the control values, and serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) were 377% of control values. No significant changes in SGOT or ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The phenomenon of global warming, its causes and implications for the future, and the relationship between global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer are discussed. The Shindell model of the greenhouse effect, which is responsible for planetary warming, also contributes to the high altitude thinning of the ozone layer. While greenhouse gas emissions contribute to retaining infrared radiation, thus warming the surface of the earth, their effect is reduced at stratospheric altitudes resulting in reduced temperatures in this region. At this altitude temperatures can reach minus 90 degrees C, creating a whirlwind effect, with ice crystals forming at the heart of the vortex, causing the surface to accelerate chemical reactions which in turn leads to destruction of ozone. Although since the signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987 the industrialized countries have significantly reduced their emissions of refrigerating gas (chlorofluorocarbons or CFC), which were considered to have ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eu-#alpha#-SiAlON (Eu_m_/_2Si_1_2_-_m_-_nAl_m_+_nO_nN_1_6_-_n) was synthesized with nominal compositions having small m and n values, by firing the powder mixture of Eu_2Si_5N_8, #alpha#-Si_3N_4, AlN, and Al_2O_3 at 1900 "oC for 6 h under 1 MPa nitrogen atmosphere. The ratio of the oxidation state of Eu"2"+/Eu"3"+ was estimated from the X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurement. The observed X-ray absorption near edge spectrum (XANES) showed that the Eu ion in Eu-#alpha#-SiAlON was mainly in divalent state but also coexisted with a small amount of Eu in the trivalent state. The crystal structure of Eu-#alpha#-SiAlON was refined by the Rietveld analysis of the X-ray powder diffraction patterns. The lattice constants of the samples increased with increasing m and n values. The excitation band of Eu-#alpha#-SiAlON ranged from the ultraviolet to the visible light region and a broad emission band centered at about 590 nm were observed. The emission intensity ...

Science.gov (United States)

Since the Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 1998, numerous laboratory investigations, atmospheric observations, and theoretical and modeling studies have produced new key findings and have strengthened overall understanding of the ozone layer and its effect on ultraviolet (UV) radiation. These advances are highlighted in the following summary of the current understanding of the impact of human activities and natural phenomena on the ozone layer and the coupling of the ozone layer and the climate system. In the troposphere (i.e., lower atmosphere), observations show that the total combined effective abundance of ozone-depleting compounds continues to decline slowly from the peak that occurred in 1992-1994. Total chlorine is declining, while bromine from industrial halons is still increasing, albeit at a slower rate than was occurring previously (and as reported in the 1998 Assessment). Analyses of air trapped in snow since the late 19th century have ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A major factor for the achievement of the desirable performance, efficiency and lifetime of flexible organic electronic devices is the optimization of the encapsulation layers that protect the device active layers by atmospheric gas molecule permeation. The active layers consisted of small molecule and/or polymer organic semiconductors as well as the organic conductors need to be encapsulated into a transparent medium that will provide the necessary protection and maintain their charge generation and transport characteristics. The encapsulation layers are generally consisted of inorganic thin films (silicon oxide-SiO{sub x} and aluminium oxide-AlO{sub x}) deposited onto the polymeric substrates, such as PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET). In this work, in situ and real-time Spectroscopic Ellipsometry in the ultraviolet spectral region has been implemented in order to investigate the growth of inorganic SiO{sub x} and AlO{sub x} nano-layers onto PET flexible polymeric ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We use UV/optical and X-ray observations of 272 radio-quiet Type 1 active galactic nuclei and quasars to investigate the C IV Baldwin Effect (BEff). The UV/optical spectra are drawn from the Hubble Space Telescope, International Ultraviolet Explorer and Sloan Digital Sky Survey archives. The X-ray spectra are from the Chandra and XMM-Newton archives. We apply correlation and partial-correlation analyses to the equivalent widths (EWs), continuum monochromatic luminosities, and ?ox, which characterizes the relative X-ray to UV brightness. The EW of the C IV ?1549 emission line is correlated with both ?ox and luminosity. We find that by regressing l?(2500 A) with EW(C IV) and ?ox, we can obtain tighter correlations than by regressing l?(2500 A) with only EW(C IV). Both correlation and regression analyses imply that l?(2500 A) is not the only factor controlling the changes of EW(C IV); ?ox (or, equivalently, the soft X-ray emission) plays a fundamental role in the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Single-phased Sr3B2SiO8:Eu3+ phosphor was prepared by a solid-state method at 1020 oC. The luminescence spectra showed that Sr3B2SiO8:Eu3+ phosphor can be effectively excited by near ultraviolet light (393 nm) and blue light (464 nm). When excited at 393 or 464 nm Sr3B2SiO8:Eu3+ exhibited the main emission peaks at 611 and 620 nm, which resulted from the supersensitive 5D0#->#7F2 transition of Eu3+. The luminescence intensity of Sr3B2SiO8:Eu3+ at 611 and 620 nm reached the maximum when the doping content of Eu3+ was 4.5 mol%. Its chromaticity coordinates (0.646, 0.354) were very close to the NTSC standard values (0.67, 0.33). Thus, Sr3B2SiO8:Eu3+ is considered to be an efficient red-emitting phosphor for long-UV InGaN-based light-emitting diodes. - Highlights: ? Sr3B2SiO8:Eu3+ was synthesized using solid-state reaction method for the first time. ? The phosphor can be efficiently excited by the near-UV chips and gives strong red emission. ? The phosphor is a ...